The huge hit "ドラゴン桜And 'Crown of Sand", and the currently popular series "アルキメデスの大戦" by Norifusa Mita, the author of "It is not widely known that he is a member of the Meiji University Kendo Club.Furthermore, the "六三四の剣He is the author ofInteraction with Professor Murakami MotokaWe asked Mita about his career before becoming a manga artist, his kendo history, and more.

Profile

Norifusa Mita After graduating from the School of Politics and Economics at Meiji University, he joined Seibu Department Store. He took over the family clothing store together with his brother. While struggling with financial difficulties due to poor business performance and large debts, he saw an advertisement for a new talent award in a manga magazine, applied for it and won in order to win the prize money.Cross-country''ドラゴン桜''マネーの拳''Crown of Sand" and many other hits.Throw away your individuality! Don't be stereotyped!''Take the top spot without breaking a sweat!He also writes business books such as "The Great Passage" and "The Great Passage." He writes articles on the theme of "investment" for "Morning" and "Weekly D Morning."インベスターZ" is also being serialized (concluded in June 2017). Currently, "アルキメデスの大戦' is currently being serialized.

"Roku Sanshi no Ken" and Professor Norifusa Mita

--I heard that when you were drawing "Roku Sanshi no Ken," you talked to Mita about it and developed the concept. What did you talk about? I first met Professor Murakami when I was a sophomore in college.Yay! Kendo" It all started when I was looking for someone who actually practices kendo. The teacher's wife and my sister-in-law were classmates and friends in school. So, I told him, "My brother-in-law is in the kendo club at Meiji University," and he asked me if I would come over to his house and talk to him about kendo. I went to see Murakami sensei, and although we talked about various things related to kendo, I was still a student at the time, so I decided to introduce him to my high school teachers and people associated with Meiji University.Please take this opportunity to come and visit us again!" And so the exchange began.

I never thought about becoming a manga artist.

- Was becoming a manga artist a goal of yours? I had no intention of becoming a manga artist. After graduating, I got a job, but after that I helped out at my family's clothing store in Iwate Prefecture. However, since it was a privately owned store, it was quite difficult to run.I applied for the newcomer award after learning that I could receive a prize if my manga won.. - Did Murakami-sensei check the completed manga manuscript? I wanted to hear the opinion of a professional. I showed it to him first and he said, "It's interesting."Slash the Sky" is my first serialized work. I was contacted by a person in charge at Kodansha and it was decided that I would serialize it. It was quite difficult at the time, as I was drawing while tending the store at my parents' house in Iwate. It was serialized once a month for about six months. But I think it was a good experience.

Just the two of us were practicing kendo in an old auditorium.

- Could you tell us about your kendo background, Mr. Mita? I started kendo in the fifth grade of elementary school. One day, while playing with a friend, we happened to come across a place where kendo was being practiced. There was an old auditorium-like structure next to the kindergarten. I heard a rattling sound, so I went to take a look, and there were two people practicing kendo. One of them was striking. I wondered what it was, and then the teacher brought a bamboo sword and said, "Give it a try." I just watched (laughs). He told me to come every week, so I did as he asked, and started. Then he started saying, "Bring your friends," and before I knew it, it had become a kendo classroom. My kendo teacher was a nurse. As a child, it felt like a very mysterious space. I continued practicing, and then I was given some protective gear and started competing in tournaments. I had never even played a match before. I didn't know the rules. I didn't even know what the positions were - first, second, middle... They just lined us up and said, "Go for it!" But surprisingly, I won and came in third in the prefecture.I'm going to do it seriously" I started to feel like I wanted to join a youth sports club, so I decided to apply. Once I started, I couldn't quit. - You continued kendo through middle school, high school and university, right? I continued practicing kendo in junior high school and won the district championship. My hometown is in the countryside, so there is only one public high school. It is a traditional school that puts a lot of emphasis on kendo. A teacher from that public high school came to my junior high school practice and said, "You're going to come to our high school, right? We're waiting for you." He filled the moat around me. I was immersed in kendo in high school as well, so when I graduated,I'm not interested in kendo anymore." I thought. I'd finally come to Tokyo and been freed from kendo, so I thought I'd enjoy campus life. After entering university, I had nothing to do and I felt listless (laughs). I'm basically a lazy person, and I'm not the type to try new things. I have a vague personality, you could say. I didn't fit in at university, so I wanted to join a group. But tennis and skiing weren't my thing. I thought if I was going to do something, kendo would be it.

