Interview with a real Samurai ! Joe Okada is most definitely a colorful human being : Considered as one of the oldest and last Samurai of his region, sword teacher, unstoppable joke-teller, he has also been the feature of several television shows and work today as tourist animator in his dojo. We caught up with the self-proclaimed “Last Samurai” to learn about his decorated past, and how to become ourselves a real samurai !
Q: Okada-san, I imagine you must feel proud to come from a long line of samurai but is it mandatory to descend from a line of samurai to become one or us too, we can become one ?
Q: Wow, it’s impressive to think that you trained that hard! But do you think the image of the samurai has become romanticized ?
Joe Okada: You don’t have to but I'm sure proud of being part of it! Our family name can be dated back to around 1500s. We are descendants of Toyotomi Hideyoshi or Hashiba Hideyoshi. He was given the surname Hashiba and the honorary court office Chikuzen no Kami. But being the descendent of a long line samurai doesn’t make you a samurai, what makes you a samurai is to perpetuate the art and the philosophy of our ancestors.
Joe Okada: I do think so, we are seen as heroes who are untouchable and indestructible. But we are not. We are just experienced and well trained, like any human we can be killed. But overall, whatever is your image of us samurais, I think it’s fine as long as you keep in mind our precious art and philosophy and you put your heart in it.
Q: You talk about perpetuating the art and the philosophy of your ancestors, but concretely, what should we do ? Joe Okada: You have to train hard. People, think you only need to be good at sword to become a samurai but that’s not the only thing. You have to train your body, so it grow stronger, your senses so they get sharper, your mind so you get wiser and of course your sword skills. Buy books, learn manners, and get educated, have some discipline and a profound sense of honor. A samurai must never bring shame to its people, his presence must be pleasing and reassuring !
6 STEPS TO BECOME A TRUE SAMURAI !
You might ask how to become a samurai ? We tell you everything you need to know !
1
2
3
YOU MUST TRAIN HARD LIKE
YOU MUST TAKE THE MASTERY OF THE SWORD SERIOUSLY TO BE STRONG AND COOL WITH IT LIKE
YOU HAVE TO EDUCATE YOURSELF AND READ A LOT OF BOOKS LIKE
(But please don't read the same as him)
4
5
6
YOU GOT TO HAVE PRINCIPLE, MANNERS AND BE HONORABLE LIKE
BE SOMEONE RELIABLE, SO YOUR LOVED ONE CAN COUNT ON YOU LIKE
YOU MUST BE GOOD AT HEART BUT ALSO, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO NEVER FORGET TO SMILE, LIKE
Naruto LET'S TALK ABOUT NARUTO AND HIS CLASSIC AND ICONIC BOWL OF RAMEN. WHEN YOU THINK RAMEN, YOU THINK NARUTO! FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THE MANGA, HE WILL NEVER GET TIRED OF IT!
Food Wars IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TALK ABOUT MANGA AND COOKING WITHOUT MENTIONING FOOD WARS, THIS LITTLE MASTERPIECE BY YUTO TSUKUDA. WE FOLLOW THE YOUNG SORA WHO IS LOOKING FOR HIS WAY IN THE COMPETITIVE AND STRANGE WORLD OF GASTRONOMY. ALREADY 5 SEASONS COMBINING HUMOUR, DIFFICULTIES AND PERSEVERANCE WHILE TEACHING YOU HOW TO COOK !
ONE PIECE X GUCCI
how fashion brands dress your favorite manga characters !
It is not so rare nowadays to see collaborations between fashion and anime brands but it’s always something special to see two big stars in their respective universe making a collab. Yes, Gucci has teamed up with the One Piece anime and manga series on an official look book for one of their upcoming collections. The Italian luxury brand worked with franchise creator Eiichiro Oda on a set of images that show the characters Luffy and Zoro dressed in pieces from their new Fake / Not collection. These images are to be published in the Chinese ELLEMEN magazine
ONE PIECE X GUCCI | LOOKBOOK
This is not the first of this type of collaboration for Gucci. The brand worked with the manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and its creator Hirohiko Araki on a similar style of look book in 2013. One Piece is also not new to the fashion world, as the franchise has also recently teamed up with Kappa on an apparel collection.
