Lucca, Friday 3 November. In the classic “Gold Room” of the maestro’s press area Usamaru Furuya responded to numerous questions from fans and journalists present, also attracted by the enthusiasm with which the return of the “Marie’s Music”a work published, as for the previous ones, by Coconino publishing house, who spoke at the meeting to reiterate her commitment to finding quality manga artists to bring to Italy. Here is the report, with the necessary “transcription licenses” of what was said in the press room.
The introduction of Coconino Edizioni
The editorial direction of the manga branch has always dealt with innovative authors, and the master Furuya, published in Italy for years, was one of the first brought by Coconino, from Palepoli until Marie’s Music. His works have had a very high response from the public, both thanks to the great aesthetic quality and content of the books, and to their enormous originality, which has its roots in the history of Japanese comics and art. In Lucca we presented ourselves with two novelties: Gardena collection of short stories filled with pop culture references, and the first volume of Amane Gymnasiumdesigned for an adult audience despite being told with irony.
The story of Coconino
Coconino was born in 2000 to publish author comics in book format. One of the first works was The Vampire Who Laughs (by Suheiro Maruo), but we have always paid attention to the Japanese art scene, and now we will do even more: with authors like Taniguchi, Hanawa and Tatsumi. Through Furuya’s comics we discovered other quality Japanese authors and for this we thank him.
The interview
Furuya has described Japanese society through art, from Kubrick to Picasso, and in his works one of the themes most dealt with is that of free will, which leaves the individual with the possibility of destroying and destroying himself. In your opinion, are we condemned to self-destruction or can art save us?
There isn’t an answer. Technology allows us to live comfortably, but it can also be used for war, and these are two themes that cannot be separated. With my work I don’t say what is right or wrong, but I want to ask this question. Once you progress you can’t go back, and there is a risk of catastrophe, but I hope this is not the fate reserved for humanity.
In your opinion, is artificial intelligence in art a help or a threat?
AI is a big problem, but I can give you a personal example: I have two children aged around ten and they both like to draw; they work hard and little by little they are becoming better at it. The eldest, who is 13, has already been awarded by the weekly Shonen Jump and is determined to become a manga artist. I believe that when they are adults there will already be a technology to create both stories and drawings, and so I ask myself, what is the point of their commitment? The weapon to fight technology is one’s own experience and originality, aspects that artificial intelligence will not have; this is why I tell them to look for their own personal style. In the Lucca exhibition I saw all the potential of the original tables: they have the ability to excite more than anything created digitally. Having said that, perhaps mine is also an old generation thought.
You have worked a lot in underground art, where the conflict of the individual is dominant. Regarding the conflict between man and his fears, is there any traditional art form that inspired you the most?
I never had the intention of mixing the art of the past with my works, but I have memories of the trips I took in elementary school to Japan, where the school took you to see the kabuki theater or similar performances that I watched with interest. When I went there with middle school I slept instead (concludes grinning).
Returning to the issue of artificial intelligence, in America they are presenting a law to protect art against AI. Is there any similar process underway in Japan or is it only talked about among authors?
The Japanese government is far behind on this issue, so I fear they will wait to see other states’ actions on this issue. Historically, even on the various rights, we always take action late compared to other countries.
You are an academic teacher and have never held back from criticizing Japanese society. What do you think has been the impact of your works, which have reached many people, on society?
A premise: I have the freedom to publish my works, but I can’t publish too many or I would receive too much criticism, and at the same time I can’t publish too few otherwise I wouldn’t have a living, so I try to keep myself in the middle (he says laughing). I am lucky that many enthusiasts help me, but if I were to become mainstream I couldn’t continue with what I’m writing. Luckily I can support myself among collectors and exhibitions without making too much smoke.
About No Longer Human (known to us as The Disqualified), what was it like to bring back into a manga a dialogue that all happens in the protagonist’s mind?
When I read the novel for the first time I was reminded of the last scene with the protagonist to whom all the fantasies appear and all these images manifested themselves in my head. The first impact was therefore the last scene and from there I started writing everything else. By transposing everything into a more current situation, I thought I would make it easier for the reader to identify with the narrative and best convey the particular state of mind of the protagonist.
