LayarHijau — Japanese manga artist Koiike Rimo married her own teacher, Masaki Mamoru, who is 41 years older than she is. Masaki is a legendary manga artist from the 1970s and an animation director who was involved in the production of the anime Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. The story of their marriage has now been turned into a manga released on May 29, including their life after Masaki was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-type dementia.
Koiike met Masaki while studying at a manga vocational school where he taught. She married him at 28. The couple officially registered their marriage in 2010. Just three years after the wedding, Masaki was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-type dementia.
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Koiike recalled that when she first enrolled in manga school, she had no idea Masaki had directed animated films and was a legendary figure in the manga world. In the first class, Masaki asked the group of beginners to “draw four pages first.” After reading her pages, he told her, “I’m your first reader, and I’m also your fan.” She was won over on the spot.
Masaki could be strict. He once told Koiike that she couldn’t draw her characters’ feelings because that was how she had lived for the past 20 years. Even so, each time students turned in assignments, Masaki would pat his student on the head and say, “Good job.” Koiike still treasures her teacher’s words: “When you’re lost, ask your heart.”
After graduating, Koiike felt a sense of duty to stay by Masaki’s side and moved near her teacher’s home without being asked.
The manga is titled Dakara Watashi wa 41-sai Toshiue no Otto to Kurashitemasu — That’s Why I Live With a Husband 41 Years Older Than Me. It runs about 180 pages. Storyboarding took nearly a year, and finishing the artwork took another six months. The book mainly depicts the couple’s everyday married life. Its later part covers life after her husband developed dementia and his care. The art style is gentle and cute, so the book doesn’t feel heavy.
In an interview with Japanese outlet Daily Shincho (via Yahoo Taiwan), Koiike said she was initially reluctant to make her husband’s condition public. But she felt guilty about keeping it hidden. She finally gathered the courage to tell her husband’s old friends at a memorial service for a senior manga artist. Their reaction was unexpected: everyone responded naturally and felt that it couldn’t be helped at his age. Koiike felt relieved. Since then, she has shared her daily life caring for her husband on Facebook.
One of Masaki’s old friends is Kitsukawa Yukio, a co-founder of the music magazine Rockin’on, who is now editor-in-chief of the magazine Equal. Kitsukawa visited Masaki with a picture book, but Masaki no longer recognized him and did not respond. After reading Koiike’s work, Kitsukawa praised her as a worthy disciple of Masaki. He then invited her to draw a short manga for Equal. The content was later expanded and published as a standalone book.
Masaki, now 85, goes to a day care center every day. Despite his dementia, he remains physically sturdy and has no trouble going up and down stairs. He is popular at the center. Even when an elderly person there is agitated, they calm down as soon as Masaki comes near.
Koiike occasionally shows her husband his old works. But he no longer knows that he drew them himself and reads them like picture books. He doesn’t know that Koiike is his wife, either. Koiike jokes that he probably just sees her as a sweet person who is, for some reason, always by his side.
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