Practice at Meiji University

- Did you have fun joining the kendo club again at university? There's nothing fun about it. Every day is so awful (laughs). The training is tough and difficult. - Meiji University's kendo club is a strong team. Enter, "Ah! I failed!" I thought. I was surrounded by famous athletes. But I thought if I just stayed in the back, I might be able to make it (laughs). I came to a university in Tokyo, but I couldn't belong anywhere, I couldn't fit in... The atmosphere of kendo, which I'd been familiar with since middle and high school, made me feel most at ease and at ease. The school uniform was also comfortable. I didn't have to think about what to wear.

Without kendo, I might not have been able to grasp my true self.

- How are you using what you learned from kendo in your work and life now? Discipline was born within meI think I was able to establish a foundation for my daily rhythm. Even as a child, I couldn't clearly answer questions like, "What do I like?" Everyone collects or becomes passionate about something as a kid, right? I didn't have any of that. I was a really absent-minded child. It was hard for me to answer questions about my favorite things, hobbies, or dreams for the future. I had no dreams at all, and I had no idea what I wanted to become. So, if I hadn't taken up kendo, I think I would have remained absent-minded. I think I would have become someone who couldn't grasp my true self. The kendo club in high school was very strict. Everything was strictly regulated, from the way we spoke and greeted to the way the seniors hung out their armor. Every day after practice, I was made to sit upright and scolded for "this is wrong" or "the way you hung it up is wrong." I was under pressure every day to follow the correct procedure. But I think this is a kind of "getting used to it."Once you get over the hurdle of getting used to it, your body will move naturally.And even though I hated it so much in high school, when I went to university there were a lot of strict rules again. Like the position of the shoelaces when you lined up your shoes. I had to go through each of them one by one. By going through them, I started to create a rhythm or a routine within myself. This isIt really applies to me now.I feel that way. For example, I have a pretty well-established weekly cycle, from when I wake up in the morning until what time I do something. My work is also set in stone. Thanks to kendo, I can spend each day as if I had a stamp on it. I used to be absent-minded and unable to get passionate about anything, but now I can act with determination.I was forced by my superiors to work hard in the Kendo club, which was a really good thing for me.

Sticking to a pattern creates a sense of rhythm

-These are the "stereotypical people" that appear in your works. Kendo gave me the opportunity to fit into a mold.At first glance, fitting into a mold may seem like it lacks originality, but by doing what I fit into properly, I was able to develop a sense of rhythm within myself.At first, they'll get angry, but you'll learn as you go along. Once you learn, they won't complain anymore. I think it was good for me to be trained over and over again and be molded into a mold.

Sometimes it's better to just move

-In "Cross Country," there's a line that says, "Be stupid," which I feel is similar to the ideas of "mindlessness" and "going for a point" in kendo. Rather than thinking about things and moving, it is actually more accurate to move quickly without thinking. Sometimes you can't move if you think, "Why am I doing this?" In those cases, it's better to just move.Let's leave ourselves behind and take on the challenge"That's the intention behind it. I think that in kendo too, if you think about it you won't be able to move because it's a game of reflexes. You don't practice techniques much once you get to university, but you're forced to practice them thoroughly all the way through high school. In my high school, the teacher would make a chart of all the basic exercises and write the recipes on the blackboard. We would practice that over and over again for about an hour. In matches, you don't have to think about each move, you can only perform the patterns you've practiced yourself. In the short time of a match, you can only perform about three or four techniques. Especially when we were in high school, there was no referee to separate the moves... if you tried to think about it, you would end up being slow. I think it's important to practice so that you can move reflexively. To be continued in the middle and last parts. E-mail newsletterIf you register, you will receive the latest article information. ------- Interview: Go Uejima, Yusuke Kudo Photography: Rina Kobayashi Text: Mariko Sato -------

[Bonus] Complete set of "Investor Z" autographed by hand

Professor Mita's work featured in the interview

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