Kyōji Ogata (緒方恭二) - 1 Original page - Pole Position for Murder - title-page

Satsujin no Pole Position (殺人のポールポジション) — “Pole Position for Murder” Original colour chapter-opening illustration Story by Takayuki Miki (三木孝祐) An arresting combination of crime-manga attitude and motor-racing spectacle, this colour illustration presents Kyōji Ogata’s gift for bringing character and machinery into a single, immediately engaging composition. Shisetsu 38 Bunsho, loosely translated as “Private 38th Precinct,” was created by Ogata from a story by Takayuki Miki. The series remains available in Japan in a four-volume digital edition published by Group Zero, extending the life of this collaboration beyond its original print publication. Identified as the opening illustration for “Pole Position for Murder,” the present work distils its theme into two complementary images: a self-assured, armed figure in the foreground and a low-slung racing car above. The character faces the viewer with crossed arms, pink-tinted glasses and a faintly amused expression, holding a long-barrelled pistol alongside his cheek. Behind him, the blue-and-white number 6 car introduces a second register of danger—one associated with speed, precision and competition. Their juxtaposition gives the image the directness of a poster while preserving the narrative promise of a chapter-opening illustration. The work’s strongest quality is its presence. Ogata anchors the lower composition with the figure’s broad shoulders and overlapping forearms, then offsets this stable arrangement with the diagonal of the pistol. The barrel directs the eye towards the racing car, linking the two principal subjects without requiring a continuous background. Generous unpainted space above allows the mechanical silhouette to remain distinct and gives the composition an unusually open, uncluttered rhythm. Colour reinforces this hierarchy. The character’s voluminous green hair forms a vivid central accent, its varied washes contrasting with the restrained blue-grey folds of his jacket. Warm modelling across the face, hands and forearms lends substance to the figure, while the translucent pink lenses introduce a playful note against the weapon’s cool metallic tones. The racing car echoes the jacket’s blues but sharpens them with white bodywork and red markings, creating a coherent palette across the otherwise separate motifs. The vehicle itself rewards close examination. Its broad rear wing, exposed cockpit, curved wheel arches and carefully described wheels establish a convincing mechanical structure, while lettering and sponsor-style markings contribute to its competition identity. Beneath it, the concentrated stippling of the cast shadow provides a graphic counterpoint to the fluid colour washes. This interplay between precise contour, textured detail and freer handling gives the illustration much of its visual richness. For a collector, the appeal lies in the conjunction of expressive portraiture and detailed automotive drawing. The image is effective at a distance, yet retains passages that invite closer inspection: the modelling of the hands, the reflections suggested in the glasses, and the shifts of colour across the car’s bodywork. It offers a distinctive example of an illustrator balancing the personality-driven appeal of crime manga with the technical pleasures of motor-sport imagery.

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