THE JAPAN NEWS

 

PARIS — Naoki Urasawa is known as the creator of “Nijusseiki Shonen” (20th Century Boys), among other hit manga. His works are very popular in France and, through an exhibition at the Paris city hall, are gaining a higher profile in the capital.

Opening on Feb. 13 at Hotel de Ville de Paris, “L’Art de Naoki Urasawa” (The Art of Naoki Urasawa) is a rare example of a Japanese manga artist being featured at a major exhibition in Paris. The show comes after his first major exhibition was held two years ago in Tokyo and subsequently in Osaka.

“I hope this event will serve as a breakthrough for Japanese manga to become better known [abroad],” the 58-year-old artist said during his visit to the venue.

On display at the exhibition are original drawings from his major works — such as “Monster,” a mystery about a morally monstrous man and a Japanese surgeon who pursues him through Europe, and the judo story “Yawara!” in addition to “Nijusseiki Shonen” — as well as his notes on story ideas and notebooks in which he drew manga as a young boy.

“I want to show my originals not in frames, but in the proper way for manga — that is, two facing pages displayed side by side,” Urasawa said.
The French media described the artist as a “master of suspense manga” when introducing the exhibition. Urasawa said he likes bande dessinee, or French graphic novels, and has been inspired by this artform.

“This may sound odd, but when I see a drawing I like, I feel like I’ve met a friend,” Urasawa said. “I suppose French readers also have a similar, intimate feeling toward my works.”

When it comes to the way to perceive manga, Urasawa said there is a difference between him as an artist and his readers.

“To me, manga is something that starts with a piece of white paper and then comes into being,” he said. “To readers, on the other hand, it is something that has already been printed. The original drawings are larger than the printed manga and bear multiple erasure marks and fingerprints.
“I hope French visitors to this exhibition will take a first-hand look at how manga is created and what nuances I put on the paper.”

During his latest visit to France, Urasawa met with local fans, through whom he found that French people also want manga for adult readers, just like Japanese people.

“Many older people came up to me, saying that reading my manga helped them discover that there are works out there catering to grown-ups, and therefore they started reading many Japanese works in this genre,” he said.

It has been 35 years since Urasawa made his professional debut. In recent years, he has expanded his activities, such as by appearing on TV.

“I was always hoping that people would gain a deeper understanding of manga,” he said. “However, it doesn’t mean that I was able to work toward this goal from the beginning.

“For manga artists, our works are kind of like business cards, without which no one will listen to you,” he continued. “I’ve been lucky enough to make some hit manga. I feel like it took me 20 years just to create manga that could serve as my business cards.”

At a time when manga is enjoyed online, Urasawa has not allowed his works to be digitally published.

“I think you should read manga on paper,” he said. “I don’t know if my stance is right or not, but I love manga and am always thinking about the best way for it to be presented to readers.”

The artist has been drawing manga since he was 5. These days, he works on 130 pages a month, but he has never felt his creative desire fade.

“If I can draw good pictures that are interesting, there’s nothing more to say,” he said. “I just want to get better and keep on doing what I like. For me, there won’t be a retirement [from drawing manga] because I do it just for fun.”

“L’Art de Naoki Urasawa” runs until March 31 at Hotel de Ville de Paris. The exhibition will also be held at the Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum in Yamaguchi from April 20.