Walking back through Omotesando after making the kanemochi connection at the Metropolis offices. Trying not to breathe in through my nose too much past Omotesando Hills. I mean, it's all downhill after Florin Mall in Sacramento, right? But what's that I see? A beautifully drawn picture of Joe Yabuki boxed to death by Jose Mendoza!
Turned out to be a gallery opening marking the 50th anniversary of the debut of famed manga-ka Tetsuya Chiba. Nice framed originals on the walls. Some so-so Ashita no Joe shirts for sale. Killer pin-up shot of a typical wild weekend Shonen Magazine '78 style: Osamu Tezuka, Shotaro Ishinomori, Leiji Matsumoto, and Chiba himself all on an epic bender.
Managed to squeeze inside but chickend out on telling Chiba that the HK DVD bootlegs of Ashita no Joe rename the main character "Jan Schezwan." Content to view the old duffer from afar to the joyful accompanyment of passerbys screaming "holy shit, it's Tetsuya Chiba!"
And here I was thinking the only people who still remembered him were ardent pachinko addicts...all hail old-skool famous manga-ka.
But what was he doing so close to Kiddyland?
My immediate reaction to this piece: "huh, I thought that guy had died nearly 20 years ago," but then I remembered. For some odd reason, I always seem to mentally confuse Tetsuya Chiba with Ikki Kajiwara, the latter being more significant to me because of his role in facilitating Satoru Sayama's interactions with the Dynamite Kid. Perhaps it's because Kajiwara himself seemed to be a real-life version of Joe Yabuki, punching out his editor and serving some time in the metal clink himself. The full count of inmates that got decked one in the temples will never truly be known.
Fine, so it's more likely due to the fact that I can never remember that Ikki Kajiwara and Asao Takamori are in fact the same person.
Posted by: Daryl Surat | May 26, 2006 at 06:30 AM
You know he was just protecting the Kanemochi Kill-Hills from the Kiddyland Rapist or Steven Segal.....
By the way, did you see any people who came all the way from 'Psytama' by car and just walk their dogs in Omotesando????
Posted by: Paper BoyXXX | May 26, 2006 at 08:09 AM
What is the name of the gallery doing this show? Thanks.
Posted by: User | June 06, 2006 at 04:35 AM
It is a good thing that Florin Mall in Sacramento finally closed down... for a supersized Wall Mart.. LOL
I didn't know you were from Sacramento? Unfortunatly I am stuck here unless Sillicon Valley is prosperous again like in the 90s.. Tho I still wouldn't want to pay one million dollars for a shack in San Jose.
Posted by: Lyrical Dani-chan | June 09, 2006 at 02:56 PM