I decided to paint a picture of the sea.
I wanted to paint a picture of the sea, with its deep blue and white waves splashing against the shoreline.

 

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It was when I was asked to do the binding for a novel.
It was a novel by Makoto Takeuchi titled “Bicycle Boy's Chronicle” published by Shinchosha in 2004.
It was published by Shinchosha in 2004.
It is a best-selling novel, and in 2006, Yasuda and Maruyama of Super 8 starred in a TV drama for the first time.

 

The main character, Shota, meets Sota, who becomes his lifelong friend.
They pedaled frantically to the sea and challenged a powerful high school in a race.
They created a bicycle rally from Tokyo to Itoigawa, and also fell in wonderful love.
It is an exhilarating and incomparable coming-of-age novel that describes the boys' growth through “bicycles.
A special edition of “Bicycle Boys' Chronicles: Into the Wind” was also released on the occasion of the TV drama, but this is a completely different novel from the main story.

 

In 2011, seven years after the publication of “Bicycle Boy Chronicles.
I was preparing a sequel novel and was asked to design the binding.

The story is a road novel about Hokuto, the 12-year-old son of Shota, the protagonist of “Bicycle Boy Chronicles,” who leaves home alone on a bicycle the day after his graduation ceremony, the first long ride of his life.
In the past, my father tried to ride his bicycle from Tokyo to the Sea of Japan, and even though he got lost at night, he rode through using the Big Dipper as a guidepost. That's why he named me the Big Dipper.”
The “Bicycle Boy's Chronicle” fans may find the setting of “Bicycle Boy's Chronicle” a fascinating sequel to “Bicycle Boy's Chronicle. LOL!

 

The long ride, which starts from Nihonbashi, is described as riding along the Pacific Ocean, passing through Shonan, Atami, and Shizuoka.
I had that image in mind.
But I couldn't think of an illustrator who could draw the picture I wanted.
I had no choice but to draw it.
I made up my mind and decided to draw the illustrations for the binding.

 

The first thing that came to mind was a red jersey and the bright blue sea.
Yes, I was going to draw a picture of the sea.
I decided to draw a picture of the sea.

 

I painted a picture of a bicycle, a picture of the sky in the background, and a picture of the ocean with layers of acrylic paints.
I scanned each of those hand-drawn pictures into an image and combined them on a PC.
I also added an additional layer of wave spray.

 

The result was a beautiful painting of the sea and a dynamic bicycle, which I drew for the binding of “Bicycle Adventure - A 12-Year-Old's Guide”, the long-awaited sequel to “Bicycle Boy's Chronicles”.

 

I tried my best, and I think the binding turned out very much as I had imagined.
I have occasionally, very rarely, drawn a picture myself and used it for a binding for such a reason, but each time I have been satisfied with the result.
I hope that this decision was a good one for the book.

 

I wanted to depict the beautiful sea.

I wanted to depict a beautiful horizon like that of my youth, where the main character's bicycle shines.

I wanted to depict the ocean as seen in that dazzling season that everyone has. 

 

I strongly, strongly believe that everyone's heart is connected to the sea.