I'll never forget the first time I saw a manga artist in person! That manga artist was Koseki-sensei. It happened eight years ago — the same Winter that John Lennon died! I had just made my debut and was invited to attend a ceremony (the Tezuka/Akatsuka awards) by the editor of Weekly Shonen Jump. So I hastily made my way from Sendai in the Tohoku region to Tokyo, where the event was being held.
At the venue was Koseki-sensei, who, at the time, was working on his series Oh, Ichiro. He was a man of few words, yet he commanded a very striking presence. "M-My name is Araki... Nice to meet you," I nervously stuttered. "Hi" That was all he said. Even so, it was still an impactful moment. Although only a year older than me, Koseki-sensei was already drawing 20 pages a week and had even developed his own unique style. As I stood there in awe, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of admiration. He was everything I aspired to become, like a newbie looking up to his seniors.
At first glance, it may appear that Taro-kun and JoJo are total opposites: JoJo has towering characters with complex shading and lighting, while the characters in Taro-kun are shorter and much more simplistic. But don't let that fool you! Yamashita Taro-kun has influenced JoJo more than any other work, and is the series I hold the highest respect for. This might come as a shock, but not all manga protagonists have to be tall and muscular, resemble a model, or have superpowers.
Koseki-sensei's works have taught me that heroes should grow up with a purpose in life and have a burning passion in their hearts that shines brighter than anyone else... Although they seem nothing alike, Taro-kun provided the groundwork for understanding all the fundamental aspects of manga that I used for JoJo. Are you surprised? Even to this day, I still admire Koseki-sensei the same way I did when I made my debut... He's a senior who I'll always look up to.
[Translated by Morganstedmanms (JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia)]
