There's no point in drawing something that's already been drawn,
so if I'm going to make the effort to draw something,
I want to draw something that no one has done before.
Well, that's my goal at least.
When I come up with something I'm not so sure about,
is when it first begins to get interesting, I think.
I want to create things that aren't of this world.
And I think the right visual imagery is crucial for that.
If I can present it in a believable way to readers,
and it also has never been seen before,
then I'd consider it a great success.
Drawing the Unreal
Heir to the Tradition of Horror
Take “eroticism” for instance,
or, for example, “being hungry,”
there are sensations that all people can share the experience of.
And among those, I feel that “fear”
has got to be the one with the highest entertainment value.
“I saw something scary” is probably
something everyone has experienced.
This is “Manben,”
a show where we observe the workspace of mangaka,
artists who create grand dramas from tiny pen tips.
Full Access to the Place Where Manga Is Born
The instigator of all this is this man, Urasawa Naoki-san,
a manga artist who has penned many hit series over the years.
In many of his works he has taken to depicting the darker side of mankind
and instilled fear into readers.
Even when there's nothing scary there, I'll purposely draw it in a way where it feels like it's too scary to look at,
Q. How do you draw “horror”?
but being able to draw horror that is actually scary
takes a great deal of talent for entertaining people, I think.
Today's guest is a manga artist devoted to depicting horror,
Itou Junji-san,
currently a prominent figure in the world of horror manga.
He has focused on horror ever since his debut, creating countless works over the years.
Known for his other-worldly ideas and designs,
such as a world consumed by spirals
or human heads that become giant balloons,
he draws often repulsive and shocking imagery with beautiful, intricate lines.
In addition, pure heroines and bewitching fiends played by
stunningly beautiful girls adorn his stories.
Inheriting the legacy of horror manga, while also creating uniquely new stories,
he has attracted many enthusiastic fans.
For today's episode we were able to closely record him working over a period of four days.
Filmed Closely over a Span of 4 Days
What we discovered were drawings meant to inspire fear,
a unique pace to his pen for creating those lines,
Unique Pace to his Pen
and finally, a struggle to create imagery that has never been seen before.
Struggle
One week later, they meet up to watch the recorded footage and discuss it.
They'll Chat as They Watch the Footage
It's different from past horror manga,
and I've always viewed it as being inspired by “Neo-Sensualism.”
It's my dream, you know? To draw horror manga.
I'm going to try and learn as much as I can today.
Meeting at a Cat Cafe in Shibuya
The place they're meeting at is, surprisingly, a cat cafe!
Nice to meet you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you as well.
This is a crazy place.
We're surrounded!
They all came because I had treats.
Look at how many of them there are!
This is a cat-lover's paradise.
Itou Junji's Cat Diary: Yon and Muu A Manga about His Pet Cats
Itou-san has cats of his own and is fervent cat lover.
He has even drawn manga about them.
I've always loved your work and kept an eye on them.
Thank you very much.
What you do to get that sort of feeling in your work
is something I try to figure it out practically all the time.
Truth be told, I snuck a peek at the recording,
and I finally understood somewhat.
Maybe I can finally take a shot at horror manga.
You should!
Itou Junji-san creates grotesque yet beautiful works,
and the secrets of his process will be revealed.
A Look inside the Workspace of the Leading Figure in Horror Manga
Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture
He does his work all alone at a desk under a bed in his house.
Inking
He begins by inking a panel of a young girl.
A Look inside the Workspace of the Leading Figure in Horror Manga
Do you do everything yourself?
No, my neighbors help me with finishing touches.
Your neighbors?
Yes, they're acquaintances of my wife.
But just for blacks or screentones, right?
That's right. The rest I mostly do myself.
He is currently working on the short, “Layers of Fear.”
Layers of Fear
A professor unearths human remains at a dig site,
and a curse befalls his daughter.
It is a curse where her body grows a layer every year,
resembling the way tree rings look.
Daughter, Reimi
After a traffic accident, her mother goes mad upon learning the truth
Her Mother
and starts to remove layer after layer of her daughter's skin.
