It's regular paper, but just by attaching a pen nib to a holder,
putting ink in it, and doing what I'm doing,
works worth over 10 billion yen that surpass Hollywood films are created, right?
And that is something that's quite amazing.
If we were talking movies, it'd be the director's job.
People ask me if “Golgo 13” is something like my own child or who I am, myself.
If I had to come up with an answer,
I'd say that I think of our relationship as one between a director and an actor that listens very well.
60 Years of Drawing
Don't forget about the car here.
The Legend Never Stops
If you don't draw the car then it won't make sense.
If it isn't at least worth the money paid upfront,
then that business will surely fail.
This is going to be a great episode!
Creator of numerous hit works, mangaka Urasawa Naoki.
His new project is this show, “Manben.”
Mangaka create grand dramas from the tiny tips of their pens.
Usually entry is not allowed to where they work,
All Access to the Location Where Manga Is Born
but we've been granted full access to film what happens there.
Is it this one?
Showa year 58, 1983.
He's pulled out the masterpiece, “Golgo 13.”
“Golgo 13” Saitou Takao
Yup, that's right.
for this episode we had all access to its creator, Saitou Takao.
And here, we have some no name newbie...
Leafing through the issue of “Golgo 13” from 32 years ago we find a work by Urasawa-san.
“BETA!!” (1983)
It's his debut work, “BETA!!”
This book marks the first time his manga appeared in print.
The First Publication That Urasawa Naoki's Work Ran In
It's an issue worth commemorating.
“Crash Dance!!” (1983)
At the time, this magazine, which featured “Golgo 13,”
had a corner which ran shorts by new authors.
“Taisho Tantei” (1984)
After his debut, he wrote manga with an experimental slant, one after another for the corner.
The people who bought the magazine, bought it to read Golgo,
so it was like, “Just draw whatever comes to mind!”
It was within the wide breadth of Saitou-sensei's bosom,
that I was allowed to freely do what I wanted.
1st Serial: “Pineapple Army” (1985-1988) Kazuya Kudou Naoki Urasawa
Then, two years after his debut work, he got his first chance at a series.
Connected to His First Series
“I'm going to take down Golgo!”
I said stuff like I was going to crush Saitou Takao and Golgo,
while I started to draw “Pineapple Army.” I'm a real ingrate!
For how I paid him back and what I said,
it's going to be like, “So sorry about all that!”
Saitou Takao, he continues to draw even at his present age of 78.
He is a legend in the world of manga.
“Typhoon Gorou” (1958~1963)
He debuted in 1955, the dawn of an age of manga.
“Muyounosuke” (1967~1970)
He's in his 60th year of drawing.
Gracing the world with many works,
he's helped build the foundation of manga culture.
“Survival” (1976~1978)
“Golgo 13” (1968~)
His most famous work is “Golgo 13.”
An assassin whose origin, age, and entirety is shrouded in mystery.
His code name: “Golgo 13.”
No matter how difficult the task, he gets it done coolly and collectedly with his godlike sniping.
Serialized for 47 Years Without a Single Break
Over 200 Million Volumes Sold
It's continued for 47 years without ever taking a break and has sold over 200 million total copies.
Closely Filmed Over a Span of 4 Days
For this episode we were able to film him closely at work for 4 days.
What we discovered there was the moment that “Golgo 13” is born,
The Moment Golgo Is Born
and a passion that will never burn out.
Passion
They'll Talk While Watching the Footage
One month later, the pair meet to talk while watching what was filmed.
“Muyounosuke” He Drew in His Diary at 8
I've read his works from the age that I began to be aware of things,
so looking back, they overlap with my own life a bit.
“Muyou- nosuke”
That's the logo.
The logo that they've always had.
They'll talk at the manga production studio Saitou Takao established.
Oh,
Tougou-san!
Excuse me.
Oh, welcome.
I'm sorry... to bother you with all this. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for coming all the way here.
To His Studio Room
He shows us the room where he does his drawing right away.
Wow... Cool.
This is where I'm always holed up.
Amazing, so this is the room.
Urasawa-san, you look like you're a kid again.
Urasawa-san, how old are you now?
I was born in 1960, so I'm 55 now.
So when I got into this business, you weren't even born yet.
That's right. So that's why I've always had this...
awareness of you ever since I was old enough to realize it.
Yes, I see.
This is a really strange feeling for me right now.
Like, “Why's this guy still at it!?” Am I right?
No, no, no...
