Gege Akutami studied as an assistant to Yasuhiro Kano.
The mangaka apprentice learned there all the stages of making a manuscript.
His first series
Jujutsu Kaisen
was published in early 2020 by Ki-oon editions in France.
The cartoon adaptation of his manga was released on Friday October 2 on the Anime streaming platform Crunchyroll.
Read also: Ki-oon, the new kings of the manga
The story?
Yuji Itadori, a member of his high school spiritism club, sees his life turned upside down the day he gets his hands on a cursed relic.
One of the fingers of Sukuna, the millennial demon.
The young man finds himself forced to swallow this finger to save his friends.
Yuji manages to keep his wits and harness the power of the demon but the Brotherhood of Exorcists fear that he will end up being possessed ...
The characters created by Gege Akutami are rich and varied.
What to give scope to his manga.
JUJUTSU KAISEN 2018 by Gege Akutami / SHUEISHA Inc.
LE FIGARO - What mythologies inspired you for
Jujutsu Kaisen
?
GEGE AKUTAMI -
One of my influences was
Evangelion
, I was made aware of biblical myths through this.
But in general, I find that mythology presents tales of opposing men and gods, without ever really explaining why.
The manga
Demon's Slayer
by Koyoharu Gotôge happily draws on Shinto stories and ancient Japanese tales to build its universe.
What was your inspiration for the hero Yuji?
It is strongly inspired by my older brother who is my opposite.
He is someone who succeeds in everything he undertakes: sports, studies ...
The mangaka's dry, edgy line lends itself wonderfully to scenes of horrific combats between humans and demons.
JUJUTSU KAISEN 2018 by Gege Akutami / SHUEISHA Inc.
Will we know more about Yuji's parents?
Yes.
For her mother I have decided on her role and I know roughly when I want to bring her in.
I'm not sure I want to exploit his father yet.
What is
Jujutsu Kaisen's
message
?
If there was one thing to mention, it is that no one has the ultimate truth.
The "good guys" like the "bad guys".
Some seek to kill the hero out of sheer selfishness, but others are led to this decision by logical reasoning.
If no one is really right then no one is wrong either.
Each character is guided by their own ethics.
On the left Megumi Fushiguro and on the right Yuji Itadori, the two main characters of Gege Akutami's manga.
JUJUTSU KAISEN 2018 by Gege Akutami / SHUEISHA Inc.
You explore the limits of Manichaeism, in
Jujustu Kaisen
everything is not
"
white or black
"
.
It's hard not to think of Sensui in
Yuyu Hakusho
...
Yes
Yuyu Hakusho
and the arc of Sensui in particular strongly marked me.
And I believe that this influence is not felt only in
Jujutsu Kaisen
.
Does it ever happen to you, in a fight scene between the hero and an antagonist, wanting to support the villain?
We live in a time when the notion of right and wrong is blurred.
Whether in terms of society or ecology, we can sometimes wonder if humanity is not a scourge.
That's why when a big bad guy appears with the goal of eradicating humanity, his pitch strikes a chord with us and we end up feeling a certain empathy for him.
I think Sensui was the first such character and left his mark in manga history.
To read also: The comic box:
Jujutsu Kaisen
, a manga far from being Manichean
There are characters who are
“
evil incarnate
”
.
What is their role ?
The principle behind Mahito is quite close to that of Sukuna.
I wanted above all to avoid the classic gimmick of “but deep down he's nice”.
Mahito is inherently evil, deep in his being, he only thinks of making humans suffer.
But can we prove him totally wrong?
It reminds me of Thanos in
Avengers: Endgame
.
In the end, I never felt any hatred for him (laughs).
The world imagined by the mangaka goes far beyond a simple confrontation between demons and exorcists.
JUJUTSU KAISEN 2018 by Gege Akutami / SHUEISHA Inc.
How do you create your characters?
When I create characters, they have to fit into the canons of the manga shonen (editor's note: The editorial target of the shonen is originally made up mainly of young male adolescents, between 8 and 18 years old) in order to capture the attention of readers.
There are characters for whom I first create the visual aspect, like Panda or Inumaki.
Others are born first as a concept, for example Gojô, which represents the paroxysm of force.
I think it's important to choose one of those angles of attack and then complete the character.
Do you have a favorite?
In the beginning my favorite was Sukuna.
Above all for its graphic aspect inspired by everything I had read.
Nanami is the first character that I managed to create on my own and evolve.
So he's my favorite character right now.
Do you already know how the story will end?
I have already decided on the end of the manga and also the main stages of the story.
The path between the two remains fairly free.
Yuji thanks to the power of the demon Sukuna can survive mortal injuries like here the loss of his left hand.
JUJUTSU KAISEN 2018 by Gege Akutami / SHUEISHA Inc.
Do you practice making the invocations with your hands before drawing them?
Absolutely.
I try with my hands but it's difficult, I think I will end up hiring a model to freeze the poses perfectly.
How did you find your trait?
When I was an art student, I didn't really like doing drawings where the model stayed for hours in a precise pose.
I preferred to sketch in 3-4 minutes.
This is the first influence for my nervous and a little dry line.
Several manga designers have influenced me.
I think of Togashi (
Yuyu Hakusho
,
Hunter X Hunter
), Kishimoto (
Naruto
), Murata (
Eyeshield 21
,
One Punch Man
) and Tite Kubo (
Bleach
).
I try to get as close as possible to Togashi's style.
