rec.arts.manga: Manga Guide Part 2/3
Steve Pearl
Archive-name: manga/guide/part2
This FAQ, as well as the other anime/manga newsgroup FAQs and info
articles written by Steve Pearl, are available from the Official
Anime/Manga FAQ page at
http://www.cybercomm.net/~starbuck/FAQ.html
The FAQs on that page are always the most recent version (The monthly
posts are posted directly from that directory!)
Usenet Manga Guide
April 1996
(version 6.03)
Part 2/3
compiled and edited by
Iain Sinclair (axo...@socs.uts.edu.au)
----------------------------------------
Miyazaki Hayao 宮崎駿
The renowned director of anime films. Anime-only credits include Famous
Detective Holmes and Future Boy Conan. He has had a long association with
Studio Ghibli スタジオギブリ, creators of Grave of the Firefly, Omoide
Poroporo, Umi ga Kikoeru 海が聞こえる and Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko
平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ. Miyazaki's 1995 anime movie Mimi wo sumaseba
耳をすませば was adapted from a manga by Hiiragi Aoi 柊あおい
(published by Shueisha, 1990, Y370).
------------------------
People of the Desert 砂の民 - serialized on Shonen Shojo Shinbun, 1969.
Written under the Akitsu Saburo pseudonym.
The Journey of Shuna - serialized on Animage AM JUJU, June 1983.
An all-watercolor manga which looks more like a miniature roman album than
a manga; considered to be a NausicaM-d prototype by some. It's based on a
Tibetan folktale about a prince's journey to find wheat for his people.
NausicaM-d of the Valley of Wind 風の谷のナウシカ - serialized on Animage
(Tokuma Shoten), 1986, 6 volumes: 1-4/Y690, 5-6/Y380, anime comics 6 volumes @
Y380.
Laputa, the Castle in the Sky 天空の城ラピュタ - published by Tokuma
Shoten, 1986, anime comics 4 volumes @ Y710.
My Neighbor Totoro となりのトトロ - published by Tokuma Shoten, 1987,
anime comics 4 volumes @ Y610.
Kiki's Delivery Service 魔女の宅急便 - published by Tokuma Shoten, 1989,
anime comics 4 volumes @ Y690.
The Age of Hydroplanes published on Model Grafix, 1991.
This color short story was the original inspiration for the Porco Rosso
anime.
Kurenai no Buta [Porco Rosso] 紅の豚 - published by Tokuma Shoten, 1992,
anime comics 4 volumes @ Y590.
Miyazaki Hayao Miscellaneous Notes 宮崎駿の雑想ノート - artbook,
published by Dainipponkaiga 大日本絵画, 1992, Y2300.
Mononoke Hime もののけ姫 - published by Tokuma Shoten, 1994, Y3000.
A hardcover, all-colour album on his upcoming movie, scheduled for
completion in 1996.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monkey Punch モンキ―・パンチ
Stated influences include Sergio Aragones and Harvey Kurtzman (from the US MAD
Magazine). He also wrote a foreword for the Japanese edition of the Death of
Superman comic.
------------------------
Lupin III ルパン三世カリオストロの城 - published by Chuokoronsha, 2
volumes @ Y1200, anime comics 12 volumes @ Y680.
The original Lupin stories were quite violent, and had more implied sex
(and naked bodies) than the current incarnation, New Lupin III
新築ルパン三世 (published by Chuokoronsha, 4 volumes @ Y1300).
Cagliostro's Castle カリオストロの城 2 volumes @ Y680.
Pinky Panky ピンキ―・パンキィ - serialized on Action, 1988, Y600.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nagai Go 永井 豪
In his heyday, in the early 70s, this veteran artist was responsible for
pushing the boundaries of manga productivity and good taste. Even today, he is
still quite active, (including reprints, 54 works were released between 1990
and 1992). Most of his mangas contain strong doses of trashy sex and violence.
Ishikawa Ken 石川賢 (best known for Miroku 虚無戦士ＭＩＲＯＫＵ -
serialized on Shonen Captain 1988-90, 5 volumes @ Y370) is a protege of
Nagai's. His art and style is quite similar, except for the noticeable lack of
H material.
------------------------
Harenchi Gakuen ハレンチ学園 - serialized on Shonen Jump 1968-70.
This title was publicly burnt by some parents' groups. (As a result of
this harassment, he wrote Abashiri Ikka.)
Devilman デビルマン - serialized on Shonen Magazine, 1972, 5 wide-ban
volumes @ Y980.
After many years, demons (Nagai calls them daemons) are awakening. Fudo
Akira is convinced by his best friend to participate in an occult ritual
which would allow the merging of a daemon with himself, giving him the
powers of a daemon but the mind of a human being. Various battles ensue as
daemons try to destroy mankind. Shin Devilman is the 'further adventures'
of Fudo Akira.
Mazinger Z マジンガーＺ - serialized on Shonen Magazine, 1972, 3 wide-ban
volumes @ Y690.
