Why Has Niigata Produced So Many Gag Manga Artists?

Niigata, a place of majestic natural beauty nestled between the Japanese Alps and the Sea of Japan — that this prefecture could also be considered as home of the gag manga genre is perhaps somewhat incongruous with this image. However, it is an undeniable fact that Niigata has produced several manga artists who have specialized in the comedic gag manga, such as Fujio Akatsuka, Mineo Maya, and Rumiko Takahashi. Come now on a journey into the world of the gag manga, a genre that sprung out of a love for a laugh, but also a place of kindness.

The origins of Gag Manga

Originally, all manga was basically considered to be comedic in nature. For a long time after the term ‘manga’ was coined in the Taisho period (1912-1926), they often took a satirical look at the politics and society of the day and were filled with ironic humor. ‘Laughter’ was the main thing that defined manga. As more dramatic, narrative manga started to dominate in the postwar period, the genre of ‘gag manga’ was, perhaps paradoxically, established.

Leading proponents of the gag manga
In the wake of the birth of the gag manga genre, several star artists emerged from Niigata. In the 1960s there was Fujio Akatsuka — the ‘Gag Manga King’ — with works such as Tensai Bakabon (‘Genius Bakabon’) and Osomatsu-kun. In the 1970s, Mineo Maya had hits with Patalliro! and Tonde Saitama (‘Fly me to the Saitama’). Then, in the 1980s, Motoei Shinzawa’s High School! Kimengumi and Koichi Endo’s Tsuide ni Tochinkan (‘Anyway it Doesn’t Matter’) found national fame. One thing the works of these Niigata natives have in common is they have been loved for a long time across multiple generations; many have become animated or even live-action TV series or movies.

Rumiko Takahashi, best known for works such as Urusei Yatsura (Shogakukan, 1978) and Ranma ½ (Shogakukan, 1987), is another internationally renowned manga artist who hails from Niigata. While she also wrote more serious tales, like the macabre Ningyo Shirizu (‘Mermaid Saga’) (Shogakukan, 1984) and Inuyasha (Shogakukan, 1996), Takahashi’s reputation was built in the comedic vein. The various characters that appear in her works become involved in all manner of slapstick comedy; the stories hit just the right mark, making the reader laugh, but leaving them with a heartwarming feeling afterwards. There is a bright charm about all of Takahashi’s manga, one that attracts children and adults alike.

Why Niigata? #1
The ‘kotatsu culture’ of Japan’s Snow Country

Why has Niigata produced so many gag manga artists? Toshimasa Koike, director of the Niigata City Manga House, sheds some light on this question. “Firstly, many manga artists, not just gag manga artists, have emerged from Niigata. It’s often said that with the heavy snowfalls we get here in winter, people spend a lot of time inside, hunkered under their kotatsu (low tables with a heat source underneath and covered by a quilt), sketching pictures. It really is the perfect environment for spending time, carefully drawing manga!”

Why Niigata? #2
Kindness and a tendency to try and hide embarrassment

The second reason, according to Koike, may have something to do with the archetypal Niigata native being slightly awkward in nature. “You’ll find many people in Niigata who, for a lack of coolness or clever expressions, will come out with a witty gag to hide any embarrassment. We’re basically a shy lot, and kind and quiet.” The characters that appear in gag manga are often sent up or made the butt of jokes; there is a degree of difficulty in drawing gag manga in that it needs to create just the right distance (with the reader) to ensure nobody is actually hurt. If you are not a kind-hearted person, you can’t draw gag manga!

Diving into the world of gag manga at the Niigata City Manga House

A must-visit for any manga fan is the Niigata City Manga House. The Manga House is home to over 10,000 of the greatest manga and almost all the works produced by artists from Niigata. As it was established under a Niigata City cultural policy, entrance is free. The exhibition on the first floor features four gag manga artists famed throughout Japan that have strong connections with Niigata. Reading more about these figures helps you to enjoy the charm of their works even more!

Niigata Genius (1)

Fujio Akatsuka: A shining, freewheeling spirit
The leading proponent of the gag manga genre, creator of Tensai Bakabon and the famous line from it, ‘Kore de ii no da!’ (‘It’ll be alright!’): Fujio Akatsuka. Born in Manchuria in 1935, Akatsuka spent his teenage years and early adulthood in Niigata. While there are no shortage of episodes that can be told about his dynamic personality, Akatsuka in fact suffered a lot in his younger years during the war and its turbulent aftermath, losing many family members along the way. Having lived through severe poverty, he apparently got the idea for many of his characters from those in a similar predicament around him in his youth, living at the ‘bottom’ of society.