There are a lot of people who think I'm not drawing, right?
Yeah, there are those kind of urban legends. Rude ones.
They say some pretty awful things, like that I'm not drawing at all.
Those kinds of legends do exist, but what about the truth?
They Talk in the Reception Room That Golgo 13 Watches Over
Now the secrets behind the creative process of manga legend Saitou Takao will finally be made clear.
Sneaking into the Site of a Legend
Hey, that's a nice looking building there.
Yeah, it's a really cool building.
It's gotten run-down, though.
Good morning.
Thank you.
Some old guy has showed up.
Good morning.
Filmed with Fixed Cameras to Not Get in the Way
Ah! Ah...
Impressive, isn't it?
There's even one over here.
I was astonished then. There were cameras everywhere I looked.
I'm really sorry about that.
But as you're working, you notice them less, right?
I forgot about them right away.
Have you always used this glove?
No, I only started recently.
My fingerprints have started to disappear.
You don't have much grip anymore. It's for your grip then?
Not anymore.
That's right.
It's anti-slipping.
That's right, it has grips so my fingers don't slip.
Saitou-sensei, were you aware that I did some of these?
That you did what now?
Oh no!
These are the extra issues of Big Comic's “Golgo 13,” right?
Yeah.
The piece that I debuted with is here.
Really!?
He didn't know about it after all!
It is in here!
The first memory I have of it is that I saw it and thought, “I see, that's pretty interesting, this'll go far!”
But I didn't even look at the name, did I?
This is a surprise.
If it weren't for this, I really wouldn't have made my debut.
Oh, is that so?
You were already good back then.
After that, I was going at it while saying things like,
“I'm going to crush Golgo 13!”
or maybe, “I can't make a dent in him at all!”
Now what you've been waiting for: Saitou-san begins to draw.
Drawing the Front Page of “Golgo 13”
He draws Golgo 13 on the front page.
Close Up: The Moment When “Golgo 13” Is Born
So now we get to it, Golgo 13's face, right?
Nowadays, there's this strange bend to them - my drawings.
Your drawings do?
Yeah.
I wonder what could be causing it...
I think maybe my eyes might be going bad.
It's not that things aren't going how you want them to,
but that you finish it and it's distorted.
...And it's distorted.
Happens even if I'm really careful about it.
Guess there are just some things that occur with age.
He's drawn the general outline of the character.
Outline Finished
Then, he picks up a pen right away.
Inking
Close Up: The Moment When “Golgo 13” Is Born
Whoa, whoa, whoa...
Now this is a real shocker for me,
I was thinking, “Now what's going on here?”
Why's that?
You don't do any rough sketching, basically.
Ah, yeah, that's why...
people think I'm really quick with my drawings,
but I'm not the least bit quick.
I just skip a step in the process, so that's why it's faster.
This is some pretty astonishing footage though.
Oh, really?
No Rough Sketching for Golgo's Face
But at this point, doesn't it feel like, “Is this going to work out?”
Oh, really?
For me, if I sketch it out clearly, then I can't draw it.
Is that so?
If you just follow the sketch, the expression won't come out as well.
Yes?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Especially for this guy.
His face is pretty much expressionless, right?
But you still have to draw his expressions.
Right, right, right...
So it's in the small movements of his eyes and the like,
you have to bring out movement with that sort of thing.
So it's because there's no sketch that he's able to draw subtle expressions that can be discerned.
It's around here where it starts to be like, “It's really him!"
This is where I start feeling like, “It really is Golgo 13!”
See, it's turning into that picture that we all know.
Close Up: The Moment When “Golgo 13” Is Born
When it comes to your drawings,
I'd always heard that you used a G pen since I was a kid.
It was a G pen for a long time.
How long did you use a G pen for?
I used one until these quick-drying technical pens came out.
Once these came out, you didn't have to wait for ink to dry anymore.
But when it came to the feel of the art for people who did “gekiga,”
we'd always think of the way the G pen looked.
G pen: Easy to Change the Strength of Lines
Back then, when I started using a G pen, everyone started using one.
You can get more of the feel out of a line with a G pen.
White Out
Fixing the double lid just a bit.
Drying It with a Smoke
Now this is some incredible footage.
Close Up: The Moment When “Golgo 13” Is Born
This is really great.
This is because... I never could stand...
having to use a hair dryer to blow-dry, you know, those small parts,
so using a cigarette was the best way for me.
It makes you scared just looking at it, doesn't it?
