{"id":35175,"date":"2026-09-04T15:44:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T19:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=35175"},"modified":"2026-09-05T08:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:12:35","slug":"black-canvas-exclusive-interview-with-manga-artist-akiko-higashimura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=35175","title":{"rendered":"“Blank Canvas : My So-Called Artist’s Journey” : Exclusive Interview with Manga Artist Akiko Higashimura"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u24d2Photo by Ayami Kusumi<\/p>\n

A live-action film adaptation of the manga \u201dBlank Canvas : My So-Called Artist’s Journey<\/strong><\/a>\u201d\u2014an autobiographical work by popular manga artist Akiko Higashimura<\/a>, creator of numerous hits such as \u201dPrincess Jellyfish<\/strong><\/a>\u201d and “Tokyo Tarareba Girls<\/strong><\/a>“\u2014which won the 8th Manga Grand Prize and the Grand Prize in the Manga Category at the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival. The film depicts the nine-year journey of a girl aspiring to become a manga artist and her mentor, an art teacher.<\/p>\n

Akiko Hayashi, a carefree and lazy high school girl living in Miyazaki Prefecture, has loved manga since she was a child and dreams of becoming a manga artist one day. Determined to make that dream come true, Akiko sets her sights on attending an art university and begins taking classes at a local art school to prepare for the entrance exams. There, she meets Mr. Hidaka, a Spartan art teacher who shouts orders while brandishing a bamboo sword. No matter what happens or under what circumstances, Hidaka never lets his students stop drawing. Meanwhile, Akiko gradually comes to believe that she cannot fulfill her dream of becoming a manga artist in her hometown of Miyazaki, and she finds herself growing increasingly at odds with Hidaka\u2026<\/p>\n

The original author, Akiko Higashimura, wrote the screenplay herself and is also credited as a producer. Mei Nagano<\/a> stars as the protagonist, Akiko, while Yo Oizumi plays Mr. Hidaka. The film also features a star-studded cast, including Ai Mikami, Meiku Hata, Jin Suzuki, Fuju Kamio, Kenjiro Tsuda, Teppei Arita, MEGUMI, and Nao Omori. The film was directed by Kazuyoshi Seki, who previously teamed up with Mei Nagano on “Hell\u2019s Garden<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Director<\/strong> : Kazuaki Seki<\/div>\n
Screenwriter<\/strong> : Akiko Higashimura<\/div>\n
Genre<\/strong> : Comedy, Drama<\/div>\n
Original Language<\/strong> : <\/span>Japanese<\/span><\/div>\n
Runtime<\/strong> : 2h 6m<\/div>\n
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(C) Akiko Higashimura \/ Shueisha (C) 2025 \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d Film Production Committee<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Exclusive Interview with Manga Artist Akiko Higashimura<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Q: Your latest work, \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d, is an autobiographical manga in which you, Ms. Higashimura, depict your time at Miyazaki Nishi High School in Miyazaki Prefecture. I haven\u2019t really heard of many manga artists who have funded their own films, but did you decide to do so because you wanted to incorporate your own perspective to some extent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: That\u2019s right. For a long time now\u2014even back when my work was being adapted into a film\u2014I\u2019d ask things like, \u201cCan\u2019t I invest in it?\u201d But I\u2019d always sensed there was an unwritten rule in the manga industry along the lines of, \u201cWell, if the author invests, the movie might not turn out well, and it\u2019s a bit risky,\u201d so I was always discouraged from doing so. So, with the movie \u201cBlank Canvas<\/strong>\u201d, since it\u2019s ultimately my autobiographical story, I felt I had to be deeply involved.<\/p>\n

Basically, I\u2019d already learned from all the previous adaptations of my manga that if I didn\u2019t get inside the production, my opinions wouldn\u2019t get through. It wasn\u2019t so much that my intentions were being blocked, but rather that but it turns into a game of telephone. When I tell the manga editorial department, \u201cI want it done this way,\u201d and they pass that on to the TV station or movie studio, a time lag occurs\u2014and since I\u2019m impatient, I really hated that.<\/p>\n

