TOKYO-02 is a story about a dystopian world ravaged by pollution where a new social hierarchy has emerged. The few remaining survivors have fled to the slopes of Mount Fuji, where they live within a rigid class system. In this system, life-sustaining water circulates from the summit down to the base, or from the highest to the lowest caste.

Hideo, a middle-class resident, is shaken when his close friend Nayuta suddenly vanishes without a trace. The mystery deepens when Hideo finds blood mixed in his shower water, trickling in from the drains of a higher class home. Driven to uncover the truth, Hideo sneaks into the upper level. There, he finds his old friend, Nayuta, but something about Nayuta has changed…

READ TOKYO-02 IN ENGLISH HERE!

To commemorate the award, a Q&A article with Kyo Kōsaka was published in the magazine alongside TOKYO-02. Read on to learn more about what inspired Kyo Kōsaka to create this award-winning manga!

How does it feel to receive a Kyushu International Manga Award?

I was truly happy and surprised! While working on the piece, I reread it so many times that I eventually lost confidence in whether it was actually good. There are still a few parts I’m not completely satisfied with, but in the end I believe it turned out well. More than anything, I’m glad to know that pursuing the path of becoming a manga artist wasn’t a mistake.

What inspired you to create TOKYO-02? 

When I was younger, the house I lived in had a problem where, whenever it rained, muddy water would mix into the shower and brown water would come out. From that experience, I came up with the idea that the plumbing of different houses might be connected. I thought this setting could be a powerful way to express social class disparity. I was also strongly influenced by the film The Platform, directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.

What do you think is the best part of this piece? 

It’s the moment when the characters’ masks fall away, and the “true essence of humanity” hidden beneath is finally revealed!

What did you struggle with when creating this piece? 

The most difficult part was expressing the theme of the story in a way that readers could truly understand. Even now, I’m still not completely sure whether I managed to convey it exactly the way I intended.

What work have you been particularly interested in recently?

Recently, I was greatly influenced by Seeds of Anxiety by Masaaki Nakayama. I read the entire series in just a few hours, and it had this mysterious pull that made me want to read it again right away. Someday, I hope to create a work that has that same kind of captivating atmosphere.

What kind of manga do you want to draw next? 

I would like to create works that are impactful both psychologically and visually; I want to create something shocking that also contains a critical perspective. I want to keep making stories that leave readers thinking long after they’ve finished reading.

Follow Kyo Kōsaka on Instagram here: kyokosaka!

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