Liberty Academy, a lifelong learning institution of Meiji University, held the “OTOMO Katsuhiro & MATSUMORI Tadashi talk event” as an open lecture (free special plan) at Surugadai Campus Liberty Hall on June 15.
This event was held as part of the “Manga that Shaped OTOMO Katsuhiro” exhibition held at the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library of Manga and Subcultures from March 7 to June 23. The exhibition aimed to reevaluate the culture of rental books that influenced Mr. OTOMO during his youth and the impact that rental book culture has had on contemporary manga and animation.
Japan’s rental books were a common form of book lending that was prevalent until the 1960s. In rental bookstores located in town, manga and magazines were rented out at low prices for children to enjoy. There were also books distributed exclusively through rental bookstores. With the rise of monthly and weekly boys’ magazines, rental bookstores gradually declined, and since few of the books that were rented out at the time still exist today, little attention has been paid to rental books until now.
In his opening remarks at the event, Professor MIYAMOTO Hirohito of the School of Global Japanese Studies said, “In the world of manga and animation, there is a saying ‘before OTOMO, after OTOMO.’ It was because Mr. OTOMO had a deep understanding of manga expression that he was able to create the ‘after OTOMO,’” and explained the background behind the event, saying “This time, we were able to arrange this event because Mr. OTOMO wanted to hear from Mr. MATSUMORI, who is knowledgeable about both the rental book culture and monthly and weekly boys’ magazines.”
During the discussion, they started with topics related to rental books that had a significant influence on both of them, such as Iron Muscle by Mr. SONODA Mitsuyoshi, and then the conversation expanded to various other topics. Participants listened intently to the two speakers’ detailed analysis of the groundbreaking angles and techniques used in rental books, as well as how, in the late 1960s when the rental book culture began to lose momentum, rental book authors branched out into various directions, giving rise to a diverse range of cultures.
Instructor Profile
OTOMO Katsuhiro | Manga artist, film directorHis prominent works include “Domu” and “AKIRA.” He directed and wrote the screenplay for the animated film AKIRA, which was highly acclaimed worldwide and has had a profound influence on the current expression of manga and animation. Inducted into the Comics Hall of Fame at the Eisner Award in the U.S. in 2012, received the Purple Ribbon Medal in 2013, won the Grand Prix at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France in 2015, and received numerous other awards and honors.
MATSUMORI Tadashi | Manga artist
His prominent works include “Lika on Thursday” “Kenshin - KAITO Yujiro den” and “Yukemuri Sniper.” Well known for his drawing skills and compositional abilities. OTOMO Katsuhiro’s original work includes “We Are Pleasant Visitors.”
≪Japanese version≫