NSFW [Lolicon History] Fusion Product Lolita/Bishoujo Special Edition [Translation]

[Hexasheep93]

Interesting.

This seems like an attempt at creating a more clinical description of lolicon and "lolicon boys".

Interesting how the overall feel in the early 80s seems more on the lurid side and less on the "artsy side"

I maybe misremembering but I think I heard somewhere that the 80s where a more... strange time for the whole lolicon subgroup.

Also I didnt know there were different types if loli. Maybe useful to finally end those debates on what is and isnt a loli

 

[Taruby]

This seems like an attempt at creating a more clinical description of lolicon and "lolicon boys".

I maybe misremembering but I think I heard somewhere that the 80s where a more... strange time for the whole lolicon subgroup.

Also I didnt know there were different types if loli. Maybe useful to finally end those debates on what is and isnt a loli

You can go back to the earlier articles to see their own descriptions to compare; the solicitation of the opinions of so-called experts weighing in is pretty common in these articles. Kawamoto Kouji used the term Lolicon Boy (ロリコンボーイ) in Peke, which I think is a different way of saying Lolicon Shounen (ロリコン少年). Back then, there's still a mental image a Lolita Complex is a much older guy (i.e. Lewis Carroll) trying to hook up with much younger women when the Lolicon Boom is largely based around high school and university boys. The Japanese viewpoint of Lolicon corrupting their youth is similar to the Western one that violent video games were corrupting their youth. In fact, it was Japanese scientists who went to the trouble to thoroughly study the effects of violent video games on the youth, since in Japan, the Lolicon and video game industries were also very much intertwined.

Nowadays, these Lolicon Shounen would be Lolicon Oji-sans...

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Could you explain what you mean by what you heard about the 1980s being strange?
I'm assuming you're talking about a source that isn't any of the articles in this thread.

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I wish it would end those sorts of debates. It isn't like this thread is uncovering wholly obscure knowledge about Lolicon that hasn't been shared on the western internet back in the early 2000s when I was learning from what western bloggers were translating and sharing. Like this year, I saw a meme about some Kotaku writer called Jason saying a busty character illustrated by Kamitani George is a Lolicon's wet dream, which is technically 100% true, and then I find everyone on 4chan and Kotakuinaction were embarrassing themselves thoroughly by mocking Jason. Makes me wonder if Jason has a better understanding of Lolicon than the average 4channer, or if it's like Scooby Doo where he says something true, but for the completely incorrect reason.

Also reminds me of the comment Patrick Galbraith received regarding the 'Contours of Lolicon' video by a joker who thought he was being clever by saying the contours of a Loli is flat... While there's Lolicon into flat-chests like Hirukogami Ken, even he transitioned to more ample Bishoujo as he grew older.

Dunno if I should make a thread about the Jason meme; I feel like the people who should read it will simply stop reading at the point I say what Jason said is true and then permanently erect a monument to their shame by calling me a 'retard' instead of finding out why that is true and going 'oh, I see, that makes sense'...

I think when it comes to anime characters, everyone has their own ideal Lolita, and people should at least respect another's preferences and not try to throw each other under the bus, thinking it'll protect them from a normal person who views all of these anime illustrations from a normal person's lens.

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Source: 『「おたく」の精神史 一九八〇年代論』 Chapter 1 Part 6

This article originally appeared in the 1998 July issue of '諸君!'. The original title in that magazine was 'Miyazaki Tsutomu and My 1980s Part 10: The Whereabouts of Machismo'. However, when reprinted in the "Spiritual History of 'Otaku' in the 1980s", Eiji removed some of the paragraphs related to Miyazaki. As I mentioned before, Ootsuka Eiji is a pain even for a Japanese native to read, and translating his writing is above my pay-grade as a translator, so please treat the information in the following translation as a sample of what you can expect when you learn Japanese and try to digest Ootsuka Eiji yourself.


New Humans and Male Principle


By Ootsuka Eiji (大塚英志)


What was unique about the period known as the 1980s is the point that sexual media created and consumed by men had been forcibly reinterpreted by women as a place for self-expression. This may be a rare case in sexual media, but what made this possible was the existence of discourse in the subculture of the 80s that concealed men as sexual subjects. Ueno Chizuko (上野千鶴子) makes an odd assessment (?) that men of our generation in the 80s have 'fallen as sexual subjects', but to be precise, it was just being concealed, it was being preserved. I have a premonition this'll be a new issue, but in here, I'll be examining the concealment of masculine things. Let's begin by taking a look at some of the discourses of the 80s. We should be able to see the unexpected machismo of 'Otaku' and 'New Humans'.

Taguchi Kenji (田口賢司) and Nakamori Akio (中森明夫) pointed it out previously as they described Kikuchi Momoko (菊池桃子) in 'Graduation' (卒業) which they co-authored.

Taguchi: "Would Kikuchi Momoko be the type to play, or the type to sleep?"

Nakamori: "She's the type to sleep, but when she sleeps, she's a woman that'll stick to you till the end like nattou."

Taguchi: "Well, male power is in whether he kicks her or not."​

They make full use of the so-called new academic terminology, praising Mastumoto Iyo (松本伊代) and Koizumi Kyouko (小泉今日子), then turning around to criticise Kikuchi Momoko as such, but the proper names of these Shoujo idols being selected on their cutting boards no longer evoke the meanings associated with the difference they were burdened with back then. In fact, now that such symbols have been stripped away, what we can see in their statements is the simulationism they once praised was nothing more than a self-centred worship of virginity.

Taguchi's nonchalant machismo that despises women who are 'sleeping types' and speaks of 'male power' is supported by a very male discourse even back then. The same can actually be said about Tanaka Yasuo's (田中康夫) 'Somehow, Crystal' (なんとなく、クリスタル) released in 1981. This novel, which was supposed to be critically supported by its 274 annotations, is—as Etou Jun (江藤淳) graciously described during the selection process for the Newcomer's Award—also a classic novel about 'male power'.

In a collage of disturbing katakana names, we're introduced to a 'trendy' girl, and the 'summarised' point of an old-fashioned emotion best described as 'I can get wet when I'm embraced by the lord I'm in love with, but am unable to get wet when I'm held by a man I do not love' is truly genius and has the feel that combines the old Ishihara Shintarou (石原慎太郎) and Shouji Kaoru (庄司薫). <Etou Jun (江藤淳) 'Promoting Three Works Simultaneously' (三作を同時に推す)>

'Somehow, Crystal' clearly establishes that contrast with the urban symbol of an empty individual, and the story depicts a situation in which the narrator 'I' (私) is given 'female pleasure' by her lover Jun'ichi and becomes 'his possession'. In other words, life is made up of an accumulation of urban symbols which Tanaka Yasuo described at the time as 'crystals'; however, the structure is such it's given foundation through male power via 'I cannot get wet unless it's a man I like'.

On the surface, the thoughts of these New Humans (according to the 'Asahi Journal' classification, Tanaka would be a 'god of the youth') regarding the relationship between men and women in the early 80s were concealed by a myriad of symbols typical of the 80s, which is profoundly intriguing. Just like the former New Left movement, contrary to the excessive Marxist discourse, Nagata Hiroko (永田洋子) was raped by the leader at the time, or she was forced to marry from the sect as a comfort woman by Sakaguchi Hiroshi who was arrested, which reminds us of the tacit institutionalisation of this type of 'male power'.

In any case, what was noticeable throughout the 80s in this expression of 'male power' was the tendency from the very beginning to try and conceal the fact men were sexual subjects behind a subcultural veneer. That doesn't change for even manga expression. For example, in 'Construction of Manga' (まんがの構造), which I published in 1987, I pointed out the following trends were noticeable in scenes of Shoujo being ravished in doujinshi and Lolicon manga. I'll use the text in the anthology 'Bishoujo Syndrome' (美少女症候群) (published by Fusion Product), which was published as a collection of fine works among Lolicon doujinshi. In the Shoujo ravish scenes depicted in the same book, we'll verify 'who' is violating these girls.

'Bishoujo Syndrome' includes illustrations of all sorts of 'Shoujo Rape' taken from doujinshi. Their compositions are almost standardised, and the predominant pose is one in which they sit down, bending their knees as they expose their private parts, a pose that's difficult to understand in writing but often seen in vinyl books and other books. Furthermore, foreign objects are inserted into the private parts and the expression of the Shoujo's agony is persistently depicted. Upon examining these illustrations, we notice the following two trends.

A: The man who is committing the 'violation' is not depicted.

B: Mechanical or grotesque creatures are the ones ravishing the Shoujo in place of the man.

Albeit somewhat redundant, the sex scenes of the illustrations and manga included in the same book (each consecutive frame is counted as one cut) are 33 cuts and the attached table classifies them according to the person committing the 'violation'. Among the 33 cases, 3 cases involved sex scenes between a man and a woman. Lesbians accounted for a fair proportion of the cases with 7 cases, but more than half of the cases, 18 cases, involved the 'violation' of Shoujo via mechanical or mollusk-type creatures. Furthermore, the ones controlling these mechanical or alien creatures are, of course, not depicted. <Ootsuka Eiji 'Construction of Manga'>

Please refer to this post if this is your first time hearing about Bishoujo Syndrome (aka Lolita Syndrome): Click!

While I've omitted the separate table, the breakdown of the 33 cases is listed as follows. 3 men, 7 women, 9 mechanical, 9 aliens, and 5 others. Meaning, as of 1987, less than 10% of Lolicon manga depicted men as the subject who ravishes Shoujo. While exercising the 'male power' known as rape, the subject is hollowed out.

The absence of the 'violating' side was the biggest feature of the so-called Lolicon manga at the time. This point is its decisive difference from earlier ero-gekiga. Although the sexual humiliation of women is depicted, the 'subject' raping them is not depicted. Or they're concealed from within the expression. That's, so to speak, similar to the recent discourse surrounding 'comfort women'. In any case, the rapist is absent in them.

Lolicon manga, I'm intentionally using this name to clarify the difference in expressive technique from ero-gekiga, but Lolicon manga is different from so-called child pornography. It's a pornography that uses symbolic pictures, an extension of Tezuka Osamu, and a writing style similar to shoujo manga; most of the Shoujo being violated in them are around high school age, and in that respect, they're not much different from the previous subjects of ravishment in pornography. Apart from the technical aspects, if there is one thing separating the two in terms of nature as pornography, it is the man, who is the violating subject, tends to be removed from the scene.

This sort of absence of violating subject can already be seen in Azuma Hideo's (吾妻ひでお) 'Hizashi' (陽射し), which is considered to have established the standards of the so-called Lolicon manga in the history of manga. The work is a compilation of short stories serialised by Azuma Hideo in 'Shoujo Alice' (少女アリス) (1979), which was published by Alice Publishing as a vending machine ero-magazine, and contains nine stories, but if we classify the violating subjects according to our previous example, we get 5 aliens and 4 men. Furthermore, in one of the four works in which a man is the sexual subject, the Shoujo is not human, and in three out of nine works, the sexual relationship with the alien is depicted within the girl's world of imagination.

Although it's not as obvious as it was in the Lolicon doujinshi a few years later, it can be seen the absence of a violating side has already been standardised. For example, in 'Hizashi', which became the title work, the plot follows the face of a Shounen, calling out to the Shoujo, being painted black, an alien that makes one think of it as a fantasy in the Shoujo's inner world that rejects the opposite sex, having sexual relations with an alien in neither dream nor reality. What's interesting is the entire work depicting the inner world of the Shoujo protagonist is due to the fact the Lolicon manga Azuma draws is strongly influenced by the shoujo manga of the Year 24 Group (24年組) among others.

In the socially withdrawn world of Shoujo, real men are rejected, and a Shounen becomes the object of love as an extraordinary non-human creature. For example, Azuma used a composition here similar to that seen in Hagio Moto's (萩尾望都) 'The Poe Clan' (ポーの一族).

Azuma Hideo was one of the artists from the late 1970s to early 1980s who belonged to 'New Wave' (as it was called at the time), the generation that followed the so-called Shounen Group (少年組). Included among this New Wave are Ootomo Katsuhiro (大友克洋) and Takano Fumiko (高野文子), or Saimon Fumi (柴門ふみら), and nowadays it's clear they lacked a certain direction when compared to the Year 24 Group. Among them, Azuma Hideo faded away from the period after disappearing twice, but Azuma had the greatest influence on the next generation. At the time, Azuma, who drew 'Hizashi' for a vending machine ero-magazine, was an artist who had been serialised for a long time in shounen weekly magazines and gradually began to publish cult works in maniac-magazines. For example, during the era of Minamoto Tarou (みなもと太郎) I studied under, a mangaka with a background in shounen magazines drawing for ero-magazines only meant decline, but only a few years later, during the era of Azuma Hideo, this would become a remarkable feat. Azuma was the first person to break down the hierarchy in the manga world with shounen weekly magazines sitting at the top.

From the random quotations from SF novels that are later repeated in 'Evangelion' (エヴァンゲリオン), Azuma's influence on so-called 'absurd gags' (this name originates from Azuma's work 'Absurd Diary') is immense in the field of Otaku comics. Although they debuted around the same time and went through almost the same trial and error process, Minamoto Tarou and Azuma Hideo had completely different influences on the next generation. The reason why Azuma was able to have a stronger influence on Minamoto, who likely left little influence on Azuma, was probably due to two reasons. One, the peaks of their careers as artists were only a few years apart, and Azuma's art was an extension of Tezuka Osamu's style of symbol art.

However, we don't have time now to conduct a historical verification of these sorts of manga. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasise one point. The origin of 'Otaku expression' that has flourished since the 1980s that Lolicon manga expanded as an axis is Azuma Hideo; what he brought to sexual expression was the art of Tezuka Osamu and the inner feelings that Hagio Moto and other members of the Year 24 Group placed at the centre of their expression in shoujo manga.

Tezuka's art and the Year 24 Group's inner worlds were the most distinctive styles that manga was able to acquire during the postwar, but by bringing these two styles to sexual media, Azuma revealed that both of these styles are expressions that strongly allude to 'sex' while concealing it at the same time.

In that sense, what Azuma Hideo has done is use the orthodox style of postwar manga to depict the sexuality postwar manga continued to conceal, Lolicon manga expanded after his silence and, with some exceptions such as Yamamoto Naoki (山本直樹) and others, these sorts of criticisms are no longer seen.

However, because of this context, Azuma Hideo's style of Lolicon manga aroused a strong desire in the audience of manga. In contrast to the style of gekiga, which was created from the beginning to embody the anti-Tezuka reality of violence and sexuality, Azuma depicted sex in ways that should never be depicted. Meaning, there was a violation of taboos in his work.

However, because Azuma's style was groundbreaking, it easily became standardised. Azuma's style expanded through commercial magazines, and at the same time, was reproduced by doujinshi manga artists who worked as his assistants and around him. I cannot ascertain how much meaning these proper nouns hold today, but most of the creators of doujinshi-type Lolicon manga in the early 1980s, such as Hayasaka Miki (早坂未紀), Kazuna Kei (計奈恵), Oki Yukao (沖由佳雄), and Morino Usagi (森野うさぎ), were people around Azuma Hideo.

But it should be pointed out there was a discommunication between Azuma and them that was different from a generational one. Azuma's depersonalised image, which was initially depicted based on the inner world of Shoujo, converged into a personal novel-like short story as he disappeared twice during his private life. Azuma lives more like Tsuge Yoshiharu (つげ義春) than Tsuge Yoshiharu lived. This kind of obsession with 'I' (私) is lacking in epigonen.

It's precisely because of this absence, even in the style of Lolicon manga that Azuma standardised, the erasure of the sexual subject's becoming more widespread. The style of Lolicon manga, where 'I' is absent, was easily accepted by those who were not attached to 'I'. In addition, when depicting a scene in which a Shoujo is being ravished, the strange myth that criminal law does not apply unless the violating side is human has become a semi-self-regulatory rule in the manga industry. Lolicon manga continued to grow throughout the 1980s, serving as a form of pornography that blanked out the rapist and concealed so-called 'male power'.

Now in these Lolicon manga, ironically enough, the extent by which the men violating are erased from the scene creates a situation where it's mutually shared by men and women. To begin with, Azuma Hideo's style mimicked the 'internal' expression found in shoujo manga. Also, Tezuka's anime art, which differs from gekiga, reduced the resistance of female readers.

In 1984, 'Manga Burikko' had about a 40% female reader base, many of whom were high schoolers or in their late teens. One reason was that Okazaki Kyouko (岡崎京子) and Sakurazawa Erika (桜沢エリカ) were gaining a fair amount of support, but it was actually Azuma Hideo's Lolicon manga that attracted more readers. This is clear from looking over the reader section of the magazines. The reader columns intentionally included the postcards from female readers. There were few imitations of Okazaki Kyouko and Sakurazawa Erika among the illustrations the girls sent. They were clearly imitating the artstyle of anime and shoujo manga.

The editorial cost for one issue of 'Manga Burikko' was about 800,000 yen, so we had to keep the page costs as low as possible, therefore, among the readers who sent postcards to the reader column, I approached people who seemed relatively good at drawing and had them draw manga, but I simply noted that one postcard was enough.

Many of the artists who became contributors in this way were girls, and in addition to the previous artists, 'Manga Burikko' was always supported by approximately 30% female artists.

After the magazine collapsed, their paths diverged into three.

The first were those like Okazaki Kyouko and Sakurazawa Erika, who achieved their status as artists by publishing their works in subculture magazines and ladies comics.

The second were those who changed their names and re-debuted in major shoujo manga magazines.

And the third were those who remained in this genre as sexual comic artists.

Of course, these paths were strongly influenced by the artist's own talent, but what was surprising was the existence of the third kind of artist. They were close to Okazaki Kyouko and others in that they incorporated sexuality into their expressions. However, while Okazaki's work was a kind of feminist manga that redraws the sexuality depicted by men from the discourse of women, the artists who chose the third path inherited the style of Lolicon manga.

Another peculiarity of Lolicon manga is that this type of sexual expression cultivated by the hands of men had been inherited by women. The fact 'male power' was concealed ironically made this possible.

Moreover, what's important is that in 'Manga Burikko', the artists who were at the lowest level, that is, those who were closer to readers or amateurs, tended to utilise this style. A completely different situation was evolving there, involving the popularisation of female sexual expression. However, this was by no means a liberation of sexual expression; it was also a process in which women's discourse was easily absorbed into the sexual expression created by men. Although I never actually put it into practice, I recall thinking at the time it might be possible to create pornography aimed at women by female artists.

On the other hand, like Okazaki Kyouko and Kuroki Kaoru (黒木香) in AV, a process was beginning in which sexual media was being remade by women as an expression of 'me'. I touched on that before.

The most important feature of sexual media in the 1980s was that it was no longer just for men. In this context, it's important the discourses of Kuroki and Okazaki are read critically.

However, on the other side, it must be pointed out in the 1980s, female artists shared the market with men for standardised pornography.

In Lolicon manga, the 'violating subject' is concealed, but as sexual expression came into the hands of women and new venues for sexual expression aimed towards women, such as the so-called 'yaoi' comics and ladies comics, were established, the situation gradually recovered.

In the so-called 'yaoi' works, homosexual stories for female readers often depicted relationships between homosexual couples, but the relationship in which the female role merrily submits to being violated by the male role is universally depicted, ladies comics have come to depict graphic pornography that seems to be a throwback to the era of ero-gekiga.

'Male power' concealed by expressions of 'New Humans' and 'Otaku', belief in machismo has flourished in the sexualised media of women the same age as them, either ironically or as overdone parodies. But that is nothing other than something we concealed, something we preserved.

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Well, that's Ootsuka Eiji. He has a fairly large body of work attributed to him, but compared to Yonezawa, I find his academic language to be exhausting. The next one up is going to be a couple articles by Yonezawa with some extra goodies I want to share. I've been busy the last week translating and editing officially a parody ero-doujin for Fujiyama Takashi, an old artist who has been active at least since around 1998, participating in events like Mimiketto.

Here's some old art Fujiyama drew a long, long time ago that apparently doesn't show up on saucenao:

I'm hoping by working with Fujiyama, I'll finally break the curse that is collaborating with artists who have severe social anxiety; Fujiyama has been friends with all sorts of people, even running an old IRC channel back in the early 2000s. So I'm hoping through him, I'll build more connections, so I can help or talk to other artists without them ignoring me or feeling like I'm trying to pull a nefarious trick on them. While I kinda dismissed that Vice hit-piece video since I view that kind of thing ultimately as profit-motivated rage-bait trolling, it seems those guys caused some kind of auto-immune response among artists telling others to be careful of westerners trying to contact or interview them.

 

[Hexasheep93]

You can go back to the earlier articles to see their own descriptions to compare; the solicitation of the opinions of so-called experts weighing in is pretty common in these articles. Kawamoto Kouji used the term Lolicon Boy (ロリコンボーイ) in Peke, which I think is a different way of saying Lolicon Shounen (ロリコン少年). Back then, there's still a mental image a Lolita Complex is a much older guy (i.e. Lewis Carroll) trying to hook up with much younger women when the Lolicon Boom is largely based around high school and university boys. The Japanese viewpoint of Lolicon corrupting their youth is similar to the Western one that violent video games were corrupting their youth. In fact, it was Japanese scientists who went to the trouble to thoroughly study the effects of violent video games on the youth, since in Japan, the Lolicon and video game industries were also very much intertwined.

Nowadays, these Lolicon Shounen would be Lolicon Oji-sans...

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Could you explain what you mean by what you heard about the 1980s being strange?
I'm assuming you're talking about a source that isn't any of the articles in this thread.

Ok so its not really a term the community came up with but one given by outsiders.

Now that I recall it may actually have been that original blog post that described the 80s as strange. Either that or a video I saw long ago. So I guess it is not entirely accurate way to describe it. As strange I mean as more overt and lurid.

I wish it would end those sorts of debates. It isn't like this thread is uncovering wholly obscure knowledge about Lolicon that hasn't been shared on the western internet back in the early 2000s when I was learning from what western bloggers were translating and sharing. Like this year, I saw a meme about some Kotaku writer called Jason saying a busty character illustrated by Kamitani George is a Lolicon's wet dream, which is technically 100% true, and then I find everyone on 4chan and Kotakuinaction were embarrassing themselves thoroughly by mocking Jason. Makes me wonder if Jason has a better understanding of Lolicon than the average 4channer, or if it's like Scooby Doo where he says something true, but for the completely incorrect reason.

Also reminds me of the comment Patrick Galbraith received regarding the 'Contours of Lolicon' video by a joker who thought he was being clever by saying the contours of a Loli is flat... While there's Lolicon into flat-chests like Hirukogami Ken, even he transitioned to more ample Bishoujo as he grew older.

Dunno if I should make a thread about the Jason meme; I feel like the people who should read it will simply stop reading at the point I say what Jason said is true and then permanently erect a monument to their shame by calling me a 'retard' instead of finding out why that is true and going 'oh, I see, that makes sense'...

I think when it comes to anime characters, everyone has their own ideal Lolita, and people should at least respect another's preferences and not try to throw each other under the bus, thinking it'll protect them from a normal person who views all of these anime illustrations from a normal person's lens.

As someone more familiar with Jason schreier "journalism" I can tell you with certainty that he does not know anything about manga and anime let alone a niche such as lolicon. He probably juat said that because of the moe aesthetics of the art.

Regarding that though, I may have to partially agree with you on that. Sure the original terminology of loli or lolicon may include busty women. However as terms and language evolve I believe the current, popular definition of the term does not really include a busty woman as a loli (oppai loli notwithstanding)
Im not saying you are wrong, just that the popular definition of the word no longer aligns with the original definition.

I think of it in the same way some words start by being benign or inofensive, but by their constant misuse their meanings change completely.

Im not against the idea of trying to get people understand the true definition of the word (it may be an uphill battle though)

That said I agree with you that anyone should be free to refer to a character as a loli, or not if they wish.


about the article:

interesting read. Definetly harder to parse lol.

still I never though we would get into the topic of male and female expression in pornography still interesting.

Personally I never really cared for the "erasure of the rapist" maybe Im just messed up but part of the "rape fetish" thing to me is that a heinous act is being commited.

Also its true that many women do have rape fantasies, just like men have fantasies about being used and dommed.
Women are sexual beings. I dont know why pop feminists seem so against that idea.


Also congrats on working with one of the ogs. He certainly chose a good translator.

 

[Taruby]

Ok so its not really a term the community came up with but one given by outsiders.

It's hard for me to say if it's an internal term from the doujinshi community or an external one; Kawamoto Kouji and that GORO writer used Lolicon Boy, and they're part of the internal community. I've seen Lolicon Shounen used in things like Manga Burikko to address its readers for its catgirl special (something I'm working on for fun, since my primary interest is Kemonomimi history).

As someone more familiar with Jason schreier "journalism" I can tell you with certainty that he does not know anything about manga and anime let alone a niche such as lolicon. He probably juat said that because of the moe aesthetics of the art.

I was introduced to the meme by someone claiming a writer believed paedophiles were attracted to Kamitani George's lady with the bombshell body. While the colloquial definition of paedophile has reached a level where it's like 'if that's paedophilia, then all men are paedophiles', that's just way beyond the pale. However, instead of being provided concrete evidence a writer believed such an absurd thing, I just saw the word lolicon and complaints about big boobs, and how much of a fan he is of the art and story and how it would be better if there weren't any big boobs. If I was Jason's editor, I would ask him if he meant mazacon (mother complex) instead of Lolicon. But the embarrassing thing is that all these users believe 'lolicon=paedophile', showing how little they know.

If you want to worsen my opinion of humanity and have evidence that Jason actually thinks people who like that character are paedophiles, feel free to send me a DM/PM if you feel this would veer this thread off-topic into the 'idiotic western writers thread'.

That said, the reason it's technically true even with the contemporary Japanese understanding of Lolicon is that many Lolicon like both young girls and adult women; they have a large strike zone, and this includes Kamitani George where you have Mercedes with her svelte, petite body and Mercedes' mother with her voluptuous, bombshell body.

It's something that has been around since the beginning with Senno Knife, one of the more influential Lolicon artists alongside Azuma Hideo and Uchiyama Aki, saying he has an older lover in the Dandy article, though unlike Azuma and Uchiyama, Senno Knife didn't fade away and instead stuck around and kept drawing manga, even doing a 'how to draw manga' book that was localised in English, so there's some westerners out there directly influenced by Senno Knife.

In the 1990 talk article with Aoyama, they mention these sort of Lolicon are on the rise, and how the word 'Peter Pan Syndrome' would've been a better descriptor than Lolicon. But it's because these people are common, and make up the bulk of those consuming and creating Lolicon media, the reason why it's incorrect for something like Google to translate ロリコン (Lolicon) as paedophile; even in the Fusion Product Special, the first thing they did was explain their understanding of the mechanics behind Lolicon (it's an illustrated one, so I'll see if I can scan it sometime in the future).

Regarding that though, I may have to partially agree with you on that. Sure the original terminology of loli or lolicon may include busty women.
However as terms and language evolve I believe the current, popular definition of the term does not really include a busty woman as a loli (oppai loli notwithstanding)
Im not saying you are wrong, just that the popular definition of the word no longer aligns with the original definition.

I think of it in the same way some words start by being benign or inofensive, but by their constant misuse their meanings change completely.

Im not against the idea of trying to get people understand the true definition of the word (it may be an uphill battle though)

That said I agree with you that anyone should be free to refer to a character as a loli, or not if they wish.

My primary understanding of Lolicon is how it's been used for the last twenty years in Japan. It's why I'm confused why westerners have a completely different understanding of the word. Just to give you the Japanese contemporary definition.

"In present day Japan, Lolicon is a common term and has no clear definition, but it's generally used derogatorily and offensively. Furthermore, since there's no definition based on actual age, whether or not the person is physically mature or not is subjective judgement, and the age considered to be the target of Lolicon may range from a newborn baby to an adult." (Source:「デジタル大辞泉」2021 December 14th)

People who lived in the 1970s and 1980s are still alive in Japan, and their books are still being disseminated and read. For the definition of a word to evolve into something completely different requires that the generation of those who use it a certain way to perish, and their books to no longer be read. Right now, what Lolicon means is based on who you ask. Patrick Galbraith did a book called 'Moe Manifesto' and in its chapters, he would just interview different people and ask them what Moe meant, and their opinions varied greatly, making it the same as Lolicon where it's just best to translate '萌え' (Moe) as Moe and leave it at that.

After I get through the stuff I already translated, I'll translate some fairly recent posts by Kobayashi Yoshinori and Okada Toshio regarding AKB48, and accusations of it being a Lolicon issue. They both have differing opinions. Kobayashi writes political manga to brainwash young men, and is anti-Otaku, but he's also a very intelligent and logical person, so he's the kind of person you would want to have a discussion with even if you disagree on an issue, hence why Okada invited him for his Otaku lectures.

That said, I think there's a difference between Loli and Lolicon. Even when doujinshi were called Lolicon-zines, I don't think anyone doing a Lolicon Manga-zine of a tall adult character like Maetel would call her a Loli, rather the interest in her falls within the bounds of Lolicon. Though, maybe if I dig deeper into doujinshi, I may find someone who has the temerity to use the word Loli to describe her, but I doubt it. The same applies to Mercede's mother; she isn't a Loli, but she's part of the reason why users on 2channel sometimes say all Japanese men are Lolicon with a Mother Complex.

about the article:

interesting read. Definetly harder to parse lol.

still I never though we would get into the topic of male and female expression in pornography still interesting.

Personally I never really cared for the "erasure of the rapist" maybe Im just messed up but part of the "rape fetish" thing to me is that a heinous act is being commited.

Also its true that many women do have rape fantasies, just like men have fantasies about being used and dommed.
Women are sexual beings. I dont know why pop feminists seem so against that idea.


Also congrats on working with one of the ogs. He certainly chose a good translator.

I personally wanted to know whether Ootsuka would classify 'ugly bastard' as a man or as a grotesque alien creature. If I were to dumb down Ootsuka Eiji's article, it would be the reasoning behind why left (manga for boys) and right (manga for girls) are the way they are nowadays.

Left:
1) Faces on men are unnecessary.
2) Undresses the girl despite not untying the ribbon.
3) Legs spread open.
Right:
1) The rapist is an Ikemen (wiki). Even hentai are Ikemen.
2) Nipples and such aren't explicitly drawn.

Well, that was a long response.

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Source:『朝日ジャーナル』 1984/05/04

The Lolicon Boom Roaring in the Doujinshi World​

The Lolicon Boom, which turned 'Bishoujo' into its protagonists, is now roaring in the doujinshi manga world. With 'Lemon People' at its head, the doujinshi-like seasonal/monthly/tankoubon are moving at the same momentum as the old 'Garo' and 'COM'.


By Yonezawa Yoshihiro (米沢嘉博)


It's a little-known fact the 'Lolicon Boom' that became a topic of conversation 2 years ago actually originated in the manga and anime doujinshi world. Even the term 'Lolicon' actually refers to a new style of shounen manga that focuses on Bishoujo. The works produced by the younger generation of artists, who were brought up on SF anime and TV tokusatsu works, almost always feature 'Bishoujo' in parody or anime-style. The half-joking name for such works was 'Lolicon Manga'.

The boom in this doujinshi world eventually gave rise to commercial magazines called 'Lolicon Manga Magazines'. Kubo Shoten's 'Lemon People' (レモンピープル) was the first to be published. The magazine was created by all but one or two doujinshi artists, and was welcomed as a venue for new expressions with a strong fan magazine aspect. Of course, there's no doubt the 'ero' part supported its circulation.

Eventually, 'Petit Apple Pie' (プチアップルパイ) (Tokuma Shoten) was published in a similar style, and 'Manga Burikko' (漫画ブリッコ) (Byakuya Shobo) also changed its policy towards a similar direction. It cannot be overlooked there was an advantage in that the manuscript fees were low due to the artists being mainly newcomers. However, what was most surprising is that there were enough enthusiasts to establish a commercial magazine.

I hear these magazines have started to increase their circulation since around fall of last year. The magazines, which were based on manga by unknown newcomers who were neither from the sea nor the mountains, had become established with tens of thousands of copies sold.

Naturally, similar projects will emerge one after the other with books such as the 'Bishoujo Doujinshi Anthology' (美少女同人誌アンソロジー) (Byakuya Shobo) which collects only doujinshi manga and publishes them into tankoubon, and 'Margarita' (マルガリータ) (Kasakura Publishing) which was published in the form of a seasonal mook. And in May, it's prospering as a new magazine called 'Lemon Comic' (レモンコミック) is about to be launched.

One cannot help but think these 'Lolicon Manga Magazines' are a modern development of magazines such as 'COM' and 'Garo', which used to be published for manga enthusiasts.

Manga has always existed in the form of major magazines with large circulations and minor publications with small circulations. Meaning, they're in the form of shounen monthly magazines and rental tankoubon, and manga weekly magazines and maniac magazines. So far, the minor part has had the meaning of a prepared 'future'.

Lolicon manga may also be something like that. These manga are certainly the most advanced in terms of their distance between artist and reader being the closest.

Although they cannot match the veterans in terms of technique, story development, and compositional ability, they're definitely superior in terms of their sensibility and fashion sense. They're works that guarantee the 'comfort' you'll experience when you expose your body to manga. Many newcomers have already made the transition from these magazines to major magazines. Examples include Senno Knife (千之ナイフ), who depicts an aesthetic world, Miyasu Nonki (みやすのんき), who is popular for his erotic content, and Fujiwara Kamui (藤原カムイ), whose style lies somewhere between Ootomo Katsuhiro (大友克洋) and Takano Fumiko (高野文子). (Wonderful!)

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Source:『コミックマーケット30’sファイル』 2005/03/21

This is an article Yonezawa Yoshihiro wrote in August of 1985 as part of the 'Comiket 1984 Yearbook' titled 'Memory of Dreams, Dream of Memories: Comiket Personal History'. The source files are available for free on Comiket's website and can be downloaded as PDF files. Please by all means check it out since it includes a lot of photographs and information that serve as a time capsule of the early years of Comiket.

Archive Link (Comiket 30): Link

Doujinshi, Commercialisation, and Subculture

JUN & Peke​

By Yonezawa Yoshihiro (米沢嘉博)


The rise and growth of Comiket during its first two years coincided with the Year 24 Flower Group (花の24年組) Shoujo Manga Boom of such artists as Hagio, Takemiya, and Ooshima. This was a time when the older type, meaning the artists of the 'COM' generation, were in decline, and shoujo manga was overwhelmingly strong. What spurred this trend was the great homo parody series of 'The Poe Clan' serialised in 'Comic Critique' (漫画新批評大系), a crazy and perverted world created by Hötger Marin Jinglebell Mahobin (ヘトガー・マラン・ジンガルベル・マホービン), which excited Shoujo and led to a series of homo parodies.

Then artists with new sensibilities, influenced by anime, shoujo manga, rock, painting, SF and so on appeared mainly at Comiket. Sabea Noma (さべあのま), Märchen Maker (めるへんめーかー), Takano Fumiko (高野文子), Takahashi Yousuke (高橋葉介), Saimon Fumi (柴門ふみ), Yuda Nobuko (湯田伸子), et cetera. Meaning, the venue called Comiket was finally beginning to develop into a world different from that of Prodom*.
※t/l note: prodom as in fandom and prodom

And some young editors were starting to take advantage of that fact. Sagawa (佐川) has been participating in our meetings since the days of Marui (マルイ), and Kawamoto Kouji (川本耕次) has been a staff member since around Itabashi (板橋). Sagawa spent half a year begging his president, and successfully launched a new magazine. As you should know, he would place a new doujinshi on the president's desk every morning. And the new magazine was 'JUN', which had the theme of Bishounen. Eventually the title was changed to 'JUNE'.

Kawamoto joined Minori Shobo, making use of the connections he forged while interviewing for a special feature on third-rate gekiga, and he used whatever sweet-talking was at his disposal to launch a manga magazine. That is the third-rate SF manga magazine 'Peke'. Both magazine dates were in the summer of 1978. Around the same time, 'Pretty Pretty' (プリティプリティ) and 'Ha-i' (はーい) were launched, and then the 'SF manga special feature issue' of 'Kisou Tengai' (奇想天外) was also published. Perhaps the times were riding on such a wave. In other words, the media New Wave. These two magazines ceased publication after about six months, and although the so-called 'our manga' retreated, a few years later, 'JUNE' was resurrected, and 'Peke' also changed its name to 'Comic Again' (コミックアゲイン) and was reborn, starting a New Wave Boom.

It was such a time everyone held hot expectations, the members who participated in the annual summer training camp included T, the editor-in-chief of 'OUT'; Takamiya Seika (高宮成河), the editor-in-chief of 'Manga Golden Super Deluxe' (漫金超), who rarely shows himself; Hirukogami Ken (蛭児神 建), who became Lolicon's leading actor, media designer Izubuchi Yutaka (出渕裕), Nobe Toshio (野辺利雄) who became a pioneer of seinen manga love comedies, and a certain anime magazine editor among others... In some of the photos below, he's called the "○○ man who ruined Japanese manga and anime"......

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I wanted to share some videos regarding Comike but the full version of the oldest one was removed from Youtube before I had time to create this post. Wish I saved it to my hard-drive; didn't think someone would go after something so old, but they did. So this will both be a gift and a request for those who may know how to dig through Winny or Share to possibly find the complete video for archival purposes. Looking for it on google just made me realise that the video itself has a cursed nature of being deleted whenever it's uploaded.

Comiket 28 (1985)

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1659742000521023489

Both Yonezawa and Tezuka appear in this documentary.
This would be at the peak of Lum-mania where Lum was the most popular Loli-character.
One of the doujinshi, Love Apple (Loveアップル), that appears in the video is shared in a higher resolution by the artist on this blog (though he links to an incomplete version of the video that somehow survived) (Blog).

The name of the deleted 24~ minute video is '情報デスクToday 1985年コミケ特集' and '85年夏！今、青春はコミケ！' is the name of the documentary. Considering it's been uploaded and deleted throughout the decades, there must be some source on Winny or Share; couldn't find anything through exhaustively searching google.

Videos:
Part 1: Mediafire
Part 2: Mediafire
12 Minute Snippet: Mediafire

Comic Market 28 Catalogue Samples:

Comiket 32 (1987)
Mediafire

This is also a pretty good documentary where you get to see how some of the doujinshi artists go about creating and printing their doujinshi. It's still at the peak of Lum-mania.

Comiket 38 (1990)

This was uploaded from within the last 7 months, and is just a snippet by uploader as physical evidence of how アニメ (anime) was pronounced. This broadcast introduces オタク (Otaku) and talks about the Otaku=Miyazaki Tsutomu Incident. The video quality is surprisingly high, which makes me wonder if there's a possibility there's other versions of the videos of the other Comiket out there at a similar quality.

Comiket 56 (1999)

Unlike the previous Comic Markets, many of the doujins seen in this video have been scanned and uploaded online. Though keep in mind some are reprints from previous Comic Markets, and that it's unlikely you'll find the normal, all-age doujinshi featured.

There was one circle at 7:51~ in this video whose art was familiar but I couldn't recognise it by name, and it's been bothering me for years. Asked one of the older artists I knew years ago, but he had no idea, and I thought I was going to have to purchase the Comiket 56 catalogue to figure it out. Fortunately, I didn't have to do that since I asked Fujiyama Takashi, and he thought the art style was similar to Oyari Ashito (大槍葦人), though the reason for that is because it's a parody of the character Haruno Kotori (春野琴梨) by Oyari Ashito he created for the game 'To North' (北へ。). But Fujiyama was kind enough to ask his followers to help, and a lot of people pitched in to help with someone cracking open their collection of Comiket Catalogues and finding the circle was 'ツチノコ工房' and the artist was 'つのだサブロー', who goes by the professional penname 'Inoki Kazushi' (ひのき一志). I bought some of Kazushi's books back in 2009, so that's why the art style looked so familiar.

 

[Hexasheep93]

That said, the reason it's technically true even with the contemporary Japanese understanding of Lolicon is that many Lolicon like both young girls and adult women; they have a large strike zone, and this includes Kamitani George where you have Mercedes with her svelte, petite body and Mercedes' mother with her voluptuous, bombshell body.
View attachment 15933
It's something that has been around since the beginning with Senno Knife, one of the more influential Lolicon artists alongside Azuma Hideo and Uchiyama Aki, saying he has an older lover in the Dandy article, though unlike Azuma and Uchiyama, Senno Knife didn't fade away and instead stuck around and kept drawing manga, even doing a 'how to draw manga' book that was localised in English, so there's some westerners out there directly influenced by Senno Knife.
View attachment 15934
In the 1990 talk article with Aoyama, they mention these sort of Lolicon are on the rise, and how the word 'Peter Pan Syndrome' would've been a better descriptor than Lolicon. But it's because these people are common, and make up the bulk of those consuming and creating Lolicon media, the reason why it's incorrect for something like Google to translate ロリコン (Lolicon) as paedophile; even in the Fusion Product Special, the first thing they did was explain their understanding of the mechanics behind Lolicon (it's an illustrated one, so I'll see if I can scan it sometime in the future).

My primary understanding of Lolicon is how it's been used for the last twenty years in Japan. It's why I'm confused why westerners have a completely different understanding of the word. Just to give you the Japanese contemporary definition.

"In present day Japan, Lolicon is a common term and has no clear definition, but it's generally used derogatory and offensively. Furthermore, since there's no definition based on actual age, whether or not the person is physically mature or not is subjective judgement, and the age considered to be the target of Lolicon may range from a newborn baby to an adult." (Source:「デジタル大辞泉」2021 December 14th)

People who lived in the 1970s and 1980s are still alive in Japan, and their books are still being disseminated and read. For the definition of a word to evolve into something completely different requires that the generation of those who use it a certain way to perish, and their books to no longer be read. Right now, what Lolicon means is based on who you ask. Patrick Galbraith did a book called 'Moe Manifesto' and in its chapters, he would just interview different people and ask them what Moe meant, and their opinions varied greatly, making it the same as Lolicon where it's just best to translate '萌え' (Moe) as Moe and leave it at that.

After I get through the stuff I already translated, I'll translate some fairly recent posts by Kobayashi Yoshinori and Okada Toshio regarding AKB48, and accusations of it being a Lolicon issue. They both have differing opinions. Kobayashi writes political manga to brainwash young men, and is anti-Otaku, but he's also a very intelligent and logical person, so he's the kind of person you would want to have a discussion with even if you disagree on an issue, hence why Okada invited him for his Otaku lectures.

That said, I think there's a difference between Loli and Lolicon. Even when doujinshi were called Lolicon-zines, I don't think anyone doing a Lolicon Manga-zine of a tall adult character like Maetel would call her a Loli, rather the interest in her falls within the bounds of Lolicon. Though, maybe if I dig deeper into doujinshi, I may find someone who has the temerity to use the word Loli to describe her, but I doubt it. The same applies to Mercede's mother; she isn't a Loli, but she's part of the reason why users on 2channel sometimes say all Japanese men are Lolicon with a Mother Complex.

Interesting. Ok so, under this definition, one does not need to like lolis (the characters) to be considered a lolicon. Is that correct?

maybe its the translation, but the definition given seems a little vague. Though I guess colloquialisms are hard to properly define (is the term lolicon a colloquialism?)

About the rest of the post

Regarding ugly bastards I guess it would depend how theyre drawn. Ive certainly seem some that look more like skin colored orcs and ogres rather than people.

So the 80s seem to be, to me at least, where the boom really took off. Is that correct. Also its always interesting to remember how intermingled lolicon and shoujo history seems to be.

I gotta say those pictures and vids of the old cons are pretty neat, it sort of makes me nostalgic for a time I didnt even live through

A little off topic, but given your heavy involvement with the industry. I wanted to know if you have an opinion on that recent tax law that got passed in Japan. From what I have seen it seems to be pretty serious specially concerning privacy of artists.

 

[Taruby]

Interesting. Ok so, under this definition, one does not need to like lolis (the characters) to be considered a lolicon. Is that correct?

maybe its the translation, but the definition given seems a little vague. Though I guess colloquialisms are hard to properly define (is the term lolicon a colloquialism?)

About the rest of the post

Regarding ugly bastards I guess it would depend how theyre drawn. Ive certainly seem some that look more like skin colored orcs and ogres rather than people.

So the 80s seem to be, to me at least, where the boom really took off. Is that correct. Also its always interesting to remember how intermingled lolicon and shoujo history seems to be.

I gotta say those pictures and vids of the old cons are pretty neat, it sort of makes me nostalgic for a time I didnt even live through

A little off topic, but given your heavy involvement with the industry. I wanted to know if you have an opinion on that recent tax law that got passed in Japan. From what I have seen it seems to be pretty serious specially concerning privacy of artists.

Well, the character would need to have characteristics attractive to Lolicon (I think the Aoyama talk explained this best).

Lolicon is a colloquialism, since the original definition of 'Lolita Complex' as defined by Russel Trainer isn't really used by anyone in Japan. His book is on the internet archive if you want to see how a phoney psychologist defines it (Russel Trainer's Lolita Complex). Russel Trainer wrote the book without any credentials in psychology, not that genuine psychologists are any better.

I don't want to jump ahead since I'm still translating the related articles, but Kobayashi got annoyed at Minori for using the word Lolicon in her article about AKB48 without defining what she meant by Lolicon.

Before I started translating these articles, I had a bias that Sazae-san and the works by Fujiko Fujio were for normal people, since despite Sazae-san being the most watched anime on television, Lolicon don't really gravitate to its characters. But Kawamoto Kouji thinks Fujiko Fujio has a Lolicon element, so I want to understand that.
★
If you look at the Japanese comments on the surviving videos, you'll find you're in good company with those who feel those same emotions.

I was asking Fujiyama Takashi about his first experience attending Mimiketto (the animal ear doujinshi con) and he introduced me to a new artist called Kesubi (he did some professional works in Comic Rin) as being the one who influenced his tastes in catgirls.
★
I'm not familiar with the recent tax law, but I'll keep an eye out if any of my artist acquaintances mention it and how they feel about it. Though, I doubt I'll have any opinions worth sharing.

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This is a short article written before the tabletalk in the first post. I want to translate a long interview with Azuma Hideo, so this information will be helpful when I go about tackling that.

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Source: 「ふゅーじょんぷろだくと ロリータ/美少女特集 81/10」

The Zenith of Bishoujo Manga
Azuma Hideo's World​

I don't know whether it's a boom or something else, but regardless, Azuma Hideo has been drawing Bishoujo since long ago. I wonder what we'll see if we follow his trail.


Without Azuma Hideo, We Cannot Talk about Bishoujo Manga


At what point did it become necessary for the girls in shounen manga to be drawn nice and cute?

It can be said the quality of Shoujo in shounen manga has improved dramatically over the past decade. And the style of drawing these girls so cutely going one step further, focusing on drawing Shoujo beautifully and making them more Shoujo-ish, can be said to be the territory Azuma manga has reached.

In our society, we have Baseball Manga Mizushima so-and-so who cannot draw girls properly, Quiz Panellist Hara so-and-so who can only draw girls in profile, or Manju Scary Ootomo so-and-so who only draws females of high school age or younger, or housewives in their 30s. Or even if their selling point is drawing girls cutely, you have Yanagisawa so-and-so whose distorted faces are elephant man-tier upon closer examination. The fact the faces of girls look exactly the same in whichever work's enough to make one retch and toss them into the rubbish bin (apologies to everyone whose names happened to be mentioned above), so when looking about this kinda situation, you can tell how the girls in an Azuma manga are vividly depicted, how they exist with their own facial expressions and behavioural principles, how they breathe beauty.
水島新司 (Mizushima Shinji) (Wiki)
はらたいら (Hara Taira) (Wiki)
大友克洋 (Ootomo Katsuhiro) (Wiki)
柳沢きみお (Yanagisawa Kimio) (Wiki)

It's as if Azuma Hideo has accomplished in just a few years by himself what hundreds of shoujo mangaka have attempted to do over the previous decades.

It goes without saying Azuma Hideo is an artist who continues to draw Shoujo more eccentrically.


Azuma Loli Character Lover-isation


I would like to examine the Shoujo characters that appear in an Azuma manga from the perspective of a Lolicon.

Moko (モコ) 'Midare Moko' (みだれモコ): it's generally accepted that Moko is the first character brought to the fore with a Lolicon element. Her little devil personality with hints of maturity—her abnormal personality that belies her cute appearance—makes it no surprise she's raised to the head of Azuma Loli characters.