The original "giant robot" classic, which was translated into several
different languages. (The idea came to him one day while he was stuck in a
traffic jam.)
Cutey Honey キューティーハニー - serialized on Shonen Champion, 1975,
wide version 1 volume/Y1000.
Cutey is an android girl whose big ability is to change costumes, each of
which has different powers. She fights a whole series of super
villianesses lead by this one arch-villainess, who she fights at the end
of the series (does this sound familiar?). The manga is definitely
violent, sexy, and pretty outrageous in parts. The anime is toned down
substantially. (Apparently, this is still running somewhere, but it's
proven hard to track down.)
Shuten Doji ○天童子 - published by Kodansha, 1980, 6 wide-ban volumes @
Y980.
It's about a baby who was brought to our world by an oni (ogre). A
childless couple, who happened to be praying at a shrine for a child, take
the baby from the oni and adopt him. When he reaches highschool, he begins
to have doubts about whether he is human or oni. There always seems to be
a mysterious force helping him, perhaps an invisible oni. Soon, a
mysterious cult of oni worshippers target him because they believe he is
the incarnation of Shuten Doji who, in their hiearchy of gods, is the
lightbringer or disrupter of darkness. Lots of battles, graphic violence,
mysticism, tying in with folklore, eventual time travel, dimensional
travel, and very interesting plot twists.
Violence Jack バイオレンスジャック - serialized on Shonen Magazine,
1973-7, 7 wide-ban volumes @ Y1100.
New Violence Jack 新バイオレンスジャック - published by Manga Goraku,
1983, Y1100.
An earthquake causes the Kantou plain to detach from the Japanese mainland
(Honshu). As those who are left struggle to survive, a gigantic hero known
as `Violence Jack' appears.
Hanappe Bazooka 花平バズーカ - published by Young Jump, 1985, 5 volumes @
Y600.
Hannape's life is interrupted by two demons. One is this green cloaked
male being with a bazooka. The other is a female furry being with a tail,
which projects her magic. Among the things that occur is that Hannape is
cursed with his index finger resembling a sexual organ and any time it is
pointed at a female (humanoids at least), they become sexually aroused. As
you might guess, it gets fairly extreme. It is amazing that despite the
fact that he has not really changed his drawing style that much, he still
manages to convey a sense of sexual voyeurism. At first, he didn't want to
do that aspect of it, but meeting the author (Koike Kazuo) changed his
mind. The anime is tame by comparison, but still funny.
Mazin Saga マジン・サーガ - serialized on Young Jump and Bears Club,
1991-2, 3 volumes @ Y1200.
Sequel to Mazinger Z - Earth is destroyed, Mars is invaded.
THE BIRD - currently serialized on Young Jump, 1994, 2 volumes @ Y500.
SF/beast-people in LA. The usual outrageous stuff.
Super Saiyuki スーパー西遊記 - published by Kadokawa Shoten, 1991, Y900.
Nagai's version of Wu Cheng-En's Chinese classic Journey to the West
(known in Japanese as Saiyuki), which concerns the many and varied
exploits of Monkey, `Great Sage, Equal of Heaven'.
Mao Dante 魔王ダンテ - published by Chuokoronsha, Y1350.
Kekko Kamen けっこう仮面 - published by Shuueisha, 1993, 3 volumes @
Y600.
Great Mazinger グレートマジンガー - published by Taitosha, 1989 2 volumes
@ Y700.
Nagai Go Manga Taizenshu 永井豪漫画大全集 - published by Tairiku Shobo,
1987, 3 volumes @ Y1200.
Susa-no-O Densetsu 凄ノ王伝説 - published by Kadokawa Shoten, 1985-8, 7
volumes @ Y630.
Nagai Go Jisenshu 永井豪自選集 - published by Asahi Sonorama, 1992,
Y1400.
Dokura no tachi 髑髏の館 - published by Nihon Bungeisha, 1995,
Y980.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nagano Mamoru 永野護
Nagano was ``just another Gundam fanboy'' before he came to the notice of the
creator of Gundam, Tomino Yoshiyuki 富野由悠季.
------------------------
Fool for the City - published by Kadokawa Shoten, 1988, 1 volumes @ Y880.
An unimpressive early effort.
The Five Star Stories ファイブスタ―物語 - currently serialized on
Newtype, 1988, 7 volumes @ Y900.
Grand, sprawling interstellar empires saga. Distinctive ``look and feel'',
especially the mecha designs. There is an electronic book published by
Sony, The Five Star Stories Chronicle 2. (Nagano once talked about using
Silicon Graphics computers to render fleets of mecha.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nagano Noriko 永野のりこ
Nagano Noriko is a resident manga artist for Tokuma Shoten. Her mangas are
known for their twisted humour, association with otaku culture, and endless
variations on the ``geek meets girl'' theme. Nagano's `Megane-kun' character,
who resembles Brains (from Thunderbirds), appears in all her mangas. A full
list of her published work appears as an appendix to Ken nii-chan.