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ONE PIECE X GUCCI LOOKBOOK
Gucci seems to have an affinity with animated icons. Before Doraemon, Gucci also tapped Mickey Mouse last January 2020 to likewise commemorate last year’s Chinese New Year, and then decided to work with manga artist Eiichiro Oda to create their Fake/Not collection featuring One Piece characters.
According to Modern Notoriety, Eiichiro Oda himself got involved in creating the images. In addition to the magazine cover, he also helped create the whole look book full of Luffy and Zoro looking like fashion models wearing Gucci pieces.
MANGA, IN ITS CONCEPTION, CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AS AN IMAGE OF JAPANESE SOCIETY SHOWING ITS TRADITIONS BUT ALSO ITS ANXIETIES. IT STAGES CHARACTERS THAT, PHYSICALLY AND MORALLY, CAN RESEMBLE ANY INDIVIDUAL. IT SEEMS ALL THE EASIER FOR THE READER-SPECTATOR TO DRAW A PARALLEL BETWEEN HIS DAILY LIFE AND THAT OF A CHARACTER. THE MANGA SHOWS PATTERNS OF ACTION CHARACTERISTIC OF THE JAPANESE POPULATION AND ITS DAILY PRACTICES: WEARING OF THE UNIFORM, ORGANIZATION OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PARTY, PREPARATION OF MEALS. .
THEY CAN BE SEEN, FOR EXAMPLE, IN NATSUKI TAKAYA’S FRUITS BASKET. INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED PREVIOUSLY WITH READERS-SPECTATORS OF MANGA HAVE SHOWED THAT THIS PRODUCTION OF EVERYDAY LIFE, WHICH IS FOUND FOR EXAMPLE IN HAYAO MIYA AKI’S MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, IS THE MOST EVOCATIVE OF JAPANESE CULTURE. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT THESE PRACTICES THAT MANGAS GIVE TO SEE NOURISH A SYSTEM OF LIFE THAT SOME ENTHUSIASTS WISH TO REPRODUCE THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF FOOD CHOICES, SPORTS PRACTICES, INTERIOR DECORATION OR CLOTHING TASTES. ALL THIS PROMOTES THE INTEGRATION OF MANGA AND ITS UNIVERSE IN THE CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE.
WE THUS OBSERVE A PLAUSIBILITY OF FICTIONAL SITUATIONS WHERE WE FIND A CONSTRUCTION OF LIFE CLOSE TO OURS, WITH RULES, NORMS, A HIERARCHY OR EVEN A MORALITY. THE MANGA ALSO SEEMS TO ECHO IN ITS STORIES THE QUESTIONS AND EMOTIONS OF ITS POPULATION. HE CREATES THROUGH THE ATTITUDE AND HISTORY OF HIS CHARACTERS A RESONANCE WITH THE SPIRIT OF OUR TIME. BY MIXING TRADITIONAL FACTORS, MYTHS, LEGENDS (FRUITS BASKET OR RANMA ½ BY RUMIKO TAKAHASHI, FOR EXAMPLE) AND AT THE SAME TIME JAPAN’S EXAGGERATED MODERNISM (OSAMU TE UKA’S METROPOLIS) WHILE DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF JAPAN (MY NEIGHBOT TOTORO), THE MANGA GUIDES THE READER-SPECTATOR THROUGH THE HISTORY OF JAPAN AND JAPANESE LIFE. DIRECTORS AND MANGAKA ALIKE ARE INSPIRED BY ALL THE CHANGES AND TURBULENCES OF THE PAST AND THE PRESENT TO BUILD THEIR STORIES.