Along with Mimi-chan (美美) and Mia-chan (美亜), she represents a sailor blouse character.

Keyaki Mimi (欅美美) 'Mimi' (美美): similar to 'Midare Moko', this work was drawn immediately after the long serialisation of 'Futari to Gonin' (ふたりと五人) ended. Around this period, in the middle of 1976, Azuma's Shoujo characters appeared to have underwent a slight reform.

In Mimi's case, it helped that the magazine publishing her was monthly; at first she was a Shoujo who was svelte and trim albeit with superhuman powers, but she was later depicted as a completely different youth in the plump, CoroCoro-style*. Should one say she was drawn in a coherent posture that suggests 'this is what the ideal Shoujo we yearn for ought to be'?
※I believe he's referencing Pollon and her style. See the end of the article for the anime adaptation OP&ED.

Mori Hiroko (森寛子) 'Nemuta-kun' (ネムタくん): this is also a work that started in the middle of 1976. Hiroko-chan is one of the heroines among shounen manga following Yukiko (ユキ子) from 'Futari to Gonin' and Hasegawa Emi (長谷川絵美) from 'Chokkin' (チョッキン), but she's a Shoujo with the most Lolicon elements among them. Her hobby page was revolutionary.

Gotou Yayoi (後藤やよい) 'Chibi Mama-chan' (ちびママちゃん): Yayoi-chan is a hard-working and ill-fated Shoujo due to her stupid older and younger brothers. Her work itself is modest and doesn't really stand out, but she's an important character. Her long, straight hair is beautiful.

Nanako (ななこ) 'Nanako SOS' (ななこSOS): despite being a Shoujo with superpowers, she's weak-willed and will often sit down and let steam rise from her head. Nanako's fans are also many.

The epitome of the full-cheeked-type Bishoujo. Yuuko (ゆう子) from 'Mousou Pan' (妄想パン) is extremely close to this.

Rika-chan (リカちゃん) 'Monmon Teikitan' (悶悶亭奇譚): more of a sick character than a Lolicon one.

As a work drawn during the same period (1979) as 'Lunatic' (るなてっく), 'Kyouran Seiunki' (狂乱星雲記), and 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記). This is a work from a time when there were more depictions of non-humans that resembled Shoujo than human Shoujo.

Pollon (ポロン) 'Olympus no Poron' (オリンポスのポロン): a work that shows the characters of shoujo manga are distinct from the transitioning characters for shounen manga. A precious Youjo character. In a sense, she's the most Lolicon-ish character.

Nekoyama Mia (猫山美亜) 'Scrap School' (スクラップ学園): a genuine Bishoujo Lolicon character that appeared in even her own photobook. She's not only cute, but possesses a pouty, mysterious personality that's a bit out of the ordinary.

In opposition, some people claim these areas aren't Lolicon-ish, but those people are a case of 'knowing the first thing and graduating without knowing the second'. Moko, Sham 'Sham Cat' (シャンキャット), Reiko (冷子) from 'Yadorigi-kun' (やどりぎくん), and Sukeban Youko (スケバンヨーコ) from 'Nemuta-kun' (ネムタくん). These kinds of girls occupy important positions among Azuma Loli characters.

The Shoujo who appear as high schoolgirls or nameless girls in recent short stories or pure literature series. Although their appearances, personalities, and behavioural principles vary, they're depicted with an image that is Shoujo-ish to the very end. There's a view that these girls are the most Lolicon-ish.

All Shoujo Characters Are Now Lolicon Characters


Works from around the 1970s (even though at the time, Okumura Chiyo [奥村チヨ], Okazaki Yuki [岡崎友紀], and Wada Aiko [和田アイ子] were favoured types) may not be in the same vein as Lolicon, but it's no exaggeration to say all Shoujo characters created since then have a Lolicon element.

January of 1975 that started 'Oshaberi Club' (おしゃべりクラブ), 'Chibi Mama-chan' (ちびママちゃん), and 'Yakekuso Tenshi' (やけくそ天使) was the memorable turning point of Azuma Shoujo characters, so the middle of 1976 mentioned prior was a step towards a period with a strong Lolicon hue. Moreover, from 1978 to 1979 when he drew SF gags such as 'Parallel Kyoushitsu' (パラレル狂室) and 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記) was a period where the sickness advanced and the Shoujo weren't depicted honestly. And thus from 1980 to today, we passed the period of that dark sickness and while retaining that essence, we're now in an illustrious period where Azuma World has blossomed in his way of adding more Lolicon-ish and Bishoujo-oriented elements.

For more information on the genealogy of Bishoujo in Azuma manga, please refer to the Kisoutensha (寄想天社) special supplement issue 'Azuma Hideo Complete Works' (吾妻ひでお大全集) for details.

In any case, the world of Azuma Hideo is filled with many Bishoujo, and it is also true to say there would be no Azuma manga without Bishoujo.

Of course, Azuma manga doesn't equal Bishoujo, and it goes without saying Azuma manga doesn't consist only of Bishoujo, but when it comes to drawing them cutely, there's no doubt in the Shoujo he draws exceeding the standards of many shounen mangaka.

For being the coolest Lolicon right now, thank you so much for all the Bishoujo, Azuma-san.


Y. Endou (Y・エンドウ)

Y. Endou is the penname of Endou Satoshi-san (遠藤諭) (Wiki), a writer and editor for subculture and computer related magazines. He was also the editor-in-chief of 'Tokyo Otona Club', which is the outfit Nakamori Akio wrote for, so it's through him that Ogata, the editor-in-chief of Fusion Product, invited Nakamori Akio to write his infamous Otaku Research columns for Manga Burikko.

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Pollon (ポロン) 'Olympus no Poron' (オリンポスのポロン):

This series has an anime adaptation, which was localised overseas, though not in English. So it's interesting to find out there's people outside Japan who grew up with this anime.

Olympus no Poron OP&ED:

Sham 'Sham Cat' (シャンキャット)

Earlier in this thread, I brought up Sham Cat and her possible influences and origins, since she's one of the earliest examples of an anime catgirl, and according to the long interview with Azuma Hideo, he said he didn't put any thought into her creation; he thought he was just doing what Tezuka Osamu did with his own anthropomorphism.

There were also plans for a Sham Cat anime, but that never saw the light of day.

Though, speaking of catgirls, I found out the person behind the CAT PEOPLE doujinshi series was also an editor for a magazine called 'Peppermint Comic'. The 7th CAT PEOPLE doujin I picked up was a 2nd printing, even had a recruitment form at the back, and some of the artists also mentioned contributing catgirl stories to the magazine itself. So I ordered a bunch of these issues, since the fantasy and science-fiction theme of the magazine interests me. In the bottom left is a devil girl drawn by Senno Knife.

Nekoyama Mia (猫山美亜) 'Scrap School' (スクラップ学園): a genuine Bishoujo Lolicon character that appeared in even her own photobook.

Here's some samples of Nekoyama Mia's photobook (Mandarake). This thing has often been cited in this thread.

 

[Taruby]

These are a collection of articles, comments, and transcription translations regarding AKB48 and how the word Lolicon has been used in the last decade organised by the writers, Kobayashi Yoshinori, Okada Toshio, and Kitahara Minori, and those related to them.

Kitahara Minori (JP Wiki)
Kobayashi Yoshinori (EN Wiki) (JP Wiki)
Okada Toshio (EN Wiki) (JP Wiki)

Kitahara Minori is a feminist journalist who also runs a sex goods shop called 'Love Peace Club', and Kobayashi Yoshinori draws political manga to brainwash and entertain young Japanese men. I'm surprised Minori seems to have largely escaped the notice of western anime and manga fans; the closest I could find is a paper by Megan Sluzhevsky who quotes Patrick Galbraith and Kitahara Minori (The Costs of Lolicon: Japan's Pedophliia Trade).

Hopefully the articles are both informative and entertaining. I still don't know if I gathered too much information, or not enough to paint a sufficient picture to explain why Digital Daijisen's paragraph regarding the contemporary use of Lolicon is vague.

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Source: 『小林よしのりオフィシャルwebサイト』

小林よしのりオフィシャルwebサイト

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yoshinori-kobayashi.com

By Kobayashi Yoshinori (小林よしのり)


2013.02.18 (Monday)

Falling into AKB48 is Lolicon?​

In Weekly Asahi (週刊朝日), a female adult goods shop representative called Kitahara Minori (北原みのり) writes that AKB48 is similar to JK reflexology*.
*Magazine with Article (Click)
*Kitahara's Web Article (Click)

When I heard reflexology, I thought it was about economic policy, but it turns out she's writing about the high schoolgirl sex industry.

Nonsense! That analogy is taking way too big a leap.

AKB is not a sex industry. It's an art that has been around since long ago.

Are you simply wanting to bash AKB with image manipulation!?

According to Kitahara, her words boil down to starting with Kobayashi Yoshinori, the men of this country are all terminally ill with Lolicon.

No, no. Japanese men, when it comes to sexual desire, are experiencing a mature lady boom, a Dan Mitsu Boom (檀蜜ブーム).

Even among the participants of 'Gosen Dojo' (ゴー宣道場), there are many attractive mature beauties with whom I'm having a hard time maintaining my appearance as their teacher.

Kitahara is also a mature woman, so she should just ride the boom and become popular, yet for some reason, this woman hates Japanese men and seems to love adult goods and the muscles of Korean men.

Confucian Country South Korea has a conscription system. Are the muscles of a man in a male-dominated country that different from the muscles of a postwar pacifist country?

Is Kitahara a patriot? Is she right-wing?

In Japan, girls between 14~15 have been romantic targets since the Tale of Genji, and up until the early Showa period, the marriageable age was from late teens to early 20s.

AKB48 is made up of women from late teens to 26 years old, so can you call that Lolicon?

Actually, the early member costumes are no longer uniforms.

In their new graduation song, the teenagers are featured prominently and the early members are their logistical support.

Though HKT48 are in uniforms, they're not unnatural; to me, they're as cute as my own child or grandchild.

There's zero Lolicon sexual desire elements!

In Japanese society, people are getting married later in life, anti-aging is becoming way too popular, and Kitahara's sexual lust is way too strong, so I think there's a grave misunderstanding.

Also, the K-Pop Boom's over!

Guess it was a forced boom.

Kitahara's sensibilities were superficial ones, simply dancing to a fabricated boom.

Why doesn't she bury her bones in South Korea?

However, female adult goods cannot be sold in a Confucian Country.

Cause her profession has been spoiled by Japan's sexually tolerant culture.


2014.03.06 (Thursday)
Please note a year has passed since the previous blog post by Yoshinori.

Between Lolicon or Mature Ladies, it's Mature Ladies! ​

I was reading Weekly Asahi, and Kitahara Minori has written another essay labelling Japanese men as 'Lolicon'.

First off, Kitahara never defines 'Lolicon'.

She's mixing vogue words such as 'Mothercon' and 'Lolicon' that trended in the 1970s with 'paedophilia' as a pathology, and projecting her own ressentiment towards modern Japanese men.

According to Kitahara, the best selling 'adult goods' among Japanese men are goods imitating the female genitalia of Youjo, but who would buy such things!?

None of my acquaintances buy adult goods, so generalising us based on the unique 0.00000001% of Japanese men can only be described as foolish.

If that's the case, I heard there's actually a mature lady boom in the AV world, which has far more enthusiasts.

It's obvious Dan Mitsu is way more erotic than an AKB girl.

She wrote, 'Is the situation in which Lolicon in Japan is intensifying and normalising mean it's no longer an illness?', but is she trying to make me laugh writing such nonsense?

Or is she simply being cringe?


2014.07.30 (Wednesday)

Is Japan too Tolerant of Lolicon Culture?​

Kiridooshi Risaku (切通理作) sounds like he's being scolded by Bishoujo Anime Otaku on his blog* this morning.
*Kiridooshi's Blog Entry (Click)

Risaku-don, try reading Kitahara Minori's article* in this week's 'Weekly Asahi' (週刊朝日).
*Magazine with Article (Click)
*Kitahara's Web Article (Click)
I thought the one-star review on amazon by an angry Otaku was amusing.

There's an article called "Japan is too Tolerant of 'Lolicon Culture'!", but it kinda gets me thinking.

In the perpetrator's room of the Shoujo confinement incident in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, there's posters of 'Bishoujo Anime' covering the walls, pasted from floor to ceiling.

For a 49 year old, that has to be abnormal.

Can you say this hobby has absolutely nothing to do with kidnapping and confining Shoujo?

The market for adult goods for men that imitate the bodies of Youjo is said to reach 20 billion yen annually!

It's as horrifying as one should expect!

Men in their 40s gather at photo sessions for junior idols, making the Shoujo cook in their bloomers, taking pictures of them playing the recorder (縦笛) without end.

It makes me sick.

Shockingly, it's the girls' own mothers who were enthusiastic about taking photos, Japan is finished.

Complaining to me or Risaku-don is meaningless.

I'll say I hate the things I hate, but I'm not saying it should be banned.

I'm just saying this problem needs to be discussed with the mother of the daughter.

Those ignoring the concerns of parents with daughters, telling them 'don't criticise personal hobbies', must be dangerous Japanese after all!

If you're so certain your hobbies aren't so bad, then join 'Gosen Dojo' (ゴー宣道場) and speak confidently in front of your girlfriend's mother!

I have publicly spoken about the reason why I support AKB Shoujo. The matter where Kitahara Minori also decided AKB Otaku are Lolicon is also explained when I drew 'AKB48-ism' (AKB48論)*.
*Digital Version of the manga AKB48-ism (Bookwalker); Kobayashi Yoshinori dedicated the entire fourth chapter to Lolicon.
Chapter 4: Am I a Lolicon? (わしってロリコンか？）
p24: "I suppose there's Otaku who like Uniform Lolicon." 「制服ロリコンが好きなオタクがいるんだろうな。」

Even after I drew this, I'm still pondering what is an idol.

There may be some paedophile degenerates mixed in with AKB Otaku, but even then, I can still defend AKB.

Look forward to 'Gosen Dojo'.

2017.07.16 (Sunday)

Being Slender with Small Breasts is Hard​

Why are ero-manga all about big tits? Are there any mangaka drawing ero-scenes with slender, small-breasted female bodies?

Drawing busty, glamorous women is easy. However, a small-breasted, slender woman is very hard.

First of all, women that busty just don't exist. When you look at gravure, you get the illusion they're all busty, so women these days are trying to make their breasts look bigger through their clothes by pushing them up or padding them.

It would make you think women these days all have big tits, but when you undress them, they're not that big.

That's why I think we need to draw eroticism with small breasts, but there's no ero-manga to use as reference.

Lolicon-manga's no good. I wonder if there are any manga depicting erotism with slender adult women with small breasts? I'm dissatisfied.

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Other Kobayashi Yoshinori Articles

Reading Kitahara Minori's article in AERA (2014.06.24):

AERAの北原みのりの記事を読んで

AERAの北原みのりの記事 「8歳と握手会 ロリコン大国日本」を読んで、 確かに問題がありそうだ

yoshinori-kobayashi.com

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Reactions to Kobayashi Yoshinori's 1st Article (2013):

小林よしのり激怒「AKBはロリコン的な性欲要素はゼロ。北原みのりは韓国に骨を埋めたらどうだ？」 | ガールズちゃんねる - Girls Channel -

AKB48に嵌るのはロリコンか？ - ゴー宣ネット道場AKB48に嵌るのはロリコンか？ 週刊朝日で北原みのりという、女性のアダルトグッズショップ代表が、 AKB48はJKリフレと似ていると書いている。 リフレというから経済政策のことかと思ったら、女子高生の風俗...

girlschannel.net

「いやロリコンでしょ」
"Nah, it's Lolicon."

「ロリコン的な性欲要素以外なにがあんの？」
"What else is there besides Lolicon sexual elements?"

「そもそも秋元がロリコンでしょ」
To begin with, Akimoto is a Lolicon."

「自分がロリコンだって気がついてないんだ……ますます痛い人だな。」
"He isn't even aware of his own Lolicon...... He's becoming more and more cringe."

「本物のロリコンはロリコンって自覚がないんだな・・」
"Real Lolicon aren't aware they're Lolicon..."

「ロリコン以外の何者でもない。
だいたい熟女ブームはまやかしだし、だんみっちゃんは一発屋の芸人さん。
風俗業界だって23以下の女の子に客は流れる傾向らしい。
日本はロリコン大国なんだよ。そう末期。
童顔+巨乳が 昔から大好きな国。
今やおっぱい膨らみはじめの処女感に興奮し、国をあげて祭り上げるといった変態国。」
"He's nothing more than a Lolicon.
Most of the mature lady boom's a sham, and Dan Micchan's a one-shot talent-san. In the adult entertainment industry, customers tend to drift towards girls under 23. Japan's a Lolicon Superpower. Terminally ill. A country that loves baby-faces and big boobs since ancient times. Now it's a Hentai Country where the entire country is celebrating and excited by budding oppai virgin feelings."

「ね～よしりん知ってる？？？
ヲタってね、本当の事を言われると激怒するんだって（ﾌﾟｯ）」
Hey~Yoshirin, do ya know?? Ota (ヲタ), you see, get really mad when they're told the truth (pfft)."

「じゃあなんでランドセル背負ったりしてるのよ」
"Then why're they carrying Randoseru on their backs!?"

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Source:『「AKB48論」の感想　巫女と聖性』2013.10.6 06:57


By Tokky (トッキー) (Twitter)

Tokky is one of Kobayashi Yoshinori's staff that writes for his Goman Dojo site.

"AKB48-ism" Miko and Holiness​

Impressions of 'AKB-ism' are finally being posted in the comment section of 'Kobayashi Yoshinori Rising'. I found a particularly interesting one I would like to share with you.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Regarding the rule forbidding love, which is essential in forming AKB, I believe they're like Miko.

Though Japan has a relaxed attitude towards sexuality, you could say celibacy is required to approach god. When you think about it, AKB may be the only ones other than the imperial family possessing holiness today in Japan.

And as an AKB fan, I want to submit myself to that holiness. I want to be bewitched and dominated by those girls!

However, if I said that publicly, I would be branded a Lolicon...

Kitahara Minori is a prime example of that, but I feel like I understand her feelings. There are mature women like herself, yet people are infatuated with small girls! I guess that's what she's trying to say.

However, she is not a mature woman. She's simply blaming Lolicon for her not being popular. She's a childish woman craving for the limelight. Though she probably got a lot of attention during the bubble period.

That said, this is perhaps a typical public reaction. These women have nothing but petty pride, so they insult small girls. And yet, they're not amused these small girls are selling well, so they hate and criticise them. They want to keep these girls under their control.

However, these girls are not objects to be placed below the masses. Sakura-tan's (咲良) sensitivity; Takamina (たかみな), Jurina (珠理奈), and Mariko-sama's (マリコ) resolve; Miyuki's (みるきー) incredible response; Mayuyu's (まゆゆ) compassion; and Yuuko's (優子) devilishness. Their charm far exceeds that of ordinary people.

I want to tell the masses. Ordinary folk will never match them. Therefore, they should admit defeat. It's not cool even if you advert your eyes from the truth.

And...

I'm jealous of Hamano-shi (濱野) who received Paruru's (ぱるる) cold reception. Any feelings of trusting a man is absurd.

Miyuki's friendly smile. I feel like I'm being lured in by her in the manga.

Mayuyu's loving smile is too beautiful.

Yuuko's devilishness is so incredible, it gives me chills.

The charm of these girls is clearly conveyed in the manga, I believe the members would be happy if they read it. The fact Sensei drew them with love is conveyed and makes me feel happy.

(Dai-san)

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

The analysis at the beginning was brilliant!

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Gosen Dojo Channel Video Discussing 'AKB48-ism':

The guy mentioned in the 3rd blog post article, Kiridooshi Risaku (切通理作) discusses the topics of Kobayashi's AKB48-ism manga, particularly the topics regarding what is an idol, and whether adults who fall for idols are 'Lolicon'. The video also includes a woman's perspective (Iona; 衣緒菜) on female idols.

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Source: 『ニコ生限定！バケモノの子の本音と究極のニコ生アンケートＳＰ】』2015/08/12

Japan's Super Lolicon Culture​

By Okada Toshio (岡田斗司夫)


Okada (Reading): "Major media in America seems to have published an article that Japan is a Lolicon country, and that AKB48's influence is at the root of it, but what do you think about that?"

Okada: "Stupid bastards—! Our Lolicon history isn't that shallow! During the Edo period, we were marrying off 11~12 year old children.

Sick tribes are mostly located near the continent. What I'm saying is that island nations are hentai! The continents are great hentai. Continents give birth to great hentai into stuff like sadism and masochism, they give birth to abnormal personalities.

Whereas peninsula cultures develop a complex towards that. For the most part.

When it comes to that, island nation cultures have a moderate distance from continental cultures and develop what you would call a hobby-like hentai culture.

For example, in ancient China, you see, they had a great hentai culture of lopping off people's hands and feet. If you go to South Korea, they're not that hentai, so while looking at the great hentai culture, they become a culture where they're like 'ah, we can't compete with that'.

So in a similar fashion, even in Europe, you see, you have places like France. If you head around Germany, there's a great hentai culture, you see. When you go to England, it suddenly becomes a hobby-like hentai culture, you have things like Jack the Ripper neatly arranging the organs he cut. You veer towards that sort of bizarre hentai.

So, Japan's also similar. Its hentai culture doesn't veer towards great hentai like China, you see. What do I mean? I mean it has settled into our everyday lives. When you look at the Ukiyoe (浮世絵) from the Edo period, there's 10~11 year old girls in sheer silk that's almost transparent, like you can see their skin. They had linen kimonos, but with those kind of see-through things, you can see the girl's nakedness. Like the goodness of the undeveloped is being fervently sold, and fervently bought, you see.

That's how our Super Lolicon Culture blossomed. Compared to that, a country like America, that's been founded 200~300 years ago, criticises us for being weird. You guys have yet to comprehend Lolicon cause your country hasn't matured. Talk about us when you're a hundred years older. Well, that's my Niconama-exclusive (ニコニコ生放送) opinion (laughs).

That said, it's better than American psychopaths. That's right, America, they're a great hentai culture, so we're no match for them. So Japanese hentai, you see, live modestly in their daily lives. Whereas America has things like 40~50 serial murders. Stuff like eating corpses. Japanese won't reach that point even if it takes a thousand years. We're not gonna pop into a great hentai.

I just said it. So what about Lolicon culture? Since we're doing what has been a world standard, Japanese have been doing it for a long time, so I can't say not to complain, but remember there's also another scale as well. What I said was sort of an affirmation of Lolicon culture, but on the other hand, even if you say that in the outside world, it won't necessarily work. Cause there's no excuse for both. You won't fit in with the world.

If I don't establish it over there, then in that sense, how am I better than Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿)? I kinda believe the actions of Murakami Takashi* (村上隆) will actually save Otakus in the end."
※Murakami Takashi is a famous artist whose Anime Otaku subculture works appeared in art galleries across the world. The funniest one is a statue of a character designed by Matsuyama Seiji who told Takashi that the latest craze among young Japanese men is giant ladies with huge knockers (3m Girl by Murakami Takashi)... Coincidentally, one of Mastuyama Seiji's manga about a guy marrying an elementary schooler was banned, so Akamatsu Ken offered to host it on his J-comi Website (My Wife is an Elementary Schooler by Matsuyama Seiji).

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Reactions to Okada Toshio's Video:

Most of these comments are a year old (2022), so they're more recent than the ones from 2013 in response to Kobayashi Yoshinori's 1st article.

「ロリコンと言われたことにキレるんじゃなく、ロリコンの歴史を浅く見られたことにキレてるのが好き」
"I like how he's not getting mad at being called a Lolicon, but getting mad about their shallow view of Lolicon history."

「いやどーだろ？
平安時代の源氏物語では、マザコンとロリコンの性癖を煮詰めた男が主人公だからなぁ
もっと古いと思う」
"Well, how do I put this? In the Heian-period classic, The Tale of Genji, a man that boiled down the fetishes of Mothercon and Lolicon is the protagonist, so I think it's much older."

「日本で流行するアニメなんて全部ロリだぞ
でも真の変態は男の子にもエロさを見出すのが我々日本人だぞ！」
"The anime popular in Japan are all Loli. But the true hentai finding eroticism in even boys is us Japanese!"

「アメリカはロリだから仕方ない(歴史的に)」
"America is a Loli, so it cannot be helped (historically speaking)."

「「源氏物語」からありますからね。
ロリコンだけじゃなく熟女もの(母好きー)の元祖でもあるんだが…
ショタの歴史も長いし、衆道の歴史も長い…。みんな違ってみんないい。なんでも美味しくいただくいい国ですよね。」
”It has existed since 'The Tale of Genji', huh?
That was the father of not just Lolicon, but mature lady stuff (mother lovers), but... Shota's history is also long, and paederasty's history is also long... Everyone's different, everyone's good. A great country where everything's delicious."

A「ロリは3歳までだろうがァァァ」
A: "Loli is up to 3 years ooooold."

D「ロリは15やで」
D (Replying to A): "Loli is 15."

B「それはベビー...
ロリは12~15だよ...」
B (Replying to A): "That's Baby... Loli is 12~15..."

C「中学生がロリはさすがに無理がある
そんなこと言ったらアイコンの剣持が泣くぞ？」
C (Replying to B): "It's too unreasonable to say Loli are middle schoolers. If you say that, you'll make your avatar, Kenmochi* (剣持力也), cry."
※Kenmochi is a Vtuber who tries to be the stereotype of a Lolicon (Kenmochi on Lolicon). He doesn't like it when people make a detailed classification of Lolicon into genres like Heidi Complex and Alice Complex.

B「調べてごらん
でも15歳より下の年齢の女の子を総称してロリータとも言うからなんとも言えない」
B (Replying to C): "Look it up. But because girls under the age of 15 are collectively called Lolita, it's hard to say."

「AKBのどこがロリなんだよ！？もっと幼いやつ連れてこい！！」
"What's Loli about AKB!? Bring me younger girls!!"

「ベビーコンプレックス　幼稚園児以下
ハイジコンプレックス　小学校低学年
アリスコンプレックス　小学校高学年
ロリータコンプレックス　中学生

っていうのを見た。実際、歳が１０離れてかつ、これらの年齢に該当する人を性的に見る人を一般にロリコンと言われている気がする。
単に歳の差だけで定めたら、70歳夫と50歳妻の夫婦において夫はロリコン認定されちゃうしね。」
"Baby Complex: kindergarten or younger
Heidi Complex: elementary schooler (lower grades)
Alice Complex: elementary schooler (higher grades)
Lolita Complex: middle schooler

I saw this sorta thing. Actually, I feel like people who look at people 10 years apart from them are generally called Lolicon. If it's determined simply based on age difference, then a 70 year-old husband and a 50 year-old wife would be recognised as Lolicon."

Heidi Complex, Alice Complex, and Lolita Complex were terms that existed since the early days of Comiket with them being defined in Cybele vol.2 (1979) as Heidi Complex being 5~10 years old, Alice Complex being 7~12 years old, and Lolita Complex being 10~15 years old. In 2017, a Japanese Twitter user called Nopopon (のぼぼん) (Twitter) used the redefined age ranges of the Lolicon sub-genres so there was no overlap, and this has been gaining popularity.

「年齢なんてどうでもいいやろ！可愛ければなんでもいいんや」
"Age doesn't matter at all! Everything's fine so long as it's cute."

Translation: "I've already reached the point I'll fap to even guys so long as they're cute."

E「ロリババアってのもあるし見た目幼ければ受精卵～死体までロリと行っても過言ではないのでは？」
E: "There's also Loli-babaa; so long as they look young, would it be an exaggeration to say Loli stretches between fertilised eggs to corpses?"

F「ロリとは人類そのものだった…？」
F (replying to E): "So humanity itself is Loli...?"

「私はもうロリじゃない歳だと思ったら熟女になったりロリになったり拒絶されたりでもう分かんねえや」
"When I thought I was an age where I was no longer a Loli, I could no longer tell whether I was rejected because I was a Loli or a mature lady."

G「AKBって言うてロリの部類に入るのか？」
G: "Does AKB fall under the category of Loli?"

H「ロリちゃうと思うやで」
H (Replying to G): "I think they're Loli."

I「AKBのBはBBAじゃなかった？」
I (Replying to G): "Isn't the B in AKB BBA (hag)?"

J「成人した人が10代を好き好むのは(別の言い方もあるのかもだけど)ロリ判定だよ。」
J (Replying to G): "If an adult likes a teenager, (though there's other ways to describe it) it's a Loli judgement."

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Source:『北原みのり「『ロリコン文化』について一緒に考えよう」 倉敷女児監禁事件で』 2014/08/05

Kitahara Minori
"Let's Think Together About 'Lolicon Culture'"
through the Kurashiki Girl Confinement Incident​

A 49 year-old, Shoujo Anime-loving, middle aged man had an 11-year old girl confined in his home because he 'wanted to raise her into his ideal woman'. This is the confession of the suspect, Fujiwara Takeshi (藤原武容) (49), who has been arrested on the 19th of this month. Columnist Kitahara Minori-san (北原みのり) points out the 'Colossal Industrialisation of Lolicon Culture' behind this incident.


In an incident where an elementary 5th year schoolgirl from Okayama Prefecture, Kurashiki City, was confined, a 49 year-old man was arrested. He confessed he threatened the girl, who was on her way to school, and took her away in his car. Even before the incident, the man and his car had been witnessed near the girl's home. According to reports, the man had soundproofed his four-and-a-half tatami home, and renovated it so it didn't have any windows and could be locked from outside. In that room, posters of 'Bishoujo Anime' were plastered on the walls, floor to ceiling. When the police raided the home, the girl was lying on a futon in her pyjamas, watching anime. The man told the police, 'this is my wife' as he apparently watched the girl from his bed next to the futon. Regarding his motives, the man said, 'I wanted to raise her into my ideal woman'.

Whenever there's an incident where a Shoujo becomes a victim, parents with children, and those who were once 'girls', cannot help but taste fear in another's plight. The reactions to this incident, mainly online, were thought-provoking.

When it was reported the man liked anime, voices immediately arose, mainly on the internet, saying 'don't connect anime to this incident' and 'don't discriminate against Otaku'.

Indeed, whenever incidents like these happen, the first image of the criminal is an Otaku like Miyazaki Tsutomu, who was arrested in 1989 for the serial girl murder incident. Even after a quarter of a century has passed, we have not forgotten the strong impression of a withdrawn man, surrounded by hundreds of anime works. Although it's also true that in today's Japanese society, Otaku are more recognised than they were back then with Lolicon contents becoming a massive industry.

I work in the sex goods industry, but I realise every day that Japan is a Lolicon Business Superpower unlike any other in the world. For example, in adult good shops for men, the market for adult goods imitating the bodies of young girls is expanding year by year, and it is said to be worth 20 billion yen annually. Most of the packaging for these goods display anime pictures, and among them, there are also products that imitate female genitalia with illustrations of babies wearing bibs with a speech bubble saying, 'put it in, papa'.

There are a wide variety of Lolicon goods, from adult goods to anime and games, adult videos featuring adult women who look like elementary schoolers, and image videos featuring real children (without any sexual acts). And basically, anyone over the age of 18 can purchases these goods.

Of course, child pornography prohibitions exist in Japan. 'Child pornography' is defined as anything that depicts a sexual act by persons under the age of 18, and nude, or near-nude, images of children that 'excite or stimulate sexual desire'. However, many of the Lolicon goods mentioned above are not subject to regulations.

This is because there's an assumption 'ordinary adult men are not aroused by young children wearing bikinis', so photobooks and videos only showing scenes of elementary schoolers innocently licking soft-served ice cream, or taking a shower in a bikini, are exempt from child pornography regulations as 'Junior Idol works'.

Furthermore, while Lolicon expressions in anime, adult goods that imitate the female genitalia of young children, and adult videos featuring adult women who look like children are regulated in many countries, in Japan, these are tolerated as there's 'no victim'. Because the Child Pornography Prohibition Act is a law that protects children from sexual abuse, there's nothing wrong with enjoying child sexual abuse as a fantasy.

Many men don't like it when I talk about this sort of thing. They want to end the conversation by saying 'I'm not a Lolicon' or 'that's just some hentai', preaching 'it's freedom of expression, it's natural', or declaring 'Lolicon is a normal hobby'. Their reactions remind me it's men's indifference and ease with which they dismiss Lolicon as a 'hobby' that has made Lolicon into a massive industry. Living in such an environment itself is extremely stressful for young girls and parents raising young girls.
If you read the 1-star amazon review for this article's magazine, the bold part above is what enraged the reviewer. I personally thought this article was reasonable in its concerns, but it's stuff like the above you need to watch out for, and it's what the feminist mangaka, Igarashi Megumi, was complaining about when she wrote her blog post about people mocking Japan for being a Lolicon Hentai Superpower, unaware how secure Japan is compared to the rest of the world (Megumi's Translated Blog Post).

●Let's share our wisdom and open discussion.

The other day, I spoke to a man involved in the production of 'Junior Idol works'. Photo shoots for 'Junior Idols' are held almost every week in Akihabara. The men (many of whom are in their 40s) gather with their single‐lens reflex cameras, and the atmosphere at the photo shoot is generally quiet and relaxed. Though many of the works themselves are 'vulgar', such as Shoujo cooking in her bloomers or playing the recorder without end. He says photographing the girls with their friends has the effect of making the men feel less guilty.

Also, it's not uncommon for the mothers of the young girls to be enthusiastic about the photographing. When I asked, 'What does the mother intend by doing this?' He replies with a wry smile, 'I'm too scared to ask such a thing'. He says even though this is clearly being consumed as 'pornography', everyone, including the audience, is acting as if it's an 'idol work'. Under such circumstances, no one has the capacity to question the mother. Probably because as soon as such questions are raised, the pretence of it being an 'idol work' will crumble. That's why everyone's mutually pretending to be indifferent to it, he said.

So I wondered whether our society is in a vaguely similar situation right now. Clearly this is going too far, right? Even if something bothers you, if you pretend to be indifferent and say, 'it's just an anime' or 'it doesn't concern me', all you're doing is averting your eyes to the growing Lolicon industry. However, are there really no 'victims'?

The man from the Kurashiki City Incident said 'he wanted to raise the young girl into his ideal woman'. Violence, that is easily understood to satisfy sexual urges, isn't the only thing targeting young girls. A desire to be worshipped and accepted as the only man, an immature Shoujo being better than an adult. Isn't this incident an extension of those "common" 'desires'? Is this incident an extension of our warm toleration of Lolicon culture?

That said, simply tightening regulations on expression is not the answer. That's why we must share our wisdom and have a discussion. How can we improve the 'environment' where so many young girls continue to suffer serious harm? How can we save these young girls? How can we avoid turning men into criminals? We need to take a serious look at the 'true nature' of the Lolicon culture we've fostered in the 25 years since 'Miyazaki Tsutomu'.

So we've come full circle with a modern day 'The Tales of Genji', and an example of what Okada Toshio meant by Japan having a hobby-like hentai culture. Not mentioned in Minori's article is that Fujiwara Takeshi kidnapped the girl, but didn't sexually abuse her before the time of his arrest.

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Other Kitahara Minori Articles

The Loliconification of Japanese Men Even Sellers Believe is 'Not Good':

売り手も「やばい」と思う日本男性のロリコン化 | AERA dot. (アエラドット)

文筆家の北原みのり氏は、セックスグッズショップのオーナーが「国にロリコン規制をしてほしい」と話すのを聞いたという。その背景にあるものとは…。

dot.asahi.com

'Why are Feminists and Otaku Incompatible?':

書籍詳細 - フェミニストとオタクはなぜ相性が悪いのか　「性の商品化」と「表現の自由」を再考する｜イースト・プレス

AKB48、地方自治体の萌えキャラ、村上隆や会田誠の現代アート、AV強要問題、そして「慰安婦」問題……。さまざまな性の表象があふれ、社会問題を抱えている現代ニッポン。たとえば二次元エロをめぐる議論は「表現の自由派vs表現の規制派」という対立軸だけに安易に回収されてしまうようなこの国で、「女でいること」はなぜこんなにも息苦しく、難しいのだろうか。精神科医とフェミニストが、いま日本社会で「問題」と感知できなくなっている性の「問題」をめぐり、改めて女たちにとってのエロスを考えていく白熱対談。 香山リカ（かやま・りか）...

www.eastpress.co.jp

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In other news, I was contacted by Kera after someone linked this thread to Ehoba on Twitter, and he says he acquired video footage of the Kawamoto Kouji and Takekuma Kentarou talk at the Yonezawa Yoshihiro Memorial Library and he plans to release a PDF version of his circle's Kawamoto Kouji doujin this November. Kera's diligent work has been invaluable.

 

[Hexasheep93]

Well, the character would need to have characteristics attractive to Lolicon (I think the Aoyama talk explained this best).

Lolicon is a colloquialism, since the original definition of 'Lolita Complex' as defined by Russel Trainer isn't really used by anyone in Japan. His book is on the internet archive if you want to see how a phoney psychologist defines it (Russel Trainer's Lolita Complex). Russel Trainer wrote the book without any credentials in psychology, not that genuine psychologists are any better.

I don't want to jump ahead since I'm still translating the related articles, but Kobayashi got annoyed at Minori for using the word Lolicon in her article about AKB48 without defining what she meant by Lolicon.

Before I started translating these articles, I had a bias that Sazae-san and the works by Fujiko Fujio were for normal people, since despite Sazae-san being the most watched anime on television, Lolicon don't really gravitate to its characters. But Kawamoto Kouji thinks Fujiko Fujio has a Lolicon element, so I want to understand that.
★
If you look at the Japanese comments on the surviving videos, you'll find you're in good company with those who feel those same emotions.

I was asking Fujiyama Takashi about his first experience attending Mimiketto (the animal ear doujinshi con) and he introduced me to a new artist called Kesubi (he did some professional works in Comic Rin) as being the one who influenced his tastes in catgirls.
★
I'm not familiar with the recent tax law, but I'll keep an eye out if any of my artist acquaintances mention it and how they feel about it. Though, I doubt I'll have any opinions worth sharing.

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This is a short article written before the tabletalk in the first post. I want to translate a long interview with Azuma Hideo, so this information will be helpful when I go about tackling that.

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Source: 「ふゅーじょんぷろだくと ロリータ/美少女特集 81/10」

View attachment 16044

The Zenith of Bishoujo Manga
Azuma Hideo's World​

I don't know whether it's a boom or something else, but regardless, Azuma Hideo has been drawing Bishoujo since long ago. I wonder what we'll see if we follow his trail.


Without Azuma Hideo, We Cannot Talk about Bishoujo Manga


At what point did it become necessary for the girls in shounen manga to be drawn nice and cute?

It can be said the quality of Shoujo in shounen manga has improved dramatically over the past decade. And the style of drawing these girls so cutely going one step further, focusing on drawing Shoujo beautifully and making them more Shoujo-ish, can be said to be the territory Azuma manga has reached.

In our society, we have Baseball Manga Mizushima so-and-so who cannot draw girls properly, Quiz Panellist Hara so-and-so who can only draw girls in profile, or Manju Scary Ootomo so-and-so who only draws females of high school age or younger, or housewives in their 30s. Or even if their selling point is drawing girls cutely, you have Yanagisawa so-and-so whose distorted faces are elephant man-tier upon closer examination. The fact the faces of girls look exactly the same in whichever work's enough to make one retch and toss them into the rubbish bin (apologies to everyone whose names happened to be mentioned above), so when looking about this kinda situation, you can tell how the girls in an Azuma manga are vividly depicted, how they exist with their own facial expressions and behavioural principles, how they breathe beauty.
水島新司 (Mizushima Shinji) (Wiki)
はらたいら (Hara Taira) (Wiki)
大友克洋 (Ootomo Katsuhiro) (Wiki)
柳沢きみお (Yanagisawa Kimio) (Wiki)

It's as if Azuma Hideo has accomplished in just a few years by himself what hundreds of shoujo mangaka have attempted to do over the previous decades.

It goes without saying Azuma Hideo is an artist who continues to draw Shoujo more eccentrically.


Azuma Loli Character Lover-isation


I would like to examine the Shoujo characters that appear in an Azuma manga from the perspective of a Lolicon.

Moko (モコ) 'Midare Moko' (みだれモコ): it's generally accepted that Moko is the first character brought to the fore with a Lolicon element. Her little devil personality with hints of maturity—her abnormal personality that belies her cute appearance—makes it no surprise she's raised to the head of Azuma Loli characters.

Along with Mimi-chan (美美) and Mia-chan (美亜), she represents a sailor blouse character.

Keyaki Mimi (欅美美) 'Mimi' (美美): similar to 'Midare Moko', this work was drawn immediately after the long serialisation of 'Futari to Gonin' (ふたりと五人) ended. Around this period, in the middle of 1976, Azuma's Shoujo characters appeared to have underwent a slight reform.

In Mimi's case, it helped that the magazine publishing her was monthly; at first she was a Shoujo who was svelte and trim albeit with superhuman powers, but she was later depicted as a completely different youth in the plump, CoroCoro-style*. Should one say she was drawn in a coherent posture that suggests 'this is what the ideal Shoujo we yearn for ought to be'?
※I believe he's referencing Pollon and her style. See the end of the article for the anime adaptation OP&ED.

Mori Hiroko (森寛子) 'Nemuta-kun' (ネムタくん): this is also a work that started in the middle of 1976. Hiroko-chan is one of the heroines among shounen manga following Yukiko (ユキ子) from 'Futari to Gonin' and Hasegawa Emi (長谷川絵美) from 'Chokkin' (チョッキン), but she's a Shoujo with the most Lolicon elements among them. Her hobby page was revolutionary.

Gotou Yayoi (後藤やよい) 'Chibi Mama-chan' (ちびママちゃん): Yayoi-chan is a hard-working and ill-fated Shoujo due to her stupid older and younger brothers. Her work itself is modest and doesn't really stand out, but she's an important character. Her long, straight hair is beautiful.

Nanako (ななこ) 'Nanako SOS' (ななこSOS): despite being a Shoujo with superpowers, she's weak-willed and will often sit down and let steam rise from her head. Nanako's fans are also many.

The epitome of the full-cheeked-type Bishoujo. Yuuko (ゆう子) from 'Mousou Pan' (妄想パン) is extremely close to this.

Rika-chan (リカちゃん) 'Monmon Teikitan' (悶悶亭奇譚): more of a sick character than a Lolicon one.

As a work drawn during the same period (1979) as 'Lunatic' (るなてっく), 'Kyouran Seiunki' (狂乱星雲記), and 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記). This is a work from a time when there were more depictions of non-humans that resembled Shoujo than human Shoujo.

Pollon (ポロン) 'Olympus no Poron' (オリンポスのポロン): a work that shows the characters of shoujo manga are distinct from the transitioning characters for shounen manga. A precious Youjo character. In a sense, she's the most Lolicon-ish character.

Nekoyama Mia (猫山美亜) 'Scrap School' (スクラップ学園): a genuine Bishoujo Lolicon character that appeared in even her own photobook. She's not only cute, but possesses a pouty, mysterious personality that's a bit out of the ordinary.

In opposition, some people claim these areas aren't Lolicon-ish, but those people are a case of 'knowing the first thing and graduating without knowing the second'. Moko, Sham 'Sham Cat' (シャンキャット), Reiko (冷子) from 'Yadorigi-kun' (やどりぎくん), and Sukeban Youko (スケバンヨーコ) from 'Nemuta-kun' (ネムタくん). These kinds of girls occupy important positions among Azuma Loli characters.

The Shoujo who appear as high schoolgirls or nameless girls in recent short stories or pure literature series. Although their appearances, personalities, and behavioural principles vary, they're depicted with an image that is Shoujo-ish to the very end. There's a view that these girls are the most Lolicon-ish.

View attachment 16045

All Shoujo Characters Are Now Lolicon Characters


Works from around the 1970s (even though at the time, Okumura Chiyo [奥村チヨ], Okazaki Yuki [岡崎友紀], and Wada Aiko [和田アイ子] were favoured types) may not be in the same vein as Lolicon, but it's no exaggeration to say all Shoujo characters created since then have a Lolicon element.

January of 1975 that started 'Oshaberi Club' (おしゃべりクラブ), 'Chibi Mama-chan' (ちびママちゃん), and 'Yakekuso Tenshi' (やけくそ天使) was the memorable turning point of Azuma Shoujo characters, so the middle of 1976 mentioned prior was a step towards a period with a strong Lolicon hue. Moreover, from 1978 to 1979 when he drew SF gags such as 'Parallel Kyoushitsu' (パラレル狂室) and 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記) was a period where the sickness advanced and the Shoujo weren't depicted honestly. And thus from 1980 to today, we passed the period of that dark sickness and while retaining that essence, we're now in an illustrious period where Azuma World has blossomed in his way of adding more Lolicon-ish and Bishoujo-oriented elements.

For more information on the genealogy of Bishoujo in Azuma manga, please refer to the Kisoutensha (寄想天社) special supplement issue 'Azuma Hideo Complete Works' (吾妻ひでお大全集) for details.

In any case, the world of Azuma Hideo is filled with many Bishoujo, and it is also true to say there would be no Azuma manga without Bishoujo.

Of course, Azuma manga doesn't equal Bishoujo, and it goes without saying Azuma manga doesn't consist only of Bishoujo, but when it comes to drawing them cutely, there's no doubt in the Shoujo he draws exceeding the standards of many shounen mangaka.

For being the coolest Lolicon right now, thank you so much for all the Bishoujo, Azuma-san.


Y. Endou (Y・エンドウ)

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This series has an anime adaptation, which was localised overseas, though not in English. So it's interesting to find out there's people outside Japan who grew up with this anime.

Olympus no Poron OP&ED:

Earlier in this thread, I brought up Sham Cat and her possible influences and origins, since she's one of the earliest examples of an anime catgirl, and according to the long interview with Azuma Hideo, he said he didn't put any thought into her creation; he thought he was just doing what Tezuka Osamu did with his own anthropomorphism.

View attachment 16046
There were also plans for a Sham Cat anime, but that never saw the light of day.
View attachment 16048

Though, speaking of catgirls, I found out the person behind the CAT PEOPLE doujinshi series was also an editor for a magazine called 'Peppermint Comic'. The 7th CAT PEOPLE doujin I picked up was a 2nd printing, even had a recruitment form at the back, and some of the artists also mentioned contributing catgirl stories to the magazine itself. So I ordered a bunch of these issues, since the fantasy and science-fiction theme of the magazine interests me. In the bottom left is a devil girl drawn by Senno Knife.
View attachment 16047


Here's some samples of Nekoyama Mia's photobook (Mandarake). This thing has often been cited in this thread.
View attachment 16049View attachment 16050View attachment 16051
View attachment 16052View attachment 16054

Interesting.
Its quite cool how,while the whole thing comes from a variety of sources it still can be traced back to a few people that set the wheels going. I wonder what they think of the modern landscape of the industry.

These are a collection of articles, comments, and transcription translations regarding AKB48 and how the word Lolicon has been used in the last decade organised by the writers, Kobayashi Yoshinori, Okada Toshio, and Kitahara Minori, and those related to them.

Kitahara Minori (JP Wiki)
Kobayashi Yoshinori (EN Wiki) (JP Wiki)
Okada Toshio (EN Wiki) (JP Wiki)

Kitahara Minori is a feminist journalist who also runs a sex goods shop called 'Love Peace Club', and Kobayashi Yoshinori draws political manga to brainwash and entertain young Japanese men. I'm surprised Minori seems to have largely escaped the notice of western anime and manga fans; the closest I could find is a paper by Megan Sluzhevsky who quotes Patrick Galbraith and Kitahara Minori (The Costs of Lolicon: Japan's Pedophliia Trade).

Hopefully the articles are both informative and entertaining. I still don't know if I gathered too much information, or not enough to paint a sufficient picture to explain why Digital Daijisen's paragraph regarding the contemporary use of Lolicon is vague.

