ALBAWABA - Iconic Mangaka (Japanese comic book artist) Naoki Urasawa who is best known for works such as 'Monster' and '20th Century Boys' recently announced being part of a second auction containing signed drawings to support Palestinian children, amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Urasawa is among several other Japanese artists who announced their support for the children of Gaza under an initiative called the "Watermelon Seeds Fundraiser," launched by singer Miu Sakamoto.
Monster Mangaka announces art auction to support kids in Gaza
By the time of writing this article, Miu Sakamoto's Instagram bio is filled with watermelon emojis, which are used by many pro-Palestine users on social media to prevent the alleged censorship of Palestinian posts on platforms including Meta applications, TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter).
The watermelon emoji is also used by many pro-Palestine social media users due to the fruit's resemblance to the Palestinian flag (red, green, black, and white).
Seven days ago, Sakamoto took to her official Instagram account and announced the auction in question which includes Naoki Urasawa and other fellow Japanese artists.
According to its official website, the "Watermelon Seeds Fundraiser" is best described as "An Auction to raise funds for Gaza by artists from Japan."
Who is Naoki Urasawa? A brief on the legendary seinen mangaka
(Madhouse/ Monster)
64-year-old Naoki Urasawa is considered among the best and most respected seinen mangakas of our time for being a masterful storyteller and creating one of the most compelling Mystery Thrillers in manga history, 'Monster.'
Moreover, he has more than 10 serialized titles under his belt which is no small feat for comic book artists in Japan, and among his best include '20th Century Boys,' Pluto,' and 'Asadora!'
As popular as '20th Century Boys' is, it still surprisingly didn't receive an anime except for a stunning animated short made by a fan.