THE CULTURAL MIX IS EVEN MORE NECESSARY FOR WHAT THE DIRECTORS WANT TO DELIVER AS A MESSAGE. IF IT APPEARS THAT ANIMATED FILMS LIKE METROPOLIS OR PRINCESS MONONOKÉ BY HAYAO MIYA AKI TRANSMIT SPECIFIC CULTURAL TRAITS IN JAPAN, THEY ALSO CONVEY THROUGH THEIR MESSAGES A UNIVERSAL CULTURE THAT TOUCHES EACH OF US. THE MEDIA ARE CONSTANTLY TRANSMITTING IMAGES OF DISASTERS, HUMANITARIAN AND ECOLOGICAL DISASTERS, WHILE WONDERING ABOUT POSSIBLE REMEDIES. THE SCIENCE FICTION MANGA, THROUGH ITS NARRATIVE, SHOWS THE EXCESSES OF HIS COUNTRY AND REFLECTS THE FEARS AND FEARS «OF THE WHOLE WORLD».
TOP 10 MANGAS THAT WILL MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT SOCIETY: ZANKYOU NO TERROR (TV SERIE - 2014) ONE SUMMER DAY, A BOMB SUDDENLY EXPLODES IN THE CENTER OF TOKYO AND THE CULPRITS OF THIS TERRORIST ACT ARE NONE OTHER THAN TWO YOUNG TEENAGERS CALLING THEMSELVES "SPHINX". BUT THIS EVENT IS ONLY THE PRELUDE TO A HUGE GAME LAUNCHED BY THIS SAME DUO, INVOLVING THE ENTIRE JAPANESE POPULATION... GENRES : DRAMA, MYSTERY, PSYCHOLOGICAL, THRILLER THEMES: NUCLEAR, POLICE, TERRORISM PSYCHO-PASS (TV SERIE - 2012) THE STORY TAKES PLACE IN A FUTURE WHERE IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO QUANTIFY A PERSON’S MENTAL STATE, THIS IS REFERRED TO AS PSYCHOPASS. THROUGH THIS SYSTEM, IT IS POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY FUTURE CRIMINALS. THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SECTION FOR WHICH SHINYA KOG WORKS... GENRES : ACTION, DRAMA, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SCIENCE-FICTION, THRILLER THEMES : CRIME, CYBERNETICS, CYBERPUNK, POLICE
B : THE BEGINNING (ONA - 2018) IN CREMONA, A SERIES OF STRANGE MURDERS TAKES PLACE. BECAUSE OF THE MARKS LEFT BY THE KILLER EACH TIME, THE LATTER IS NICKNAMED "KILLER B". AFTER TEN YEARS OF ABSENCE, KEITH KAZAMA FLICK ALSO KNOWN AS "GENIE" REJOINS THE ROYAL POLICE, RIS, IN ORDER TO CATCH THIS KILLER. CEPENDAN... GENRES : ACTION, FANTASY, MYSTERY, SCIENCE-FICTION, THRILLER THEMES: CRIME, INVESTIGATION, SECRET ORGANIZATIONS, POLICE
VIOLET EVERGARDEN (TV SERIE - 2018) BASED ON AKATSUKI KANA’S NOVEL VIOLET EVERGARDEN. THE WAR BETWEEN LEIDENSCHAFTREICH AND THE GARDARIK EMPIRE FINALLY ENDED AFTER FOUR LONG YEARS OF CONFLICT. VIOLET, A YOUNG GIRL TRAINED FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF DECIMATING ENEMY LINES, IS HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING A VIOLENT OPERATION... GENRES: DRAMA, FANTASY, ROMANCE, SCIENCE FICTION, SLICE OF LIFE THEMES: WAR, MILITARY, DAILY, STEAMPUNK