In the scene he is working on right now,
her 20-year-old daughter has had multiple layers of skin removed
Reimi at 20
Drawing Her at 2 after Her Skin Was Removed
and is now in the form of a two year old.
Filmed with Fixed Cameras to Not Get in the Way
We film him at work with fixed cameras,
trying to disturb him as little as possible.
He carefully adds touches to the eyes.
The expression he draws shows a sensuality that makes it hard to believe she's a two year old girl.
“Beautiful women” grow more beautiful with each day, no?
Tomie * Gaka
There's a refinement of their beauty.
Uzumaki
And they're an absolute necessity in horror manga, no?
Yuurei ni Naritakunai
Uh-huh, I think so.
There aren't many of them in manga that have the same feel as yours.
Mimi no Kaidan
Drawing Beautiful Women
Those eyes are stunning.
They have a deep sensuality in them.
It's in the eyelashes.
I draw eyelashes that are fairly dense.
Also, like where light hits the pupil,
I make the areas around the highlights there dark,
but as they go down, they get lighter.
It could also be that the face is arranged in the golden ratio.
It does have that quality, doesn't it?
And they're the type that get stuck in the worst situations.
Shikeishuu no Yobirin
And everyone knows it!
Their speech patterns also help a lot,
like how they sound.
Uzumaki
Ah, yes. It does, doesn't it.
It gives off a bit of that “refined young lady” vibe.
I've done the same thing before in my work.
Drawing Beautiful Women
When Minaguchi Yuuko,
the voice actress, was doing the lines for “Yawara!,”
Yawara!
she said it was really embarrassing speaking like that so much.
People don't really talk like that.
Drawing Beautiful Women
In addition to his predilection towards horror stories, He's known for drawing beautiful women in his work.
This idea of having cute girls trembling in terror
Hellstar Remina
Drawing Beautiful Women
Kubitsuri Kikyuu
is a horror staple after all.
Also, they contrast well against the monsters in the story,
Mimikosuri Onna
which helps depict both of them better.
I think they're a definite necessity to have.
Contrasting with the beautiful, innocent girl,
around her he draws the grotesque remains of the layers of her face which were peeled off.
It has both “horror” and “erotic” qualities to it, doesn't it?
Fear and Eroticism
And they might both stem from the same sources of interest.
For example with the way legs come out from a skirt.
Uzumaki
It seems like nothing at first,
but it has this very erotic quality to it.
Mimi no Kaidan
And it seems similar to the way horror might draw you in.
Monster
Yes, and it's a great deal of fun to draw those two extremes.
Fear and Eroticism
How you feel when you think something is beautiful
and if that's present in a picture you draw of it,
and when you think something's gross
and if it shows up in a picture you draw of it...
Those are like the exact same thing.
Horror, beauty, and eroticism —
when they are used together, they have a synergistic effect on the emotions of readers.
Whenever I read your manga,
A Look inside the Workspace of the Leading Figure in Horror Manga
I think, “I wish I could reproduce this same feeling.”
When I draw it, it's not scary,
but when you draw, it is.
And I was wondering why that was,
but after seeing this recording,
I noticed you're abnormally slow with your pen.
That's right. I'm slow.
On this show, most of the guests we have had have been fast.
That's true.
You're the slowest in all of “Manben”!
Yeah, I think I am.
When Takahashi Tsutomu-sensei saw himself drawing,
Takahashi Tsutomu
he said, “Wow, I'm pretty fast,”
so I wondered if I was that fast too.
But you're slow!
The Unique Pen Tip That Creates This Horror
That's when I suddenly realized it.
When it comes to creating horror, pen speed comes first.
With each individual pen stroke,
you have to let it ooze out slowly.
You do a little at a time and go bit by bit, right?
Like, “Squeak, squeak, squeak...”
I felt like, “I've figured it out somewhat.”
I never noticed though.
Looking closely, Itou-san really does do a little bit at a time.
It seems these careful pen strokes help impart a scariness into the lines.
The Unique Pen Tip That Creates This Horror
The way you hold your pen is somewhat unique too.
Most people hold their index finger on top,
but yours is on the side.
You hold it like this when you draw.
