Interest
Upcoming Tokyo University Course Will Teach How to Be a Fool
posted on by Eric Stimson
Although obscure overseas, the gag comedy manga of Fujio Akatsuka and their anime adaptations (Tensai Bakabon, Mōretsu Atarō, Osomatsu-kun) have had a tremendous influence on Japanese pop culture, and Akatsuka is considered "the God of Gag Manga." One of his favorite themes (especially in Tensai Bakabon, which translates to "Genius Foolbon") was foolishness, since it can so easily be exploited for laughs. In honor of his 80th birthday, which would have been this year, Tokyo University is offering a course in the winter semester called "Bakata Daigaku" ("Fool Rice Field University").
Left to right: Kawaguchi, Miura, Asaba
The course will analyze Akatsuka's works and his memorable lines ("Akatsukaisms") to discover what it means to be a fool. Akatsuka himself once said, "It's no good being a true fool. You have to be a fool full of intellect and a pioneer spirit. It's hard to be a good fool, so if you lack the self-confidence it takes to be a fool, you should be someone of normal intelligence instead." The course will consist of a series of lectures by figures from across the entertainment spectrum: Jun Miura, a manga artist (Iden & Tity, Marriage); Naohiro Ukawa, who maintains the live-streaming channel Dommune; Akio Miyazawa, a playwright and novelist; Yōichirō Kawaguchi, a CG artist; Hajime Anzai, an illustrator who stars in the variety TV show Tamori Club; and Katsumi Asaba, an art director in charge of choosing the logo for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Bakata University will be in session from December 1 to March 31 at Tokyo University's Sanjō Hall. Tickets to different lectures can be reserved at Ticketpia. The above notebooks featuring faint Tensai Bakabon and Osomatsu-kun characters will be given away randomly to attendees.
[Via Kai-You]