So, I figured that if I invested, I\u2019d be fully integrated into the production committee and part of the inner circle, which would eliminate that time lag. That\u2019s why I kept pestering the producer\u2014insisting, \u201cLet me invest, let me invest\u201d\u2014and eventually, the producer at Fuji TV worked incredibly hard to negotiate on my behalf. Although it was quite unprecedented, they agreed to let me invest. It wasn\u2019t about making money or anything like that, nor was it about wanting backing; my goal was simply to be treated as a full member of the team from the very beginning and to have access to all the information.<\/p>\n

Q: After graduating from high school, Ms. Higashimura, you attended an art university in Kanazawa and initially took a job as an office worker. Apparently, you were already drawing manga at the same time (while working as an office worker). Could you tell us what led you to return to manga full-time, and what were the circumstances behind that decision?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I was just so fed up with my job\u2014I was working as a telephone operator\u2014that five minutes would feel like an hour; every time I looked at the clock, the hands hadn\u2019t moved at all. But I kept thinking it was exhausting, and that I just wasn\u2019t cut out for it\u2014I felt very strongly that this kind of work wasn\u2019t for me.<\/p>\n

I realized I simply couldn\u2019t make it unless I was drawing. I\u2019d always wanted to be a manga artist, but at the time, I never even dreamed I could actually make a living from it. Still, driven by the single-minded determination to break free, I started drawing manga, and then I made my debut. My editor said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come out to the city for a bit?\u201d So I quit my job and finally made it there.<\/p>\n

Q: I see, that makes sense. I hear that this film, \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d, was actually shot at Miyazaki Prefectural Nishi High School in Miyazaki Prefecture, where you, Ms. Higashimura, attended, and that current students even participated as extras. When you returned to the school where you actually went to school, what memories came flooding back?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I really did think, \u201cAre we actually going to film in this classroom?\u201d I was like, \u201cNo way,\u201d but the principal of Miyazaki Nishi High School was so easygoing, funny, and incredibly cooperative. I really felt that warm, welcoming vibe that\u2019s so characteristic of Miyazaki\u2014or maybe it\u2019s just the way people there are. I actually asked, \u201cAre we really going to do this over there?\u201d I mean, if we filmed it in Tokyo, no one would even know, right? Since it\u2019s inside a school\u2026<\/p>\n

Q: That’s right.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Plus, they let us use current students as extras\u2014I was really surprised they gave us permission to do that\u2014so I was incredibly grateful for the support from the local community.<\/p>\n

Q: I\u2019ve heard this from others as well, and apparently it\u2019s reflected in the work itself\u2014for example, the paintings and sketches in the film, including those actually used in the footage, were apparently included because of Ms. Higashimura\u2019s particular attention to detail.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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(C) Akiko Higashimura \/ Shueisha (C) 2025 \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d Film Production Committee<\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I supervised everything and prepared all the illustrations myself.<\/p>\n

Q: Did you draw all of these yourself, or…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura:\u3000Some of the paintings I created myself, while others I arranged\u2014for example, borrowing works from students at Kanazawa College of Art, inviting those students to my studio to paint, and directing their work. As for the paintings by Professor Hidaka, he is a senior of mine from college named Takahiro Hara\u2014who is now one of Japan\u2019s top painters\u2014and I actually took the Shinkansen(Bullet Train) to ask him, \u201cWould you be willing to paint this for me?\u201d I gave specific instructions on what kind of paintings to create, and I personally arranged every single painting hanging on the walls.<\/p>\n

Q: That’s amazing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: It was really, really tough, though. Well, it was kind of scary but also funny\u2014I mean, it was really scary, but it didn\u2019t feel terrifying back then. It was super scary, but for some reason I\u2019d end up laughing, and it wasn\u2019t like I was truly afraid of him. I did think, \u201cThis guy is a bit intense,\u201d but if I\u2019d really been afraid of him, I wouldn\u2019t have kept going to that art class (taught by Mr. Hidaka), would I? But he was kind of charming\u2014what we\u2019d call a \u201cpower-harassing teacher\u201d today. That kind of thing wouldn\u2019t fly now, and corporal punishment is out of the question.<\/p>\n

