To celebrate Weekly Shonen Jump‘s 25th anniversary, Shueisha decided to create a new style event to promote it’s history for the fans. The name of the event was called “Weekly Jump Multi World” and was a exhibition that was held in the Tokyo Dome Prism Hall between July 28th through August 15th, 1993. The event cost 700 yen for admission and guests were able to receive as special booklet which highlighted some of the items on display. The booklet was never available for sale directly. Over 48 authors provided new illustrations and congratulatory messages for this anniversary and are documented in this booklet and this is one of them. To help provide context to this profile that was captured in 1993, we have included some additional information to supplement the transcription and rough English translation.
| Name | Yuko Asami (浅美裕子) |
| Date of Birth | December 22, 1966 |
| Birthplace | Saitama Prefecture |
| Blood Type | A |
| Debut Work | “2001 Dream Journey” in 1987 ’87 『2001年夢中の旅』 |
| 1st Jump Serialization | “Ten Yori Takaku!” 『天より高く!』 |
| Additional Info | With detailed emotional scenes that can come from female artists, “Ten Yori Takaku!” was a highly discussed title!! 女流作家らしい、細やかな感情表現が感動を盛り上げた『天より高く!』が話題に!! |
To celebrate Weekly Shonen Jump‘s 25th anniversary, Yuko Asami provided this illustration, shikishi, and comment, which have been roughly translated below:
創刊25周年おめでとうございます。今後も30、35、40、50周年と今の勢いのまま続いて、しかもそこで自分が作品を描いていられたらいいなあ、と思います。 (それで今よりすごい雑誌になってて、自分も同じようにすごくなっていられたら言うことなし)
そんなわけで今後もよろしくおつきあいお願いいたします。ではっ。
Congratulations on the 25th anniversary. I hope the magazine can continue this momentum into its 30th, 35th, 40th, and 50th anniversaries, and I can still be drawing as a part of it. (And if it becomes an even more amazing magazine, I hope I can become as amazing too)
I hope you’d be able to continue supporting me in the future. Bye.
The article ends with a short summary of the Ten Yori Takaku! manga which ran for 19 chapters starting in issue 40 of Weekly Shonen Jump in 1991 and ending in issue 8 in 1992.
The following is some additional context and information not included in the article:
Yuko Asami’s original debut oneshot 2001 Dream Journey was a semi-finalist with the 34th Tezuka Award. This was later reprinted first volume of the Becoming a Mangaka! Tezuka & Akatsuka Award (めざせ漫画家! 手塚•赤塚賞) collected volume. It was also later printed in A Bible in Your Pocket (ポケットに聖書を), featuring many of the author’s oneshots. Below is some of the feedback given by the judges for this debut oneshot, 2001 Dream Journey (with a rough English translation):
自分の頭の中だけで、話を進めている所がある。もう少しわかりやすいこう成ができれば、もっといい (武先生)
There are some story elements which are still within the author’s mind. It could have a better layout to make those jumps easier to understand (Take-sensei)
絵が親しみやすい新立にスピード感と迫力がある (松本先生)
The illustrations are soft but still have a sense of both speed and power (Matsumoto-sensei)
いい絵だと思う。最後の盛り上がりが、もうひと工夫欲しかった (半管先生)
I think it’s well drawn. I wish their was a bit more excitement at the end. (Hakan-sensei)
演出のうまさ、絵の巧みさ、テンポの良さが光る。構図もいい (ちば先生)
Excellent direction, skillful illustrations, and a good tempo. Layouts good too. (Chiba-sensei)
At the end of the 2 volume release of Ten Yori Takaku!, the author added the following additional comments reflecting on the series published in April 1992 (with a rough English translation provided):
よん 『天より高く!』は、私の初の連載作品です。自分の甘さや未熟さを痛感させられた、痛い作品であり、また、乗馬という素材を通して、私の世界を広げてくれた作品でもありました。あちこちに取材にいき、馬にたずさわる人達に接して思ったことは、『この人達は、ホントに馬が好き』ということでした。
行きずりの私を『馬が好きな人なら、いい人だから』と厩舎に泊めてくださったおじさん、マンガになって馬術が世に知られるのは、いいことだと、貴重な写真や資料を見せてくださったり、連載中も色々とアドバイスくださった馬術家の先生など･･････。そして、いいマンガのためには、馬を知らなくちゃ!と時には(いつも!?) 厳しく指導してくれる乗馬クラブのみんな･･････乗馬を通して出会った、これらの人達のことを忘れることはできません。
『天より高く!』は、これで終わりますが、私はこれからも乗馬を続けて、いつかきっと、また乗馬のマンガを描きたいと思います。
“Ten Yori Takaku!” was my first serialization. It was a painful work that made me very aware of my own naivety and immaturity, but help expand my knowledge of the world of horse riding. I went on various research trips, met people who work with horses, and I came to see “why these people truly love horses.”
There was an old man who let me stay at his stables once when I was a guest and he said to me “If you love horses, you must be a nice person.” One of the equestrian teachers thought it was a good idea to expand equestrianism through the world of manga and showed me rare photos and documents. Plus they gave me all kinds of advice throughout the serialization…… And there were also the people at the riding club who sometimes (always!?) gave me strict guidance by saying that I have to know the horses in order to make a good manga…… I’ll never forget all of those people I’ve met through horse riding.
“Ten Yori Takaku!” may have come to an end, but I will continue riding horses, and hope to draw another equestrian manga one day.
A bonus additional chapter of the manga was also published at the end of Ten Yori Takaku! volume 2.
Following their later success of their Wild Half manga in 1996, the original 2 volumes of Ten Yori Takaku! were also reprinted with a new cover design.
