NHK Educational TV's program "The Power of Our Ancestors: The Fountain of Wisdom," which teaches us modern wisdom from our ancestors, will air a segment titled "Between Shigeru Mizuki 's 'Kitaro' and 'War Manga'" on December 2nd at 10:00 PM. The smash hit "GeGeGe no Kitaro" is a war manga of despair and resignation. This program explores the flexible adaptability and unyielding beliefs behind the creations of Shigeru Mizuki, who created a masterpiece of a completely different type.
Mizuki created "Kitaro" based on the theme of the monsters he had been familiar with since childhood. Originally, the work was strongly satirical, but it was adapted for a boys' manga. At the same time, it also had a realism that was not simply a story of good versus evil.
After becoming a popular manga artist, he published a war manga called "All hands, commit suicide!" during the Showa Genroku period, in which he exposed the absurd reality of the battlefield in order to preserve the resentment of his comrades.
What were the beliefs hidden behind the nonchalant image he displayed in his later years?