That's right. I can't seem to do it like that.
Itou Junji
Urasawa Naoki
When you compare them, they're definitely different.
He's using his pen with the index finger on the side.
Maybe it's because my thumb is long,
The Unique Pen Tip That Creates This Horror
but when I hold a pen, my index and thumb get in each other's way.
I'd like to cut off this part of it.
You say that pretty nonchalantly —
that attitude of, “It's in the way, so why don't I just cut it off?”
That's how a kid might think.
I've tried to hold my finger normally many times,
but I guess it's a problem with the bone structure.
It's like with certain major leaguers,
people go, “Why's he holding the bat that way!?”
But that's really important, I'd say,
because that weird way they're holding it is the start of something.
That's very important — that originality to it.
It's now two hours into inking.
He finally finishes the panel where the girl's face has been torn to shreds.
Work Complete
Created by techniques cultivated over time, the girl's beautiful face is shown in vivid detail,
along with her eyes,
and the revolting pieces of her skin around her drawn with lines that have oozed out.
A panel that mixes beauty and terror to stimulate the reader's base instincts is finally complete.
He moves on to the next page.
Name (The Storyboard)
A Shocking Scene Where She Pulls off Her Own Face
The girl's mother, driven to madness, tears off her own face —
a shocking scene.
He starts with the rough sketch.
He lays the storyboard under the page and uses it as a reference.
Rough Sketch
Drawing Grotesque Horror
Do you like anatomical diagrams?
I don't know if “like” is the right word...
They're a bit indispensable for me.
When I was working on “Monster,”
Monster
I used a lot of reference pictures that a medical student would use.
At first I thought, “Wow, this is pretty intense,”
but strangely enough,
Drawing Grotesque Horror
once you stare at them for a while, you get used to them.
Ah, I know what you mean.
When you just take a peek, there's a real element of fear that lingers.
To conquer that fear, you just need to stare at it head on for once.
Like your eyes get used to it.
Fear often comes from things like that,
where you just catch a glimpse of something, right?
Yeah, that's certainly so.
What's this? Something strange is stuck to his finger.
Could it be something paranormal?
Is it an... eraser?
Focusing on the Right Tools
Do you always use a kneaded eraser?
Yeah, it's always a kneaded one.
You have it stuck on there.
Kneaded Eraser
You draw with it stuck on like that?
That's right. That way I don't have to constantly reach for it.
Sticking a kneaded eraser on your finger? Not a bad idea.
Focusing on the Right Tools
Mirror
I use a mirror every now and then.
What are you looking at?
If I don't check how it looks reversed,
I won't know if the rough sketch is off in some way.
Oh, you're pointing it at the drawing to see how it looks flipped.
That's right.
Most people look through the back side of the manuscript.
That takes a lot of effort, so I thought this way would be quicker.
Focusing on the Right Tools
So you're looking at the manuscript.
Yeah, that's right.
Focusing on the Right Tools
Itou-san has even modified pens to make them easier to hold.
A Hand- Made Short Pen
This is how you use this one.
A Hand- Made Pen with a Spring
Whoa.
Focusing on the Right Tools
I go through a lot of trial and error to make something I like.
One thing I've noticed is they all feel comfortable to hold.
This one might be a good fit for me.
Oh, really?
Shall I give it to you as a gift then?
Focusing on the Right Tools
Ink Cleaner & Small Storage
He has a number of other homemade tools all over his desk.
Paper Wrapped Around Pens That Slip
He's made lots of modifications.
For Ink on the Ruler
He checks the mirror one last time,
Rough Sketch Finished
and the rough sketch is finished.
Inking
Next, he starts inking.
Itou Junji-san has pursued horror manga with determination all this time.
Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1963
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
He was born in 1963 in the Gifu Prefecture.
He grew up in an old house, and to use the restroom,
he had to go through an underground hallway.
That was his first exposure to fear.
In the middle of the tunnel,
“Twin Series” Used His Childhood Home with an Underground Tunnel as the Model for the Story
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
the door would always be wide open,
and I would always have to look into that dark, terrifying space inside.
I would get scared and couldn't go alone.
