Japan’s Alternative Comics: Then and Now

An Interview with Noriko Tetsuka, the editor-in-chief of AX

By Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Gekkan Manga Garo, photo by TADA (YUKAI)

Noriko Tetsuka, the editor-in-chief of AXOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

"Gekkan Manga Garo [Garo]" was first published in 1964. This magazine—which was started by Seirindō, a company established by Katsuichi Nagai, who was involved in the publication of Sanpei Shirato’s "Ninja Bugeichō [History of the Ninja Arts]" and other kashi-hon (rental) manga—was where "Kamui Den [The Legend of Kamui]", arguably Shirato’s life’s work, was serialized. Before long, the magazine became a hub for other writers attempting to succeed with new forms of manga expression, and it left a major mark on the history of Japanese manga. After Nagai’s death, editors branched out from Seirindō to establish SeirinKogeisha, where "AX" was first published in 1998, and the magazine has since led Japanese alternative comics. We recently had a chance to hear from Noriko Tetsuka, who was involved in the editing of both magazines. (Interview: 8th July 2020) 

"Gekkan Manga Garo" September issue, 1968 (1968)Original Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

First encounter with "Garo" at age 13

I first learned about "Garo" in 1968, at the age of 13. The name of the magazine "Garo" popped up in the late-night radio broadcasts I often listened to at the time, and the friends of my brother—who was two years older than me—mentioned it as well. This piqued my interest, and I wondered what kind of magazine it was. There was a single local bookstore in Utsunomiya that carried "Garo", and the issue I bought there had Sanpei Shirato’s "Kamui Den" on the cover. That manga’s pictures of arms getting cut off by swords and blood flying everywhere scared me, and the story itself was difficult to follow, so I didn’t really get it at first.

Seiichi Hayashi "Red Colored Elegy [Sekishoku Erejii]", Shougakukan, pp.14-15 (1976)Original Source: ©️Seiichi Hayashi, Shogakukan, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

However, I got into the magazine in a hurry when Seiichi Hayashi’s "Sekishoku Erejī [Red Colored Elegy]" was started in the January 1970 issue. I went to Tokyo on Sundays, where I bought and read back issues of Garo from the sixties as well as books written by Garo’s writers.

Seirindō at the time.Original Source: SeirinKogeisha

Reuniting with an “odd old man” at a job interview

When I was 24 years old, I found an employee recruitment article in "Garo". I had wanted to work at Seirindō since I was in high school, so I took a shot at the interview and somehow managed to get hired. I was interviewed by none other than the company’s founder and first editor-in-chief, Katsuichi Nagai. That actually wasn’t the first time I had met him. At the time, I occasionally went to the "Gwaran-doh" folk café in Kichijōji, and Nagai was there every night. He was always with young women, and there was a toothbrush sticking out of the pocket of his flannel shirt for some reason. I remember looking at him and thinking he was quite an odd old man, and I was really surprised when I found him sitting in front of me in a suit.

When I later asked why I had been hired, I was told that Nagai was looking for a local middle or high school graduate. He said that was the kind of person he figured would do as they were told and work hard! I also submitted an essay during the hiring process, but anyone who submitted an essay written in pencil apparently failed. I happened to write mine using a fountain pen. The content of the essay had little to do with getting hired. (Laughter)

A photo of Katsuichi NagaiOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

A photo of Katsuichi Nagai (deceased) at the office. The photo was taken by the photographer Nobuyoshi Araki.

Tetsuka, shortly after she started working at Seirindō.Original Source: SeirinKogeisha

Work as an bookstore sales and an editor

After I joined the company, I immediately started working on both bookstore sales and editing. Working on bookstore sales was really tough. I had to go to stores in Tokyo and the surrounding areas on my own, but "Garo" didn’t sell at all, and I was even beat out of a store with a broom once as someone yelled, “Your books don’t sell at all!” (Laughter) Stores run by people who liked manga put out both "Garo" and our other books, but they didn’t sell either, which made me feel awful for the sellers. I ended up constantly apologizing. 

Kuniko Tsurita "Rokunomiya Himeko no Higeki"(masterpiece series), pp.4−5 (1979)Original Source: ©️Kuniko Tsurita, Seirindō, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

The first book I helped make as an editor was Kuniko Tsurita’s "Rokunomiya Himeko no Higeki" (masterpiece series). Nagai told me I could make the book however I wanted, but I still had no idea what to do. I ended up having Saitō, a senior male employee who sat next to me, teach me every little thing, and I worked feverishly to make the book, never quite knowing what I was doing.

