Paper short abstract:

Presentation will be devoted to the topic of war in Japan's influential postwar manga/anime artist Shigeru Mizuki's (1922-2015) manga. The author will analyze Mizuki's approaches to the war and his message within current world context.

Paper long abstract:

Presentation will be devoted to the topic of war in Shigeru Mizuki's (1922-2015) manga. Japan's influential postwar manga/anime artist famous for his graphic narratives of yokai, has a facet of his artistic output dealing with the horrors of war: manga works "Hitler" (1971), "Japan and War" (1991) , "Shigeru Mizuki's Rabaul senki" (1994) and others.

Mizuki, who during the World War II, at the age of 21 was drafted into the army and sent to New Britain island in Papua New Guinea, experienced all horrors of war, lost his left arm in the explosion, after returning safely to Japan devoted a number of his works to the idea of pacifism and goodwill.

The presenter will look into what elements in Japan's cultural heritage inspired Mizuki Shigeru in his postwar narrative of peace (apart from his personal experience) and what artistic techniques he applied to express his rejection of war.

The author will analyze Mizuki's approaches to the war and his possible message to the readers within current world context.