------------------------
Sci-Fi Motion [もーしょん] - published by Tokuma Shoten, 1986; reprinted
by ASCII, 1995, Y640.
Nagano's first major manga; at least one new instalment was published on
Comic ASCII in 1994.
Don't desert me Daisy 見○てないでデ―ジ - serialized on Shonen Captain,
1989, 3 volumes @ Y500, out of print (ASCII may reprint it soon).
Most of Nagano's mangas, starting with this one, feature the same basic
plot: a shy nerd falls in love with a beautiful girl, but she doesn't want
anything to do with him. Rapidly becoming obsessed, the nerd uses his
scientific genius to spy on her and win her over.
Kure Kure [Give Me] Tama-chan GIVE ME たまちゃん - published by Tokuma
Shoten, 1987, 1 volumes @ Y880.
God Save the Sugekoma-kun [すげこまくん!] - currently serialized on Young
Magazine, 1992-present, 6 volumes @ Y530.
A series of short stories centering on Sugekoma, a highschool prodigy with
severe behavioural problems, and Miss Matsuzawa, the teacher who he ties
up all the time. It's a big send-up of S/M cliches, H manga, SF, and the
otaku mentality. Nagano's art is at its most refined in this manga. There
are minor subplots concerning other students - eg. Junko Fujieda, who
can't stand perverts, they make her violent; and Murata, a masochist who's
infatuated with her. ``A Takahashi Rumiko manga on all imaginable drugs.''
Science Boy Zeroichi-kun 科学少年０１君 - published by ASCII, 1993, 580.
Probably Nagano's most warped manga, consisting of short SF stories and
various self-indulgences.
Ken nii-chan ＫＥＮにいちゃん - serialized on Comic Raising
(Wanimagazine-sha), 1994, Y580.
A mad scientist, Ken, comes after his childhood playmate Megumi - now a
university student - holding her to a promise she made when she was 3
years old. Slightly more racy than her other mangas.
Nagano Land ナガノランド - published by Tokuma Shoten, 1994, Y990.
A compilation of two unusual mangas that were - serialized on Animage in
the late 1980s. The first, Majokko Son-Son 魔女っ子ソンソン,
appeared in the margins of the letters pages, 120cm wide x 1cm high. It
was originally space-filler for anime song listings. Beat Paradise
おちこみ天国 was a series of nostalgic ramblings about anime and
Nagano's childhood. Most of her stock characters appear as narrators;
Hakase-kun (Megane-kun), Anime-kun, Zo-kun, Baba, Nagano herself, and
Muska (the evil agent from Laputa).
Manga Hishou!! Kaby Rich Daisaku-sen マンガ 必勝！！ 株リッチ大作戦 -
with Kimura Keiko 木村佳子, published by 税務所研究会出版局, Y980,
1988, now out of print.
Otaku no Goshujin オタクの御○人 - published by Take Shobou, 1993, Y700.
Honeymoon Planet ハネムーンプラネット - published by ASCII, 1994, Y580.
Contains another list of all Nagano's published work to date.
Mogukko Mog-tan もぐっこモグタン - irregularly featured on Animage,
1993-present.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nasu Yukie 那州雪絵
------------------------
This is Greenwood ここはグリーン・ウッド - published by Hana to Yume,
1988-91, 11 volumes @ Y390.
Story set in the dormitory of Ryokuto Highschool, called Ryokurin, dubbed
``Greenwood'' by the students. Hasukawa Kazuya went to stay in the
dormitory because his only brother, Kazuhiro, got married and his wife,
Sumire, is Kazuya's first love. In Greenwood, Hasukawa met his dorm-mate,
Kisaragi Shun, and Ikeda Mitsuru and Tezuka Shinobu, two sempais who live
next door. Greenwood is a place full of weird people.
Flower Destroyer フラワ―＝デストロイヤー - published by Hana to Yume,
1987, Y360.
Youma Shuurai! Fukushuuki 妖魔襲来！復讐鬼 - published by Hana to Yume,
1990, Y370.
Dark Age ダーク・エイジ - published by Hana to Yume, 1993, Y390.
Tenshi to Diamond 天使とダイヤモンド - published by Hana to Yume, 1993, 3
volumes @ Y390.
Sorekara Doshita no? Koneko-chan それからどしたの？仔猫ちゃん - published
by Hana to Yume, 1994, Y390.
Gakko 月光 - published by Hana to Yume, 1994, 4 volumes @ Y390.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narita Minako 成田美名子
Her works deal with human relationships, life, ideals, friendship, etc. very
well. This sets her manga apart from those shojo mangas which only focus on
love or magic.
(born 5 March 1960, Aomori; debut July 5, 1977; blood type AB)
------------------------
Cipher - serialized on Hana to Yume 1985-90, 12 volumes @ Y390.
