“The First Experience of Pachinko—How did it go?” Manga Series: Italian Manga Artist Peppe’s Encounter with Japanese Culture Vol.2

  • Peppe's encounter with Japanese culture
  • Published
  • Modified
  • Author Peppe
  • Peppe introduces his first encounter with Japanese culture through his manga. The second installment is about his first-ever Pachinko experience. Any beginners luck?—Let’s find out.

Peppe is an Italian manga artist who has won his first serialization with the manga Mingo: Itariajin ga Minna Moteru to Omou na yo(English title|Mingo: Don’t think that all Italians would be popular with the girls!) (Shogakukan). Peppe is also active as a model, appearing in Japanese reality television show Terrace House Tokyo in 2019.

We at TOKION asked Peppe to create a manga series to find out what an Italian guy thinks of Japanese culture. In the series, Peppe will experience Japan’s unique culture and introduce it in the form of short manga story. For this installment, he shares his experience of Pachinko which does not exist in his maternal land of Italy. 

“The First Experience of Pachinko—How did it go?” Manga Series: Italian Manga Artist Peppe’s Encounter with Japanese Culture Vol.2
“The First Experience of Pachinko—How did it go?” Manga Series: Italian Manga Artist Peppe’s Encounter with Japanese Culture Vol.2
“The First Experience of Pachinko—How did it go?” Manga Series: Italian Manga Artist Peppe’s Encounter with Japanese Culture Vol.2

——How was your first experience of Pachinko?

Peppe: We have casinos in Italy, but it was a completely different vibe. First, when I entered the pachinko place, I was shocked at how it was way louder than I’d expected.

——I know it’s hard to get used to the loudness when it’s your first time. So how was it playing the pachinko?

Peppe: I didn’t know how to play it in the beginning, so I was copying what people around me were doing, but it didn’t work out at all. I started understanding a bit after I was taught how to play, but I used up 1,000yen worth of balls in a second. After that, though, I kept trying and hoping I would win the next round, but it was only to spend another 1,000yen. I spent all the money I had really fast. Now I know that I’m just not cut out for gambling.

——[Laughs]. So I guess there was no beginner’s luck.  

Peppe: Thanks to this experience, I don’t think I’d ever get into Pachinko. I’m never going to play it again [laughs]. But I’m still curious about the TUC shop—it remains a mystery to me.

Translation Ai Kaneda

manga Pachinko Peppe Series

author:

Peppe

Born on December 24th in 1992, in Abruzzo, Italy. Peppe became enamored with Japanese culture, especially manga, and enrolled in Japanese Studies at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. He came to Japan alone in January 2015, dreaming of becoming a manga artist. He entered the modeling world to earn a living and appeared in various magazines and TV commercials. Peppe also went on Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 and became a popular figure. He began publishing Mingo: Itariajin ga Minna Moteru to Omou na yo in Big Comic Spirits on October 12th, 2019. Four volumes have been published thus far. Instagram：@peppedesu Photography @gybphotography
See Peppe’s other articles

SHARE THIS