Former editor of "100 Meters" reveals the story behind its creation and the appeal of the "up-and-coming"Uoto

The animated feature film " 100 Meters ", based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka, known for " Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Chi: Chikyu no Undo ni Tsuite), " which was also adapted into a TV anime, and for which he became the youngest recipient of the Uoto Osamu Cultural Prize Manga Award, will be released on September 19th. " 100 Meters" is Uoto's serialized debut. Initially published in 2018, it was planned to be serialized only on an app, but following excitement on social media, it was made into a comic book, an unusual development. This story, depicting the passion and madness of those captivated by the fleeting brilliance of the 100m in the world of track and field, has evoked empathy and amazement from many, with comments such as "It warms my heart" and "It's a feeling I've never felt in a sports manga before," and continues to remain popular even after its conclusion. Naoki Takuma of Kodansha, who was the editor at the time of the serialization, spoke to this up-and- Uoto about the appeal of the original work, and the background to the animated feature film .

◇ Did it start with a comedy manga in high school? He is incredibly good at depicting the "values" of people.

--I understand that Takuma is Uoto's first editor.

It all started when Uoto, who was a high school student at the time, submitted a work to the monthly awards for newcomers when I was working at the Weekly Shonen Magazine editorial department. The work he submitted was a comedy manga about how the principal's long talks cause the bottoms of students sitting cross-legged to gradually become sore. I thought it was funny, so I asked to be in charge of it, and we met in person. As we talked, I heard that he was a big fan of Fukumoto Nobuyuki (author of works such as Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji), and I remember suggesting, "If that's the case, why don't you try drawing a story manga?"

My impression of Uoto has always been that he is "someone with a very interesting way of looking at things." Before he made his serial debut, he drew a one-shot called "100m," which would later become "100 Meters" The idea for this came from a meeting where Uoto was talking about Usain Bolt after watching the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Uoto said, "Bolt has almost everything he's got, just because he's fast. He solves all kinds of problems." That's not something you normally think about, is it? The uniqueness of his idea made me laugh out loud. I remember that from there, he drew the one-shot version of "100m" at an incredible speed.

Six months later, Uoto won the Weekly Shonen Magazine Newcomer Manga Award, the highest award given to newcomers, for a one-shot tennis manga titled "Honorable Mention." Generally, if you win a good award at a Newcomer Manga Award, the next step is to aim for a serialized story, but like many new artists, Uoto struggled to get a serialization. He tried choosing a subject he'd never drawn before, but it didn't work out, so he chose the 100-meter sprint again. Even that didn't lead to serialization at first, and Uoto himself apparently considered taking it to another magazine, but he didn't want someone who had won the top prize at Magazine's Newcomer Manga Award to make their serialization debut in another magazine (laughs). So he approached the person in charge of Magapoke, a supplement to Weekly Shonen Magazine, and they agreed to serialize it.

-Why did you feel that this story had potential?

It's simply because I was confident in the entertaining nature of the work. I love the "confrontations" that Uoto depicts. Portraying a confrontation in manga means depicting the "values" of the people in conflict, and Uoto has been incredibly skilled at depicting these values even as a rookie. The first story manga he let me read was "Punch Line," a work depicting a freestyle rap battle, and it was also really interesting. In that sense, I felt that the subject matter of the 100-meter sprint, which very clearly depicts a "confrontation" between individuals, was perfect for Uoto.

◇Creating artworks from phenomena and subjects, not people

-- "100 Meters" has an exquisite portrayal of each character's feelings, but how did that come about?

I feel that Uoto is the type of author who creates his works from phenomena or subjects that he "want to depict this kind of 'person '" rather than "want to depict this kind of 'person'." I remember that when we started meetings for a new work after the serialization of "100 M." ended, it started with "Isn't the heliocentric theory really interesting?" and the discussion progressed from there to the main characters and the flow of the story. I think that Uoto probably focuses on "interesting subjects," but he draws different characters based on the differences in their stances and principles towards them. In "100 Meters", he probably started from the question, "Why are you running?" and created many characters.

--Philosophical delivery is also a characteristic of Uoto.

Yes, his choice of words was unique from the moment we first met. I think it's partly down to Uoto's own preferences, but he once said something like, "I like to have endless conversations with long-time friends, playing with words," so I suspect his sense was honed through those interactions. I also get the impression that he watches a lot of movies. I heard that when he was struggling to find a serialization, he would go to the rental shop and rent movies to watch. It also seems like he reads a lot of books.

However, what I find amazing about Uoto is that, while he has absorbed so much and is conscious of social issues, he is thoroughly conscious of "entertainment" when expressing himself in manga. He often says, "I don't want to make it a heavy story. Anyone can make it dark." I think he is someone who works tirelessly to keep his readers entertained.

◇The "passion" of readers was felt even before the hit. Tweets went viral and were made into comics.

--I heard that when the series first began, there were no plans to publish it as a book. When did you start to realize its popularity?

When the series first began, there were no other sports manga on Magapoke, so honestly, it wasn't particularly popular among Magapoke readers. However, it was incredibly popular among people in the publishing industry, creators, and hardcore manga fans known as "manga readers." At the time, the Weekly Shonen Magazine editorial department had a box where they kept proofread galleys. They would pull out "100 Meters" from there, read the latest chapter, and share their thoughts with me, saying things like, "Chapter XX was so interesting!" The moment Uoto tweeted on social media that the series wouldn't be published in book form, other companies contacted me, asking if they'd like to publish it. I could sense the quiet yet powerful passion of the readers. Uoto decided to publish the series in book form in 2019—successfully (laughs).

--In 2021, you will receive an offer to make a theatrical animation version of "100 Meters."

I remember being surprised but also very happy when I heard about the offer two years after the serialization ended. I was familiar with director Kenji Iwaizawa's previous work, "Ongaku," and thought it would be a good fit. I was also intrigued by the idea of making a "pilot" video to test the compatibility of this work with rotoscoping before the official film adaptation was decided. I left the editorial department of "Weekly Shonen Magazine" in 2023, so I only participated in the first few meetings for the film, but Director Iwaizawa and the producers were very reliable. I was sad to leave, but I wasn't worried at all. I believe the film will be a success.

As an aside, when I meet manga artists for the first time, especially newcomers, I often ask them, "Where do you want to be in 10 years?" and we set goals together. Uoto had said that his goal for 10 years was to have his work adapted into a film, and when it was officially decided that " Uoto 100 Meters " would be made into a movie, he told me, "We've achieved that in nine years," and I remember feeling proud of Uoto and "100 Meters" as if it were my own achievement.

"100 Meters" is Uoto's debut serialized work, serialized on Kodansha's web manga app Magazine Pocket (Magapoke) from 2018 to 2019. It depicts the madness and passion of those in the world of track and field who are captivated by the brilliance of the 100m (meter) race, a moment that lasts less than 10 seconds. Togashi, a naturally fast runner who has made friends and found a place to belong, meets Komiya, a transfer student who simply runs desperately to forget his harsh reality. Gradually, the two develop a relationship that could be described as both rivals and best friends through the 100-meter dash. A few years later, Komiya, now one of the top runners, appears before Togashi, who has made a name for himself as a genius runner but is terrified of the need to keep winning...

The anime will be directed by Iwaizawa, who was nominated for an Annie Award for his work on "Music," and produced by Rock 'n' Roll Mountain, the studio behind "Music." Actor Tori Matsuzaka will voice Togashi, and Shota Sometani will voice Komiya. The film will be released in North America in October.