One of the most famous shojo manga which made Narita Minako the most
popular 3rd generation shojo mangaka. The story is about a pair of twin
brothers, Cipher and Siva, their close friendship and individual
happenings in their life. A big part of the story takes place in New York,
which shows how much the author likes the city.
Cipher the video book - published by Hakusensha, Y1240.
Alexandrite - serialized on Hana to Yume 1985-90, 12 volumes @ Y390.
Sequel to Cipher.
Alien Doori エイリアン通り - serialized on Hana to Yume, 8 volumes @
Y390.
Aitsu あいつ - 2 volumes @ Y390.
Ten no Shinwa ji no Shinwa 天の神話地の神話 - published by Hakusensha,
1988, Y780.
Narita Minako Character Book 成田美名子キャラクタ―ブック -
published by Hakusensha, Y1030.
Miki & Yuuti みき＆ユ―ティ - serialized on Hana to Yume, 2 volumes @
Y370.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nekobe Neko 猫部ねこ
A shojo manga writer, who won the 2nd Nakayoshi New Writer award with First
Date.
(born 19 October)
------------------------
Dokkin Timeslip どっきんタイムスリップ - serialized on Nakayoshi, 1988,
Y370.
Penguin Tanteidan ペンギン探偵団 - serialized on Nakayoshi, 1990, Y380.
Kingyou Chuihou! きんぎょ注意報！ [Warning, Goldfish!] - serialized on
Nakayoshi, 1989-93, 8 volumes @ Y390, anime comics 4 volumes @ Y800.
This is a cute manga about highschool life. Chitose has to change to a
poorer school due to the death of her rich father. But the business of her
father had collapsed, and the only thing she was left with was a pink (!)
goldfish (that can fly). She met Wapiko, Shu and Aoi in her new school,
but soon knew that the poor school is too poor to continue its operation.
Accidentally, she got several billions of dollars left in the bank by her
father, and she re-built the poor school. Full of funny cute stuff, and
popular in Japan.
Kirara Note きらら音譜 - serialized on Nakayoshi, 1995, Y390.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nobe Toshio 野部利雄
------------------------
Nozomi Witches のぞみウィッチィズ - serialized on Young Jump
1986-present, 42 volumes @ Y500.
Nozomi Witches used to be the number one serial on Young Jump during its
peak around 89-90. During its beginning (vol. 1-5) it concentrated on this
young, talent, ex-actress high school girl who returns from New Zealand,
and she met her next door neighbor Ryotaro. (The 15 year old male lead of
this story.) The next phase of this series is around vol 6-17, with the
main emphasis shifting from Nozomi to Ryotaro as he tries to qualify for
the Seoul Olympics. From vol. 18 on is the current phase of this manga
(which Nobe called Book II). It's about Ryotaro's pro boxing life, and the
parallel life of his boxing friend/enemy/soulmate Yugo Fukuyama. At this
stage the drama side of the story is almost non-existent, and there is
really no suspense between Nozomi and Ryotaro. Character designs also
changed.
Myu no Densetsu ミュウの伝説 - published by Shogakukan, 5 volumes @ Y850.
An OK fantasy adventure story, with some H towards the end.
Himiko triangle ヒミコとらいあんぐる - published by Shogakukan, Y370.
Yayoi no Ozora 弥生の大空 - serialized on Young Jump, 11 volumes @ Y370.
Rising ライジング - serialized on Young Jump 1989, Y460.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ogino Makoto 荻野 真
Ogino brought a detailed knowledge of occultism to Kujaku-Oh, his debut manga,
which sparked a second boom in occult mangas. However, his later work doesn't
begin to compare with Kujaku-Oh in terms of depth or excitement. Ogino has also
done some video game character designs.
------------------------
Kujaku-Oh 孔雀王 - serialized on Young Jump 1986-89, 17 volumes @ Y460.
Kujaku is a buddhist monk who belongs to Ura-Kouya, a secret organization
within the Shingon Sect of Buddhism, the sole purpose of which is to
destroy demons/monsters. Kujaku was born with the power of Kujaku-Myoo
(Mayuri Vidya-raja, also referred to as Lucifer in some occult books)
which he uses to fight the forces of evil.
The world of Kujaku-Oh is filled with religions, mythology, gods, demons,
monsters, and powerful sorcerers/priests. If you like this kind of stuff,
Kujaku-Oh will fill all your needs. However, good knowledge of
religion/mythology is required for full enjoyment of this manga.
Four large-format "Special Choice" reprints were released in 1993, which
included some stories not in the existing volumes.
See also: Kujaku-Oh at tcp.com
<http://www.tcp.com/pub/anime-manga/sorted/Kujaku-Oh>
ALGO! - serialized on Young Jump 1990-1, 3 volumes @ Y460.
All the cliches of Kujaku-Oh, with none of the good points, in a
cyberpunk-like setting. Ogino's art became more stylised while he was
working on this manga.
