Naoki Urasawa was a Manga Prodigy Decades Before Monster or Pluto were Even Created

Known for his creations Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto, Naoki Urasawa is a renowned figure in the anime-manga industry. His works stand out among the seinen lot for his nuanced storytelling and his mastery of the thriller-mystery genre. Although his popular works have become definitive of his genius, the mangaka was already a prodigy at a young age.

Not simply because of his talent, but also for the understanding of the industry at a young age. He was always aware of the state of the industry, and even dabbled with the idea of pursuing a different career path. 

Naoki Urasawa, A Genius Ahead of his Time 

Any fan of the creator knows that the content of Monster is not for the mainstream, yet Monster’s success is extraordinary. Naoki Urasawa’s style depends on gradual pacing and a mature storytelling approach. There’s no instant gratification except for the consistent intrigue that is presented in every chapter. This process for Urasawa started at an early age. Even if he wasn’t already weaving adrenaline-inducing thrillers, he had started drawing at the early age of five. 

By the time he was eight, he had created his first complete story. However, what’s most interesting is that even as a child, he understood the intricacies of the industry. In an interview (via Crunchyroll) Urasawa shared that he could sense the difference between a real mangaka and himself. He was probably hinting at the external expectations and rules that professional mangaka have to oblige to.

I didn’t want to publish manga for the sole purpose of just making money–I could see that there was a lot of manga that had been commercialized and you could smell the money in it. That really wasn’t what I was interested in.

Urasawa was not interested in the financial aspects, as much as the artistic aspect. His main gripe was with the commercialization of manga. Every person who’s familiar with the industry is aware of the grueling conditions. Up until a few years ago, mangaka hardly had any breaks to catch a breather from the weekly schedule. Once something caught the attention of the mainstream audience, the production companies ensured that they churned out as much content and profits as possible, before it eventually ended. 

It’s impressive how Urasawa already had an understanding of this complex phenomenon at an innocent age of eight. That is also why he was repulsed with the idea of becoming a mangaka, and chose to study economics with the aim of working at some company. However, we all know how that went down. 

Urasawa’s Understanding of Mystery in Fiction 

The unfavorable opinion of Urasawa was limited to the industry’s functioning, it never translated into his feelings for the art. He always had immense respect for the medium and its power to convey ideas with limited resources. Naoki Urasawa is highly regarded for his ability to craft compelling mysteries. His writing styling usually aims at mature audiences and follows a layered approach. However, Urasawa’s idea of mystery is fairly simplistic. He believes that every story that makes you question what comes next is making use of the mystery element. 

You can even take a love story–if you’re binging it and you’re curious about what happens next, then I think there’s a strong element of mystery there.

From his words, it is safe to assume that mystery is the gripping factor. This makes cliffhangers the most convenient tool to incorporate mystery in a narrative. If executed well, cliffhangers have immense power to persuade the viewer to flip the page or push the ‘next episode’ button. However, the ‘executed well’ part is extremely important. 

Since it’s not easy to draw out a plot with the sheer power of cliffhangers. But the man in question, Naoki Urasawa, has already understood and implemented his idea of mystery in numerous works, and safe to say that it has worked phenomenally! 

Monster is available for streaming on Netflix.