Okura
Moe USA author interviewed
on Akibanana.com!
01/05/08 15:17
Atsuhisa Okura, author of Manga University's original manga series "Moe USA," and illustrator of the acclaimed article "How Manga Conquered America" in WIRED magazine has a great interview up on Akibanana.com to coincide with this month's release of "Moe USA: Volume 2 Costume Crisis."
The interview addresses Okura's past and his road to becoming a manga-ka, his view of Akihabara as an "Otaku-Paradise," and why he chose to create a manga that teaches over-seas readers about the geeky magic that is otaku-culture.
Okura also talks a bit about the series main characters Patty and Ruby, the concept of "moe" in both Japan and the west, and gives a little bit of a glimpse into what he thinks the future holds for Akihabara and the otaku community.
The interview gives some great insight into not only moe but the mind of a very passionate manga-ka, so we'd like to thank the article's author Patrick Galbraith and encourage everyone to check the article out at Akibanana!
If you want to know more about Moe USA, why not start by reading the comic -- for FREE? You can read the first 10 pages of the series here!
The interview addresses Okura's past and his road to becoming a manga-ka, his view of Akihabara as an "Otaku-Paradise," and why he chose to create a manga that teaches over-seas readers about the geeky magic that is otaku-culture.
Okura also talks a bit about the series main characters Patty and Ruby, the concept of "moe" in both Japan and the west, and gives a little bit of a glimpse into what he thinks the future holds for Akihabara and the otaku community.
The interview gives some great insight into not only moe but the mind of a very passionate manga-ka, so we'd like to thank the article's author Patrick Galbraith and encourage everyone to check the article out at Akibanana!
If you want to know more about Moe USA, why not start by reading the comic -- for FREE? You can read the first 10 pages of the series here!
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MU Artist Inks Manga for Wired 
23/10/07 16:02
The halls of Manga University are abuzz with the news that the November issue of Wired magazine features an amazing 10-page manga drawn by our very own Atsuhisa Okura (“Moe USA” “50 Things We Love About Japan”).
Okura was tapped for the Wired job by the magazine’s art director, Carl DeTorres, following a round of interviews in Tokyo this summer.
The manga, titled “How Manga Conquered America,” is presented in the traditional right-to-left format and illustrates the history of the Japanese comics industry from the 1950s to the present. The full manga can be read on the magazine’s website.
“I’ve been illustrating educational comics for Manga University for quite some time, so the Wired job was right up my alley,” Okura said through a translator. “Carl and his staff really seem to understand what manga is all about. It was a thrill to work with them.”
Okura, who joined Manga University in 2006, is currently working on the second volume of “Moe USA,” which will be published next spring.
Congratulations, Okura-sensei! Everyone at MU is very proud of you!
To celebrate this achievement, the Manga University online store is offering “Moe USA Vol. 1” and “50 Things We Love About Japan” for 10 percent off. Click the links and order now!