Kujaku-Oh Taimaseiden 孔雀王－退魔聖伝－ - serialized on Young Jump
1991-3, 11 volumes @ Y500.
A loose continuation of Kujaku-Oh. Taimaseiden started with the demon-hunt
stories that characterised early Kujaku-Oh before it became an epic saga,
but it also eventually became an epic saga. There are major continuity
conflicts with the original Kujaku-Oh; for example, Kujaku supposedly lost
his power when he and his twin sister (the Beast, 666) neutralized each
other at the end of Kujaku-Oh, but he again used the power of Kujaku-Oh in
volume 3 of Taimaseiden.
Mao 真魚 - serialized on Young Jump 30, 1992.
Mao is the name Kukai (the founder of Shingon Sect and Mt. Koya) used when
he was young. Enraged by corrupt nobles and society, Mao quits college and
becomes a Robin Hood-type rebel, but got captured by a general named
Sakunoueno Tamuramaro. While being tortured, he's visted by a mysterious
bodhisattva who gave a revelation regarding the ``True Path''. After the
encounter, Mao sets out on a journey to find the one who can be his
mentor. The manga adds lots of Ogino's creative imagination to the
historical facts. (This is more or less Ogino's only decent post-Kujaku-Oh
work, but it hasn't been published as a tankoubon yet.)
Yasha Garasu 夜叉鴉 - currently serialized on Young Jump, 1993-present, 7
volumes @ Y500.
Another story revolving around a supernatural troubleshooter, Nachi
Takeru, whose powers are based on Shinto traditions. The pilot episode was
promising, but it rapidly went downhill.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okazaki Takeshi 岡崎武士
One of a loose grouping of friends that includes CLAMP and Hagiwara Kazushi.
Okazaki's art is strongly associated with the styles of those manga-kas, and
also Asamiya Kia. He was also probably a part-time assistant of CLAMP at one
stage. Okazaki has drawn numerous short stories and parodies (of SD Gundam,
Final Fantasy, Project A-ko, etc), but few of these have been republished.
------------------------
Explorer Woman Ray - serialized on Nora, 1988-9, 2 volumes @ Y500.
Derivative action-adventure stuff.
Lyrical Karen-chan かれんちゃん - published by Kadokawa Shoten, 1992,
Y680.
Karen is 175cm tall, too tall for her liking; and she cries easily.
Elementalors 精霊使い - currently serialized on Nora, 1990-present, 3
volumes @ Y800.
From the volume 1 blurb:
``In ancient times, minds and spirits dwelled in all the
materials on earth. At the end of a battle these minds dwelling
in matter conquered the hostile matter of the enemy and
mutiplied. Sacred wars gave birth to the elementalors. fierce
battles between the elementalors raged continuously in the
struggle to create a new utopia.
``Kagura is an elementalor reincarnated in the present! After a
billion nights, the battles of the elementalors have returned...
but only one can rule. Kagura's long, fiery trial is about to
begin. Now!!''
Koi 恋 - written by Okawa Nanase, South, 1993, Y580.
Okazaki remarked that he enjoyed drawing this manga because ``it is his
true story''. However, Okazaki and Okawa's (implied?) partnership did not
seem to last long past the publication of Koi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Otomo Katsuhiro 大友克洋
Otomo has also worked as an illustrator, TV commercial director, and character
designer. Anime credits include Genma Taisen 幻魔大戦, Koji Chushi Meirei
工事中止命令 (in Meikyu Monogatari 迷宮物語 [aka Manie Manie]) and
the title sequences of Robot Carnival.
Otomo's manga has been inspired right from the start by the work of the French
comic artist, Moebius (Jean Giraud). Currently, Otomo is believed to be working
on a movie based on Giraud's best-known work, La Garage Hermetique [The
Airtight Garage], featuring state-of-the-art computer animation.
Dozens of SF and fantasy manga-kas have been very heavily influenced by Otomo's
work - Aki Kyoma, Kinutani Yu, Oyama Akira 大山玲, Tony Takezaki, and
Sakaguchi Hisashi 坂口 尚 (the artist of Version, published by
Ushio Shuppansha, 1991-2, 3 volumes @ Y900), to name a few.
(born 1954, Miyagi, Miyagi-ken)
------------------------
Sayonara Nippon さよならにっぽん - serialized on Action, 1982, Y670.
The experiences of two Japanese people who move to the US; one a judo
teacher, the other a guitarist.
Kibun mo Senso 気分はも戦争 [aka Urge for War, Hard On] - serialized on
Action, 1982, Y830.
About three people involved in a fictional Sino-Soviet war. The work that
brought recognition to Otomo in Japan.
Domu 童夢 - serialized on Action, 1983, Y810.
In an apartment block, psychic battles rage between a little girl and
evil, senile old man. A classic Otomo work, it was the first ever manga to
win an SF literature prize.
