22nd Manga Division Jury Selections
HIIRO NO BUNRAKU
Manga published in book form, in magazine
KITA Komao [Japan]
Outline
Bunraku is Japan’s traditional world-class art of puppet theater and it is depicted in earnest in a manga for the first time. An injury forces Yumi- ya to give up his dream to be a ballet dancer, and he sets his sights on becoming a gidayu (narrator) for bunraku. Responding to a wish to express in a manga the fire of life coming from the stage, the story portrays the passion of young men pursuing this ultimate art form, inheriting its 400-year tradition.