Close Up: The Moment When “Golgo 13” Is Born
Have you ever burned the paper before?
Yeah, at first... At first I burned it a lot of times.
At first?
You burned it a lot?
But seeing it like, “Wow, it's really coming along!” It's sort of like...
That feeling when the Golgo 13 that we all know
takes shape like this coming from those lines,
it really gets emotional.
Close Up: The Moment When “Golgo 13” Is Born
I thought, “All it takes is Golgo 13's face appearing like this...
and it's enough to feel all these emotions.”
There's probably nobody Japanese that doesn't know this character,
and he's appearing from this hand like *fwoosh*,
it's just amazing that it can make me feel something so strongly.
♪♪～
This is the moment that “Golgo 13,”
that character known across all of Japan,
came to life from the tip of a pen.
Astonishing.
Color Page Process
Next comes the work of painting for a color page.
He uses a brush for Japanese painting and watercolor paints.
Brush for Japanese Painting
It really is...
The touch of the shading you get from painting looks really great.
This is what you get when you paint with a brush.
Drawing the Same Character for 47 Years
Golgo's expressions at the beginning were a bit more showy, right?
Chpt 1
Yes, yes, yes.
Then his eyes gradually became like they were staring at something afar.
That's right.
Chpt 298
That was also a process of gradually building the character, right?
You know, having him not speak,
Drawing the Same Character for 47 Years
if I made him speak, he would turn out really weak,
so I had him not speak, and let the surroundings do the explaining.
You know, in his monologues, like with the thought bubbles...?
Yes?
Yeah, yeah.
What really made me think “Golgo 13” was amazing was that,
there'd be thought bubbles where it'd just be “dot dot dot.”
Like you don't get to understand what it is he's thinking, right?
I thought, “That's really something great he came up with.”
Drawing the Same Character for 47 Years
I had no idea that all this was being filmed.
Well, it really is valuable.
Readers probably never would've thought I was even doing this stuff.
Yeah, it'll surprise those who say you only draw the eyes.
Even though they say stuff like that's all I do.
I wonder when that sort of talk came around.
It's like people aren't thinking that I'm the author anymore.
Drawing the Same Character for 47 Years
They say, “It's just this guy doing it.”
“It's just Golgo doing it on his own.”
Yeah, yeah.
Really, that's how it's sort of treated these days.
“Golgo-san must just be acting it out all on his own.”
I don't have as much of my own rights over it anymore, really.
Rights!?
It becomes something that's also the reader's, right?
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, it's turning into something that is the reader's.
Representative Work from His Early Period, “Typhoon Gorou”
When I said was ending “Typhoon Gorou,”
one of the readers, they said,
The Work Becomes the Reader's
“If you're going to kill off Typhoon Gorou... then you should go die!”
The order of things is hard to understand now, right?
Yeah.
I don't know if I'm grateful for it, or how else to put it.
Reprint
First Print
When the reprint of “Yawara!” came out,
I redrew parts here and there that I just didn't like at all.
And when I did that,
a reader asked, “What gave you the right to do that!?”
Come on!
Like, “Huh, I don't even have the right to do that?”
Because the author doesn't matter.
But it really is something to have done this for 47 years.
You think that way about yourself?
Yeah, I do, completely.
The everlasting masterpiece that Saitou-sensei created, “Golgo 13.”
“Pinhead Shoot” (2002) The 9-11 Terror Attacks
“Wasteland” (1984) Nuclear Accident Story
With each era, the various events and circumstances
have been reflected in the work.
But drama is driven by the same thing no matter what the period is:
the desires and hatred of humans,
and... their love.
And within that, resolutely abiding by his own rules,
Golgo 13 is depicted doing his job.
Drawing the “Basis” of People
You have to approach drama from something that is universal, like the “Basic human condition.”
You use current events, but what's at the root is something universal.
Yes.
That's right.
Because it keeps on changing from time to time,
what's interpreted as good or evil, or whatever, it all changes.
With “Golgo 13,” it wasn't drawn with what was seen as good or evil,
or the interpretation of things at the time in mind,
so that's probably how I managed to bring it all this way.
The drama that touches on the basis of human beings that has been drawn for nearly half a century.
The way that Golgo 13 is, unswayed by the times,
is conveyed as is
through the approach that Saitou-san takes in creating his work.
Saitou-san, who is already 78 years old, has another serialized work.
“Onihei Hankachou” (1993~)
It is originally by Ikenami Shoutarou: “Onihei Hankachou.”
