Akatsuka Fujio

[Aaron Gerow]

This may not be that directly related to film, but one of my favorite  
manga artists (and one of the favorites of my son), Akatsuka Fujio,  
died on the 2nd at the age of 72. Akatsuka was one of the famous  
residents of Tokiwa-so, the rundown apartment where many of the  
postwar greats like Tezuka Osamu, Ishinomori Shotaro, and Fujio F  
Fujiko lived. Akatsuka worked in a variety of genres, including shojo  
manga (his Himitsu no Akko-chan was a big hit as an anime), but his  
genius lay in gag manga, with such great works as Osomatsukun,  
Moretsu Ataro, and especially Tensai Bakabon, the masterpiece that  
deconstructs, if not destroys the very premises of manga. He never  
quite surpassed such a devastating and brilliant work, but his  
experimental and playful verve continued, as he made some silly  
movies in the late 1970s like Shimooichiai yakitori mubi and Akatsuka  
Fujio no poruno gyagu. He was on good terms with the comedic fringe  
(he's famous for supporting Tamori when he was starting out), and  
also had connections with the radical left (the only time I ever met  
him was at the party for Adachi Masao when he got out of jail).

Being a fan also of Sugiura Shigeru, the great gag manga artist of  
the 1950s, I was impressed when Akatsuka, on the occasion of  
Sugiura's death, declared "I never met Sugiura, but he was my  
teacher." To me Sugiura, Akatsuka, and Sasaki Maki (another  
experimental manga artist greatly influenced by Sugiura), form a very  
significant and alternative line in Japanese manga history.

Gomeifuku o inorimasu.

Aaron Gerow
Assistant Professor
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Yale University
53 Wall Street, Room 316
PO Box 208363
New Haven, CT 06520-8363
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6764
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu
site: www.aarongerow.com