Though when I say corporal punishment, it was really just whacking us with a bamboo sword; he wasn\u2019t actually hitting us with his bare hands. Still, in this day and age, it\u2019s hard to portray a character like that. How should I put it? If the person isn\u2019t charming, they\u2019d just come across as genuinely scary, so Mr. Hidaka was actually a really charming person. Someone who can convey that \u201cscary yet charming\u201d vibe\u2014I really felt that Mr. Oizumi was the only one who could pull it off.<\/p>\n

So the producer worked hard, approaching him over and over again, asking, \u201cCould you possibly take on this role?\u201d Once filming started, Mr. Oizumi and I were on such the same wavelength. When he\u2019d say, \u201cUm, how exactly did the teacher say this part?\u201d \u201d he\u2019d ask, and I\u2019d share my memories, saying, \u201cWell, back then, I said it like this,\u201d and Mr. Oizumi would incorporate that right into his performance. We made a great team, so I\u2019m really glad it worked out that way.<\/p>\n<\/ins>\n

Q: I\u2019d also like to know a little about how actress Mei Nagano was cast. It seemed like both Ms. Nagano and Mr. Oizumi spoke the Miyazaki dialect very naturally\u2014did you actually give them specific instructions on the spot about how to pronounce it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Yes, first of all, I brought in my high school classmate, Mr. Hatanaka, to help with the dialect coaching.<\/p>\n

Q: So you’re a classmate, then.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: My high school classmate, Hatanaka, was with me the whole time during filming. So I felt really at ease. Basically, I\u2019d kind of forgotten some of the Miyazaki dialect myself, and since my classmate Hatanaka was an actor, he understood what it\u2019s like to be an actor. So when I asked him, \u201cIf you\u2019re not too busy with work, would you mind helping me out a bit?\u201d he said, \u201cSure.\u201d So the two of us\u2014my classmate and I\u2014stuck together the whole time and provided dialect coaching to (Ms. Nagano and Mr. Oizumi).<\/p>\n

But both of them\u2014Mei Nagano and Oizumi\u2014have a truly genius sense of pitch. Especially Mei\u2014she didn\u2019t have a single take that had to be redone, she never stumbled over her lines, and she picked up the Miyazaki dialect so quickly\u2014I don\u2019t know if she learned it by musical scale or what, but she was truly amazing.<\/p>\n

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(C) Akiko Higashimura \/ Shueisha (C) 2025 \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d Film Production Committee<\/p>\n

Q: Personally, I think the appeal of Ms. Higashimura\u2019s work lies largely in you keen observation of human nature. To be honest, I\u2019m not very familiar with his work\u2014I\u2019ve mostly gotten to know it through his films and have only read a few of his manga\u2014but in a way, that kind of observation is similar to what a film director does. I believe that outstanding film directors are, after all, very skilled at observing people. Now that you\u2019ve taken on the role of film director for the first time with \u201cThe Vacation Principle\u201d, what similarities have you discovered between manga artists and film directors? Conversely, what do you think are the key differences between the two?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: First of all, there\u2019s one thing I really liked about filming this drama: a work is a work, isn\u2019t it? I was able to create a work that reflects my worldview and my personal tastes\u2014it did come together\u2014but with manga, I have to cover the staff costs myself. With this drama, however, I didn\u2019t have to pay for the staff. Not only that, but I received a director\u2019s fee, and the company covered the staff costs. In short, while ABEMA is the production company, they covered the staff costs, and I thought it was really great that my work could be completed this way. With manga, the system is that the author covers the assistants\u2019 salaries, so that\u2019s really tough on everyone.<\/p>\n

I thought that aspect was pretty great. Also, on the creative side, I realized I was relying entirely on the actors. So, it\u2019s more like the actors are so skilled\u2014it\u2019s a job where we\u2019re riding on their talent. As for my own creative vision\u2014like, \u201cI want to do this\u201d or \u201cI want to do that\u201d\u2014I can handle the art direction and things like sets and scenery, but when it comes to acting, I can\u2019t really direct them. I was completely reliant on the actress Kanna Hashimoto actually took the lead in directing to a large extent.<\/p>\n