I wonder if people who tend to get scared
have a part of them that is drawn to horror because of it.
He started reading horror manga at 5 years old.
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
Despite being easily scared, he was drawn to horror as a boy.
Which mangaka would you say influenced you the most?
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
It has to be Umezu Kazuo-sensei.
Orochi
Was he always your greatest influence?
He was.
Eko Eko Azarak
Also, Koga Shinichi-sensei,
Lullabies from Hell
and Hino Hideshi-sensei as well.
Those three influenced me the most.
Miira-Sensei
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
He was especially enchanted by the works of horror manga legend Umezu Kazuo-san.
Manga Drawn in Grade School
Inspired by him, Itou-san began drawing occult manga.
After graduating high school, he worked as a dental technician.
When he finished school, he took a job as a dental technician.
In his free time, he practiced his drawing skills.
However, he couldn't shake his dream of drawing horror manga,
so he polished his skills in his free time.
His Sketchbook from the Time
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
This is it. When you're young, you've gotta draw like this.
Ahaha.
I think it'd be good to show this to anyone who aspires to be an artist.
Like where you draw something all in one line
and try to capture the silhouette of something.
If you go and draw the outline down,
it feels a bit like you won't improve.
You look at the subject, and then immediately capture it.
Like with a croquis drawing.
Right.
When you do it all in one go, it brings out the beauty of the lines.
First Umezu Award, Honorable Mention Winner “Tomie”
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
He drew a piece with the skills he cultivated
and submitted it for the Umezu Award.
It would later become a series he would be well known for, “Tomie.”
He won an honorable mention for it and made his debut.
Yaneura no Nagai Kami
After that, he worked hard to stay true to
the foundations of horror manga that his predecessors laid out
Shibito no Koiwazurai
Ayatsuri Yashiki
and to incorporate the freedom of expression in horror
that he enjoyed when he was a child.
Tonneru Kitan
I wouldn't say I was creating horror manga,
Daichi no Ko
Origins of the Mangaka Itou Junji
but that I'm “inheriting” it,
like I'm carrying on the tradition.
Within that, however, I thought I'd add my own touch
with new types of imagery.
He painstakingly draws the shocking scene of the mother tearing off her own face.
The Starting Point of the Bizarre Ideas
There's no way this could ever happen though,
someone “ripping off their own skin.”
If you think about it, it's just ridiculous.
That's not something I'd expect from you.
“If you think about it, it's ridiculous.”
Everyone knows that.
But I feel like those parts that seem almost absurd
are sort of given free rein in your work, right?
Yes, they are.
Probably because I love the absurd.
It's almost like as a whole,
it comes from an almost child-like irreverence.
Ah, yes it does.
We set reason aside for now,
and approach it like, “Wouldn't a weird story like this be fun?”
I think the underlying concepts of horror manga come from
something like the ruthlessness that children have
where they can unsympathetically go like, “Suffer!”
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Maybe I've stopped maturing and am stuck in that state.
Work Finished
From sketch to inks, it's been three hours.
This panel is finally complete.
It's a blood-curdling image born from a child-like imagination.
It's been brought to the page using the talent he's diligently honed over years.
This panel, infused with Itou-san's style which he's inherited from previous masters of horror, is done.
He now starts on the rough sketch for the next page.
Rough Sketch
It's a scene where the character opens her mouth to show her teeth.
Drawing the Teeth
You worked as a dental technician, correct?
Dental Technician: Specializes in the Creation of Artificial Teeth
A Look inside the Workspace of the Leading Figure in Horror Manga
Yes, back when I was younger.
So teeth must be easy for you.
You can draw them without looking, right?
For the most part, yes.
I can draw them fairly accurately.
For some reason, he draws some guide lines.
He's drawing another set of teeth along the lines.
And another further back.
It seems the teeth are also layered like tree rings!
Putting Bizarre Ideas on the Page
Man, that's disgusting.
I wonder how you come up with these things?
The idea of the body being composed like tree rings
Layers of Fear
was the idea I had at first.
Once I started drawing, I wondered what the inside of the mouth would look like.
Putting Bizarre Ideas on the Page
Multiple layers...
