Ryan Lang is recognized as one of the most creative and promising American visual developers of the decade.
After working in animation at Disney, where he worked on several blockbusters such as Doctor Strange and The Avengers, he now works as a freelance artist, which allows him to share his passion for animation techniques and the narrative structure typical of comics combine.
In this stylistic exercise, Ryan Lang released Issunboshi in 2022[1]a first graphic novel translated into French by Éditions Le Lombard[2] in 2023.
issunboshi
Issun-bōshi means “one inch boy” in Japanese. It is also the title of a Japanese folk tale that exists in many variations. The most well-known initial plot tells the story of an elderly country couple living in feudal Japan. Since they had never had children, they prayed to the gods to have one. Her wish was granted and the couple were blessed with a baby boy no taller than an inch whom they named Issun-bōshi.
Ryan Lang’s Little Samurai
The editor’s summary states: “The gods used the celestial spear, the Soul no Nuhoko, to stir up the oceans. It was then that the first Japanese islands were born, and at that time the gods were frightened: the power of this spear was so great that they decided to hide it so that it could never be used for evil purposes. Its hilt became a tree, its hilt a flower, its blade a stone, and its essence reached the sky. The various parts of the spear went untraceable for centuries, until one day an oni, a demon, set out to collect them and reforge the weapon. The terrified spirit of the blade made the choice to be reincarnated… into a little boy who was only a few inches tall.”
So Issunboshi grew up with his parents without reaching the height of a man.
A day without a father said to him:
- When we found you, we knew immediately that you were not the answer to our prayers, but to something much more important. That you were our son, but something and someone much more than that… I know that you are destined for greatness, to be a great man. All I ask of you, and all I will ever ask of you, is that you never do less than your best, no matter what challenges you face.
Issunboshi replied:
- But what if the best in me isn’t good enough? When I can’t be who I’m supposed to be?
The father added:
- You don’t have to be the best to be a great Issunboshi man. You become it by giving the best of yourself.
These words, which will touch Issunboshi deeply, will prove valuable in his inner search. His training alongside Noboru, Sen, and Kenta will be necessary before he can face the Oni Demon.
We will say no more about the course of events in this work, which is cleverly divided into five chapters.
Adding his personal touch, Ryan Lang nevertheless draws inspiration from Japanese manga at the graphic level to produce this work, which will be published entirely in black and white. The author also manages to strike a balance between certain sections where the action takes precedence over the text, without neglecting the importance of the words, allowing him to tell a story against a background of morality and depth that cleverly inspired by Japanese culture.
Finally, it must be emphasized that while in Japan there are legions of works related to the character Issunboshi, in the West we find bold adaptations such as that of Ryan Lang and, in different registers, the book theater of the shadows by Nathalie Dieterlé or even Issunbôshi , the little samurai , which is now signed by Alice Brière-Haquet and Sanoe.
Reda Benkoula
[1] The work was published in English by Editions Oni Press in 2022
[2] Issunboshi – The Little Samurai | Lang Ryan (screenplay, drawing) | The Lombard | 2023 | 200 pages