ERGO PROXY (TV SERIE - 2006) THE STORY TAKES PLACE IN ROMDEAU, A FUTURISTIC CITY SHELTERED UNDER A DOME, BUILT TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY FROM SURVIVORS OF A VIRUS THAT IS RAMPANT OUTSIDE. IN THIS CITY, HUMANS AND ROBOTS (AUTOREIVS) COEXIST PEACEFULLY. BUT A SERIES OF MURDERS PROVOKED BY ROBOTS... GENRES : ADVENTURE, DRAMA, HORROR/ HORROR, MYSTERY, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SCIENCE-FICTION, SUPERNATURAL THEMES: CYBERPUNK, POST-APOCALYPTIC
DEATH PARADE (TV SERIE - 2015) THE STORY BEGINS WITH THE ARRIVAL OF TWO CHARACTERS, TAKASHI AND MACHIKO, IN A STRANGE BAR. THEY DON’T EVEN REMEMBER HOW THEY GOT HERE, AND THE MASTER OF THE PLACE, DECIM, HARDLY ANSWERS THEIR QUESTIONS, FORCING THEM TO PLAY A GAME. HAVING NO OTHER CHOICE, THE VOI... GENRES: DRAMA, MYSTERY, PSYCHOLOGICAL THEMES: GAMES, DEATH
HOUSEKI NO KUNI (TV SERIE - 2017) THE ERA OF CRYSTALS BASED ON ICHIKAWA HARUKO’S MANGA HOUSEKI NO KUNI. THE STORY TAKES PLACE IN A DISTANT FUTURE WHERE HUMANITY HAS DISAPPEARED. INSTEAD, A NEW FORM OF LIFE HAS DEVELOPED: THE HOUSEKI (GEMS). HUMANOID IN APPEARANCE, THERE ARE ONLY 28. THESE 28 HOUSEKI MUST FIGHT THE TSUKIJIN (S... GENRES : ACTION, DRAMA, FANTASY, MYSTERY, SEINEN THEMES: IMMORTALITY, NATURE, POST-APOCALYPTIC
BOKU DAKE GA INAI MACHI (TV SERIE - 2016) ERASED THE STORY BEGINS IN MAY 2006. SATORU FUJINUMA, 29, IS EMPLOYED AS A PIZZA DELIVERYMAN. BUT THIS WORK ONLY SERVES HIM TO EARN A LIVING WHILE WAITING TO REALIZE HIS DREAM: TO BECOME A MANGAKA. THE PROBLEM IS THAT HE ALWAYS COMES UP AGAINST THE SAME REPROACH: HE DOESN’T INVEST ENOUGH IN... GENRES : DRAMA, MYSTERY, PSYCHOLOGICAL, ROMANCE, SEINEN, SUPERNATURAL THEMES: CRIME, TIME TRAVEL
STEINS;GATE (TV SERIE - 2011) IN AN AREA OF OTAKU IN AKIHABARA, A GROUP OF FRIENDS MODIFY THEIR MICROWAVES TO MAKE THEM A DEVICE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO SEND WRITTEN MESSAGES TO THE PAST. ONE ORGANIZATION, CERN, HAS CONDUCTED A VARIETY OF RESEARCH ON TIME TRAVEL. NOW, THE GROUP, HAVING SUCCESSFULLY... GENRES: COMEDY, DRAMA, MYSTERY, PSYCHOLOGICAL, ROMANCE, SCIENCE FICTION, THRILLER THEMES: SECRET ORGANIZATIONS, SCIENTIFIC, TIME TRAVEL
IMAWA NO KUNI NO ALICE (OAV - 2014) FVO 1 IS SUPPLIED WITH VOLUME 12 OF THE MANGA ON 18/12/2014. THE STORY FOLLOWS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT NAMED ARISU AND OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSPORTED TO ANOTHER DEVASTATED WORLD. CAUGHT IN THE TRAP, THEY ARE FORCED TO PLAY A DEADLY SURVIVAL GAME. FVO 2 IS SUPPLIED WITH VOLUME 14 OF THE MANGA ON 16/02/2015. GENRES: ACTION, FANTASY, HORROR/ HORROR, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SUPERNATURAL, THRILLER THEMES: GAMES, SURVIVAL GAME
The most anticipated anime by the fans
