The Story Behind the First Issue of Fujio Akatsuka's "Manga No. 1" - The Search for Expression and Publication in the Early 1970s

The Story Behind the First Issue of Fujio Akatsuka's "Manga No. 1" - The Search for Expression and Publication in the Early 1970s

In the early 1970s, the Japanese manga world was at a turning point. While the feverish pace of Japan's rapid economic growth had not yet cooled, young people began to have doubts about the existing commercial media and to seek "independence" in culture. Fujio Akatsuka sensed the mood of the times and launched his own magazine, Manga No. 1. This attempt was not just an extension of the gag manga genre, but was based on the extremely radical intention of creating a place for "artist-led" expression.

At the time, Akatsuka had already gained national popularity with such works as "Osomatsu-kun" and "Tensai Bakabon," and because of this, he felt the limits of "mass-produced" gag expressions tied to TV animation and merchandise development. Manga No. 1," which was not dependent on the framework of a commercial publisher, but was a manga artist's own responsibility to publish a magazine and connect directly with readers, was truly an attempt to lead the way in an era that craved "freedom of expression.

The reality, however, was harsh. The editorial staff consisted of only three people. The magazine's structure of producing a magazine while paying manuscript fees resulted in continued losses, and the publication interval was changed from monthly to quarterly. Even in this difficult situation, Akatsuka persisted in his philosophy of "returning profits to the books," and tried to reconstruct the publishing business as a "cultural movement" by re-editing his own old works and publishing them as separate volumes.

This was not just a story of business failure, but also part of the "independent production culture" that spread in the 1970s. In the theater, Juro Karo was developing tent theater, and in film, Nagisa Oshima and others were beginning to produce films independently. Manga, too, was emerging from this wave of expression as a trend toward "independent creation," and "Manga No. 1" is a symbol of this trend.

Akatsuka's ideals exposed the contradiction between commercialism and expression, and he continued to question the attitude of facing society through "laughter. Even if it was short-lived, Akatsuka's ideals and practices have had a profound influence on the independent publishing boom that followed, as well as on the pioneering work of subculture magazines, to this day.

This episode is also a record of his attempt to redefine manga as a "cultural medium" that reflects the times, rather than a mere commodity.