Today, we're looking at......Project X : challengers : Seven Eleven : The Miraculous Xuccess of Japan's 7-Eleven Stores, written by Tadashi Ikuta ; illustrated by Naomi Kimura ; translation, Sachiko Sato.
*****
I must admit was somewhat confounded by this book when I first picked it up. I know that the graphic novel format is an increasingly popular format for non-fiction publishing (witness Andrew Helfer’s Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography)…but a graphic novel about the founding of the 7-11 franchise in Japan is something I never thought I’d see. It appears that Project X is a “business manga” series, devoted to telling the stories (in “sequential art” form) of various Japanese business ventures, ala Cup Noodle or the Datsun 240z.
As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but remember the 1980s, when America began to really take notice of Japan’s (then) increasingly competitive economy. This book is a quaint throwback to those days, as two Japanese businessmen (Hideo Shimazu and Toshimifu Suzuki), desperate for a new business idea in the conservative Japanese marketplace of the 1970s come across an idea from the West – the convenience store, embodied in the iconic 7-11 chain. Although the odds are against them, with a lot of hard work and a more than a little bit of that never-give-up “Yamato Damashii” (Japanese spirit), they eventually succeed in establishing the 7-11 franchise in Japan, even outpacing and out-earning their American forbearers.
The art is unremarkable and relies on screentoned photos (which is understandable in this reality-based work), but the joy of reading this book goes beyond the novelty of the subject – what’s remarkable is the enthusiasm, sacrifice, and collaborative effort put into establishing the company. Likewise, a lot of basic economic theory is illustrated throughout the book (branding, supply and demand, etc), so this might be a useful resource those seeking a fun and entertaining way to illustrate those principles.
*****
I must admit was somewhat confounded by this book when I first picked it up. I know that the graphic novel format is an increasingly popular format for non-fiction publishing (witness Andrew Helfer’s Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography)…but a graphic novel about the founding of the 7-11 franchise in Japan is something I never thought I’d see. It appears that Project X is a “business manga” series, devoted to telling the stories (in “sequential art” form) of various Japanese business ventures, ala Cup Noodle or the Datsun 240z.
As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but remember the 1980s, when America began to really take notice of Japan’s (then) increasingly competitive economy. This book is a quaint throwback to those days, as two Japanese businessmen (Hideo Shimazu and Toshimifu Suzuki), desperate for a new business idea in the conservative Japanese marketplace of the 1970s come across an idea from the West – the convenience store, embodied in the iconic 7-11 chain. Although the odds are against them, with a lot of hard work and a more than a little bit of that never-give-up “Yamato Damashii” (Japanese spirit), they eventually succeed in establishing the 7-11 franchise in Japan, even outpacing and out-earning their American forbearers.
The art is unremarkable and relies on screentoned photos (which is understandable in this reality-based work), but the joy of reading this book goes beyond the novelty of the subject – what’s remarkable is the enthusiasm, sacrifice, and collaborative effort put into establishing the company. Likewise, a lot of basic economic theory is illustrated throughout the book (branding, supply and demand, etc), so this might be a useful resource those seeking a fun and entertaining way to illustrate those principles.
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