The anime version of "The Fable" will be broadcast this year in 2024, but do you know the author of this work, Minami Katsuhisa? "The Fable" is known for its memorable online advertisements, but if you dig deeper into the author of this work, Minami Katsuhisa, you will find that it is actually a very interesting work. Minami Katsuhisa's career before becoming a manga artist and his hobbies have had a great influence on Minami Katsuhisa's work, so fans of Minami Katsuhiko's works, especially "The Fable," will be able to enjoy it even more if they research Minami. In this article, I would like to briefly introduce Minami Katsuhisa, the author of this work, who has such an unusual background. This article is intended to be enjoyed by fans who have always loved Minami Katsuhisa's works, as well as fans who have come into contact with Minami Katsuhisa's works through this work, "The Fable," so please be sure to check it out.
Unusual career including working as a plumber and a woodworker! !
Before making his debut as a manga artist, Minami Katsuhisa graduated from junior high school and worked as a plumber and in a woodworking shop. He spent nearly 30 years as a salaryman, a long period of time, and has a wealth of experience in the real world, so Minami Katsuhisa's works often feature realistic depictions of the real world. It can be said that these characteristics are also due to Minami's experience working as an employee of a company.
His debut is quite recent
Minami-sensei has been working as an office worker for a long time, so his debut was in 1999, which is relatively recent. Many people mistake his work for one from the 1980s because of the style of his drawings, but most of Minami's works have been serialized since the 2000s.
Late bloomer manga artist
Therefore, it can be said that Minami Katsuhisa is a late bloomer manga artist. There are actually quite a few people who quit their jobs to become manga artists, but there are few who can compete on an equal footing with young artists. However, even in such a situation, Minami's works have gained a large number of fans, so you can see his high ability as a manga artist.
Born in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture
Minami Katsuhisa is originally from Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture. Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture, is located in the Sennan region and is known for the Kishiwada Danjiri Festival. As you can tell from the danjiri, it is a region with a very long history, but it is also home to many immigrants from overseas and has a multicultural cityscape. It can be said to be a particularly interesting city in Osaka.
A deep city in Osaka
Kishiwada City is known as a particularly deep city in Osaka Prefecture, and although it may have an image of being a livable city now, it seems that there were many rough people such as biker gang members there a long time ago. Many characters with rough personalities appear in Minami Katsuhisa's works, and the people who served as models for these characters may have been people that Minami-sensei saw when he lived in Kishiwada.
Depictions unique to someone from Osaka
Minami Katsuhisa is from Kishiwada City, a very deep area of Osaka, so he has the image of a true Osakan. In fact, Minami's works feature many settings that are reminiscent of southern Osaka, such as quirky characters and deep cityscapes, as befits Minami, who is from Kishiwada City. When watching Minami's works, be sure to pay attention to the depictions of cityscapes that are unique to Minami.
The Fable is a hit! !
Minami made his debut as a manga artist in 1999, but he gained attention with "The Fable," which was serialized in "Weekly Young Magazine" from 2014. "The Fable" is Minami's second serialized work, and it's amazing that he was able to release a work that attracted public attention with just his second work. The anime version of "The Fable" is scheduled to air in 2024, and the anime broadcast will likely attract even more attention.
Also attracting attention in online ads
"The Fable" is also distributed on the app Magapoke, and a scene from the film was featured in an ad for Magapoke. The ad was aimed at fans who saw the scene on social media and became interested in the film, so they would download Magapoke, but the rate at which scenes from "The Fable" were used was so high that many fans may have found "The Fable" more memorable than Magapoke.
"I read it and it was really interesting"
At one point, there was hardly a day that went by without seeing ads for "The Fable" on social media, but since it was advertised so much, many anime fans probably found it annoying. However, on the other hand, there seem to be many fans who became interested in the work through the ads and started reading it, and despite the fact that it was advertised in a way that made it easy to attract hate, it has received high praise online.
A unique but interesting style! !
When it comes to the characteristics of Minami-sensei's work, it is undoubtedly "a quirky but somehow interesting style". First of all, Minami's works are characterized by their unique and memorable drawing style, and I'm sure there are many fans who say that once they see Minami-sensei's drawings, they can't forget them. The drawing style is a very important element in manga works, and in that respect, the unique drawing style can be said to be one of the strengths of Minami-sensei's works.
Popular with men
Another attraction is that Minami's works feature many settings and depictions that are fun for men to watch. The characters are quite foul-mouthed and there are many violent scenes, so it may not be for everyone among female fans, but there are many works that are well-received by male fans.
Many settings that tickle the male heart, such as detailed descriptions of guns and the appearance of maniacal cars
In particular, there are many detailed descriptions of guns and the appearance of maniacal cars throughout the work, and many works that tickle the male heart are characterized. These are quite rare works in these days when young people are increasingly turning away from cars, but perhaps that is why these depictions will appeal to those who are interested. These depictions appear throughout the work, so fans who like these depictions will be able to enjoy this work without getting bored.
