The deeds of Akira Toriyama

Before I became a cartoonist, I worked at an advertising company in Nagoya designing advertising paintings. I worked there for three years, which is amazing. I have been late almost every day for the past three years. I thought my boss was about to fire me, so I took the initiative to submit my resignation. The cartoonists I admire most are Mr. Osamu Tezuka and Disney in the United States. When I was a kid, I loved drawing the robots in "Astro Boy" until the drawings in my exercise books turned completely black. I think that I can become a cartoonist today thanks to the imitation at that time. Those who want to be a cartoonist must first start with imitation. To me, the cartoonist is the star. Whenever I meet a famous cartoonist at a banquet, I immediately ask him to give me his autograph as a souvenir. I have saved more than 30 pages of signatures like this. Everyone still remembers the character Sora Dome Misuke in "Arale" who loves to collect autographs, right? In fact, that is my shadow. Akira Toriyama is my real name, and there are only three people in Aichi Prefecture with this weird name. After I became famous, I kept receiving harassing phone calls, which really gave me a headache. So, I thought of a pen name called "Shui Tian Phase 2". However, the editor said the name was too "boring" and had to give up. I hate being on TV. When that cannon-like camera was pointed at me, I was shaking all over and couldn't say anything. And the thought of millions of people looking at me in front of the camera makes me wet my pants. Therefore, I always find various reasons to refuse to appear on television. Once, I was invited to the program "Tetsuko's Room" and saw the famous Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, who I had only seen on TV before, walking towards me and chatting with me. I was so nervous that my face turned red and my whole body was shaking. I didn’t even know what I said. As a result, before I could wake up, the interview program ended. Speaking of TV shows, I only like to watch "Animal World."

Some secrets of "Dragon Ball"

Animation is a huge industry. In fact, the "Dragon Ball" manga at that time ended with No, it is not just an issue that affects the sales of "Weekly Shonen Jump" magazine. Behind it is the Shueisha Publishing Group, Bandai, Fuji TV, Toei Animation and other big-name companies related to adapted animation and peripheral products. There will be a chain reaction, so that the editor-in-chief of JUMP has no power to make the decision on this matter. He must report it all the way to Shueisha's board of directors for the final decision. After that, he must greet the senior management of the above company in advance and do it under the premise of confidentiality. Prepare to minimize the negative impact of the completion of the work - "Dragon Ball" is also unprecedented for the completion of a comic to be so complicated.

Despite all these troubles, Bird. Yamaaki's own firm attitude played a decisive role. After all, the author is still irreplaceable. After all parties agreed on this, the new plot of Majin Buu was already decided to be the final chapter of the manga at the beginning of the serialization. The initial confidentiality work was so thorough that even Nobuhiko Horie, the editor-in-chief of JUMP at the time, only found out about it in the second half of the series. In 1995, the magazine began to gradually reveal the news, officially announcing that the "Dragon Ball" manga was about to end. In the 25th issue of "Weekly Shōnen Jump" in 1995, "Dragon Ball" published the final chapter, Chapter 519, which brought an end to the ten-and-a-half-year serialization. The single volume totaled 42 volumes, which was already considered a handful in JUMP at the time. Several long-form works. Also due to the impact of the completion of "Dragon Ball", the sales of "Weekly Shōnen Jump" have plummeted.

Aki Toriyama once said that he was creating Piccolo Daimaoh. ) was the happiest time, because it was the first time to create a real villain character. Due to the popularity of Dragon Ball and the huge commercial interests in various aspects, the author could not decide the completion time. The author had originally wanted to finish Dragon Ball and could only continue to draw it. In 1995 In the year, the author was determined to end the work, so Dragon Ball was completed. The manga continued to be serialized for 11 years and its popularity remained unabated. Toei Animation Company obtained official authorization and continued to produce Dragon Ball's sequel "Dragon Ball GT". So far. So far, it is still very popular all over the world. After 2012, two theatrical versions were released, both of which were at the top of the box office in the same period. They were well received. So in 2015, another sequel of Dragon Ball, "Dragon Ball Super", was released. The plot is magical. The content after the human chapter.

Toriyama Akira is good friends with editors Torishima Kazuhiko and Katsura Masakazu. The joke that Goku said in Kaioh was the idea of ??Katsura Masakazu, but Akira Toriyama often mocked Katsura Masakazu as a "country boy". For example, in Dr. IQ, Noriaki Senpei emphasized himself when he invented the (handheld) time stopper. Although his residence is not a big city, there are always cafes. However, near Katsura Kazu's home is an endless plain: in the manga, Katsura Kazu even yelled at Tenjin Village, which is mainly composed of bungalows, "Sure enough, high-rise buildings are in big cities." ".