AFTER MORE THAN 10 YEARS OFF, THE BLEACH ANIME IS COMING BACK IN OCTOBER 2022 WITH ITS EPISODE 367. THIS EPISODE WILL START THE NEW ARC "THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR" AND WILL STILL BE ANIMATED BY THE PIERROT STUDIO WITH A STYLE THAT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY SURPRISE THE FANS
SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE ON AUGUST 6, 2022, THE FILM WILL FOCUS ON THE CHARACTER OF SHANKS THE RED, WHO, ACCORDING TO EARLY REPORTS, HAS A RELATIONSHIP (OF WICH ORIGIN, WE DON'T KNOW) WITH A FEMALE CHARACTER. THE IDEA OF A ONE PIECE MOVIE ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF SHANKS IS CERTAINLY EXCITING FOR FANS AROUND THE WORLD
Chainsaw Man THE WORLD IN WHICH DENJI AND HIS FRIENDS EVOLVE IS A PARTICULARLY DARK ONE, IN WHICH DESPAIR PUSHES MEN TO DO ATROCIOUS THINGS. IT WILL CERTAINLY BE A DISTURBING ANIME, LIKE THE ORIGINAL WORK, BUT IT ALSO AIMS TO REVOLUTIONIZE SOME SHONEN CODES. IT WILL TAKE YOU LESS THAN TEN CHAPTERS TO GET INTO THE ATMOSPHERE OF THIS MANGA
WITH A TRAILER THAT MADE MANY PEOPLE SHIVER BLUE LOCK IS COMING TO ANIME IN AUGUST
BLUE LOCK IT PROMISES QUALITY ANIMATION WITH STUDIO EIGHT BIT AT THE HELM! AN ANIME NOT TO BE MISSED!!
Latest Manga Announcements ALL FREE !! - TERUBÔ AONO JUN MIFUNE IS A PASSIONATE YOUNG JUDOKATE AND THE DISTANT DESCENDANT OF KYÛZO MIFUNE, THE MAN WHO IS NICKNAMED «THE GOD OF JUDO». HIS UNCLE, HAYAKI MIFUNE, IS A FORMER WORLD CHAMPION IN ALL CATEGORIES, EMBITTERED AND DISILLUSIONED BY LIFE. IN ORDER TO REKINDLE THE PASSION OF THIS MASTER WHOM SHE ADMIRES MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE, BUT ALSO TO FULFILL HER OWN DREAM, JUN DECIDES TO TAKE UP THE TORCH AND PROVE HERSELF IN MALE COMPETITIONS IN ALL CATEGORIES. THANKS TO HER DAZZLING SHOTS AND HER GIFT TO ANTICIPATE THE MOVEMENTS OF HER OPPONENTS, THIS LITTLE HEROINE INTENDS TO FIGHT WITH THE CURRENT WORLD CHAMPION!
DIMENSIONAL MERCENARY - JAE-HWAN KIM DESPITE HIS DIPLOMA, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CHULHO TO GET A JOB! IT GRADUALLY SINKS INTO MISERY AND ONE DAY FALLS ON A MYSTERIOUS JOB SITE. BELIEVING IN A SCAM AT FIRST, HE EVENTUALLY APPLIED. AFTER ALL, HE’S WILLING TO SELL HIS SOUL FOR A JOB. BUT HE CERTAINLY DIDN’T EXPECT TO BE... MERCENARY IN ANOTHER DIMENSION!
DÉDALE - TAKAMICHI REIKA
AND
BUILDING,
YÔKO,
A
REAL
TWO
STUDENTS,
ENDLESS
MAZE
WANDER
DEFYING
IN
THE
A
GIGANTIC
IMAGINATION.
ONLY CLUE: A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE PLACED ON A COFFEE TABLE SIGNED TAGAMI, A FAMOUS VIDEO GAME CREATOR, WHO SEEMS TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT THIS PLACE. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE STRANGE PLACE IN WHICH THEY WANDER? WHY ARE REIKA AND YŌKO
THE
ONLY
HOPE
OF
HUMANITY?
