Since 2013, the Nagano Prefecture Police Department has run a 4-panel manga series called Keisatsu-no Oniisan! (literally “Big Brother Policeman”) on its website. It depicts two police officers, one young and the other middle-aged. Now, thanks to their increasing popularity, they’re getting a manga in a magazine, Manga Time Jumbo, devoted to 4-panel manga.
The manga’s two characters, Shirou Hokari and Mamoru Tezuka, originated as mascots for the prefectural police. In their comic strips they advise residents about phone scams, commuting kindergarteners, drinking and driving, etc.
Officers Hokari & Tezuka kindly inform you that biking with an umbrella is dangerous and illegal. Tezuka suggests wearing a raincoat instead, and claims it suits the woman in the manga much better.The cops maintain their dignity and composure while revealing good-natured personalities and weaknesses, which might have endeared them to readers. It doesn’t hurt that they’re also good-looking men in uniform, which explains their predominantly female fanbase.
Karakemi (the manga’s creator) and the Nagano Prefecture Police Department initially rebuffed overtures from Houbunsha, the magazine’s publisher, but gradually changed their minds, reasoning that spreading advice about fraud, anti-criminal measures, and traffic rules was easier in manga format, they could advertise the appeal of Nagano Prefecture, and drawing the manga was fun.
A poster featuring the cop pair appeared in an April Animage supplement for girls, Roman Album Prince Animage.
The strip premiered in Manga Time Jumbo‘s October issue on September 12. If you’re interested in reading the webcomics, see the Nagano Prefecture Police Department’s website. Nagano Prefecture is located in the mountains of central Japan.
In this winter strip, Hokari reminds readers to be careful of driving on roads in the winter, as Nagano is a snowy area and cars can slip on the ice. Turns out he’s thinking of this since his new car just hit a tree. Tezuka gives him chestnut candy, one of Nagano Prefecture’s specialties, to console him.
[Via Netlab and J-Town Net; Images from Nagano Police]
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