is a style of Japanese comics aimed at adult audiences and marked by a more cinematic art style and more mature themes. Gekiga was the predominant style of adult comics in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. It is aesthetically defined by sharp angles, hatching, and gritty lines, and thematically by realism, social engagement, maturity, and masculinity.

History

In the 1950s, mainstream Japanese comics (manga) came from Tokyo and were aimed at children, led by the work of Osamu Tezuka. Before Tezuka moved to Tokyo, he lived in Osaka and mentored artists such as Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Masahiko Matsumoto who admired him. Although influenced by Tezuka's adaptation of cinema techniques, they were not interested in making humoristic comics for children in Tezuka's Disney-esque style. They wanted to write consistently dramatic stories with aesthetics influenced by film noir and crime novels. Gekiga were more graphic and showed more violence than the children's manga that came before them. Tatsumi explained, "Part of that was influenced by the newspaper stories I would read. I would have an emotional reaction of some kind and want to express that in my comics." In November 1956, Masahiko Matsumoto used the term to describe his work Kyūketsu-jū, instead of manga. Matsumoto's son later claimed this work was the basis for what would later be known as gekiga. Other names he considered include katsudōga and katsuga, both derived from katsudō eiga or "moving pictures", an early term for films, showing the movement's cinematic influence.

In 1959, the formed in Tokyo with eight members, including Tatsumi, Matsumoto, and Takao Saito. although as an organized group it was very short-lived, its influence was long lasting.

The Cartoon Museum wrote that by the 1980s, gekiga became integrated into various types of manga. "For some younger people the term gekiga is now consigned to the history books, but its legacy lives on."

  • Hiroshi Hirata (Satsuma Gishiden)
  • Ryoichi Ikegami (Spider-Man: The Manga)
  • Ikki Kajiwara (Karate Jigoku-hen)
  • Noboru Kawasaki (Star of the Giants)
  • Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub)
  • Takao Saito (Golgo 13)
  • Tadao Tsuge (Slum Wolf)
  • Yoshiharu Tsuge (Screw Style)

See also

  • Alternative manga, broad term for outlying Japanese comics, including gekiga
  • Josei manga, targeted towards adult women
  • Seinen manga, targeted towards adult men

References

Further reading

  • Schodt, Frederik L. Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics. New York: Kodansha International, 1983. pp. 66–67, 124–125. .
  • Schodt, Frederik L. Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, 1996. pp. 34, 54, 231, 242, 283–284. .