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Source: 『小林よしのりオフィシャルwebサイト』

小林よしのりオフィシャルwebサイト

『ゴーマニズム宣言』『おぼっちゃまくん』『東大一直線』などでお馴染みの、漫画家・小林よしのりの公式webサイト。ブログ「あのな、教えたろか。」の配信や、キャリア４０年に亘る全作品の紹介、最新情報などをお伝えしていきます。

yoshinori-kobayashi.com

By Kobayashi Yoshinori (小林よしのり)


2013.02.18 (Monday)

Falling into AKB48 is Lolicon?​

In Weekly Asahi (週刊朝日), a female adult goods shop representative called Kitahara Minori (北原みのり) writes that AKB48 is similar to JK reflexology*.
*Magazine with Article (Click)
*Kitahara's Web Article (Click)

When I heard reflexology, I thought it was about economic policy, but it turns out she's writing about the high schoolgirl sex industry.

Nonsense! That analogy is taking way too big a leap.

AKB is not a sex industry. It's an art that has been around since long ago.

Are you simply wanting to bash AKB with image manipulation!?

According to Kitahara, her words boil down to starting with Kobayashi Yoshinori, the men of this country are all terminally ill with Lolicon.

No, no. Japanese men, when it comes to sexual desire, are experiencing a mature lady boom, a Dan Mitsu Boom (檀蜜ブーム).

Even among the participants of 'Gosen Dojo' (ゴー宣道場), there are many attractive mature beauties with whom I'm having a hard time maintaining my appearance as their teacher.

Kitahara is also a mature woman, so she should just ride the boom and become popular, yet for some reason, this woman hates Japanese men and seems to love adult goods and the muscles of Korean men.

Confucian Country South Korea has a conscription system. Are the muscles of a man in a male-dominated country that different from the muscles of a postwar pacifist country?

Is Kitahara a patriot? Is she right-wing?

In Japan, girls between 14~15 have been romantic targets since the Tale of Genji, and up until the early Showa period, the marriageable age was from late teens to early 20s.

AKB48 is made up of women from late teens to 26 years old, so can you call that Lolicon?

Actually, the early member costumes are no longer uniforms.

In their new graduation song, the teenagers are featured prominently and the early members are their logistical support.

Though HKT48 are in uniforms, they're not unnatural; to me, they're as cute as my own child or grandchild.

There's zero Lolicon sexual desire elements!

In Japanese society, people are getting married later in life, anti-aging is becoming way too popular, and Kitahara's sexual lust is way too strong, so I think there's a grave misunderstanding.

Also, the K-Pop Boom's over!

Guess it was a forced boom.

Kitahara's sensibilities were superficial ones, simply dancing to a fabricated boom.

Why doesn't she bury her bones in South Korea?

However, female adult goods cannot be sold in a Confucian Country.

Cause her profession has been spoiled by Japan's sexually tolerant culture.


2014.03.06 (Thursday)
Please note a year has passed since the previous blog post by Yoshinori.

Between Lolicon or Mature Ladies, it's Mature Ladies! ​

I was reading Weekly Asahi, and Kitahara Minori has written another essay labelling Japanese men as 'Lolicon'.

First off, Kitahara never defines 'Lolicon'.

She's mixing vogue words such as 'Mothercon' and 'Lolicon' that trended in the 1970s with 'paedophilia' as a pathology, and projecting her own ressentiment towards modern Japanese men.

According to Kitahara, the best selling 'adult goods' among Japanese men are goods imitating the female genitalia of Youjo, but who would buy such things!?

None of my acquaintances buy adult goods, so generalising us based on the unique 0.00000001% of Japanese men can only be described as foolish.

If that's the case, I heard there's actually a mature lady boom in the AV world, which has far more enthusiasts.

It's obvious Danmitsu is way more erotic than an AKB girl.

She wrote, 'Is the situation in which Lolicon in Japan is intensifying and normalising mean it's no longer an illness?', but is she trying to make me laugh writing such nonsense?

Or is she simply being cringe?


2014.07.30 (Wednesday)

Is Japan too Tolerant of Lolicon Culture?​

Kiridooshi Risaku (切通理作) sounds like he's being scolded by Bishoujo Anime Otaku on his blog* this morning.
*Kiridooshi's Blog Entry (Click)

Risakudon, try reading Kitahara Minori's article* in this week's 'Weekly Asahi' (週刊朝日).
*Magazine with Article (Click)
*Kitahara's Web Article (Click)
I thought the one-star review on amazon by an angry Otaku was amusing.

There's an article called "Japan is too Tolerant of 'Lolicon Culture'!", but it kinda gets me thinking.

In the perpetrator's room of the Shoujo confinement incident in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, there's posters of 'Bishoujo Anime' covering the walls, pasted from floor to ceiling.

For a 49 year old, that has to be abnormal.

Can you say this hobby has absolutely nothing to do with kidnapping and confining Shoujo?

The market for adult goods for men that imitate the bodies of Youjo is said to reach 20 billion yen annually!

It's as horrifying as one should expect!

Men in their 40s gather at photo sessions for junior idols, making the Shoujo cook in their bloomers, taking pictures of them playing the recorder (縦笛) without end.

It makes me sick.

Shockingly, it's the girls' own mothers who were enthusiastic about taking photos, Japan is finished.

Complaining to me or Risakudon is meaningless.

I'll say I hate the things I hate, but I'm not saying it should be banned.

I'm just saying this problem needs to be discussed with the mother of the daughter.

Those ignoring the concerns of parents with daughters, telling them 'don't criticise personal hobbies', must be dangerous Japanese after all!

If you're so certain your hobbies aren't so bad, then join 'Gosen Dojo' (ゴー宣道場) and speak confidently in front of your girlfriend's mother!

I have publicly spoken about the reason why I support AKB Shoujo. The matter where Kitahara Minori also decided AKB Otaku are Lolicon is also explained when I drew 'AKB48-ism' (AKB48論)*.
*Digital Version of the manga AKB48-ism (Bookwalker); Kobayashi Yoshinori dedicated the entire fourth chapter to Lolicon.
Chapter 4: Am I a Lolicon? (わしってロリコンか？）
p24: "I suppose there's Otaku who like Uniform Lolicon." 「制服ロリコンが好きなオタクがいるんだろうな。」

Even after I drew this, I'm still pondering what is an idol.

There may be some paedophile degenerates mixed in with AKB Otaku, but even then, I can still defend AKB.

Look forward to 'Gosen Dojo'.

View attachment 16066View attachment 16067

2017.07.16 (Sunday)

Being Slender with Small Breasts is Hard​

Why are ero-manga all about big tits? Are there any mangaka drawing ero-scenes with slender, small-breasted female bodies?

Drawing busty, glamorous women is easy. However, a small-breasted, slender woman is very hard.

First of all, women that busty just don't exist. When you look at gravure, you get the illusion they're all busty, so women these days are trying to make their breasts look bigger through their clothes by pushing them up or padding them.

It would make you think women these days all have big tits, but when you undress them, they're not that big.

That's why I think we need to draw eroticism with small breasts, but there's no ero-manga to use as reference.

Lolicon-manga's no good. I wonder if there are any manga depicting erotism with slender adult women with small breasts? I'm dissatisfied.

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Other Kobayashi Yoshinori Articles

Reading Kitahara Minori's article in AERA (2014.06.24):

AERAの北原みのりの記事を読んで

AERAの北原みのりの記事 「8歳と握手会 ロリコン大国日本」を読んで、 確かに問題がありそうだ

yoshinori-kobayashi.com

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Reactions to Kobayashi Yoshinori's 1st Article (2013):

小林よしのり激怒「AKBはロリコン的な性欲要素はゼロ。北原みのりは韓国に骨を埋めたらどうだ？」 | ガールズちゃんねる - Girls Channel -

AKB48に嵌るのはロリコンか？ - ゴー宣ネット道場AKB48に嵌るのはロリコンか？ 週刊朝日で北原みのりという、女性のアダルトグッズショップ代表が、 AKB48はJKリフレと似ていると書いている。 リフレというから経済政策のことかと思ったら、女子高生の風俗...

girlschannel.net

「いやロリコンでしょ」
"Nah, it's Lolicon."

View attachment 16072

「ロリコン的な性欲要素以外なにがあんの？」
"What else is there besides Lolicon sexual elements?"

「そもそも秋元がロリコンでしょ」
To begin with, Akimoto is a Lolicon."

View attachment 16069

「自分がロリコンだって気がついてないんだ……ますます痛い人だな。」
"He isn't even aware of his own Lolicon...... He's becoming more and more cringe."

「本物のロリコンはロリコンって自覚がないんだな・・」
"Real Lolicon aren't aware they're Lolicon..."

「ロリコン以外の何者でもない。
だいたい熟女ブームはまやかしだし、だんみっちゃんは一発屋の芸人さん。
風俗業界だって23以下の女の子に客は流れる傾向らしい。
日本はロリコン大国なんだよ。そう末期。
童顔+巨乳が 昔から大好きな国。
今やおっぱい膨らみはじめの処女感に興奮し、国をあげて祭り上げるといった変態国。」
"He's nothing more than a Lolicon.
Most of the mature lady boom's a sham, and Dan Micchan's a one-shot talent-san. In the adult entertainment industry, customers tend to drift towards girls under 23. Japan's a Lolicon Superpower. Terminally ill. A country that loves baby-faces and big boobs since ancient times. Now it's a Hentai Country where the entire country is celebrating and excited by budding oppai virgin feelings."

「ね～よしりん知ってる？？？
ヲタってね、本当の事を言われると激怒するんだって（ﾌﾟｯ）」
Hey~Yoshirin, do ya know?? Ota (ヲタ), you see, get really mad when they're told the truth (pfft)."

「じゃあなんでランドセル背負ったりしてるのよ」
"Then why're they carrying Randoseru on their backs!?"

View attachment 16068

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Source:『「AKB48論」の感想　巫女と聖性』2013.10.6 06:57


By Tokky (トッキー) (Twitter)

Tokky is one of Kobayashi Yoshinori's staff that writes for his Goman Dojo site.

"AKB48-ism" Miko and Holiness​

Impressions of 'AKB-ism' are finally being posted in the comment section of 'Kobayashi Yoshinori Rising'. I found a particularly interesting one I would like to share with you.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Regarding the rule forbidding love, which is essential in forming AKB, I believe they're like Miko.

Though Japan has a relaxed attitude towards sexuality, you could say celibacy is required to approach god. When you think about it, AKB may be the only ones other than the imperial family possessing holiness today in Japan.

And as an AKB fan, I want to submit myself to that holiness. I want to be bewitched and dominated by those girls!

However, if I said that publicly, I would be branded a Lolicon...

Kitahara Minori is a prime example of that, but I feel like I understand her feelings. There are mature women like herself, yet people are infatuated with small girls! I guess that's what she's trying to say.

However, she is not a mature woman. She's simply blaming Lolicon for her not being popular. She's a childish woman craving for the limelight. Though she probably got a lot of attention during the bubble period.

That said, this is perhaps a typical public reaction. These women have nothing but petty pride, so they insult small girls. And yet, they're not amused these small girls are selling well, so they hate and criticise them. They want to keep these girls under their control.

However, these girls are not objects to be placed below the masses. Sakura-tan's (咲良) sensitivity; Takamina (たかみな), Jurina (珠理奈), and Mariko-sama's (マリコ) resolve; Miyuki's (みるきー) incredible response; Mayuyu's (まゆゆ) compassion; and Yuuko's (優子) devilishness. Their charm far exceeds that of ordinary people.

I want to tell the masses. Ordinary folk will never match them. Therefore, they should admit defeat. It's not cool even if you advert your eyes from the truth.

And...

I'm jealous of Hamano-shi (濱野) who received Paruru's (ぱるる) cold reception. Any feelings of trusting a man is absurd.

Miyuki's friendly smile. I feel like I'm being lured in by her in the manga.

Mayuyu's loving smile is too beautiful.

Yuuko's devilishness is so incredible, it gives me chills.

The charm of these girls is clearly conveyed in the manga, I believe the members would be happy if they read it. The fact Sensei drew them with love is conveyed and makes me feel happy.

(Dai-san)

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

The analysis at the beginning was brilliant!

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Gosen Dojo Channel Video Discussing 'AKB48-ism':

The guy mentioned in the 2nd article, Kiridooshi Risaku (切通理作) discusses the topics of Kobayashi's AKB48-ism manga, particularly the topics regarding what is an idol, and whether adults who fall for idols are 'Lolicon'. The video also includes a woman's perspective (Iona; 衣緒菜) on female idols.

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Source: 『ニコ生限定！バケモノの子の本音と究極のニコ生アンケートＳＰ】』2015/08/12

Japan's Super Lolicon Culture​

By Okada Toshio (岡田斗司夫)


Okada (Reading): "Major media in America seems to have published an article that Japan is a Lolicon country, and that AKB48's influence is at the root of it, but what do you think about that?"

Okada: "Stupid bastards—! Our Lolicon history isn't that shallow! During the Edo period, we were marrying off 11~12 year old children.

Sick tribes are mostly located near the continent. What I'm saying is that island nations are hentai! The continents are great hentai. Continents give birth to great hentai into stuff like sadism and masochism, they give birth to abnormal personalities.

Whereas peninsula cultures develop a complex towards that. For the most part.

When it comes to that, island nation cultures have a moderate distance from continental cultures and develop what you would call a hobby-like hentai culture.

For example, in ancient China, you see, they had a great hentai culture of lopping off people's hands and feet. If you go to South Korea, they're not that hentai, so while looking at the great hentai culture, they become a culture where they're like 'ah, we can't compete with that'.

So in a similar fashion, even in Europe, you see, you have places like France. If you head around Germany, there's a great hentai culture, you see. When you go to England, it suddenly becomes a hobby-like hentai culture, you have things like Jack the Ripper neatly arranging the organs he cut. You veer towards that sort of bizarre hentai.

So, Japan's also similar. Its hentai culture doesn't veer towards great hentai like China, you see. What do I mean? I mean it has settled into our everyday lives. When you look at the Ukiyoe (浮世絵) from the Edo period, there's 10~11 year old girls in sheer silk that's almost transparent, like you can see their skin. They had linen kimonos, but with those kind of see-through things, you can see the girl's nakedness. Like the goodness of the undeveloped is being fervently sold, and fervently bought, you see.

That's how our Super Lolicon Culture blossomed. Compared to that, a country like America, that's been founded 200~300 years ago, criticises us for being weird. You guys have yet to comprehend Lolicon cause your country hasn't matured. Talk about us when you're a hundred years older. Well, that's my Niconama-exclusive (ニコニコ生放送) opinion (laughs).

That said, it's better than American psychopaths. That's right, America, they're a great hentai culture, so we're no match for them. So Japanese hentai, you see, live modestly in their daily lives. Whereas America has things like 40~50 serial murders. Stuff like eating corpses. Japanese won't reach that point even if it takes a thousand years. We're not gonna pop into a great hentai.

I just said it. So what about Lolicon culture? Since we're doing what has been a world standard, Japanese have been doing it for a long time, so I can't say not to complain, but remember there's also another scale as well. What I said was sort of an affirmation of Lolicon culture, but on the other hand, even if you say that in the outside world, it won't necessarily work. Cause there's no excuse for both. You won't fit in with the world.

If I don't establish it over there, then in that sense, how am I better than Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿)? I kinda believe the actions of Murakami Takashi* (村上隆) will actually save Otakus in the end."
※Murakami Takashi is a famous artist whose Anime Otaku subculture works appeared in art galleries across the world. The funniest one is a statue of a character designed by Matsuyama Seiji who told Takashi that the latest craze among young Japanese men is giant ladies with huge knockers (3m Girl by Murakami Takashi)... Coincidentally, one of Mastuyama Seiji's manga about a guy marrying an elementary schooler was banned, so Akamatsu Ken offered to host it on his J-comi Website (My Wife is an Elementary Schooler by Matsuyama Seiji).

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Reactions to Okada Toshio's Video:

Most of these comments are a year old (2022), so they're more recent than the ones from 2013 in response to Kobayoshi Yoshinori's 1st article.

「ロリコンと言われたことにキレるんじゃなく、ロリコンの歴史を浅く見られたことにキレてるのが好き」
"I like how he's not getting mad at being called a Lolicon, but getting mad about their shallow view of Lolicon history."

「いやどーだろ？
平安時代の源氏物語では、マザコンとロリコンの性癖を煮詰めた男が主人公だからなぁ
もっと古いと思う」
"Well, how do I put this? In the Heian-period classic, The Tale of Genji, a man that boiled down the fetishes of Mothercon and Lolicon is the protagonist, so I think it's much older."

「日本で流行するアニメなんて全部ロリだぞ
でも真の変態は男の子にもエロさを見出すのが我々日本人だぞ！」
"The anime popular in Japan are all Loli. But the true hentai finding eroticism in even boys is us Japanese!"

「アメリカはロリだから仕方ない(歴史的に)」
"America is a Loli, so it cannot be helped (historically speaking)."

「「源氏物語」からありますからね。
ロリコンだけじゃなく熟女もの(母好きー)の元祖でもあるんだが…
ショタの歴史も長いし、衆道の歴史も長い…。みんな違ってみんないい。なんでも美味しくいただくいい国ですよね。」
”It has existed since 'The Tale of Genji', huh?
That was the father of not just Lolicon, but mature lady stuff (mother lovers), but... Shota's history is also long, and paederasty's history is also long... Everyone's different, everyone's good. A great country where everything's delicious."

A「ロリは3歳までだろうがァァァ」
A: "Loli is up to 3 years ooooold."

D「ロリは15やで」
D (Replying to A): "Loli is 15."

B「それはベビー...
ロリは12~15だよ...」
B (Replying to A): "That's Baby... Loli is 12~15..."

C「中学生がロリはさすがに無理がある
そんなこと言ったらアイコンの剣持が泣くぞ？」
C (Replying to B): "It's too unreasonable to say Loli are middle schoolers. If you say that, you'll make your avatar, Kenmochi* (剣持力也), cry."
※Kenmochi is a Vtuber who tries to be the stereotype of a Lolicon (Kenmochi on Lolicon). He doesn't like it when people make a detailed classification of Lolicon into genres like Heidi Complex and Alice Complex.

B「調べてごらん
でも15歳より下の年齢の女の子を総称してロリータとも言うからなんとも言えない」
B (Replying to C): "Look it up. But because girls under the age of 15 are collectively called Lolita, it's hard to say."

「AKBのどこがロリなんだよ！？もっと幼いやつ連れてこい！！」
"What's Loli about AKB!? Bring me younger girls!!"

「ベビーコンプレックス　幼稚園児以下
ハイジコンプレックス　小学校低学年
アリスコンプレックス　小学校高学年
ロリータコンプレックス　中学生

っていうのを見た。実際、歳が１０離れてかつ、これらの年齢に該当する人を性的に見る人を一般にロリコンと言われている気がする。
単に歳の差だけで定めたら、70歳夫と50歳妻の夫婦において夫はロリコン認定されちゃうしね。」
"Baby Complex: kindergarten or younger
Heidi Complex: elementary schooler (lower grades)
Alice Complex: elementary schooler (higher grades)
Lolita Complex: middle schooler

I saw this sorta thing. Actually, I feel like people who look at people 10 years apart from them are generally called Lolicon. If it's determined simply based on age difference, then a 70 year-old husband and a 50 year-old wife would be recognised as Lolicon."

View attachment 16073
Heidi Complex, Alice Complex, and Lolita Complex were terms that existed since the early days of Comiket with them being defined in Cybele vol.2 (1979) as Heidi Complex being 5~10 years old, Alice Complex being 7~12 years old, and Lolita Complex being 10~15 years old. In 2017, a Japanese Twitter user called Nopopon (のぼぼん) (Twitter) redefined the age ranges of the Lolicon sub-genres so there was no overlap, and this has been gaining popularity. But regardless, whenever you see Lolita Complex being defined as 12~15 like this, it's someone who has been influenced by Nopopon's meme.

「年齢なんてどうでもいいやろ！可愛ければなんでもいいんや」
"Age doesn't matter at all! Everything's fine so long as it's cute."

View attachment 16074
Translation: "I've already reached the point I'll fap to even guys so long as they're cute."

E「ロリババアってのもあるし見た目幼ければ受精卵～死体までロリと行っても過言ではないのでは？」
E: "There's also Loli-babaa; so long as they look young, would it be an exaggeration to say Loli stretches between fertilised eggs to corpses?"

F「ロリとは人類そのものだった…？」
F (replying to E): "So humanity itself is Loli...?"

「私はもうロリじゃない歳だと思ったら熟女になったりロリになったり拒絶されたりでもう分かんねえや」
"When I thought I was an age where I was no longer a Loli, I could no longer tell whether I was rejected because I was a Loli or a mature lady."

G「AKBって言うてロリの部類に入るのか？」
G: "Does AKB fall under the category of Loli?"

H「ロリちゃうと思うやで」
H (Replying to G): "I think they're Loli."

I「AKBのBはBBAじゃなかった？」
I (Replying to G): "Isn't the B in AKB BBA (hag)?"

J「成人した人が10代を好き好むのは(別の言い方もあるのかもだけど)ロリ判定だよ。」
J (Replying to G): "If an adult likes a teenager, (though there's other ways to describe it) it's a Loli judgment."

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Source:『北原みのり「『ロリコン文化』について一緒に考えよう」 倉敷女児監禁事件で』 2014/08/05

Kitahara Minori
"Let's Think Together About 'Lolicon Culture'"
through the Kurashiki Girl Confinement Incident​

A 49 year-old, Shoujo Anime-loving, middle aged man had an 11-year old girl confined in his home because he 'wanted to raise her into his ideal woman'. This is the confession of the suspect, Fujiwara Takeshi (藤原武容) (49), who has been arrested on the 19th of this month. Columnist Kitahara Minori-san (北原みのり) points out the 'Colossal Industrialisation of Lolicon Culture' behind this incident.


In an incident where an elementary 5th year schoolgirl from Okayama Prefecture, Kurashiki City, was confined, a 49 year-old man was arrested. He confessed he threatened the girl, who was on her way to school, and took her away in his car. Even before the incident, the man and his car had been witnessed near the girl's home. According to reports, the man had soundproofed his four-and-a-half tatami home, and renovated it so it didn't have any windows and could be locked from outside. In that room, posters of 'Bishoujo Anime' were plastered on the walls, floor, and ceiling. When the police raided the home, the girl was lying on a futon in her pyjamas, watching anime. The man told the police, 'this is my wife' as he apparently watched the girl from his bed next to the futon. Regarding his motives, the man said, 'I wanted to raise her into my ideal woman'.

Whenever there's an incident where a Shoujo becomes a victim, parents with children, and those who were once 'girls', cannot help but taste fear in another's plight. The reactions to this incident, mainly online, were thought-provoking.

When it was reported the man liked anime, voices immediately arose, mainly on the internet, saying 'don't connect anime to this incident' and 'don't discriminate against Otaku'.

Indeed, whenever incidents like these happen, the first image of the criminal is an Otaku like Miyazaki Tsutomu, who was arrested in 1989 for the serial girl murder incident. Even after a quarter of a century has passed, we have not forgotten the strong impression of a withdrawn man, surrounded by hundreds of anime works. Although it's also true that in today's Japanese society, Otaku are more recognised than they were back then with Lolicon contents becoming a massive industry.

I work in the sex goods industry, but I realise every day that Japan is a Lolicon Business Superpower unlike any other in the world. For example, in adult good shops for men, the market for adult goods imitating the bodies of young girls is expanding year by year, and it is said to be worth 20 billion yen annually. Most of the packaging for these goods display anime pictures, and among them, there are also products that imitate female genitalia with illustrations of babies wearing bibs with a speech bubble saying, 'put it in, papa'.

There are a wide variety of Lolicon goods, from adult goods to anime and games, adult videos featuring adult women who look like elementary schoolers, and image videos featuring real children (without any sexual acts). And basically, anyone over the age of 18 can purchases these goods.

Of course, child pornography prohibitions exist in Japan. 'Child pornography' is defined as anything that depicts a sexual act by persons under the age of 18, and nude, or near-nude, images of children that 'excite or stimulate sexual desire'. However, many of the Lolicon goods mentioned above are not subject to regulations.

This is because there's an assumption 'ordinary adult men are not aroused by young children wearing bikinis', so photobooks and videos only showing scenes of elementary schoolers innocently licking soft-served ice cream, or taking a shower in a bikini, are exempt from child pornography regulations as 'Junior Idol works'.

Furthermore, while Lolicon expressions in anime, adult goods that imitate the female genitalia of young children, and adult videos featuring adult women who look like children are regulated in many countries, in Japan, these are tolerated as there's 'no victim'. Because the Child Pornography Prohibition Act is a law that protects children from sexual abuse, there's nothing wrong with enjoying child sexual abuse as a fantasy.

Many men don't like it when I talk about this sort of thing. They want to end the conversation by saying 'I'm not a Lolicon' or 'that's just some hentai', preaching 'it's freedom of expression, it's natural', or declaring 'Lolicon is a normal hobby'. Their reactions remind me it's men's indifference and ease with which they dismiss Lolicon as a 'hobby' that has made Lolicon into a massive industry. Living in such an environment itself is extremely stressful for young girls and parents raising young girls.
If you read the 1-star amazon review for this article's magazine, the bold part above is what enraged the reviewer. I personally thought this article was reasonable in its concerns, but it's stuff like the above you need to watch out for, and it's what the feminist mangaka, Igarashi Megumi, was complaining about when she wrote her blog post about people mocking Japan for being a Lolicon Hentai Superpower, unaware how secure Japan is compared to the rest of the world (Megumi's Translated Blog Post).

●Let's share our wisdom and open discussion.

The other day, I spoke to a man involved in the production of 'Junior Idol works'. Photo shoots for 'Junior Idols' are held almost every week in Akihabara. The men (many of whom are in their 40s) gather with their single‐lens reflex cameras, and the atmosphere at the photo shoot is generally quiet and relaxed. Though many of the works themselves are 'vulgar', such as Shoujo cooking in her bloomers or playing the recorder without end. He says photographing the girls with their friends has the effect of making the men feel less guilty.

Also, it's not uncommon for the mothers of the young girls to be enthusiastic about the photographing. When I asked, 'What does the mother intend by doing this?' He replies with a wry smile, 'I'm too scared to ask such a thing'. He says even though this is clearly being consumed as 'pornography', everyone, including the audience, is acting as if it's an 'idol work'. Under such circumstances, no one has the capacity to question the mother. Probably because as soon as such questions are raised, the pretence of it being an 'idol work' will crumble. That's why everyone's mutually pretending to be indifferent to it, he said.

So I wondered whether our society is in a vaguely similar situation right now. Clearly this is going too far, right? Even if something bothers you, if you pretend to be indifferent and say, 'it's just an anime' or 'it doesn't concern me', all you're doing is averting your eyes to the growing Lolicon industry. However, are there really no 'victims'?

The man from the Kurashiki City Incident said 'he wanted to raise the young girl into his ideal woman'. Violence, that is easily understood to satisfy sexual urges, isn't the only thing targeting young girls. A desire to be worshipped and accepted as the only man, an immature Shoujo being better than an adult. Isn't this incident an extension of those "common" 'desires'? Is this incident an extension of our warm toleration of Lolicon culture?

That said, simply tightening regulations on expression is not the answer. That's why we must share our wisdom and have a discussion. How can we improve the 'environment' where so many young girls continue to suffer serious harm? How can we save these young girls? How can we avoid turning men into criminals? We need to take a serious look at the 'true nature' of the Lolicon culture we've fostered in the 25 years since 'Miyazaki Tsutomu'.

View attachment 16070View attachment 16071
So we've come full circle with a modern day 'The Tales of Genji', and an example of what Okada Toshio meant by Japan having a hobby-like hentai culture. Not mentioned in Minori's article is that Fujiwara Takeshi kidnapped the girl, but didn't sexually abuse her before the time of his arrest.

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Other Kitahara Minori Articles

The Loliconification of Japanese Men Even Sellers Believe is 'Not Good':

売り手も「やばい」と思う日本男性のロリコン化 | AERA dot. (アエラドット)

文筆家の北原みのり氏は、セックスグッズショップのオーナーが「国にロリコン規制をしてほしい」と話すのを聞いたという。その背景にあるものとは…。

dot.asahi.com

'Why are Feminists and Otaku Incompatible?':

書籍詳細 - フェミニストとオタクはなぜ相性が悪いのか　「性の商品化」と「表現の自由」を再考する｜イースト・プレス

AKB48、地方自治体の萌えキャラ、村上隆や会田誠の現代アート、AV強要問題、そして「慰安婦」問題……。さまざまな性の表象があふれ、社会問題を抱えている現代ニッポン。たとえば二次元エロをめぐる議論は「表現の自由派vs表現の規制派」という対立軸だけに安易に回収されてしまうようなこの国で、「女でいること」はなぜこんなにも息苦しく、難しいのだろうか。精神科医とフェミニストが、いま日本社会で「問題」と感知できなくなっている性の「問題」をめぐり、改めて女たちにとってのエロスを考えていく白熱対談。 香山リカ（かやま・りか）...

www.eastpress.co.jp

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In other news, I was contacted by Kera after someone linked this thread to Ehoba on Twitter, and he says he acquired video footage of the Kawamoto Kouji and Takekuma Kentarou talk at the Yonezawa Yoshihiro Memorial Library and he plans to release a PDF version of his circle's Kawamoto Kouji doujin this November. Kera's diligent work has been invaluable.

Im gonna be honest. I found this post a little hard to parse. I couldnt really understand what was an article and what were comments except for certain parts.

Pertaining the articles by minori. Im honestly at the point when I dont give feminists even the time of day. Feminism, in its modern form, is nothing but a cult of victimhood trying to find things to cry wolf about.
Their latest weapon is no different from puritan idiots from the 90s and 80s where an awfull event is politiziced on order to discredit or destroy their percieved rivals and call for censorship.
Personally Im glad western fans dont know about her. Im sorry if this came off as mire vitriolic than my usual comments, I just have strong feelings on the topic


Also would you mind explaining this last paragraph a bit?
So we've come full circle with a modern day 'The Tales of Genji', and an example of what Okada Toshio meant by Japan having a hobby-like hentai culture.

 

[sen0]

Does anyone know where when the modern　ｍｓｇｋメスガキ came to its modern fruition? I know that on pixiv, you can find a few originals examples back in mid 2010s.

悪いロリコンを駆逐していくタイプの幼女

全ての悪いロリコンを駆逐する　続（http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=43970289）

www.pixiv.net

In terms of becoming a popular archtype, its like Asanagi and atahuta naturally employed this kind of character. But it was still not yet a realised character type. As a character design that went into games such as Bombergirl and Azur Lane's Bache. I found the character called Lorya by WATERKUMA in 2017, was a very early adoption of the modern mesugaki. It was also the time when Bombergirl was being developed.

Itikai who was the illustrator of bombergirl characters. Maiko was one of the splatoon artists who was involved with Bombergirl.

(Deleted Leslyzerosix post in 2021)

Its industry artists during that period, where people collectively discover Msgk's rhythm, allure and style. Only for it to boom when voice godlike actors like Gemiko Yamada started to take roles in loli audio works. Of course, a personality or character is not dictated by its era. But in terms of popularity and industry archtype. Its become a mainstay because pokemon had Sango-chan, with the voice actor of pikachu follow the particular intrigue.

 

[Taruby]

Im gonna be honest. I found this post a little hard to parse. I couldnt really understand what was an article and what were comments except for certain parts.

Were you skimming? Things were organised together into bundles by user instead of a timeline, which I thought would be too messy. By not using a timeline, I did feel there's a chance the subtle changes in Kobayashi's attitude would be harder to notice; he's an intelligent person who updates his opinions on subjects, which is a trait I find lacking in the overwhelming majority of people I encounter.

1) Kobayashi's Articles
2) Other Kobayashi Articles I didn't Translate
3) Reaction to Kobayashi's 1st Article
4) Article by Kobayashi's Friend about his AKB48 manga
5) Video by Kobayashi's Friend about his AKB48 manga
6) Okada's Video about AKB48
7) Reaction to Okada's Video
8) Kitahara Minori's Article (the one Kobayashi reacted to in his 3rd article).
9) Other Kitahara Minori Stuff

The important thing is if this helps you understand the vagueness of the Digital Daijisen's paragraph on the contemporary usage of Lolicon.

Minori's article that had the most profound effect on Kobayashi is the only one I felt was worth translating, especially after being primed by Kobayashi. Like Lolicon and Moe, Feminist is also a vague word people apply to others and themselves, like when Megumi decided to become one after being arrested for her artistic expression, and then moved away from Japan only to find out the feminists in western countries don't share the same opinions as her about freedom of expression (she had her own mind canon what feminist meant).

It's important to understand Kobayashi and Minori's words since these people are influential in Japan. Coincidentally, I'm waiting on an order for an old copy of Weekly Asahi (same magazine Minori writes in that normal Japanese folk read to get their opinions) from wa~ay back in 1982. It has comments by Takatori Ei and Ishiko Jun, the latter being the busybody who left such a strong impression on Kawamoto Kouji that Kawamoto would mention him in his autobiography.

Also would you mind explaining this last paragraph a bit?

Okada Toshio split countries into 3 types.
1) Mainland Great Hentai (i.e. China and Germany)
2) Peninsula Hentai (i.e. France and South Korea)
3) Island Hobby-like Hentai (i.e. Britain and Japan)

Fujiwara Takeshi (Japan) and Jack the Ripper (Britain) would be examples of a hobby-like bizarre hentai.
You can look both figures up and decide if Okada's Niconama-exclusive opinion on the difference between countries make sense to you.

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Does anyone know where when the modern　ｍｓｇｋメスガキ

Mesugaki (メスガキ) as a compound was used as far back as Takahashi Rumiko's 'Urusei Yatsura'. The word was used by a character addressing a group of schoolgirls who opposed the construction of a love hotel in their schoolyard. But the modern usage came from Bomber Girl in 2018 August 30th, leading to a boom in 2020 with Mesugaki becoming a subgenre of Lolicon Manga, also known as Loli-Bitch Manga (ロリビッチ漫画).

Your Pixiv image wasn't tagged by the artist, but by a user going back and applying the tag to illustrations. Retro-actively applying the word to older characters would be like calling Lum from Urusei Yatsura a Tsundere; Lum was conceived before that archetype took root and had an established checklist of traits where you can look at the face and pose of a character and immediately know they're a Tsundere character.

If you're looking for proto-Mesugaki, then Loli-Bitch would be where you start.

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This is the final column written by Hirukogami Ken in a Lolicon Manga Magazine 'Comic Loli Touch' before he faded away. It's a rare document of Comiket's dark history. Though, Hirukogami Ken's letters from Shingenjitsu that were compiled into a book (Amazon Link) do go into the silly disputes back in the 1970s~1980s.

Hirukogami Ken also wrote ~60 columns for Lemon People, but I don't have its final issue he references in this one.

Source:『コミックロリタッチ』 1987/11/5

Hirukogami Ken Diary Final Part (Part 15)​

Hmmm, though it's sudden, I decided to break pen. I'm such a slacker. I've had enough of being a 'cultured man in the well', so to speak. I thought it was about time I graduated and seriously aimed to become a novelist.

I also made this declaration in Lemon People magazine, but I picked up some facts since then so I'll try writing about them. I also didn't really feel like I wanted to share some stuff that's too harsh for Lemon's readers.

Humans are incredibly complex creatures, and even their Honne (本音) is not a singular thing. They don't have simple personalities like the characters in a manga or novel; everyone has a multifaceted inner world that's intertwined in all sorts of ways. If I were to attempt writing down everything about a single human accurately, even if I had hundreds of encyclopaedias, it wouldn't be enough. That's what I meant in Lemon when I wrote 'words contain essence' (huh, a lot of people had trouble understanding that?). Words can show some truth, but they cannot express truth itself.

What clearly shows the essence of those kinda words are what they call proverbs and sayings. No matter how much they resonate with your heart, there's always another saying that appears to be the exact opposite and has just as much persuasive power. 'Across the world, there are no oni' and 'when you see a man, consider them a thief', if you had to say which is correct, they're both correct. Each one represents only a small portion of the multifaceted 'truth'.

Meaning, words are very simple tools. They can become anything depending on the person using them. Using them, those striving to approach the truth and reveal humanity is the eternal mission of the pursuit called literature.

Anyhow, well, that's my reason to break pen. I suppose I'll take my time and write it down here.

First, what became the final trigger was that I dropped four columns for gekiga magazines—the reason the publication of Pandora was delayed so much—due to a series of physical ailments and a slight state of neurosis. Before, I publicly said 'if I drop a manuscript, I'll break pen', and... well, it's easy to gloss over it, but as someone who's deeply honest at heart, I won't be a liar or a coward. On the other hand, there's too many reverse teachers (those who are good examples of what not to do) in this world.

All that said, I've been thinking about breaking pen for more than two years. To begin with, one of the biggest causes of my neurosis is worrying about whether or not to break pen, so it's been an infinite loop. So for me, I see this more as a kind of opportunity.

Seriously speaking, my body is at its limits.

Originally, I was aiming for a career in literature and debauchery. While I also like pure literature, my tastes lean towards fantasy and children's literature. So I don't dislike Akutagawa (芥川) or Naoki (直木), but what I want is the Izumi Kyouka Award or the Hans Christian Andersen Award (the award Moomin and Taro the Dragon Boy received). Once I've rested a bit and gotten my body back in shape, I'll start working hard towards achieving those goals again. I'm already 29 years old, and I'm almost at the age of my limit.

The reason why I got so deep in this industry is because I'm unexpectedly weak to letting matters take care of themselves. I have a good-natured personality that makes it hard for me to say no when asked.

When I was around 20 years old, I was a kid with glaring, hungry eyes like a hyena's. It wasn't the kind of hunger that would subside no matter how much food I ate, how many squares I played, or how many books I read; it was just a desire to express what was inside me. My heart was filled with such thoughts as 'I just want to write', and since I was still immature and lacked the ability to express myself (to be honest, I still do), I was on the verge of exploding with a passion that had no outlet. I was in the literature club in high school... I had been participating in pure literature circles since I was a teenager, but I was kinda dissatisfied with it. There was definitely something important missing.

Since long ago, I liked manga and anime—and thanks to that, I still get made fun of by my pure literature friends. I lose my temper at them and start arguing, so they must find me strangely cute—I used to go to a café (Manga Garou) located in Ekoda on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line for animators and would-be mangaka. This was around the time of the first anime boom, which was ignited by OUT's special feature on Yamato.

And then I discovered manga doujinshi.

Back in those days, aside from some homo books, there weren't any ero-doujinshi yet. Anyways, everyone loved manga and drew with much determination and energy despite being bad at it, pursuing something new and something only they could do, without thinking about monetary gain, and they shared their work with others with the natural resolve they're losing money; they wanted others to see... There were only people who thought like that at Comiket back then. Even now, there are people (though many are starting to give up on the so-called Comiket) who do that and think that's what doujinshi is supposed to be about.

Anyhow, I was bewitched by their passion and ended up believing manga might be a medium with amazing potential. I met some people who made me think that maybe they had the talent to change manga itself (well, I feel they've certainly changed manga, but not for the better at least; those people are also in a pitiful state.) That's why I wanted to see where such manga would end up.

And I also wanted to participate in creating such manga doujinshi. Together with a group of would-be mangaka I met at Manga Garou, I created the first Lolicon doujinshi, half-jokingly, half-seriously. At the time, it seemed novel and anarchic, you see...

Anyways, at first both the sellers and buyers seemed embarrassed, but as soon as lines started forming, things started going crazy. The number of such doujinshi kept increasing—well, if that's what they wanted to do most, that's fine, but—it turned out such things sold well enough, people started to eventually create them for the sole purpose of making money.

I became concerned when things started turning out that way. You could say this was the first seed sown, if something like this, which was originally the evil path, becomes too prominent, then the whole thing would be viewed that way, it would cause trouble for those who took it seriously. That it would affect the survival of the manga doujinshi medium itself. A sense of original sin that ate at my conscience and always haunted me.

To say nothing when a strange sense of authoritarianism and factionalism crept into the world of doujinshi, I could no longer understand it. The people who created doujinshi were mostly young people who were a little out of touch with society. So why would they go to the trouble of elevating their authority and charisma to create a miniature version of society's ugliness?

Such authority was imposed upon me as well. It was totally unpleasant and disgusting. In the past, I hated fighting and badmouthing people, and I tried to smile and get along with everyone, but when I did that, only strange people would approach me. Before I knew it, it was as if I had been incorporated into a strange faction. This also bothered me.

Having spent many years in a religious organisation, I'm keenly aware of such a fear more than anyone. Even though they believe they have their own free will, they suddenly become part of a group that rots their souls. I didn't want to turn into a zombie whose body and soul was rotten. What would happen if the soul of a person who writes is not free?

In any case, there was a lot of fuss about the Lolicon Boom and businessmen were trying to make money off it, and I was taken along for the ride, and when I came to my senses, I had become a celebrity in a strange way. It's hard to say I disliked it, it's my own fault cause I have a personality that's easily influenced by matters taking their course (ultimately, it was the weakness of my will), but to be honest, I didn't want to make a name for myself over something like that.

And Lemon People launched its issue, and when I received my first monthly serial, I believed writing for a commercial magazine would be the best way to improve my writing skills, and that's when I got fired up.

Then I became strangely popular and started gaining fans. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy, but it's still something I don't quite understand.

Written articles in a manga magazine should serve as a complement, like parsley in western cuisine. That's my stance. On the other hand, I stood out more than necessary. It's already become a dilemma where words and actions don't match. Especially when it came to female fans, I didn't understand why. Since I was receiving money, it's only natural I would try to write as interestingly as possible. But I didn't know if it was actually interesting or not. How on earth would I know which parts were good—?

Well, one of my character flaws is an excessive sense of humility that sometimes turns into an endless morass of self-deprecation. This is a trait that has become almost like instinct. As a self-suggestion, I tried to act arrogant once in a while, but I could never nail it.

I live with the conviction I, myself, am the worst human. One that is incompetent, clumsy, and has a terrible personality. Cause it's actually true. However, setting yourself as the lowest standard means denying the existence of anyone lower than that. Even though I know from objective fact there are likely such people, it's difficult for me to accept. It's similar to how one logically knows all humans will die, but cannot believe they, too, will die someday.

Since I am the worst human, I have come to the conclusion anyone less than me is not human at all. That also bothers me. Perhaps I'm worse than arrogant. The man who took on the mantle of editing Pandora was another stupid fool who doesn't get involved and lets everything run its course. I've been serialising in Issuisha's (Kosai Shobo) gekiga magazines for several years and one day, I wrote a column that was really bad. I thought it would be better than dropping, so I delivered it regardless. The person in charge, Tada-san (多田), read it with a difficult face, and then asked me, "Hiruko-san, have you been busy lately?"

I thought this would be cut, you see. So, trying to take pity on him, I replied, "Nah, I have so much free time I don't have any work." Some time passed and then he asked me, "Would you like to try editing?"

I accepted the job out of curiosity, but I suddenly realised it meant creating an offshoot of the serialised magazine. Caught between obligations, I suffered quite a bit. Even though the number of imitation magazines increased and the necessity to feel such guilt disappeared, it still lingered.

For example, the shameless decision to put the name Hirukogami Ken on the cover was also decided by my superiors. It's the worst thing an editor can do, ignoring the creators and putting their face on the front of the magazine. However, so long as the name is used, the magazine must be made so people understand it was written by Hirukogami Ken. U~gh, what a dilemma.

Well, at first, I was convinced it would collapse after issue 4 or 5, so I fooled myself into treating it like a joke, just a silly joke. If I dragged it out, it wouldn't work. Anyways, the result of that dilemma and that bad attitude was that incomprehensible magazine. It also received strange reviews from some parts. I wanted to say all your eyes, including the editors, were knotholes. It was all just a coincidence, I'm not that talented.

And hey... Once you start editing in a sloppy way, part of the responsibility of this industry will rest on your shoulders. And the problems with the industry I hadn't noticed before became obvious.

I've already written about these problems, so I won't go over them here. Writing about such things while doing a job like mine is so self-contradictory, you could call it hypocrisy. Someone should've done it, and there wasn't really anyone who should do it. Well, it's my unprofitable temperament.

However, no matter the reason, even if it's true, criticising and speaking ill of others is, in principle, not a good thing. So, as long as I started doing that, I decided it would be fine if Hirukogami Ken also collapsed someday. Otherwise, I couldn't make a distinction between public and private. When I was given this serial in Loli Touch, I thought I found a suitable place to die.

Well, since this is the last one, I guess I'll write about it. I shall touch upon old wounds in the industry everyone would prefer to forget.

I believe it was around the same time Pandora published its first issue, but one mangaka died*. Even before, they overworked a man who suffered a heart attack, but the editors wouldn't let him sleep during the heat of summer and he ended up dying a lonely death just before he was about to advance to the majors. I don't know why, but the editors acted as if they were the victims, crying and complaining they lost a loved one and that it was a loss for the manga world... I've seen many cases where someone who was a perpetrator brute-forced their way into victimhood... That was horrible. And during the funeral, they asked for a tankoubon to be published, I couldn't understand why they were trying to make a stupid fuss, wringing the last bits of money out of him for some kind of memorial. First of all, why didn't any of his close friends and acquaintances stop him from working while his body looked so ragged? Why didn't anyone admit this was their fault?
※This mangaka is Kagami Akira. I linked to a fanpage for him earlier, but you should check it out (Link).

But what was truly heartbreaking was there were people who were happy about his death. Due to the stupid factionalism among doujinshi, one editor was bothered by this, and thought he got what he deserved. At that time, there were a lot of people around me like that. After all, the first I learned about his death was a phone call from a very happy voice. He acted as if I should also be rejoicing with him (though this is the guy who later badmouthed me in Pumpkin). Stop joking around, I loved his drawings. I was so wretched and angry, I couldn't even cry to be honest. That's how I felt when I wrote in Lemon, 'even if one or two mangaka I don't know died, I won't shed a single tear'.

Apparently, a lot of people got angry because of that comment. I even received letters saying they wanted to murder me. I don't know why, but I'm actually happy about that. I felt like I was meeting a sane person for the first time... The readers, the fans weren't crazy. Hating someone so much you wanted to murder them for the sake of a mere mangaka... How foolish. Thanks to their knowledge, all they can do is worry about it; they're a hundred times more pure than me. I actually feel jealous of him now that he's dead... Compared to him, I'm just trash.

So those letters will be my treasure for as long as I live. I'm grateful I've been able to make it this far by trusting in the existence of the readers.

What is an editor? Even when it comes to murdering someone, they'll harvest the rice while it's still green; whatever the outcome, it's all the person in question's responsibility, it's not their fault. It's a job where one doesn't feel any responsibility and is fine with that. I was always worrying, and in the end, I couldn't say anything great; all I could do was a shoddy job.

Anyways, I'll break pen here. After all, I don't want to die yet... I can't die without writing at least one really good book. It's about time I seriously pursued my dreams. Amamiya-san (雨宮) would probably say 'it takes courage to abandon one's home turf'. My spirit's rotten to the point I wouldn't manage anything if I wasn't prepared to burn bridges. If I throw everything away and run desperately at the wall and then disappear, then that's the kind of man I'm originally meant to be.

Anyways, thanks for everything till now. It was a lot of fun. (The End.)

Sign: "Well then, goodbye."

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This is also the last thing I finished translated, so I'll be taking a break for a while before coming back with new translations probably next year.

Since Hirukogami Ken is constantly mentioned in this thread, I think this would be a good opportunity to show his face rather than his proto-Otaku cosplay.

Hirukogami Ken
​

Born in Tokyo, July of 1958. The exact same year as the enforcement of the Prostitution Prevention Law (春防止法). He became a Christian at a young age, and served as a member of the student disciplinary committee in middle and high school. O-type, Cancer, Roppaku* (六白) Venus. He's the most handsome man in the Bishoujo Manga magazine industry.
※Roppaku-Venus (6 White Metal); it's part of the nine stars of birth in Asian astrology.

 

[Taruby]

An early Christmas present courtesy of Kera.

Earlier in the thread, Hirukogami Ken listed the four editors responsible for the Lolicon Boom:
Kawamoto Kouji (川本耕次) (Deceased)
Takatori Ei (高取英) (Deceased)
Ogata Katsuhiro (小形克宏) (Alive)
Ootsuka Eiji (大塚英志) (Alive)

Out of these four, only Ootsuka Eiji seems to have been acknowledged by academics like Patrick Galbraith due to Ootsuka continuing to write books on the subject of the Otaku subculture while the other three have moved on to other pursuits like theatre and typesetting. However, while Kawamoto and Takatori have done interviews and spoken about their history, Ogata Katsuhiro has never spoken about his days as an editor during the Lolicon Boom. So the following interview conducted by Kera on June of 2023 is going to present new information. Ogata Katsuhiro was the editor-in-chief of the 'Fusion Product Lolita/Bishoujo Special Feature', so you get to learn about the stuff behind the roundtable talk at the beginning of this thread.