After Toriyama Akira became famous, Yokoi Koji, who was born in the same prefecture and was still a student at the time, later became famous for his painting of SD Gundam and was known as the "Father of BB Fighters". He once took the pen name "Father of BB Fighters" after him. Yu Toriyama", participated in the BANDAI model magazine "Model Information" submission, and then entered the industry. In this magazine, there is also a comic strip called "Toriyama Yu no MJ Theater". Royalties from comics and derivatives bring huge profits to Akira Toriyama every year. At the same time, he is increasingly recognized by the art world. Since the 1990s, the "Toriyama Akira World Exhibition" has been held throughout Japan to introduce his works. The traveling exhibition locations include Ginza and Shinjuku in Tokyo, Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture, Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture, and Asahikawa in Hokkaido, etc. 10 public schools in Japan. The museum attracts more than 3 million visitors. Many critics believe that Toriyama's works transcend the realm of comics and can be called works of art.

However, Akira Toriyama doesn’t like this kind of star-like treatment. He regretted using his real name when publishing his works. In fact, he had wanted to use the pseudonym "Shuitian Erqizu" (meaning double-cropping rice), but his editor dismissed it as boring. He then thought that his work would not be too popular, so he used his real name. Unexpectedly, he eventually became Japan's national cartoonist. In daily life, he is often recognized by people, and some people keep making harassing phone calls. Toriyama, who likes peace and quiet, cannot bear to be disturbed. In addition, he was also extremely afraid of appearing on TV shows. Once during a TV interview, he was so nervous that he could not speak coherently in front of a famous host and millions of TV viewers. He didn't come back to his senses until the end of the interview. To this day, only Shueisha's senior executives can contact Toriyama. China Children's Publishing House, which launched the Chinese version of "Dragon Ball", has not been able to meet him in person despite five trips to Japan. Everyone who has been in contact with Toriyama thinks that he has a simple and unpretentious character, which is also reflected in his marriage and love. My wife, who was introduced to me by a relative, was also a cartoonist before marriage. Toriyama didn't particularly like her at first, but because both of them were cartoonists, he felt that she could understand his lifestyle very well. After about half a year, he called her while eating bread and said, "Do you want to get married? The other party simply replied, "Yes, okay." The marriage was settled. Most of the love plots in Toriyama's manga were briefly mentioned. Editor Toriyama once expressed dissatisfaction with this, but Toriyama still refused to modify it because he was "embarrassed."

Toriyama, who grew up in the countryside of Aichi Prefecture, loves nature. As a child, he raised nearly 100 birds, and also planned to raise horses and chimpanzees. This natural atmosphere has also been passed on to his works, such as the penguin village in "Arale" where humans and animals live together. The harmonious and natural utopian temperament cannot be easily imitated by others. Compared with the fashion and prosperity of Tokyo, Toriyama is more obsessed with the local customs of Nishi Kasugai. He has not left the place of his birth for decades, but he has a wife and children around him. The first of the manga textbook magazines "JUMP-Ryu 01" launched by Shueisha introduces the knowledge of master Akira Toriyama's painting, and it mentions the painting speed during the serialization period.

In the Arale era, it took 3 days to think about the story and draft, and 4 days to complete the draft. Bedtime and sleep time are irregular. When I reach my limit, I go to bed and draw at other times. Since Arale has a unit story structure, each story is independent and incoherent. It is difficult to think of interesting and fresh stories, because the proficiency in the early stage is not as good as that in the later stage, and the painting is more cautious and careful, and it takes a relatively long time.

Dragon Ball Era, the fastest record was half a day to think about the story and draft, half a day to outline the draft, and *** one day to complete one episode, amazing efficiency. On average, it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete a page.

Since the story is coherent, it doesn't take too long to think about it. As I become more and more proficient in painting, I basically only need to outline a few times with a pencil, roughly determine the approximate position of the character, and then I can start to draw directly. .