It is a popular work that is in its 22nd year of serialization.
We captured him drawing the main character, Hasegawa Heizou, also known as Onihei.
The Front Cover of “Onihei Hankachou”
First he draws the outline.
Draw the Outline
He begins inking it already.
Inking
Drawing “Onihei” Hasegawa Heizou
Look, he's already got the magic marker in hand.
See, there he goes again, he's started it.
Hahaha, “There he goes again.”
I also start drawing from eyebrows.
How Urasawa Starts Drawing
The decider for an expression has got to be the eyebrows for me.
Drawing “Onihei” Hasegawa Heizou
The feeling you get from these eyebrows that are thick as can be,
that's totally the feeling that comes with “gekiga.”
Saitou Takao-san set out at the dawn of a new age of manga.
Those steps he took were part of the battle they fought day after day to establish a new method of manga, “gekiga.”
Born 1936 (Showa 11) Wakayama Prefecture
Origins of the Mangaka Saitou Takao
Saitou-san loved drawing and film ever since he was young.
Illustrations Pictures in Articles and Novels
He studied drawing, dreaming of becoming an illustrator for novels.
Art: Tezuka Osamu Story/Composition: Sakai Shichima “Shin Takara Jima” (1947)
Then an encounter with Tezuka's manga changes his destiny.
Origins of the Mangaka Saitou Takao
When I first saw Tezuka-san's work I thought,
“You can make films using paper!” And that's what got me into manga.
Debut Work “Kuuki Danshaku”
With manga he could create dramas that would move people by drawing.
With that dream in hand he made his debut as a mangaka at 19.
At the time, satirical and comedic manga was the mainstream.
“Shitachisou no Susumu” (1957)
But Saitou-san wanted to make cinematic manga that focused on story.
22 then
1959, He Establishes the “Gekiga Workshop” with Tatsumi Yoshihiro, Matsumoto Masahiko, etc.
Origins of the Mangaka Saitou Takao
With his friends who shared the same aspirations as him,
he struggled to establish what would come to be known as “gekiga.”
However, he ran into a very large wall:
the drawing style.
In Search of a Style for Realistic Drama
I wanted to do realistic dramas, because I was thinking of it like movies,
and I didn't know what kind of pictures to draw to do that.
I couldn't work for 3 years. I was so bothered over the art.
In Search of a Style for Realistic Drama
“Kenjuu to Hana”
What kind of drawing could draw the reader into the drama?
“Shiratori”
He went through trial and error, trying his hand at various styles.
“Deshi Futari”
Then he found the path to his salvation cut open by the techniques of illustration he learned when he was young.
In Search of a Style for Realistic Drama
The pictures I had started drawing out of desperation,
illustration started appearing in it, since I had studied that before.
The artist that I liked the most when I was studying illustration was
an illustrator named Naka Kazuya. I really loved his drawings.
Naka Kazuya
It's not that it appeared in it, it's more like that's all I could draw.
So I took what I had and ran with it.
So you tried to compose it like illustration.
That's right.
Because that art found its way into it, it turned into something completely different from the manga so far.
In Search of a Style for Realistic Drama
1967 “Muyou- nosuke” Begins as a Series in Shounen Magazine
At 30 the serialization of his period manga “Muyounosuke” began.
He attempted various cinematic ways of expression.
Wanting to Make a Movie on Paper
For “Muyounosuke” you made use of some full 2 page spreads.
I did, I did.
That was so astonishing for me.
One cut!
The entire 2 pages, one cut.
You actually have the original?
No way, are you serious?
The Original Manuscript of the Full 2 Page Spread
Whoa!
Wow, amazing.
This is great.
If I drew a 2 page spread
I thought it might be like a scene you were watching in a movie.
This is all that the characters take up.
Yeah, this is... very stylish.
I really tried doing all sorts of things.
It'd be great to reprint this at its actual size.
It came from wanting to entertain the readers.
So it wasn't about your own ambitions or such.
That's right.
It was about what kind of reaction the reader would have.
But still it had quite an impact on the world of manga at the time.
A hardy story spun through a realistic drawing style,
“Gekiga,” which distinguished itself from what came before, boomed.
I think this is a really great document that address the idea of
how something you'd call a picture comes about.
There might be something in these delicate lines that you could call
the symbol of Saitou Takao.
Delicate?
When they're drawn in that way like *swish swish*
that's when it really hits you, that it's a drawing by Saitou-sensei.
