Stepping into the "reality" behind the world
For me, adventure means venturing into places that are socially off-limits. My experience as a backpacker during my student days was a big part of what drew me to adventure. Seeing the realities of each country made me realize how one-sided the values that are taken for granted in Japan are.
The film that strongly linked to my subsequent experiences was Narcos: Mexico.
A Netflix original series depicting Mexico's drug war through real-life cartels and events. 3 seasons in total. 2018 USA / Director: Joseph Kubota Radica and others / Exclusively available on Netflix. Carlos Somonte / Netflix
The kidnapping of DEA agent Camarena triggered a nationwide effort to cover up the truth, which was a clear example of the collusion between drug cartels and politics, police, and the military that I learned about through my reporting.
Intelligence and initiative are essential for reporting. This is what the comic "Master Keaton" taught me.
The story depicts the daily life of Hiraga Keaton Taichi, a former British Army Special Forces soldier who now works as a university lecturer in archaeology and an insurance company investigator. The complete version consists of 12 volumes. Script: Urasawa Naoki, Katsuka Hokusei, Nagasaki Takashi / Illustrations: Urasawa Naoki / Shogakukan / From 1,362 yen.
The protagonist, Keaton, is a man who combines the "calm world" of archaeology with the "dynamic world" of having served in the British Army Special Forces. Watching him overcome crises with a calm and human touch, I learned the ideal style for stepping into the underworld.
