Ōtomo Katsuhiro 大友克洋, Kōen（公園 Park）, 2014
Artist: Ōtomo Katsuhiro (Japanese, April 14, 1954- )
Title:公園 Park
Date: 2014
Medium: Full color manga
Publisher: Tōkyō: Magajin Hausu, 2014
Series: Brutus tokubetsu henshū.
Call Number: PN6790.J3 O8652
Cover of Manga
Sample Illustration Page
Park takes a slice of time out of the lives of three Japanese boys in a manga that serves as general reflection on youth and changing Japanese culture. The three boys, On, Hanaken and Shinta, are social misfits that end up spending time at a park after school. There, while the boys are thinking about their future ,they are confronted by older people who service the park and keep it clean. The confrontation occurs because the boys carelessly were throwing their trash on the ground and after their encounter with the older people, they reflect more about their future and what might happen. The physical book is part of a special edition publication with BRUTUS magazine, included in the sale of the magazine itself, and is printed on more magazine style paper.
Ōtomo Katsuhiro is one of the preeminent designers of Manga and creators of Anime. He was primarily active in the 90’s but his manga continues to be popular and several works have been reimagined through film. Park is part of his more recent work and one of his less popular titles. Ōtomo designed many longer manga, some of which including Akira, later went on to become anime movies. The light brush strokes and minimal use of color gives Park a lighter appearance than other manga, reflecting the levity of the topic and the serenity that the title suggests.
Many impressions of this book were published for mass consumption
Selected Reading:
Gangnes, Madeline B. “Static Action, Silent Sound: Translating Visual Techniques from Manga to Film in Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira.” Studies in comics. 5.1 (2014): 155. Print.
Posted by Feyi Makinde
April 10, 2018