Like that hair right now, how it's like *swish*
It just makes me think like, that's the kind of thing it's made up of.
These straggling hairs, see!
They're so cool!
Hahaha, “cool”?
Continuing to Confront the “Act of Drawing”
When I was young I studied Japanese painting, like in middle school.
Japanese painting in middle school?
What made me feel like I really benefited from those studies was that
I learned how to bring out the texture of things using lines.
It was from that?
Yes.
My teacher for Japanese painting taught me
even if you're just drawing one long line,
like when you're drawing someone's skin or the hard surface of metal,
to think about what that line is supposed to express while drawing it.
That's a good teacher!
It made me think, “Whoa!”
From that I became more mindful about bringing out texture using lines.
Continuing to Confront the “Act of Drawing”
So now that I'm seeing this I'm thinking,
most people don't draw the texture of the skin of old people well.
It's not just about the wrinkles, the lines for old people change.
Like the sag in these areas.
Right.
People say that I'm a mangaka that specializes in drawing seniors,
but I have fun seeing how I can draw that sagging that's there,
and bring it out with just some small lines.
Continuing to Confront the “Act of Drawing”
The fact that you can be aware of that sort of thing
means that your drawings are good, right?
There aren't that many people like that.
Those things are what I concern myself with.
If you're good at drawing, what you have to be most careful of is
enjoying yourself too much when you're drawing,
and losing sight of things as a whole.
Looking at just a spot...
Yeah, yeah, right.
You have to be careful not to fall into that.
Yeah, you really do.
Onihei's face is complete.
A drawing style that imparts realistic drama built by continuously confronting the act of drawing.
Its techniques are packed into the images.
“Golgo 13” continues in its serialization even now without pause.
He begins the work of authoring the story for it.
Writing the Story of “Golgo 13”
With a Staff of 8, It Takes 10 days to Make 1 Chapter
With a staff of 8, in roughly 10 days,
they complete the work for 1 chapter.
For 47 years Saitou-san has continued to work while constantly battling deadlines.
Making the Name (Storyboard) While Reading the Script
First comes making the name.
While reading the script by the scriptwriter,
he thinks about the construction and composition.
He Spends About 4 days to 1 Week on Making the Name for 1 Chapter
Saitou-san does all of this work over a number of days.
Other than drawing the main character,
almost all of his time is spent on making the name.
Even though I'm an artist, I'm not good at drawing pictures.
Working on composition is what I like the most, not the drawing;
thinking about how to show something.
He Draws the Name Directly onto the Manuscript Paper for this Chapter
He writes his directions to the staff directly on the manuscript paper that will be used.
Huh? For some reason Saitou-san is moving his mouth.
He's Moving His Mouth While He's Drawing
The Making of the Story of “Golgo 13”
You're mouthing the dialogue, right?
You're saying the lines while you make the name.
I have never consciously done that.
But you're saying something there.
I'm saying something?
Oh, you're right.
Using Numbers to Indicate Characters
The positioning in the composition feels pretty incomprehensible,
your staff is pretty impressive for being able to decipher it.
Well, we've been together for a long time. It's like code now.
For example, like...
That scribble over there?
Yeah, it says, “Foreground.”
Oh, that's supposed to be “foreground”?
The “A” that has a circle around it is “angle,” draw it at that angle.
Oh, the “A” with a circle. Okay.
Angle... up.
Up.
Ah, angle up.
Looking down, an overhead view? I see.
* *
Right.
Saitou-san aspires to create movies on paper.
He pours his heart into how he should show the drama in the paneling and composition.
It's pretty much always like they say,
that it's like you've got 3 sets of cameras running around,
and it's about where you should cut it.
It might look like I'm just casually doing the panel layout,
But the way the panels are cut determines the drama, how it's read.
Here you go.
Excuse me.
I'll take care of this.
The name has been made.
The 8 staff members who receive the instructions draw the pictures.
Inking the Main Character
Saitou-san draws Golgo 13.
He always oversees the main character himself for all his works.
“Saitou Productions” Established in 1960
In an era when the idea of collaboratively creating manga barely existed
Saitou-san established a production studio.
If you combined people's strengths,
you could expand manga into a culture to rival films and novels.
That was the dream he had.
Gather People to Create High Quality Work
You had those wild ambitions at the age of 23.
But really, to be thinking that way, to have the outlook all that time
that it would eventually become an era like the present, it's amazing.
