As the 100% Doraemon & Friends tour arrives in Hong Kong, JITSUKO KATSUMATA, daughter of one of the manga’s creators, and event organiser SK LAM (pictured) discuss why the robotic feline continues to inspire.
He’s blue, he’s robotic and he’s a cat from the future whose ears were bitten off by a mouse. Japan’s Doraemon is a character many Hong Kongers grew up loving, whether through the 1969 manga series, the TV series that spans almost 2,000 episodes (and is still ongoing) or the more than 40 animated films produced since 1980. But Doraemon is far from just another cartoon character created for children.
The manga was conceived in the late ’60s by Fujiko Fujio, a shared moniker of artists Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko, who also respectively went under the names of Fujiko F Fujio and Fujiko Fujio A. Their storylines revolved around Doraemon, a robotic cat companion with a bottomless pouch of sci-fi gadgets sent back in time from the future by protagonist Nobita Nobi’s great-great grandson to grant him a better childhood. Now a Japanese cultural icon, Doraemon was appointed as the nation’s first anime ambassador by the country’s foreign ministry.
Until August 18, the world’s largest Doraemon exhibition is showing in Hong Kong, the first stop in an international tour named 100% Doraemon & Friends. The experience began in May with the first-ever drone show based on the manga and its characters against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour, followed by a second spectacle held on July 20, both of which drew huge crowds to the waterfront and took social media by storm.
Aside from the drone shows, an outdoor area on the Avenue of Stars features a record-breaking 12-metre-tall inflatable Doraemon alongside myriad statues of different characters in their various outfits and looks, while two ticketed exhibitions within K11 Musea showcase sculptures of the blue cat and manga art by Fujiko Fujio. During the event, Jitsuko Katsumata, who’s the CEO of Fujiko Pro and daughter of Fujiko F Fujio, and event organiser SK Lam, who founded AllRightsReserved, talk to Prestige about their fondest memories of Doraemon and explain the character’s popularity with a new generation of followers.
SK Lam: There’s so much passion that went into this exhibition, and I’m very happy to bring it all together. Even early on, we were so excited to tell people that the exhibition was coming, so we held a drone show in May and lit up the sky with Doraemon. It fitted the theme very well, because obviously one of the gadgets in the show is the Take-copter that allows all the characters to fly, so it just worked out perfectly.
Jitsuko Katsumata: It’s the biggest event we’ve ever done as a company, so we’re very excited to be able to bring the joy and happiness expressed by the manga and series to Hong Kong and share it with all the fans here. It’s also the first stop of a world tour, so it’s an important step for us.
SKL: We thought a lot about who the audience is for this show. People like you and I might think it’s people around our age who are slightly more mature, but a lot of families are bringing their children, and this younger generation is also enjoying it. In the end, I think we’re all the same: we grew up with Doraemon ourselves and this exhibition brings us all back to our childhoods, and for these children, they get to experience the spirit
of the series for the first time, and it’ll leave a lasting impression on them as they grow up.
JK: Fundamentally, Doraemon is about the hopes and dreams that all of us had as children. That’s something my father always kept in mind, and it was reflected in all the stories he wrote. He incorporated these themes of friendship, love and daring to dream into the series, and I believe that’s what people in Japan and around the world love so much about Doraemon.
SKL: For me it’s when Doraemon eventually had to leave Nobita. I could cry right now just thinking about it. Nobita wanted to show Doraemon that he didn’t need to be taken care of, and so he learned a lesson from Gian. These are life experiences we all go through, and for me it brings back many memories.
JK: I have so many, but Nobita’s Night Before the Wedding is my favourite if I had to pick one. When I got married, I didn’t have a talk with my father the way the characters did in the movie, but to me this story is a message from him, so it’s very comforting.
JK: Doraemon is and was always based on our daily experiences in life, whether it’s happiness or sadness or anything in between. It’s about those small moments in life. My father always thought about the audience and what their daily lives were like, and he wanted to make the manga relatable. As a new generation of creators for the show, we’re also looking at those elements, and that’s what speaks to the audience. It’s key, and it’s a universal thing we all experience.
JK: I have two sisters, and for a long time none of us knew our father was Doraemon’s creator. He never worked in front of us. He’d draw his manga during work hours, but when he was with us he’d always play with us.
In that way, I think he was always first and foremost a wonderful father, and then a great manga creator second.
SKL: Friendship and the innocence of children. You simply can’t put a price on those things.
JK: For me, it’s all about love. Love for your family, love for your friends, and love for the world. Doraemon, and thus my father, helped me learn the meaning of love.
The 100% Doraemon & Friends exhibition is open until August 18.
This article was first published in Prestige Hong Kong
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