"Ichinen" is a zine by popular illustrator Obata Ayaki, known for his "Seasonal Records" series, which depicts the story-rich four seasons of Japan. It includes works from the 2024 and 2025 Obata Ayaki x commune calendars, as well as new works.

Her visually beautiful works, with her characteristic skillful perspective and the exquisite placement of props that enrich the scenery, are still alive and well. The film depicts the days that pass by with the changing of the seasons, and are remembered with various senses.

As each year passes by faster and faster, when I look back and wonder what I was doing, I realize that I have forgotten a lot and am unable to remember well. But when the seasons come around, I can suddenly remember not only big things but also very small things, such as what I was doing and how I felt around this time last year, or several years ago, triggered by the smell of spring, the sounds of insects in summer, the loneliness of autumn, or the warmth I feel in winter.

・36 pages / A5 size

Saki Obata
Illustrator. In recent years, he has worked on many illustrations both in Japan and abroad, including illustrations for the British magazine MONOCLE, promotional comics for the American magazine tokyobike, grade level characters for Kagayaki Volumes 1 and 2 of Kokugo 4 (Mitsumura Tosho Publishing), and cover illustrations for other books. He serialized a manga in the magazine Haha no Tomo (Fukuinkan Shoten) from 2023 to 2025.

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