On Monday, July 1, Keio University’s time-honored Mita Public Speaking Event was held at the Mita Public Speaking Hall (Mita Enzetsu-kan). This was the 708th time the event has been held, and on this occasion, cartoonist Kunihiko Hisa gave a lecture titled "Looking at the World through the Eyes of a Cartoonist."
Looking back on his early life, Mr. Hisa’s talked of unique and colorful experiences which seemed to symbolize the wide-ranging activities attesting to his own uncertainty about who he is, including stories about how he became interested in cartoons as a child, his memories of rebuilding the cartoon club while a student, the enjoyment he felt experiencing the workplace when he became a company employee, and discoveries in jungles and at dinosaur fossil excavation sites. Additionally, using these experiences to open up the discussion, he talked about his views on society and nature, such as the activities of people working under the institution that we call society and the state of the ecosystem that is maintained through tense relationships that put life on the line. He finished his lecture with a message to the younger generations, saying that he would like to see them become people who go out into the world, see things from various perspectives, and think about things in the long term.
Although the weather was poor on the day, many people including Keio students, faculty and staff members, and members of the public came and enjoyed listening to Mr. Hisa’s humor-filled lecture.