The second season of the anime "To Your Eternity" will soon begin. Many people have been captivated by the story of the strange fate that the main character, Fushi, weaves with the people he meets over the course of time, stirring their emotions. I would like to take a deep look into the kind of person the author of this work, Yoshitoki Oima, is, while also incorporating my own thoughts!
Basic information about Yoshitoki Oima: Date of birth, birthplace, gender, etc.
Yoshitoki Oima is from Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, and was born on March 15, 1989 (Showa 64/Heisei 1), and is currently 33 years old. Although his pen name is a man's name, he is a female manga artist. He has an older brother and an older sister, and his older sister sometimes helps him with his works as an assistant. According to his editor, his older sister is very beautiful (lol). By the way, this portrait was drawn by Makoto Raiku, the author of "Zatch Bell!" This picture must be one of the author's favorites, as it was even designated as a close-up portrait of the author in the reportage manga.
At first glance, she looks like a cute, small animal-like older sister
At the start of the serialization of "To Your Eternity," there were videos and articles of Oima Yoshitoki having a conversation with comedian Robert Akiyama, and when he showed his face there, he looked like a small, cute young lady with a bob haircut. Her hair was longer in the previous interview, but this seemingly harmless woman can spin a story that plays with the emotions of readers, and the power of human creativity is truly unfathomable and frightening.
Was her first love Yakumo, the protagonist of "3x3EYES"?
To put it mildly, Yoshitoki Oima is a very good artist, but the first manga he fell in love with was "3x3EYES" by Yuzo Takada, which was serialized in Weekly Young Magazine that his older brother bought when he was in the fourth grade of elementary school. Apparently he made a "Takada Yuzo Note" and copied Takada-sensei's characters, and perhaps that's where his current transcendent drawing skills originate from.
First submission in third year of high school, continued submissions after that
He used copy paper until elementary and junior high school, and started drawing manga on proper manuscript paper when he was in high school. Apparently he first brought his work to Weekly Shonen Magazine when he went to Tokyo on a family trip, and the work he made at that time was a "serious gag manga." I can't imagine what it's about, but maybe something like "Kyou Kara Ore Wa!! Cromatie High School" (probably not). Among the works he submitted was a piece titled "13 Ash Swords," which became the basis for "To Your Eternity." Unfortunately, that work was not selected and only received an Encouragement Award, but he was able to elevate it and send it out into the world.
In 2008, "A Silent Voice" was his first work to be selected. And the following year, he made his debut.
After graduating from high school, he submitted "A Silent Voice," which was selected for the Weekly Shonen Magazine Newcomer Manga Award, which led to his debut. It was originally scheduled to be published in "Magazine SPECIAL", but the content caused problems within the editorial department, so publication was postponed. The following year, in 2009, he made his debut as a manga artist with the serialization of "Mardock Scramble", based on a novel by author Ubukata Tou, in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.
"Mardock Scramble" ~ Cyberpunk SF Action
His debut work, "Mardock Scramble," is an adventure story about a young prostitute named Ballot who was nearly killed and lost her voice, and Ufcock, a rat-shaped all-purpose weapon that can freely transform into various things. It is a comic adaptation of the masterpiece by novelist Tow Ubukata, who is also known for the series composition of anime such as "PSHYCHO-PASS2" and "Fafner in the Azure." It is interesting to note that the theme of "having one's voice stolen" is connected to "A Silent Voice," while the theme of "being able to transform into various things" is connected to "To Your Eternity." By the way, Ubukata Tou-sensei has told me to "publicize as much as possible" that Fushi's idea is similar to Ufucock (lol)
"A Silent Voice" ~ A controversial work that caused a sensation
In parallel with the serialization of "Mardock Scramble", the original "A Silent Voice", which was a winning work, was first published in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2011, and a remake of the winning work was published in Weekly Shonen Magazine as a one-shot in 2013. Due to the large response, especially on SNS, "A Silent Voice" was then serialized weekly. This is a very heavy theme for a shonen manga, depicting hope, despair, loneliness and friendship in life through the interaction between Nishimiya Shouko, a hearing-impaired girl, and Ishida Shoya, who regrets his past bullying of her. It was also made into an anime movie by Kyoto Animation.
"To Your Eternity" ~ The first fantasy work
After a two-year recharge period following the end of the serialization of "A Silent Voice," "To Your Eternity" began serialization in 2016. This is the second original long-form work, and is currently being serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine. As of July 2022, 17 volumes of the book have been published, making it the longest story among Yoshitoki Oima's works.
The scene depicted on the cover of the book reveals a certain "secret"...
There are various gimmicks in the work "To Your Eternity", but all of the covers of the books up to the first part (Volumes 1 to 12) depict "the unfulfilled dreams of the characters". For example, the cover of Volume 2 features "March as an adult", and the cover of Volume 4 features "Young Googoo protecting Lean with his face before he was crushed". Looking at the cover again after understanding the meaning, it is sad, but at the same time, you can see the ambivalent stance of Oima Yoshitoki, who eliminates ordinary "sweetness" from the characters of the story he created, while at the same time making them feel "love".
"Fumetsunoanatahe" is 50 sounds. A world line with yakisoba and "Shimamura"
The unique characters that appear frequently in the work "To Your Eternity", the so-called "Fumetsunoanatahe", were created by thinking, "If I were to give shape to the sounds, it would look like this." It corresponds to the 50 sounds of the Japanese alphabet and is made up of a combination of vowels and consonants. There are many people on the internet who have interpreted it, but in episode 13 of the first season of the anime, the sign of a restaurant in a town where Fushi and Pioran stop on the way says "yakisoba." So what Pioran was eating while saying "It's been a while since I've had noodles. They're delicious" was yakisoba. There was also a receipt from Shimamura in the manga (lol).
The drawings are done analogically, with background music playing vigorously
A video of the writing process filmed at the start of the serialization of "Mardock Scramble" has been released on YouTube, and it appears that the drawings are done analogically. The pen tips used are a Japanese pen and a round pen, and since the writing pressure is strong, a G pen does not suit him. However, in both the draft and the inking, it is surprising how close the manuscript and the face are. The distance was about 10-15cm, which reminded me of the woodblock printmaking scene of Shiko Munakata, but I'm sure it will damage your eyes and put strain on your arms and shoulders, so I sincerely hope that readers take good care of their health.
The creator of the world of the work, but the characters are the author's alter egos
There are many sad scenes and painful depictions, so it is easy to think that he draws his works from a bird's-eye view, but according to him in an interview, he is the type who "draws by fully possessing the character." This type of creator is not uncommon in that he creates characters and spins stories, but considering his previous works, it is not hard to imagine that he must be writing while wearing down his mental health. Since he is sending out stories while grinding his soul, from now on, readers will have to read with a proper attitude.
Summary
Among the many high-quality anime in the fall of 2022, "To Your Eternity" stands out. The second season will also be full of surprising developments for viewers. When I think that the fact that we can enjoy such a wonderful work in both manga and anime at the same time is solely due to the creativity of Yoshitoki Oima, I can only feel grateful. I'm not a character from a certain gambling manga, but I'm saying "Thank you! Overwhelming gratitude!" Let's savor the good fortune of living in the same era as this extraordinary creator to our heart's content and savor it to the fullest.