Street racer! ?
Though Minami Katsuhisa-sensei often depicts nerdy cars, he himself used to be a street racer. He was born in 1971, so if he got his license in the 1990s, it was the heyday of street racing. Given his experience as a street racer during the golden age of domestic sports cars, it makes sense that he has many detailed depictions of cars.
Owns many famous cars
Since Minami-sensei was originally a street racer, many famous cars will appear in "The Fable". Car enthusiasts who have never read Minami's work before will be surprised to see famous cars that only car enthusiasts would know about casually appear as the main characters' favorite cars. For example, the "Hakosuka", the favorite car of the main character Akira, who appears in this work, is a Nissan third-generation Skyline model, and is a famous car that still has a loyal fan base today.
The depiction of the cars is extremely detailed
As you can see, this work features a lot of famous cars, and the author's love of cars is apparent. If you're not familiar with cars, you probably won't understand what "Hakosuka" is, but many of these famous cars appear in various scenes in this work, so if you're a fan who wants to enjoy this work more deeply, be sure to check out the famous cars that appear in this work.
Favorite Car ① Corolla Levin (AE86 type)
From here, I would like to introduce the cars that Mr. Minami, who is such a genuine car enthusiast, has stated that he owned. The first one is the Corolla Levin (AE86). Some people may recognize the name Hachiroku, but it is a sister car with the same model number "AE86" as the Splendor Trueno that played an active role in "Initial D". Recently, it has tended to be overshadowed by the Splendor Trueno, but this is also a famous car that has left its mark in history.
My Favorite Car No. 2: Splendor Trueno (AE92)
The second of the famous cars owned by Professor Minami is the Splendor Trueno (AE92). The Splendor Trueno (AE92) was produced as a successor to the Splendor Trueno (AE86), a sister car of the Corolla Levin (AE86) introduced earlier. It has the highest sales volume of any Trueno or Levin in history, and is a famous car that supported the golden age of Japanese cars.
Favorite car ③ Silvia (S13 type)
The second famous car owned by Professor Minami is the Silvia (S13 type). The two models introduced earlier were both Toyota cars, but this time it is a Nissan sports car. The S13 type Silvia is the fifth generation of the Silvia brand, and is a sports car that has gained popularity due to its compact appearance and driving performance that is unimaginable from its small stature. It can be said that it is one of the famous cars that truly embodies Nissan's golden age.
Another masterpiece based on the days of street racing, "Naniwa Tomoare"!!
As you can see, the author of this work, Minami Katsuhisa, is not only a talented manga artist, but also has a passion for cars. Another of Minami's masterpieces is the car-themed "Naniwa Tomoare." This work is Minami's debut work, and although it has tended to be overshadowed by "The Fable" in recent times, it is a work that makes great use of Minami's hobbies, so if you are a fan who is interested in cars, be sure to check it out.
A man's romance is here
This work is a thorough depiction of what makes a car "cool" from the perspective of a street racer. The models that appear are all famous cars that were popular during the heyday of street racers, so it is a masterpiece that all car-loving men can enjoy. It is truly a manga for men full of romance.
Winner of the 41st Chiba Tetsuya Award runner-up
What's more, this work is Minami-sensei's debut work, but it won the runner-up prize at the 41st Chiba Tetsuya Award, and is a work that has received high praise from the public. He had been doing completely different work up until then, and suddenly debuted as a manga artist, and won an award, so it's amazing how talented Minami-sensei is as a manga artist.
A manga artist to look forward to in the future
As you can see, Minami-sensei is not only a talented manga artist, but also has a deep knowledge of cars and other things, making him a manga artist who can enjoy very maniacal depictions. As with this work, "The Fable," he is a manga artist who draws very unique works, so we would like to continue to keep an eye on him.
Interesting from the Debut
He won the Chiba Tetsuya Award runner-up prize for his debut work "Naniwa Tomoare," and his second work "The Fable" became a huge hit on social media, and was later made into an anime. He is a manga artist who has attracted attention at an unusually fast pace, so it is safe to say that he will surely continue to create more masterpieces in the future. It is very rare for a manga artist to have such a career pattern.
If you want to read a unique work, be sure to read this one! !
These days, there are fewer works related to the yakuza and cars, but even in such times, we are looking forward to the future activities of Minami-sensei, an up-and-coming manga artist who continues to explore his own unique fun and has suddenly become popular. There is no doubt that he is the perfect manga artist for fans who want to enjoy manga works with strong characteristics like this work.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we introduced Minami Katsuhisa, the author of this work "The Fable". He was a manga artist worth digging deeper into, as he had experience in various professions before becoming a manga artist and was a serious car otaku. The unique depiction and many eccentric settings of Minami's works, such as this one, are elements that make full use of what Minami-sensei has experienced throughout his life. Not only his manga works, but also his own way of life is interesting, so if you are a fan who read this work and liked it, be sure to check out Minami-sensei himself.
