As most movie connoisseurs know, Japanese horror is simply a breed apart from the rest. It's one thing to have monsters and masked psychopaths with knives chasing teenagers -- quite another to show the darkness and madness hidden in the souls of humans, and the supernatural forces that hide in the shadows. Perhaps no one knows the visceral power of horror imagery than Kazuo Umezu, the manga master who has created some of the creepiest comics ever published.
Western comics readers have already experienced some of Umezu-sensei's masterpieces: The Drifting Classroom and Cat-Eyed Boy (from VIZ Media), Scary Book (from Dark Horse) and Reptilia (from IDW) -- but hardcore Umezz fans know that we've only seen a small portion of this 73-year old master's stories, and have rarely seen many interviews with him in English.
Now intrepid horror and Japanese pop culture blog Tokyo Scum Brigade has jumped in to fill in the gap by scoring an exclusive 5-part interview with Umezu-sensei himself at his infamous red-and-white striped mansion in Kichijoji, Tokyo. It's a fascinating and insightful chat with this one-of-a-kind manga creator, so it's well worth reading every bit of it.
- Part 1: Umezu-sensei talks about his childhood in rural Japan, and his early interest in horror inspired by his father's ghost stories.
- Part 2: Talk turns to his early manga influences, including Osamu Tezuka, and his early years in the manga biz.
- Part 3: Umezu-sensei talks about the graphic gore and violence in some of his series that were originally meant for younger readers.
- Part 4: Some pretty deep discussion about children and their ability to accept the unreal.
- Part 5: Umezu-sensei talks about why people are the scariest creatures of all, evolution and extinction.
If you want to see more of the latest Umezu-happenings and some of his incredibly eccentric yet endearing videos, visit Umezz.com, Kazuo Umezu's official website (in Japanese, German AND English), Same Hat! and of course, Tokyo Scum Brigade.
There's also a documentary about Umezu-sensei called Gwashi! Kazuo Umezz that was recently released in Japan, filmed by one of his long-time assistants. VIZ Pictures, I hope you're planning on bringing this film to American shores soon!
Image credits: © Tokyo Scum Brigade, HYORYU KYOSHITSU © Kazuo UMEZU/Shogakukan
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