Takao Saito
Mangaka(Gekigaka)
Gekigaka,
Takao Saito
(60s?)
He
is one of pioneers who started to divide the role of creating manga into two
parts in Japan: one is writer (creating stories) and one is mangaka (depicting
pictures).
One
of the most famous story created by him and his staff is “Golgo
13,” which is a story of
professional assasin named Duke Togo ( a super-sumurai type in a
modern-setting). Since 1969, this story has been published more than 170 comic
issues.
*Look
at the page of 79 in Schodt’s book!
1.
Since he was 5 or 6 years old, he was attracted by movies due to his
mother’s influence. He was also attracted by the realistic movement in
the Disney animation in the US. (He was born in Sakai, Oosaka where is well
known as the first city that manga became popular as Akanon (literally means
“Red paper book” since manga was sold as cheap red paper books at
candy shops).
2.
He was more attracted by American movie/animation due to the entertainment than
Japanese movies.
3.
Although he was interested in working in a movie company, he decided to develop
his career in new creative world in manga. On the one hand, the society of
movie in Japan was strictly organized, which means that it was a hilarchial
society after W.W. II. To be a director/producer to make his movie, it needed
to be working long as an assistant . In those days, movie was only
entertainment in Japan and the world of creating movie was very competitive.
There was almost no chance for Mr. Saito to create his own movie due to the
competition in the popularity of movie world in Japan. On the other hand, there
was more freedom than that in movie and it was not competitive to create his
own world through manga.
4. Although movie is made by many staff,
manga is possible to be created by one.
5.
Due to the influence of American movie/animations, he was more interested in
dramatic story than picture itself.
6.
He preferred to be called as Gekigaka rather than to be called Mangaka since
the notion of Gekiga emphasized in story more than pictures unlike the notion
of manga focuses on the picture.
7.
About 45 years ago, he started to educate writers to create original stories
for manga. When Mr. Saito brought the idea of separation of the role of
creating manga between writer and cartoonist, no one supported his idea.
However, the system of the separation in manga became popular since it provides
readers the high quality of story in manga. The system spread from male/boys/
manga to female/girls’ manga due to readers’ expection for the
complicated and sophisticated story. ( For example, Mr. Mr. Koike was the first
selected writer among 300 candicates in those days.)
8.
On the hero(s) in his manga (gekiga), his personality and/or style of life is
reflected unconsciously. He mentioned that he can see the part of himself on
the character of hero(s) although he did not try.
9.
Through his created manga (gekiga), Mr. Saito indicates his own philosophy. In
other words, he throws philosophical questions to readers. For example, in the
famous story of Golgo 13, he is asking readers why we cannot kill people
although we have been killing many lives in spite of the fact that the value of
life should not be different between for example an insect and human. Why
cannot Golgo 13 kill person as his job? Why can we kill other lives for
ourselves? We are just lived under the law in this society. Of course,
he
does not affirm the assassin, but he tries to let us think of many things (morals) from the original point.
10.When
he created manga, all ideas including story, pictures, and composition, are in
his mind at first. (All is cariculated at first, even if the story and others
in details might be changed in the middle of creating manga, the basic idea
never been changed toward the last.)