Q: I\u2019ve heard that you made your debut as a serialized manga artist with the original work “Kisekae Yuka-chan”, and that at that time, your style still included a certain degree of seriousness. However, as far as I know, since then you\u2019ve produced a lot of works with a strong comedic touch. Was there a specific turning point or reason behind that shift toward comedy? Or was it simply because you\u2019ve always had a fondness for comedy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Looking back now, I realize that what I\u2019d been drawing since I was a kid were mostly gag manga\u2014I drew tons of them starting in elementary school, so I guess that\u2019s where my roots lie. But since I\u2019m part of the generation that grew up reading sh\u014djo manga during its golden age, I naturally looked up to sh\u014djo manga artists and found myself thinking, \u201cI want to try drawing that kind of serious, literary sh\u014djo manga,\u201d<\/p>\n

But since I\u2019d been drawing gag manga since I was a kid, my editor must have seen right through me\u2014like, \u201cThis person isn\u2019t cut out for serious stuff\u201d\u2014and basically steered me in that direction, saying, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you draw some gag manga?\u201d It felt like my editor was guiding me that way.<\/p>\n

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Q: Yesterday\u2019s Q&A had the Americans laughing out loud over and over again, so I really started to think there aren\u2019t many manga artists like this in the U.S. (laughs)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: If I could speak any English at all, people would laugh at me even more. (smiles)<\/p>\n

Q: Yeah, you\u2019re right\u2014maybe I should start learning about that. Speaking of the background of comedy, I\u2019d like to ask you about this: I heard that you run a comedy theater, and that Higashimura Productions even has a division dedicated to comedians. Is it true that you\u2019re trying to learn something from comedy and incorporate it into your own work? After all, comedy has its own key elements\u2014like what makes people laugh and perfect timing, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I\u2019ve always loved comedy\u2014I\u2019ve been crazy about manzai and Shinkigeki since I was a kid. I\u2019ve had friends who were struggling comedians for a long time, and when they were entering the M-1 Grand Prix preliminaries, they asked me if it would be okay to list \u201cHigashimura Pro\u201d as their agency because it looked bad to leave that field blank. I said, \u201cSure,\u201d and that\u2019s how it all started. It kind of turned into a situation where I was just lending my name, but But for some reason, when we were drafting the company\u2019s articles of incorporation\u2014since you can write whatever you want there and we didn\u2019t know what kind of business we\u2019d end up running\u2014I must have lost my mind and wrote \u201centertainment agency management\u201d in that section.<\/p>\n

So it just sort of worked out, but\u2014um\u2014comedy and manga are seriously similar. Well, to put it simply, the way they\u2019re created is very similar. A lot of the comedians at Yoshimoto, for example, actually wanted to be manga artists or gag manga artists, and conversely, there are a lot of people who read a ton of manga. On the flip side, in the world of manga, I think everyone could write comedy material\u2014they\u2019re really similar. It feels like they\u2019re practically the same\u2014it\u2019s just a matter of whether there are pictures or not.<\/p>\n

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(C) Akiko Higashimura \/ Shueisha (C) 2025 \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d Film Production Committee<\/p>\n

Q: I see. Are there any comedians who\u2019ve really made it big coming from that comedy division?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: At our agency, we have what we call \u201cDB comedians\u201d\u2014you know, the comedians based on “Dragon Ball”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Q: Yes, yes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: We have Yamcha, Videl, Krillin, Chi-Chi, and…<\/p>\n

Q: So Goku isn\u2019t one of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Goku isn\u2019t with us. Goku is with Yoshimoto.<\/p>\n

Q: So there\u2019s already a Goku. I see.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: So, even though we have to call them \u201cDB comedians,\u201d quite a few of the main characters from Dragon Ball are actually signed with our agency\u2026<\/p>\n<\/ins>\n

Q: Do those comedians get invited to events and participate in them often?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Yes, they do. They get booked for gigs, and they appear on TV from time to time, too. I\u2019d say they\u2019re the ones making the biggest strides.<\/p>\n

