In this year’s 18th issue of Shogakukan’s Big Comic Original magazine, the concluding chapter of Minetarō Mochizuki’s essay manga, “No Comic, No Life,” was unveiled. The manga’s second compiled volume is slated for release on December 27.
Big Comic Original introduces this manga as the author’s inaugural venture into the realm of essay manga. At its core, the story revolves around a “fictional” maven of manga, Mochitarō Minezuki, whose name playfully mirrors that of the creator, Mochizuki. This creative genius resides in Yokohama alongside his family, comprised of a relative and a young boy.
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Mochizuki embarked on this manga journey within the pages of Big Comic Original in January of 2022, with Shogakukan releasing the manga’s initial volume on January 30 of the same year.
Due to the challenging research conditions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, Mochizuki made the decision to temporarily suspend his work on “Frederick,” a collaborative effort with Naoto Yamakawa. He expressed his intent to resume research once the COVID-19 situation in France had ameliorated and pledged to subsequently announce a continuation date for the manga.
Together, Mochizuki and Yamakawa embarked on the “Frederick” manga journey in January 2020. The manga draws inspiration from Leo Lionni’s 1968 classic children’s book, which features a poet-mouse as its central character. The manga, however, takes a different direction, focusing on a young boy’s adventures as he departs Japan for Europe. Notably, Shuntarō Tanikawa translated the Japanese version of Lionni’s book in 1969.
Mochizuki’s “Dragon Head” manga also found its way to North American readers, thanks to Tokyopop’s publication from 2006 to 2008. His works have not only graced the pages of manga but have also been adapted into live-action films by three renowned Japanese directors, namely George Iida, Katsuhito Ishii, and Jōji Matsuoka. These adaptations encompass “Dragon Head,” “Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl” (Samehada-Otoko to Momojiri-Onna), and “Bataashi Kingyo.”
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Additionally, Mochizuki embarked on the “Chiisakobee” manga in 2012, concluding it in 2015. His artistic versatility even extended to a manga adaptation of Wes Anderson’s film “Isle of Dogs” (Inugashima), serialized in Kodansha’s Morning magazine from May to July 2018. The English version of this manga was licensed and released by Dark Horse Comics in February 2020.
Source | Big Comic Original issue 18
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