Be forewarned that this is a long interview. About 13k characters; it's not going to be a short read.
Also, both Kera and Ogata refer to Kawamoto Kouji by his real name, Yamada Hironaga' (山田博良). Kawamoto Kouji also used his real name for the gekiga roundtable talk with Takatori Ei, but back then, I thought he was alive, so it would've been bad to use his real name due to privacy concerns. Unsure if I should go back and change it to his real name, or if it's better to keep things simple.

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Source:『川本耕次に花束を』 2023/08/13

Purchase yourself a copy of this doujinshi to support Kera and his research (Kera's Booth)
You can have this as a coffee table item next to your figurines and other anime goods, and when a guest points to it and asks 'what's that?', you can tell them that's a tribute book about the man who sown the seeds for hentai that led to your collection of figurines and anime goods.


Interviewer: Mushizuka Mushizou (虫塚虫蔵) (Pixiv) (Kera)
Assistance: Kimi Rito (稀見理都) & Nakayama Etorofu (中山択捉)

Ogata Katsuhiro Long Interview
Former 'Fusion Product' and 'Manga Burikko' Gunyusha Publishing


"If Yamada-san Never Called Out to Me, I Wouldn't be Here Today"​

Born in Nerima-ku Tokyo in 1959. He dropped out of Wako University's Faculty of Humanities. In 1980, when he was a university student, he ventured into the path of an editor for the manga information magazine 'Pafu' (ぱふ). Through 'Fusion Product' (ふゅーじょんぷろだくと) in 1981, he was invited by Kawamoto Kouji (川本耕次) and transferred to Gunyusha Publishing (hereinafter referred to as Gunyusha) in 1982. The same year, he edited the 'Lolicon Complete Works' (ロリコン大全集). From 1983 to 1984, he worked with Ootsuka Eiji (大塚英志) on Japan's 2nd Bishoujo comic magazine, Manga Burikko (漫画ブリッコ) (Self Publishing, later Byakuya Shobo; hereinafter referred to as 'Burikko'), and edited 'Alice Club' (アリスクラブ) and 'Collector' (コレクター) for Gunyusha (up to this point as Ogata Genjirou [緒方源次郎], but from here under the penname Ogata Katsuhiro [小形克宏]).

Joined Wakabayashi Publishing Planning in 1985, working in the editorial department of the 'Arbeit News' (アルバイトニュース) reading page 'News Plaza' (ニュー スプラザ). He left the company the following year due to the company needing reorganisation. Since then, as a freelance editor, he worked on the 'Dragon Quest Official Guidebook' (ドラゴンクエスト公式ガイドブック) 1~3 (Enix, Editor-in-Chief) in 1988, 'Bessatsu ASCII' (別冊 ASCII) (ASCII Publishing, Editor) in 1990-1991, 'Where is Tezuka Osamu' (手塚治虫はどこにいる) (Chikuma Shobo, Editor) in 1992, 'Supplementary Takarajima EX: How to Read Manga' (別冊宝島EXマンガの読み方) (Takarajima-sha, Editor and Writer) in 1995, 'Sea of Characters, Boat of Bits' (文字の海、ビットの舟) for 'INTERNET Watch' (Impress) in 2000~2008 (Serial Writer), and worked for Denno Mavo LLC (電脳マヴォ) in 2015~2018 (managing partner). He is currently the director of General Incorporated Association Vivliostyle (ビブリオスタイル) developing a CSS typesetting application.
Ogata's Internet Watch Columns (Link)

Ogata and his Waifu, Aoki Mitsue (青木光恵) (Aoki's Homepage); I translated her talk with Okada Toshio (Link).

From 'Pafu' to the 'Fusion Product' Period


'Pafu' (ぱふ) was the reason I entered the publishing industry.

I've been reading 'Pafu' ever since I entered university. I believe the first time I read it was when there was a special feature on Kurata Emi-san (倉多江美) in 'Ducks' (だっくす) (1978 July/August Issue). There, I encountered many interesting manga I never knew existed until then, and read them enthusiastically.

At that time, I was a student at Wako University and enrolled in an SF circle. I participated in ASHINOCON (17th Japan SF Convention) in 1978 shortly after graduating from high school. There, I was shocked to personally meet professional writers, whom I only admired through books and magazines till then, for the first time in my life. It was training camp style at the hotel, so when I was washing my body in the morning public bath, Yano Tetsu-san (矢野徹), who translated 'The Door into Summer' (夏への扉), would be wiping his body next to me, and we were able to make small talk. The discussions in our room were stimulating and made me wonder 'this kinda world exists!?'.

I always loved reading manga and novels, and since I was young and ignorant of the world, I had a yearning for worlds that appeared more spectacular. But at the university I went to, whenever I took an employment exam, I was simply turned away. Back then, there was a system known as certified schools, and highly competitive companies would only accept applications from famous universities. So I was wondering what I should do.

Around that time, I came across an advertisement seeking unpaid staff for 'Pafu'. It was fall of my third year at university. I remember going to the interview, leaving everyone to have fun preparing for the school festival, and getting on the train to Seisuisha in Nishi-Shinjuku by myself. I later learned Seisuisha was losing staff due to an internal conflict and they were trying to recruit people more efficiently.

I safely passed their interview and at first worked as a staff member at a doujinshi sales space called Free Space (ふりー・すぺーす), helping with mail order sales. I was singled out and started working in the editing room in the back, and eventually, I split from 'Pafu' and began working in earnest as an editor for what became the first issue of 'Fusion Product' (July 1981 Issue) after the '4 Mangaka Interview' (まんが家4人インタビュー).

Back then, I was a simple student ignorant of the world. I didn't even know how to request a manuscript, so leaving the job to someone like me was unreasonable or reckless, but ultimately disrespectful to the creator-sans.


——In the 'Pafu' that was republished by Zassousha (雑草社), there was an article called 'Pafu Breakup Diary' (ぱふ分裂日記) that vividly recorded the process of the breakup (December 1981 to 1982 Issues). In fact, Ogata-san's name is also listed in here. It says, "December X Special Feature: Moriwaki Masumi (森脇真末味). Smoothly progressing. The top ten will be done by our newly hired unpaid staff members Ogata-kun and Yamaguchi-kun, the otome-chic manga fan."


(While Reading the Article) This is my first time seeing this. It was December 1980. I do remember my first job was helping Yamaguchi Hiroshi (山口浩), who was my unpaid staff Sempai. Regarding the breakup, money was involved, so it was really messy. I don't remember all the scenery I didn't witness, and I was nothing more than staff, so I don't know how accurate this would be, but regardless, Seisuisha had a lot of debt, and in order to pay back that debt, the editor-in-chief, Saitani Ryou-san (才谷遼), and the president, Mochida Yukio-san (持田幸雄), were yelling at each other every day.

One day, Saitani-san said 'this is no good!' and started looking for sponsors on his own, and brought the idea of 'Fusion Product' to the president-san of Rapport (ラポート), who was having a big hit with Gundam goods at the time.

That went well, so we moved to the newly built Rapport Pier Building (ラポートピアビル) in front of the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. A few months later, we ended up moving to another dilapidated mansion block that was nearby. The Lolita Special Feature for 'Fusion Product' (1981 October Issue) was created around that time. I was assigned to handle the special feature.


——Around this time, you weren't an unpaid staff member, but rather a contract employee?


I have a memory I received 100,000 or 150,000 yen, so I wasn't unpaid at that time. However, I had to stay up all night working with just verbal promises, so when I think about it now, it was job satisfaction exploitation.

The 'Fusion Product' Lolita Special Feature that Became the Turning Point


——In the editorial postscript of the Lolita Special Feature, you wrote, 'Following the production progress of the previous issue, I was assigned to be in charge of the special feature in this month's issue'.

And then you masochistically wrote, 'since then, the novel I read was 'Lolita' (ロリータ), the magazine I read was 'Shoujo Alice' (少女アリス), the doujinshi I read was 'Cybele' (シベール), and the manga I read was by Azuma Hideo-san (吾妻ひでお) and Noguchi Masayuki-san (野口正之). Including everything from those mangaka-san, I immersed myself in Lolicon every day. I had a reputation as a perfectly normal person, but there are rumours my eyes shine whenever I see a yellow Tsuugakubou (通学帽)'.


Personally, I didn't have any particular sort of Lolicon hobby.

However, the Lolita Special Feature I was in charge of sold unexpectedly well. There was mass media coverage on the television and in the newspapers almost every day, even Kodansha's youth magazine 'Hotdog Press' (ホットドッグ・プレス) asked me to tell my story, and for some reason, I was asked to play the role of a Lolicon maniac; I recall doing something like a debate with a female university student. It was absolutely ridiculous.


——But the trend at the time was if you used Lolicon, it sold, so they used that strategically.


Of course, I used it a lot to promote my own career. However, looking back at it now, it was unbelievable. When I look at stuff, like the Shoujo porno, whether it's strange or not, it shouldn't have been published. For example (while flipping through the Shoujo snap pages), these were taken without the Shoujo's knowledge. Furthermore, the child's face is displayed in a way that makes it easy to tell who she is. In a current sense, it's a human rights violation. What I think now is 'this is how I became an editor'. It's not something to be proud of.

Back then, there was a term called 'third-rate liberal arts private university' (三流文系私大). In a meaning where they won't reach Tokyo University, Waseda, Keio, and of course Meiji and Hosei, it had a similar nuance to 'F-rank University' (Fラン大学). I was at such a university, and thought I would never be able to enter the publishing industry from the front gate. If you really have the talent, you should be able to find a company to hire you, but I didn't have that sort of confidence, so I was trying to find a back door.

For a person like me, being an ero-seller and the Lolicon Boom were like a passport that fell from heaven. In other words, I used these children as a springboard to become an editor. As a practical problem, I believed there wasn't a way to become an editor besides that.

So of course I don't approve of the Lolicon Boom, but I also cannot deny it. So when people ask me about those days, I answer as flatly as possible, and (while looking at the Shoujo nude pages) say 'I'm sorry'.


——Ootsuka-san is also not a Lolicon, right? That's why 'Burikko' felt like a new wave manga magazine under the guise of Lolicon.


I believe that's correct.


——Speaking of which, Azuma Hideo's 'The Machine Which Came from the Sea' (海から来た機械) serialised in the Lolita Special Feature was published in the final issue of 'Shoujo Alice' (少女アリス) (25th Issue).


That's right. The manuscript was available at Alice Publishing in Ikebukuro, so I went to pick it up.

The beauty of the colour ink's blue-grey took my breath away. The person who assisted me at the time was Kusama Midori-san* (草間緑), who later became my colleague at Gunyusha, and I recall her saying 'you cannot reproduce this colour unless you separate it into two colours'.
※Kusama Midori, she was the last of the three editor-in-chiefs for 'Shoujo Alice' following Kawamoto Kouji, and in the 1982 February issue of Fusion Product, Ogata announced a 'Kusama Midori Fan Club' within the editorial department. She appeared in an ero-book female editor roundtable talk for 'Weekly Hoseki' (週刊宝石) under the name Yamamoto Yasuko (山本ヤスコ).


——The Lolita Special Feature also included Fukuyama Keiko-san's (ふくやまけいこ) debut work.


Yes, yes. Namiki Takashi-san (並木孝) from Anido (アニドウ) called Saitani-san on the telephone and said 'there's a kinda interesting girl here, so would you let her draw us a manga?'.

Around that time, the doujinshi 'Fukuyama Magic', which was a collection of essays and illustrations, suddenly became popular, and Namiki-san spoke like he thought 'it would be bad if we don't let her properly draw manga here'. Then Saitani-san asked, 'are you the one in charge?'. From there, I recall a meeting between Saitani-san, Namiki-san, Fukuyama-san, and me, Ogata, the four of us. I don't even know how to draw, let alone handle manga, so it was a total mess.

For example, making sure this panel doesn't have any bleed-through at all. Basically, the editor needs to check for this sort of thing properly and say 'there cannot be any bleed-through here', but I didn't have that sort of knowledge. Well, I feel sorry for Fukuyama-san.


——In the 'Fusion Product' Lolita Special Feature, you published a 'Lolicon Roundtable Talk' that gathered the main figures of the Lolicon Boom. Many stars participated, including Azuma Hideo, Uchiyama Aki (内山亜紀), Kawamoto Kouji (川本耕次), Hayasaka Miki (早坂未紀), Taniguchi Kei (谷口敬), and Hirukogami Ken (蛭児神建), but was this roundtable talk the first time you met Yamada-san?


I don't remember much, but I believe this is probably the first time I met him. From my point of view, as a 4th year university student, he was a front-line professional editor. What's great about Yamada-san was that he had a great influence on other creators, including Azuma Hideo-san and Noguchi Masayuki-san. You could say he changed those people's lives. I also thought I wanted to become an editor like him.

After that, I was invited by Yamada-san, who said 'I'm having a party, so come over to my place', and when I went to his mansion block in Shin-Yokohama, Yonezawa Yoshihiro-san (米沢嘉博) and the 'Labyrinth' (迷宮) guys, whom I thought until then as people above the clouds, were there. It felt like I had suddenly stepped into a world that was one class above my own, and I excitedly exclaimed 'uwa~', and I recall getting terribly drunk that day and causing trouble for his wife, Hayashi Yukiko-san (林由紀子).

In any case, it wasn't that Yamada-san didn't get along well with others, but it's a fact he had chemistry with Yonezawa-san and they really got along with each other.

After that, 'Fusion Product' gradually began to run into financial issues, but around the beginning of 1982, Yamada-san approached me with the idea of helping edit the 'Lolicon Complete Works' (ロリコン大全集) (Gunyusha 1982 May) as a subcontractor. I believe it was around April of 1982 I did that. Having gained confidence to pursue editing as a job, I quit my job at 'Fusion Product' and was then given a desk at Gunyusha, and started working as a freelancer.

During this timing, I dropped out of university. My parents and seminar Sensei told me to at least take a leave of absence, but at the time, I didn't think there was any point in staying at university. Of course, I regretted it later. After working at Gunyusha for more than a year, I was called in by Yamada-san and the president, Akashi Kensei-san (明石賢生), who said 'you won't lose anything from it, become an employee', so I became a full-time employee. I told them I wanted to work on ero-book work myself. So my first job was a male model for a vinyl book. That was fine, but despite how I wanted to do manga the most, they wouldn't let me do them at all, or rather, Gunyusha didn't have any manga magazines. So, thinking about it now, it was terrible of me, but I took my plan to a rival company, Self Publishing (Currently Byakuya Shobo).

Well, at the time, I was a free-lancer, so there was no need for me to hesitate, but Yamada-san was probably wondering what the hell was I doing. The talk about a full-time employee probably had something to do with 'Burikko', but I didn't think much of it at the time.


——Why did you want to work on ero-books in the first place?


I believe it was a little before the Lolita Special Feature in 'Fusion Product', but Yamada-san, whom I mentioned earlier, brought 'People in the Monkey Business' (さる業界の人々) (Minami Shinbou [南伸坊], Joho Center Publishing, 1981), which depicted the ecology of ero-booksellers, to the editorial department. I read that and was blown away. I was like 'ero-booksellers sound interesting, I also wanna give it a go'.

There's parts in this book that describe the process of a suspicious geezer arranging a girl for a photoshoot, but even though Minami-san sympathises with the work of ero-booksellers, he described it from a slightly cold perspective. He worked very desperately and logically to pursue something considered worthless by the rest of society, the ecology of that sort of ero-bookseller was depicted in an interesting way.

Before then, when it came to the ero-book industry, you would get the impression it was a dark passion or an underground culture, you would get scolded if you inadvertently approached it, and Minami-san's skill was to transform that into a light and pop world. What appeared before that sort of me was Yamada-san.


——When you got into Minami-san's book, was it like reading a vending machine book and thinking 'this kinda world exists!'?

If that's the case, were you also reading 'Shoujo Alice' as well in real time?


I first heard about it when I was doing the Lolita Special Feature, so I believe the first time I actually picked it up was when Yamada-san showed it to me.


The Encounter with the 'Tokyo Otona Club' and Working with Them


——I would like to ask about how you became acquainted with 'Tokyo Otona Club', which was published by Nakamori Akio (中森明夫) and others.


I became acquainted with the editor-in-chief of 'Tokyo Otona Club', Endou Satoshi-san (遠藤諭) (Endou Yuichi, Currently Chief Researcher for the Kadokawa ASCII Research Institute), through the 'Fusion Product' Lolita Special Feature. At the time, I believe Endou-san had been working as a systems engineer at a subsidiary of Shogakukan. I asked him to write a two-page article called 'Azuma Hideo's World' (吾妻ひでおの世界) under the penname 'Y. Endou'* (Y・エンドウ).
※The translated article can be read here (Link)

After that, he joined ASCII Publishing, and I think in 1988, he called me to visit their editorial department, and he lent me a PC-9801F for free. Since then, I began working for 'Monthly ASCII' (月刊アスキー).

I'm currently working for a software development company, and it's all thanks to meeting Endou-san at 'Fusion Product'.


——From this special feature, you met all sorts of people and formed relationships.


That's right. I formed many relationships through the 'Fusion Product' Lolita Special Feature. For example, I formed one with the late Sano Kunihiko-san (佐野邦彦), who was the editor-in-chief of 'Manga no Techou' (漫画の手帖) at the time. The current editor and publisher, Fujimoto Takahito-san (藤本孝人), is a friend of my family even now.

I believe I introduced 'Tokyo Otona Club' to Yamada-san. So they rented an editing room near Gunyusha. From our perspective, it felt more like handing work to a friend than a subcontractor. Though Nakamori Akio turned that office into a cockroach room.


——Was it unsanitary?


As for Nakamori-san's sense of cleanliness, he had aspects which were a bit outstanding.

In any case, 'Tokyo Otona Club' needed to earn rent, so they wanted work. So, Yamada-san commissioned them to re-edit Aripoji (有りポジ; film that was shot in the past) and create a vending machine magazine. I don't remember the name of the magazine. So long as the photos were erotic, they could do whatever they wanted, so they did what they pleased with the article pages.

The editor was Murata Masahide-san (村田雅英), who was the designer for 'Tokyo Otona Club'. In that vein, they were asked to do a 'Tokyo Otona Club' article page for 'Burikko', but I was in charge of the layout. I also received the manuscript for Nakamori-san's controversial 'Otaku Research' (おたくの研究) (1983 June Issue) and did the layout.

It left a bit of a bad aftertaste, but I thought it wasn't a big deal, yet Ootsuka Eiji-san (大塚英志), who was my partner, wouldn't forgive me, and we got into an argument.

Ootsuka-san and I clearly shared responsibility for 'Burikko', so I was upset when he commented on my page, but in the end, I lost the argument when Ootsuka said, 'we cannot post negative comments about the readers'.


His Encounter with Ootsuka Eiji and 'Our Manga Magazine'


——It was a year and a half since the 'Fusion Product' Lolita special feature until 'Burikko' was released.


It felt more like there was 'nothing more than a year and a half void'. When I think about it now, it was an incredibly condensed time.

I believe I didn't meet Ootsuka-san yet when the Lolita Special Feature was released.

Back then, there was a practice among minor magazines who made an agreement to publish each other's advertisements for free. It was the role of the newbies to create and deliver the copies. Ootsuka-san was still a new staff member at 'Ryuu' (リュウ) (Tokuma Shoten) when he came to the editorial department of 'Fusion Product' to deliver a cross advertisement.

I thought to engage in conversation about something, so I called out to him and we chatted, and eventually we decided to create an 'Our Manga Magazine' together. Shortly after I started working at Gunyusha, we had a conversation in the now-defunct café 'Lounge Room Takizawa' (談話室滝沢) at the Shinjuku East Exit. Then Hasegawa Tetsuji-san (長谷川哲治), who worked with me at 'Fusion Product' and Gunyusha as a designer, joined us. I believe Hasegawa-san was designing the covers even after I withdrew from 'Burikko'. 'Burikko' was a project between us three.

I brought it to publishers I knew. It was rejected by the first publisher I brought it to, Takeshobo, and next I brought it to Fukuda Hiroto-san (福田博人) of Self Publishing, and he introduced me to Nishio Takashi-san (西尾孝; aka Higashio Takashi [東尾孝]) who was the editor-in-chief of their manga. So, our project passed and we merrily created 'Comic Culotte DX' (COMICキュロットDX) (Self Publishing, 1983 January).

When I heard the sample magazine was finished, I went to the second floor of Self Publishing to pick it up, and a salesman wearing silver-rimmed glasses had just come back from outside and said to me, 'oh, it's done, let's sell it', and he promptly takes the copy and leaves while shaking his shoulders. I was stunned and asked, 'who was that?'. That person was Fujiwaki Kunio-san (藤脇邦夫).

Fortunately, 'Comic Culotte DX' appeared to have sold well; at that time, the sales of a magazine called 'Manga Burikko' that Nishio-san published were doing poorly, and they needed to do something about it, so he said 'well then, if you guys take over, you'll bring the project to the top'. That Fujiwaki-san also supported us from the sales side. That's how we took over 'Burikko' from its 1983 May Issue.

So, it wasn't a transfer, but I spoke with our predecessor once at a café with Ootsuka-san. When we spoke, I realised he was from the COM generation, and really felt the generational difference.


——Your predecessor was Katou Kenji-san (加藤健次). He edited 'Burikko' during the ero-gekiga reprint period as commissioned work, and after working for Toyama Kikaku, he transferred to Kasakura Publishing. Shioyama Yoshiaki-san (塩山芳明), another famous editor, was also involved in the earliest issues of 'Burikko'. Despite being a reprint magazine, it seems the article pages were newly created.


I'm sorry, I completely forgot his name. I thought the name of the magazine was really nice, and I remember telling him 'the name Burikko is nice', but he was shocked. He was like 'really?'.


'Our Manga' (ぼくらのまんが):

In the process of exploring the possibilities of new manga after 'COM' ceased publication in 1971, this concept was proposed as a movement to create a space for self-expression and communication among the manga generation (aka 'Our'). The so-called 'Our Story' (ぼくら語り) became active largely through the critique of Murakami Tomohiko (村上知彦) and Aniwa Jun (亜庭じゅん), and after the formation of 'Labyrinth' (迷宮) in 1975 and the opening of Comiket, which Yonezawa Yoshihiro (米沢嘉博) and Kawamoto Kouji (川本耕次) were deeply involved, a Third-rate Gekiga Boom began, followed by New Wave, and then the Lolicon Boom. Afterwards, due to the rise in derivative works, 'Our Manga' was defeated, but the remnants of it were inherited by 'Burikko', which continued until around 1984 when Kagami Akira (かがみあきら) suddenly passed away.

'Burikko' was 'Our Manga'


——Yamada-san and Yonezawa were no-touch with 'Burikko'. I believe they had name value in the Lolicon World, so they should've been recruited by Ogata-san, but was that consciously avoided?


When I started with Ootsuka-san, it was 'Our Manga' (See Above Note) as a keyword. So, I believe we were in agreement to create such a magazine with that as our Kakegoe* (掛け声), our slogan. After all, asking for suggestions from people older than us, like Yonezawa-san and Yamada-san, never crossed our minds.
※Kakegoe (Wiki)

For example, when we took over 'Burikko', I recall being told by Byakuya Shobo something like, 'perhaps you should keep letting Minami Shinbou-san (南伸坊) do the covers', but we didn't want to do that. That's because, like I mentioned earlier, our intention was to 'create a manga for our generation'.


——Even in 'Burikko', Ootsuka-san wrote a critique on the former editor of the third-rate gekiga magazine 'Manga Daikairaku' (漫画大快楽), Kotani Akira-san (小谷哲). There's no doubt he had a sense of rivalry with the older editors.


Up to the Creation of the 'Lolicon Complete Works'


——In the editorial postscript for the 'Lolicon Complete Works', Yamada-san wrote, "To be honest, I had nothing to do with this. I simply wrote a brief manuscript. This was almost entirely thanks to Ogata-kun from 'Fusion Product'. So, any typos or mistakes are his responsibility. Let's all throw stones at each other."


That's simply him raising me up and handing me the flowers. That's the kind of man he is. After all, the 'Lolicon Complete Works' was Yamada-san's book. I believe Yamada-san also commissioned most of the writers and artists. Speaking of which, he came to the editorial department of 'Fusion Product' and had a meeting with the creators.


——So, Yamada-san was going full throttle. Mobilising his network of acquaintances.


I'm sure Yamada-san also wanted to create a Lolicon department at Gunyusha, so that's why I fit in so well within that. One I requested was Akai Takami-san (赤井孝美) from General Products (at the time). I also requested Anno Hideaki-san (庵野秀明), but along the way, I was turned down by Okada Toshio-san (岡田斗司夫) and Takeda Yasuhiro-san (武田康廣) who told me 'Anno said he didn't want to write'.

I formed a connection with them when I introduced the opening anime of DAICON3 (20th Japan SF Convention, held from August 22nd to 23rd, 1981) in 'Fusion Product' back in 1981. I saw the opening anime during the opening ceremony at Osaka Castle Hall, and thought it was amazing and felt a need to introduce it to others. So I received colour pages, cut out each frame with scissors from the duped film, created an introduction to the story, and summarised the details of the process up to its completion in the article page (1982 January Issue). I believe the media picked up on it pretty quickly.

When I was collecting data for it, I also went to the mansion block room the anime was created. One of the staff was a wealthy son and this was his room. Even after they finished creating the anime, it continued to be their hangout spot.

Even remembering it now, it was a spacious room, and they had a computer, which was rare at the time, to play Wizardry. After I finished collecting data, I asked the owner of the room, 'I haven't booked a hotel today, so could you please let me stay the night?', and he replied, 'yeah, that's fine'. They were all accustomed to sleeping in a room together, but when it was time to sleep, I immediately secured a futon and quickly laid it out in the corner, and he was impressed and said, 'I see you're used to this, Ogata-san'. I guess I got used to that sort of life while working at 'Fusion Product'. When I think about it now, it's a bit of a sad story.


——Shirakura Yumi (白倉由美), who was a regular of Free Space (ふりー・すぺーす), made her debut in the 'Lolicon Complete Works'.


Is that so?


——This was her commercial magazine debut. Ogata-san also wrote the following in his editorial postscript. 'Shirakura Yumi-kun, who did the dress-up doll at the back of the book, and Kojima Kumi-kun (小島久美), who drew the cut-outs in the text, are both high schoolgirls. And this will be the professional debut for the both of them. Now I want to read their manga'.

Kojima Kumi is the penname of Fujimoto Masami (藤本匡美), she was the eldest daughter of Fujiko F. Fujio (藤子・F・不二雄). She was also a regular of Free Space.


Yes, yes, I couldn't use her real name, so the penname I gave her was the name of the girl who dumped me. When Fujimoto-san heard that, he was impressed. Fujimoto-san drew cute illustrations.


——Was there any resistance? A high schoolgirl drawing for the 'Lolicon Complete Works', from a modern perspective, feels pretty eccentric.


Is that so? Back then, it felt like a natural progression towards getting her a job.


——The Lolicon of today and the Lolicon back then are perceived quite differently. It feels similar to what we now call 'Moe'. So, the contents where cute girls appear are all treated as Lolicon.


That's right. I believe that sense of it feeling off is largely due to the fact the meaning of the word has changed over time.


——Did you go to Free Space often, Ogata-san?


Free Space rented a room on a different floor of the same mansion block as the editorial department, so there was a slight sense of distance between them and the editorial department. However, I knew the regulars who came there often. That's because the editorial staff members took turns cooking as a way to cut costs, so we took turns cooking dinner in Free Space's kitchen, and we all ate together.

However, I personally had very little interaction with the regulars. Rather, the Daimyoujin, Suzuki Kazuyuki-san (鈴木一之), who was a staff of Free Space, had a good understanding of these regulars, and through him, I learned 'there's this sort of interesting girl'.


——During the 'Lolicon Complete Works', you're already acquainted with Ootsuka-san.


I believe so.


The Wildness at the Vending Machine Book 'Collector'


——What made you take over the editing for the vending machine book 'Collector' (コレクター)?


It was around 1984 I created the vending machine book 'Collector'.

Meanwhile, Gunyusha became too small, and Yamada-san's editorial department, which I worked for, created a branch in a nearby building. That branch was Shirokuma Shobo. The one who named it was Kimchi (キムチ), Kimura Satoshi-san (木村聡), from the same editorial department. In Yamagami Tasuhiko-san's (山上たつひこ) 'New Ideas of Comedy' (喜劇新思想大系), there was a gag where a polar bear in a suit comes to visit and says 'hello, this is Shirokuma Shobo', and he took it from there. Yonezawa-san's serial critique 'Yamagami Tatsuhiko Directory' (山上たつひこ紳士録) was Kimura-san's (木村) hobby. So I took over 'Collector' from Kimura-san, and could do whatever I wanted.

I asked Sakurazawa Erika-san (桜沢エリカ) and Okazaki Kyoko-san (岡崎京子) to be models, I gave pages to girls who love 'Olive' (オリーブ) and started a shoujo magazine, I obtained a single-lens camera and composed gravure photos from the pictures I took with it. Then I remember looking at and copying designs, but I had a lot of experience designing the cover for 'Collector' myself. Using a colour chart, I was able to confirm 'oh, if I do this, it'll look like this, so looking back at it now, it was valuable experience. Vending machine magazines had distinct covers. The front cover may be a soft, cute girl, but the back were hard intimate relations. I did the designs I preferred for the soft side and the hard side felt like I was in work mode.


If Yamada-san Never Called Out to Me, I Wouldn't Be Here Today


——Did you share a relationship with Yamada-san even after Gunyusha?


Yamada-san called me on the phone after I got married in 1993, and I produced several publications for the company he was running. He gave me the opportunity to work on the public relations magazine 'Esuno Press' (えすのプレス) for the Asian merchandise store, Esunoya, and let me do stuff like the company brochure for the parent company, Izu Sogyo.


——So you and Yamada-san have been friends for quite some time?


Well, that was until around 1995. One day, for some reason, I was asked by an Esunoya staff member, 'could you change your payment terms?', and I refused. Then all of a sudden, we stopped hearing from each other. I regretted being so petty. I believe the last time I spoke to Yamada-san was when Yonezawa-san passed away in 2006 when I called him. That was around 17 years ago.


——Yamada-san's catchphrases were, 'ero-booksellers are guerrillas fighting a war that can never be won', and 'net guerrilla is submarine warfare; there is no front line during a submarine battle. You initiate battle at a time or place to your advantage', but I believe these were his life philosophies. You could say he lived a minor, guerrilla lifestyle all his life. However, I don't quite understand if he wanted to be in that position.


That's right, I wonder whether Yamada-san was the most comfortable in that position in the end. For example, it wasn't like he was trying for a literary award or competing head-on with the majors.


——After Gunyusha went bankrupt, he didn't go back into editing or publishing. I guess that wasn't necessary since he was wealthy. So, like Yonezawa Yoshihiro, I believe he embodied moratorium throughout his life. But this is something I wanted to ask him. I'm sure he has his own thoughts.


It may be rude of me to say this, but I feel Yamada-san wasn't necessarily a person blessed as an expressive individual. I believe there were people who eagerly read what he wrote, but none of it was a bestseller or a big hit. Personally, I believe he wanted to write more novels. But I think he wasn't valued very much in that area.


——Even Gunyusha has written several Loli-novels, but they're all out of print. I have the impression he has always been a minor player, but Yamada-san always had some ambition to become great at something in the future. Whether it's the Third-rate Gekiga Joint Struggle or the Lolicon Boom, he stirred things up, and once things got exciting, he disappeared quickly. Basically, I believe there was a high-class idler-esque Omoshiroi-ism (面白主義) (a spirit of fun).


He was very particular about minor things. When I stayed at Yamada-san's home in Mishima City, I had the opportunity to closely examine his bookshelf, and realised he was actually a very well-educated person. He's quite knowledgeable about the mainstream, but he deliberately went out of his way to attack from behind the scenes. I was somewhat puzzled why he was so particular about minor things. Though I probably don't understand him well enough.


——Gunyusha has the image it had many intellectuals with that sort of bent not limited to Yamada-san.

It's symbolic Gunyusha was located just a stone's throw from Shogakukan and Shueisha, but I believe they were consciously competing with content that wasn't available at the majors, like scatology and Lolicon. This is common among ero-bookseller-sans with anarchic corporate cultures like Alice Publishing and Byakuya Shobo.


When Yamada-san tried to seduce girls, he appealed to their maternal affection with 'I'm lonely'. He was someone who easily succumbed to loneliness. Yamada-san's elder sister was a very determined woman, and Yamada-san was the eldest son, but a part of me thinks he was no match for his elder sister. He gave me the impression of a monk who had grown tired of the world, and I believe that's why he used his hobbies to do what he liked, and the people around him recognised that. Did he live a happy life? When I placed my hands on the mortuary tablet during the funeral, I called out to Yamada-san in my heart.


——Laid-back, albeit sentimental. As soon as you think that, he writes stuff boasting about his wickedness and faults in a vulgar style. There's something about that sort of expression that fascinates me. It's what makes him such a good writer. I believe he's the forerunner of demon style (鬼畜系). When Oyamada Keigo (小山田圭吾) went up in flames, Yamada-san himself also said on Net Guerilla, 'I am the original demon style'. The same also goes for Murasaki Hyakurou (村崎百郎), I get the impression those who boast about their wickedness and faults are lonely and sentimental.


In a sense, it's obvious, isn't it? However, one thing I'll say is that if Yamada-san hadn't approached me, if he hadn't pulled me into Gunyusha, I wouldn't be where I am today. It's not just me. He called out to all sorts of people, opening new frontiers for them. I believe this is Yamada-san's greatest accomplishment as an editor.


——I believe the same goes for Azuma Hideo-sensei as well. In 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記), he wrote, 'he was the person present when I drew the work that would be my turning-point'.


It's understandable once you know the facts, prior to 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記), he commissioned Azuma to do an 'SF Parody' in 'Peke', at a time when kawaii-style ero-manga didn't exist, and he commissioned 'Lolicon Manga' in 'Shoujo Alice' (少女アリス), which has a feel that's relevant today. Both of these are Yamada-san's achievements. I believe his talents as an editor and ability to quickly catch the trends of the times from the bottom and raise them up, though his production talent is also evident in the 'Lolicon Complete Works', was outstanding.

Yamada-san was a man who was very skilled at thinking about stuff like 'if I had that person do this sort of thing, it would be interesting'. This is a fundamental skill for an editor, and it was Yamada-san who taught me the importance of that when I was 22 years old at the time.

Today, I believe I talked about requesting all sorts of work from various people, but Yamada-san was the origin of that. Thanks to him, even now that I'm over 60 years old, I still have the habit of thinking about such things like a puzzle. That's why I'm also still eating. This is the most important asset I received from Yadama-san.

Azuma Hideo's Turning Point in Disappearance Diary (He refers to Kawamoto Kouji as X-san).

——By the way, does Ogata-san also have a big family like Yamada-san?


No, it's not big at all. I'm the son of a police officer.


——Being the son of a police officer and going off to edit ero-books is interesting in its own way.


This is typical for sons and daughters of those who work as police officers, teachers, or other hard-working jobs.


——I believe it's a bit of a cultural deviation from the proper path (laughs).

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※The deceased used the penname 'Kawamoto Kouji' (川本耕次), but in this interview, we used his real name 'Yamada Hironaga' (山田博良).

Interview Location: Rented Conference Room in front of Kitasenju Station (June 24th 2023)

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Thank you for reading!

This tribute doujin is 95 pages long, and this interview spanned 16 pages with a lot of photos and scans of stuff, so you'll need to buy Kera's book to get the full visual experience. I'm really happy Kera sent me a digital copy of his doujin. There's like 4 people I know doing research about this stuff, and I tried talking to one of them (Buruma), but he was too busy with real life stuff that I never thought to approach Kera directly, since he strikes me as always being as busy as a bee (i.e. one of Kera's interests are the men behind the western chan culture, and how stuff like Gamergate led to conspiracy stuff like Q-anon). Kera offered to provide me with articles or issues within his range of research, and I feel like a child trying to pick one from hundreds of different kinds of candy; there's way too many things I'm curious about.

For Christmas, I also translated an even longer interview with Azuma Hideo (22k characters long) and a talk with Azuma Hideo and Yamamoto Naoki, which I still need to proofread. It also has illustrated references and photographs, so unless I debind my book, I don't think I can scan most of them. The book itself is basically a beginner's guide to Azuma Hideo going over his entire chronology, giving summaries and previews from among his 450 works (including his first ones that were never published), and has articles and collaborations by all sorts of people. For example, Takahashi Rumiko sent gift art for the book telling Azuma Hideo that she's a big fan of his and how she thinks he's a genius. There's a collaboration manga between Azuma Hideo and Hagio Moto (one of the big names of shoujo manga along with Takemiya Keiko). And even Tezuka Osamu's son wrote about how Azuma Hideo was a big influence to him while he was growing up. Honestly, this book probably ought to be scanned and preserved if Azuma Hideo's family, Assistant A (his wife) and Assistant B (his daughter) who also wrote stuff for the book, don't officially release it for digital sale.

Speaking of Flowers for Yamada-san. It's following the precedent set by Flowers for Azuma Hideo and Yonezawa Yoshihiro (maybe I should ask Kera about these along with the Lolicon Complete Works since they're collector's items):

This thread's purpose is to try and introduce as many people and perspectives as possible, so...
Are there any articles by individuals you would want me to ask Kera about?

 

[Hexasheep93]

Thank you again for your contribution. Quite interested in reading this (I will edit my post once im done).

Is pretty cool that some of the OGs are still active and talking to people.

Now as for your ending question, I dont know how feasible is to get. But is there anything from a newer artist pov? Like what do they think of the origin o lolicon and the lolicon boom.
Alternatively. Does kera or any older artist think of the current state of affairs regarding lolicon, shoujo or manga in general.

Thank you again for your contributions and merry christmas

 

[Taruby]

Thank you again for your contribution. Quite interested in reading this (I will edit my post once im done).

Is pretty cool that some of the OGs are still active and talking to people.

Now as for your ending question, I dont know how feasible is to get. But is there anything from a newer artist pov? Like what do they think of the origin o lolicon and the lolicon boom.
Alternatively. Does kera or any older artist think of the current state of affairs regarding lolicon, shoujo or manga in general.

Thank you again for your contributions and merry christmas

So you haven't finished reading it yet?
Kera is a 25 year-old artist (image of Hirukogami Ken Kera drew on the JP wikipedia); he likes an anime called 'Bocchi the Rock' (ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！), which—based on his enthusiastic description—seems to be his generation's epochal anime (example of an illustration Kera likes).

Earlier in the thread, I linked a video interview with Uchiyama Aki and Ai Madonna (Ai Madonna's Homepage), who is also a young artist that grew up a fan of Uchiyama's art, but had no idea about the man behind the art (Ai was convinced Uchiyama was a woman for most of her life; she didn't believe a man was capable of drawing the way he does). Though Ai is a little older than I am (she was born in 1984). I don't know if she fits your request for a 'newer artist pov', but as far as artists of Kera's generation are concerned, you can easily find their perspective by searching for 'ロリコンブーム' (Lolicon Boom) wherever these sorts of people hang out.

Kera's research into the true origins of Lolicon beyond Comiket has caused a so-called 'Lolicon Boom Incident' the last couple years. He's been targeted by Netouyo (ネトウヨ; internet right-wing), anti-feminists, and certain middle-aged Otaku who aren't old enough to have been alive to attend the early days of Comiket, but old enough to be victims of the 1990s and early 2000s Otaku-bashing periods, making them hyper-sensitive to anything critical to their hobbies, regardless of whether it's true. I don't know if Kera is being harassed by just individuals being labelled these words, or if it's being applied to whole communities the size of 4chan. The only one of these individuals with a name is some guy 30 years older than Kera called 'Qadhafi' (カダフィ) who is part of some Qadhafi Project (カダフィ企画), but I don't understand the details surrounding this other than people like Qadhafi are what inspired Kera to do such thorough work to fight people like him with research from primary sources.

As for older artists, the upcoming interview with Azuma Hideo should help with that, since it was done around 2011. Though, something not included in the interview was an anecdote I heard long ago about an old school Lolicon artist commenting on modern day Moe, criticising it for being devoid of anything interesting beyond basic fetish pandering. Though, I recently found out that was paraphrasing something Azuma Hideo said about K-On (けいおん).

録画してあったTBSアニメの「けいおん！」観る。空虚だ。
ギャグもナンセンスもユーモアもエログロもストーリーらしきものも何もない。
ちょっとしたフェティシズムがあるだけ。
このアニメ作ってる人も見てる人々もそんなに現実イヤなのか？
この気持ち悪さはメイドカフェにも通じるものがあるな。
原作のかきふらい『けいおん1』読んでみたらまァまァのほほえましいほのぼの4コマ漫画だ。
原作生かせよ！

Azuma Hideo: "I watched the TBS anime 'K-On!' I had recorded. It was empty. There were no gags, no nonsense, no humour, no ero-guro, nothing akin to a story. All it had was a tad bit of fetishism. Do both the creators and viewers of this anime dislike reality that much? This gross feeling has something in common with maid cafés as well. When I read the original 'K-On Vol.1' by Kakifly, it was a heart-warming yonkoma manga that made me smile. Let the original live!"

I thought you meant shoujo manga, but by shoujo, do you mean the photograph stuff?

Regardless, while it's early, I hope you have a Merry Christmas; I'll be posting the Azuma Hideo stuff in quick succession. The first one is advertised as a 25k interview. The second one is a shorter talk between Azuma Hideo and Yamamoto Naoki, and the final part is a history lesson about the 'Father of Otaku Culture'. I borrowed a smartphone so I could take photographs of the figures, but things like the photographs I left out. The quality is such that someone will have to debind this book and scan it properly.

---

---

Source:『吾妻ひでお〈総特集〉美少女・SF・不条理ギャグ、そして失踪』 2011/4/18

Modern Japanese Aesthetics
The Creator of 'Kawaii Ero'​

Made his debut in 1969. Surviving the harsh weekly magazine era. Had nonsense parody and SF coexist together in 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記). Combined Tezuka/Ishinomori-style bodies with the faces of shoujo manga, creating and popularising 'kawaii-ero', the essence of Japanese aesthetics that's now drawing the world's attention. He resurrects from a long hiatus, presenting 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記), a serious autobiography drawn with gag art. Azuma Hideo creates the unexpected by combining things. A long interview that explores his roots.

Interviewer:
Yamada Tomoko (ヤマダトモコ)

Attendees:
Saiko (S) (彩古): Veteran Azuma Fan. Knowledgeable about SF and Comic Market.
Morikawa Kaichirou (M) (森川嘉一郎): Associate Professor at Meiji University. Otaku Researcher (Wiki).

Photographs:
Abe Takayuki (阿部高之) (Wix)


——Today, while referring to Sensei's chronology (※Refer to Right), I would like to ask questions, exploring the finest of details. I'm looking forward to speaking with you.

Azuma: Yes. Likewise.


Hokkaido Has Many Mangaka with a Spirit of Experimentation


——You're from Hokkaido, correct? What kind of environment did you grow up in?

Azuma: It was a small village surrounded by mountains on all sides. So, the bus only came over those mountains twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening. It took about 2 hours for it to reach a town called Urahoro. It was a very small world. It had one schoolhouse from elementary schoolers to middle schoolers, but there were less than a hundred students in the entire school.

M: Did you raise any animals?

Azuma: I suppose we raised rabbits or dogs. There were many farmers nearby, but there were also people raising livestock. So, I'm used to seeing horses, cows, and so on. In the winter, there were horse-sleighs. The horse-sleighs were sleighs pulled by horses. We went to school on them.

——Do they give rides to all the children in the neighbourhood?

Azuma: Yeah, we took turns riding them.

——Then there must've been bells on the horse-sleighs.

Azuma: Yep (laughs). Hokkaido horses have a different physique.

——Horses native to Hokkaido (道産子). Their legs are thick and robust, huh?

Azuma: Yes, yes. Ban'ei horse-racing is a holdover from those old horse-sleighs. A holdover from back when they used to load and pull lumber.

M: Do you have any common sensibilities you share with Mangaka-sans from Hokkaido?

Azuma: Yeah. I notice there's a lot of people overflowing with an experimental spirit, probably cause they're from an isolated place. People like Yokoyama Eiji-san (横山えいじ), who draws a lot of SF illustrations, and people like Karasawa Naoki-san (唐沢なをき).
Yokoyama Eiji (Wiki)
Karasawa Naoki (Wiki)

——The same goes for Asari Yoshitoo-san (あさりよしとお) and Yamamoto Naoki-san (山本直樹).
Asari Yoshitoo (Wiki)
Yamamoto Naoki (Wiki)

Azuma: Also, I guess it goes for Yasuhiko Yoshikazu-san (安彦良和). You see, there's many ranks of remote rural areas. Remote rural areas go from rank 1 to rank 4, but mine's around rank 2, so you see, it's much nicer. Yasuhiko-san is probably around rank 4. Since his was rank 4, there's hardly anyone around him.
Yasuhiko Yoshikazu (Wiki)

——In Yasuhiko-san's case, he grew up surrounded by horses from an early age, so he seems able to draw pictures without looking at anything. Though I feel like Sensei's manga doesn't reflect the environment from when you were little.

Azuma: I don't want to remember it (laughs).

——You don't really like your home?

Azuma: Yeah.

——Was your Otou-san strict?

Azuma: He had a gun.

——Ehh, sounds scary.

Azuma: Often when he had a marital quarrel, he would whip out his gun (laughs).

——Hmm. That's certainly unsettling.

Azuma: My old man, err, got married about 4 times. So my Okaa-san is e'er changing.

——Did your Okaa-san change when you were little?

Azuma: When I was around 5 years old.

——So the first change was when you were around 5 years old.

Azuma: After that, she changed after I left home when I was around 25 years old. I only had a biological mother until 5 years old.

——Does that mean the other one was before that?

Azuma: Yeah. Though I don't really know much.

——Does that have any relation to why you don't like your home very much?

Azuma: Umm, after all, they say children are also very reserved when it comes to step-mothers.

S: I heard you say earlier you had six brothers and sisters. What's their composition?

Azuma: The boys...... 4. And 2 girls.

——Did everyone live together?

Azuma: My older brother left home, so there was also a time when I lived with 4 people, my next oldest brother and older sister. My younger sister was taken when my birth mother left home, so after that, I was mostly alone with my younger brother. So my birth mother divorced my father, got remarried, and gave birth to more children. Apparently, I have a lot of siblings I don't know about (it's complicated, so omitted).

——What was your younger brother like?

Azuma: My younger brother, he's kinda addle-minded (laughs).

——Was your relationship good?

Azuma: ...... Well, I suppose it was good?

——Was there anything you experienced when you were little you feel influenced your current artistic character or work?

Azuma: I watched 'Mystery Zone' (ミステリーゾーン; The Twilight Zone) and 'Ultra Q' (ウルトラQ)...... I read manga...... The manga I liked was 'Tetsujin 28-Gou' (鉄人２８号) (Yokoyama Mitsuteru [横山光輝]). I suppose you could say I developed a habit of escaping into imaginary worlds.
Yokoyama Mitsuteru (Wiki)

——So you developed the joy of entering imaginary worlds due to your environment, huh?

Azuma: Yeah, right. So on my way to and from school, I've always daydreamed about controlling a dinosaur-type robot from 'Tetsujin'.

M: What about sports?

Azuma: I sucked at sports. But now I'm a big martial arts fan (laughs). On the flip-side. When I was an elementary schooler, I was always sick.

——Was your body weak?

Azuma: Around the time I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I developed a duodenal ulcer. Afterwards, I tended to miss school.

M: So that allowed you to draw lots of pictures and stuff.

Azuma: Back in middle school, I didn't draw very much. If anything, I wasn't good at it. There were many other kids who were good at manga.

——Do you remember the very first manga you read?

Azuma: Yeah, let me see. Something with a ninja. Maybe by Takeuchi Tsunayoshi-san (武内つなよし)...... Or it wasn't a ninja one. Something about firing a pistol.
Takeuchi Tsunayoshi (Wiki)

——Yeah, 'Akadou Suzunosuke' (赤胴鈴之助). So there must've been a part where a ninja fired a pistol (laughs).