Hansel and Gretel ハンゼルとグレーテル - published by Sony Magazines,
Y1600.
AKIRA アキラ - serialized on Young Magazine, 1982-90, 6 volumes @ Y1200,
anime comics 5 volumes @ Y690.
In 2023, the teenage delinquent Kaneda and his motorbike gang ride through
the streets of Neo-Tokyo. Kaneda's unstable friend, Tetsuo, is the subject
of a secret military experiment which continues the work of the Akira
project - a project which accidentally started WWIII years before.
Tetsuo's new psychic powers lead to the revival of Akira, and Akira
destroys Neo-Tokyo in a moment of fury. While Tetsuo carves an empire out
of the ensuing chaos, his enemies - Kaneda, other psychics, and the US
military - prepare to take him out. But Tetsuo's powers are increasing,
and his ability to control them is decreasing...
AKIRA achieved spectacular success in the West, due to the careful English
adaptation of the manga and the technically dazzling anime movie. However,
Japanese readers lost interest towards the end of the manga, and the final
volume (whose ending slightly expanded on the original) took nearly three
years to be published. In the meantime, the English version remained
stalled at issue #33 for a number of years, apparently due to petty
problems with the colorist. It has since resumed, but the translation
quality of these last issues is extremely inadequate. #37 was a "tribute
issue" by American artists. Some scenes were redrawn for the later issues
of the English version, also.
AKIRA Club - artbook published by Kodansha, 1995, Y3500.
Contains pictures from all AKIRA-related merchandise.
Kanojo no Omoide... 彼女の想いで… [aka Memories] - published by
Kodansha, 1990, Y980.
Includes the color Farewell to Weapons, Planet Tako, Fireball (in some
ways, the prototype for AKIRA), and other short mangas.
The Legend of Mother Sarah 沙流羅 art by Nagayasu Takumi
ながやす巧, - serialized on Young Magazine, 1990, 3 volumes @ Y1200.
The Earth is rendered uninhabitable by war, and the population flees to
orbiting space stations. Plans to make the Earth habitable again split the
survivors into opposing groups, and Sarah loses her children when there is
an exodus back to post-holocaust Earth. Each volume is the story of
Sarah's efforts to be reunited with her children. Nagayusu's art is always
technically impressive, but Otomo's story is cliched and dull.
World Apartment Horror ワールドアパートメントホラー art by Ima Satoshi
今敏, - serialized on Young Magazine, 1991, Y800.
Yakuza vs. ethnic apartment residents.
ZeD - art by Okada Tai 岡田鯛, serialized on Mr. Magazine, 1991, Y550.
The manufacturers of a hi-tech, fully-automated sickbed take an old man
away from his nurse, so that they can showcase their product; however, the
sickbed begins to run amok when they neglect the old man. An unusual and
thoughtful piece.
The manga is pretty scrappy, but the anime (known as Rojin Z is a nice
piece of work (for which Otomo only did the mecha designs). Character
designs were by Eguchi Hisashi 江口○史, who is known for Age and
Stop! Hibari-kun (published by Futabasha, 3 volumes @ Y1000). Otomo was a
contributor to the debut issue of Comic Cue 1994, Eguchi's "alternative"
yearly manga magazine.
Highway Star ハイウェスター artbook, - published by Futabasha, 1979.
KABA - artbook, published by Kodansha, 1989.
SOS Neo-Tokyo Exploration Party ＳＯＳ大東京探検隊 - published by
Kodansha, 1995.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ozaki Minami 尾崎南
Said to be the ``queen of dojinshi'', Ozaki Minami is one of the most eminent
shojo manga-kas of the 4th generation of shojo-manga. Her debut work was
Chuusei no akashi (Proof of loyalty), published in 1988 when she was only 20.
The following year, her work 3 Days was published in Margaret No.6. (Both of
these can be found in Zetsuai -1989- volume 5.) At the same year (1989), she
started Zetsuai -1989- and became very popular. She is now working on the
sequel, Bronze -Zetsuai since 1989-. In an interview, she said she had never
previously thought of being a manga-ka. She describes herself as a wilful,
negative, conservative, petty, gloomy, niggardly, nervous, forgetful,
untruthful, anxious, asking-for-trouble, self-destructive, boring person.
She drives a red Honda NSX. (She used to have a Black Toyota Supra.) Her
favourite colours are blood-red and black. She thinks no colour in the world
can compare to the beauty of the colour of blood. She likes eating fish, sweet
food and hot food. She likes the brands Dunhill, Armani and Chanel. In terms of
material things, she would like to own a Rolex watch, a Ferrari Testarossa, a
Porsche 959 and a Mercedes Benz 500 SL. In terms of jewellery, she likes
diamonds best. She likes thunder and lightning. She likes sakura, and white
roses in a big bunch (at least 30). Her blood type is O. She is 158cm tall.