DISCOVER
A
"SURVIVAL"
WITH A UNIQUE ATMOSPHERE, WHERE HEROINES WILL HAVE TO KEEP THEIR ENTHUSIASM AND WIT ALIVE TO HOPE TO FIND THE REAL WORLD!
MANGAS AND ADS GENERALLY SPEAKING, MANGA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN JAPAN, IN THE SENSE THAT IT ACTS AS AN OUTLET FOR READERS STIFLED BY THE RIGIDITIES OF JAPANESE SOCIETY. BUT LIMITING MANGA TO A SIMPLE MEANS OF ESCAPE WOULD BE REDUCTIVE, AS MANGA HAS ITS OWN STRENGTH, BEING BOTH A MIRROR AND A SOURCE OF INFLUENCE ON JAPANESE SOCIETY.
CUP NOODLE IN AN ADVERT FOR HUNGRY DAYS USING ZORO FROM THE ONE PIECE UNIVERSE, STRIKING A CHORD WITH CONSUMERS!
MANGAS AND ADS
OTHERS CREATE ANIMATED SHORTS BASED ON THE MANGA STYLE ESPECIALLY FOR THEIR ADS. IT IS IN JAPAN THAT MC DONALD'S SHARES THIS CREW MEMBER RECRUITMENT COMMERCIAL BY ADVERTISEMENT
TEST YOUR MANGA CULTURE WITH THIS QCM! IF YOU’VE BEEN READING MANGA FOR A LONG TIME, YOU SHOULD KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS WITHOUT SEARCHING THE INTERNET;) 1. WHICH COUNTRY ARE MANGA FROM? *OF CHINA *OF JAPAN *OF NORTH KOREA *OF SOUTH KOREA *TAIWAN9 2. WHICH CATEGORY OF MANGA IS RESERVED FOR GIRLS? *SHŌNEN MANGA *SHŌJO MANGA *SEINEN *KODOMO *HENTAI 3. WHAT IS THE FIRST BLACK AND WHITE MANGA PUBLISHED BY GLENAT MANGA? *AKIRA *BASTARD! *DRAGON QUEST - DAI NO DAIBŌKEN (FLY) *DRAGON BALL *VIDEO GIRL AI OR VIDEO GIRL LEN 4. IN WHICH CATEGORY OF MANGA GENERALLY DO GIRLS’ ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS FALL? *SEINEN *SHŌJO-AI *YAOI *DŌJINSHI *KODOMO * 5. WHAT IS THE SECOND LARGEST MANGA-CONSUMING COUNTRY IN THE LAST TEN YEARS? (THE FIRST, OF COURSE, IS JAPAN) *CHINA OR TAIWAN *FRANCE *GERMANY *SPAIN ITALY 6. WHO IS THE CREATOR OF THE FAMOUS MANGA DRAGON BALL? *KOHEI HORIKOSHI *HAJIME ISAYAMA *MANGALUXE *SWENDAÏ KUNDALINE (CLAIRETTE) *AKIRA TORIYAMA 7. IN WHAT MANGA OR ANIME IS THE HERO A SMALL ROBOT? *YUME SENSHI WINGMAN *ASTRO BOY *GUNDAM WING, GUNDAM SEED AND GUNDAM 00 *MAZINGER Z MACROSS 8. IN WHICH MANGA OR ANIME IS THE PROTAGONIST A GIRL? *DEATH NOTE *FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST *SAINT SEIYA THE LOST CANVAS *MY HERO ACADEMIA *SAILOR MOON
Cosplays of the day !!! Last week took place Paris Manga, the fetish of pop culture. For the occasion, we asked you to send us your best cosplay!
Here’s what we took from it :
THE MOST WHAOU COSPLAY (ATTACK ON TITAN) / @MAIOUU8
A VERY WELL ADAPTED COSPLAY OF DILUC (GENSHIN IMPACT) / @SLONITE.S.MESS
WHOLE FAMILY'S HERE ! (DEMON’S SLAYER) / @ANTHO_DCNA
グッドバイ (see you next month)!