One of those artists of the future that we have discovered thanks to Monkey Week is the young Julia de Arco. The artist, also popular for a collaboration with Carlagas, has published an experimental EP of 6 tracks and 12 minutes called ‘Raaah!’ without any particular stylistic slavery. Hyperpop, dance, darkwave, reggaeton or trap can walk through songs that seem among their references to Sophie and the first mine
Julia de Arco is the new guest of our section “Meister of the Week” curated by Jägermusic and has decided to talk about Naoki Urasawa and specifically ’20th Century Boys’. In the end we include his favorite vignette, and eye, because … he has related the songs of ‘Raaah!’ With characters!
Why have you chosen to talk about ’20th Century Boys’?
Because it is the best story I’ve ever read.
It is a very long manga, located in several temporal lines: what is your favorite part of the plot, which you enjoyed more?
The whole first part, or every time there is a flashback and the main characters of children appear. I like how his innocence is portrayed, and all the mysterious peace that surrounds the people where they live.
What is your favorite character and why?
At some point he became Kanna, who is a strong and brave girl. That warrior roll was cool, until he adopted the typical tormented heroin role that has seen many things. I get tired when the sleeves do that of turning the charismatic prota into a silent suffering.
Anyone on the contrary, will it like you?
Kanna towards the end of the saga!
What do you think about friend?
He is a character who is crazy and has a mask: he immediately has to freak out. When I finished the saga for the first time, I made a mask like his with milk cards. Quite possibly end up taking it in a concert.
«When I finished the saga for the first time, I made a mask like the friend with milk cards. Quite possibly end up taking it in a concert »
’20th Century Boys’ also serves to portray social changes, historical facts … What do you think is your relationship with history and drift of the 21st century?
I am not sure, but I am very close to me that much of the manga is set in the ruins of Osaka Expo 70. Seville’s Expo 92 has always been a great inspiration for me because I feel it as a projection of what was the future in the past. I think that something Urasawa tries to get afloat is this feeling of progress that we have more abandoned today … lately we have very assumed that the world is going to end.
Have you seen inspired movies or are not interested as the manga?
I didn’t know they had made the movie …
“Urasawa tries to get afloat is this feeling of progress that we have more abandoned today … lately we have very assumed that the world will end”
If you had to relate any song from your EP ‘Raaah’ with a character or plot of ’20th Century Boys’, what would it be?
Friend is very Raaah because it is obsessive, Kanna is Sand Chica because she is literally the type of person who would sing this song, click CLAC is the gang of children as little ones because everyone goes to one, Kenji is Swaggerboyzzz because she is the prota and clearly the most swagger in history, God is Colorao because she is omnipresent and the West is impressive by her luminous and savior character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLC4EQCCOF8
The manga goes from “former students.” Are you the type of person who would love to go to a meeting of old students?
Still enough time has passed from primary. I want to believe that no former partner of mine is still Calvo … even so, in a few years I would be grinding to see what has been of us, I included.
Do you know ‘Monster’ and ‘Yawara’, some other work by Naoki Urasawa?
Yes, I have read them both and also Billy Bat. An Opinion Popular: They are a past version of the ’20th Century Boys’. I think the latter has everything that is cool from the other works. I would describe it as the perfect cocktail of the entire Uurasawa career.
«’20th Century Boys’ the perfect cocktail of the entire Uurasawa career»
How did you discover the manga? Have your tastes evolved since you discovered it?
Lately the manga is hyper denosted, and my opinion is that each one reads what they want. In my house we have always read everything: books, comics, graphic novels, essays, fanzines or manga, what matters is that you enjoy it. ’20th Century Boys’ I read it for the first time very small, with eight years, and I didn’t understand anything. Later I read it again about five times and every time I find out more things. I carry a streak that I only read short stories, but soon I would like to reread it and see in what new details I look now …