Because the talent for drawing and drama are completely different.
That's why I was always telling people, “If you gather those talents,
you can actually create something more complete.”
So the staff system was like that for making a film,
Right, right.
and you approached it like you would film production in various spots.
Yes, yes... Yes, yes...
That's what I had thought of,
so that's how I wanted to do it, more than anything.
People good at creating drama, composition, art...
if you put them all together, you're bound to get something good, right?
Saitou-san has been working for 3 hours straight without a break.
Taking a Nap on the Sofa Chair
He takes a nap.
You didn't have to film this part, did you?
No, people really need to see this and understand.
Drawing manga is real hard work!
After a mere 10 minutes,
he takes up his pen again.
For 60 years he's believed in the power of manga, blazing new trails.
The manga that he wished to make, with the story at its core,
has now become something so ubiquitous.
Though it may go by a different name,
the genes of “Gekiga,” which Saitou-san helped nurture,
are living on in the manga culture that exists today.
And the dreams he had for manga when he was young
are continuing to expand even now.
The World of Manga Will Expand Even More
I have never thought about quitting.
I think this world of manga we have will expand even more.
An audience that wants something interesting is waiting.
Yes, yes.
So in order to deliver large amounts of high quality work,
Yes, yes, yes.
you have got to create a system to accomplish that, right?
That's exactly right.
And if you create that system, the reader will benefit as well.
That's right.
They'll have tons of stuff to read.
If we can make sure this world turns out this way in the future,
I think this world of manga we have will become more interesting.
♪♪～
Main Character Inking Complete
The manuscript that the staff has worked on is returned to him.
Finalizing
He goes through the finishing process while checking the details.
Going Over the Details and Revising Them
It's a total of 36 pages. He goes over each panel thoroughly.
He continuously revises it to make the work better.
It's a process that he's tirelessly repeated for decades.
Adding the Tails of the Bubbles
He adds all of the ends of the bubbles himself.
Making sure it's easy to read is something he cares a lot about.
Adding Sound Effects
Another thing that Saitou-san cares a lot about is sound.
He's come up with many unique ways to express sound in his time.
Focused on Sound
You've come up with a good number of sound effects.
That's right.
Like when I want to create a pause, I first have a *Nng*,
then a dot, and *Zat*, so it's *Nng・Zat*.
*Nng・Zat*, *Nng・Zat*.
You wouldn't normally think of putting the *Nng* first.
After spending 2 hours, the finishing process is completed.
Saitou-san leaves the writing room.
Final Check
The work is almost complete.
The finished manuscript is compiled,
and a final check is conducted with the entire staff.
He's uncompromising even in the final moments.
That's drawn really strong and solid.
When you do a good job of expressing that, it gives the work volume.
Don't forget about the car here.
I thought it might be strange if we could still see the car at this point.
The Car That Should Be There Isn't
It'd be strange if you didn't see it.
If you don't draw the car then it won't make sense.
Golgo would just be staring at the road,
and if that were the case, he'd look more relaxed.
Golgo 13's expression has a tense air to it.
With the car drawn, the drama of the scene is brought out.
Work Complete
Okay, I'll leave the rest to you guys. Good work.
At last his work is done.
It's finished. My work here is finished.
The 36 page manuscript of “Golgo 13” is finally complete.
A drawing style that conveys drama which he has pursued for 60 years,
high quality depictions created by combining people's strengths,
paneling, which he is so exact with, and innovations in sound,
a main character that creates drama with a universal quality,
and a passion for manga that never burns out:
this work that encompasses the entirety of Saitou Takao
has been born once again today.
♪♪～
In the end, for a reader,
perhaps it doesn't even matter who it was that created it, right?
That's right, it doesn't matter.
Just as long as they're getting something good.
That's exactly right.
The world we're in is the same one as the movie industry.
We take money upfront... and then we give you the book.
As long as we're in that world,
if it isn't at least worth the money paid upfront,
then that business will surely fail.
So we have to give them a sense of satisfaction, right?
But...
being in that business should come with its own particular meaning,
and if you think about that while you're constructing that world,
I think it'll expand even more and more.
♪♪～
I'm always consciously thinking that I want to draw something new,
but the work doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the readers, right?
So I can't go around saying, “I want to quit.”
Not being able to take a break on my own is just the job.
I'll do my best for as long as I can,
even at this age of mine.
Manben Season 2 Begins March, 2016 http://nhk.jp/manben
♪♪～