Having started his career drawing kashihon manga (‘loan’ manga that could be rented cheaply at book rental shops), it was the series Osomatsu-kun, first published in 1962 by Shogakukan, that propelled Akatsuka to fame. The series revolves around completely identical sextuplets, but it was the supporting character, Iyami, that was a major factor in the manga’s wild success; almost 60 years since Osomatsu-kun’s debut, the iconic ‘Sheeh!’ pose often struck by Iyami is still beloved to this day by young and old, a giant cut-out of the character in said pose, with arms and legs at different angles, being one of the Niigata City Manga House’s main attractions.

The Niigata City Manga House also has a detailed biography (in Japanese and English) of each featured artist. Akatsuka was in fact inspired to become a manga artist by none other than the ‘God of Manga’, Osamu Tezuka. The exhibition also gives a glimpse into Akatsuka’s work as a shojo manga (manga primarily targeted at young girls) artist, such as the series Himitsu no Akko-chan, published in Shueisha’s monthly Ribon magazine in 1962. In the library area, visitors can peruse Akatsuka’s manga, with their many unexpected truths about the world, at leisure.

Stepping into the Manga House’s gift shop, various goods featuring one of Akatsuka’s most famous characters, Nyarome, are front and center. Referring to himself as a ‘nyangen’ (a pun combining the words nyan, the sound that cats make, and ningen, meaning ‘human’), Nyarome is a bipedal cat that made his first appearance in the late 60s in the Moretsu Ataro (‘Extraordinary Ataro’) series, but also turned up in various other works in years thereafter. The self-described “shy man” Akatsuka died in 2008, aged 72. The carefree and sometimes philosophical characters he brought to life will undoubtedly be loved for many generations to come.

Niigata Genius #2
The true face of Mineo Maya… unexpectedly that of a gentleman!

Manga artist Mineo Maya, known for the classic Patalliro!, first published in 1978 by Shusensha and a series that continues to this day, and Tonde Saitama (‘Fly me to the Saitama’, Takarajimasha, 1982), a work that has recently gained more attention after being made into a live action comedy movie in 2019. Toshimasa Koike, reveals that despite his unusual pen name, Maya always dresses stylishly and reveals himself to be quite a gentleman. Born in Niigata City in 1953, Maya is at the forefront of the Niigata manga scene and currently serves on the final jury of the annual Niigata Manga Competition.

One characteristic of the Niigata City Manga House is that the interior has a manga-like monochrome theme throughout. In such a space, Maya’s loveable characters seem as if they are right at home; even the explanations on the panels can make a visitor laugh!

Patalliro! is Maya’s most noted work, the manga having been made into animated TV shows and films, a stage play, and even a live action movie. A whole wall of the Manga House is boldly taken up with a detailed look at the main character in this series that turned the shojo manga genre on its head, Patalliro du Malyner VIII, mischievous and unbound by conventional human wisdom.

Almost 30 years after Tonde Saitama was first published, a unique, live action movie based on the series (featuring a cameo by none other than Maya himself) was released. Despite the fact that Tonde Saitama pokes fun at Tokyo’s northern neighbour, Saitama Prefecture, it is well-loved by many ‘Saitamaites’, a testament to the gentle warmth of Maya’s humor that is present throughout the story. A movie poster, reversed left to right and signed by Maya, is a valuable piece of memorabilia currently on display at the Manga House that is sure to please fans.

Niigata Genius #3
Motoei Shinzawa’s encouraging sense of humor

Perhaps the work that best represents Motoei Shinzawa, born in the Niigata city of Kashiwazaki, is High School! Kimengumi (Shueisha, 1980). This school-themed gag manga centers on the adventures of a group of five boys with unusual facial features (kimen means ‘funny face’). The gang have a wonderful motto: ‘Let’s play up our individuality to make others laugh and be the spice that adds flavour to this world!’ True to this policy, they never wear stiff expressions! It is the type of warm message that can be conveyed with honesty through gag manga.

Niigata Genius #4
Koichi Endo’s beloved ‘idiots’ that can bring a tear to the eye

Released in 1984, Koichi Endo’s Tsuide ni Tonchinkan (‘Anyway it doesn’t matter’, published by Shueisha) was a hugely popular gag manga. The manga revolves around a group of thieves called ‘Kaito Tonchinkan’ who only steal things that seem worthless. Each episode follows the adventures of the thieving students and their junior high school teacher, who has an IQ of minus 500 — making him, as you can imagine, quite the idiot! Despite the fact it is a gag manga, the final instalment is actually quite moving and a must-read for anyone who starts reading the series.