Interest
Manga Artists Doodle On Retired Shogakukan Publishing Building
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Earlier in August, over 20 manga artists gathered at publisher Shogakukan Inc.'s former building for an organized drawing event. The nine-story building began demolition on September 2 to make way for an earthquake-resistant structure. Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits magazine organized the event and manga creators Naoki Urasawa (Monster), Fujiko Fujio A (Doraemon), and Masami Yuuki (Patlabor, Birdy the Mighty) were in attendance.
Yuuki shared his memories of first working in the building, saying "I came to this building for the first time 31 years ago. As a rookie, I was so nervous that I don't remember much about the time except for seeing the reception lobby. I'm sad that this building will be torn down, but also thankful that I got a chance to say goodbye to the building with my senior manga artists I admire, as well as young cartoonists."
Recently, Shogakukan posted pictures and information from the event, mentioning that over 8000 people visited the Arigatou! Shogakukan Building Graffiti Tournament on August 24 and 25. To preserve the images and memories, they've uploaded photos and a write-up of the event on their manga news site, "Comic Soon".
The building was constructed in 1967 in Hitotsubashi, in Toyko's Chiyoda Ward. Shogakukan published popular works such as Crayon Shin-chan, Detective Conan, Flame of Recca, Inuyasha, Pokémon, Ranma ½, and Revolutionary Girl Utena while working in the building. The new Shogakukan building will be completed by early 2016.
Source: The Mainichi via jPD