This picture is wild.
But I don't think it would actually look this way in reality.
Yeah, but it doesn't exist in reality!
After two hours, the sketch is finished.
Rough Sketch Complete
We see 20 layers of teeth in a row.
Inking
Next, he starts inking it in.
He carefully brings the bizarre ideas in his head to life on paper.
Kubitsuri Kikyuu
Putting Bizarre Ideas on the Page
Aiding him in this is his honed skill in producing vivid imagery,
Gyo
and his ability of expression which have been fostered over years.
Uzumaki
Putting Bizarre Ideas to the Page
“I saw something I've never seen before.”
That's what I want people to think.
To me, visual imagery is very important,
and if I can present that in a form that believable to the reader
while also presenting completely unique imagery,
then I feel like I've done a great job.
The idea of a human body being constructed like tree rings
formed the basis for this shocking image of countless rows of teeth.
He earnestly draws more than 300 teeth one at a time.
Putting Bizarre Ideas on the Page
It's an absurd premise for a story,
so to present it in a form that's explainable,
I had to think hard about what to do.
Something to substantiate it.
So I try to keep the art as realistic as I can.
If the art has a realism to it, that in itself makes it more believable.
Gosenzo-sama
In the one you did where the man's head is linked in a chain,
where it looked like a caterpillar,
I wondered, “How does he come up with this stuff?”
With that, I got the idea from totem poles.
The girl shows up,
and the father comes out and goes, “Hey!”
But he makes sure to only come out a bit so he can hide the rest.
That was great.
I thought with his head linked, he'd walk differently too.
Sort of like this or something.
Sticking to His Bizarre Ideas While Drawing
You come up with these completely off-the-wall ideas,
but then you somehow bring a sense of realism to them.
Like how someone would walk if their head was like that.
I do try to think about things like that.
You strike a good balance
between the unbelievable and the strangely believable.
It's a delicate one, isn't it?
It makes it very entertaining.
You tell a huge lie,
but then underlie it with strong touches of realism in the details,
and I think that's the approach we all should be taking.
That's right.
If I don't at least draw the details in a realistic manner,
then it just becomes a ridiculous story, and that's it.
Three and a half hours from rough sketch to inking.
He's finally finished drawing 324 connected teeth.
Work Complete
The bizarre idea of the body being composed like tree rings.
In order to portray its grotesque nature,
he employed detailed work bit by bit.
Another of his never before seen images is brought to the page.
He moves on to the next panel.
She's had so many layers torn off that she now looks like she's two years old.
Her body is a testament to this terrifying fact.
It's the climactic scene of the story.
Inking
Drawing the Girl's True Form
What a sight! Her face looks young, but her arms and legs are long and lanky.
Sticking to His Bizarre Ideas While Drawing
This wasn't the form I originally envisioned for her,
but her body as a child would still be inside her grown up body,
and I was wondering how that would work.
Her legs and such might be stretched out by her body as it grew.
Yeah, they might get stretched out.
When I realized that, I came upon the image you see here.
It does have a certain logic to it.
And the same would go for the stomach.
It would.
I thought it'd make sense for it to look like the digestive organs.
I don't even know what to say...
This is great.
It starts to have a bug-like, or a larva-like look to it.
Now he draws the body before the skin was removed.
Her Body before Peeling
White- out
He corrects it so the two-year-old body doesn't stick out too far.
Despite it being an unrealistic image, he's careful to keep to a sense of realism.
Drawing the Scraps of Skin
Now he adds torn strips of skin.
He ad-libs many layers of skin.
Sticking to His Bizarre Ideas While Drawing
You really do go slowly with your pen.
But that's the trick, isn't it?
That's what makes it scary.
It really feels like there are all these little details going into it.
I'm thinking, “That's not it, but that's not right either,” during it,
which makes even more slow.
It's the sum of trying something, seeing it take shape,
and then thinking, “Oh, that looks good.”
It's nothing specific, but you do have something in mind.
It's not just something that's random.
Whatever it is that comes out, it needs to look cool, right?
It's crucial that when it comes together, the lines all hit the mark.
