KATSUHIRO OTOMO: A WORLD OF DESTRUCTION

For fans of anime and manga, the name Katsuhiro Otomo sits well above the rest.

As one of the most prolific writers and animators of either medium, the master creator is hailed amidst his contemporaries – Hayao Miyazaki, Mamoru Oshii, Shinichiro Watanabe – first and foremost for his revolutionary manga-turned-movie, Akira, released respectively in 1982 and 1988 to worldwide acclaim. His other works moreover, however lesser-known, only help to prove his world-annihilating genius and combustible graphic style – with inclusions that, while faltering to hit the colossal heights of Akira, have nevertheless changed the landscapes of manga and anime forever.

Born in Japan’s northeast region of Tohoku, in the city of Tome-gun located in Miyagi Prefecture, Katsuhiro Otomo grew up miles away from anything remotely capturing the gargantuan cityscapes of many of his works. A lover of film with a penchant for animation, Otomo spent many of his weekends travelling to the city of Sendai in order to catch the latest pictures, stating in a foreword to a 1996 reissue of his seminal graphic novel, Domu: A Child’s Dream, that when “[he] was in highschool [he] was so crazy about movies […] Movie-going was [his] main hobby in those days”.

Fuelled by this affinity for film and his skill with pencil, Otomo travelled to Tokyo after graduating in order to establish a career in manga artistry. Looking to prove himself as a budding mangaka (a person who draws manga), Otomo would lend his creative vision to such works as Okasu (1976), Round About Midnight (1977) and Nothing Will be as it Was (1977); cementing himself as an upcoming talent and planting the seeds of his revolutionary style. According to a 1980 review of his early works by the Asahi newspaper, Otomo’s impact on manga was equateable to the emergence of the ‘New Cinema’ movement in Hollywood, demolishing “the old […] style of filmmaking to usher in a fresh style of movie production in America. Katsuhiro Otomo from provincial Tohoku, came to Tokyo to create a new comics style and shattered the conventions of traditional manga”.

Following some of his most celebrated works, this article will discuss and distinguish the artistic accomplishments of the esteemed, Katsuhiro Otomo. From his manga to his movies, we at Sabukaru invite you to revel in the revolutionary feats of one of our favourite artists – beckoning you to enter and absorb the intricate realities of Japan’s most destructive visionary.

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‘KATSUHIRO OTOMO: A WORLD OF DESTRUCTION‘ was originally published on sabukaru.online; a magazine which connects people with culture, products with context, subcultures with eras, artists with the world.