“Have you ever read a comic that made your heart flutter? A story that stayed with you long after you put down the book? You turned off the light and got ready for bed, and then, the story reached out from the darkness and grabbed you by the ankle? Congratulations , you have just read a comic by the author Oshima Shuzo”. Comic creators are like this Becky Cloonan introduce Oshima Shuzo On October 4, he visited a Kodansha pop-up store in New York City.
The final volumes of the series, an unsettling thriller about bad parenting blood stains on railroad tracks and gender-questioning romantic drama. Welcome back, Alicerecently published in the United States, readers were delighted to receive an autographed copy of the book from the author at his first international fan event. Before signing, Oshimi participated in a panel discussion with Cloonan (Oshimi drew the cover for the third issue of the Colonna horror series) sleep).
Oshimi and Cloonan discuss inspiration (Kitaro Oshimi started drawing comics as a child, and Daniel Clowes’ ghost world being a major inspiration as an adult), deadlines (he had a lot of people writing two comics at the same time!), tortured characters (Oshima explains that his main characters are “projections of myself”, to which Cloonan responded : “You need to be kind to yourself”), planning a long story (Oshima knows the climax of the story blood stains on railroad tracks advance, but not the ending), and the trauma of growing up (“I’m not afraid of growing up, but I don’t have the confidence to continue living like this” – Dazhi feels that he has finally overcome these anxieties by expressing them in his works).
Fans asked which of Taishi’s characters he most associated with (Kasuga from flower of evil He Jingyi comes from blood stains on railroad tracks —especially the latter’s struggles in relationships), the “Alice” in the title Welcome back, Alice (The name does not refer to any character in the story but “represents a part of me that I have lost.”) And why Oshimi wrote so much about masturbation (“It was the only way I could resist,” he said) and”[it’s] A bit of a rebellion against my parents”).
ANN had the chance to speak one-on-one with Oshimi to learn more about how he creates such a chilling and deeply personal comic, and what themes we can expect him to explore more of in the future.
ANN had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Oshimi to learn more about how he creates such a chilling and deeply personal comic, and what themes we can expect him to explore more of in the future.
blood stains on railroad tracks What struck me was how intense every moment was, even when nothing was happening. How to maintain such tension in such a slow narrative?
Big Island: when i started painting blood stains on railroad tracksI decided to draw it strictly from the protagonist’s point of view, so everything you see in the comic is through the protagonist’s lens. When I was trying to show his point of view, sometimes I was trying to convey that he was experiencing tunnel vision; sometimes he would experience a blank, slow pace that was also part of his experience. I’m really happy that it really speaks to readers.
What qualities were important to you when writing the character of Sperm, the mother in Sperm ? blood stains on railroad tracks?
Big Island: Even the illustrations of Seiichi, when I drew the character, were based on how the main character Seiichi views his mother. I really wanted to express his vision of art. I decided to draw her as pretty as possible, as if it were almost scary.
Much of your work deals with gender issues. What makes you keep re-exploring these themes?
Big Island: This comes from my own experiences with some ambiguity about my gender, and I want to express that in my work.
Many of your series have been published in juvenile magazines, even though the subject matter is very heavy and some might consider “adult”. How do you position your approach to addressing topics of sexual and psychological horror as you write for YA readers as well as for general readers? his one?
Big Island: Usually, whenever I draw comics, I have this audience in mind, which is my 14-year-old self. There is a world that talks about the world. So I’ve been looking at whether comics can do that, and I’m eager to create something that has an impact on someone’s life.
Kodansha will bring you new comics Poisonous Daughter: Chi-chan Going to the United States next year. What do you want American fans to know? I know this is a prequel to the movie [Doku Musume]but can it be enjoyed alone without having to watch the movie afterwards?
Big Island: Initially, I came on the film as a character designer. Almost as part of this process, I came up with the idea of a prequel story. A story that takes place before the movie. So I think you can appreciate the comics before watching the movie, but if you read the comics and watch the movie, you’ll probably get a better understanding of each character. In fact, the only overlap between the manga and the movie is the character named Chi-chan. Other than that, there is not much connection, so it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone work.
flower of sin The comic is 15 years old this year. Looking back on this series compared to your current work, how have you changed as an artist?
Big Island: flower of evil This was the first comic where I felt like I could fully express myself. from what i have learned flower of evilAfter that, I continued to deepen the direction in other series. I think the thing I went the deepest with was blood stains on railroad tracks. I don’t know if I can call it my personal growth, but at least I can say my growth [artistic] Expressions now have more depth.
You’re very open about a lot of personal themes in the comic, especially in the postscript to the comic, e.g. Welcome back, Alice. Does this openness come naturally to you, or is it hard to take it so personally?
Big Island: When I started drawing comics, I wasn’t sure people would like my work, so I went into it with that doubt. Anyway, I always wanted to express it. The feelings I wanted to express through comics are finally here flower of evilmany readers also accepted it. I find it a very satisfying feeling to be understood. From that moment on, I couldn’t live without this feeling.
This is your first fan event in the United States. What was that experience like for you?
Big Island: This was a very important and very happy moment in my life. I was warmly welcomed by so many people. I realized that the stories and comics I had created throughout my life were already universally understood.
What type of comics do you plan to create next?
Big Island: I haven’t made any official announcements yet, but I do have a new idea for my next project. In fact, after I finished blood stains on railroad tracks and Welcome back, Aliceto be honest, I feel like I have nothing left to write. As for the theme of the next work in my mind, it is not too concrete yet. However, I have this idea to expand on what I discuss in the postscript [of my manga].