In addition, Toriyama usually only hires one comic assistant at most. Toriyama's assistant usually only needs to help him blacken and erase pencil marks, draw speed lines and other very light tasks, so the background is included Most of the images were drawn by Toriyama himself. In the middle and later stages of "Dragon Ball", Toriyama did the painting independently without an assistant. With such a fast painting speed, it is inevitable that sometimes there will be some places in the manga that were forgotten to be blackened. Or more sloppy handwriting. However, this does not affect the charm of the work at all. On the contrary, this fast and accurate brushwork makes people feel more charming. He is worthy of being a master of comics. West China Metropolis Daily: When it comes to "Dragon Ball", many people born in the 70s and 80s will think of their youth. Akira Toriyama, the original manga author of this work, recently announced that he planned to retire due to an allergic reaction while drawing manga. In fact, in China, Akira Toriyama's works not only attract ordinary readers, but many current professional cartoonists are also deeply influenced by him. They even imitated "Dragon Ball" before his debut. Who can not feel sad when the news comes that a generation of comic masters has retired?

A reporter from West China Metropolis Daily learned yesterday that Akira Toriyama, the original author of "Dragon Ball", the world's most popular anime that has influenced generations, and has been adapted into a live-action movie by Hollywood, claimed that he can draw comics recently. I had an "allergic" reaction and planned to retire and never draw comics again. As soon as the news came out, many Chinese fans were filled with emotion on the Internet, saying: "Dragon Ball" is the favorite of those born in the 70s and 80s! Not one of them! Some netizens shouted: "Shenron will appear soon, keep him!"

Aki Toriyama: Allergic to painting, plans to retire

The latest movie version of "Dragon Ball" "Dragon Ball Z: Gods and Gods" will be released on March 30. The original manga author Akira Toriyama participated in the script production of the new movie.

Japan's Fuji TV "Mando Kobayashi" program recently launched a "Dragon Ball" special. Akira Toriyama participated in the program to talk about his current situation.

When the host asked what wish he would make if there were really Dragon Balls, Toriyama Akira said: "I hope that the original manuscript will appear in my mind, because although I like to conceive stories, I really don't like to draw lines. , so I don’t draw comics much anymore. In fact, for me, retiring is the best choice.”

This program also invited Takeda Fuyume, the editor in charge of Shueisha’s “Dragon Ball”. He also talked about a little story that happened when he was on the phone with Akira Toriyama. It was revealed that Akira Toriyama had an allergic reaction as soon as he painted, possibly due to psychological effects. He also said: "If there really is Dragon Ball, I will make a wish, hoping to see Akira Toriyama's full-length works."

Chinese colleagues: Unfortunately, he has always drawn by hand

2012 Zhou Hongbin, the top pick in the 7th China Richest Manga Writers List, mentioned in an interview with a reporter from West China Metropolis Daily, "To be honest, it's not surprising that Akira Toriyama is allergic to comics.

As far as I know, As you know, he does not bring several people to paint as a team, but only one assistant. Hand-painted paints may cause allergies, unlike many of our new generation cartoonists who rely on computer software. Drawing."

Toriyama Akira announced his plan to retire and stop drawing, which also made Zhou Hongbin very emotional, "If he really stops drawing, it can be regarded as a symbol of a turning point in the comics era. "

Yao Feila, one of the representatives of new Chinese comics, mentioned Toriyama yesterday. He was born in the 1970s and told a reporter from West China Metropolis Daily: "Among Chinese readers, Toriyama is definitely the most successful. "Dragon Ball" was the most popular cartoonist in Japan at that time. It can be said that almost all Chinese cartoonists of our generation are fans of him. "

The original version of "Dragon Ball" has sold tens of millions of copies. The most popular in China

"Dragon Ball" has been serialized in Japanese manga weekly for 11 years since 1984. Its single volumes have sold more than 230 million copies worldwide, and animation film and television works have been broadcast in more than 44 countries. A representative work of Japanese animation culture.

"Dragon Ball" was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" from 1984 to 1995, and is the most popular work among serial comics. Comics have sold more than 230 million copies worldwide. After that, Toriyama Akira mainly wrote short stories.

In Zhou Hongbin’s view, in the 1990s, “Dragon Ball” was the most popular and sought-after comic book. Shang Wanchun, a senior editor at China Children's Publishing House, is the editor-in-chief of the Chinese version of "Dragon Ball". He told a reporter from West China Metropolis Daily, "About six or seven years ago, our China Children's Publishing House received approval from Japan's Shueisha for the approval of the Chinese version of "Dragon Ball". The exclusive copyright of the Chinese version of Akira Toriyama’s comics. Despite the extremely serious impact of piracy, the sales of the authentic Chinese version of “Dragon Ball” have so far exceeded 10 million copies,” Shang Wanchun also told. Reporter, he once met and communicated with Akira Toriyama, "I told him that his comics are very popular in China, and he answered me with a smile: He is very happy for this!"