Why Self-Publication Is Essential for the Manga Industry: Tsukasa Jun and His Illustrations
Doujinshi mangas are reserved for the otakus - in the Western sense - and otakus only.
Though doujinshi is a clear-set category of these Japanese comics, it’s not exactly a genre, as it only refers to self-published works, so you can imagine how expansive they get. It’s a whole subculture in itself, with freelance illustrators, magazines, animation, and fanart - it’s not a pool you dive into without some previous knowledge of this community.
However, it holds some of the best, funniest, most ethereal works. There are a bountiful of platforms to find these independent works, but a popular favorite is Tsukasa Jun, a Japanese illustrator who’s well-known for his talent and lusty content.
His taste for buff, big, meaty women has awarded him with a flow of fans outside the country, and many people have compared him to artist Range Murata, who coincidentally was his “senpai” [a term to describe an older person or a person in a higher position] in high school and the glimmer of Sorayama. But that’s only when looking at the coloring techniques - besides that, it’s all honeydew skin and perked-up bodysuits.
It’s true that his art can raise many questions, with the recent conversation about Japanese schoolgirl uniforms arising, but Jun is simply prodigious and makes the best out of his favorite aesthetics and interests. Born in 1961, he self-taught himself the visual arts after graduating high school to pursue his dreams of a freelance career. Tsukasa Jun is a known fanatic for weapons and guns and often includes them in his portraits. It’s his balance of fiction, sex appeal, and top-notch manga art that captures so intensely.
There are battle girls, sci-fi spies, and professionals clad in teeny outfits, but that’s purely the freedom doujinshi gives you - no one is snooping in your stuff crossing out what’s good or not. Tsukasa Jun makes art for himself, and that’s perhaps why it’s such a sight.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