Azuma: That's cause anything was possible back then.

——So your first manga was about a ninja firing a pistol, huh?

Azuma: (Laughs). Maybe back when I was an elementary schooler. I read monthly magazines like 'Hinomaru' (日の丸), 'Shounen' (少年), 'Bouken Ou' (冒険王), and 'Manga Ou' (まんが王). Also, there were a lot of supplementary books. I couldn't buy much at my home, so I borrowed them from friends and read them. It wasn't an environment where there was a house next door, but they were forbidden at school.

——So even though they were far away, you took long walks to borrow them, right?

Azuma: Yeah. The environment in a cultural context was harsh.

——I have the impression Azuma-sensei is an avid reader, but has that been the case back then?

Azuma: I didn't read any books back then. After all, the library at my elementary/middle school only had two shelves (laughs).

——So when did you start reading books?

Azuma: When I entered high school; there was a library there. I read things like 'Sin and Punishment' (罪と罰).


SF is an Element Fundamental to His Work


S: You read your first SF novel when you were in high school?

Azuma: When I was in middle school, there were supplements to things like 'Chuuni Jidai' (中二時代).

——What sort of story?

Azuma: Some story about teleportation, there was also another one about a small alien creature in a spaceship, but the setting was one where it moved by a human's brainwaves. Then it would carry a knife and murder the crew members one by one. So, there were two people left by the end, one was saying 'the one controlling the alien creature must've been you', but when the alien murdered the other person, it turned out they were the one controlling it after all.

S: That was an overseas SF?

Azuma: Mm, yes. But I don't remember the author's name. That's all I remember from reading it in middle school.

——So you started to seriously read since your high school days, and encountered works by Hoshi Shinichi-san (星新一) and Tsutsui Yasutaka-san (筒井康隆), whom you still like to this day.
Hoshi Shinichi (Wiki)
Tsutsui Yasutaka (Wiki)

Azuma: I read Hoshi-san, but Tsutsui-san hadn't made his debut yet.

——When I examine Azuma-sensei's works, I get the sense SF is very important to Sensei.

Azuma: SF is almost like my foundation. Though I don't read as much as I used to.

S: You said something about also reading mystery recently.

Azuma: Stuff by people like Michael Connelly.

——Yeah, he's famous for his Detective Harry Bosch series.

Azuma: A new work came out the other day. Though I read that one right away. Others include Lawrence Block and Dennis Lehane. Jeffrey Deaver and so on. Now, there's a lot of mystery. There's also some talented people in SF as well, like Greg Egan and Ted Chiang, but I can't get into them like I used to.

S: Around the time of 'Absurd Diary', you said your favourite authors were Tsutsui Yasutaka, Theodore Sturgeon, and Brian Aldiss.

Azuma: Tsutsui-san has been following me for a long time. Only Tsutsui-san hasn't really changed. A writer who liked Sturgeon and Aldiss when he was young.

S: In 1979, you won the Nebula Award in the comic category for 'Absurd Diary', and participated in the Japan SF Convention MEICON 3. How many SF conventions have you participated in?

Azuma: I believe I went about 3 times. But it's not very fun when people know my face. They ask me to sign stuff and try bringing me up to a podium. I guess the first time I participated was the most fun. Since no one knew my face, when I went to visit the room where the writers were chatting, Komatsu Sakyou (小松左京) spoke about me without knowing it was me.
Komatsu Sakyou (Wiki)

——About what?

Azuma: Something about Azuma Hideo sure is interesting, he did an SF called 'Desperate Angel' (やけくそ天使).

S: Also, 'Parallel Kyoushitsu' (パラレル狂室) received Hoshi Shinichi-san's approval.

Azuma: Yes, yes. Hoshi-san put it in as one of his top 5 ('My Top 5 Picks' [Weekly Bunshun] <週刊文春> 1980 January 3rd Issue).

——That must make you happy. Since he's a writer you liked since high school.

Azuma: I was very happy.

S: You serialised 'Michiru Metaphysics' (ミチル・メタフィジーク) in 'SF Magazine' (SFマガジン) back in 1979, but since it was in 'SF Magazine', I felt you drew it with a strong focus on the SF.

Azuma: That's right. I was very nervous about that.

S: On the other hand, I felt like you were playing in 'SF Magazine'.

Azuma: No, it was very hard. Afterwards, they heavily cut back on that sort of maniac stuff. I felt a little trapped.

——Returning to your high school days, you lived in a dorm during your first year, right? Why did you return home after your first year?

Azuma: My family moved into town.

M: Which was better? When you were in the dorm? Or when you commuted from home?

Azuma: Ah, the dorm was fun. I saw 'COM' and said 'I also have to give it a go'.

M: 'COM' was first published in 1967 around when you were a high schooler. Have you been reading it since its first issue?

Azuma: Yeah, that's right.

M: Were you in any kind of shock when you picked it up for the first time?

Azuma: It felt very fresh. You could say it hit all the key notes of manga mania.

——Aspiring mangaka who read 'COM' often become members, and you participated in 'Grand Companion' (ぐら・こん) which was held separately in each region. You were in your 3rd year of high school. Did someone invite you?

Azuma: A classmate called Matsuhisa Yuu (松久由宇) invited me. We moved to Tokyo together and he also became a mangaka.
Matsuhisa Yuu (Wiki)

——Matsuhisa-san drew many works such as 'Melancholic Wasteland' (哀愁荒野) and 'Night of the Hyena' (ハイエナの夜), he was really skilled at drawing. Have you read 'GARO' (ガロ)?

Azuma: Never saw it during my high school days; it wasn't at my bookstore.

M: More than any particular work or artist in 'COM' being shocking, it must've felt like the direction of the magazine itself was new, right? It felt very natural.

Azuma: That's right. Touge Akane-san's (峠あかね) reviews, I mean Masaki Mori-san's (真崎守). It was stirring the hearts of manga Shounen. When you look at the readers' column, everyone was very good. It felt like everyone was a rival. I also wanted to join in.
※T/L Note: Masaki Mori wrote reviews in COM under the alias Touge Akane (Wiki)

——Okada Fumiko-san (岡田史子) also came from the same hometown. Did you see her work when she made her debut?
Okada Fumiko (Wiki)

Azuma: As for Okada Fumiko, she's way out there. Shocking, hmm. But I didn't really understand it (laughs).

——What left the greatest impression on you in a published work itself?

Azuma: Well, Tezuka-sensei's 'Phoenix' (火の鳥), Ishinomori-sensei's (石ノ森章太郎) 'Jun' (ジュン), and Nagashima-sensei's (永島慎二) 'Wanderer' (フーテン) were incredible. All sorts of people drew, and I read them all from beginning to end.
Ishinomori Shoutarou (Wiki)
Nagashima Shinji (Wiki)

——Did you buy 'COM'?

Azuma: I bought it (laughs).

——Then was it 'COM' that made you want to become a mangaka?

Azuma: It was the 'Mangaka Introductory Guide for Boys' (少年のためのマンガ家入門) (Ishinomori Shoutarou/1965).

——So you hardly drew anything before reading that?

Azuma: I never drew. That's why I started drawing very late.

——If you read it right after it was published, then it must've been before 'COM'.

Azuma: It wasn't an introductory guide that teaches you how to draw regular manga, but rather it described the possibilities of manga.

——Did you think you could become a mangaka?

Azuma: Somehow, I felt like I could become one.

M: Did Sensei's parents understand you wanting to pursue a career in manga?

Azuma: No, I believe they didn't understand at all. So, umm, I first got a job at a printing company.

M: Between the desire to get out of the house and a yearning for Tokyo. Which feeling was stronger?

Azuma: After all, the greatest was wanting to leave home. My old man was very strict and told me to get a job elsewhere. In any case, it was painful to be near my parents. I always really hated, hated my childhood of being tied to my family. I wanted to be free as soon as possible.

M: Did you have the feeling 'Tokyo is the place if you want to become a mangaka'?

Azuma: Well, it happened. Being a mangaka was impossible if I didn't go to Tokyo. So while working at the printing company, I drew and submitted manga, thinking I would become a pro, but that was a huge mistake; I didn't have any time to draw at all. It was hard work, you see. I had no choice but to sleep after work. So I decided it wasn't feasible and quit. Then I slept in the Takadanobaba Park (laughs). I was out of my mind.


Greatly Influenced by Itai-Sensei's Pen-Touch


M: Your job was at Toppan Printing?

Azuma: Correct. I was doing stuff like cardboard printing.

——After you started living on your own, you didn't return home much, did you?

Azuma: I didn't return at all. However, after I quit my job, I ran out of money, and asked them to send some...... Their refusal was unforgettable.

——Harsh (laughs).

Azuma: Well, it cannot be helped, so...... I had no choice but to do it myself.

——How long did it take for you to become Itai Rentarou-sensei's (板井れんたろう) assistant after quitting your job?
Itai Rentarou (Wiki)

Azuma: I guess I was unemployed for about a month. At that time, I was sleeping in a park, but it was kinda cold, so it was probably May or June.

——At first you were freeloading, right? Until you entered Musashino-Sou (武蔵野荘).

Azuma: Musashino-Sou was after I became an assistant. Until then, I had been living with friends and sleeping at cafés. Well, I was also sleeping outdoors.

——Sleeping outdoors by the age of 18. What sort of person was Itai-sensei?

Azuma: He was famous for stuff like 'Potato General' (ポテト大将) and 'Thrill-kun' (スリルくん). And then some television stuff like 'Oraa Guzura Dato' (おらぁグズラだと) and 'Dokachin' (ドカチン). He mainly drew for shounen magazines. He's a Sensei of humour manga.

——What kind of personality did he have?

Azuma: Sensei was a very considerate, cheerful, and an unusually cool person. He was good at skiing.【Figure 1】

——Are there any parts you believe were influenced by Itai-sensei?

Azuma: I was very influenced by his pen-touch. Sensei used a Kabura-pen, but I, up until then, used nothing but a school pen. They're like the milli-pens (fineliner pens) used nowadays, so they could only draw a monotone, uniform line. How to push and relax your touch with a Kabura-pen. The way to use a Kabura-pen is unusually hard, but I practised there and after I became independent, I continued to use Kabura-pens.

——Do you use Kabura-pens even now?

Azuma: I stopped now, but I probably used them until about the middle of 'Nanako SOS' (ななこSOS). Afterwards, I switched to Nikko's G-pen.

——Those are a softer pen, right?

Azuma: Right. Kabura-pens put a lot of strain on your wrists. I still use G-pens. I tried comparing Zebra's G-pen with Nikko's G-pen. Nikko's are a little harder. Zebra is very soft, so you cannot touch very much. If you put a little pressure, it'll start to skreesh.

——So it's better if it has a slightly harder feel, right?

Azuma: That's right. I believe most people haven't noticed when I changed from Kabura-pens to G-pens.

——I didn't know. Speaking of which, Itai-sensei's lines are very pleasant lines, and Azuma-sensei's lines are similar in that they're also very pleasant lines. This may be abstract, but do you use anything besides G-pens?

Azuma: I use Milli-pens as well. I use Milli-pens for relatively light stuff.

——Milli-pens are for things like essays, and G-pens are for things like stories.

Azuma: Yes.

——What about 'Land-Crawling Fish' (地を這う魚)?

Azuma: That was all G-pen.

——What about 'Utsu-utsu Hideo Diary' (うつうつひでお日記)?

Azuma: That was Milli-pen.

——What about 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記)?

Azuma: 'Disappearance Diary' was a mixed-bag. I used both.

——Were you influenced in any other ways by Itai-sensei?

Azuma: His character body proportions. If it's a boy, then he would probably be 3 heads tall. If it's a girl, then she would be 4 or 5 heads tall.

——Why are the boys' proportions shorter?

Azuma: I bet it's because he has a low opinion of himself and glorifies women (laughs).

——(Laughs). Itai-sensei's girls are cute, aren't they?

Azuma: They're cute. No one else can draw Itai-sensei's cheek lines. They're such subtle, round lines. I suppose I was somewhat influenced when I was doing 'Hangover Dandy' (二日酔いダンディー). Sensei's girls are unique, he doesn't stop his pen on the cheek part; usually people immediately stop just before the cheeks swell.

——Does Itai-sensei draw in a single-stroke?

Azuma: He draws in one stroke. A stroke up to the chin.

——He begins at the chin and wobbles, right?

Azuma: Yes. This cannot be done. I couldn't do it, so I drew in my own style.

——What works did you help with when you were his assistant?

Azuma: When he was serialising 'Dokachin', I applied and got hired. He was recruiting in 'Shounen Sunday' (少年サンデー). So I believe I helped from 'Dokachin' to 'Dotamajinta' (ドタマジン太). 【Figure 2】

——Based on the chronology, you were there from the summer of 1968 to the summer of 1970.


Figure 1:

Figure 2:

He Likes Lines with a Nice Whoosh Sense


——You made your debut in 1969, but it was around this time gekiga was at its peak. However, Sensei's art style wasn't influenced by gekiga.

Azuma: I never came across rental manga. It was really rural, so there weren't any rental bookstores. All of my 'Grand Companion' associates, who were living in big cities like Sapporo or Otaru, read them, but I never read them. So, I wasn't influenced by gekiga.

——Gekiga began from magazines exclusive to rental bookstores, 'GARO' (ガロ) and seinen gekiga magazines, and moved to 'Weekly Shounen Magazine', so for Azuma-san's generation, there wouldn't be much of a connection if there weren't any rental bookstores. But if one examines your autobiography manga, since moving to Tokyo, you've been having heated discussions about Nagashima Shinji (永島慎二) and Tsuge Yoshiharu (つげ義春), right?
Nagashima Shinji (Wiki)
Tsuge Yoshiharu (Wiki)

Azuma: After moving to Tokyo, all of my friends had them, so I would borrow and read them. I've known Nagashima-san ever since he drew for 'COM'. And I like Tsuge-san, so I believe he influenced me.

——When you drew for seinen magazines, did you ever feel like you were the only one standing out because everyone else around you had a gekiga-ish art style?

Azuma: No, not particularly.

——Have you ever thought about changing yours?

Azuma: I practised a bit, but I thought it was kinda impossible (laughs).

——Was it a technical problem? Or was it because it wasn't interesting?

Azuma: It wasn't interesting, and it's also technically hard.

——Then, after all, small proportions and round, clean lines suited you.

Azuma: Yeah. When it came to drawing in detail, I liked John Tenniel in 'Alice in Wonderland', so when I wanted to draw in detail, I wanted that sort of art. I believe Tenniel influenced 'Land-Crawling Fish' (地を這う魚).

——Have you ever been told by an editor to change your current style and make it look more like gekiga?

Azuma: That never happened.

——Both Tezuka-san and Ishinomori-san gradually changed to a gekiga style when they shifted to 'Big Comic' (ビッグコミック). However, Azuma-sensei, who was influenced by the two of them, continued to draw in Sensei's art style.

Azuma: I simply like the early lines of Ishinomori-sensei and Tezuka-sensei. Their lines were neither too strong, nor too weak, they had a nice whoosh sense.

M: Regarding Tezuka-san and Ishinomori-san, which era's art style of their work did you like most?

Azuma: When it came to Tezuka-sensei, I liked 'The Adventure of Rock' (ロック冒険記), and when it came to Ishinomori-sensei, after all, I liked stuff like the early parts of 'Cyborg 009' (サイボーグ００９). In his earlier SF works, ones like 'Mutant Sub' (ミュータント・サブ). His pant legs were flabby and made the silhouette of the legs thick. That was cool, you see (laughs).

——Your legs are thick, aren't they, Sensei?

Azuma: I was quite surprised when Chiba-san's 'Tomorrow's Joe' (あしたのジョー) changed to gekiga style. When 'Tomorrow's Joe' started, I was still working as an assistant, and said to Sensei, 'Chiba-san, isn't your art old?', so I was surprised when it became more and more like gekiga.

——Did you feel Chiba-sensei gradually fell outside your tastes?

Azuma: No. As for Chiba-san, it's a bit of a contradiction, but his was fine. However, I didn't want Tezuka-sensei and Ishinomori-sensei to change too much. Back then, Matsuhisa often went to work with Satou Masaaki-san (佐藤まさあき) and this assistant, and he was asked to draw a night scene of Tokyo, and it took him one full night to draw one panel. He really went at it. I thought there was no point in that (laughs).
Satou Masaaki (Wiki)

——Though it was probably indispensable in the pursuit of gekiga-style realism. In Sensei's case, you wanted to draw something much different.

Azuma: I guess thinking of just one gag is good enough for me.

M: Rather than finely drawing realism, do you prefer to draw fantastical worlds that look like the illustrations of a children's story?

Azuma: That's right. I guess the quality of realism is different. I didn't think of gekiga as realistic. Because the deformed ones were amazing.

M: How do you feel about something like Ootomo Katsuhiro-san (大友克洋)?
Ootomo Katsuhiro (Wiki)

Azuma: I liked the kind of realism in stuff like Moebius.
Moebius (Jean Giraud) (Wiki)

——Gekiga, and the art of Ootomo Katsuhiro and the french mangaka Moebius, are different from Azuma-san.

Azuma: That's right. They're probably different in terms of manga history. I believe things changed when Ootomo-san arrived. In the sense of realism.

——It's true when they say Ootomo-san was an epoch, but in terms of the trends of art styles, I believe you would see a flow from gekiga to Ootomo-san.

Azuma: When you look at Ootomo-san's early works, they weren't even gekiga. The real is real, but it's a photographic real.

M: They were very sharp drawings without the muddy scent of gekiga.

Azuma: That's right. I didn't like the muddy-scent of gekiga. It made me feel like it's riding a motorcycle, wearing a leather jacket, and carrying a machine gun.

S: On the other hand, you liked Robert Crumb, who is famous for 'Fritz the Cat', right?

Azuma: Yeah, I like Crumb.

——One could certainly say Crumb fills the lines of Azuma-sensei's art.

Azuma: I believe Crumb had some influence on me.

——I'm sure Tenniel's 'Alice in Wonderland' was widely available, but where did you see Crumb?

Azuma: As for Crumb, perhaps in a magazine published by Ono Kousei-san (小野耕世).
Ono Kousei (Wiki)

S: Yeah, he published 'Woo' (Seikousha [盛光社]) between 1972~1973, but it collapsed after the 4th issue. 'Fritz the Cat' was published as a tankoubon by the same publisher around the same time.

Azuma: 'Woo' was interesting, so it's a shame it's gone.

——Previously, I read that you said you liked the artists of what we now call 'adult manga', ones like Sonoyama Shunji (園山俊二), Fukuchi Housuke (福地泡介), and Shouji Sadao (東海林さだお).
Sonoyama Shunji (Wiki)
Fukuchi Housuke (Wiki)
Shouji Sadao (Wiki)

Azuma: That's because they all drew in 'Weekly Manga Sunday' (週刊漫画サンデー). At first, when I was a middle schooler, my home served as something of a dorm for the forest service, and there were separate buildings where people lodged together to train for skiing. My old man worked for the forest service, and we served as a ski training camp for the forest service members. The members would leave magazines, and 'Mansan' (Manga Sunday) was among them. Also stuff like 'Manga Reader' (漫画読本). I read them all through high school. 'Mansan' had many foreign one-panel manga, and they were very sophisticated.

M: Tezuka Osamu-sensei explained that his drawings were more like symbols or hieroglyphs than paintings, but what do you think, Azuma-sensei?

Azuma: I don't think so. In Tezuka-sensei's case, I believe his were in the position of a story manga. The themes were also epic. That's why the art existed for the story. I'm all about the characters, so for example, if I wanted to draw a cute girl, I would think about a story around her. So I don't think of it as a symbol. Especially when it comes to drawing females, he drew them in a way that makes one feel lustful.

——In the same period, other than gekiga, shoujo manga was very popular. Azuma-sensei was born in the 1950s, the same year as Takemiya Keiko-san (竹宮惠子). Hagio Moto-san (萩尾望都) was born a year earlier, and is actually part of the Year 24 Group (24年組) (laughs).
Takemiya Keiko (Wiki)
Hagio Moto (Wiki)

Azuma: (Laughs). Hagio-san and I were in the same grade.

——Did you read shoujo manga before or around your debut?

Azuma: I never read them.

——Have you read Tezuka-sensei or Ishinomori-sensei's shoujo manga.

Azuma: I read those.

——When did you first become aware of Hagio-san's work?

Azuma: Around the time I drew 'Futari to Gonin' (ふたりと５人).

——That would be around 1972~1973. What triggered that?

Azuma: The influence of my wife.

——You got married in 1973.

Azuma: There was Hagio-san, Kihara Toshie-san (木原敏江), and many others. Then I started to read shoujo manga profusely. 'November Gymnasium' (１１月のギムナジウム) was interesting. I knew Yamato Waki-san (大和和紀) from the same hometown, and I also knew Tadatsu Youko-san (忠津陽子). I think I also read Nishitani Yoshiko (西谷祥子).
Kihara Toshie (Wiki)
Yamato Waki (Wiki)
Tadatsu Youko (Wiki)
Nishitani Yoshiko (Wiki)

S: There was a story you went to Yamato-san and Tadatsu's home to ask for a loan and they refused (laughs). Was that during your assistant days when you were 18, 19 years old?

Azuma: Yeah. They both made their debut around that time. Takemiya Keiko-san published something in 'COM'. But, well, I never read shoujo manga until my wife told me about them.


The Legendary Lolicon Doujinshi 'Cybele'


M: After your debut, you drew various gag works for major weekly manga magazines, and then started working on works for maniacs and Lolicon-types. In 1979, you published the legendary Lolicon doujinshi 'Cybele' (シベール). Did the idea to draw ero in the so-called manga art style come from shooting the breeze with your assistants? Or did the inspiration come from within?

Azuma: Oki Yukao (沖由佳雄), Hirukogami Ken (蛭児神建), and I were talking endlessly about Lolicon at a café in Ekoda called Manga Garou (まんが画廊). I believe it started with Hirukogami-san calling out to me. He said he liked Pipi from the anime 'Triton of the Sea' (海のトリトン) and would often trace drawings of her.
Oki Yukao (Wiki)
Hirukogami Ken (Wiki)

M: Basically, was the one who said to release 'Cybele' Sensei? Or was it Oki-san?

Azuma: I said we should release it.

M: So, Oki-san gathered members at Manga Garou. Could you say the concept to create a doujinshi as Lolicon was in mind from the very beginning?

Azuma: Yes.

M: Were you inspired by Hirukogami-san? Or was it a combination of many other factors?

Azuma: I don't really know. It was by coincidence those sorts of guys were gathered at Manga Garou.

M: Was the word Lolicon a keyword at that point? Or did you use another word?

Azuma: I believe it was Lolicon.

M: You also contributed manuscripts for the doujinshi called 'Lolita' (ロリータ) Hirukogami-san published back then, but did Hirukogami-san give a request to Azuma-Sensei saying, 'Please draw a manga with this sort of content'?

Azuma: No, there was no content specification. At the time, 'Cybele' was also being prepared.

——So the plans to create Lolicon doujinshi were proceeding at the same time.

Azuma: That's why Hirukogami-san also drew for 'Cybele'. You could say we were helping each other out.

——Hirukogami-san's 'Arisu' (愛栗鼠) came out first, and following that, 'Cybele' issue 0 was released, but all of them were happening within the same circle?

Azuma: That's right.

M: Did Hirukogami-san have a particularly strong Lolicon hobby?

Azuma: I don't really know. But he wrote some pretty radical stuff.

——However he left home to become a priest, and became a Buddhist monk.

Azuma: Yes, and he even got married. I thought that was impossible (laughs).

M: In Azuma-sensei's case, more than having a solid preference for it, did you drew those as a type of parody?

Azuma: Well, you could say that kind of thing is interesting. It felt like a challenge to established manga. So it was like half hobby and half joke. That's why I was always aware of the fact 'this kinda stuff's no good' when I drew it, but the other youngsters were drawing it cause they really liked it (laughs).

——So Azuma-sensei was probably aware you were doing something new, right?

Azuma: There wasn't a genre like that, so I wonder.

——Did it feel like this sort of thing can only be done in doujinshi at first?

Azuma: That was true at the time. At first, there was a preparatory issue for 'Cybele', but I drew that.

S: Issue 0. It was a copy-zine, I believe.

Azuma: That's right. I drew a parody manga of 'Nippen no Miko-chan' (日ペンの美子ちゃん), I believe.

——The one by Nakayama Seika-san (中山星香), right?
Nakayama Seika (Wiki)

Azuma: Who?

——The creator of Miko-chan went by the name of Yabuki Reiko (矢吹れいこ), but she was drawn by the fantasy mangaka Nakayama Seika-san. She's currently a veteran of 'Princess' (プリンセス).

Azuma: Ehh, I didn't know that. Though I'm acquainted with Nakayama-san.

S: After that, you even drew in the commercial magazine 'Shoujo Alice'. That was a vending machine book, but you were fine with that, right?

Azuma: I had some reservations. I didn't want to be too inconspicuous. However, when I handed over my first manuscript, I was very embarrassed. I handed them over out in the street, but asked him not to read them there (laughs).

S: Around that time, you were working on 'Absurd Diary' in the vending machine book 'Gekiga Alice' (劇画アリス) and Lolicon stuff for the photography-based 'Shoujo Alice'. The thing you drew first for a commercial magazine was 'Gogo no Inkou' (午後の淫荒) (1980).

Azuma: That's right.

M: When you drew Lolicon-type works, do you believe for example that girls depicted in Tezuka's or Ishinomori's works were part of your formative experience?

Azuma: Tezuka-sensei and Ishinomori-sensei's girls probably influenced me.

——Who is your favourite girl character among Ishinomori-san and Tezuka-san?

Azuma: A strong-willed, fierce-eyed girl that appeared in Ishinomori's 'TV Boy' (テレビ小僧). And either Uran-chan from 'Astro Boy' (鉄腕アトム) or 'Ribbon Knight' (リボンの騎士).

——Your Tezuka-san choices are standard fare. Your Ishinomori-san choice seems to be one who comes to mind only for those who like that sort.


The Moment of the Birth of Japanese 'Kawaii Ero'


Azuma: I was also influenced by shoujo manga. There's a lack of reality in the bishoujo of shoujo manga and a lack of sex appeal in gekiga.

——You thought gekiga had no sex appeal.

Azuma: No sex appeal. I thought gekiga's ero wasn't erotic at all, but apparently the general public thought so as well. Cause after we released 'Cybele', everything afterwards became that sort of magazine (laughs). So everyone must've thought that way.

——(Laughs)

Azuma: Everyone wanted to see ero in Tezuka-san or Ishinomori-san's art, or the art of shoujo manga. Right before 'Cybele', I was copying shoujo manga and drawing ero doodles.

M: What kind of shoujo manga were you copying?

Azuma: I don't remember much, but it basically had huge eyes.

——It's not someone like Mutsu A-ko (陸奥A子), is it?
Mutsu A-ko (Wiki)

Azuma: Mutsu A-ko doesn't have much sex appeal. I don't remember whose art specifically, but I copied just the faces from shoujo manga and the bodies were the type by Tezuka and Ishinomori. When I combined them, it became very erotic.

——Isn't that the moment of the birth of 'kawaii ero art', the essence of modern Japanese aesthetics?

Azuma: I guess (laughs).

——After that, you established an art style【Figure 3】that was very much you, Sensei. In the beginning of 'Desperate Angel' (やけくそ天使) (1975), the proportions of the protagonist 【Figure 4】, Asoko Soko (阿素湖素子), were uneven, but in the sequel after 'Cybele', 'Desperate Apocalypse' (やけくそ黙示録) (1981), Asoko-san's proportions【Figure 5】weren't uneven at all (laughs).

Azuma: (Laughs)

M: Though there was one panel in 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記) where you say, "We'll drive out Yaoi".

——I believe the more accurate words at the time were probably 'Aesthetic' (耽美) or 'Bishounen' (美少年).

M: It was a situation where Comic Market was filled to the brim with that sort of Bishounen stuff. Why did that sort of rivalry-like thing emerge?

Azuma: Well, you see, I read some Yaoi books, but I neither understood nor enjoyed them, and they also didn't particularly excite me. The ones who were happy were only women. I couldn't understand why such a thing was getting carried away, acting bossy with a big face.

——They were selling quite well.

Azuma: They almost had a monopoly. I believe about 80%.

——It was around the time when stuff like 'Manken Queen' (漫研QUEEN) and 'ROSE CROSS' were at their peak.

Azuma: There was also the fact men felt uncomfortable being there, like fish out of water.

M: Did you think if you drew it and put it out, like-minded fellows would come?

Azuma: That's right. We had doubts whether there were only a few of us who liked that sort of thing. So, although we wanted to draw it ourselves, the desire to read it drawn by others was at the root of it.

——In 1979, your shoujo manga 'Flap-Flap Donkey' (翔べ翔べドンキ―) began serialisation in 'Princess' (プリンセス), and the following month, you released 'Cybele'. You were really naughty, weren't you (laughs)?

Azuma: (Laughs)

——Have you ever been asked by the editors from other publishing companies to cease your doujin activities for things like 'Cybele' or your work in 'Shoujo Alice'?

Azuma: I was asked (laughs).

——What did you do?

Azuma: Ignored them.

M: Do you mean they asked, 'please spare time for your own manuscripts you draw commercially', or did they ask 'please stop drawing erotic stuff'?

Azuma: Because Akita Shoten was tentatively a major manga publisher. They told me, "Don't draw for a vending machine book like that".


Figure 3:

Figure 4:

Figure 5:

The First Time a Line Formed at Comic Market


M: I heard 'Cybele' had a tremendous response.

Azuma: It was quiet until around the 3rd issue, but from around the 4th or 5th issue, they suddenly started selling, we also changed the printing...... I think?

S: Until the 2nd issue, they were probably copy-books, and then you used normal printing when you resold the 2nd issue. Sensei, you paid for that out of your own pocket, right?

Azuma: I had a tentative sponsor.

M: Did Sensei sell them at the venue?

Azuma: I sold the first ones, issues 1 and 2.

S: I believe there were 200~300 copies for issues 1 and 2.

Azuma: Yeah.

——I heard 'Cybele' was the first circle that had a line at Comiket. I heard it from someone who was working as a venue organiser at the time. There used to be crowds of people in front of circles, but I believe the time they held it at the Kawasaki Civic Plaza was the first time they had to organise a line.

Azuma: I guess so. I stopped going by then.

S: It sounded like there were rumours whispered about issues 1 and 2. Their covers were also black.

Azuma: Then after around issue 3, they started calling them the 'mysterious black books'. The covers were completely black with nothing written on them.

M: Why did you use black covers?

Azuma: It's something one mustn't see. 'Forbidden to minors under the age of 18' is clearly written, you see.

M: Were there any title ideas other than 'Cybele'?

Azuma: No, I feel like we easily settled on 'Cybele'.

S: It's from the movie 'Sundays & Cybele' (シベールの日曜日) (1962/France), right?

Azuma: That's right. It was being shown on television back then.

S: At the time, it was being broadcast on NHK, I'm certain. For some reason, I remember it being broadcast on NHK.

Azuma: I also remember watching it while I worked and being quite moved by it.

M: So you were the father who named it, Azuma-sensei?

Azuma: Probably. I remember using the name Cybele. At the time of its inception, there was only Oki-kun and me. Afterwards, Nishina Souichi-kun (仁科蒼一) also joined us.

M: After that, a lolicon manga commercial magazine called 'Lemon People' was born, and then Japanese ero-manga was dyed with the hue of bishoujo. Were you aware this originated as your own invention?

Azuma: Rather there was such a demand, and I was kinda the spark. I felt like everyone was backing me up.

M: In a sense, it exists because you created that spark.

Azuma: Right. If I hadn't done it, I believe it would've come a little later.

——So you're saying even if you didn't do it, it would've come somewhere, someday?

Azuma: I believe so. Cause there's an inevitability in the flow of history.

——But if it wasn't for Azuma-sensei, it probably wouldn't have become as universal. How do I say it......? Something that appeals to the Japanese aesthetic of liking cute things......?

Azuma: I never thought it would become so major. I felt I would be happy if there were more people drawing it. Then in the blink of an eye, a slew of similar books starting appearing. Was there such a demand? From that point on, I guess I already grew bored of it, and 'Cybele' also collapsed.

S: Cybele released its 7th issue, and in the summer of 1981, you created the illustrated doujinshi 'Myaa-chan Sensual Photograph Collection' (ミャアちゃん官能写真集) based on the heroine Myaa-chan from 'Scrap School' (スクラップ学園) you serialised in 'Play Comic' (プレイコミック). Afterwards, you didn't create any doujinshi until 'Direct from Azuma Magazine' (産直あづまマガジン) in recent years.

Azuma: I believe so. Though I've also been drawing a little since then.

M: Stuff like 'Lemon People' were popping out all over. When 'Lemon People' and 'Manga Burikko' were released, was there a feeling of this started by your own spark coming to the fore with a 'hurrah!'? Or was there a feeling of 'originally this was supposed to be secret, yet now it's out in the open......'?

Azuma: The latter. I was consciously thinking this shouldn't be done out in the open. Also, since I'm a gag mangaka, I'm the type who isn't satisfied unless I try something new. New artists were coming out one after the other, and since everyone's so good, I wondered if I would be good enough.

M: It's been quite a while since you exhibited 'Cybele' at Comic Market, but you've recently released another Comiket doujinshi 'Direct from Azuma Magazine', right? What was your impression when you returned?

Azuma: When I started making it, I outsourced it to 'Super Girl Company' (すーぱーがーるカンパニー), and the rest was through mail-order; I haven't been to the venue. The other day, I went to the winter Comiket for the first time in a long time, though.

M: 2010 December's 'Comic Market 79', eh? How was it?

Azuma: I was surprised by its large scale. It's completely different from the past.

S: When Azuma-sensei participated, I believe there were about 300 circles, and even during the time of the most crowded 'Myaa-chan Sensual Photograph Collection', at the Yokohama Sanbo Hall (1981 'Comic Market 18'), there were probably at most 500 circles. Nowadays, there's around 35,000 circles.

M: Did you have the impression the people gathering there changed?

Azuma: Somehow, I felt like it became sophisticated. Err, it's very orderly with proper lines, you see. Well, I've only seen it at one place. I didn't see its entire scale, but even then, it was incredible.

——I believe your impression won't change even looking at it as a whole. Everything is orderly.

Azuma: Right. It was amazing.


Strange Combination: Bishoujo and Weird Creatures


M: Azuma-sensei, through your various works, you depict all sorts of situations involving Bishoujo. Entwining Bishoujo with weird creatures and machines.

Azuma: There's a similar tendency among people who draw Lolicon-type stuff, but there seems to be a portion who don't want to draw men. Other youngsters have also said if it's possible, they don't want to draw men.

——Was that already the case since the beginning of 'Cybele'?

Azuma: Yeah, that's right. I suppose there's a feeling where they want themselves to disappear, or to hide themselves.

——Though combining stuff with weird creatures has been in other existing manga, they didn't go as far as making them erotic, did you want to push that sort of scene further?

Azuma: Maybe, though I believe I was influenced by some existing manga.

M: Tezuka-sensei perhaps?

Azuma: Tezuka-sensei had some kind of squishy sun, didn't he? I believe Tezuka-sensei had a profound influence on me.

——You mean Astro Boy's 'Artificial Sun Arc' (人工太陽の巻), right? Did you get your cat ears (nekomimi) from Ooshima Yumiko-san's (大島弓子) 'Star of Cottonland (綿の国星)?
Ooshima Yumiko (Wiki)

Azuma: No, that was completely unrelated.

——I heard you mention Ooshima Yumiko-san when it came to Myaa-chan's loose socks【Figure 6】, so I figured that was the case. Where did the cat ears for 'Sham Cat' (シャン・キャット) 【Figure 7】come from?

Azuma: Cat ears? She's simply an ordinary cat. Because she's a cat, she has cat ears.

——But there's quite a few animals in Sensei's works. Black-chan from 'Buratto Bunny' (ぶらっとバニー) had bunny ears (usamimi). There were also mice among many others.

Azuma: That's true. Ah, I see, that's Tezuka-sensei's style.

——There were many things that metamorphose with Tezuka-san, huh?

Azuma: I believe the roots are right there.

M: Would it be this particular work? I mean something like 'W3 (Wonder Three)'?

Azuma: 'W3' was amazing, I was moved. The last part was especially amazing.

S: Captain Bokko was an alien who transformed into a bunny, and she had a transformation scene. Hoshi Shinichi (星真一) was the protagonist. And Captain Bokko is also from Hoshi-san's work 'Bokko-chan'.

Azuma: I noticed the protagonist's name, but I didn't notice Bokko-chan's (laughs).

——Many fighting Bishoujo appear in Sensei's works. Ever since the very early days of 'The Iroppuru' (ざ・色っぷる) (1970), the girls were very strong and fighting. Including Asoko Soko from 'Desperate Angel' (1975) and Myaa-chan from 'Scrap School' (1980). There's even a strong schoolgirl in 'Fighting Family' (格闘ファミリー) (1978), do you believe that was influenced by something?

Azuma: Yeah——.

——Actually, only Nanako from 'Nanako SOS' (1980) had a slightly different personality, in some sense. She's weak-willed and a crybaby. But Nanako was also a strong battle uniform Bishoujo.

Azuma: I'm not only physically weak, but also mentally weak, so as a reaction to that, there's a part of me that admires strong humans, but I'm not interested in drawing that with men.

——Why don't you find that interesting?

Azuma: Why?

M: Have you ever experienced a desire to become a Bishoujo?

Azuma: I also drew that in a manga called 'Night Buzz' (夜のざわめき) (1980), but perhaps I have that sort of desire. Also, I don't really believe women are inherently weak.

——I see, Myaa-chan and Asoko Soko-chan were amazing as girl images at the time. They were smoking and drinking sake, and somehow acting slovenly with men. There were so many people like them, and in fact, there are so many women like them right now (laughs). I was wondering if Azuma-sensei's ideal image of a woman, or his views on women, were injected into this.

Azuma: I believe that reflects the female image I have had since childhood. I felt like women in general were being oppressed. Or rather, the weak. The same goes for men, but there was a system where the weak without physical strength were being dominated by men with loud voices.

——You didn't like that.

Azuma: Yeah, I didn't like it. I hated it. That's why I wanted to portray an independent female image. Also, my sexuality is different from my sexual interests, but when it comes to doing protagonists, it's more refreshing to have ones with that kind of strength. It's moving.

M: So where does Sensei's sexuality lie? What kind of girl do you like?

Azuma: A plain girl who doesn't stand out, almost playing a supporting role. Well, something like a quiet-looking girl with long hair who lines up at the back when it comes to crowd scenes, or ones that hardly speak.

M: Something like Nanako?

Azuma: Nanako's pretty close.

——Nanako is a girl with the ideal personality and the ideal strength.

Azuma: Yeah, right.

——Were you told by any editors not to make a girl the protagonist?

Azuma: They weren't too happy with them, you see.

——This may have not been the case around the time of 'Nanako SOS', but around the time of 'Desperate Angel', there weren't many manga aimed at men with girl protagonists. Did you receive any support from the fans?

Azuma: There may have been some support. 'Desperate Angel' was popular. 'Scrap School' was a little lukewarm. Though the characters were very popular.

M: Was the motif of a girl fighting in a uniform born as an extension of strong women, making it easier for them to move as the protagonist?

Azuma: Yeah. I've always liked the sexiness of uniforms.

——Especially not just stuff like nurses, but school uniforms.

Azuma: Yeah.

M: You drew both blazer characters and sailor blouse characters, so I was wondering if those were conscious decisions.

Azuma: That's what I was interested in at the time.

M: Do you have some kind of fetish for clothing?

Azuma: I do. I have very specific fetishes. I like things like white shirts. I like frills. You could say there's something about the shoulders swelling.

——Puffed sleeves.

Azuma: Puffed, huh? I like puffed.

——What kind of frills do you like?

Azuma: The chest and sleeves. Also, neckties, I like all sorts of neckties. The pleats in skirts have been my lifelong theme, but I cannot draw them at all.

——The pleats in skirts have been 'my' lifelong theme. Sounds cool (laughs).

Azuma: (Laughs)

——I wonder if you were influenced by Wada Shinji-san (和田慎二). Wada-san is famous for 'Delinquent Girl Detective' (スケバ刑事) (1976), and before she appeared as a battle uniform Bishoujo in 'Delinquent Girl Detective', she was a normal secretary in 'Super Girl Asuka' (超少女明日香) (1975), but there's a story where she wears a sailor blouse, she becomes a very strong fighting Bishoujo. During battle scenes, her bangs part and her eyes appear, changing her into an incredible Bishoujo. Sensei even parodied it in 'Absurd Diary'......
Wada Shinji (Wiki)

Azuma: Yeah, that's right.

——This is different from the topic of Bishoujo, but you often drew about mad scientists.

Azuma: Yeah.

——My personal mad scientist image was completely from Azuma-sensei's manga. Actually, mad scientists don't show up too much in Tezuka-san nor Ishinomori-san either. If I were forced to name one from them, I would pick Doctor Tenma (天馬博士).

Azuma: The foundation is from SF novels.

S: Originating from Mrs. Shelley's 'Frankenstein', there's stuff like H. G. Wells' 'The Time Machine' and Belyaev's 'Professor Dowell's Head'.

Azuma: Mad scientists in SF often invent time machines, summon demons, and many more things like that. I forget the name of the author, but there's one about a man who returns home and finds his wife kissing someone, cheating on him, so he rushes to his laboratory and suddenly builds a time machine. That scene is above reproach, somehow.

——No way (laughs).

M: You sometimes depict situations where a Shoujo is turned into a robot by such a mad scientist, but is there a reason behind making her ears look like antennae as a symbol of her robotisation?

Azuma: I recall there was such a thing in Miyakoshi Yoshikatsu-san's (宮腰義勝) 'Space Boy Soran' (宇宙少年ソラン), stuff like '8-Man' (エイトマン), and traditional superhero stories.
Miyakoshi Yoshikatsu (Wiki)

M: Since then, even in Bishoujo games, the shape of the ears are often changed when they depict robot girls. I believe there weren't too many doing that with Shoujo.

Azuma: That's right. In my case, you could say the combination is strange.

——How do you come up with those kinds of combinations?

Azuma: I believe it's unconscious. What I usually think about is what kind of things make me feel eroticism, so I guess it wells up whenever I write notes.

——So, you weren't thinking it would be new if you do this or it would be interesting?

Azuma: Yeah, I don't consider such things. It's all ad lib.


Figure 6:

Figure 7:

What He Thinks of 'Otaku'


——Later creators absorbed the essence of Azuma-sensei's works and many works appeared afterwards, and many people began to accept this and they came to be called 'Otaku'. What does Sensei think about Otaku?

Azuma: There are parts I think are amazing and respectable, and there are parts I'm unable to follow.

——What parts do you respect?

Azuma: They're very knowledgeable in one field.

M: Do you feel like you, yourself, belong in the Otaku community?

Azuma: No.

——You're conscious of your SF-mania. How are they different? SF-maniacs and Otaku.

Azuma: I believe there are quite a few similarities.

S: The word Otaku appeared in the early 1980s, but if anything, it feels like it's a word used for stuff like anime fans. So, if anything, SF may deviate from the Otaku image.

Azuma: That may be the case.

——Then which parts do you believe you're unable to follow?

Azuma: They're very picky. It feels like they won't tolerate even the slightest scratch or dent.

——Specifically, have you encountered someone you thought looked like an Otaku?

Azuma: My assistant, Oki-kun, was like one (laughs).

——You also drew anime-related illustrations for 'OUT', but did you have any assistants or fans that were young Otaku, who taught you various things?

Azuma: Yeah, I did. I learned a lot of information from them.

——You generously provided illustrations for the doujinshi of your fans. Speaking of which, they were often drawn back then, but even now, Myaa-chan and Nanako are often drawn.

Azuma: Nanako and Myaa-chan have not died as characters【Figure 8】, even now, they live on inside me. On the other hand, I'm no longer able to draw crazy characters like 'Bukimi' (不気味) 【Figure 9】and 'Nahaha' (ナハハ)【Figure 10】. I have a fear I'll have a mental breakdown.

——So you're also unable to draw another 'Nota, The Fish' (のた魚)【Figure 11】?

Azuma: Yeah. Now I'm unable to release stuff like 'Lost My Tail' (シッポがない)【Figure 12】.

——Shocking. But if that's the reason, it cannot be helped. However, you still draw weird creatures.

Azuma: That's right.

——Does 'Nota, The Fish' have any roots?

Azuma: It's a derivative of 'Nahaha'.

——Ahh, so it's a fish version of 'Nahaha'.

Azuma: I like fish and reptiles. Also, when it comes to Tezuka-sensei, cute animals show up, you see. You could also describe them as very sexy. Though I lean towards the gross side, but they're not completely gross; there's something charming about them.

——Why were all the people around 'Land-Crawling Fish' not people, but animals?

Azuma: Even I don't know. I would like critics to examine this (laughs).


Figure 8:

Figure 9:

Figure 10:

Figure 11 & 12:

As for Nonsense, Repetition is Forbidden


M: Generally speaking, it is said those who draw gag manga have a shorter lifespan than those who draw story manga, but do you think there's that sort of tendency in reality?

Azuma: I think so. I don't want to do the same thing. I need to think of several different jokes for one story. When it comes to gag for example, you need to put 3 things in one page.

——So 48 jokes in 16 pages. There's a flow when you follow the story of a person's life, but gags don't really flow in that sense, so it's quite hard.

Azuma: But I do them because I love them, so it cannot be helped.

——Do you enjoy coming up with gags?

Azuma: Well, now it's painful, so I don't do them.

——You don't do them?

Azuma: Well, I do them unconsciously. Even when writing things like Diary, I seem to include them. But I don't want to think about them as much as possible.

——Have you ever thought of drawing a long manga? Do shorter works suit you better?

Azuma: There's stuff I want myself to draw. But what I want to draw doesn't come from inside myself, so it ends up falling into self-imitation. It's better I stop at an appropriate place.

——You don't like self-imitation?

Azuma: Correct. But I did it.

——There are some people who can imitate themselves quite easily.

Azuma: That's fine for everyday home dramas. If you're doing nonsense like me, then doing the same thing is forbidden.

——It's forbidden?

Azuma: Because you'll soon reach your limit. It's better to change the story at an appropriate point.

——People who are good at gags are actually good at serious stories. 'Disappearance Diary' and 'Land-Crawling Fish' may be serious stories in the style of Azuma-sensei.

Azuma: Yeah, that's true. The art is gag art, though. It doesn't matter even if you draw serious with gag art. Fujiko F. Fujio (藤子・Ｆ・不二雄) also draws that way.
Fujiko F. Fuji (Wiki)


About the Manga He Appeared In


The character of Sensei, himself, often appears in Sensei's works, was there a reason behind this?

Azuma: Since long ago, I enjoyed manga that featured the artist. Like Morita Kenji-san (森田拳次) in 'Marude Dameo' (丸出だめ夫). Well, Tezuka-sensei and Ishinomori-sensei were also like that.
Morita Kenj (Wiki)

——That's true.

Azuma: As for why I like it...... Probably cause it looked fun being in the manga. I believe it's partly because my childhood wasn't fun.

——I see.

Azuma: When I was looking at my old manga, before my debut, I was drawing a self-insert even in the manga outside the limits of Sunday【Figure 13】. Playing inside the manga.

M: Is there an origin to the asymmetrical way you draw the eyes of your self-insert?

Azuma: In the past, one of my eyes was a monolid and the other was a double eyelid, so I drew them that way. Now they're both the same, so the realism is gone.

——Simple symbolism. But Azuma-sensei would be lonely without this. Rather than drawing your daily life, you place yourself in a mixture of reality and fiction.

Azuma: Yeah.

——The same goes for 'Absurd Diary'. 'Utsu-utsu Hideo Diary' is a fairly normal essay, but somehow in the middle, you drew full-body images of girls and illustrations of figurines.

Azuma: (Laughs)

——It feels like you didn't just draw a casual essay. Also, many artists who draw essay manga are women. I believe there's surprisingly few male artists like Azuma-sensei who can express themselves without hesitation.

Azuma: In my case, it's already turned into a character called 'Azuma is Hideo' (吾妻がひでお). He turned into a person who has absolutely nothing to do with me.

