Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

On Friday, Toshiki Takei came to see Fushimikawa.

"It's approved. No need to make any changes. Just publish it as is."

He spoke calmly, but Fushimikawa sensed something unusual.

"Editor Wuju, you must have put in a lot of effort."

“There are some, but there’s no need to say it,” Takei chuckled. “It’s our responsibility as editors to let cartoonists focus on their work.”

"Thank you then."

Fushimikawa had two editors: Tomoyuki Fukuda, who edited "Elementary School Fourth Grader," and Toshiki Takei.

Futian is far inferior to Wuju.

An experienced editor is more important to a cartoonist than an assistant, and sometimes this importance even surpasses the cartoonist's personal ability.

Masashi Kishimoto probably felt the same way.

In early February, an episode titled "The Elephant and Uncle" appeared on Sunday, simultaneously reaching millions of teenagers.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Simply saying there's nothing you can do absolves you of responsibility!

"The title 'The Elephant and Uncle' sounds a bit like a children's comic, so it probably doesn't have much substance or depth."

Utsunomiya was looking at Weekly Shonen Sunday.

"That's true. Even Fushimi-kun's drawings aren't all masterpieces. After all, there are a couple of chapters in 'Ikkyu-san' that have a rather bland plot."

……

Nobita's uncle, Shinro, came to the Nobi family and told them a story he could never forget.

That was a story from his childhood. There was a popular elephant at the nearby zoo named Hanao. Shinro often went to see Hanao, and a deep friendship developed between the man and the animal.

The war never stopped. B-29 bombers flew over Tokyo, dropping a large number of incendiary bombs, turning Tokyo into a sea of ​​fire.

Shinro was driven to the countryside and lived a life of hunger and thirst.

"It was through such profound lessons that people who were once fanatical began to reflect on the cruelty of war."

Utsunomiya adjusted his glasses, recalling an article he had read as a child.

It was written by an author named Namo San. He originally wrote articles praising foreign countries and belittling domestic ones, but he began writing books that criticized current affairs and analyzed the war crimes committed by Japan in the past.

Because it was supported by substantial data, Utsunomiya was unable to refute it and gradually came to accept Namusan's view, which has remained to this day.

Unfortunately, Namo San suddenly disappeared, and there has been no news of him since. Utsunomiya remembers him to this day and will probably never forget him for the rest of his life.

That's why Utsunomiya mentioned Namikaze San's style of writing immediately when Fujiwara Maki brought it up.

……

With the dropping of the atomic bomb, the war ended.

Shinro returned to Tokyo and went to the zoo immediately.

However, only ordinary livestock remained; the wild beasts, including elephants and faucets, had all disappeared.

He later learned that the government, for the sake of safety and stability, had ordered the authorities to kill all wild animals…

"Ah!" Fujiwara Chiko pointed at the manga, her mouth agape. "How could this be!"

She was just saying that elephants are so cute and that she wanted to go to the zoo to interact with them and feed them bananas.

The elephant in the comic has gentle, harmless eyes that contain a hint of humanity, bringing joy to people, but it ends up being executed.

Young Chiko could not understand.

"elder sister!"

"What is it now?" Fujiwara Maki put down the scarf she was knitting halfway through, walked lightly to her sister, and bent down to glance at the manga magazine.

"'Perhaps those in power have their own difficulties, but aren't those difficulties all self-inflicted? It's wrong and irresponsible to simply say there's nothing they can do.' The comic says it very well."

"What excuse is there? It's absolutely unforgivable!"

Fujiwara Maki was somewhat angry.

In the manga, Nobita and Doraemon travel back in time and see Hanafu, who is so hungry that he is skin and bones.

It refused the poisoned potatoes offered by its feeder and made its signature gesture, longing for humans to feed it edible food.

Even now, though it is starving and on the verge of death, it has not made any aggressive moves.

"Even when there are difficulties, the idea of ​​a one-size-fits-all approach is outrageous and shameless!"

She suddenly became even angrier than her own sister.

……

As a newcomer to Weekly Shonen Sunday, Doraemon suddenly serialized an article condemning the country's dark past, which immediately sparked a certain degree of discussion.

Adults have their own opinions.

"There's nothing we can do about it. What if the wild animals get out? Innocent people might get attacked."

"It's all America's fault! Dropping so many incendiary bombs, human lives couldn't be guaranteed, let alone animal lives!"

"I think student movements are also a good thing."

"Shut up, this is a topic that cannot be discussed."

The young people were divided into two factions. Some were taking advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters.

"The Americans have done so many bad things, yet we still depend on them. What's the point of signing a security treaty? What's the point of building Narita International Airport! The government is utterly incompetent!"