She uses Zebra pens, normal ink and normal manga paper. For colour
illustration, she uses Special Black pen, Dr. Martin ink BB Kent paper and
Pantone screen tone. To draw colour work, the fastest she took was 3 hours. The
longest was 3 days; she averages 6 hours each.
(born 27 February 1968, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa prefecture)
------------------------
Zetsuai [Desperate Love]-1989- 絶愛－１９８９－ - serialized on Margaret,
1989-91, 5 volumes @ Y390.
Story about the intense love between popular idol singer, Nanjo Koji
(male), and soccer player, Izumi Takuto (male). Passionate but full of
despair, this manga has a very distinct style.
Bronze -Zetsuai since 1989- - serialized on Margaret, 1992, 7 volumes @ Y390.
The sequel/continuation of Zetsuai -1989-.
Bad Blood - published by Shuueisha, 1992, Y500.
Compilation of Zetsuai -1989- stories. Stories include Bad Trip, Bad
Blood, Bad Drug, Nanjo Koji Version, Zodiac. There are more details on how
Nanjo Koji first met Izumi Takuto, how he fell in love with him, and more
information about Nanjou's family members. Nice format and good art
quality of art. A must-buy for those who like Zetsuai -1989-!
Zodiac - artbook, published by Shuueisha, 1991, Y2000.
G O D - artbook, published by Shuueisha, 1992, Y1300.
NEO Egoism - artbook, published by Gakushu Kenkyusha, Y1200.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ozawa Satoru 小澤さとる
Active during the mid 60s to early 70s. He retired some time ago (possibly due
to illness). He has done some sports manga, but the ones that make him stand
out are:
------------------------
Submarine 707 サフマリン７０７ - serialized on Akita Shoten, 6 volumes @
Y1300.
Ao no 6-go 青の６号 - serialized on Akita Shoten, 3 volumes @ Y290.
Both of these are basically submarine combat manga. Drawing styles are
somewhat similar to Yokoyama Mitsuteru's later years. Excellent combat
sequences and drama. Multiple sub-combats (kind of unrealistic now I know
more about it, but it was great when I was a kid), funky looking subs,
interesting weapon systems.
He predates Matsumoto Leiji, who became synonymous with mech-battle manga
in 70s. Although Ozawa draws better looking humans though, neither manga
made it to TV. Perhaps some enterprising person will make an OAV. ``Better
than The Hunt for Red October!''
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saito Takao さいとう・たかを
Famous gekiga/action manga-ka, rising to fame in the '60s.
------------------------
Golgo 13 ゴルゴ１３ - published by Leed-sha, 197?-present, 94 volumes @
Y520.
This classic work is about a mysterious assassin with the codename Golgo
13 (derived from Golgotha, the hill on which Jesus Christ was crucified).
Golgo uses a sniper rifle to take out people of various non-Japanese races
(and often of international political importance). Each volume has
complete stories so you don't miss anything by not reading from #1--you
only get bits and pieces of Golgo's identity in each volume anyway. Sample
stories:
#70: Nightmare--kills an Argentine traitor from the British-Argentine
war Derby -- causes death of impure horse in 2,000 guinea derby, by
order of QE2's underlings.... Psychic Weapon-- kills Yuri Geller-like
person who defects to the Soviets and apparently causes telehypnosis
of nuclear-silo personnel
#78: Soviet spy satellite with atomic reactor falls near Golgo 13's
hideout in Montana so he must deal with all the spies who come to
fetch it; Soviet ballerina plans defection to West but KGB hires
Golgo to stop her; (2 more stories)
#81: stories about South Africa apartheid & heir to fortune of czar
left in Western bank accounts
#83: Ms. Florida's husband hires Golgo to prevent her from cheating
on him; Francois Mitterand hires him to take out Syrian spy; prevents
defection of Soviet journalist holding secrets about the Afghan
war....
#85: mafia stuff; prevents Israeli spy from getting executed in Iraq;
Hong Kong triad stuff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saruwatari Tetsuya 猿渡哲也
Billed as manga's ``standardbearer of violence'', featuring super-realistic
art; stories are often poorly-constructed excuses for his trademark scenes of
extreme violence. Saruwatari is a big fan of US and Hong Kong action films.
(born 1959)
------------------------
Riki-Oh 力王 - written by Takajo Masahiko 鷹匠政彦, serialized on
Business Jump, 1988-90, 12 volumes @ Y500.
In the late 1990s, society is descending into ecological collapse and
totalitarianism. Most jails are run by corporations. Saiga Rikioh, 21,
finds himself in jail after taking out a yakuza leader (who killed his
girlfriend) - but he has studied Chinese internal martial arts, taught to
him by one of Chiang Kai-shek's former bodyguards. Rikioh has a hexagram
scar on his left hand, and his brother Nachi has a swastika scar. They
were the selected offspring of experiments conducted on a Jewish enclave
of Manchuria (established by the Japanese in WWII). Anyway, the story goes
on for another 10 or so volumes, concluding at the South Pole, where
Rikioh fights his father in the battle of Armageddon.