——Recently, there's been an increase in the number of male mangaka who draw interesting essay manga as well, people like Fukumitsu Shigeyuki-san (福満しげゆき) and Enomoto Shunji-san (榎本俊二). In the essays drawn by girls, I feel there's a close distance between the self that's introduced and what's happening to them. In the essays drawn by men, there's a certain distance between the self that's introduced and what's happening, but I feel a closeness in the manga where Azuma-sensei's 'Azuma character' appears. I believe Azuma-sensei is also a male essay mangaka walking ahead of them.
Fukumitsu Shigeyuki (Wiki)
Enomoto Shunji (Wiki)

Azuma: Maybe so.

——What was it like when you worked on 'Absurd Diary'? Were you in a certain kind of mood when you drew yourself as a character【Figure 14】?

Azuma: I had a lot of trouble drawing 'Absurd Diary', though......

——What caused you trouble? Was it a pressure you had to do SF?

Azuma: Yeah (laughs). When I told them I liked Tsutsui-san, they told me to draw like Tsutsui-san. That was kinda impossible (laughs). But, well, I guess it's a parody of Tsutsui-san.

——Was it a parody Sensei appeared in from the very beginning?

Azuma: Ah, it wasn't. I was thinking of a proper story.

——While it's difficult, you introduced yourself.

Azuma: Yes. At the very end.

——What has made you the happiest in your life as a mangaka so far?

Azuma: Drawing SF in 'Absurd Diary and winning the Nebula Award.

——After all, you struggled to draw it. You must've been happy to have your SF acknowledged.

Azuma: Yeah.

——Then what was the hardest time?

Azuma: The hardest was when I was working on 'Futari to Gonin'. Following its weekly serialisation, I said I wanted to end it many times, but it was no good. It continued for 12 tankoubon, but it was really hard.

——Ehh!? So it was harder when you were drawing weekly serials than when you couldn't draw, when you disappeared, or when you experienced alcohol poisoning?

Azuma: Well, it was also hard being an alcoholic and homeless (laughs).


Figure 13:

Figure 14:

---

---

Extra Stuff:​

Takahashi Rumiko Gift Art:

Azuma Hideo & Hagio Moto Collaboration Manga:

 

[Taruby]

Source:『吾妻ひでお〈総特集〉美少女・SF・不条理ギャグ、そして失踪』 2011/4/18

Azuma Hideo & Yamamoto Naoki
Mangaka Talk 2: Respect Talk​

Interviewer: Yamada Tomoko (ヤマダトモコ)
Photographs: Abe Takayuki (阿部高之)

Yamamoto Naoki (山本直樹). Born in 1960. Mangaka. He made his debut in 1984 under the penname 'Moriyama Tou' (森山塔). In 1991, 'BLUE' was the first to be designated as a harmful manga by the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance. Since then, he has consistently drawn extreme sexual depictions with the theme of 'ero'. In 2010, he won the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division's Excellence Award for this work 'Red' (レッド), which used the United Red Army as its theme.


Yamamoto Naoki professes, 'I was greatly influenced by Azuma Hideo'. 'What do I like about Azuma's works? I guess I have to say everything?' A luxurious talk, where Yamamoto Naoki's 'Azuma Hideo Love' explodes, is realised here!


Two Heroes of Ero-Manga Receive the Media Arts Awards


Azuma: First off, congratulations on winning the Japan Media Arts Festival Award (メディア芸術祭文化).

Yamamoto: Thank you very much. My 'Red' won the Excellence Award. The grand prize went to Iwaaki Hitoshi-san's (岩明均) 'HISTORIĒ' (ヒストリエ).

Azuma: Historical works.

Yamamoto: Azuma-sensei won the grand prize for 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記) (he won the grand prize in 2005).

——Both the Father of Lolicon Comics, and the first Sensei to be designated as a harmful comic* by the Tokyo Youth Protection and Development Ordinance, received the prestigious Japan Media Arts Awards (※In 1991, 'BLUE' was designated as harmful).

Yamamoto: This year's chief judge was Nagai Gou-sensei (永井豪). He did 'Harenchi Gakuen' (ハレンチ学園).

——Japan Media Arts' best, Japan's best.

Azuma: 'Red' must've been difficult. Even reading it simply as a document from the days of the United Red Army.

Yamamoto: Well, but it was fun. I created the chronology myself.

Azuma: I also read both volumes of Sakaguchi Hiroshi's (坂口弘) 'Asama Sansou 1972' (あさま山荘１９７２), and thought it was amazing.

Yamamoto: There's also a sequel. It's quite interesting.

Azuma: Incredibly interesting. Nagata Hiroko (永田洋子) was also interesting. However, Mori Tsuneo (森恒夫), the man who died in prison, didn't write much.

Yamamoto: Right. He only wrote a few short sentences.

Azuma: Huh, that's a shame.

Yamamoto: Yeah, I agree. I wish that guy wrote this without dying.

Azuma: 'Red' doesn't use his real name, but I guess it's not good using real names【Figure 1】.

Yamamoto: I started with that sort of judgement, but recently, some of the folks involved asked 'why didn't you use real names?'.

Azuma: Heeh~.

Yamamoto: However, I needed to take into account the families of those who were murdered......

Azuma: Yeah, that's true.

Yamamoto: During the party in honour of 'Red' being awarded, Uegaki Yasuhiro-san (植垣康博), Aoto Mikio-san (青砥幹夫), Maezawa Torayoshi-san (前沢虎義), and Yukino-san (雪野) were there, the four of them. Also, Kane-san (金) came to visit us, though he didn't climb the mountain, he was a member of the Red Army faction; he continued to run until the statute of limitations expired, and is now a charismatic cram school teacher. Yotsuya Ootsuka (四谷大塚), under the Red Army faction, comes up on Google.

Azuma: It must be nerve-wracking to work with real characters.

Yamamoto: Not really. Everyone's stories were interesting. There's about 100 years worth of people inside the walls*......
※T/L Note: Inside the walls is an expression for being in prison, the general population resides outside the walls.

Azuma: The Japan Media Arts Award Celebration Party was held at Hooters, right? How was Hooters?

Yamamoto: It had a healthy sexiness. Cause its concept is based on cheerleaders. It feels American.

Azuma: What kinda uniform?

Yamamoto: Normal tank tops.

Azuma: Those don't look good unless you have a nice figure.


Figure 1:

The Creator Hides His Identity and Descends Upon 'Maid Café'


Yamamoto: Azuma-san, you haven't gone to Hooters yet?

Azuma: I prefer maid cafés. After going to those a few times, I also started to feel a sense of self-loathing.

Yamamoto: (Laughs)

——Why do you prefer maid cafés?

Azuma: They're frilly and fluttery.

Yamamoto: Azuma-san is the frilly and fluttery type, huh? Hooters is young and lively. I like both (laughs). Azuma-san, you drew something like a diary of your visit to a maid café, right?

Azuma: Though I went to them alone before that.

Yamamoto: Private data collecting (laughs)?

Azuma: Yeah, not work-related, private data collecting (laughs).

——Did you ask someone to write your name on the omelette rice when you ordered?

Azuma: That's embarrassing, so I just had cake and coffee. I drew them a portrait.

Yamamoto: Did they know about Azuma-san's manga?

Azuma: No, I believe they didn't know. But when I drew their portrait, they uploaded it to their homepage. Saying 'a customer drew this for us'.

Yamamoto: My, my. The customer's Azuma-san～ (laughs).

——You didn't sign your name, did you?

Azuma: I signed my name. I have a membership card. For the Royal Afilia Magic Academy (王立アフィリア魔法学院).

Yamamoto: A magic academy (laughs).

Azuma: I'm called 'sempai' at the shop. Cause it's a school.

Yamamoto: They call you sempai, huh? I wanna tell the folks at the shop 'the one who created you guys is Azuma-san—'.

——Indeed.

Yamamoto: He's their god. Their creator. Their creator hid his identity and went on an inspection tour (laughs).


Yamamoto Naoki Was in Line for 'Cybele'


Yamamoto: Azuma-san, during the final issue (Vol.7) of 'Cybele', where you at Comiket?

Azuma: No, I believe I didn't go.

Yamamoto: I was standing in line, in that line. The first time anyone stood in line to buy a book at Comiket was probably the final issue of 'Cybele'. There had always been lines to enter the venue, but I believe the final issue of 'Cybele' was the first time people had to form a line to buy a book inside the venue. At the Kawasaki Civic Plaza.

——It might be possible they formed lines for some of the earlier issues.

Yamamoto: Yeah, perhaps you're right. I remember feeling excited because I thought Azuma-san might be there, but I suppose I was excited about someone else (laughs).

——But that's a very fateful story. A future major figure in Bishoujo ero-manga, Yamamoto Naoki, was standing in line to purchase the legendary Lolicon doujinshi known as the 'mysterious black book'.

Yamamoto: I found the previous issue at the Kawasaki Civic Plaza. I was like 'what's this?', 'why is my world here?' (laughs).

Azuma: I wanted kindred spirits. I thought there must've been others out there who also liked this sort of thing, so I gave it a push.

Yamamoto: And it went splendidly. From there came the big bang of Lolicon Bishoujo. And after that—.

——Led to the creation of maid cafés.

Yamamoto: It created that world.

Azuma: Since then, doujinshi really focused on Loli-ero (laughs).

Yamamoto: Before then, ero-book doujinshi were either not that erotic or were mainly doujinshi for women.

Azuma: That was Yaoi.

——At the time, they called it something like 'Aesthetic' (耽美).

Yamamoto: Ah, they used to call it 'Aesthetic'. So, 'Cybele'. It was already a universe creation (laughs).

——Here is an example of a talented creator who was influenced by it.

Yamamoto: Before then, ero-books were completely gekiga-touch......

Azuma: True, true.

Yamamoto: So we no longer had to hide the secret eroticism of Tezuka-san and Ishinomori-san.

Azuma: If 'Cybele' continued, would you have contributed to it?

Yamamoto: Contribute...... Well, I never thought about that. As a complete reader, I looked up at Azuma-san's surroundings as something that felt dazzling. And you were a like a strange man riding on a cloud (laughs).

Azuma: The anime parodies were incredible around the last issue. Many people weren't able to keep up.

Yamamoto: I have two copies of 'Cybele'. However, I wasn't influenced very much by anime. Just Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿). I copied Nausicaä (ナウシカ) to death.

Azuma: Heeh～.

Yamamoto: Before then, I had only drawn girls with a shoujo manga body and small breasts, but Nausicaä fixed that.

Azuma: Ahh, I see.

Yamamoto: I guess big breasts are also nice. All the girls in shoujo manga back then had small breasts. None of them were busty.

Azuma: That's also one of the mysteries.

Yamamoto: They were like the villain, sometimes. Big boobs equals evil. I had that signed before. I was very happy. I was like 'look at me, I'm in my twenties!'.

——Was Yamamoto-san already drawing manga around the time of 'Cybele'?

Yamamoto: I started drawing. But at the time, I didn't imagine myself drawing ero, so I was halfway drawing a work that looked like an offshoot of Ootomo Katsuhiro-san (大友克洋). I enjoyed 'Cybele' as a reader, but I never thought of drawing like that.

——What made you transition to ero-manga?

Yamamoto: When I was in my 4th or 5th year of university, I joined Gekiga Sonjuku (劇画村塾) and created a doujinshi with my buddies. Then I thought I would try drawing ero, which I didn't normally do, and it seemed very suited for my profession.

——Sounds fun.

Yamamoto: It was fun and everyone praised me. There wasn't anything wrong. It was like 'this is me'. So, a friend, who wasn't related to manga, was editing an ero-book for Tatsumi Publishing and told me to bring him a manga. Even after my debut, he told me to draw every month from the month thereafter.

——So you got a lot of attention simply changing to ero.

Yamamoto: In the twinkle of an eye.

——The final issue of 'Cybele' was in 1981, and Yamamoto-san made his debut in 1984, so that was 3 years since you encountered 'Cybele'. It took quite a while before you realised your potential.

Yamamoto: That's how it went. However, I had been drawing and building up a reservoir of ero-pictures I haven't shown anyone.

Azuma: All mangaka do this, secretly drawing ero-pictures. Their own drawings don't do much for them, so they look at other people's drawings.

Yamamoto: In Azuma-san's 'Scrap School' (スクラップ学園), Azuma-san's character becomes a takoyaki shop owner, and the takoyaki shop looked fun. You didn't have to include any gags; just the mere presence of the tako made it work【Figure 2】. I believe that's the case with ero-manga. Even if there's no gags, because it works so long as it contains ero, I thought it was fun. That's when I started drawing ero.

——Thinking about ero is more fun than thinking about gags.

Yamamoto: You don't even have to think. Simply drawing boobs is erotic.

Azuma: (Laughs). But there's still a subtle humour in Yamamoto-san's ero.

Yamamoto: In that respect, I was influenced by Azuma-san and many other people.

Azuma: There might be some creepy development, or some weird person might appear towards the end without a punch line. Either way, it ends in a strange way.

Yamamoto: I was reading a lot of weird manga, like Azuma-san's, and weird SF from those days.

Azuma: Do you like Tsutsui-san?

Yamamoto: I love Tsutsui-san.

——So Azuma-san also likes Tsutsui Yasutaka-san (筒井康隆)?

Azuma: Yep.

Yamamoto: Around the time Azuma-san broke through with stuff like 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記) and 'Parallel Kyoushitsu' (パラレル狂室), we got sucked into SF and it became something like a basic education for us students. Sanrio released their Sanrio SF Bunko (サンリオＳＦ文庫) and spent all of their profits from Hello Kitty on incomprehensible SF stuff.

Azuma: If you're in Sanrio SF Bunko now, you're a pretty big name in the SF world.

Yamamoto: I started reading 'Desperate Angel' (やけくそ天使) in university, and immediately started seeing more and more of Azuma-san's SF in real time.

Azuma: Around the middle of 'Desperate Angel', the number of SF stuff gradually increased.

Yamamoto: Stuff like 'Flowers for Algernon' (アルジャーノンに花束を).

Azuma: The editor-san kindly let me submit them.

Yamamoto: The one for 'Play Comic', right?

Azuma: Yes, yes. That editor-san was a very understanding fellow. He accepted it even though he didn't really understand it.


Figure 2:

What Do You Like About Azuma's Work? Everything!


——Yamamoto-san, you believe you were influenced by Azuma-san?

Yamamoto: It's kinda presumptuous to say influenced, but his work was ingrained into my body. His conversation panels, the rhythm speed in his panels, and...... Even though I haven't been able to mimic it at all...... I believe I was influenced by him.

——Anything else?

Yamamoto: My entire world view. Because he brainwashed me.

——What sort of world view?

Yamamoto: You can do anything if it's in a manga (laughs).

——What do you like about Azuma's work?

Yamamoto: I can't say which parts. Though if I say I can't tell you which parts, then this wouldn't be much of a talk, so...... Can I say everything?

——Everything!

Yamamoto: The first time I read his work was when I was in the 5th year of elementary school, and there was a pile of old magazines in the back of the classroom we called the class library. When we were told to bring in any books we no longer needed, we all ended up bringing only manga. There, I read a manga called 'Eight Beat' (エイト・ビート) in 'Weekly Shounen Champion' (週刊少年チャンピオン), and it was something different. It was interesting, the girls were cute, and there were fresh words like 'sadism' and 'masochism'...... It was very appealing to a 5th year elementary schooler who wanted to stretch. It was a detective story and a girl was a police officer......

Azuma: Yes.

Yamamoto: It almost felt like she was bullying Beat-kun (laughs).

Azuma: That's right.

Yamamoto: After that, I stopped for a while around the time of 'Futari to Gonin' (ふたりと５人) (laughs).

Azuma: The work I was least motivated to do......

Yamamoto: Ah, I knew it. You conveyed that to the readers. But the fact it lasted so long must've meant it was popular.

Azuma: It was popular. Yamamoto-kun, do you ever draw because you hated it and it was your job?

Yamamoto: No, basically never.

Azuma: Then you're the type who's happy.

——I believe both of your works are similar in that the girls are active.

Yamamoto: That sort of thing's also an influence. I believe from Myaa-chan in 'Scrap School' (スクラップ学園).

——Do you feel like there's a real sense of yourself?

Yamamoto: Just a fantasy one.

Azuma: Yamamoto-kun's females have a sense of reality.

Yamoto: Thank you.

Azuma: If I were a female, I want to be an aggressive, independent one like 'Desperate Angel'.

——So your perspective is 'if that were me' rather than 'this kinda girl is nice'?

Yamamoto: That sort of thing exists. Like the famous 'Madame Bovary is me' (ボヴァリー夫人は私だ) (laughs).

——Yamamoto-san, in your recent conversation with Miyadai Shinji-san (宮台真司) 'Thinking About Sexual Expression and the Tokyo Ordinance' (性表現と都条例を考える), you expressed the idea of being 'tough, but not macho'. I thought 'this is it', what I feel from both of you. Tough but not macho.

Yamamoto: I believe there's a difference between macho and tough.

——The macho type train their bodies in preparation for their enemies and only think about winning, but in actuality, they have a weak mind. On the other hand, living the way you are, but surviving by flexibly responding to whatever comes your way is tough. The females you both draw are tough. So that's why you also have many female fans.

Azuma: Do you also have a lot of female fans?

Yamamoto: Yeah, quite a few.

——I believe Azuma-san also has a lot of female fans.

Azuma: I guess so.


After All, I Want to Draw Girls


Azuma: 'We're All Alive' (僕らはみんな生きている) (Original Work: Isshiki Nobuyuki [一色伸幸]/1993) came with an original story.

Yamamoto: Since the movie script is an original work, I was told I could do whatever I wanted. Since there were no women in the story, I decided to make the protagonist a woman.

Azuma: (Laughs). After all, you want to draw girls.

Yamamoto: I want to draw them.

Azuma: Cause it's fun.

Yamamoto: It's fun. Even now, I'm only drawing plain girls in 'Red', but I'm drawing a lot of girls I never drew before, so it's fun in its own way. It's usually fun if there's a girl.

Azuma: Right now, I'm working on a sequel to 'Disappearance Diary', but hardly any girls appear.

Yamamoto: That sounds tough (laughs).

Azuma: Just geezers appear. The protagonist is an alcoholic geezer.

Yamamoto: Then an alcoholic auntie also appears (laughs).

Azuma: One appears, just one.

Yamamoto: Barely there.

Azuma: I beautified her quite a bit.

Yamamoto: It would be boring drawing if you don't beautify them.

Azuma: Also, there will be a lot of nurse-sans. Though many of the nurse-sans were actually pretty people. They're currently working, so I need to draw them neat and pretty.

Yamamoto: You don't know what they'll say the next time you go to the hospital (laughs).

——There's also that sort of drama (laughs).

Yamamoto: There's a hospital story in the second half of 'Disappearance Diary', but is that what you're drawing?

Azuma: That's right. I'm expanding that part a bit.

Yamamoto: I'll be looking forward to it.

Azuma: But I, myself, don't really understand why I decided to draw a sequel.

——The end of 'Disappearance Diary' had a line that said 'many more things happened, but I'll talk about them another time'.

Azuma: That's Tatemae (建前).

Yamamoto: Also known as an evasive answer.

Azuma: That's how it ended. Yamamoto-san, do you draw anything besides 'Red'?

Yamamoto: One ero-manga every two months. If I don't do that, I won't be able to maintain my mental balance.

Azuma: What sort of balance is that (laughs)?

Yamamoto: Because 'Red' isn't my main job. Ero is my main job.

Azuma: But you're not drawing cause someone told you to do it, right?

Yamamoto: Actually, I've been saying for a long time someone should draw it. So under the influence of alcohol, I said, 'fine, I'll draw it'.

Azuma: Speaking of which, whenever Bishoujo appear in Yamamoto-san's manga, Bishounen don't appear.

Yamamoto: They rarely appear. Like Nikuhiko (肉彦)

Azuma: Ahh.

Yamamoto: Probably cause they're annoying?

Azuma: I also don't draw them.

Yamamoto: (Laughs)

Azuma: Yamamoto-san, you work alone. How long have you used an assistant?

Yamamoto: Until 'Arigatou' (ありがとう). I've been alone from 1995.

Azuma: Is it fine being alone now? What about your speed?

Yamamoto: As for speed, at my current pace, I can manage more than enough. 1.5 works per month.

——Roughly, how many pages is that per month?

Yamamoto: Currently, I do 18 pages a month for 'Red'. Also, a magazine called 'Erotics f' (エロティクスｆ) publishes ero-manga every other month, and that's about 10~12 pages.

——So at most 30 pages.

Yamamoto: That's right.

——What about Azuma-san?

Azuma: I suppose I'm also the same. Well, not that much. About 15 pages a month. If you include backgrounds, then it's about 15 pages every 30 days.

——15 pages a month?

Azuma: Yep. I'm currently taking a break from my homepage, but if I include that, it'll be about 20 pages. That stuff is drawn with a pencil.

Yamamoto: I enjoyed reading your stuff on the internet.

Azuma: I'm tired and taking a break from it now. Things didn't go as planned.


'Desperate Angel' Encountered When He Moved to Tokyo is the Best


——Both of you are from Hokkaido, right?

Yamamoto: That's right. Though I'm quite far away. But I lived near Hakodate.

Azuma: My home was near Urahoro, but it's also far away from Urahoro. Incredibly rural.

Yamamoto: We also lived near the sea, but it's rural.

Azuma: Was that until middle school?

Yamamoto: I went to Mori Elementary School, Mori Middle School, and high school was in Hakodate, so I lived in a boarding-house in Hakodate. Then Tokyo.

——In Hokkaido, there's quite a few people living in boarding-houses during high school.

Yamamoto: Yeah. For guys like me, if we want to go to university, then we all have to go to high school in Hakodate. There's 7 or 8 people in my class who are my juniors, so it's like a hangout spot.

——Azuma-san also lived in a dorm during his first year of high school.

Azuma: I also lived in a dorm at first. Related to my commute.

Yamamoto: There's quite a few in Hokkaido. Because it's spacious.

Azuma: The high school already closed down.

Yamamoto: Urahoro High School.

Azuma: The elementary and middle schools also disappeared.

Yamamoto: The birthrate is declining, Hokkaido is spacious.

——Yamamoto-san, when you moved to Tokyo, did you think about becoming a mangaka?

Yamamoto: No, I didn't draw manga at all. I started drawing in the middle of university, alone.

Azuma: So you're a late-bloomer.

Yamamoto: I was late. Azuma-san's manga and shoujo manga were also interesting, so at first, I was an unlikable guy who read a mountain of that stuff and talked like a know-it-all. Around that time, I discovered 'Desperate Angel', and went 'aah, it's Azuma-san who drew Beat-kun'. Like it was an incredible thing.

Azuma: (Laughs)

Yamamoto: The girls in 'Desperate Angel' were cute, and the story was a total mess. It was the best. The first thing I bought was Akita Bunko's 3rd volume【Figure 3】. It was Bunko from the very beginning.

Azuma: Yep.

Yamamoto: So I was talking like a know-it-all and starting believing my crap when I was in my second year of university, saying stuff like 'cause it's you, there's no reason I couldn't draw it myself'. So the next day, I went to a stationery store, bought a pen, ink, and some manuscript paper, and started drawing. I left university my 5th year...... and made my debut at the age of 24, about 5 years after aiming to become a mangaka.

Azuma: You made your debut after graduating from university.

Yamamoto: That's right.

——What kind of shoujo manga did you read?

Yamamoto: Stuff by Hagio Moto-san (萩尾望都), Takemiya Keiko-san (竹宮恵子), and Ooshima Yumiko-san (大島弓子). I bought 'LaLa', 'Betsubetsu' (別々), Betsucomi (別コミ), and Petit Comic (プチコミ) every month. So I started standing up and reading Ooshima-san's work and 'The Poe Family' (ポーの一族), and was like 'wow. you can do this kinda stuff in manga'. Also, a lot of New Wave artists like Ootomo Katsuhiro-san (大友克洋) and Takano Fumiko-san (高野文子) started appearing, and Azuma-san started saying 'I'm Old Wave'. At that time, you were around 30. Azuma-san.

Azuma: That's right. I guess I'm 5 years older than Ootomo-san and the others. Yamamoto-san, when did you start reading Ootomo's manga?

Yamamoto: I knew about him when they did an Ootomo Special Feature in 'Pafu' (ぱふ).

Azuma: So much later.

Yamamoto: That's right. 'Pafu' was amazing. I got into things from 'Pafu', where I got into critique, and from there, I wanted to draw manga, a strange way of entering. I was also greatly influenced by Hashimoto Osamu-san's (橋本治) 'Kinpara Gobou of Flowering Maidens' (花咲く乙女たちのキンピラゴボウ). I started reading shoujo manga using that book as my guidebook.

——Is that so?

Yamamoto: That book also had a chapter about Azuma-san.

Azuma: Yeah, that's right, that made me happy.

Yamamoto: Azuma-san was the only one included outside shoujo manga.

Azuma: Why's that?

Yamamoto: You know why (laughs).

Azuma: But among them, Hagio-san is amazing. She's still active even now, doing serials and a lot of work.

——Azuma-san's also amazing. You have over 400 works. It's hard to understand since there's so many short stories. But you did quite a number of them.

Azuma: But I had a long blank period. My midterm break was a long one.

Yamamoto: Your data gathering trip was long. Based on your detailed data gathering (laughs).

Azuma: (Laughs). Do you remember the magazine you debuted in?

Yamamoto: A vending machine book called 'Pink House' (ピンクハウス).

——Azuma-san also drew 'Absurd Diary' in the vending machine book 'Gekiga Alice' (劇画アリス).

Yamamoto: Vending machine book buddies (laughs).

Azuma: Truly (laughs). Where was the publisher?

Yamamoto: Nippon Publishing. So when I debuted, I stood in front of a vending machine in Shimokitazawa and shouted 'hurrah' (laughs).

Azuma: Not a bookstore.

Yamamoto: A vending machine in front of a bookstore.

——Were you happy?

Yamamoto: I was happy. Back then, I went drinking in Shimokitazawa, so I was going from bar to bar, and was like 'ahh, I did it, I did it'. To my friends.

Azuma: What was the title of your debut work?

Yamamoto: 'Hora Konna ni Akakunatteru' (ほらこんなに赤くなってる). In 1984. I made my debut under the penname Yamamoto Naoki the same year. Well, I can't look at my drawings from when I made my debut. They were awful.

——You learn this while drawing.

Yamamoto: Yeah. After all, getting paid to practise manga is the best way to learn.

Azuma: That's right (laughs).


Figure 3:

The Secret to Being Liked by Their Daughters


——You two share the same current family structure.

Yamamoto: That's right. I have a family of four, an older girl and a younger boy.

Azuma: How old is your daughter?

Yamamoto: She turned 23. Somehow, she safely managed to get a job at the editorial department of a shoujo manga magazine.

Yamamoto: What about Azuma-san's daughter?

Azuma: She's around 30 now.

Yamamoto: What do you mean by 'around' (laughs)?

Azuma: She's already married and left home. She works as an illustrator, but she says she hardly has any work, so it's mostly part-time work.

Yamamoto: She got married recently?

Azuma: She's almost an adult.

Yamamoto: Congratulations...... Though it's late.

——Both of you are liked very much by your daughter-sans. What's your secret?

Azuma: I just did normal things.

——Yamamoto-san, you go out drinking with your daughter-san and you get along well, right?

Azuma: Hehh～.

Yamamoto: If she follows her Otou-san, she gets to meet a lot of mangaka. She doesn't have to pay for drinks, either. That's how I brainwashed her (laughs).

——What about you, Azuma-san, do you go out with your daughter-san?

Azuma: My daughter is a comedy-maniac, so I take her to live shows.

——Sounds nice. In the interview with daughter-san in 'Disappearance Diary', when asked which works she liked among Azuma-san's works, she listed a great many of Sensei's works.

Yamamoto: Since we're mangaka, we start with one card up our sleeves. Cause all small children love manga (laughs).

Azuma: When she was a child, I remember reading my own works to her. Including the television anime.

Yamamoto: Not 'Desperate Angel', but more 'Olympus no Poron' (オリンポスのポロン), right?

Azuma: (Laughs). I showed her that sort of stuff and also brainwashed her.


Azuma Hideo is an Authentic Combination of Tezuka and Tsuge


——Yamamoto-san, I would like you to dig a little deeper into what you wrote in the commentary for volume 2 of Hayakawa Bunko's 'Olympus no Poron'.

Yamamoto: Ahh, the part where I said, 'Japan's manga was created by Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫) and Tsuge Yoshiharu (つげ義春). Azuma-san who succeeded both of them is not a heretic, but a legitimate successor of Japanese manga'. The one I wrote spouting such an outrageous opinion (laughs). But in truth, I actually believe that.

——I would like it if you could talk about that in more detail.

Yamamoto: In short, I personally believe Tsuge Yoshiharu emerged as an alternative to the generation that was completely exposed to Tezuka and Ishinomori, and everything was Tezuka.

——Tsuge-san was an alternative.

Yamamoto: You could call him avant-garde. In manga, there's the main culture and the sub culture. In short, everything that isn't Tezuka and Ishinomori. So, although manga was used by Tezuka Osamu, I believe Tsuge Yoshiharu also created it. Our current abundance is because they both exist. And I believe that Azuma-san inherited both of these separate things.

——I see.

Azuma: Tsuge-san's works, whenever they're turned into movies, are difficult to make good.

Yamamoto: Though Takenaka Naoto's (無能の人) 'Nowhere Man' (無能の人) was interesting.

Azuma: Yamamoto-san's work has been adapted into many movies. Stuff like 'Arigatou'.

Yamamoto: Are they a good size that's easy to turn into movies? What about the story about adapting 'Disappearance Diary' into a movie?

Azuma: There was talk about 'Disappearance Diary', but when they started reading the book, they started to dislike it. Since it's written as a 'true story', they thought they could do away with the book and do whatever they wanted. Nowadays, it seems everything's no good unless there are women or handsome men in it.

Yamamoto: The fact it's in a gag-like warm artstyle is also important. If you mess with that, it'll turn into a tragic story.

Azuma: It would need to be done by a perpetually Boke actor.

Yamamoto: You should ask Matsuo Suzuki-san (松尾スズキ) to play Azuma-san. And have Kudou Kankurou-san (宮藤官九郎) write the script.

Azuma: Matsuo-san might be good.

——Yamamoto-san, do you ever feel like disappearing?

Yamamoto: Well, for about 3 seconds. About 3 seconds a week. But whenever I look at 'Disappearance Diary', it sounds rough.

——I believe there are many people who read 'Disappearance Diary' and were discouraged from disappearing.

Yamamoto: So it's helpful.

——Helpful.

Yamamoto: Though it looks like it would be kinda fun, but that's because of Azuma-san's artstyle【Figure 4】. However, I don't wanna go anywhere there isn't a washlet. Not because I have haemorrhoids. I definitely don't have haemorrhoids.

——Azuma-san, when you disappeared, was it because you disliked manga?

Azuma: No, it was mental illness. Alcoholic depression. By the time I reached the mountains, I was already addicted.

——Then did disappearing cure you of your addiction?

Azuma: Yeah. I disappeared and was on the road to recovery for a time.

——Did you become addicted to alcohol because you were tired of manga?

Azuma: There's no particular logic to why people become addicts. Some keep doing it cause it's fun. For others, it happens suddenly. I often hear stories from addiction groups like the Sobriety Party (断酒会), where ordinary office workers suddenly start drinking on weekend mornings. Then they notice they started drinking in the morning even on weekdays. So they go to the hospital and are told, 'you have an addiction'. There's many like that.

——Yamamoto-san, what did you think when you first read 'Disappearance Diary'?

Yamamoto: I was very happy. I was like 'the king has returned'. The manga's also interesting, so what made me happiest was the fact Azuma-san has made a comeback. Azuma-san has been appearing as a character in his manga for some time. Whenever he's suffering, he would appear in his manga, and 'Disappearance Diary' is the culmination of that.

——Whenever Tsuge Yoshiharu also suffers, I get the feeling more of him appears in his works.

Yamamoto: Yeah, stuff like 'Nowhere Man' felt close. It was also a carefree and funny story.

Azuma: That's cause I was also very influenced by Tsuge-san.

——What did you read by Tsuge-san?

Azuma: His stuff in 'Garo' (ガロ) after I moved to Tokyo. I loved 'Swamp' (沼) (1966). I also liked Mizuki Shigeru-san (水木しげる).

Yamamoto: The short stories back then were very interesting.

Azuma: We all knew Tsuge-san from our book-borrowing days. Our friends were guys from the cities of Otaru and Reihoro. Ah, do you read rental manga?

Yamamoto: In my days, it was a period where we already bought magazines at bookstores.

——You two were born exactly 10 years apart. Azuma-san was born in 1950, and Yamamoto-san was born 1960.

Azuma: Is that so? A 10 year difference.


Figure 4:

I Wanna Have a Gas Pipe Hobby


——I believe when you two actually met was relatively recent.

Yamamoto: It was during last year's roundtable talk in 'Unreal Youth Reader' (非実在青少年読本). Even before that, I had written comments and received letters from him, but that was the first time I met him in person.

Azuma: The three of us were there with Tori Miki-san (とり・みき).

Yamamoto: After that, we saw Nakagawa Isami (中川いさみ) live in Kichijoji. Nakagawa-san drew a band-manga called 'Strato!' (ストラト！), and there was a live performance to unveil it, so we went there. Then I realised the person in front of me sketching was Azuma-san (laughs).

Azuma: I was desperately sketching Nakagawa Isami. Yamamoto-san, were you also in a band?

Yamamoto: I was in one.

Azuma: Many mangaka were. When you draw manga all the time, you want to do various things with those sorts of people.

Yamamoto: That's right. You wanna do something different from manga. It's about interacting with people. Also, it feels good to use your body.

Azuma: When I was temporarily working on gas pipes, it was a tremendous mental relief. To be honest, I still want to dig holes with a shovel. We don't have land so we dig holes.

Yamamoto: A gas pipe hobby.

——Sunday Gas Pipes.

Yamamoto: There would be clubs. Pure gas pipes. Although it won't be any good, they'll install gas pipes.

Azuma: That sounds nice (laughs).

Yamamoto: It's hard to find like-minded people (laughs).

Azuma: Could you show me the gas pipes in your house? I'll do a little digging.

Yamamoto: If you talk to retired gas workers, you may get a lot of members.

Azuma: Digging holes feels very pleasant. When digging holes for gas pipes, you see, there's an extremely intricate underground network with large rocks and tree roots.

——That sounds pleasant, definitely.

Azuma: I'm wondering about renting a small plot of land, like a home garden, so I can dig, bury, and dig again.

——That feels kinda suspicious.


I'm Also One of Your Works


——I would like you to end things by giving a word to each other. First, let's start with Azuma-san to Yamamoto-san.

Azuma: Next time, do ero in earnest. Draw things like 'Red' occasionally.

Yamamoto: I think stuff like 'Red' is fine if it's just 'Red' (laughs).

Azuma: Then focus on ero (laughs).

——Now then, from Yamamoto-san to Azuma-san.

Yamamoto: I want to say, 'I'm also one of your works'. Though Azuma-san is still alive (laughs).

——You must be glad you're able to tell him directly. Tamori-san (タモリ) was unable to tell Akatsuka Fujio-san (赤塚不二夫) directly.

Yamamoto: I believe there's many people from my generation who read Azuma's works.

Azuma: I'm sure there are people who were influenced by me, but they don't want to say it.

Yamamoto: I don't think that's true. They just didn't have the chance to say it.

Azuma: If you're fans, then don't be shy.

Yamamoto: Let's have a coming out, diligently.

Azuma: Cause right now I draw nothing but pure manga.

---

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Something I find interesting is that I browsed Sharon Kinsella's book 'Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society' (Published in 2000) for the first time.

Western researchers keep citing Kinsella, and finally browsing through her book, I feel a range of emotions beyond confusion and disappointment. Typical of my disappointment, at no point in the book does Kinsella even mention Azuma Hideo's name, but she does go over practically everyone else, including Yamamoto Naoki in this talk. I don't know why she omitted mentioning Azuma Hideo when she felt the need to talk about Comiket, Otaku, and Lolicom Manga.

Reading her book's section on Lolicom is interesting. I'm further confused by the western anime fandom's incorrect understanding of the word and how this misconception pervaded in spite of this book being available. Was this book prohibitively expensive upon its release?

Lolita Complex

Towards the end of the 1980s, however, the number of men attending amateur manga conventions increased and new genres of boys' amateur manga began to rise in prominence at Comic Market. The genre into which the majority of this male girls' manga falls is aptly referred to as Lolicom, an abbreviation of Lolita complex, a Japanese phrase derived from a reference to Vladimir Nabakov's novel Lolita. Lolita complex is widely used to refer to the theme of sexual obsession with young pre-pubescent girls which became particularly strong in Japanese culture during the 1980s and 1990s. Lolicom manga usually features a young girlish heroine with large eyes and a childish but voluptuous figure, neatly clad in a revealing outfit or set of armour (see Figure 4.6). The attitude towards gender expressed in most amateur Lolicom manga is quite different to that expressed by the male fans of girls' manga, including gay love stores and parody.

The themes of Lolicom manga written by and for men express a complex fixation with young women, or perhaps the idea of young women (shojo). The little girl heroines of Lolicom manga simultaneously reflect an awareness of the increasing power and centrality of young women in society, as well as a reactive desire to see these young women infantilized, undressed and subordinate. Despite the inappropriateness of their old-fashioned attitudes, many young men have not accepted the possibility of a new role, encompassing greater autonomy for women, in Japanese society. These men who are confounded by their inability to relate to assertive and insubordinate contemporary young women, fantasize about these unattainable girls in their own boys' girls' Lolicom manga.

For other young men, however, the infantilized female object of desire held so close has crossed over to become an aspect of their own self-image and sense of sexuality. One sub-genre of Lolicom manga tells the story of what might be described as the Lolitaization of young men. This Lolicom manga features entirely feminine, cute Lolita figures which sprout penises to reveal their hidden masculinity (Robertson 1998:201-204). In series published by Afternoon magazine for young men the desire to actually become a small pretty girl, or Lolita, is expressed through more subtle and publicly-acceptable means. In Aaah! My Goddess the lead male character takes on some of the cute and infantile affectations of a female Lolita character and in so doing, retains the indulgence and friendship of three Lolita-esque goddesses. In Discommunication, another infantilized male character indulges in dressing-up in girl's clothes (Kinsella 1998:316). This type of Lolicom manga discloses an infinitely more ambivalent attitude towards the ideal of infantile femininity.

Despite the differences between these particular male attitudes, the themes by which amateur manga genres are defined have in common a similar preoccupation with gender and sexuality. Amateur manga genres express a range of problematic feelings young people are harbouring towards established gender roles and, by association, established forms of sexuality. While young people engaged with amateur manga do not fit the social definition of homosexuality, they do share some of the uncertainties and modes of cultural expression, more commonly associated with homosexual men in America and Britain. The sexual themes of parody, Lolicom, and yaoi manga, hint strongly at the possibility that 'camp' is a cultural sensibility which is not, or is no longer, the exclusive adjunct of male homosexuality, though it may fail to receive recognition when it ocurrs in other circumstances.'

Yaoi, june mono, parody and Lolicom express the frustration experienced by young people who have found themselves unable to relate to the opposite sex, as they are constituted within the contemporary cultural and political environment. There is, in short, a profound disjuncture between the expectations of men and the expectations of women in contemporary Japan. Young women have become increasingly dissatisfied with the prospect of marriage to men who can not treat them as anything other than women, mothers, and subordinates. Men who persist in macho sexist behaviour - like that often depicted in boys and adults manga magazines, - are gently ridiculed and rejected by the teenage girls involved in writing parody manga, or reading gay love stories. Young men who also find masculine behaviour and networking (Allison 1994) restricting and uncomfortable, have also been attracted to amateur girls' manga.

Both the obsession with girls relieved through the different types of Lolicom manga, and the increasing interest amongst young men in (girls' own) girls' manga, reflect the growing tendency amongst young Japanese men to be fixated with the figure of the young girl and to orientate themselves around girls' culture. The increasingly intense gaze with which young men examine girls and girls' manga is, to use the words of Anne Allison, 'both passive and aggressive' (Allison 1996:33). It is a gaze of both fear and desire, stimulated not least by the perception of lost privileges over women, which accumulated during the 1980s.

---

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Source:『吾妻ひでお〈総特集〉美少女・SF・不条理ギャグ、そして失踪』 2011/4/18

How Azuma Hideo Became the 'Father of Otaku Culture'​

By Morikawa Kaichirou (森川嘉一朗) (Wiki)


※The statements cited in this article were given by Azuma Hideo on 2011 February 15th (conducted in parallel with the interview at the front of this book), Hirukogami Ken (Formerly) on February 25th of the same year, Oki Yukao on March 8th of the same year, and based on interviews conducted by the author for research in preparation for the 'Azuma Hideo Bishoujo Laboratory (吾妻ひでお美少女実験室) exhibition at the Meiji University Museum (April 23rd to May 23rd of the same year). I would like to borrow this opportunity to thank all parties for their cooperation.


Akihabara has become an 'Otaku Holy Land', a city overflowing with 'Moe' anime-style Bishoujo, where a new type of image club-like shops called maid cafés have appearedー. Such displays were being advertised in an interesting way through the mass media while the Akihabara Boom was happening in March of 2005. When Azuma Hideo's 'Disappearance Diary' was published after his long hiatus, an article introducing it appeared in Yomiuri Shimbun (読売新聞) with the headline, 'The Father of Otaku Culture Returns with Experienced Gags'. The lead sentence introduces Azuma as 'an artist who's said to be the Father of Otaku Culture and boasted a charismatic popularity in the 1970s~1980s' [Note 1].

In fact, Azuma Hideo has been hailed as the Father of Otaku Culture in several manga critiques. In this context, it is often said Azuma was the first mangaka to depict sexual expression not in a gekiga style, but rather a manga-like cute art style similar to Tezuka Osamu's works. After quickly creating the style that would later become known as 'Bishoujo Comic' or 'Moe', he suddenly left the stage, depicting him in a way that emphasises the tragic image of a genius artist with a touch of romanticism. Indeed, going beyond depicting sexual expression in a Tezuka-like art style, his Shoujo partners are often mysterious creatures or machines that appear to have tentacles, or the Shoujo herself is often a doll-like robot with ears like a stuffed cat or bunny, Azuma quickly developed various motifs that would later characterise Otaku culture for men.

However, it is necessary to point out many of these sexual images were also drawn by none other than Tezuka himself. Though there's no need to repeat this point, but Tezuka's works, including transvestism and androgyny, even have the appearance of a trading company with a sexual image, depicting sex scenes. Based on the innovations in motifs and expressions in their works, the more you try and examine the details of what Tezuka accomplished and what Azuma expanded upon, the more complex and ambiguous things become. This article will put aside such analysis.

What can be said with relative objectivity is that Azuma Hideo and his assistant, Oki Yukao, planned and edited an anthology of ero-manga featuring anime-style Bishoujo called 'Cybele'【Figure 1】, a doujinshi of a Sept that never existed before, and distributed it at Comic Market. As the issues of 'Cybele' increased in number and its popularity grew, against the backdrop of a similar doujinshi boom, in the 1980s, artists who drew anime-style art began to be featured in ero-manga magazines sold at bookstores, eventually becoming the mainstream of ero-manga. In this article, we'll learn new information about how Cybele, which was the catalyst of this trend, was created by Azuma Hideo and Oki Yukao, who were involved in the project, and Hirukogami Ken (Formerly), who was one of the participating creators, reproduced in the following statements (honorifics omitted).


Figure 1:

Third-rate Gekiga and Yaoi


The first issue of 'Cybele' was sold at 'Comic Market 11' held in the Ota City Industrial Hall in 1979 April 8th. It was a copy-zine with 26 pages in B5 size sold for 300 yen [Note 2]. It was sold in a plastic bag with an ominous cover of unprinted black rasha-paper. What should be noted about 'Cybele' is that since its conception, it was clearly intended to serve as a springboard for anime-style ero-manga that would later become known as 'Lolicon Manga' or 'Bishoujo Comic'. Why was such a concept formed?


Oki: Back then, during the third-rate gekiga boom, what was called ero would involve married women or, at most, high schoolgirls. There's nothing wrong with that sort of stuff, but that wasn't what we wanted, we felt dissatisfied. Another thing that happened was the Aesthetic Boom (眈美ブーム) among female circles. If this was permitted, then I said it would be fine to do what we wanted to do. Though we started it because no one else was doing it, our true goal was to see it drawn by others who were good at it.


Azuma: I read some Yaoi books, but I neither understood nor enjoyed them, and they also didn't particularly excite me. The ones who were happy were only women. It was a situation where they almost monopolised Comiket, men felt uncomfortable there, like fish out of water.

——Did you think if you released a Lolicon Manga Doujinshi, like-minded fellows would come?

Azuma: That's right. We had doubts whether there were only a few of us who liked that sort of thing. So, although we wanted to draw it ourselves, the desire to read it drawn by others was at the root of it. We've been recruiting people to draw it since the first issue. We had a desire where we wanted to read that sort of thing.


There was a sense of dissatisfaction with ero-manga and a sense of rivalry with Yaoi. These two sensbilities that Azuma Hideo and Oki Yukao shared at the time were the reason behind their idea to create a Lolicon doujinshi. Reminding us once again if we're to examine the history of sexual expression in the Tezuka-like kawaii art style, we'll need to place Yaoi doujinshi and the works of Takemiya Keiko (竹宮恵子) and others depicting relationships between Bishounen in front of Azuma Hideo. Hirukogami Ken, who participated in 'Cybele' and released his own Lolicon doujinshi, points out the following.


Hirukogami: It's precisely because Yaoi existed that 'Cybele' was created. Back then, there were quite quite a few homo-manga ero-books, where you have Sunrise's handsome villains becoming the Uke (受け), and the hero becoming the Seme (攻め). I would be lying if I said there wasn't an awareness of that, and it's precisely because Yaoi existed that it also became a trend where doing Lolicon-like stuff was also fine. So long as it's in the world of free expression known as Comiket and Doujinshi, projects like that were also possible.

——In other words, if there wasn't Yaoi, there's a good chance Lolicon wouldn't exist, either, right?

Hirukogami: That's right. Creating Lolicon doujinshi itself requires courage. If Yaoi never existed, we probably wouldn't have had the courage to do it. After all, there was an awareness that no matter how much they were persecuted, they just accepted it and carried on.


This was also touched upon in Oki Yukao's prior statement, but the rise of Yaoi in Comic Market, along with the sense of rivalry towards it, created a space where ero-parodies of anime or anime-like art styles were accepted. They were encouraged to release Lolicon Manga. In that sense, you could say Yaoi was the Mother of Lolicon Doujinshi.


Manga Garou and Its Sketchbook


And the important foundation for the establishment of 'Cybele', which was on par with the Comic Market space filled with such Yaoi, was the café called 'Manga Garou' (まんが画廊) that existed in Ekoda at the time [Figure 2]. In the café operated by Hiromi Productions (ひろみプロダクション), an anime planning company set up by Tezuka Productions (手塚プロ), the interior was lined with animation cels and doujinshi, and had become the salon for aspiring mangaka and anime fans. Prior to Oki Yukao's conception of 'Cybele', it was at Manga Garou he realised doujinshi could be created based on Lolicon Manga.


Oki: I believe if we didn't do it, someone else probably would have done it. I believe we had a cutaneous sense there was potential demand for that sort of thing.

——Was there a reason you thought that way?

Oki: The first reason was undoubtedly Manga Garou. It was a place you went to because you wanted to look at their sketchbook or draw in it. It's a long, plain notebook with a pretty nice binder. It had a thickness closer to a book than a notebook. People skilled at art were appointed to draw the covers, which was something of an honour.


