Ponjea blazes trail for Taiwan cartoonists in Japan

2016/03/01

The first-ever Taiwan cartoonist to have his work serialized by Japan’s top-selling Shonen Jump comics magazine is blazing a trail for local talents seeking to ply their trade in the East Asian country.

Ponjea, or Peng Hsi-chao, was born in Taichung City 34 years ago and is an architect-cum-cartoonist of considerable talent. Inspired by Japanese legends Fujiko Fujio and Akira Toriyama of “Doraemon” and “Dragon Ball” fame, respectively, the central Taiwan native started drawing comics featuring his classmates during elementary school.

But it was not until 2010 that Ponjea reached the holy grail of graphic novels in Asia. He won a competition for developing characters, concepts and settings staged by Japanese manga master Riichiro Inagaki, with his submission published by the 2.7-million-per-week circulation Shonen Jump.

Later the same year Ponjea produced “Chronos Ruler,” an action-packed manga aimed at young males published by SJ stablemate Shonen Jump Next. It was the first time a foreign artist had been commissioned by the magazine.

Ponjea believes his success has nothing to do with luck. “It’s a highly competitive industry,” he said. “I cannot just draw as well as the Japanese, I have to do better than them or else I can’t win.”

This no-nonsense attitude is reflected in Ponjea’s working process. He is a stickler for self-discipline and takes pride in never failing to meet a deadline.

The increasing popularity of “Chronos Ruler” has seen Ponjea scale new heights as a cartoonist. Last year, an extended version of the manga was serialized in Shonen Jump and the app Shonen Jump Plus, as well as the U17 comic website in mainland China. An animated TV series based on the comic is also in the pipeline.

Although Ponjea has published five major graphic novels and taken part in more than 20 productions, his well of inspiration seems unlikely to dry up anytime soon.

One project dominating his thoughts at present is a story involving Chinese philosophers like Confucius, Laozi and Mozi. “It’s time to add some Chinese cultural flavor to my work,” he said.

“I’m sure it will be fun to see these historic figures get down and dirty and fight with one another.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=242550&ctNode=2194&mp=9)