He was inspired by something specific in creating Marie’s music? And what were his ideas before starting it?
As in the previous case, when I write down a story the images often come directly to my mind. Even in this case, with a sort of mechanical idea that revolves around the globe, the image was born in the same way; later I saw this mechanical goddess that starts to ruin and lose pieces, until everything collapses. Then I had the idea of a boy devoted to this deity, as in a religion, and therefore the conflict between technology and faith was born, which helped me develop the story behind it. Both in The Disqualified that in Marie’s music I got the image first, and then I thought about how to get to that scene.
There is a particular melody that he had in mind within the manga of Marie’s music? And what type of music do you listen to?
There was nothing specific, but as I was drawing I imagined something similar to a music box. I don’t listen to a particular type of music, but when asked the question it came to mind Ryuichi Sakamotoan author I’ve always listened to.
Junji Ito also made his own version of The Disqualifiedwas there a competition between you?
I’ve never read his version, but I’ve seen the film Mika Ninagawa (the latter also refers to the work of Osamu Dazai).
In his manga the inner world and the real world mix with each other, and emotions are continually the protagonists of his volumes. Where does she get her inspiration? And how do you make them tangible in the drawing?
Not all of my works deal with these topics, but when they do I always try to invite the reader into my fantasy world that doesn’t exist in the real one; this is the challenge for the stories I create. Furthermore, I love choosing a topic where it is difficult to offer an answer: for example a high school teacher who decides to be killed by one of his students, in short, I like to tell something that is almost impossible; first comes the idea and then I dig up the ground to justify the story. In any case, I try to include problems related to current society to make everything more realistic, so in addition to attributing greater value and meaning to the narrative, I can make what I want to convey more understandable. I realize it’s difficult to explain my way of doing things in words, but it’s how it is.
Initially you wrote 4-koma (yonkoma, the strip format with four panels) then you switched to the classic manga layout. Was there any problem, why this change?
In the early days I worked in colour, then little by little I started publishing on Shonen Jump and therefore I had to follow the typical format of Japanese manga. I am proud to have been the first manga author born from Garo (Japanese underground magazine specializing in alternative and avant-garde titles) managed to land on Jump. When the monthly publication began, there were advertisements for my work everywhere (it was put on the cover) and all my Garo readers were really surprised. With the change of magazine, the technique of my drawings changed accordingly, therefore I had the need to follow the “standard” school for manga.
And did the magazine’s editors help him in this step?
In Europe I am highly appreciated for the stories I have published on Garobut in Japan they mainly know me for what I brought up Jump. However, the fans support me on both magazines: underground readers are a small market and therefore have little impact on my earnings, so I have to know how to balance it with the work done for Shonen Jump. During the periods when I worked a lot I basically published on the latter for a living, while for the underground market I dealt with what I really wanted to create. I was happy, but with 80 boards a month I wasn’t in great health.
His style is inimitable and various classical and surrealist influences can be seen. Has cinema influenced you? Both in terms of style and subjects?
I don’t have any films or directors that I consider particularly important to me. However, I followed the television series based on the stories of Yamazaki, which I love because it deals with internal topics. His works have been adapted by several directors, but I followed the TV series they created with pleasure. If I have to choose a genre I prefer to watch documentaries that deal with things that really happened: for example, in the 70s there were many terrorist groups in Japan too, and one of these had seized a villa in the mountains; there were also many internal feuds and the various factions sometimes hit each other; the documentary on these stories really struck me. Likewise for what was told of a story that happened in the 70s, when there were many university movements: the one in Tokyo is the best in Japan and you need to pass a severe entrance exam, which is why when one passes everyone believes that he is intelligent; some students had created a financing group and a company thanks to this fame, but they still all ended up ruined due to bad investments. I really like this kind of documentaries, because they fill me with ideas.
Which of his works is your favorite?
The one just released for Coconino (Garden), one of my first works. And then I could say The Crusade of the Innocentseven if (spoiler) everyone dies in the end.
What was your first approach to manga? and what did he draw?
As a child I drew a lot of things. I have a memory, in third grade, when I discovered the existence of shadow: at that point I created a human face, normal on one side and shading it with watercolor on the other. It feels real, three-dimensional, and I think that was my first change in drawing.
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