Thus in the anime fan salon known as Manga Garou, there were a certain number of individuals who shared a desire for ero-manga with an anime-like art style, and Oki Yukao felt he could gather artists there. This, combined with the aforementioned dissatisfaction with ero-gekiga and the rivalry with Yaoi, formed the desire to publish a Lolicon doujinshi between Azuma Hideo and Oki Yukao. According to their testimony, it wasn't like Azuma Hideo took the lead and Oki Yukao followed in his capacity as an assistant, nor was it like Oki trying to create his own doujinshi by taking advantage of Azuma's name, who had sparse interest, but rather 'Cybele' was conceived based on the mutual interest of both parties. However, it was the assistant, Oki Yukao, who brought together the artists, and Hirukogami Ken's (Formerly) impression was said to have been a strong influence on Oki regarding the editing of 'Cybele'. Azuma Hideo and Oki Yukao first created an eight-page copy-zine called 'Cybele Vol.0' Preview & Manuscript Recruitment Issue' (シベール Vol.0 予告＆原稿募集号) as a recruiting tool [Figure 3]. I'll quote the foreword by Oki Yukao from it.


Upon the publication of Cybele, the fairy-like pleasing proportions of Bishoujo seen in Alice or Lolita will be the pinnacle of beauty. However! Currently, if you involve yourself with girls under the age of 13, you will be unfairly punished even if you have the consent of the other party. Break through this predicament and give us Bishoujo!! Please help our inept writers with their manuscripts! We welcome submissions of manga, illustrations, articles, novels, and so on related to Bishoujo. The first issue is scheduled to be published within this year [Note 4].


Since it said 'the first issue is scheduled to be published within this year', this 'Cybele Vol.0' is estimated to have been created around the fall of 1978. According to Oki Yukao, the publication was likely intended to be launched at the winter Comic Market of that year, 'Comic Market 10', which was held on December 17th. Meanwhile, during 'Comic Market 10', Hirukogami Ken, who had not yet met Oki Yukao, published what is said to be Japan's first Lolicon doujinshi, 'Arisu' (愛栗鼠) (however, it wasn't a manga, it was a novel-zine without any erotica). Around roughly the same time 'Cybele' was being conceived and its manuscript solicitation issue was being created, it turned out Hirukogami Ken, who also frequented Manga Garou, was creating the Lolicon doujinshi 'Arisu'.


Hirukogami: There were quite a few regulars at Manga Garou who were into it. They were chatting about how cute so-and-so was from that anime. I believe that's why I wrote 'I'm a Lolicon' in the sketchbook.


It's presumed Hirukogami writing such in the sketchbook caught the eye of Oki, who was seeking writers for 'Cybele', and the two met between late 1978 or early 1979 when Oki Yukao approached Hirukogami Ken at Manga Garou. Then Hirukogami Ken was introduced to Azuma Hideo, whom he admired, and started frequenting Azuma's workplace. At the time, Hirukogami Ken, who suffered from an inferiority complex, had a vivid memory of Azuma Hideo being kinder than he expected when Azuma complimented his art, which he thought was bad.

Although the various artists scouted by Oki Yukao at Manga Garou would be added to later issues, the first issue of Cybele was created from the manuscripts of four people: Azuma Hideo, Oki Yukao, Hirukogami Ken, and Nishina Souichi (仁科蒼一), who was introduced by Hirukogami Ken. In the midst of that work, Hirukogami Ken was also preparing a special issue for 'Arisu' called 'Lolita' (ロリータ), and in response to his contribution to Cybele, Azuma Hideo drew an illustrated essay called the 'Bishoujo Creation Guide' (美少女製造の手引き) [Figure 4]. Both zines were distributed on 1979 April 8th at the aforementioned 'Comic Market 11' in adjacent spaces.

This 'Bishoujo Creation Guide' is one of the earliest Lolicon-related works drawn by Azuma Hideo, and it was far superior to the manga he drew at the same time for 'Cybele', which he presided over; it was drawn with much more careful brushwork and a critical eye. Later, Azuma Hideo published his 'Pure Literature Series' (純文学シリーズ) serialised in a vending machine book, and some saw it as the first Lolicon Manga to suddenly break ground. There's some views that say Azuma Hideo already reached that point in the single illustrated essay he published in the doujinshi.


Figure 2:

Figure 3:

Figure 4:

From 'Cybele' to 'Moe'


Turning our attention back to 'Cybele Vol.0', the concept of ero-parody doujinshi for men that rose to prominence in Comic Market with 'Cybele' as its starting point is clearly presented. In the centre spread following the foreword quoted earlier, featuring illustrations of Bishoujo from several anime drawn in flattering poses, the recruitment manuscript was explained as followed.


Please draw a work that features all of the Bishoujo from the anime world. Create your idol through your teeth!! Pipi (ピピ)! Mayu (まゆ)! Ryuuko (龍子)! Hilda (ヒルダ)! By your hands!! [Note 5]


The one called 'Pipi' is a young mermaid-like character who appeared in the anime 'Triton of the Sea' (海のトリトン). Likewise, the other names are also those of anime Bishoujo. Actually, 'Cybele', which had been published for seven issues by 1981, mainly consisted of manga and illustrations of original characters rather than anime-parodies. However, in Comic Market, the number of anime-parody Lolicon doujinshi featuring all of the Bishoujo from the anime world rapidly increased from around 1981. In particular, the Bishoujo characters by Takahashi Rumiko (高橋留美子) and Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿) became remarkable fuel.

In response to the Lolicon Boom within that sort of doujinshi event, while obtaining a supply of artists from there, starting with the launch of 'Lemon People' (レモンピープル) in 1981 December, many commercial magazines that came to be called 'Bishoujo Comics' began appearing in bookstores across the country. And this trend was not limited to ero-manga. In 1983, 'Lolita Syndrome' (ロリータ・シンドローム) (Creator: Mochitsuki Katsumi [望月かつみ]; Publisher: Enix), the first porno-game with an anime art style, was released. In 1984, 'Creme Lemon Part 1: Be My Baby' (くりいむレモン　パート１　媚・妹・Baby) (Producer: Fairy Dust), the first porno-anime with a similar style, was released. It expanded into an integral trend spanning manga, anime, and games. As if they're trying to raise the banner not only at Comiket, but also at bookstores and the screens of televisions and personal computers.

As the scale of Comic Market expanded, from the ero-parody doujinshi that has been continuously developed there, the supply of artists to commercial manga magazines and ero-game makers continued to grow, and eventually they came to monopolise a large block in all-age manga magazines as well. Especially from the end of the 1990s, the Bishoujo style that has come to characterise Akihabara marketing material is, broadly speaking, a trend that started with 'Cybele', but it could be seen as something that has come to be exposed and developed at the level of a cityscape.

Azuma Hideo was the starting point of this trend, and it can be seen the centripetal force caused by the advent of a professional artist, who was serialised in all-age shounen magazines and was highly popular among SF maniacs, was very strong. However, what should not be overlooked is Azuma Hideo's sympathy, or affection, for Oki Yukao, who scouted Manga Garou, which was a den teeming with anime fans.


Azuma: I kinda like people who don't appear to have much of a social life. The ones that are failures. It's my personality, so I'm a pretty dependent person, so I'm looking for kindred spirits like that. I also don't have much of a social life, so I thought I would be able to talk to people like that. Compared to those who watch anime every day, I don't pursue it as deeply, and I cannot follow their conversations, but I can somehow understand them. People who are immersed in that sort of world.


The style of Bishoujo expression that originated from 'Cybele' and led to 'Moe', beyond simply being dissatisfied with the third-rate gekiga boom, has become a trend that has continued to expand over the past 30 years. Is this because the identity of those who earned themselves the nickname 'Otaku', and the style of that expression, are deeply connected? In other words, is the self-consciousness of being a minority in hobbies and personality becoming shared across generations a combination of expression styles? Was what Azuma Hideo accomplished presiding over the Lolicon doujinshi called 'Cybele' him being a matchmaker, so to speak?

Manga Garou was their meeting place, Oki Yukao arranged their marriage meeting, Azuma Hideo was the matchmaker, and the wedding took place at Comic Market, which served as both the ceremonial and banquet hall. How many Bishoujo were born from that union?


[Note 1] Yomiuri Shimbun 2005 March 30th Evening Issue (読売新聞２００５年３月３０日夕刊).

[Note 2] Hara Maruta (原丸太) (Shimizu Kazuo [志水一夫]) 'What was Cybele?' (シベールとは何だったのか), 'Fusion Product' 1981 October Issue (Rapport) p109.

[Note 3] Andou Kenji (安藤 健二) 'Mystery of Sealed Works 2' (封印作品の謎２) (Ota Publishing, 2006), p241~242, and 'Comic Market 30's File' (コミックマーケット３０’ｓファイル) (Comiket, 2005), p241.

[Note 4] 'Cybele Vol.0 Preview & Manuscript Recruitment Issue' (シベールVol.0 予告＆原稿募集号) p3.

[Note 5] Above [Figure 3], p4~5.

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Tezuka Osamu (Left) and Azuma Hideo (Right):

Assistant B (Azuma's Daughter) Comments:

There's also an interview with Azuma Hideo's wife. But I dunno if I should translate it along with this. It really depends on if there's a need to squash any misconceptions people have regarding Azuma Hideo's relationship with his family. One of the things I wanted to highlight is the relationship between Yaoi and Lolicon, and what is meant by Azuma Hideo being the Father of Lolicon. This book in 2011 more aptly uses the 'Father of Otaku', since Azuma Hideo isn't some minor figure dabbling in a niche genre of manga, but rather the one who set the trends for much of what westerners think of as hentai and anime. Researchers, like Sharon Kinsella, omitting any mention of Azuma Hideo in their books is shameful.

 

[Hexasheep93]

Thanks for another update.
(Yeah sorry for not finishing the long post yet the holidays really take up your time)

Ovetall I really enjoyed these last teo interviews. Its nice to see how these people have that have done and seen so much now can look back at their achievements.

I didnt realize Azuma had such a hard life, I am happy that, at least a the time of this interviews, he seems to be doing better.

Still find it quite interesting the deep relation between shoujo manga and lolicon.

Also would you reccomend the absurd diary manga Azuma talks about?

Now I have a few questions.

don't know if she fits your request for a 'newer artist pov', but as far as artists of Kera's generation are concerned, you can easily find their perspective by searching for 'ロリコンブーム' (Lolicon Boom) wherever these sorts of people hang out.

So stupid question first. Where would these sorts of people hang out you mean like japanese forums?

Second.

Why was Kera attacked by the older ish otakus? Is it just that they thought he was gonna attack lolicon and or manga?

By shoujo I meant shoujo manga. As well as the direction of the medium of manga in general.

Thanks agsin for your hard work

 

[kera]

どうもケラです。いつも更新ありがとうございます。

私がネトウヨ、反フェミニスト、そして特定の中年オタク/冷笑系から襲撃された理由について書いておきます。

私は1年前、「オタク文化とロリコンは関係ない」と主張していたXユーザー（カダフィ企画）に対して、
「ロリコンブームが、オタク文化のルーツのひとつであるのは歴史的事実では？」と返信しました。

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1728490699459535147

すると彼とその取り巻きから、次のような激しいバッシングを受けました。

「オタク文化においてロリコンはサブ的ポジションに過ぎない」
「女性オタク（やおい）や鉄道オタクの存在を無視している」

これはいわゆるストローマン論法です。
たとえば「やおいを無視する」という偽の主張をでっちあげ、
それをもとにハラスメントをおこなう構図です。

彼らはアンチ・ポリコレですが、オタク文化からロリコンを切り離したい意識があったのでしょう。
なぜなら今日の価値観では「ロリコン」は政治的に正しくないからです（まだ「ショタ」の方が相対的にマシなのでしょう）。
彼らは、しっかりと西欧の倫理規範に組み込まれていたのです。

ただ「オタク」という語の定義やスコープ（どのオタクジャンル含むか）が明確でなかったことも、
議論のすれ違いにつながったように見えます。本来は「萌え」に話をしぼるべきだったのです。

しかし、ここでも問題が出てきました。

彼らの一部は「萌え」のルーツとして「ロリコンブーム」でなく
少女マンガや手塚治虫を起源にしたがります。

彼らはなぜロリコンブームを矮小化するのか？
おそらくそれは無知もあるのですが、
いちばんの理由は「萌えの端緒が、性欲/ロリ由来であることを認めたくない」、
つまりはオタク文化の漂白化です。

これについて、あるユーザーは「性欲ロンダリング」と定義し、さらに「当事者は割と言語化しようとしているのに、それを表自界隈が歴史修正主義的になかったことにしようとしているのでは？」と指摘しました。

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1730979404556423415

この論争はロリだけに不毛なように見えて、
日本の中年ネトウヨ／オタクが抱える深刻な問題を浮き彫りにしています。

今ではオタクが完全にアイデンティティになっていますが、それは言い換えれば、オタクが出現した80年代以降、日本では共同体が崩壊しており、帰属できるものが、虚構の産物であるアニメやマンガなどのサブカルチャー、オタク文化ぐらいしかなくなったからです。だから誰かが「オタクの自由を奪う人間がいる」と扇動すると、大規模な炎上と注目を集めるのです。

また現在、日本ではSNSを中心に日本版ゲーマーゲート事件（https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9A%87%E7%A9%BA%E8%8C%9C）ともいえるムーブメントが展開されています。

この論争は、それと同期するように起こったことも、いちおう付記しておきます。

結論

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1738747264888431058

 

[Taruby]

Thanks for another update.
(Yeah sorry for not finishing the long post yet the holidays really take up your time)

Overall I really enjoyed these last two interviews. Its nice to see how these people have that have done and seen so much now can look back at their achievements.

I didnt realize Azuma had such a hard life, I am happy that, at least a the time of this interviews, he seems to be doing better.

Still find it quite interesting the deep relation between shoujo manga and lolicon.

Also would you reccomend the absurd diary manga Azuma talks about?

Now I have a few questions.

don't know if she fits your request for a 'newer artist pov', but as far as artists of Kera's generation are concerned, you can easily find their perspective by searching for 'ロリコンブーム' (Lolicon Boom) wherever these sorts of people hang out.

So stupid question first. Where would these sorts of people hang out you mean like japanese forums?

Second.

Why was Kera attacked by the older ish otakus? Is it just that they thought he was gonna attack lolicon and or manga?

By shoujo I meant shoujo manga. As well as the direction of the medium of manga in general.

Thanks agsin for your hard work

First, congratulations on getting Kera to come out of his lurker status. He's been reading everything written in this thread and sharing certain things among his followers.

I don't know where young people with smart phones and their pre-installed applications hang out, but I don't believe I've ever seen a Japanese forum board (their BBS culture is more like a guestbook or personal uploader). It's why I'm posting on this forum board (laughs), since it's familiar territory for me. Everyone is on Twitter, Youtube, and Discord these days...

'Absurd Diary' hasn't been translated into any other languages. So I'm not sure what you mean by recommend. If it's recommend as something you should read as a Japanese beginner or take on as a fan translation project, then that depends on how much you love science fiction, it references a great many science fiction works every chapter (i.e. at least ten references in the first chapter). Absurd Diary also heavily inspired the story of the anime Evangelion, though I believe many western anime fans don't appreciate the way Evangelion's story 'fell apart'... There's a remaster collection (288 pages) published in 2019 that has Absurd Diary along with some of Azuma Hideo's other manga. You can see a sample of the contents of the remaster here:

If your Japanese reading skills are weak, then I would recommend 'Olympus no Pollon'; it has furigana and its theme on Greek mythology should allow you to quickly understand the characters and appreciate its gags and humour. 'Olympus no Pollon' and 'Nanako SOS' have been translated into French and Italian, and Nanako SOS is a fine introduction to Azuma Hideo if you're advanced enough you no longer need furigana as a crutch. I translated this page from the remastered 'Nanako SOS' afterword (this afterword was made after Disappearance Diary, hence the Loli Anymous reference to his alcohol addiction problem).

In any case, Kera shared a lot of valuable information with me, and helped me with some articles I'll be uploading in the future. Kera suggested that I should try and tackle 15 pages of Yonezawa's Postwar Eromanga History book. Yonezawa wrote a bunch of information rich books that desperately need to be translated into English, and Eromanga History was Yonezawa's posthumous work, so it kinda ended in an unfinished state. Yonezawa was able to finish his books on postwar shoujo manga, baseball manga, science-fiction manga, and gag manga history. Eromanga History contains valuable information, but the scope of its 300 pages makes it intimidating to translate as a simple fan-project. Like if someone paid me to translate Kera's interview, that would be close to 700 USD worth of work, and I couldn't imagine how much it would cost Kera to hire a professional translator to make his work accessible in English (so instead of throwing your money at Vtuber harlots and internet personalities, please support Kera's research!).

For now, I translated a very recent and casual autobiography by a mangaka called Tanaka Masato, who I doubt anyone in the west knows about. However, Tanaka has briefly worked as an assistant to Kagami Akira (before he passed away) and Azuma Hideo (before he disappeared) and also interacted with many other mangaka like Kazuna Kei and Konoma Waho (I'm planning to translate an interview with Kazuna Kei, though Konoma Waho [孤ノ間和歩] is still someone that is a big mystery even among the Japanese fandom despite his involvement in some pretty major and influential projects, but I really would like it if someone could convince Konoma to do his own auto-biography about the old days).

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Source:『回想記１「かがみ☆あきら先生のこと」』 2023/11/28


Tanaka Masato (田中雅人) (Wiki) (J-Comi) (Pixiv)

Memory 1:
About Kagami Akira-Sensei​

Welcome. First off, I made 3 posts on X regarding Azuma Hideo-sensei, and they went like this:

Quote: 田中雅人 (@tanamach) November 27, 2023

When I submitted a manga about a Youjo growing into a giantess* to my old doujinshi, I was told 'Tanaka-san's work is a little different, huh'. I don't know whether I should be happy to be excluded from the Loli folks, but at the same time, I was sad being told that. But after seeing that manga, Azuma-san made me his assistant. The difference between this maniac and creator is interesting. Do you get me (laughs)?

※The doujin is 'Live in 3D' from Metal Milk 2 [Studio Halloween, 1984]. Afterwards, Tanaka also did a manga about a girl growing gigantic called 'Ikko-chan's Final Day' (いっこちゃん最後の日) as a guest artist for an Azuma Hideo Special Collection, which has later been compiled in Tanaka's 'Killer Ghost' which is officially available for online reading (キラー・ゴースト) (Link)

Quote: 田中雅人 (@tanamach) November 27, 2023

Then when Azuma-sensei disappeared and I became unemployed, I had no choice but to draw manga at Hakusensha (I was more comfortable being an assistant). Suddenly I received a phone call from Sensei and he told me, "The short story in this month's issue was interesting!", then I asked, "Wh-where are you!?" and he wouldn't answer. This also had its long sequence of events.

Quote: 田中雅人 (@tanamach) November 27, 2023

I really had no choice but to make my debut at Hakusensha. I still couldn't write manga very well, and I wanted to work as an assistant for a few more years and train. Then all of a sudden I was serialised monthly. I didn't have an assistant system in place either, so there was no way I could draw 40 pages a month. This is what happens when you deal with inexperienced publishers.

Samples of 'Live in 3D'. The doujin work that led to Azuma Hideo hiring Tanaka Masato as his assistant.

Ikko-chan's Final Day. Tanaka Masato's debut work in the Azuma Hideo Special Collection.

Part 1: Before My Debut
When I Awoken to Moe Art


1977, in the aftermath of the Lockheed Incident* (Note 1), I gave up on going to university, and during that time, I worked part-time at my uncle's arts and crafts business in my hometown. Due to various circumstances, I moved to Hayamiya, Nerima-ku, to live alone.
※Lockheed Bribery Scandals (Wiki)

If I wanted to draw manga, it would've been easier living at my parents' home in Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture; I had been drawing all sorts of manga in the manga doujin I've been a part of since high school, but I felt my talent had reached its limits, so I decided to make a big change in my life.

During my long doujin life, I witnessed the struggles of aspiring mangaka who were far more skilled than myself, and concluded I was not cut out to be a mangaka.

So, around the time I moved, my fellow doujin buddies fell into a rut with manga doujin, so we decided to take a break. Feeling refreshed, we started talking about publishing a text-based mini-communication magazine, which we had been thinking about for some time, and we started editing it with the hopes of opening up shop at the Harumi Comiket. The first and second issues of the mini-communication magazine went smoothly, then we all drew a relay manga called 'Moebius Saga' (メビウスサーガ).

The finished mini-communication magazine was sent to 'Spaceship'* (宇宙船), a magazine that became a hot topic in regards to Tokusatsu SFX at the time, and we received a quick review from the editor-in-chief, Hijiri Saki-san (聖咲奇), which got us pumped up.
※Spaceship (Uchuusen) (Wiki)

What became the original drawing of its main character was a face-sketch of a Shoujo called Moebius-chan I reluctantly drew. If you were to ask why I drew such a Bishoujo-type character, it's because there was a passionate Miyazaki Hayao Otaku (ヲタ) at my part-time job before I moved, and he would passionately explain to me the intricacies of Bishoujo art. He said, "Tanaka-san, Miyazaki Bishoujo are like this. Please draw something like this." In the past, Otaku had a tendency of freely relying on people, who could draw, to draw for them. Indeed, when I tried drawing Lana from Future Boy Conan (未来少年コナン), he was so overjoyed, we decided to input it into the micro-computer at work so it would show up on the display.

The part-time job I was working at back then was the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (電力中央研究所) in my hometown, and we were doing concrete pressure tests for dams. It was a simple job of kneading concrete at a ratio in the hundreds, mixing it with aggregate, hardening it, running pressure tests, and recording the data, so I was doing that part-time. I believe the micro-computer there was a Hitachi Basic Master MB-6880. (Note 2)

First we traced the girl's face on graph paper, then using the CG method back then by entering the coordinates of the line art one by one on the keyboard, it would slowly display green line art, which gave it a futuristic feeling that was 'Tron-like'. All the while, he kept muttering 'cute... cute' at the green pixel art. I suppose guys like that are the true Otaku elite. I was somewhat different.

I recorded the drawing data on a cassette tape and took it home, but lost it (laughs). At the time, the person who guided the construction of the dams in Showa Japan was a guy called Okuda-san (奥田), who had been in charge of dam construction at the electric research institute, and for some reason or other, I got called in because I was good at obtaining data during the concrete crushing experiments, and he asked, "Tanaka-kun, would you like to try building a dam with me?"

I felt dizzy.

I was hiding both my muscles and shit typing out sprites of Bishoujo on the personal computer at the research institute. Since then, you see, I was drawing nothing but Bishoujo. Drawing anything besides that was boring. I realised anything and everything Bishoujo shook up my boring daily life. I understand it now, but that stuff was a kind of drug, and the artist was a junkie.

If I had followed Okuda-san and whacked at the dam, I bet I would've had a peaceful life, but I was ambushed with sporadic withdrawal episodes at my workplace (such a bad metaphor; laughs).


How I became Kagami Akira-san's (かがみ☆あきら) Assistant by Chance


Now then, back when we grew accustomed to opening up shop for the third time at the Harumi Comiket, I couldn't do a manga for the 3rd issue, so I reluctantly submitted what was a private 4 page derivative work at the end of the book. I don't remember much, but it was a short gag about a Miyazaki Bishoujo being assaulted by a penguin...

Then a drifting editor happened to pass by our booth and noticed this, so he handed me his business card and said, "I'm doing a magazine, wanna draw for us?"

That was Editor K-san, who would later publish the magazine Lolipop (ロリポップ). I was surprised at how easily I was commissioned, though thinking about it later, he gave me the impression of a hoodlum (ガロ) hitting on my cute art. He didn't care about who drew it, he was hitting on that cute art. That's why editors are hoodlums. I believe he was from the same hometown as Kagami Akira, who was drawing there, and since he didn't have enough assistants, he asked me to come to Sensei's workplace in Takadanobaba (the mansion block in the first photo), and we ended up talking.

Back then, I was inexperienced and might've been blinded by the fact the other party's business card was for a commercial magazine. So I became a mangaka's assistant with rather light feelings. Based on my daily wage, it felt like it would've been higher income than the towel delivery part-time job I was doing at the time, so I decided to become an assistant. That's why I didn't have any interest in Kagami-sensei or Manga Burikko, or rather, I didn't know about them. I didn't become passionate about manga until a few years prior, around the time of Comic Again (コミックアゲイン).

This was up until the so-called post-COM period, which would've made Shinomori Shoutarou's (石森章太郎) Mangaka Introductory Guide (漫画家入門) a work from the bible generation.

'Future Boy Conan' was interesting, so I watched it. And I thought SF novels were more interesting than manga, so I was wondering if I could make a living being what we would call a writer nowadays and contacted 'Tokyo Otona Club' (東京おとなクラブ). Regrettably, I grazed the position. I talked about that at Kagami-san's workplace, and he said 'Tanaka-kun is a subculture fellow, huh', since I was an avid reader of SF and horror light novels. You see, Stephen King used to include the real names of all kinds of everyday gadgets in his novels. Absorbing knowledge about subcultures is nothing more than collecting knowledge on a daily basis from writing. But I digress.

So there I was. The so-called Editor K-san said, "Tanaka-kun, you're a year older than Kagami-san, so shave off two years to become his assistant."

This would cause a lot of trouble for me later on...

You see, he's telling me to lie to someone, which is like telling me to keep lying to someone who may be in the industry for a long time afterwards (actually, you should think this way when you're attracting someone). I couldn't say such a thing normally. In fact, I should've seen through the true nature of this Editor K-san at this moment. This is probably the reason why such people are ridiculed for being crafty old fox editor hoodlums. But I also had no intention of staying in the manga industry for that long, so no matter how I sliced it, it felt like a part-time job, so I was like fine, and let my guard down. Though it's funny now.


After I Became an Assistant


From here will be my chronicle, I believe the first time I entered Kagami-san's workplace was around February of 1983. Kagami-san passed away in August of the same year, so I was only there for half a year.

The same time I joined as an assistant, it would be a week later I returned home after being canned, that's how I started my life 2~3 times a month. Furthermore, the total amount of sleep I got per week (I measured) felt like 12 hours. But since I was young, I was fine with that. Because Kagami-san was the favoured child of the minor manga world back then, all sorts of people came to our workplace.

First, the regular assistant members were Ooya Masahiro-san (大屋正宏), Funato Hitoshi-san (船戸ひとし), Masuda Haruhiko-san (増田晴彦) (Yoriumushi [寄生虫]), and the illustrator, Suzuki Masahisa-san (鈴木雅久), who would sometimes come draw the mobs and backgrounds. The Editor-sans, who took turns working with us, were Ootsuka Eiji-san (大塚英志) from Manga Burikko, a certain guy from Animec (アニメック), and Editor K-san from the same hometown as me. As summer approached, an Editor-san from Shogakukan also came, and it started to feel like Kagami-san was finally going to make his major debut. Around that time, Yuuki Masami-sensei (ゆうきまさみ) and Kagami-san, who had already decided to make their major debut at Shogakukan, often had long conversations on the telephone. They sounded excited about Harada Tomoyo (原田知世) on the phone, and if I recall correctly, they showed me a Tokikake (時かけ＝時をかける少女; The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) doujinshi, but I was a fan of the director Oobayashi Nobuhiko (大林宣彦), who hooked me with 'Transfer Student' (転校生) that was the first of the Onomichi trilogy, and I was part of the Kobayashi Satomi (小林聡美) faction, so it didn't matter to me (bitter laugh). But people like the anime designer, Izubuchi Yutaka-san (出渕裕), also came by, and they talked about how the scene where Kobayashi Satomi goes up the stairs in 'The Deserted City' (廃市) was so good. I guess the upskirt fetish was from back then (laughs).

Around that time, I was introduced by Kagami-san to help Yuuki-sensei with his newly drawn tankoubon, so I was at his studio for about 2 weeks. That was the time I believed being a mangaka was impossible for me. Sensei hadn't slept for about a week. And he was drawing incredibly fast. I easily accepted the job since it was so close to my home, but I thought I was going to die (laughs).

I often drew while facing Suzuki Masahisa-san, and he taught me stuff like if you skip the edges for the backgrounds, it would have that sort of look. He was a really nice guy, probably the nicest guy I've ever met at that workplace. He also said stuff like 'if you stay up all day and night, you'll prune thousands of synapses'. Such a nostalgic memory.

I still feel very regretful I didn't have the opportunity to talk to him later in life. I only drew manga in a doujinshi, and wanted to hear more about the old days. I have a lot of regrets. So when I got worried about Futano-san on X (Formerly Twitter), I sent him a DM, and he just kinda dismissed me (laughs).

I began as that sort of assistant around early spring of February~March, and my manga was serialised in Editor K-san's mook called 'Margarita' (マルガリータ) (Kasakura Publishing). The work was 'Moebius Saga', which I drew alone. To be honest, I wasn't very interested in drawing it. This was also Editor-san's request, so it couldn't be helped. Well, that mook was a rip-off magazine of Tokuma's 'Motion Comic' (モーションコミック), which was a hot topic back then, but it was the first time my own manga was serialised, so I was tentatively happy. Though I didn't think stuff like 'with this, I'm also a professional mangaka'. I believe back then, I heard 'mangaka can only call themselves that after releasing their first tankoubon', but I doubt that even now. Later in the 1990s, I have a memory of being surprised hearing the first editions of Morning-type (モーニング) comics numbered five thousand copies.

Kagami-san and the other Sensei were talking on the phone about how long they haven't slept, and how sleeping for an hour last night was like a badge of honour. Kagami-san always kept a pack of oolong tea on his desk, saying he was obese, and was going to see a doctor and start dieting. Thinking about it now, it would've been impossible for him to go on a diet due to his sleep deprivation and lack of exercise, but I didn't think that back then. I only thought popular mangaka were physically strong.


Sensei's Death


Then one day in July, I happened to be alone with Kagami-san at his workplace, and he must've been tired; he looked off into the distance and started talking about the girlfriend he broke up with when he was at university. In a room that was so chilled by the air conditioner it felt abnormal, if I recall, he said he had been diagnosed with an autonomic nervous system disorder. He told her story in 'Wine-Coloured Story' (ワインカラー物語), but for some reason, he dug out old drawings from his university days from his closet and showed them to me. While saying not to say too much to the others. His art style back then was completely different, it was a shoujo manga art style (Hagio Moto's [萩尾望都] style). Actually, Kagami's art style back then also had a source, but I couldn't help but think to myself, 'talented people are good at whatever they draw'. I don't remember why he suddenly changed to such a serious topic, but when I think about it now, it reminds me of a scene of having a conversation at the bottom of a deep well.

Kagami-san passed away less than half a month later.

I believe our last phone call was when he jokingly told me to hurry up and draw a manuscript for the copy book to be released at the summer Comiket. I think I was busy with other things and couldn't draw. So when I heard the sudden news over the phone, I was stunned, but I realised it wasn't that popular mangaka were physically strong, but rather they forced themselves to stay awake.

A few days later, his parents and relatives rushed over from Nagoya, and a funeral was held in Tokyo. His parents seemed nice, but I felt depressed as all I could do was watch. I especially felt sorry for Funato-san as he was the first to discover the body.

However, I learned something unexpected there. As the monks began the sutra recitation, they read out the age of his death, and I found out Kagami-san was also shaving off two years from his actual age. Kagami-san was older than me from the very beginning, so I was more shocked by that than by his death.

"Oh my, he passed away while we were mutually shaving off two years from our age..."

It doesn't matter that much now, but when you're in your twenties, an age difference of one or two years was a big deal. When you're young, things develop at a rapid pace. In fact, that's also what happened during that six month period. But because of that, I continued to shave off two years from my actual age. Well, I don't often get asked about my age. I was 25 years old at the time. I should've used that opportunity to tell everyone I was also shaving off two years. Though I was also certainly aware it was too late after I began working as a mangaka. However, I learned Tezuka Osamu-san (手塚治虫) was also shaving off two years after he passed away. Is there a rule mangaka need to shave off two years from their age? In fact, when you bring your work to a publisher, they ask how old you are, but you didn't have to bring anything like a resume. Nowadays, it feels like they'll ask you to show stuff like your driving licence. The Animec editor-san grasped our hands and cried, 'everyone should rip-off Kagami-kun's art!'.

But after that incident, I thought I had no choice but to continue as a mangaka. That's what I thought. So when the funeral was over, we returned to Kagami-san's workplace and his parents were there, and they told us we could take whatever was in there as a memento. I was confused when everyone were saying such things; Editor K-san said with a smile, 'well then, I'll take this' and he pulled Kagami-san's favourite large double-headed desk light from his work desk, and quickly grasped it as if it was some sort of trophy.

Such a heartless world...

This is the reason why I didn't draw in Lolipop (COMICロリポップ) even when he came to request it. Thinking about it now, I may have been simply directing my anger at him to brush off my sense of loss.

But, since then, all the local mangaka started sleeping at night.


-------------------------


Note 1: When I was a high schooler, my father was questioned by the National Police Agency because he worked for Toa Mutual Enterprises (東亜相互企業), where Kodama Yoshio (児玉誉士夫) was an adviser, and fearing that his supporters would silence him, he began travelling around the country, cutting off my family's income. My post-war Japanese history that made it impossible for me to attend higher education. Even now, my stomach churns whenever I see Tachibana Takashi (立花隆) (bitter laugh).

Note 2: I believe it was this. Even looking at it now, it's cool.

-------------------------


Sources:
『回想記２「吾妻ひでお先生について」』 2023/12/06

『回想記３ 「吾妻先生の帰還」』2023/12/11​

Before I Became Azuma Hideo-Sensei's Assistant


First, there was a Lolicon Boom in the minor industries back then, and Azuma-sensei was its legend and its pioneer. He was fully aware he was not a Lolicon category-type human back then, and even though he drew Bishoujo, he felt excluded because he didn't draw them as sexual objects. It may be more accurate to say he didn't ground his sexual orientation into his manga. Instead, he was worried he wouldn't be able to join the Otaku because of that. After all, it was a time when Lolicon-type creators had jobs in the minor industries.

I can't imagine it even now.

I'm jumping around a bit in time, but let's go back to 1983 (Showa 58). While I was working part-time at the electric research place, I was seeking a market for the mini-communication magazine 'Rhetorica' (れとりか) somewhere besides Comiket, so I visited the permanent doujinshi shop 'Free Space' (ふりーすぺーす). It was a mansion block office right in the middle of gay town (ゲイタウン), the atmosphere was very suspicious, so it was the perfect place to deal in questionable doujinshi. There, I encountered the revolutionary doujinshi which depicted horror with Loli art called 'Metal Milk' (METAL MILK).

It was the first issue of 'Metal Milk' and a cute booklet by the editor-in-chief, Kuri Eito (くり鋭斗), called 'The Rocky Molly Horror Show' (ロッキーモーリーホラーショー), and I immediately became entranced with the work they drew. Studio Halloween (スタジオハロウィン), which published the doujin, also had Yamanouchi Shin-san (山内真), who was in charge of all the characters for Bikkuriman Seal (ビックリマンシール) no one knows about, and Okuzawa Seiji-san (奥沢聖治), who was a horror critic that later published a Stephen King research book by Byakuya Shobo. I couldn't resist contacting them, though I don't remember whether it was by visiting their booth at Comiket or by sending them a letter.

However, due to that, I wound up drawing for their second issue of 'Metal Milk'. I was so happy. I drew the work 'Live in 3D' under the penname Karasaki Yu (柄咲遊). It was a horror story about a monster that materialises from a 3D movie that I later remade in Shinshokan's Wings* (ウイングス).
※Shinshokan Wings (Link)

I thought that doujinshi would be a signboard to usher in an era of Bishoujo-type horror manga, but that never happened (laughs). However, I feel it became popular for some as a horror manga with a dry style that was rare back then. Thankfully, Kubo Shoten's editor-in-chief, who I met at Kagami's workplace, saw 'Metal Milk', and hired me to do Lemon People's (レモンピープル) special horror issue. 'Live in 3D' was pretty popular within that industry. Kubo-san (久保) was a highly mobile editor who would always come to meetings on his Harachari* (原チャリ), he was a paragon of a minor editor who didn't push himself too hard and didn't have much money. It's Lemon People after all. Kagami-san didn't draw, I wonder why, guess it was to avoid a magazine tattoo. Though I drew regardless.
※Harachari is slang for a motorised bicycle (Wiki)

Kagami-san's funeral was over and 1984 was already in the beginning of autumn. And through Kubo-san's mediation, I ended up going to work with the Lemon People artist, Kazuna Kei-san (計奈恵), who was looking for a temporary assistant. I believe he lived in Higashi-Nagasaki. The work was a comic-alise (コミカライズ; comic adaptation) (though that kind of word didn't exist back then) for 'Creamy Mami' (クリーミーマミ) by Kodansha or some other publisher.

Kazuna-san was sharing a solitary house (this kind of word also didn't exist back then) with Konoma Waho-san (このま和歩) and while we were drawing, he taught me all sorts of things, including tips for drawing manga. He once told me 'if you let them see the girl's tears somewhere, your ranking in the reader vote will go up a bit' (laughs).

Some time passes, and I believe I received a phone call from Kazuna-san telling me, "Azuma-sensei is looking for an assistant, so I showed him 'Metal Milk' and he liked it, so how about it?".

There's foreshadowing in this as well; back then, Azuma-sensei had begun serialising a work called 'Makunouchi Death Match' (幕の内デスマッチ) in Hakusensha's monthly magazine 'ComiComi' (コミコミ), so he was busy (he had to do a lot of pages all at once), and the person in charge of that, T-san, was a huge Lovecraft fan. When he said Azuma-sensei, I was nervous wondering what I should do since he was a great master in that field, but I decided to go to his place cause I couldn't eat with just doing work at minor magazines that came one by one. It was October, I worked as a temporary assistant for one day at Azuma-sensei's workplace near Oizumi-Gakuen's Hoya Station, and then I was permanently hired. This was two months after Kagami-san's workplace closed.


When I Joined as Azuma-Sensei's Assistant


At Sensei's workplace, there's an older assistant called Mizorogi-san (溝呂木), and after Azuma-Sensei draws the principal lines for the characters, he tosses them onto the floor, and I would pick them up and draw the backgrounds and other stuff. Mizorogi-san would rub them with a rubber eraser and then do the solid tones, and that became our 3-man routine. As you would expect, Sensei draws incredibly fast. If it's 16-page-ish manga, then he can finish the work in a single day.

Upon reflection, I feel such a drawing pace for weekly magazines was achievable due to the drawing density in the 1970s, but the drawing density increased with the 1980's Ootomo (大友克洋) Boom, and I believe that made workplace conditions increasingly harsh. If you were to try and make up for the extra work with more assistants, then you'll be putting pressure on the workplace in terms of its profitability. The manuscript fee will be completely consumed by the assistant fee, and if the comic doesn't get published, you won't be able to make any money, making it so becoming a mangaka is also predicated on creating a hit. A major magazine editor once said it's difficult to become a mangaka unless your family is wealthy, but I know several close examples. That also goes for serial creators who appear to be stable. That's why you cannot refuse any jobs that come your way, especially if you're a newcomer, which leads to things like what happened to Kagami-san. Good or bad, that's the reality. So, this applies not only to aspiring mangaka, but to those seeking to become a freelancer; I believe it's best to live with your parents and don't force yourself to live out on your own. That's how you stay alive.

Mizorogi-san, who was the senior assistant there, didn't feel like he had any maniac-characteristics, which was a bit of a letdown for me who thought Azuma-sensei's workplace was an Otaku den. When I opened the door to the workplace, the door on the other side of the room would be open, and through the noren* with a family crest, I could see the bare feet of young men lying on the tatami mats, which was enough to give it a disquieting mood. As you might have guessed, it's completely different from Kagami-san's workplace with hardly anyone other than the editors coming in and out. If I were to describe the atmosphere, it was so silent while we were working, I thought, 'maybe I came to the wrong place'.
※Noren (Wiki)

My daily routine was to enter the workplace around noon with a spare key and wake up Sensei, who was sleeping in a futon in a 4.5 tatami room, and there was always a bottle of black whiskey by his bedside. Sensei always woke up pale and hungover; it was absolutely not an atmosphere where you could chat. Looking back now, it probably was that sort of period for Azuma-sensei. (I don't know what happened prior.)

That's right, he had the image of a Buraiha*, the complete opposite of an Otaku or maniac. One day after work, a drinking buddy came to visit, and according to Sensei, they happened to meet at a local pub and were acquaintances completely unrelated to manga. This is the exact same black-painted character that appears as a drinking buddy in his manga. That character was the original Kaonashi (カオナシ; No Face). His wife back then would also come in holding their baby, and for some reason, I felt nervous. Well, it's understandable, but you need to read the subtle atmosphere. What surprised me the most was what he said after handing over the manuscript for a long-established doujinshi before the winter Comiket, the contents were so brutal, so I cannot write about them here. Sensei wasn't a Dazai Osamu-type (太宰治). He was undoubtedly a Sakaguchi Ango-type (坂口安吾).
※Buraiha (Wiki)

After about a month, I started to realise Azuma-sensei was a Buraiha poet, and talking to the young men in the next room further convinced me. Like at Kagami-san's place where even if you made the mistake of watching videos of Tokusatsu (特撮) and popular anime, he wouldn't break a sweat, they had the sort of impression where they would watch the movie 'Ryûji' (竜二) if they wanted to take a break. They had the sort of style where they would leave 10,000 yen bills by their pillows cause that's fine. They were very happy when I brought the illegally dubbed version of 'Crazy Thunder Road' (狂い咲きサンダーロード) I acquired through my connections. Ah, yes, I believe 'Live in 3D' was called that because it was dry and brutal while pretending to be Lolicon. When the topic of Tezuka Osamu (honorific omitted) came up during conversation, he said 'that guy's art made me completely crazy'. Being there had the image of Endou Shuusaku's (遠藤周作) 'Silence' (沈黙), but replace the Christians with Lolicon as the ones being oppressed, or there was a thrill in daring to go against the grain because life was boring, so whatever the deadline, I thought we would be fine. If they released a brass treading picture* of 'Nanako SOS', it would've sold well.
※T/L Note: In Japanese history, these would be plates with a crucifix or other Christian symbol to be trodden upon to prove you're a non-Christian, a sort of loyalty test.

Though it would've been gratifying if he spontaneously went crazy in literary terms, but he's at his limits due to the environment he grew up in unilaterally driving him crazy. However, he was fascinated by Tezuka's art, which was derived from Disney, and even though he was nonplussed by the flippant frivolities of Akita Shoten-types, it was hard for him to give up his fascination with literature, so I guess it was no wonder he couldn't give up alcohol. (Sorry... My impression was too much...)

But actually, Mizorogi-san was a guy with none of the Otaku sensibilities of an Asuna Hiroshi (あすなひろし) fan, and he was in his 40s, much older than Azuma-sensei, who was 34 (!) years old back then. I didn't realise it at the time, but now that I think about it, since the Lolicon Boom, he must've had an entourage of Otaku, but not once did they come visit him during work. It's a big difference from Kagami-san's workplace where people would come and go, one after another.

One day, the phone rang during work, and it sounded like it was Morohoshi Daijirou-sensei (諸星大二郎) on the other end, so I was nervous. Morohoshi-sensei was on the other end of the phone! What should I do!? (Work!) But even after the phone call was over, it wasn't a mood where I could ask 'that was Morohoshi-sensei just now, right!?'.

However, some time passes, so I bought the tankoubon 'Dark Legend of Confucius' (孔子暗黒伝) and asked, "When Morohoshi-sensei comes, would you mind getting his autograph for me?"

And he laughed, "Why don't you ask him yourself at the party?"

When he put it like that, sure, but I was asking because I couldn't muster up the courage to talk to him. Back then, everything felt fruitless, like if I tried something on my own, it wouldn't turn out well. My world revolved passively. When it came to manuscript requests and everything. I couldn't do anything but draw manga without making any bad moves. Gradually that became a habit.

It goes without mentioning there was that sort of thrill in the workplace due to our age difference (of around 10 years), and one day when an Editor-san, waiting for a Name, was watching over us, Azuma-sensei said 'I'm going out to buy some smokes, be right back' and got up from his chair, the Editor-san said, 'no, no, I'll...!' and followed him to the door.

Everything was like this, it was hard-boiled, completely different from Kagami-san's workplace.

But whenever I look at the idol drawings Sensei drew in his later years, I believe there's no way he disliked drawing Bishoujo; even if it was a drug-like pleasure, who could blame him? I also know quite well how it relieves pain. Even when it doesn't have any sexual attributes. That's why I felt sad when Kuri Eito (くり鋭斗) said, 'Tanaka-san's work is a little different', I wanted to reply that I wasn't particularly angry, but it hurt all the same.

Near the end of 1984, when I was growing accustomed to Azuma-sensei's workplace, T-san, who was in charge of Azuma-sensei at Hakusensha, told me to draw a Name since they're going to be publishing a special book on Azuma-sensei in a supplementary issue for ComiComi (コミコミ). Up until then, I had drawn a few short stories for what you would call minor publishers back then, such as Kasahara Publishing and Kubo Shoten, but Hakusensha was one of the biggest publishers, so I decided to give it a try. I believe Azuma-sensei might've put in a good word for me, but I believe there was a grave misunderstanding. My manga skills were still lacking. I did a manga called 'Ikko-chan's Final Day' (いっこちゃん最後の日), which spanned less than 10 pages, but it made me realise the way I drew manga has changed drastically since working at Azuma-sensei's place. I changed the Name 5 times, and by the end, I was so frustrated I cried by the roadside (laughs). When the printed special feature arrived, it said 'Editor T-san is Tanaka-kun's foster parent'. And that manga became the number one guest contribution outside Azuma-sensei's works, and my manuscript fee doubled.

Around the same time, I was also helping Yuuki Masami-sensei (ゆうきまさみ) with his early short stories. What's amazing about Yuuki-sensei is that he would order breakfast at a nearby café and would draw manga while gulping down his meal. Being in a place where there's other people was impossible for me. Professional mangaka were beyond amazing. So while I was drawing my own manga at home, I also worked as an assistant for various places, which was kinda hard, but when I was late because I didn't know what the schedule was, I was scolded and told to be on time.

At the beginning of the year, Azuma-sensei began work on a complete collection that's to be published by Futabasha. I often heard back then that 'releasing a complete collection is dangerous', but what's dangerous is that you'll be busy. This is in addition to the series you normally have to draw, so it's natural you would be busy. So instead of Sensei doing everything, I would finish inking the cover art and frontispiece, and then coloured them as instructed. In Kagami-san's case, he became very busy saying 'I'm a newbie, so I cannot turn down every job that comes my way', but Azuma-sensei didn't try to increase the number of assistants. Colouring was basically work I enjoyed, so for me, it wasn't difficult, but it must've been troublesome for Sensei.

For me, Azuma-sensei's workplace was a place to learn about manga, and rather than techniques, I was able to absorb a lot of his relaxed way of drawing, which taught me 'this is how I should draw'. It's not a technique. It's a method where you can say this much is enough. Although it was still just the beginning, I remember having a lot of fun drawing manga. I thought that if I worked here for a few years, my life would be stable, and I would begin learning manga techniques as well. In other words, I hadn't yet figured out how to draw my own manga. I'm always drawing, but I'm so anxious and unsure if what I drew was okay. That's why I remember being so grateful to have stable work at Azuma-sensei's place.

Around that time, I started being invited to Hakusensha's Year-End and New Year's parties, and people would approach me to ask, "Are you Azuma-sensei's assistant?". I became acquainted with Miyasu Nonki-sensei (みやすのんき) at a party, and I met Niki Hiroshi-san (仁木ひろし), who was working as an assistant. I guess that was around the time Miyasu-sensei invited me for the anthology book called 'Halloween Show' (ハロウィンショー). The story called 'Shout!' about a supernatural girl didn't have any sexual elements, so it wasn't popular. Niki-san's manga was also hilarious. He drew a girl like a flower blooming in a back alley's garbage dump. The mecha he drew were also choices that poked at the weak points of Otaku, and they were unbearable. So there was a lot of competition where we said stuff like 'let's create an aeroplane that'll surprise Niki-san'. Normal manga was boring. I'm sorry this doesn't have much to do with Azuma-san. But I felt like this sort of world was expanding more and more.


Azuma-Sensei's Disappearance


I believe it was one day in March after I received my complimentary copy of the complete collection, but when I stepped into the workplace, I found T-san from Hakusensha standing dumbfounded in front of Sensei's desk. He said, 'Tanaka-kun, when Azuma-sensei left to buy smokes, he left and never came back'. When he told me 'he's been out for over an hour', I became worried he had some kind of accident. It was when we drew the 12th part of 'Makunouchi Death Match' (幕の内デスマッチ), so I'm pretty certain it was March of 1985. (For some reason, the Wiki says his first disappearance was in 1989. So could it have been related to some adult matters?) He didn't write down anything. Didn't T-san know going out to buy smokes was a sign of danger? Mizorogi-san came soon after and then searched the area until evening, but couldn't find him. Then for half a year, Azuma-sensei went missing.

