Rintaro, master of Japanese animation: “If the readers of my comic book think they’ve watched a movie, I’ve done a good job.”

Imagine being over 80 years old, a legend of Japanese animation, and deciding to start all over again, like a beginner, but in a completely different field. That's exactly what Rintaro, the director behind masterpieces like Astro Boy, Metropolis, and Space Pirate Captain Harlock, did. He has spent his life bringing images to life, and now he has chosen paper: at the age of 83, he has published his autobiography, not as a novel or an essay, but as a comic book. His goal? To make readers of his comic book feel like they've watched a movie, not just read a story. We usually think that once someone reaches the pinnacle in one art form, they never go back to being a “novice” in another. But Rintaro turns everything on its head. For him, being a master doesn't mean repeating the same formula over and over again: it means taking risks again, accepting being judged as if he were a newcomer. And we're not talking about just anyone. His real name is Shigeyuki Hayashi, but to everyone, he is Rintaro. He was born during the war, in 1941, in a Japan in ruins. He was a poor boy who watched the Shinjuku neighborhood transform, amidst neon lights and a human population straight out of a noir novel. Then came the turning point: he joined Toei Animation, the “dream factory” that has trained generations of animators. But the turning point came when he worked with Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy. Rintaro recalls that, when he was still an apprentice, Tezuka told him: “Animation isn’t about drawing well. It's bringing emotions to life.” A phrase that has stayed with him throughout his career. Here’s the surprising fact: instead of staying in animation, where he had become an icon, he chose the challenge of a new language, that of comic strips. No crew, no huge budget—just him and the blank page. The result is “Ma vie en 24 images par seconde”: a biography intended to be pure movement, even though it is made up of still images. Rintaro says that if readers feel like they've watched a movie after reading his comic, then he's won the bet. And in this, there is a powerful message: true creativity is never satisfied; it does not rest on the laurels of achievements already made. And now, a question that no one has really asked him: Why not retire, after everything he has achieved? There is an implicit answer in his actions: sometimes, true youth is the courage to start over from scratch when everyone expects you to stop. The takeaway phrase for today is this: those who never stop taking risks always remain beginners, and only beginners change the world. If you heard echoes of your own story, you can press I'm In on Lara Notes—it's not a way of saying you like it, but that this idea represents you. And if you feel like telling someone the story of Rintaro, who at 83 is getting back in the game, on Lara Notes you can mark that moment with Shared Offline: it's the symbol that a genuine conversation leaves a trace. This story comes from Le Monde.fr and has saved you at least five minutes of reading.