Bringing Cheer through Manga

Hoshino Rene is a manga creator from Cameroon.

He came to Japan at age four.

Using a humorous touch, he creates manga stories that portray the cultural differences

and preconceived ideas he encountered growing up in Japan.

I'm able to illustrate these differences
because I think, "Hey, I'm awesome."

In this program, we follow Rene as he meets foreign children living in Japan,

and turns their struggles and dreams into manga.

This time he meets an eleven-year-old boy from Brazil.

He's a big fan of Rene's work.

I like all of them.

They're encouraging.

His question for Rene is: How can I cheer people up in the way that your manga does?

Together, he and Rene will find an answer to this question.

It's time for Rene to go to school.

Rene visits Aisho, a small town with a population of twenty-one thousand, including many South Americans.

The boy who sent Rene a letter asking to meet attends a school here.

Is this it?

This is it.

It's not how I imagined it.
It has a DIY look.

Let's find the principal.

Hello. Is the principal here?

You don't know.

Oh, right.
She might not speak Japanese.

Hello.

-Hello.
-I'm Nakata. Nice to meet you.

I'm the principal.

Ah, the principal!

The principal, Nakata Kenko, is from Brazil.

-Is this part of the school?
-It is.

Downstairs is a nursery.
Upstairs are classrooms.

Really?

The house is for babies.

-So all this here...
-From here to here.

So that's how it is!

Colegio Sant'Ana is a Brazilian school that Nakata established twenty-five years ago.

Its purpose is to provide a place for the children of fellow Brazilians working in Japan.

About eighty children between the ages of zero and eighteen attend the school.

All classes are held in Portuguese and follow the Brazilian curriculum.

Some students transferred here after experiencing language barriers at Japanese schools and being isolated or bullied as a result.

LUNCH BREAK.

A specialty of this school is Principal Nakata's homemade lunches.

Today's lunch is feijoada, a hearty stew made with beans and meat that is a staple meal in Brazil.

It's also a student favorite.

You're more like a mother than a teacher.

More like their grandma.
They call me granny.

It's like they're visiting grandma's home.

They're so energetic.

Rene looks for the boy who sent him the letter.

Is Arthur here?

That's me!

Arthur? You sent the letter.

So this is Arthur.

Eleven-year-old Noronha Arthur from Brazil.

He came to Japan at the age of five.

Let's play soccer together.

You want me to play?

For real? I'm out of my league.

The most popular sport among the boys is, of course, soccer.

It's chaos.

Wow.

Arthur is a huge fan of Rene's manga.

He carries a copy in his backpack.

This one.

And this story struck a chord.

It's one where Rene goes to a public bath.

Whenever I go to a public bath,

I get stared at often for being different.

But I'm used to that now.

Don't mind occasional peeks.

This man was the exception!

This old man near his nineties was totally eyeballing me.

For this, I had to react and looked back at the old man.

But the moment our eyes met, he just lightly bowed.

Problem solved, Rene thought.

However...

He continued to keep looking!

Then, what the heck was that bow for?!

I hate when people stare.

Have people stared at you?

Yes, when I was in first grade.

Growing up, Arthur had a hard time being seen as a foreigner.

Rene's manga, which puts a humorous spin on it, resonates with him.

Arthur hopes to follow in Rene's footsteps and help other children facing similar situations.

I want to help other kids
like you helped me.

So the manga encouraged you.

It cheered me up.

I'm very glad to hear that.

-Want to collaborate?
-Sure.

I think I can.

You think so?
Let's see what we can do.

ARTHUR'S FAMILY.

Rene decides to visit Arthur's home.

This is my home.

It's big.

It's a traditional Japanese house.

There's nothing Brazilian about it.

Arthur lives here with his parents and six-year-old sister.

The family moved to Japan for his parents' work.

Arthur was first enrolled in a public elementary school.

However, unable to speak much Japanese, he was often on his own and occasionally taunted,

to the point that he no longer wanted to attend school.

I was sad, but didn't know how to respond.

