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Samurai stories are as old as the history of manga in Japan.
But when Hiroaki Samura released "Blade of the Immortal" in the pages
of Afternoon comics, it sent a shockwave through the industry. Samura's
nihilistic punk sensibility, masterful artwork, and science fiction edge turns
the old chestnut of "the lone swordsman steeped in Bushido" on its head.
The immortal Manji is looking for a way to die, and he doesn't much care
who gets in the way of his arsenal of exotic weapons. It's the aspiring
swordswoman Rin, seeking to avenge her father, who finally leads Manji
to the only samurai in Japan who could care even less about Bushido
than he does -- the road warrior swordsmen of Itto-ryu. The lesson is life,
but it's written in blood. STUDIO PROTEUS: Where did "Blade of the Immortal" come from? SAMURA: I set out with the idea of trying to create a new genre of "manga"... But even before that, back when I first started into comics, I told myself that I would make the problem of living in this world my life-long theme. For that, I figured that "jidai-geki" (period samurai dramas) would be better than something with a modern setting; death was a bigger part of life in Samurai times. But if I tried to make it totally real, I knew I'd get all kinds of complaints about accuracy from the samurai freaks. So I chose a style right from the beginning that said, "Don't obsess about the details--just look at the story." STUDIO PROTEUS: And the characters and story-telling? SAMURA: On the visual side, my biggest model has been "Tange Sazen". I was blown away by the illustrations Tatsumi Shimura drew of Sazen, so I took the liberty of trying it myself. On the character side, in the protagonist Manji I've drawn a totally straight, unvarnished version of my own ideal hero -- a person who never reveals his or her own weaknesses to others, but who at the same time is not as unassailable powerful as he or she may seem. I didn't have a model for Rin herself, but after I drew her my family started saying she looks like my younger sister. STUDIO PROTEUS: How did you become a manga artist? SAMURA: There's no story to tell, really. After I finished college I submitted some of my work to Afternoon's new talent contest, and I was in. It's not as if I came up with my pencil work on my own. In my circle of manga friends at school, there was an upperclassman who used pencil, and I learned a lot from him. STUDIO PROTEUS: Blade of the Immortal features all kinds of exotic swords and other weapons.... SAMURA: Almost all of the weapons and combat techniques are my own creations. The "Itto-ryu" school of swordfighting is a play on the name of another, real school of swordsmanship, but the content is totally different. The Itto-ryu swordsmen and swordswomen reject all notions of "schools" of fighting and ritualistic formula. That's where they came up with all those crazy techniques they use. And by the way, I can't do any martial arts myself! STUDIO PROTEUS: Every episode features a climactic duel, in which you illustrate the final blow in an almost mandala-like full-page illustration. It seems like a lot of work. SAMURA: I spend a full day on a two-page spread like that. It's not so much the actual drawing. What's really hard is finding the right pose. I chose black and white because, frankly, I don't like painting colors over art. I've never once thought I'd like to work in color. STUDIO PROTEUS: Like Masamune Shirow, you refuse to be photographed or make public appearances. Can you tell us something about your personal life? SAMURA: I came into the world on February 17, 1970. Born in Chiba prefecture (near Tokyo), never married. The reason I don't appear in public is that I believe there's no reason for readers to know that much about the cartoonist. What matters is the art. As for hobbies, I don't really have one. But...I have been drawing some erotic pictures of women, all kinds of variations. If enough of them pile up, I may put out a collection. On my own dime, of course! (End of interview) |
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Like fine literature and cinema, the medium of comic books can be a
powerful vehicle for storytelling when it's done right. As well as
Louis L'Amour depicts the adventures of the American West with fluid prose,
and John Woo stages gorgeously choreographed shootouts in films chronicling
a mythical Asian crime underground, so does Japanese writer/artist Hiroaki
Samura elegantly and boldly tell the story of an angry young orphan who, in
ancient Edo, seeks an immortal samurai's help avenging her murdered parents
in his amazing comics series, Blade of the Immortal. Samura has been recognized by a wide variety of organizations -- from the Japanese Government's Ministry of the Arts to the comics industry's annual Harvey Award Committee -- for his groundbreaking contributions to graphic storytelling. And publications from The Washington Times to US News and World Report have included Blade of the Immortal on their recommended reading lists. Samura's art is instantly recognizable and without peer in his native Japan --from his expositional development of ssubtle plot features to the gorgeous, and often graphic, details of brutal fight scenes between honorable ronin and renegade sword students. For storytellers like Hiroaki Samura art is a striking and powerful tool, and the gut-wrenching drama it depicts inspires a great range of emotions -- most typically, heart-rending empathy for the young heroine, Rin, as she struggles between her desire to be a good person and wanting a rogue band of killers to suffer as her parents did. "Samura is a revered talent." The Washington Times |