Pink Dark Boy
Pink Dark Boy (ピンクダークの少年, Pinku Dāku no Shōnen) is a fictitious manga created by Rohan Kishibe and published by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump.
The manga is mentioned in the fourth part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Diamond is Unbreakable, and is included in related media such as the light novels, the Diamond is Unbreakable live-action film, and the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan TV drama.
History
Rohan au Louvre
Rohan starts drawing pages of Pink Dark Boy when he is seventeen years old in 1996, planning to submit the pages in a competition for young manga artists. His story had no girls in it because the theme had nothing to do with women, but an editor told Rohan to add attractive women. Thus, Rohan starts drawing Nanase Fujikura in his manuscript.
Nanase admires his work at first, but after seeing that he drew her, she suddenly becomes enraged and stabs the page over and over. Nanase soon disappears and Rohan starts his manuscript again. He submits it in September, and by the end of Fall, his story is serialized.[2]
Diamond is Unbreakable
Although the plot and setting of Pink Dark Boy are unknown, Koichi Hirose states that it is a suspenseful horror manga that can be grotesque at times but has thrilling scenes and realistic characters.[1] After Josuke Higashikata injures Rohan, the manga switches to a monthly schedule.[3]
The manga has also been published overseas in Taiwan and Europe. Joseph Joestar asks if he has ever considered an English publication, but Rohan explains that there isn't one yet because "Americans have bad taste."[4]
Rohan gets mixed opinions on the work in his fan letters. Some letters say they love it and read the same chapters at least ten times a week. Others say the art looks weird, or that looking at the art irritates them and they hate the colors.[5]
In the live-action film, Koichi owns twenty volumes of the series and has a poster featuring cover art for the series.[6]
Stone Ocean
Rohan continues drawing the series through 2012, and is able to meet his deadlines even during Made in Heaven's time acceleration.[7]
Yo-Yo Ma gives Jolyne Cujoh a volume of Pink Dark Boy stolen from the guards' break room at Green Dolphin Street Prison, implying that Pink Dark Boy is sold in America in 2012.[8]
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan
Following Rohan's battle with Josuke, Pink Dark Boy goes on hiatus for the summer. At some point during the hiatus, Rohan travels to Italy as research for a new development in the series, spending eight days in Venice.[9] Later, Rohan decides to investigate a yokai legend for sources of inspiration to use in the series.[10]
In 2020, Rohan faces editorial pushback when attempting to create the enemy character Hot Summer Martha, whose design prominently features a three-circle motif. By the time the character appears in the manga, its design is changed to feature a fourth circle, to the author's dismay.[11] At some point, the series concludes serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump, presumably moving to a different magazine.[9]
In the TV drama, at least 81 volumes of the series have been published as of 2020. At the beginning of the series, Rohan has just begun Part 8 of the manga.[12] By 2022, the series has reached Volume 95, the cover of which features Pink Dark Boy fighting Hot Summer Martha. A collection of short stories based on the series has also been released.[13][14]
The JOJOLands
In the second continuity, Rohan continues to draw Pink Dark Boy.[15] The series has even received an anime adaptation, which Jodio watches online.[16]
Novels
Short Story Collection
Pink Dark Boy is a favorite of manga fans around the world. There are countless reasons for its popularity, such as the manga's unique and strong characters, and several famous lines of dialogue and onomatopoeia that make people want to imitate them. Most importantly, the manga provides a sense of "reality." By depicting things that Rohan himself saw and experienced, Pink Dark Boy provides the best entertainment. When the protagonist faces a horrific enemy, the reader's skin crawls. When food is introduced, the reader can not only smell it, but even taste it. Fans see the characters as objects of admiration rather than fictional beings, and even their way of life is changed after reading.
When two kids in the library read Pink Dark Boy, one of them mentions that although there are a lot of volumes, the contents of the volumes are different. They are all different stories, and yet are interconnected.[17]
The Book: 4th Another Day
In the year 2000, Koichi reads Rohan's comment in an issue of Weekly Shonen Jump which reveals that Pink Dark Boy is ending the third part of its story and will soon be entering its fourth part. Similarly to Stardust Crusaders, the third part of Pink Dark Boy took place within 50 days. Koichi states that it is a manga with attractive characters, characteristic onomatopoeia, and cool poses of the characters on the covers. Rohan later reveals to Koichi that he already has nine parts in total planned for the manga despite the fourth part not starting yet. In fact, he has already planned the entire plot of Part 9 including the dialogue, with the only thing left to do being to draw it all into manuscripts.[18]
JORGE JOESTAR
The 37th universe's Rohan Kishibe also draws a manga named Pink Dark Boy. As of 2012, it has been running for twenty years, and has recently begun its eighth part.[19] George Joestar glimpses Volume 112 of the series on Rohan's desk.[20]
Crazy Heartbreakers
Quotes from Pink Dark Boy mark the introduction of every chapter in Crazy Heartbreakers.