And when you're always trying to get the best out of that,
that's when it will become more complete as an image.
Giving Texture to the Body
He adds detail to the girl's body in a similar ad-lib fashion.
When I start thinking, “Oh, maybe I should do this,”
it starts to escalate and becomes more and more grotesque.
I love doing this sort of stuff.
Drawing off-the-wall stuff is when I have the most fun.
Three hours have passed since he started.
Adding in Shadows
He begins drawing in the shadows.
Calli- graphy Pen
Maru Pen
Changing pens occasionally, he carefully adds line after line.
Tuning the Right Amount of Darkness for Horror
The whole layering effect in this drawing makes it really interesting.
Whenever there's white space, I can't help but want to fill it in.
Something like “white-space phobia” perhaps?
Anyway, I draw in those spaces in the drawing
because I tend to want to make it darker.
Making it dark by “drawing it in.”
Not filling it in, right?
I've noticed that.
Tomie
In the past, you would have areas filled completely in black.
Like around the time you debuted.
Now, though, you hardly ever do it at all.
Shibito no Koiwazurai
Yeah, that's right.
Now you're “drawing it in.”
Tuning the Right Amount of Darkness for Horror
Even though you're adding so much detail,
it's not hard to grasp the image.
I try to think about that while drawing,
to make sure it doesn't get overly confusing.
Could it be the quality of the characters that helps?
Your characters stand out and draw attention to themselves.
Uzumaki
Even if the surrounding art is complicated, the character stills wins out.
Gyo
Darkness in the image is brought out after a long process of deliberate additions.
Maru Pen with White- out
In horror, how scary the dark is, is a common theme,
and having things dark so it's hard to see makes it seem like something could be lurking in that darkness.
It stirs up fears that make you worry, “What could it be?”
It's been six hours since he started.
Inking Complete
He's finished inking for now.
The image has gained a darkness from precise additions.
Import- ing the Manuscript onto the Computer
He uploads the drawings to the computer in order to add the final touches.
Home- made Keypad
Adding Screen- tones
He's noticed something.
He adjusts the size of the foot.
Before
After
Truly a small adjustment.
He pays careful attention to even the tiniest details.
Now he adds a number of minor details.
This idea of human skin that can be torn off is being fully explored in this climactic image.
Seven hours have passed as he's faced the manuscript all by himself.
30 years since his debut, he's continued to draw horror manga earnestly,
the same horror manga that delighted him since he was a child.
He carries on that tradition into the future,
while focusing on creating never-before-seen imagery,
and delivers it to the readers.
Those desires are Itou-san's driving force.
If you think about it, you're all by yourself in this room,
a full-grown adult, drawing this kind of stuff.
It's quite the scene.
All the while, you're seriously thinking, “How's this?”
Those moments where you think up something really out there
Sticking to His Bizarre Ideas While Drawing
are some of the most fun, aren't they?
And you have to stay true to those original thoughts,
or you'll lose focus.
It'll become hard to tell what's interesting about it anymore.
It's like when you've thought up something crazy
you have to take that “energy” you came up with
and carry it with you until the work is finished.
He's spent a whopping nine hours on this page,
but he's finally finished.
Work Done
His unique imagery is born from a child-like imagination
and brought to the page by the talent he's cultivated through untiring effort and his slow oozing penmanship.
Enhanced by an intentful placement of line after line and borrowing from the horror manga tradition,
an image filled with Itou-san's love for horror is born.
I learned a great deal today.
I'm definitely going to try lowering my speed while drawing.
I wonder how scary I can get my drawings.
I can't wait to see that.
I think if there's something you like,
then you should use that as your inspiration to draw.
Delving deep into areas that interest you helps a lot, I think.
Taking something you like and going as far as you can with it
means that there's love there.
It's a love towards horror in your case, right?
And that love you have is no joke.
When I came across Umezu Kazuo-sensei and others as a kid,
they were so scary yet entertaining,
and it was something I truly enjoyed,
which led me to think, “I want to draw that kind of stuff too.”
I still want to draw something a bit better,
because what I've drawn up to now isn't enough.
I want a bit more.
I want to draw a little bit more.