Nigerian musician Cruel Santino's latest project is a manga which builds on the Subaru Boys story arc
A manga titled Subaru Boys: Flowers of the First Orcad - Volume One is Cruel Santino's latest project from the Subaru World arc
Last week, Nigerian musician Cruel Santino announced his latest project—a manga named Subaru Boys: Flowers of the First Orcad - Volume One, nine months after first teasing the public in an Instagram post last December.
In his last (2022) studio album titled “Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN,” Cruel Santino combined elements of alternative afrobeats, grime, R&B, bedroom pop and more, to evoke the feeling of a futuristic, underwater world—which he described to Billboard as a place where wardens, known as “Subaru Boys” (an anime-style creation) - are enlisted to carry out gritty tasks on behalf of the fictional government.
Announcing his latest project—a manga, which gets its name from his last studio album and builds on the story, he wrote, “Four years ago I had a dream of making a manga that will stand alongside any of my favourites and something the whole world can read and enjoy.”
Read Also
He added, “I know this isn't the first manga made by Nigerians and I know there is a growing community here of dreamers and creators looking for progressive ways to tell stories and push the boundaries of media through animation and other mediums. And being a part of this group I can genuinely say that we have created something really genuine, unique and truly special.
“I’m pretty sure if the younger me could see what we just made. he would probably be so psyched and geeked out. it took us about four years to finish our first volume and it was really vital to me that I completed this before entering any new arc or chapter. I really can’t wait for the world to read this and see what we made.”
“Subaru Boys: Flowers of the First Orcad - Volume one coming to a city near you,” he concluded.
The decision to create a manga is no surprise because the anime and video gaming inspiration and reference have been prominent in the creative and visual direction of Subaru Boys. Last year (2023), to mark the one-year anniversary of Final Heaven, the studio album, Santino unveiled the members of the Subaru Boys through SUBARU WORLD, a brand built on the Subaru Boys arc.
Read Also: The Torsche wants to redefine the narrative around design in Africa
Cruel Santino, born Osayaba Andrew Ize-Iyamu, is a singer-songwriter, rapper and director who launched his music career as a rapper on SoundCloud—with the stage name Ozzy B—in 2011. He is known for championing and pushing the Nigerian alté music genre to the forefront.
In 2019, he released his debut studio album, “Mandy & The Jungle,” under the name Santi—a name he was eventually forced to change, he told RollingStone, citing “one man in Spain [who] didn’t want to free the name [Santi],” creating copyright issues.