The time of "Omoshiroshugi " and the "Heta-uma "movement



  The period from 1979 to 80, when I joined the company, was part of the time that Shinbō Minami and Kazuhiro Watanabe were with Garo’s editorial department. In the seventies, "Omoshiroshugi (Interestingism)" advocated by Minami was really free and fun. "Pengin Gohan [Penguin Rice]", written by Shigesato Itoi and drawn by Teruhiko Yumura, was started in 1976. This was the birth of the so-called "Heta-uma (bad but good) " movement, and its destructive power affected a lot of subsequent writers. The nature of the times gave birth to this course of events. From the late seventies to the early eighties, "Garo" actually sold more poorly than ever, but we sold a lot of books in its place.

Masayuki Izumi "Groovy Sukiyaki" (left), 1983. Shungicu Uchida "Minami's sweetheart [Minamikun no Koibito]" (right), 1987Original Source: ©️Masayuki Izumi, ©️Shungicu Uchida, Seirindō, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Yoshikazu Ebisu released the book Jigoku ni Ochita Kyōshidomo [Teachers in Hell], Jun Miura and Takashi Nemoto debuted, Izumi Masayuki (a duo comprised of Haruki Izumi and Masayuki Kusumi) debuted with Yakō [Night Train], selling a ton of copies of Kakkoii Sukiyaki [Groovy Sukiyaki], and we released many books from a new generation of talent, including Hinako Sugiura and Yōko Kondō. In addition, Shungiku Uchida’s Minami-kun no Koibito [Minami’s Sweetheart], was a hit and was later made into a TV series.

Masayuki Izumi "Groovy Sukiyaki", pp.10-11 (1983)Original Source: ©️Masayuki Izumi, Seirindō

A hanging scroll created by Kotobuki Shiriagari, which hangs on the door of SeirinKogeishaOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Meeting Kotobuki Shiriagari in the “outside world”

I actually ended up quitting my job at Seirindō. After leaving the company, I spent around six years doing accounting and editing work at an editing company. As a result of working with major publishing and editing companies, I learned that the way Seirindō works is completely different than other companies. At the same time, I realized that this company from my past was extremely free and fun. For me, the happiest part of working in the outside world was having the opportunity to get to know Kotobuki Shiriagari. 

While I was at Seirindō, I had heard a rumor about “someone amazing” out there, but I didn’t actually meet him until after I quit. I helped edit Shiriagari’s "Yoake [Dawn]" (1990, Hakusensha) at a colleague’s editing company, but, the first time I saw his work, I was surprised that someone could create such an impressive work at such a young age. 
 I ultimately ended up returning to "Garo", but I immediately asked Shiriagari to serialize his work with us. At the time, Shiriagari was still working at the company, so I had to go to his office in Harajuku to pick up manuscripts.

Noriko Tetsuka, the editor-in-chief of AXOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Back to the old haunt

I went back to "Garo" in 1991. The year before that, Seirindō’s representative switched from Nagai to Jun Yamanaka. When I went to hang out at Nagai’s house, he invited me to come back to Seirindō. I didn’t want to end up poor again, so I told him to let me think about it a little. However, Nagai is awfully impatient, and I got a phone call from a Seirindō the very next day. “So, Tetsuka, you’re coming back to Seirindō?”  I hadn’t even given Nagai my answer yet, but I guess the matter was already settled in his mind. (Laughter)

Jun Miura's debut work "Ushi no Hi" on "Gekkan Manga Garo" October issue, 1980 (1980)Original Source: ©️Jun Miura, Seirindō, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Hanging out at Jun Miura’s office

Of the people I handled at Garo, some that I remember especially well are those of that era, including the writers Miura, Nemoto, and Ebisu as well as the photographer Nobuyoshi Araki. Miura set up an office in his one-room condo in Harajuku early on. Ebisu, Nemoto, and the editors spent all their time there, and they often hangs out. When I still didn’t have a manuscript even as the deadline approached, I went to that workshop to help out by filling in areas of color. I even remember that the essayest Asato Izumi moved into the room directly above theirs.

Mimiyo Tomozawa "Imohori" (1995)Original Source: ©️Mimiyo Tomozawa, Seirindō, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Falling in love at first sight

"Garo" got its start mainly through contributions and work brought in by writers, but there were also people we asked to contribute. Of them, Mimiyo Tomozawa was especially impressive. At the time, I was actually conducting an interview at the office of Kenchi Iwamoto—who had recently won a Wolfgang Staudte Award at the Berlin International Film Festival—and, when I went to use the restroom, I saw a small illustration posted on the door.

 I just couldn’t get it out of my head. After the interview, I asked Iwamoto who drew the illustration, and he told me it was Mimiyo Tomozawa, which was the first time I heard her name. I asked for her contact information, immediately met with her, and had her serialize her work with us.

