Japanese writer/artist Naoki Urasawa (Monster, 20th Century Boys) has revealed his specially-commissioned poster for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. Titled “Now It’s Your Turn!”, the multi-panel comic-page design was inspired by Japan’s still-thriving sports manga genre.
Urasawa first rose to international fame with his judo-centered series Yawara!, which featured numerous scenes of athletic action focusing on the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and was adapted into a live action film and TV anime series.
Urasawa explains his choice on the Tokyo 2020 website:
“Sports manga is a genre of manga almost unique to Japan. Sports manga played a significant role in the evolution and success of Japanese manga because the weekly serial comic was the perfect format for capturing the excitement of sporting events. Manga artists through the ages have committed their talent to conveying the thrill of heated matches and games. Concluding with the line ‘To be continued!’, each weekly episode has left readers on the edge of their seats, just like watching a real match. This is a new work created exclusively for the Olympic Games. It is my attempt at representations that transcend sporting events, race and gender. Everybody gets a turn. Now it’s your turn!”
All 20 posters (12 created on the theme of the Olympics and 8 for the Paralympics) will be on display at the Tokyo 2020 Official Art Posters Exhibition through February 16, 2020, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
Check out Urasawa’s video interview about the poster here:
https://twitter.com/Tokyo2020jp/status/1214848387226329088
More info:
https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/artposter/
