Who was Yamato-Takeru?
He was the legendary son of Emperor Keiko, supposedly having lived during the Yamato dynasty. His life is recorded in such Japanese chronicles as Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, the latter being considered to be more loyal to the older form of his legend. His actual historical existence, however, is uncertain. The books, however, date him back to the 4th century.
Though Japanese people view Yamato-Takeru as a tragic hero, it should become apparent I strongly disagree with the general opinion. Having read his legend from Kojiki, I could summarize my opinion of Yamato-Takeru as follows: He is one bats*** cuckoo mental individual.
The beginning chapters concerning his story in the Kojiki first call him by the name of Prince Wo-Usu (or Prince Ousu). For the reader’s convenience, I have decided not to use the name in the comic.
Though Japanese people view Yamato-Takeru as a tragic hero, it should become apparent I strongly disagree with the general opinion. Having read his legend from Kojiki, I could summarize my opinion of Yamato-Takeru as follows: He is one bats*** cuckoo mental individual.
The beginning chapters concerning his story in the Kojiki first call him by the name of Prince Wo-Usu (or Prince Ousu). For the reader’s convenience, I have decided not to use the name in the comic.
About the Comic
Many times I have cursed myself during this project for deciding upon such a hard medium. Making comics is extremely laborious for someone who is as slow at drawing as I am. Drawing human beings also proved to be quite a challenge, as I usually draw only grotesque, deformed monsters with caterpillar bodies, spider legs and other insectly inspirations involved.
Therefore, there are bits and pieces of the original legend that I have downright ignored, skipped or summarized in a few silly phrases within the strips – all in the name of convenience and making it a little bit easier. On top of all that, this comic is meant to be more of a parody than a serious account on this particular legend. Thus, the comic can, I believe, be hard to follow due to its obvious lack of sense.
However, I have made an effort to explain the original story as well as I can in the descriptions of individual comic strips. PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTIONS to have a full grasp of what exactly is going on, what has been altered in the name of art/convenience and to catch on a few jokes that are perhaps not so easily caught on.
Everything has been drawn by hand on paper. However, due to my lack of proper equipment, such as ink, I have scanned the strips with a very high resolution. Thus, the scanner sometimes has included marks left from erasing images or text, small wrinkles on the paper etc. and the pictures may thus look slightly messy. I apologize in advantage if this saps the joy of reading. I assure you, dear readers, that I have done my all to make the scans as clean as possible with the almost antique computer equipments I have in my disposal.
Lastly – the comic is drawn in the Western format and as such should be READ FROM LEFT TO
RIGHT.
Therefore, there are bits and pieces of the original legend that I have downright ignored, skipped or summarized in a few silly phrases within the strips – all in the name of convenience and making it a little bit easier. On top of all that, this comic is meant to be more of a parody than a serious account on this particular legend. Thus, the comic can, I believe, be hard to follow due to its obvious lack of sense.
However, I have made an effort to explain the original story as well as I can in the descriptions of individual comic strips. PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTIONS to have a full grasp of what exactly is going on, what has been altered in the name of art/convenience and to catch on a few jokes that are perhaps not so easily caught on.
Everything has been drawn by hand on paper. However, due to my lack of proper equipment, such as ink, I have scanned the strips with a very high resolution. Thus, the scanner sometimes has included marks left from erasing images or text, small wrinkles on the paper etc. and the pictures may thus look slightly messy. I apologize in advantage if this saps the joy of reading. I assure you, dear readers, that I have done my all to make the scans as clean as possible with the almost antique computer equipments I have in my disposal.
Lastly – the comic is drawn in the Western format and as such should be READ FROM LEFT TO
RIGHT.
About the Artist
I am shy, a little awkward and short.
I am neurotic when it comes to organizing books.
I am less neurotic when organizing anything besides books.
I cannot sleep without having listened to at least one piece of music before going to bed, and my greatest treasures are my collections of gas masks and officer hats, as well as my kendo equipment.
And that is really all there is to me.
I am neurotic when it comes to organizing books.
I am less neurotic when organizing anything besides books.
I cannot sleep without having listened to at least one piece of music before going to bed, and my greatest treasures are my collections of gas masks and officer hats, as well as my kendo equipment.
And that is really all there is to me.