"AX" June issue, 2020, SeirinKogeisha (2020)Original Source: SeirinKogeisha, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

From "Garo" to "AX"

In 1997, Garo’s survival was seriously threatened. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for the company after that either, and I eventually ended up leaving Seirindō to start publishing "AX". At the time, I was anxious, terrified, and unconfident, and I just felt numb overall. Initially, I couldn’t even pay anyone’s salary, so the staff had to work part-time and then come work at my office during their free time. I kept apologizing to the writers for getting them involved in my publication even though I had no idea what would happen, but a certain writer said, “Writers follow editors, not magazines, so stop apologizing, and let’s do something fun together.” That was exactly what I needed to make up my mind. Like "Garo" before it, "AX" was established through the support of writers, and I’m simply filled with gratitude.

Illustration by Kotobuki Shiriagari.Original Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

This is an illustration drawn by Kotobuki Shiriagari for the cover of the first issue of AX. The illustration is framed and carefully stored to this day. 

Kazuichi Hanawa "Doing Time [Keimusho no Naka]", pp.96-97 (2000)Original Source: ©️Kazuichi Hanawa / SeirinKogeisha

The impact of "Keimusho no Naka [Doing Time]"

Twenty-two years have passed since I established "AX". One thing that helped us a lot during that time was Kazuichi Hanawa’s serialized work "Keimusho no Naka". That was really surprising. I’m truly grateful to him for creating such amazing work! Hanawa got sent to prison around the time Seirindō started having trouble, and he was released right when I established "AX". He had actually heard about our situation, and he even sent a postcard lamenting our difficulties. In response, I offered him the opportunity to create something for us, and he agreed without hesitation.

He mentioned that all he could think about at the time was being in prison, and then he started serializing his work—which was based on a true story—and it was incredibly entertaining. After we finished serializing the story, my company was perilously short of money and in real danger of going bankrupt, but the book version of "Keimusho no Naka" turned out to be a smash hit, which totally saved us.

The AX editorial departmentOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

A treasure trove of masterpieces

As a matter of fact, a lot of the manga from "AX" have won awards, not that anyone really notices. (Laughter) The first one was in 1999, when Q.B.B.’s "Chūgakusei Nikki [Middle School Student Diary]" won a Bungeishunjū Manga Award. After that, Toranosuke Shimada’s "Toroimerai [Traumerei]"  won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Creative Award, which was quite a surprise. After all, he was still a newcomer without as much name recognition as he has now. But I was still happy that his work was praised in that way for its high level of completion. Later on, Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s "Gekiga Hyōryū [A Drifting Life]" won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Grand Prize. I was also really happy when two of our creators won Japan Cartoonists Association Awards: Susumu Katsumata, who won the Grand Prize, and Nazuna Saitō, who won the Excellence Award.

Rows of translated and published books at the SeirinKogeisha officeOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

The spread of Japan’s alternative comics around the world

AX’s works are also popular among a certain group of overseas readers. In particular, Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s work was translated into European languages early on, and people who were part of the "Heta-uma" movement and so-called subculture that emerged in the eighties started interacting with overseas writers early on as well. People in France’s alternative comics world focused on Takashi Nemoto first and started interacting with him. Around that time, Japanese writers started writing for France’s alternative comic magazines. Once Japanese manga gained notoriety around the world, a lot of overseas customers started calling on SeirinKogeisha as well. This included people from publishing companies, proposals from artists, and others... I’m honestly surprised that so many foreigners visit such a small company. (Laughter)

Issues of "Monthly Comic Beam" on an AX editorial department deskOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

The presence of "Monthly Comic Beam" and "to-ti web"

"Comic Beam" (KADOKAWA) and "to-ti (torch) web" (LEED Publishing)—two other vehicles for alternative comics—are also extremely important places for the current manga world. This is because appealing places where young writers—including AX’s writers—have the opportunity to strive to succeed are rapidly disappearing. We’ve been interacting with "Comic Beam" for a while now, and—in spite of the fact that they are a major company—they actively publish works that other manga magazines shun, and their works are truly fresh, so we constantly watch them. 

The to-ti web. Logo design: Kōga HiranoOriginal Source: to-ti web

"to-ti web" assigns editors to every writer, and the way they directly interface with each work is nice. They publish work from a lot of newcomers and have succeeded as a web magazine, so I think they are an important platform. I really want AX’s writers to take on the challenge of work they can earn money doing. After all, as was the case with "Garo" before, their activities support our company, and they are the driving force behind the generation of the next generation of newcomers. In the end, everything is linked together.   