Q: Aside from the movie \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d, there\u2019s something else I\u2019d like to ask you about\u2014you mentioned it yesterday, but I\u2019ve heard that \u201cTokyo Tarareba Girls\u201d was somewhat influenced by the American TV series \u201cSex and the City\u201d. That show became a topic of conversation for the women\u2019s candid thoughts, their sex lives, and\u2014in terms of design\u2014Patricia Field\u2019s iconic costumes. What specific aspects of it really resonated with you, and how were they reflected in \u201cTokyo Tarareba Girls\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I really am the worst person ever, but when I decided to write a Tokyo version of \u201cSex and the City<\/strong>\u201d, I\u2019d probably only seen about two episodes of \u201cSex and the City<\/strong>\u201d\u2014seriously, I\u2019d just watched one or two episodes on TV\u2014and I thought, \u201cThis is so good,\u201d and \u201cI want to do something like this.\u201d I don\u2019t think I\u2019d seen the movie version at that time either. Anyway, watching those four women strutting through the streets of New York\u2014looking stylish and having fun\u2014I thought, \u201cThis is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The one or two episodes I saw were at a point where their love lives weren\u2019t going so well, so I thought maybe a story like this would be better than one where the romance works out. But after that, once I started drawing the manga, I watched the entire series, and now I\u2019m a huge fan\u2014I watch it very carefully. Still, at first, it was more like a single-panel illustration in my mind.<\/p>\n

Q : And then there\u2019s the sequel, \u201cJust Like That\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I watched it\u2014I watched the whole thing. How\u2019s the reception in New York?<\/p>\n

Q: Not great\u2014it\u2019s kind of so-so.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I know, right? They went a bit overboard with the diversity.<\/p>\n

Q: Also, Samantha isn\u2019t in it, and I think she\u2019s the most interesting character\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: I like Samantha the best, too\u2026<\/p>\n

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(C) Akiko Higashimura \/ Shueisha (C) 2025 \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d Film Production Committee<\/p>\n

Q: A lot of people feel that way. It seems she and Sarah Jessica Parker weren\u2019t really on good terms.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: They had some kind of falling out.<\/p>\n

Q: Yeah. That\u2019s a bit of a shame, though. \u201cPrincess Jellyfish\u201d is, in a sense, a work that really captures the essence, spirit, and charm of Japanese otaku culture. You yourself, Ms. Higashimura, collect kimonos and are a Takarazuka fan\u2014you have such a wide range of interests. In the U.S., that kind of otaku culture is often referred to as \u201cnerd\u201d or \u201cgeek\u201d culture. Well, in the U.S., there are anime conventions like San Diego Comic-Con and the so-called New York Comic Con, and now Anime NYC. Having participated in Anime NYC this time, what impression did you get of American otaku\u2014or rather, the American fan base in general?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Yesterday, I held a signing event, and at Anime NYC, there were lots of young people in cosplay. Seeing all that made me realize\u2014and this is true in Japan, too\u2014that everyone is incredibly polite, and their mannerisms are exactly the same as those of Japanese otaku…<\/p>\n

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Q: That might be true. After all, they\u2019ve been influenced by Japanese culture, so…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Their mannerisms were just like ours, and I thought that was really great. It made me happy, somehow. I thought, \u201cWe\u2019re just the same,\u201d so at first I wondered if they\u2019d come with an American vibe, but they were just like the true manga fans here in Japan. That\u2019s when I realized that manga culture transcends the specific cultural nuances of each country and turns everyone into otaku. I was filled with a tremendous sense of bliss. It just felt so happy.<\/p>\n

Q: \u201cBlank Canvas\u201d really reflects your autobiography, Ms. Higashimura, and I imagine it\u2019s a work that\u2019s very close to your heart\u2014one you were heavily involved in. Could you tell us, just to wrap things up, what aspects of it you\u2019d like people in the U.S. or overseas to see?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Akiko Higashimura: Well, if I just say it\u2019s a manga-based movie, people might think, \u201cBut there aren\u2019t many manga scenes, are there?\u201d So the question is: What does drawing mean? Does it have any meaning? It\u2019s about what kind of meaning people should find in drawing\u2014or rather, that\u2019s the point. It might sound a bit like Zen, but it\u2019s really about the act of drawing itself\u2014not just in manga. Then there\u2019s the mentor, the master, the teacher\u2014as they say in China. The theme is that life with a mentor is quite different from life without one. That\u2019s why I feel incredibly lucky to have had a mentor.<\/p>\n

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\u24d2Photo by Ayami Kusumi<\/p>\n

If you like the interview, share your thoughts below!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of Nobuhiro’s articles.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s the trailer of the film.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n