If Shohei Otani were to be made into a manga… “An Unexpected Answer” from a 69-year-old legendary manga artist

I never thought that a player would emerge who could surpass Oh and Nagashima!

The “Black Angels” series was a “hard” worldview in the “Weekly Shonen Jump” magazine of the 1980s, which was entering its golden age. This masterpiece, which has sold more than 8 million copies in total, will be revived in the modern age.

Prior to the January 31 distribution launch, “Black Angels NEO” episodes 1-5 are now available exclusively on FRIDAY Digital. We interviewed Shinji Hiramatsu, who supervised the project, about the behind-the-scenes story behind the revival.

He said, “I used to put up calendars of actresses and gravure artists in my workroom, as they would be my reference when I was drawing manga. But now.”

Hiramatsu’s eyes are on a calendar of Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani at …….

I grew up in the era of Giants, Taiho, and egg rolls, so when I thought of baseball, it was ‘ON. However, I never thought a player would surpass Oh and Nagashima.”

Shohei Otani was an unexpected presence even for a manga artist who has drawn stories that transcend reality. In addition to his unprecedented record, he also had his share of ups and downs, including an interpreter scandal, a sudden marriage, and an injury.

In fact, Hiramatsu has a work titled “Kirara,” which is based on baseball. The story begins with a surprising turn of events: “A bank robber appears during a high school baseball game, and the strong-armed pitcher, Kirara Ikuzawa, and his girlfriend, Nami, unfortunately receive a bullet from the robber. With his experience in drawing unique baseball manga, how would Hiramatsu adapt Shohei Otani into a manga?

Shohei Otani crushes his enemies!

‘Actually, I’m already thinking about it,’ said Shohei Ohtani. He is a two-faced man who uses a black iron bat to cut his enemies in half, and throws an iron ball to smash them in the face. He’s a nice young man on the outside, but when he goes behind the scenes, he’s a terrible guy. I wonder what would happen if we really drew such an out-and-out Otani.

Otani is out of the ordinary, even as a human being. Every human being has a front and a back, but Otani doesn’t seem to have a back, giving the impression of being a super good person. But I liked the expression he made for Fuji Television’s news camera during the World Series broadcast the other night (laughs). I was surprised that even Otani could make such a face. As a cartoonist, I would love to draw an out-and-out Otani, but I don’t want him to hate me.”

This year marks the 50th anniversary of his serialization as a manga artist, and Hiramatsu says he never imagined that a baseball player would surpass his manga. Over the past 50 years, new genres have emerged one after another.

I try to read the most talked-about works at the beginning,” he says. But there are many manga that I don’t understand why they are so popular. Manga that I find convincing and interesting are “Thermae Romae” and “Golden Kamui. It’s hard for me to understand fantasy manga (laughs).

I am supervising the newly started “Black Angels NEO: Apostles of Justice Protecting the Good, Reborn Through the Ages,” but I try not to talk about it, considering the younger readers. But I would like you to put more effort into portraying the outsiders.”

He strikes at villains who cannot be judged by law. Do you like the same kind of manga as your own work?　When I asked the question, “Do you like the same kind of cartoons as your own work?

He replied, “I don’t like them [laughs]. It is painful to think about bad things, but it was the only way I could survive. The truth is, it’s more fun to draw a comic like “Dosu Koi Gigolo” than to draw a comic that only kills people. But it has to sell.

Although he admits that he had no choice but to draw “Black Angels” because it was the only one that was popular, it is an undeniable fact that Hiramatsu created his own genre in the Weekly Shonen Jump series in the 1980s. Finally, we asked him about his message to new readers.

I am celebrating the 50th anniversary of my serialization of good and evil stories, and my mission as a manga artist is to convey the message that ‘if you do bad things, there will always be retribution. In today’s world, I hear that many young people are committing crimes without thinking that they are doing wrong, like working in the dark. They may have their own backgrounds and circumstances that prevent them from getting out, but there were definitely times when they could have turned back from their crimes.

In an age when many works depict the perpetrators as human beings and sometimes invite sympathy, the “good-guy, bad-guy” Black Angels is making a comeback. Many readers may be shocked to see the main character telling the bad guys to “go to hell.

Click here to read “Black Angels NEO” episodes 1-5 for free!