-You couldn't think of what to say.
-Yes.

That's tough.

As a parent, it was the hardest thing.

But he eventually adjusted to school life and began making friends.

Then the family had to move again for his parents' work, bringing him to Colegio Sant'Ana.

Arthur is doing great at school now,
but he told me that he wants to make...

something that would cheer up kids
who are feeling down.

A lot of people who come to Japan
have a hard time at Japanese school.

So I want to work with Rene and help
people who are facing what I once did.

Sounds good.

That would make me very proud.

Arthur wants to encourage other children who feel isolated like he once did.

And that's what led him to write Rene.

-In here?
-I share this room with my sister.

Oh, you share a room.

And this one's yours.

Arthur shows Rene his current hobby.

I draw different pictures.

Ah, I see.

And it becomes like this.

He makes animations with his smartphone.

I see. That's interesting!
I want to try that too.

You're using smartphone technology
to do the same things I did as a kid.

Talking with you takes me back.

Arthur uploads his animations to a video-sharing site in the hopes that people will enjoy them.

His dream is to become a game and anime creator.

This is my sister's voice.

Oh really?

-You made this?
-Yup.

It's so surreal.

Rene starts looking forward to how the manga will turn out.

I'll make a draft and show it to you.

Arthur will come up with a story, which Rene will turn into a manga.

They'll then complete it together.

We're an artist duo.

Let's do this.

It's Sunday, and Arthur is home.

Do we have any old photos?

With the manga, he wants to communicate the confusion and loneliness many foreigners feel while adapting to Japanese culture.

Sorting through old photos and notes, he comes across a certain letter.

"Thanks for always playing with us.
From your best friend."

The letter from twins Taiyo and Daichi, his first Japanese friends and former classmates, causes old memories to surface.

We were great friends.

We gamed together. It was the best.

The inability to communicate, which had left him feeling alone at school.

Then saying goodbye to the close friends he'd managed to make when changing schools.

These memories bring a rush of emotions.

It's okay. Don't cry.

I got you.

Arthur decides to center the story on his meeting and friendship with the twins.

Hearing Arthur's story, Rene gets to work adapting it into a manga.

How to effectively frame his message is
an art that I may need to guide him in...

as his senior in manga creation.

We're like mentor and apprentice,
although he might not think so.

Rene has personally seen how manga can positively communicate his views and experiences to others.

He got his first sense of it shortly after coming to Japan.

RENE'S NURSERY SCHOOL DAYS

Rene came to Japan at the age of four, following his Cameroonian mother's remarriage to a Japanese national.

And a nursery school in his hometown set him on his path as a manga creator.

Whenever he returns, he makes a point of stopping by to greet the director and assistant director.

Thank you for caring for me.

We sure did.

I'm your Japanese mother.

His early days at the nursery school are illustrated in his manga.

Ok, everyone!

This is our new friend, Hoshino Rene.

He's from Cameroon.

Rene spoke zero Japanese at the time, presenting his teacher with multiple challenges.

Rene, where's your correspondence notebook?

Those are crayons.

Cra-yons!

The name of every object had to be taught from scratch.

When the school went on a clamming excursion...

No, Rene!

You can't walk out naked!

Where are your clothes? Clo-thes!

Things like this happened almost every day.

Then one day, he made a life-changing discovery.

He found that his drawings drew the other kids' attention.

-You were good at it.
-I was. The other kids would gather around.

Seeing their smiles, I thought,
"This might help me make friends."

Building on this, Rene's circle of Japanese friends steadily expanded.

Manga has the power to unite people.

With this realization, Rene began to dream of becoming a manga creator.

One week after starting on Arthur's manga…

Rene calls Arthur up to show him the draft and get his opinion on it.

This is nerve-wracking.
I'm nervous about showing it to you.

What about now?

I see it.

So it starts with the question, "How would
you make friends in a foreign country?"

The manga is eight pages long.

It covers Arthur's time at a public elementary school and his transfer to the Brazilian school.