Editor T-san, who was an involved party in the missing person incident, was also in charge of me, so around that time, we kept in close contact due to work for Hakusensha's Bishoujo anthology called 'Melty Lemon' (メルティーレモン). I didn't really understand what happened, I felt like I had been bewitched by a fox, and even when I later heard that his wife filed for a police search, the situation hadn't sunk in yet. I was probably confused why something like this would happen after Kagami-san. I didn't have to wait a year for it, either.

But one day, just a month after his disappearance, I suddenly received a phone call from Azuma-sensei. "I'm sorry, but I'm in front of Hoya Station, so will you please come." Shocked, I hurried over and saw Sensei standing alone in a flimsy grey jumper. He had the same expressionless face, but it wasn't as pale and was slightly sunburned. Regardless, he looked healthy, so I felt a little relieved. Some time passes and Mizorogi-san also arrives, and then we went into a pub that caught our eye. When Sensei started by asking for a beer, we told him to 'order whatever he liked'. Then he placed two envelopes on the table. Inside them were half a year's salary. I honestly cannot remember what we talked about back then. He didn't tell us where he's been, so we parted ways in front of the station. There were no cell phones back then, so there was no way for us to keep in touch. I believe I immediately reported this to Editor T-san, but I don't remember. Naturally, Azuma-san also contacted his other friends and acquaintances, but he was officially discovered half a year later when Editor T-san contacted me to say he had been taken into police custody in Fuchu. But after hearing the news of his discovery, no one answered the phone at his workplace, and when I called his home, only his wife answered. However, around the time Azuma-sensei was discovered, I drew about it in ComiComi magazine and the situation suddenly changed. Six months passed before I suddenly received another call from Azuma-sensei. That's a different story, so I'll end this story by focusing on Azuma-san. I haven't read 'Disapperance Diary' (失踪日記) that he later wrote because it was fresh, and I don't know why the Wiki and other sources listed his first disappearance as 1989. Is this some kind of code only Lolicon can understand? But what kind of nerve do they have? In response to a doujinshi that requested a free manuscript, Azuma was completely right as a professional mangaka when he muttered 'they're just scroungers'. I cannot help but think it's the people around him who were sick.

After Azuma-Sensei's Disappearance


Let's rewind the clock a bit, and return back to the story where I was working at Azuma-sensei's workplace (1985). At that time, H-sha, as a subsidiary of Shueisha, was experimenting in adding manga magazines for men to the main lineup of shoujo manga such as 'Hana to Yume' (花とゆめ), and their key monthly manga magazine for men called 'ComiComi' (コミコミ) was an all-age manga with a mixture from Otaku-type to Subculture-type, so the direction of the magazine wasn't very clear. Although its official circulation was 100,000 copies, its actual sales remained below 50,000 copies until the very end. T-san, who was in charge of me, was also a guy who liked Subculture-type stuff more than Otaku-type stuff, and he's also a big fan of Lovecraft and an avid reader of horror light novels, so looking back at it now, he didn't feel like he was suited to the guidance of manga. This was partly due to the situation with the publisher themselves having shallow experience with manga for men, and little know-how to raise new creators. Of course, this didn't mean they couldn't read Names, which is fundamental to being a manga magazine editor. However, in a broader sense, the direction of each work, and the magazine as a whole, lacked strategy. For example, they simply relied on external creators they invited rather than pay much attention to their own newbie talent, so they weren't in a position to compete with the four major publishers (Shogakukan, Kodansha, Akita Shoten, and Shounen Gahosha). That continued until they entered the 1990s with the launch of Young Animal (ヤングアニマル).

With that sort of underlay, as I wrote earlier in the Azuma-sensei chapter about how I won first place as a guest creator in Azuma-sensei's special issue. That manga was 'Ikko-chan's Final Day' (いっこちゃん最後の日) (included in the comic 'Killer Ghost' [キラーゴースト]), a 10-page comedy about a Shoujo turning into a giantess and being cute.

Personally, I love drawing stories with that sort of ridiculous setting. The 3 panels where the protagonist grew were also drawn with Tokusatsu elements based on how the visual effects would look in an actual film. Meanwhile (as I wrote previously), Yuuki Masami-sensei (ゆうきまさ) drew an interesting Tsuburaya (円谷英二) Tokusatsu-style short story (which is a must-see) in 'OUT', and I'm still grateful he called me to be his assistant after Kagami-san passed away.

After I submitted my manuscript and showed him that my manga had been published in Azuma-san's special issue, he was amused and went out of his way to call Tori Miki-sensei (とりみき) on the phone to recommend it. Perhaps perplexed, Tori Miki-sensei gave me his promised negative feedback, and I had a ball. I mean, I'm talking about how energetic I was after submitting my manuscript; I stayed up all night. I think being young is amazing. However, things started to get a little weird afterwards.

For some reason, Editor T-san misunderstood why this manga was first place in the reader vote. I believe I was happy because I had to rewrite the Name 5 times, but in the end, it earned first place because of its subject matter, but he judged it took first place because of its creator. To him, a short story was nothing more than a short story, and he asked me to draw about something else next, so over the next six months, I was asked to come up with different ideas each time for 'Melty Lemon' (メルティレモン) and the seasonal special issues, and I worked hard to draw all sorts of love-comedies. I couldn't come up with outstanding ideas every time, so while I never heard their rankings, I know what they would be.

The gist of our conversation was, "You got it all wrong, T-san, I was lucky to win first place with 'Ikko-chan's Final Day', so please let me continue drawing more giant Shoujo stuff."

However, Editor T-san didn't get my point and stubbornly refused. I suppose the concept of serial short stories didn't exist. Then, a few months later, a certain Creator-san serialised a giant Shoujo love-comedy in Monthly Jump (月刊ジャンプ). The end. Personally, it was a big shock to me. However, I thought 'what the heck's going on?', even when I spoke to other publishers about a giant Shoujo manga serial, they were all like 'what is that?'. I never heard of editor preference being greater than reader support. For me, it was a matter of life and death, but for the editorial department, they didn't seem to care. However, Azuma-san's special issue sold well, and a few month's later, in an effort to catch another loach under the willows, I was asked to draw 10-pages on a different subject for the Tori Miki special issue. I wasn't allowed to draw any more giant Shoujo stuff, and I couldn't come up with any interesting ideas. It was so boring, I don't even remember the title.

Thinking about it now, I probably should've left H-sha at that point. However, the same moment I won first place, I became something of an 'exclusive member', and started receiving 50,000 yen per month. There were times I felt like 'do I really have to put up with this?', but I couldn't take the next step. There's also life. I need to feed myself every month.

But what's strange is that there was no contract which was the custom back then. Normally, newcomers apply for manga awards in magazines, win an honourable mention or an award of excellence, and then make their long-awaited debut. However, in my case, even though I had never even read the magazine 'ComiComi', I was commissioned to 'draw' for it (this was only a month after I became Azuma-san's assistant), and as a result, I popped in as a guest in the extra issue with only 10 pages, and the issue didn't even list me as a 'newcomer' or the work as my 'debut'. It's not like I particularly wanted to win prize money (laughs).

It's been around two years since I was picked up by the hoodlum editor at Comiket and became a mangaka trying to make a living, but to be honest, my first Sensei died and the following Sensei disappeared, so I was in a state of being eroded by a flowing river where I felt like 'Where am I? Who am I?', no, seriously. That's why many people around me said stuff like 'Ikko-chan's Final Day' got ripped off back then, but no, no, they got the wrong idea; there's nothing fresh about a high school girl growing gigantic, the problem isn't being a rip-off, but its timing. First of all, the story itself is based on the Ultraman episode where the member, Fuji, grows gigantic, it was a homage to 'The Amazing Colossal Man', where Colonel Manning grows gigantic due to a radioactive blast and goes on a rampage in the American drama 'The Outer Limits' (アウターリミッツ), so put into other words, it was a rip-off. I'm also the same by re-using material that has been forgotten by society, it's a common story. But thanks to this trouble, when I coincidentally exchanged glances with that aforementioned Creator-san 30 (!) years later, I didn't know how to respond. At the time, he called out to me from the other side, but it's weird to drag things out from decades ago, even though I'm so old, and I didn't feel like listening to stories from back then, so I got annoyed and dismissed him. It must've left a bad impression. I think what I did was completely inexcusable.

It's for that reason it's not always easy to come up with stories readers will vote on and find popular. However, the editorial department just said, "It's a short story, so it's complete."

So a half year passes with me being unable to analyse and utilise the popularity vote for each story (so why have a vote?) to develop any characters. I would also like to apologise to the readers who voted for me. However, I have to wonder why this H-sha was so dead set on it remaining a short story. Was it a trend in shoujo manga back then, where they cannot think of anything besides putting emphasis on the characteristics of the creator. Even if it's a short story, if the reader response is good, then you should cherish that story and develop it further; I think it's normal to consider continuing it, but they said, "The readers won't remember it a month later." However, I think that would be abandoning the fans who liked the characters, and basically mocking the readers. There's no point in saying more now, so I'll end it here.


Season of Hell


Back when Azuma-sensei disappeared, I figured the six months' worth of salary I received meant 'I could keep a roof over my head' (although I wasn't told I was being fired), so I felt like I needed to find my next assistant job. However, for better or worse, the number of requests for manga increased, so I had a hard time doing such. Not only Melty Lemon, I also had the thick seasonal issues for ComiComi and work at Kubo Shoten, I was barely able to meet my deadlines every month. These thick seasonal issues were also awkward to deal with, so I ignored the flow of the stories and went 'let's have them undress here'; I felt like that was the only thing my brain could muster. Stuff like 'Crepe Show' compiled here*, I was being a moron by meaninglessly showing boobs till the very end. If you want to make ero, then you need to insert ero as a theme from the beginning; otherwise, you'll make it feel off-putting having boobs suddenly pop out. This is my famous 'Unwelcome Boob Theory' where male readers only respond to exposure that makes sense. What will arise there is only perplexity. All joking aside......
※Permanent Vacation (Online Reading); Compilation with the one-shot 'Crepe Show'.

One day, or perhaps I should say August of 1985, I was suddenly contacted by Editor T-san who said, "It has been decided Tanaka-kun's serial will begin from the January issue."

It was so sudden, I fell into panic. Rather than saying 'it's been decided', shouldn't he have started with something like working out the details? Well, normally, a passionate mangaka would bring a plan, a character list, and 1 or 2 Names to the editor in advance, saying 'I have this sort of serial idea, can you take a look at it!?'. Then he would take a look at it, and have it read around during the editorial department's planning meeting, so they can examine this sort of thing and alter that sort of thing, normally it's once the story has taken shape that the editor-in-chief decides to serialise it. Well, recently, there are places that decide things through votes like a competition. In addition, I don't know anyone who can draw 40 pages of manga per month after two months without any material or ideas. Moreover, there were so many people in this world who are better at manga than me, so why me? I'm just being swept away here. However, under the pressure of Editor T-san, I timidly asked, 'eh, umm, what should I draw...?' to which he replied, "could you draw something like Miyasu-san's 'Yarukkya Knight' (やるっきゃ騎士)?". No, the characteristics and direction are both different; there's no way I can draw that sort of material. Honestly, when I told him 'that sort of line is impossible for me', he simply replied 'it's a strict order from the editor-in-chief'. St-strict order? I believe I made a face, like I was going 'hah?'. What is this? Some kind of government office? I became acquainted with Miyasu-san (みやすのんき) during a party back then, so I wonder if they somehow misunderstood or misinterpreted the fact he also drew for a horror anthology. So I figure this editorial department didn't place any weight on an artist's qualities. Put another way, everything was haphazard and chaotic. However, time flows without mercy. I had no other choice but to think about my situation realistically.

The January issue was to be released by the end of November, which meant submissions had to be made one month earlier by the end of October. I only had two months, and naturally, I didn't have any ideas, either. (I lost the chronology I had around here, so I may be a month or two off, but the context is the same.) Actually, I believe Azuma-san was discovered around that time, but I don't remember much else besides being told that he had been found. Rather than being in a state where I'm flowing along with the river, I was at the mercy of rough waves (laughs). And to rub salt in the wound, I was informed of my schedule.

"Tanaka-kun has never drawn for this magazine, so we need to prepare the ground for the start of the serial in the January issue. So, to start, we decided to publish a one-shot to show your face in the December issue. 40 pages."

"Ehh... Uwah???" My mind went blank.
"40 pages for groundwork?"
"What do you think of that idea?"
"I don't have any assistants, you know?"
"Please ask Azuma-sensei to help you!"
"Sensei's suffering from neurosis."
"Kagami-san, why did you die!?"
"Everyone says misfortune will happen wherever you go."
"Am I a cursed assistant?"
"Don't give up, there's no one left to hire you as an assistant."

In a state of panic, the insides of my head were spinning like this. I don't think it was neurosis, but I was becoming neurotic. What's worse was that I'm also human, so I also felt pride in being serialised. When that happens, weak humans begin to lie to themselves. After all, this isn't the first time I've lied. You've already read about how I shaved two years off my age.

When I asked the editor, it sounded like the editor-in-chief had made the decision, and we couldn't go against his decision, so I had no choice but to do it. The editor-in-chief back then, as I remember him, was a sportsman-type who always wore horizontal striped rugby shirts, and it even looked like his position as the editor-in-chief of a men's magazine was merely for form's sake, I didn't have the spirit to talk to him. I'm not saying starting from the style is wrong, but it's clearly a bad idea to set a deadline ahead of time even though there's no creative plan.

All of this happened in the six months since Azuma-san disappeared, so it was a hellish season for me. In the end, my schedule didn't change and I drew a 40-page love comedy to show my face in the 1985 December (I believe) issue of ComiComi. A one-shot love comedy being just 40 pages long is laughable, but since I didn't have any ideas, I ended up drawing something similar to 'Yarukkya Knight' like I was told. Of course, it failed. (I don't know the reader vote results. I believe it was a terrible work I couldn't form an attachment to based on my own evaluation, so I never printed it into a comic.) I don't remember the title either.

So I immediately started producing a serial manga for the next month. However, I already drew something like 'Yarukkya Knight', so when I asked what I should do (Stop!), I was told to draw a group thing like Onyanko Club (おニャン子クラブ) that was popular back then. I was a fan of Kyon2 (Koizumi Kyoko [小泉今日子]), you know? (Well, it's not like that.) I didn't put much thought into the title either, so I'm embarrassed to reveal it here. What's even more frightening is that I'm supposed to do 40 pages a month and I haven't even decided on any assistants. From what I remember... That's right, I only remember drawing the third part since I was drawing them all in a flurry. It was even more difficult because I had to do the colours a half-month early before the Names were ready.

I guess around that time, Okuse Saki-san (奥瀬早紀) (now Saki [サキ]), who was a newcomer, came to work as my assistant. I believe it was during the 3rd part of the serial, but I begged the editorial department, saying 'someone please give me an assistant', and they sent him. Okuse-san didn't have any experience as an assistant, so was it strange? Our drawing styles were completely different, so even as a troubling story, it was completely crazy. I had a great time talking with Okuse-san when he came to my apartment room, after drinking coffee and a pleasant chat, we had a tea party in the evening. We didn't feel like drawing manga. His house was also far away (bitter laugh). We made no progress on the manuscript, so I had no idea what the editorial department was thinking. Is this some sort of editorial department game? (This sort of thing happened many times since then.) Also, around this time, for some reason, I have a memory watching Oshii Mamoru's (押井守) OVA 'Angel's Egg' (天使のたまご) together at Yuuki-san's apartment. Yuuki-san highly praised it while we watched it, so I'm pretty sure that's what we watched. The release date for this OVA was 1985 December 15th, so it must've been in the middle of the serial, so why was I in Yuuki-sensei's apartment? (I can't think of anything besides assistants.) In that sense, the serial was always lacking in depth and focus, the illustrations were sloppy, and the contents were awful. I don't remember the contents at all. ...... Ah, I remembered. Since the manuscript was white due to me cutting corners, the printing was darker due to printing shop having to make adjustments. Since it was done with a letterpress printer, the lines were thick and about 10% of the screen tones were skipped. It was the worst. The results of the reader vote were announced two months later, and I believe they said something about wanting more H-scenes, but I forget. In any case, I ignored stupid suggestions like showing more boobs, so a dark cloud loomed over the serial.

Six months later, I was told the serial would be discontinued. in the editorial department Editor T-san told me it was ending with a serious expression (laughs), but inside my heart, I felt like of course it's ending. However, even though I was apathetic, I was devastated. The human heart is a complex creation. Even though I was panicking on the surface, there was also a part inside me that was coldly looking down upon everything. Nowadays, you would refer to it as a dark history, but it's a work I would like to forget, it shouldn't have been turned into a comic. I never imagined taking my manuscripts to another company to have them turn into comics.

'Rhetorica' (れとりか) was around 1982~1983. The manga I showed was the relay manga version of 'Moebius Saga'. However, why did I go to Akita Shoten? Thinking about it now, I cannot come up with a detailed motive. But I remember the things I heard and the scenery back then quite clearly. In the spacious lobby filled with the afternoon light on the first floor of the Akita Shoten building, an editor in his 30s wearing a three-piece suit was reading our manga. He had light curly hair and he wore thin-coloured Ray-Bans that were popular back then. And even now, I cannot forget what he said when he looked up.

"You guys, please draw about whatever makes you feel the most embarrassed."

On the way home, I remember us laughing 'that's so like Champion', but no, it's not like that. Thinking about it now, it's a maxim. Shounen Champion (少年チャンピオン) was the champion a little after they were on a roll with stuff like 'Gakideka' (がきデカ) and 'Macaroni Hourensou' (マカロニほうれん荘). But what's important wasn't just the sort of stuff where you draw bare boobs or H-scenes. It's not a good story even if the characters undress if it makes logical sense. It's what makes you feel embarrassed. Due to the confusion and busy schedule since coming to H-sha, I had completely forgotten those words. The words of a handsome editor, whose business card I lost ages ago, still linger in my heart. Back then, I interpreted what he meant by embarrassing as buying ero books from vending machines that you hide from your parents, looking at them and masturbating, but how narrow-minded I was. Tom Cruise attacking an Indian village in 'The Last Samurai' was also embarrassing, and since it was embarrassing, isn't that embarrassing the same sense of shame as being unable to break into an enemy ship as a kamikaze washout? People sometimes wish for death because of their shame. That's right, even the editors of the 3 or 4 big publishers also have their own personalities. In other words, each company has their own culture. The editors at Akita Shoten had an unconventional company culture. 'Doctor Toilet' (トイレット博士) and 'Futari to Gonin' (ふたりと５人) were both shit-covered dicks they were proud of.

I believe I talked to that Editor-san about how my parents didn't approve of me drawing manga. And as if he somewhat understood those feelings, that Editor-san nodded his head and said the following.

"Listen, I said this earlier, but people often remember whatever is the most embarrassing thing in their lives. These experiences they keep sealed away in their hearts, whether it's from when they were little, when they were students, or when they entered the workforce. There are one or two experiences they cannot tell anyone even if they die, right? Have the protagonists of your manga do those things. All of our best-selling mangaka are doing that. That's why they're in the top spots in popularity votes. Perhaps you could call it blood-drenched work? However, it's not good to work blindly. Rather you need to shed tears of blood. You see, tears of blood represent shame. This is about exposing your own shame in your work. And the readers are paying to see it. Even children will buy magazines every week with their scant pocket money to read them voraciously. They're thinking I'm not the only one who's embarrassed. Those small children desperately write on postcards and send their incomprehensible chicken scratches to the editorial department. Why do people dignify mangaka as Sensei? Do you know? The general public says magazine publishers like ours are a sham business. Compared to a real business, we don't produce buildings or substance that can be eaten. They ridicule us. However, we're selling ourselves as good adults, or rather our hearts of embarrassment. It's those hearts that determine whether someone perishes or is saved. That's why you cannot say there's no substance in the heart. People who don't understand that have no heart. Ignore them."

I felt a shock like I was being hit on the head. This was a story from 40 years ago, and he didn't say these exact words. But that's the gist of it.

On my way home after being told my serial was ending, I felt pathetic and started crying, and then I remembered this Editor-san and walked towards Akita Shoten. Back then, H-sha was near Iidabashi Station. The Akita Shoten building was still standing as it was when I came here a few years prior. It was a fashionable building bathed in the afternoon sun.

Like that Editor-san. He also said the following.

"In the manga industry, they say the sooner you debut, the better. Do you know why? Because that's when you're the closest to the heart of a child. You remember all the things that happened at school, the times you laughed and cried. The embarrassing things as well. The editorial department's not giving preferential treatment to youngsters because they want to deceive and manipulate them. The readers of our magazine are elementary and middle school students. How old are you guys? 22~23 years old? You're still completely fine. So please do your best."

Speaking of which, that Editor-san didn't notice I was shaving years off my age. Remembering that makes me laugh and feel a little better. However, I cannot return to the past now.


The Phone Call from Azuma-Sensei


Now then, it was the spring of 1986. My first monthly serial failed and I was exhausted; however, since I was young, I was able to quickly recover (or rather I was forced to suppress the minus parts of the incident) and was able to handle requests from other companies. Then, around June, ComiComi asked me to draw another short story. I nervously went to the meeting, partly due to my serial failing, and was told, 'this time, you can draw whatever you like'. I thought since it's something I like, it would be an absurd comedy, and thought since it was 32-pages long, I would draw 'Fukou Shoujo to Yobarete' (不幸少女と呼ばれて)*.
※This is included in the compilation 'Permanent Vacation' that's available for online reading (J-Comi Link).

I lost two Sensei and my first serial failed, so it was a gag or comedy where I projected my feelings of being cursed onto its protagonist. I've said this many times, but 32 pages is long for a comedy. If I recall, Azuma-sensei's 'Makunouchi Death Match' was drawn in Azuma-sensei's style and each chapter wasn't very long at 24 pages each. However, I want to believe he didn't abandon me cause I was given another job immediately after my serial failed, so Azuma-san may have said something to Editor T-san behind the scenes.

Afterwards, I was invited to a dinner party with Managing Director K-san of Hakusensha, and the mood in the editorial department made me feel like I somehow got involved in something bad. I don't really understand the actual circumstances, but that manga was short and I enjoyed drawing it. The characters that appeared all had the image of human characters, the main character was a girl I drew with the feeling of 'Stop! Hibari-kun' (ストップ！ひばりくん) by Eguchi Hisashi-sensei (江口寿史). I wasn't plagiarising the character, but drew her with that feel to somehow make her more like my own character. Okuse Saki-san, who often talked to me back then, saw the background I mindlessly drew with a marker, and said 'this Shinkansen and Mount Fuji are awful' (laughs). Okuse Saki-san was the hope of ComiComi under the same editor as me after I was slain, so he would often lecture me. I appreciate people who gave me such feedback, even now. I've known him for 40 years now. But, well, I had already decided I would only draw the things I liked. I was finally able to change my strategy and draw what I liked and develop it to become popular.

When the magazine was printed and delivered to my home, the telephone in my home rang. It was from Azuma-sensei.

"The short story in this month's issue was interesting!"

That's the first thing he said, and then we started taking about his situation. I was happy to hear him say that, but I was also worrying about stuff like my serial failing. It was a story where the protagonist is a singularity for unhappiness (laughs). I was glad we were able to have an enjoyable chat after so long. I asked 'when will you be able to come back?'. Sensei was going 'weeell...', and reading the mood, I changed the subject. At this moment, I felt like the series of events that had happened since becoming Azuma-sensei's assistant has finally come to a conclusion. Actually, afterwards, I recall Sensei went into a long resting period that lasted many years. The wiki says there were other disappearances and suicide attempts during this period, but I never heard about them from Editor T-san, so I didn't know anything until Sensei published 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記), which became the topic of conversation. Azuma-sensei was an orthodox SF proper (proper employee); whereas, Editor T-san liked ero-guro horror. Their maladjusted composition was similar to my time at Akita Shoten. Well, at any rate, I believe the relationship with the editorial department was severed after his discovery in 1985. That's why I don't remember the next time I saw Azuma-sensei's work. However, what I would like to write about is that if you're a newcomer bringing in your work, it's best to go with a large publisher that has a long history of publishing manga. There's many competitors, but they have a keen eye for discerning the talents of newcomers, and prescriptions for when you're in a pinch and options for when you're finished.


Entering the 1980s Maniac World


Whenever I went to parties, Niki Hiroshiki-san (仁木ひろし) and Suzuki Masahisa-san (鈴木雅久) would also come and we would talk about Otaku-stuff. Niki-san drew a character in 'Metal Kids' (メタルキッズ) that looked exactly like the geezer character that appeared in the movie 'The Hidden' (ヒドゥン) that was popular back then, and when I pointed this out to him, he replied in his characteristic voice, 'so you understand?'. When I replied 'I understand hereabouts', he went 'that's right, he's a geezer who gives the impression he has extra flesh on his face', 'he's deformed', etc. etc.......

I guess around that time, I received a call from Udagawa-san, a freelance editor who had been introduced to me by Kubo-san (久保), and I went to meet him at a café in front the station to find out what he wanted to talk about, then those two came. Those two were Udagawa Takeo-san (宇田川岳夫) and Aoyama Masaaki-san (青山正明). (Note 1)

The first thing he said to me was, 'that serial was awful, why don't you take a break and draw something for us?'. Even though this was our first time meeting, he said whatever he felt like. In fact, he told me Taisho Publishing would be a releasing a cult magazine called 'Charisma' (カリスマ) and that I should also draw for it. (That was the gist of it.)

Back then, I didn't know anything about the dark background of these two, so I gave a rash promise, 'heeh, I'll draw if Bishoujo horror's fine'. (I'm starting to remember this rash promise may be the cause of everything.........)

That's right, unlike ComiComi, the job at the minor magazine was easy and fun cause its editor was also a maniac.

"You can draw whatever you like."
"Please draw whatever messed-up thought you have."
"There's no limit."

They were strangely aggressive and made me feel suspicious. Then Aoyama-san wrote a critique on Miyasu-san's 'Metal Kids'. I see, so that's how we're connected. My maniac heart also started to rise up. (Not an Otaku heart! A maniac heart! You get me?)

What I drew was an abnormal 14-page manga called 'Youjuu Hunter VS Cutter Woman' (妖獣ハンターVSカッター女), which I drew in 2~3 days. I also had fun drawing this, but how do I say this? Even if the manuscript fee and the number of published copies were few, you could say the abnormal aura the Editor-san radiated overwhelmed me when I drew that sort of thing. I believe that kind of thing also exists. Then it became quite popular and later became the prototype for 'Youma Mikazuki' (妖魔ミカヅキ). Another fatal error in judgement I committed. But that's a story for next time.

(The End)


-------------------------

Note 1:
Udagawa Takeo:
'Saint Muscle' (セントマッスル) Believer (Link)

Aoyama Masaaki
'The Work a Certain Editor Left Behind and its Remains. Natural Disaster Editor! The World of Aoyama Masaaki Part 13' (Taisho Publishing went bankrupt in the 1990s, so my manuscript is missing.) (Link)

---

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Thank you for reading! Tanaka Masato originally uploaded this autobiography behind a paywall for 500 JPY, so if you find the thousands upon thousands of dollars of work in this thread available for free to be useful, please consider supporting Tanaka by either purchasing one of his books on J-comi or supporting him on Pixiv Fanbox. Purchasing his work on J-comi gives a pdf that you can download onto your computer; the closest thing to DRM-free legal manga that needs to be the industry standard. Or if you're hard on money, but have a twitter account, you can like and retweet his plans to finally do a continuation of Ikko-chan's Final Day, his debut work his evil editors wouldn't let him continue:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1739626774861144333

Lastly, I'm kinda surprised to see Aoyama's name show up towards the end. I did some searching to see if anyone has started trying to research this stuff properly in English, and so far it's been crickets, but apparently there's a Mexican researcher posting videos on Youtube (Christian Hernandez Youtube Channel), and he seems to be documenting individuals like Kawamoto Kouji and Aoyama Masaaki as well. Seems the Spanish Youtube Fandom > English Youtube Fandom (Remember this whenever someone badmouths Mexico!).

 

[ariisu]

found this forum via this thread, just wanted to give y'all a massive fucking kudos for archiving this media in English bc there's no way in hell anyone else would. it's so easy for media of this type to get lost forever and the fact there are people out here providing it is an invaluable resource. good job gentlemen.

 

[Taruby]

found this forum via this thread, just wanted to give y'all a massive fucking kudos for archiving this media in English bc there's no way in hell anyone else would. it's so easy for media of this type to get lost forever and the fact there are people out here providing it is an invaluable resource. good job gentlemen.

Welcome～.
How did you find this forum? Through google search or did someone link to this thread?

My memory is fuzzy, but I believe I found this forum through a Twitter user called Jeko (Twitter); I was searching for people who mentioned certain academic terms, and Jeko was arguing with people and quoting Patrick Galbraith and translations of Saitou Tamaki, and I think he retweeted or commented on something by Halo, the administrator of this forum, so that's how I wound up here. I linked this thread to Jeko in a DM since there's things he didn't understand correctly, but aside from initially saying 'that's neat', he stopped replying when I asked him if any of the English books he read mentioned Kawamoto Kouji. Jeko also started adding certain words to his bio (e.g. loliconnoisseur), which caused Null, the site owner of Kiwi Farms, to virtue-signal he's going to dox Jeko. One of the users said this board is the sister-site of Kiwi Farms, so maybe Jeko saw that in this thread. I dunno...

I'm a guest here, so aside from Kera's recent advent, all of the people archiving this media are offsite, and it feels like I'm the only person translating these sorts of articles into English right now... The closest person I found to be doing something similar is Ehoba (Twitter), but he seems more content in taking a photo snippet of what he's reading and giving a brief impression.

There's a lot to be said about the ongoing efforts to burn and bury the history of this subculture. I'm still scouting out sites I can trust to host these articles, since I have no idea if Halo cares enough to maintain this thread, especially since this site's primary goal seems to be fighting a culture war (?) with unpleasant localisers and other crazy people...

---

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Source:『蘇るPC-8801伝説 永久保存版』 2006/3/29

Resurrecting PC-8801 Legends: Permanent Preservation Edition​

Mochitsuki Katsumi (望月かつみ) (Pixiv) (Homepage)
Makimura Tadashi (真樹村正) (Wiki)

Special thanks to Kera for making the translation of these articles possible. This magazine was prohibitively expensive upon its release and its used copies haven't gotten any cheaper. Though I have to point out this magazine is a treasure trove of information and interviews, so it still needs to be properly archived by someone [EDIT: ... Found out someone did scan and archive it last August; well, I better thank Detchibe for the high-resolution photographs... Seems there's been a push for scanning video game magazines last year, which included some magazines that were being sold on Japanese auction sites for over 10,000 yen].

Surprisingly, Mochitsuki Katsumi doesn't have a Japanese wikipedia page, so I'll be linking to a fansite documenting his work:

メゾンロリータ　MENU

This site has scans and information about Mochitsuki's games and books. I would recommend looking at the 'レンサイ', and clicking the hyperlinks so you can see the scans of his educational manga.

The theme of the following interviews is regarding the primordial era of adult games in Japan. I don't think this has been documented accurately in English [EDIT: seems the same group associated with the deluge of gaming magazine scans within the last six months attempted an article in English here], so please refer to the following sites:

PC88 Adult Game History:

本文

Enix Game Hobby Programme Contest:

エニックス ゲーム・ホビープログラムコンテスト（補遺）　全受賞作リスト&受賞者あれこれ

※このエントリーは「エニックス　ゲーム・ホビープログラムコンテスト」を執筆した際、適当に見つけた小ネタを寄せ集めてもう一つなにか書こうと思い立ったものの、画像だけ用意してから2年間ばかり放置していました。したがって後半のネタの繋がりが、すでに記憶の彼方に飛んでいますが、それは徐々に埋めていくとして、勿体無いので再投稿します。...

dragonquestage.blog.fc2.com

In any case, first we have an interview with one of Nagai Go's assistants, Makimura Tadashi. He won a 500,000 yen prize during Enix's 1st Game Hobby Programme Contest and is largely responsible for setting the trends in what's standard for Japanese ADV.

Mari-chan Kiki Ippatsu
Makimura Tadashi Interview​

■Interviewers:
Tane Kiyoshi (多根清史) (Wiki)
Morise Ryou (森瀬繚) (Chronoscape) (Wiki)

■Transcription:
Tane Kiyoshi

■Photographs:
Kobayashi Noboru (小林 伸)


The Commercial Debut of Tsukumo Denki's 'Baseball Fist'


——Makimura-sensei, when you drew the manga 'Sheriff' (シェリフ), I heard the original author, Sugaya Mitsuru-sensei (すがやみつる) recommended you use a micro-computer.

Makimura: That's correct. I'm also a mangaka, so I thought I would try drawing on the display.

——Was the first micro-computer you bought a 'PC-8801'?

Makimura: No, it was Fujitsu's 'FM-8'. It was quick at drawing graphics. A fellow artist at Dynamic Pro (ダイナミックプロ), Ishikawa Ken (石川賢), was using one. I believe he wasn't drawing art, but playing games.

——Ishikawa Ken-sensei didn't have much of a CG image (laughs). So what led to the creation of 'Mari-chan Kiki Ippatsu' (まりちゃん危機一髪)?

Makimura: Before that one, I created a game called 'Baseball Fist' (野球拳*) for Tsukumo Denki (九十九電機). After it was released, pictures of girls suddenly started being displayed in personal computer monitor shops and departments.
※Yakyuuken (Baseball Fist) (Wiki)

——Did it sell pretty well?

Makimura: I guess it did, but it was purchased for around 50,000 yen.

——Eehh, that's way too cheap! Why did you think of creating 'Baseball Fist' in the first place?

Makimura: Hmm, I guess it's cause I wanted to draw naked girls (laughs). I didn't create it specifically with the intention of it being adult, rather I just drew it with the same art as my usual manga.


The CG Creation was Traced with Saran Wrap


——After that, you applied for Enix's 'Hobby Programme Contest' (ホビープログラムコンテスト), right?

Makimura: Well, 'Baseball Fist' was introduced on television. Then a guy from Enix saw it, and told me, 'make something similar to Baseball Fist'. But I thought 'not exactly the same'.

——So you were scouted by them!? So that's what led to the creation of 'Mari-chan Kiki Ippatsu'. Did you create everything from the art to the programming yourself?

Makimura: Yeah, that's right. Basically, I used BASIC command lines to make coordinates and connect them with straight lines to create the CG.

——What method did you use to draw the CG?

Makimura: First, I drew it on paper. Then I placed saran wrap over it, and traced it with a magic marker. Then I pasted that wrap on the monitor, created a programme that displayed the coordinates of the cursor, and carefully traced each and every point, jotting down all the coordinates.

——Uwaah, that's mind-boggling.

Makimura: Also, there were only 7 colours, and there was no skin tone. So, using the command line, I drew magenta, white, and yellow lines all at once on the screen, drew a picture on top using command lines, and used a method that erased the protruding portions.

——So you realised the so-called 'neutral colours' through manual work. Acting as the forerunner of the 'skin tones' used for later R18 games. Was it difficult creating games alongside your main job in manga?

Makimura: It felt like I was having fun doing what I liked, but it was tough.

——'Mari-chan' was orthodox in its essence where it's 'Baseball Fist', but the story was surreal with stuff like there being six batteries and Mari-chan will get electrocuted if you don't win at least three times (laughs).

Makimura: Well, I was wracking my brain coming up with ideas to make it different from 'Baseball Fist'.

——Is it true Mari-chan's voice was done by a real high schoolgirl?

Makimura: Yeah, my female cousin's daughter, her name's also Mariko (laughs).

——Your next work was 'Girls' Dorm Panic' (女子寮パニック), but you didn't go to a girls' dorm to collect data, right?

Makimura: I didn't go to one. Everything was my imagination.

——There aren't any girls' dorms where Okama* live (laughs). After that, you did 'El Dorado Legend' (エルドラド伝奇), but did you also do this one alone?
※Okama is slang for a homosexual or transvestite (Wiki).

Makimura: Yep, the same goes for the programming. I wrote it in BASIC.

——Back then, there were only 'Dictionary Games' (辞書ゲーム) where you typed words on your keyboard, but both 'Girls' Dorm Panic' and 'El Dorado Legend' were the first to implement a command selection system. Were there any games that influenced you?

Makimura: No, it's because even if I did what other games were doing, I couldn't clear it alone, so I wondered 'is there a way to do things a little more simply'. Also, when creating the programme, if the options are determined, then bugs are less likely to occur.

——It's good rational for both playing and debugging. In the end, did you, yourself, only use the FM-series?

Makimura: Yeah, the next one after 'FM-8' was 'FM-7'. Switching to something else and relearning everything was too much of a hassle.

——Indeed. So the PC-8801 version of 'Mari-chan' was also ported by someone else?

Makimura: I believe so. When we were making 'Gandhara' (ガンダーラ), I bought a 'PC-8801' to check the screens created by Hidaka Tooru (日高徹) (who was in charge of the programming), but that's the extent I used one.

——I wonder if you could conclude with just one PC-8801...... that Fujitsu was better at drawing pictures (laughs). Since 'N88-BASIC' was highly portable, you were able to realise your vision on multiple platforms. Thank you very much for your time today!

'Mari-chan Kiki Ippatsu'

A baseball-fist game where you rescue Mari-chan, a budding high schoolgirl, from the wicked hands of suspicious men. As you play rock-paper-scissors, a knife slowly approaches Mari-chan, which is bad for her heart.

'El Dorado Legend'

An adventure game where you explore the golden city 'El Dorado' using videos left as clues by your master. It's famous for its 'hints' that can be momentarily seen while the screen is being redrawn.

---

---

In the chronology of soft porn games, the first game is one called Night Life (ナイトライフ), which led to Lolita Baseball Fist (ロリータ 野球拳) in 1982, whose developer, Takechi Yoshihiro (武市好浩) (Twitter), was clearly a fan of Azuma Hideo. Lolita Baseball Fist was following in the trend set by Makimura's Baseball Fist in 1982 based on his work in Weekly Shounen Magazine (週刊少年マガジン) called Maicon Love (マイコン・ラブ).

After Lolita Baseball Fist, Mochitsuki Katsumi would step up to do 'Lolita Syndrome', which won a 100,000 yen prize during Enix's 2nd Game Hobby Programme Contest, which set the trends for the Bishoujo games that followed it. As an aside, the most notorious game by Takechi is one called Alice, which is an adventure game where you have to type out your actions in English. And like most games of this type where players can type out profanities into the prompt, you can type 'Rape Bunny' and 'Rape Alice' and the game would react to it.

My Lolita
Mochitsuki Katsumi Interview​

■Interviewers:
Tane Kiyoshi (多根清史) (Wiki)
Morise Ryou (森瀬繚) (Chronoscape) (Wiki)

■Transcription:
Tane Kiyoshi

■Photographs:
Kobayashi Noboru (小林 伸)


The Origin is the Old Master 'Tezuka Osamu'


——Before 'Lolita Syndrome' (ロリータ・シンドローム) entered the stage, the mainstream was stuff that handled mature, adult women. In that sense, I believe Syndrome set the trend for later R18 games, but Mochitsuki-san, you originally had a background in educational manga, right?

Mochitsuki: That's right. But even in my educational manga, I became famous because I constantly drew panties (laughs).

——This was around the time when Azuma Hideo (吾妻ひでお) made his break, 'Burikko' (ブリッコ) was launched, and ero started to take over. By the way, which mangaka influenced you?

Mochitsuki: I would have to say Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫), Yokohama Mitsuteru (横山光輝), and Ozawa Satoru (小澤さとる). I especially liked Tezuka-sensei; every time he had a book-signing event, I would be standing at the very front, and he would be like 'you again?'. Azuma's also a Tezuka-type.

——You're more 'Marvellous Melmo' (ふしぎなメルモ) than 'Phoenix' (火の鳥). You properly received Tezuka-sensei's libido (laughs).

Mochitsuki: I come from the manga research club in Rikkyo (University), so Sakuma Akira (さくまあきら) is below me. As soon as I entered university, the members of the karate club put me in a chokehold and brought me to their dojo. I was scared I would have to join them, so when I saw the poster for the manga research club, I cried out to them, 'help me'.

——Maybe you would've succeeded as a karate expert and never made any games (laughs). When 'Lolita Syndrome' was released, did it have a big response?

Mochitsuki: Soon after, folks from 'Heibon Punch' (平凡パンチ) came to interview me and asked 'are you a hacker?', and I hadn't the foggiest what hacker meant. Then my name was published in 'Weekly Shounen Jump' (週刊少年ジャンプ), and it got exposed to Shogakukan (which was serialising me).

Shounen Jump advertisement for Lolita Syndrome (1983/11/21).

——That's cause your penname was your real name (laughs). Did you also do the programming yourself?

Mochitsuki: Yeah, I created the software that moved the cursor and drew the CG. I created the data by drawing a picture on vinyl and pasting it on my display. The first thing I sent to the maker had a 'slit' depicted, and the person from Enix said 'this is bad'. But we didn't have time, so I drew a line to hide it.

——Yeah, back then, there was a rumour the protection would be removed if you erased a specific line, but you pasted it on the front (laughs). Have you heard from the readers of your educational manga by any chance?

Mochitsuki: Ah, for whatever reason, I received a phone call directly from an elementary schooler asking 'what do you write to remove the clothes?'.

——Well, since he's the same age as the girl, he wouldn't be a Lolicon (laughs). However, the content had more depth than a Baseball Fist (野球拳) game, but you didn't hesitate on anything, did you?

Mochitsuki: I can't look at what I created objectively. But looking at it now, the cutting with the rotary saw was pretty bad (laughs).

——At the time, there weren't any regulations, so anyone could buy it at game stores.


Koei+Enix=Comix


——Afterwards, you created 'My Lolita' (マイ・ロリータ).

Mochitsuki: The title wasn't actually 'My Lolita', it was 'Lolita Syndrome 2'. So, when I brought it to Enix, they said this was kinda bad, so they put it in temporary storage. As they were doing that, I received a phone call and was told 'Koei-san said they would release it'. So when I explained the game to the folks at Koei, they told me 'well then, let's release it'. Koei and Enix joined hands, and released it under the Comix brand.

——So they combined the names of both companies!? (Laughs).

Mochitsuki: At some point, they went and gave it the name 'My Lolita', and I thought it was pretty good.

——In the previous work, there was still a sense of guilt in trying to rescue the girls, but in 'My Lolita', you were playing Doctor-san, undressing the girls and bullying them by your own will, which makes them open up (laughs).

Mochitsuki: That's right. The magic hand is a manipulator that connects the real world to the game world (laughs). I received grumbling from players saying it was 'pretty hard'. The places you grab their clothes is randomly changed using a variable, so it's a little different each time.

——The original is the 'FM-7' version, but did someone else port it to 'PC-8801'?

Mochitsuki: I believe so cause I was completely no-touch. As for the sound, the FM-7 had 3 channels, so the saw made a vivid 'vnnn' and 'krrrk krrk' noise, but the 'PC-8801' only made a beep noise. It made a sound like you were cutting a log with a saw.

——Bones are hard, so... that makes it even more terrifying (laughs).

Mochitsuki: There was also knife-throwing. Actually, I wanted the clothes to cut and fall off when the knife hit. But the programming didn't turn out well, so I just had it stab into their body. The first part I made was the Baseball Fist part, but normally you wouldn't put on clothes when you lose. But in mine, they put them on. It had a very bad reputation. However, I believe after losing 60 times, I had it so it would take pity and only play rock.

——I bet they gave up before losing 60 times (laughs). In the end, how many did you sell in total?

Mochitsuki: I believe 'My Lolita' didn't sell that well. When I released 'Syndrome', I was shocked when I received 600,000 yen in royalties. I thought, 'maybe 600,000 yen will come every month', but it gradually decreased (laughs).

——If it weren't for those 3 games, I believe Bishoujo Games wouldn't be where they are today. On behalf of the fans, I thank you!

He traced the original art by placing vinyl over the draft like this.

'Lolita Syndrome'

A game where you rescue girls we would now call 'Loli-puni' in 5 mini-games that include ones that had electric saws and knives. Releasing it nowadays would be difficult for many reasons.

ロリータシンドローム

ロリータシンドローム [R-18] 詳細はここhttp://yagi.s11.x-beat.com/

www.nicovideo.jp

'My Lolita'

The de facto sequel to 'Lolita~'. Just having a naked Youjo appear is dangerous, but the pseudo-educational manga-chic rampage where you cultivate clones from eggs is both terrifying and amazing.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any playthroughs for this game. There used to be a couple on Youtube a year or two ago, but the channels got deleted.

---

---

Since we've come this far, I think it's worth noting the fact these manga magazines and games were accessible to children. Well, aside from Cybele which followed the policy of vinyl books (books wrapped in plastic so a child cannot just pull it off the shelf and look at it). Nowadays, things are heavily zoned and age restricted with the mantra that these sorts of things will warp the healthy development of children, turning them into sex fiends and criminals, but back in the 1980s, you have children who read Shounen Jump and see naked amputated men and women crawl around the ground (Violence Jack by Nagai Go) and play games like Lolita Syndrome where a little girl gets disembowelled with a buzzsaw that were advertised in Shounen Jump alongside Fist of the North Star and Captain Tsubasa.

Basically, when you watch the gameplay footage and look at the illustrations in these games and manga, I think it's worth pondering whether you as a parent would want your own child to have access to such things. It's been 40 years, and the children exposed to this stuff are all functioning (?) adults contributing to society now.

 

[ariisu]

Welcome～.
How did you find this forum? Through google search or did someone link to this thread?

My memory is fuzzy, but I believe I found this forum through a Twitter user called Jeko (Twitter); I was searching for people who mentioned certain academic terms, and Jeko was arguing with people and quoting Patrick Galbraith and translations of Saitou Tamaki, and I think he retweeted or commented on something by Halo, the administrator of this forum, so that's how I wound up here. I linked this thread to Jeko in a DM since there's things he didn't understand correctly, but aside from initially saying 'that's neat', he stopped replying when I asked him if any of the English books he read mentioned Kawamoto Kouji. Jeko also started adding certain words to his bio (e.g. loliconnoisseur), which caused Null, the site owner of Kiwi Farms, to virtue-signal he's going to dox Jeko. One of the users said this board is the sister-site of Kiwi Farms, so maybe Jeko saw that in this thread. I dunno...

I'm a guest here, so aside from Kera's recent advent, all of the people archiving this media are offsite, and it feels like I'm the only person translating these sorts of articles into English right now... The closest person I found to be doing something similar is Ehoba (Twitter), but he seems more content in taking a photo snippet of what he's reading and giving a brief impression.

There's a lot to be said about the ongoing efforts to burn and bury the history of this subculture. I'm still scouting out sites I can trust to host these articles, since I have no idea if Halo cares enough to maintain this thread, especially since this site's primary goal seems to be fighting a culture war (?) with unpleasant localisers and other crazy people...

Through Google! Found this thread specifically while doing some research on older eroge/galge titles and was incredibly impressed with the amount of information and quality at which it was formatted. At the moment I'm something of an internet nomad, I have no place to really call home or place my own information, but I probably use twitter the most out of everything, and even then it's quite sparing. Do you know anyone else looking into lolicon from a more academic standpoint / be comfortable with sharing information? I think it'd be nice to have a chat sometime; I wish there was a forum dedicated specifically to translation and obscure media consumption that hasn't been run over by the Youtube-comment-section "lost media" types, if that makes sense.

From the outside looking in, to say there's some turbulence surrounding this forum is generous if people as high profile as Null are involved. To be honest, the whole culture war debate doesn't really concern me all that much, so this forum overall isn't particularly of interest upon scanning through a good number of threads, but I definitely might stick around to post / journal about my hobbies or whatever I find interesting. My intent lies solely in consuming academic media / archives related to the topics that interest me, particularly info regarding otaku subculture and its increasingly harder to find, more controversial underbelly. I find dragging ankles through the mud and obsessing over the takes of people who will never understand this kind of thing to be extremely redundant at best and at worst actively damaging to the preservation of otaku culture; 10 years ago the lolita complex flew under the radar, but due to people throwing fuel on the fire and politicizing the damn topic even so much as uttering it will land you in social prison.