Japan House London hosts Helen McCarthy’s free talk on Urasawa Naoki next week

By John Freeman on June 14, 2019

Urasawa Naoki

Heading to London’s Japan House to see their This is Manga – the Art of Urasawa Naoki exhibition? Why not combine your visit with a free evening lecture on the artist by leading UK anime and manga writer Helen McCarthy next Wednesday?

Urasawa Naoki has been called one of the artists that have changed the history of manga, and his work has been recognised with multiple awards domestically and internationally.

In her talk, Helen McCarthy views his work as artist and writer from another angle: like Tekuza Osamu, Urasawa is an explorer, a pathfinder building bridges from the comfortable world we know and accept into other, wider landscapes. From his debut as artist on BETA!! to his current work Renzoku Manga Shōsetsu Asadora!, Urasawa’s filmic panel layouts and subtly detailed frames lead us through complex and often challenging worlds with characters who are real and relatable but never ordinary.

Admission to the talk is free but booking is essential.

Writer, speaker, artist and poet, Helen McCarthy wrote the first book in English about Japanese animation. Her books include The Anime Encyclopedia, written with Jonathan Clements, and biographies of Miyazaki Hayao and Tezuka Osamu. She recently completed her fourteenth non-fiction book, on Matsumoto Leiji. Her work is widely cited in academic and general texts.

Helen has curated many events at London’s Barbican Cinema, including landmark seasons celebrating Tezuka Osamu and this autumn’s Anime’s Human Machines season, which opens on 12th September. She also worked with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui on his manga-inspired productions TeZuKa and Pluto. She is currently collaborating with the British Museum on the Citi exhibition Manga マンガ.

The This is Manga – the Art of Urasawa Naoki exhibition immerses visitors in the iconic Japanese art form and introduces Urasawa’s ideas from inception through development, with more than 400 original drawings and storyboards on display. Selected stories from seven of his major works are presented with full English translations, highlighting the breadth of the artist’s narrative styles; works include Yawara!, Monster, 20th Century Boys, Master Keaton ReMaster (story by Takashi Nagasaki), Pluto (story by Osamu Tezuka, co-authored by Takashi Nagasaki, supervised by Macoto Tezka, with the co-operation of Tezuka Productions), Billy Bat (Story co-creator Takashi Nagasaki) and Mujirushi (‘The Sign of Dreams’, with the cooperation of Fujio Productions).

Urasawa Naoki

• Urasawa Naoki – Artist as Explorer: A talk by Helen McCarthy 6.30pm, Wednesday 19th June 2019, The Hall, Lower Ground Floor, Japan House London | Booking is Essential; Admission Free

• This is Manga – the Art of Urasawa Naoki is on display in the Japan House Gallery until 28th July 2019 | More details here on the Japan House web site | Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 10.00am – 8.00pm | Sundays and Bank Holidays 12 noon – 6.00pm – note Opening hours may vary depending on events, so please check our website on the day of your visit | Admission Free The gallery will close at 5.00pm on Monday 17th June, and at 6.00pm on Thursday 20th June

• Follow Urasawa Naoki on Twitter @urasawa_naoki

• Helen McCarthy is online at helenmccarthy.wordpress.com | Follow Helen on Twitter @tweetheart4711

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John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.