Heta-uma (ヘタウマ or ヘタうま) is a Japanese underground manga movement started in the 1970s with the magazine Garo.[2] Heta-uma can be translated as "bad but good", designating a work which looks poorly drawn, but with an aesthetically conscious quality, opposed to the polished look of mainstream manga.
Some of heta-uma's main artists are Teruhiko Yumura (pen name "King Terry"),[3] Yoshikazu Ebisu[4] and Takashi Nemoto.[5]
History
[edit]Illustrator Shoji Yamafuji recalled hearing the term "heta-uma" for the first time while visiting an illustration exhibition in the early 1970s.
One of the most influential heta-uma works is Penguin Gohan, illustrated by Teruhiko Yumura and written by Shigesato Itoi. It was serialized in alternative manga magazine Garo in 1976 and influenced many artists to adopt its artistic philosophy. Following this boom, the heta-uma approach would be seen in both commercial art and original work for exhibition.
The number of heta-uma works increased through the early 1980s and declined by the end of the decade, possibly due to the bubble economy affecting its use in marketing.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "The painting of Tokugawa's third shogun, Iemitsu, is too cute to take your eyes off. 'Perverse Japanese Art.'". Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. 2019-03-15. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "The 'bad but good' trailblazing of Yumura Teruhiko, by Paul Gravett / ArtReview". artreview.com. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
- ^ Schodt, Frederik L. (2014-01-02). Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Stone Bridge Press, Inc. ISBN 9781611725537.
- ^ Thompson, Jason (2012-07-03). Manga: The Complete Guide. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780345539441.
- ^ "Avant manga". Japan Today. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
- ^ Wang, Siyu (2023). "Understanding the Characteristics of the Heta-Uma Illustration Works in the 1980s: A Case Study of Teruhiko Yumura and Yosuke Kawamura". Arts. 12 (3) – via ProQuest.
Further reading
[edit]- Dejasse, Erwin (25 October 2016). Heta-Uma: Manga on the Other Side of the Mirror (.docx (abstract; download)). EU–Japan Forum (in French). Brussels (conference); Liège (publisher): Université de Liège. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- Tumey, Paul (27 January 2020). "Ominous Absurdity from 'The Pits of Hell' by Ebisu Yoshikazu". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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