Kagurabachi has an exceptional depiction of Japan, almost as if purposefully making it grander and it is for a

Kagurabachi beautifully depicts Japan through both major and minor details.
Hokazono Takeru purposefully chose to exaggerate the idea of Japanese culture because of Hollywood stereotypes.

Hokazono Takeru has been causing a stir with Kagurabachi with every chapter that gets published. The art seems to be only getting better and the story is picking up a pace fans are constantly bracing themselves for. The series has so far managed to surpass some of the biggest mangas including Dragon Ball, Bleach, and Naruto. With each passing chapter the stakes get increased and with it the anticipation.

Fans have already started demanding for an anime and although the manga is only in its early stages, the fanbase is stronger than ever. The series has been fetching over 100 million views on average and that is only just the beginning. When reading the manga, it becomes obvious that Takeru drew inspiration from many different places. However, when it come to depicting Japan, he had a different concept in mind.

Hokazono Takeru Wanted to Make Japan Cooler

In a recent interview with Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, Hokazono Takeru talked about how the creative decisions made when writing Kagurabachi relied a lot on the path he envisioned. From the dire need to stand out from other Shonen mangas to making sure Chihiro wasn’t just another protagonist; the series created a base for itself in the best possible way. One of the many striking visual factors of the series is the depiction of Japan.

A manga panel from Kagurabachi | Credit: Viz Media

This is shown through the characters that often look more like sumo wrestlers and Yamabushi mountain monks, there are elements of Japan that make the Eastern setting of Kagurabachi more than obvious. While many would think it to be a decision taken by chance, that is far from the case.

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Takeru’s intention was to make an “exaggerated Japan” much like how it is shown in Hollywood films. He has often expressed his liking for action films and Hollywood movies, stating the influence those had on the manga as well. However, his intention to incorporate the same was for a completely different reason.

Hokazono Takeru Wanted to Rewrite Stereotypes

Hollywood’s interpretation of Eastern culture has often been criticized. Edward’s seminal work
Orientalism argues that there is a reason for the same, one that has been a persistent issue for centuries now. For countries such as Japan and China, the representation has been far too stereotypical for people of the Eastern hemisphere to actively enjoy Hollywood movies. Hokazono Takeru too sees this problem.

Kagurabachi Manga cover

He chose to exaggerate Japan in Kagurabachi with the intention of showing the exact same representation from a serious perspective. He wanted to make the idea instead seem cool rather than offensive or stereotypical in anyways. In this way, Takeru would be able to re-establish the norms set by Western ideas about Japan.

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Upon making the very things seem cooler, he would be able to reclaim the stereotypes and show them in the right light. Depicting the culture in a better outlook as compared to what Hollywood has set for them. This becomes especially important because of the manga’s growing international audience.

Kagurabachi is available to read on Viz Media.