They're still on page one when Arthur speaks up.

Sorry, I should probably say this first.

Maybe the panel with "My name is Arthur,
and I'm from Brazil" should come last.

I think that'll make it more interesting.

Rene is taken aback by Arthur's critique but decides to go with it.

-So until the middle?
-Until page six.

All good until page six.
Right, boss?

Yes.

Rene also has a suggestion for Arthur.

Why don't you make a video for those
who'll be watching our project?

Alright...if I can use my own creativity.

Definitely, that sounds good.

Rene suggests presenting the manga and anime as a set for their viewers to enjoy.

The first half will feature the manga on Arthur's experiences in Japan.

The second half will feature an animation by Arthur.

If I get into the animation,
it'll become really long.

But not like two or three hours, right?

-About an hour and a half!
-That long!? We don't have that long.

Can you cut it down?

I'm kidding.

Alright then.

The anime is looking to be a wild card.

This situation calls for me to be prepared
for however his anime turns out.

Then no matter which way it goes,
the manga will do the talking.

And he can go to town with his part.

OK, time for another go.

With just one week until the presentation, Rene enters the home stretch.

The day of the presentation arrives.

Hey, Arthur!

The two meet up at the town's community center.

Are you nervous?
I've got your back.

Thank you.

I know how it is. I was the same at first.

Their presentation will be part of a cultural exchange between students from Colegio Sant'Ana and local public schools.

A total of twenty-five children are here for the event.

The kids are meeting for the first time.

They bond over games and songs.

Finally, it's time for Rene and Arthur to present their manga and anime.

Will the other kids enjoy it?

Although he dislikes public speaking, Arthur bravely makes his way to the stage.

Arthur's mother is also here to support him.

My name is Arthur.
I'm Brazilian.

The manga starts with Arthur's move to Japan and his experiences attending a local elementary school.

Will I be able to make friends?

In school, I was the only Brazilian and really stood out.

Upon entering school, he struggled with understanding Japanese and thoughtless words from his classmates.

But he couldn't talk back or make a connection.

Maybe I can't make friends

because I'm a foreigner.

He began to think that he would always be left out.

Then one day, something unexpected happened.

I needed to talk to a classmate about a school matter.

Hey, Daichi.

I'm not Daichi.

I'm Daichi.

That's Taiyo.

We're twins.

Whaaat?!

They laughed together over the mix-up, and this was the start of a friendship between the boys.

It also marked a turning point as Arthur's social circle began to expand.

But just as he was getting used to Japanese school...

I have to change schools!?

He had to transfer to the Brazilian school, Colegio Sant'Ana.

At first, I was taken aback by my new environment.

But as we ate and played soccer together, I quickly settled in and made new friends.

So can you make friends anywhere
in the world?

If you ask me, my answer is YES!

This is the answer Arthur has arrived at after going through a series of hellos and goodbyes in Japan.

And through his experiences, Arthur has found his dream.

My dream is to make people happy by creating uplifting anime and games.

Look!

I made this anime today!

Now it's time for Arthur's anime.

This is his first time showing his work in public.

The main character, Usagon, is a cross between a rabbit and a dragon.

Wanting to see the world, Usagon leaves its hometown and enters a martial arts competition to test its strength.

While it appears weak, it creatively takes down its opponents, winning the children's hearts.

Arthur wants everyone to have courage like Usagon and not be afraid to tackle new things.

It's something that he is doing with this anime.

The smiles and applause tell Arthur that he's begun following in Rene's footsteps.

After the presentation, both Japanese and Brazilian kids gather around him.

Are you good at soccer?

Not really.

Which kid is the best?

These guys are really good!

I didn't think we'd communicate so well.

They're nice.

Thank you.
Thank you for coming.

By giving it his all, Arthur has gained new confidence.

Thank you so much.

You did well! Really.

Presenting it like that is a big deal.

Keep putting your work out there.

Arthur has taken a step toward his dream of bringing cheer to others.

And Rene looks forward to his future progress.