It's been a year! Manga Night at the Beer Garden: Part 2
~Monosus' "Reading Club" #16~

It's "Tennen Kokekko" by Fusako Kuramochi. Some of you may know it because it was made into a live-action movie.

I've been reading manga a lot since I was a student, and I had about 1,000 volumes, but when I was sorting through them and wanted to get rid of them, the ones I kept were by Kuramochi. He's one of my favorite authors.

Kuramochi's work has a unique psychological depiction, and of course the dialogue and pictures are great, but it's like the emotions that are deep inside your heart suddenly come rushing out... "That's exactly what I was thinking, but when I express it, it becomes like this!" It's often a surprise, and it draws you in.

The story is set in a rural school with seven students. The story begins when the protagonist, a girl in her second year of junior high school (Soyo), and a boy of the same age (Osawa-kun) move from Tokyo. There is a little girl (Sacchan) who is always hanging around Soyo, but with the arrival of Osawa-kun, Soyo starts to feel a bit annoyed with Sacchan...The situations in which she feels this way, and the subtle emotions of not disliking someone but finding them annoying, are depicted in a comical, rather than dark, way that pokes at the depths of her heart.

I like most of Kuramochi's works, but I brought this one because I think "Tennen Kokekko" is his masterpiece.

Is there a love story in the story?

Yes, it starts off as a story about elementary and junior high school students, but it also includes romance.

Do you have a favorite scene?

The main character is a pretty good student who is patient, but because he keeps refraining from saying something that would have been no big deal if he'd said it at first, he misses the timing and the situation gets worse and worse, until at the end, his emotions overflow all at once and he starts crying. If you watch it from the beginning, the process leading up to that point is very elaborate and interesting.

How many volumes are there in total?

It's volume 14. Also, the dialect is super cute. The first person pronoun is "washi" and the main character keeps saying "washi" and "washi" (lol). It's really cute.

It's Shotaro Ishinomori's "Cyborg 009." I bought it when I was in middle school, and the colophon says it was published in 1980 (laughs).

You may know a little about it from old anime, but the story is roughly divided into two parts, and this is the second volume that marks the end of the first half, the Black Ghost arc. The most famous scene is when Cyborg 009 and 002 fall to Earth... This is the final episode, but since they are cyborgs, they come back to life and the second half begins (laughs). But I like the climax of this volume the best.

The year I was born was when the Vietnam War was at its most intense, and I grew up during the so-called period of rapid economic growth. At the time, there was a lot of sci-fi with a shiny future, but this manga is about darkness, or rather, it depicts boys who are burdened with many things.

By the way, his pen name at the time was "Shotaro Ishimori," and this manga was published before he was known as "Ishinomori." I've had it ever since I was in middle school, and I've kept it with me even after moving.

Ishimori Productions is located near Monosus. How does it feel to have the roots of something you love so close by?

I was so excited when I found it! But I can only go there occasionally...

Who is your favorite character?

"002"! Jet Link has a pointy nose. In the recent CG "009" series, he has a normal human face and this nose is not reproduced... That's not 002! I'm from the original generation and I'm outraged.

Published in 1980...the paper is badly burned and looks aged...

I got rid of most of the manga from my student days when I started working, but I kept this one.

Sorry, I brought a lot of things because I'm recommending the artists rather than the works themselves. (Spreads out various things in front of him)

This is Daijiro Moroboshi, who made Osamu Tezuka say, "I can copy most of his drawings, but I can't copy his." His stories are often based on the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, as well as folklore and customs, myths and fairy tales from around the world, and he often draws science fiction.

Ryoko Yamagishi is also famous for her similar genre, but she portrays the human condition, while Daijiro Moroboshi is more surreal and interesting. Personally, I like mythology, so I even named all my cats after the Kojiki (laughs).

"Birds at a Glance" is a world I created from various themes and further developed. It's a world that combines science fiction, biology, and fairy tales. Birds that have been invaded and changed by science are used as motifs... I feel like I'm inferring from there why myths and fairy tales were created in the first place and creating my own unique world.

By the way, this "Yokai Hunter Series" was serialized in Jump a long time ago.

The destructive power is incredible...!

There are quite a few scary stories, but there is also "Saiyuu Yoen Den" which is still incomplete, and "Shiori and Shimoko Series" with a strange girl as the main character... there are too many to mention. It's horror-like, but not really, and the appeal is that it makes you feel like you've wandered into another dimension.

Are you still working on new pieces?

I've been drawing for over 40 years, so I'm quite a big name, but I'm still actively drawing. I've been an otaku for over 30 years, but I only started reading Daijiro Moroboshi's works as an adult... If I had been a child, I probably wouldn't have been able to accept his illustrations (laughs).

Certainly, it's a picture that people today can't draw...

I think the only manga artists who have not yet emerged who could be considered successors are Moroboshi Daijiro and Okada Aamin (laughs).

Do you know "BLUE GIANT"? Does anyone listen to jazz? Wow, there are quite a few! I'm so happy! This manga is the story of a boy who decides to become the world's best jazz player.

Miyamoto Dai, who is about to graduate from high school, becomes interested in jazz through a certain incident and starts practicing the saxophone every day on the riverbank. He practices every day, really every day, and the people around him are moved by his behavior and personality.

The characters are all full of humanity, such as the older brother who tries to buy Dai the most expensive instrument in the store, the father who encourages him to "go all in" and achieve his outrageous dream of becoming the best in the world, and the younger sister who bursts into tears when Dai moves to Tokyo.The warmth of the characters is truly charming.

Also, it's not just a dream story, but it's also good that it depicts money and reality in a realistic way. There are scenes where money is withdrawn to buy instruments, and how the fee is used when playing at a jazz bar.
The protagonist speaks in Tohoku dialect, which is also great. Hearing the lines in a Tohoku accent makes you feel closer to him.

When you read this book, you can really "hear the sounds." The sounds written in words resonate in your head... I'm sure you'll want to listen to some jazz after reading it.

Is it still being serialized?

Yes, the first series ended with volume 10 and is now continuing as a sequel called "BLUE GIANT SUPREME."

This is a story that is told from the past. At the end of the book, there is an interview with the people involved, and they talk about his past, now that he is successful. It's really interesting to see the process of his efforts.

That's right. By the way, there's an episode I like the most... Dai forms a trio with his friends, but among them, only the beginner Tamada (the drummer) can't catch up with the other two in terms of technique or popularity no matter how hard he tries. Then one day, an old gentleman who has been watching over them since their first live performance says to Tamada,
``It's getting better. I'm here to listen to your drumming, to hear your drumming grow.''

I cried... I just cried. I haven't even read anything yet but I started crying.

It's a manga for our generation, but I'm sure older generations will enjoy it too. The main character is so straightforward! All the characters are so cool.