The numbers of Japanese citizens either dead or missing continues to rise in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on the island nation on Friday, March 11. Aide and support for the victims has been coming from within and without the Japan since the disaster. In addition to that, many manga artists have taken it on themselves to show support for their country in its time of need doing what they do best - drawing.
Japanese Manga Artists Draw for Japan
Japanese comic artists have been taking the time to show their support for their country by drawing. Artists have been creating new illustrations of their characters with notes exclaiming support for the victims and giving hope for the future:
- Noizi Ito, the artist of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels, draws the title character praying for Japan.
- Akira Toriyama gives a "message of support" with two of his characters, Goku from Dragon Ball and Arale from Dr. Slump.
- The artists for Kodansha's magazines, Morning, Morning 2, and Evening, posted their messages on the Morning Manga website.
- Takehiko Inoue, creator of the manga Slam Dunk and Vagabond, has also been creating "Smile" art pieces he drew on an application called Zen Brush and posting them to his Twitter account. These images adults, children, and even animals with calm, smiling faces.
Many other artists, professional and amateur, have been creating artwork to show their support for the people of Japan. Using the Twitter hash tag #draw_for_japan, these artists have posted their illustrations offering their hope and condolences for the victims.
Artists Creating a Dojinshi Charity and a Charity Sale
The above manga artists have been using their art to offer prayers for Japan. But other manga artists are now working to create a charity for the victims by making a dojinshi (a self-published manga). 35 creators have signed on for the project, currently called Higashi Nihon Daishinsai Charity Dojinshi or The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Charity Dojinshi.
They plan to release the dojinshi at Comitia 96, a comic exhibition, on May 5, 2011. Anime News Network has the full list of contributors, including Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail), Koge Donbo (DiGi Charat) and Arina Tanemura (Full Moon wo Sageshite).
Also, a group of 43 manga artists including Rumiko Takahashi and Hisae Iwaoka are holding a charity sale of donated items to support earthquake victims. The sale will take place April 3, 2011 at the Digital Manga Matsuri event.
Status of Japanese Manga Artists
Many fans continue to be anxious for their favorite Japanese artists after Friday's earthquake. To help alleviate some fears, anime and manga news site Anime News Network has posted a list of members of the anime and manga industry that have checked in via the internet and social networking. Though some some names are still missing, Anime News Network continuously updates the list when confirmed reports come in.
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