"They were the ones who executed the wild beasts, those shameless adults!"

Some felt sorry for the innocent deaths of wild animals and began to reflect on their actions.

"Ultimately, we were the ones who made the first mistake, which led to the attack on our homeland and the burning of our country. We, not our animal friends, should bear the responsibility."

"Tezuka's 'Phoenix Chapter' states that all living beings are equal, and Hanao's life is no less important than that of a soldier in the old Japanese army. Yet we were killed by those in power to manipulate the thoughts of the people. We are guilty."

During the war, Japan sent a large number of liberal arts students to the front lines. These students witnessed the cruelty of war, faced the threat of death, and experienced the precarious reality of living day to day.

Some of those who survived became key figures in the literary world, writing critical articles.

In addition to the terrible post-war environment and other factors, there is still a trend of reflection in Japan.

This is completely different from the situation where right-wing elements would seize control of the discourse after a future economic recession.

Of course, there will always be pathological right-wing elements.

After completing the original manuscript for "Doraemon" on Thursday, Fushimikawa, along with Hirokane Kenji, went to Fujiko F. Fujio's studio.

This was Hirokane Kenji's first time here, and everything was new and exciting to him; he was like a country bumpkin.

"Wow, this is the storyboard for 'Mr. Maverick Koike'! It looks amazing!"

"Mr. Kaito" is a science fiction short manga published by Fujimoto Hiroshi in 1970. The protagonist is a person who gets angry at injustice and considers himself a champion of justice.

If there are erotic scenes on the TV at night, he will call and loudly complain, ignoring his neighbors who are sleeping; if he sees a robbery, he will be full of anger, but if he sees that the robber is tall and strong, he will remain silent.

He always yells at people, thinking he's so great.

His "great" personality was trapped in a frail body, and he suffered greatly until one day he woke up and discovered that he had superhuman abilities.

Overjoyed, he began fighting crime. He concealed his identity like Spider-Man, enduring humiliation from his superiors.

But as time went by, his mindset gradually changed.

First, they went beyond the boundaries of the law and used violence to punish minor offenses.

He then unintentionally killed a robber and accidentally cursed his leader to death.

In the end, his heart was completely consumed by power, and he became a dictator who arbitrarily abused his power and judged the lives of others without restraint.

At the end of the comic, he was hit by a flying baseball, the story abruptly ended, and his fate was unknown.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and those who believe themselves to be righteous may not necessarily be doing righteous things. This is the message this comic wants to convey.

Fushimikawa really liked "Mr. Kaito Koike," a manga that reminded him of "Death Note."

Light Yagami also became arrogant after obtaining the "Death Note," placing his own existence above that of humanity.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: "Japan Has Been Defeated!"

The era that Fushimi River traveled to was one in which the Japanese right wing was at its peak. If the left wing wanted to speak out, it would be accused of being a traitor if it did not first condemn China.

The far right is hyping up stories online about Chinese people abusing deer, stealing electricity, committing murder, theft, and real estate speculation... as if Chinese people are capable of any evil and that every single one of them should be expelled.

They see themselves as champions of justice, fighting for the future of Japan.

However, Japan's reputation has also suffered as a result of their radical rhetoric.

Breaking down the traffic barriers of the X platform and exposing the ugly behavior of the Japanese is the most correct thing Musk has ever done.

These online keyboard warriors are exactly like Koike, or perhaps even worse. They talk about justice, but harbor a dark and resentful mentality of dissatisfaction with the status quo.

If these people are allowed to govern, Japan is likely to be in trouble.

“The teacher’s ideas are always ahead of their time,” Fushimikawa exclaimed. “Mr. Kaiko is like a manga from the future.”

“No, actually, it’s not just in the future, this is happening now,” Fujimoto Hiroshi said seriously, handing Fushimikawa a stack of letters. “I didn’t want to give them to you, but you are also one of the creators and have the right to know.”

Fushimikawa was taken aback: "This is..."

He took it, opened one of the letters, and soon after, he laughed in anger.

"Haha, they say, 'Why do you specifically choose to spread this kind of thing?' They're not ashamed of their past mistakes, but instead they blame us. It's ridiculous."

This letter implies that Fujiko Fujio and Oikawa are incapable of reading between the lines and that their family scandals are being aired in public.

This also aligns with the consistent thinking of the Japanese.

But it's nothing serious, it's not very aggressive.

The other letters were a bit too much.

"Humiliate Japan!"

"You need to revise the dialogue immediately! Delete any scenes that are detrimental to the government! Stop this!"