Noriko Tetsuka, the editor-in-chief of AXOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

People suffering in spite of a lack of inner darkness

Ever since my time with "Garo", I have helped give birth to writers and seen them off as they left the nest, so I hope that "AX" will always be a place for them. As an example, to put it in societal terms, the incidents caused by young men are rapidly escalating, and we once said this was due to the darkness in their hearts. However, nowadays, there are people suffering through life even in cases where there’s no such darkness to speak of. I suspect that one of our missions at "AX" is to work with our current society to unearth things that other media outlets avoid. In our Internet age, there’s a tendency for whoever talks the loudest or says something first to win. But there are a lot of people out there who can’t speak up like that. I want our magazine to be a place where we can sort of scoop up the pent-up anger of such people. However, although that is an extremely entertaining, worthwhile way to work, it doesn’t earn you any money. (Laughter)

A certificate of commendation presented by the writers to commemorate the 15th anniversary of AXOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Hanako Yamada's works. "Tamashii no Asoko (revised edition)"(left), 2009, "Hana sakeru kodoku (revised edition)" (right), 2000Original Source: ©️Hanako Yamada / SeirinKogeisha, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

A never ending series of works from teenage writers

Lately, a lot of young people in their teens and twenties in particular have been coming to us with works. When I ask them which writers have influenced them, many of them mention Hanako Yamada. Given that she was active from the late eighties to early nineties and died at the young age of 24, I often ask them how they know about her, and they tell me her works were on their parents’ bookshelves. They read them and are deeply shocked by them, end up finding out about "Garo" and then "AX" as a result, and then come to us to contribute their works. 

Yamada was really pure, and I think that’s why her words resonate so deeply with people who struggle with similar problems. She was bullied for a long time at school, and her theme always focused on the self. As a result, her works grew ever closer to her. Naturally, reading them makes a person ever more earnest. I think that’s why Hanako Yamada and her readers shared such a close relationship.

Hanako Yamada "Hana sakeru kodoku (revised edition)",pp.48−49 (2000)Original Source: ©️Hanako Yamada / SeirinKogeisha

Hanako Yamada, the writer

Yamada was genuinely awkward when it came to the task of living. Even though she normally hid out silently in a corner, she would suddenly show up when people talked about manga, which she loved, and she would start talking as if the floodgates had suddenly burst open. I think there was probably a lot she wanted to say. When she passed away, the manga artists who knew her saw her off not so much with a sense of sadness but rather with a sense of recognition for the way she lived her life as a manga artist. 

Perhaps the stubborn, single-minded way she lived her life was what made her so captivating as a writer. I believe that, the more of a writer you are, the better you can understand her suffering. There aren’t many people who grapple with their own works in the way she did. After all, the more you do that, the more painful life becomes. And yet Hanako Yamada seems to have done just that until she took her last breath.

Toranosuke Shimada's works. "Traumerei" (left), 2007, "Last Waltz (revised version)" (right),2014Original Source: ©️Toranosuke Shimada / SeirinKogeisha, Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Toranosuke Shimada

 One last thing. There’s an "AX" writer I really think the world should know more about. His name is Toranosuke Shimada. His works demonstrate an astonishing level of completion, and his compositional ability—which enables him to scatter bits and pieces of foreshadowing everywhere and then neatly wrap everything up with a genuinely satisfying conclusion—is nothing short of amazing. Few storytellers put as much into their work as him, and I think he’s the sort of genius you only find once in a century. I mean, "Robo Sapiensu Zenshi [Prehistory of Robo Sapiens]" (Kodansha) borders on divine.

Before, Shimada didn’t start serializing his works until after he had planned out everything right up to the conclusion. When I met with him before, he brought a timeline that traced the entire chronology of his story and explained everything to me at once. His work was highly complete right from the beginning, so I couldn’t even give him any advice. I think his works should be translated into the languages of a lot more countries.

A hand-drawn kamishibai (paper play)Original Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

A hand-drawn kamishibai (paper play), "The Tale of Noriko Tetsuka", which was created by AX’s writers during the year of Tetsuka’s 60th birthday. The drawing on the left was done by Toranosuke Shimada, while the one on the right was done by Takashi Nemoto.

The shelf is densely packed with manga published by SeirinKogeishaOriginal Source: Photo by TADA(YUKAI)

Credits: Story

Cooperation: Noriko Tetsuka, SeirinKogeisha Co.,Ltd. 

Interview:Hirohito Miyamoto(Meiji University) 
Text: Nanami Kikuchi 
Photo: TADA(YUKAI) 
Edit: Nanami Kikuchi, Natsuko Fukushima+Yuka Miyazaki(BIJUTSU SHUPPAN-SHA CO., LTD.) 
Supervisor: Hirohito Miyamoto(Meiji University) 
Production: BIJUTSU SHUPPAN-SHA CO., LTD.
Written in 2020

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
Manga: Out Of The Box
Explore the history and culture of Japanese comics beyond the page
View theme
Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites