The life and times of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal is well-known to most Filipinos, thanks in large part to the many textbooks dedicated to it. Now, it’s getting the Japanese manga treatment that could appeal to even the most uninterested students. And it’ll be released tomorrow, June 19, just in time for the 157th anniversary of Rizal’s birthday.
The comic book was first announced by Davao-based Japanese translation company Creative Connections & Commons Inc. (CCC) on Friday through a Facebook post with the caption: “FOR THE FIRST TIME IN JAPAN! The world of Japanese comics pays homage to the quintessential Filipino, Jose Rizal! Coming soon.”
https://www.facebook.com/cccmarketing/photos/a.354330197987534.87419.354320894655131/1741995885887618/?type=3&theater
The art was done by Ryo Konno while the story was written by Takahiro Matsui. CCC was in charge of translating the text into English. CNN Philippines reported that it may also be translated into Filipino.
In a press release from its publisher TORICO, it said that the manga was inspired by a Jose Rizal statue found in Hibiya Park, Tokyo.
“I began to wonder why a bronze statue of a Filipino was in Japan,” Takuro Ando, a representative from TORICO said.
“More than anything, I believe that he would be a good subject to let Filipinos and people all over the world see the appeal of manga and thus had the story told in manga form.”
According to The Philippine Star, the manga will be divided into 10 volumes that will be released for free every Tuesday from tomorrow until Aug. 28.
It will be available in English and Japanese on manga.club and in Japanese on sukima.me.
Apart from being the Philippines’ national hero, Rizal was also a doctor and novelist. He is celebrated for fighting against the oppressive Spanish colonizers through non-violent means. However, Rizal was still executed by the Spaniards for the crime of rebellion after his writings partly inspired the Philippine Revolution.
