Dinosaur Sanctuary Manga Creator Itaru Kinoshita Wants to Show a Different Side of the Prehistoric

after Exciting panels In the special appearance of the “real” dinosaurs, Dinosaur reserve Comic Creator Italy Sit down with An and talk more about his journey as a comic artist, why choose humanized dinosaurs and what fans can expect. To better portray dinosaurs as living creatures, Kinoshita gave special care in the portrayal of the elderly Tyrannosaurus Rex Hanako. Since older animals are not often depicted in stories, he believes it is important to show the entire cycle of dinosaur life. Adam Jimenez (Assistant Manager of the Japanese Publications Culture Foundation) and editor of Kinoshita, Tomoka Matsuumuraalso participated in this conversation.

In the interview, he mentioned that he and Baku Kinoshita,director odd numberis a cousin. at first, He tweeted It was a coincidence around late May, but because they were both busy, they couldn’t meet in advance. They later met at the Mint Comics booth to take pictures of their parents. Baku Kinoshita Drew Odokawa looked at Masaru’s awe.

You’ve talked about how difficult it is to work on comics and serialize your jobs. Overall, how long does it take for your first work to be published in a serialized format?

Italy: It took nearly five to six years. I started working on it since 2013 and published it in 2018.

Is your journey any different?

Kinoshita: and Attack the GiantThis is a combat action fantasy series where samurai fights dinosaurs, I think I can do better. This is probably due to my lack of skills and it’s too weird. I can’t say everything about the character. I could do better if I had the chance, but I felt like I was over in the middle.

You work with paleontologists Dinosaur reserve. What kind of advice or advice do they provide for you when you write and draw stories?

Kinoshita: Dr. Shin-ichi Fujiwara’s research is mainly about the muscles and bones of dinosaurs. How they relate and how they work together. Specifically, he focused on how to draw muscles and bones. He would draw pictures on top of my picture for correction.

In the panels and murals of the mint stall, Masaru sat like a cat, which you mentioned is accurate for the sitting of the triceratops.

Kinoshita: I got this idea from Dr. Fujiwara. He showed me an example of a dinosaur similar to the same group as Triceratops. He thought the triceratops might sit like cats.

I read from the last interview that you are disappointed with the lack of descriptions of daily life, such as raising and caring for dinosaurs Jurassic Park. exist Dinosaur reservethe character is similar to the zookeeper, and the dinosaurs are portrayed similar to modern animals. Why did you decide to even portray aspects of an elderly dinosaur like Hannaco?

Kinoshita: There is an elephant in the Inokashira Park zoo in Tokyo. This is a small zoo, and there is an elephant called Hanako. She is a model for the dinosaur Hanako. I want to express how organisms age because it is a measure of how we live. I thought I could express that dinosaurs were also creatures, which is why I chose a character who wasn’t young and strong to show off the entire life cycle.

The characters are mostly young and energetic, but we don’t know what older animals have. We often don’t see depictions of older animals, and I want to take new ways and show the daily life of an elderly animal, something people have never seen before. To me, she is the protagonist of the dinosaur in this comic. Masaru is very popular, but to me, Hanako is the main character. She is something I want to show to readers.

Do you have any suggestions for Matsumura-san as an editor Dinosaur reserve Do you want to talk about it?

Matsumura: Both Kinoshita-sensei and Fujiwara-sensei love dinosaurs very much. If I let them go in their direction, they will become very specific and niche. I’m trying to bring them back for the sake of the average reader. I don’t know much about dinosaurs, so I think from a third-party reader’s perspective, how they will enjoy the series without a deeper understanding of dinosaurs.

I feel very careful about Hanako’s portrayal and I feel sympathy for her when I want to take care of aging animals and even my own parents.

Kinoshita: It will be tough. Sorry, but I have to because I have a story to tell.

I could feel it coming! Although dinosaurs are at the heart of the story, humans and their problems are becoming increasingly important. Similar to a zoo, research lab or any other animal care facility, the business costs associated with maintenance care. Why do you include those real-life care for dinosaurs?

Kinoshita: I don’t want to create comics that only show good aspects. It just consumes our joy. We all have problems in life. I don’t want to make this comic a story of only one peace. I want to portray it more realistically. It is important to consider that the zoo is not a place for mere entertainment, but a place for research and advocating animal welfare. Zoos have many purposes, such as conservation and education. I want to put these aspects in my comics because it’s more than just a simple comic. I hope people think more about these things.

I like the dinosaurs way Dinosaur reserve Like modern animals, there are almost no s and grunts, mating rituals and ordinary gestures of sitting like cats. Based on your experience caring for farm animals like chickens and sheep, what do you think is the most difficult part of caring for animals?

Kinoshita: They don’t speak, we can’t control them. If there are dinosaurs, I wish it to eat this, but if I don’t want to, I can’t force it to eat it. Even if I talk to them, they won’t understand. As humans, we can communicate through language and words.

You can read the first chapter Dinosaur reserve Free on Kinoshita-san’s landing page here. The comic is available from printing Seven Ocean Entertainment.

Ann’s report on the 2025 Animation Expo is sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!