Amin Abbas Dubai

Japanese manga artist and illustrator Shiki Satoshi worked on many popular projects, including Kamikaze, Riot & Attack on Titan: Before the Fall. Most recently, he has been working on The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru manga series (remake of the original Dororo manga by the legendary manga artist Osamu Tezuka.)

In an exclusive interview with Arab News Japan, Satoshi shared his inspiration for anime and manga, saying that as a child, he used to read “Urusei Yatsura by Takahashi Rumiko and Ring ni Kakero by Kurumada Masami.”

He then decided to become a manga artist.

Satoshi said he established his career when he began drawing original manga and illustrations when he was in high school.  At the time, he felt it was the most suitable and fun way to express himself.

“I started working for a magazine when I was 17 years old. I think that my paintings and techniques were poor at that time, but when I saw my paintings on the magazine at the bookstore, I was impressed,” he added.

The Japanese artist is known for his work on The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru manga series.

He told Arab News Japan about how he began working on the the manga series, explaining: “When I was having a meeting with the editor of Akita Shoten for a new serialization, I was told that I should try to draw a grotesque story like Dororo. And if I drew like that, I would receive an offer to work on a remake of Dororo by Tezuka Productions.”

“I said that I liked Tezuka Osamu’s work for a long time, but I never thought I would be involved in Tezuka Osamu’s work, so I was really happy when I decided to work on Dororo,” he added.

Speaking about his upcoming projects, Satoshi said: “My first priority is to finish ‘Dororo and Hyakkimaru’, but at the same time, the new manga ‘BAKUEN’ I have started, so I’ll continue to serialize two works for a while. I wish readers all over the world to read my works, so I hope Japanese publishers will be more actively negotiate with publishers in each country.”

As he partook in many anime and manga events internationally including the US, Germany and Taiwan, Satoshi said he would like to continue participating in such events in more countries.

Satoshi advises those who want to start a career in manga illustration to not give up and to draw “without the fear of failure.”

“To anyone who does not draw very well from the beginning, please continue to draw without fear of failure,” he added.