Ultra Comic Award Manga
On April 19, 2016, Ultra Jump co-sponsored the first Ultra Comic Award event with the digital magazine Ashita no Young Jump. The theme of the event was for participants to create their own version of Pink Dark Boy, based on what they thought it would be like. The genre, character design, and number of pages were completely optional, with no need to resemble Rohan's protagonist. The deadline was until midnight on June 30, 2016. The results were announced on August 19, 2016, in the September 2016 issue of Ultra Jump.[21]
37 works were entered in the contest. Unfortunately, none won the grand prize of 300,000¥. However, there were two winners for the second prize of 100,000¥, along with a special Rohan penholder and a Tosho card (prepaid card for buying books) loaded with 10,000¥. There were three honorable mentions who each won 50,000¥ and a Tosho card loaded with 10,000¥. They also created a special "Expectation Award" for five works which had good qualities but were a step short of winning the main awards, who each received 10,000¥.[22]
Second Prize Winners
Honorable Mentions & "Expectation Awards"
Characters
Fans of Pink Dark Boy
Many characters in the series are fans of the manga, including Koichi Hirose, Toshikazu Hazamada,[1] Tamami Kobayashi, Akira Otoishi,[10] and Jodio Joestar.[16]
Gallery
Pink Dark Boy from Hop Step Awards
Panel drawn using the "Drip Painting" technique with a calligraphy brush.
Chapter 324 Cover
Pink Dark Boy rough manuscript from Ultra Jump 2016 Issue #5
Autographs of Pink Dark Boy made for Tamami and Akira in Mutsu-kabe Hill
Rohan's early drafts in Rohan au Louvre
Character based on Nanase Fujikura
Pink Dark Boy fighting Hot Summer Martha
Pink Dark Boy with a sword
Pink Dark Boy in The JOJOLands
Pink Dark Boy doing the pose of Rohan from Rohan au Louvre
Changed design of the artwork Usagi stole in TJL Chapter 9 and onwards
Drawn by Reki Taki
Pink Dark Boy on the cover of Weekly Shonen Jump
Cover in I Want You
Volumes in I Want You
Rohan's colored artworks on the wall
Koichi and Hazamada amazed by seeing the manuscripts
Rohan demonstrates his ability, swiftly sketching Pink Dark Boy
Panel drawn using the "drip painting" technique with a calligraphy brush.
Hazamada yelling at Tamami for ruining his magazine
Rohan starts drawing again after his hiatus
Pink Dark Boy resumes publication, appearing on the cover of Jump
Small glimpses of manga panels in the anime's ED
Autographs of Pink Dark Boy made for Tamami and Akira in TSKR Episode 2
Close up of the autographs
Yo-Yo Ma handing over Pink Dark Boy to Jolyne in SO Episode 19
Koichi's collection of Pink Dark Boy manga in the Diamond is Unbreakable live-action film
Pink Dark Boy poster
Poster and Volume 17 Cover Illustration
Isolated Alternate Cover Illustration
Manga Spine art
Spine art Illustration
Illustration by Yumi Samata
A page of Pink Dark Boy from Rohan au Louvre
Pink Dark Boy in Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (TV Drama)
Page manuscript
Volumes
Illustrations by Masahiko Aoki
Pink Dark Boy from TSKR S1 by Aoki
Rohan's autograph
Pink Dark Boy from TSKR S2 by Aoki
Pink Dark Boy from S2 #2
Pink Dark Boy from S2 #3
Pink Dark Boy from TSKR S3 by Aoki
Pink Dark Boy from S3 #2
Pink Dark Boy Volume 95 from TSKR Season 3
Front and back of Volume 95
By Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman and Hikaru no Go artist) for 25 Years with JoJo
Pink Dark Boy sketch book from Ultra Jump May 2016
Rohan kit from Ultra Jump May 2016
Pink Dark Boy in JoJo's Pitter-Patter Pop!
Notebook from JOJO WORLD
Trivia
- When Koichi and Hazamada look at Rohan's Pink Dark Boy manuscripts in Chapter 319, the pages are reused from Chapter 276 and Chapter 277, showing panels of Josuke and Okuyasu.
- Rohan Kishibe's battle theme in All-Star Battle is named after the series.
- The protagonist of the manga materializes as the appearance of Rohan's Stand, Heaven's Door.
- The illustrations shown on props in the live-action film were drawn by Yumi Samata.[23]
- The pages displayed in the first episode of the TV drama were drawn by Masahiko Aoki. The rough drafts for them were initially drawn by Hirohiko Araki.[24]
- The cover of Volume 95 seen in the TV drama is a reference to the cover of Volume 46 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the covers sharing similar palettes and layouts with the protagonist and antagonist facing each other.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chapter 318: Let's Go to the Manga Artist's House, Part 1
- ↑ Rohan au Louvre
- ↑ Chapter 324: Let's Go to the Manga Artist's House, Part 7
- ↑ Chapter 371: Rock-Paper-Scissors Kid is Coming!, Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 321: Let's Go to the Manga Artist's House, Part 4
- ↑ Diamond is Unbreakable (Film)
- ↑ Stone Ocean Chapter 154: Made in Heaven, Part 6
- ↑ Stone Ocean Episode 19: Birth of the "Green"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 16: At a Confessional
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 2: Mutsu-kabe Hill
- ↑ Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 10: Hot Summer Martha
- ↑ Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 1 (TV Drama): Millionaire Village
- ↑ Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 7 (TV Drama): Hot Summer Martha
- ↑ Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 8 (TV Drama): Rock-Paper-Scissors Kid
- ↑ The JOJOLands Chapter 3: The Villa on Hawaii Island, Part 1
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The JOJOLands Chapter 2: South King Street
- ↑ Blood-Stained Bookmark
- ↑ The Book ~jojo's bizarre adventure 4th another day~ Chapter 1: Kyrie
- ↑ JORGE JOESTAR Chapter 4: Morioh
- ↑ JORGE JOESTAR Chapter 15: Beyond
- ↑ Ultra Comic Award - Pink Dark Boy Manga
- ↑ Ultra Jump September 2016
- ↑ https://summertimelily.jimdofree.com/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/aokimasahiko/status/1343555802427129860?s=20