Unquestionably Saruwatari's best manga, definitely a violence/action manga
classic, made into OAVs and a category III Hong Kong film, The Story of
Ricky (both terrible). The story is fairly mature and thought-provoking,
at least compared to other mangas in the genre. Takajo Masahiko, the
author, has written other strong martial arts-based mangas, Hong Lang
紅狼 and Lapis Lazuli 瑠璃, both on Young Sunday.
The Hard ザ・ハード - serialized on Business Jump, 1991-present, 14
volumes @ Y500.
M60-toting Kenji Hado, known as ``the Hard'', pays his divorce bills by
working in the US as a bounty hunter. Masseria, a ruthless and ambitious
mafia boss, targets his family - starting with the Hard's father-in-law, a
Don in the NY mafia. Hard's aim, while poor when sober, increases to 100%
hit probability when drunk! This is Saruwatari's best original work. The
short story N.Y. Dust, in volume 12 of Riki-Oh, was the prototype for The
Hard.
Dogsoldier ドッグソルジャー - serialized on Young Jump, 1987-91, 12
volumes @ Y500.
BAD POLICE - serialized on Shonen Champion, 1989, Y500.
DAN-GAN - written by Kaji Kengo 梶研吾, published by Studio Ship,
1986-88, 5 volumes @ Y510.
Ogon Taikaki 黄金太閤記 story by Izawa Motohiko 井沢元彦, -
published by Futabasha, 1988, 480.
Jungle King ジャングル・キング - serialized on Bears Club, 1993, Y500.
Damned ダムド - serialized on Young Jump, 1992-3, 3 volumes @ Y500.
SOUL, 1985, 4 volumes @ Y460.
Tsukai Abare Bun-ya 痛快あばれブン屋 - irregularly featured on Business
Jump Extra, 1992-present, Y500.
Gakko Tekken-den Tough 高校鉄拳伝タフ - currently serialized on Young
Jump, 1993-present, 7 volumes @ Y500.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shibata Masahiro ○田昌弘
------------------------
Kuradharma クラダルマ - currently serialized on Young King, 1990-present,
13 volumes @ Y500.
In short, it's 3x3 Eyes meets Urotsukidouji. But some "read it for its
exciting story, sophisticated artwork, and intriguing mysticism"...
Blue Sonnet ブルーソネット - serialized on Hana to Yume, 19 volumes @
Y370.
Blue Sonnet is highly recommended to anyone who loves great art, action
(and violence), SF and complex plots. In a way, Blue Sonnet is one of the
ultimate psychic action mangas.
Sledge スレッジ - published by Hakusensha, 1990, 2 volumes @ Y490.
Burst バースト - published by Taitosha, 1991, Y680.
Psychic Traveller サイキック・トラベラー - serialized on Hana to Yume,
1990, Y390.
Missing Islands [?] ミッシングアイランス - serialized on Hana to Yume,
1989, Y370.
Feather Touch Operation フェザータッチオペレーション - serialized on
Wings, 2 volumes @ Y480.
Harrier ハリアー - serialized on Hana to Yume, 1988, Y360.
Death Trap デス・トラップ - published by Taitosha, 1992, Y800.
Anaesthesia Shrine 魔睡宮 - published by Asahi Sonorama, 1993, Y800.
Izuna イズナ - published by Akita Shoten, 1993, Y390.
Red Fang 紅い牙 - published by Hakusensha, 8 wide-ban volumes @ Y980.
Love Synchroid ラブシンクロイド - currently serialized on Comic Burger, 5
wide-ban volumes @ Y700.
Meikai Shingyo Levi Door 冥界人形レヴィ・ドール - serialized on Wings,
1990, Y490.
Feathertouch Operation フェザータッチ・オペレーション - published by
Scholar, 1994, 2 volumes @ Y750.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shirato Sampei 白土三平
Famous author of classic ninja mangas.
(born 15 Feb 1932, debut 1957)
------------------------
Ninja Bugeicho 如罇武芸帳 - published by Shogakukan, 1959-62, 17 volumes.
Ninja Bugeicho Kagemaru-den 忍○武芸帳影丸伝 - published by Shogakukan,
1993, 8 volumes @ Y1200.
Kamui-den カムイ伝 - published by Shogakukan, 1964-71, 21 volumes @ Y500.
The story of a young boy growing up to become a ninja. His life of
training ends when he realizes that he doesn't want to be a ninja and
decides to become a nukenin (outlaw ninja), someone who is not affiliated
with an organization and is hunted for leaving the clan.
Kamui Gai-den カムイ外伝 - published by Shogakukan, 1982-7, 12 volumes @
Y400.
The continuing story of Kamui after he leaves the ninja clan.
Sasuke サスケ - published by Shogakukan, 1961-7, 2 volumes @ Y1010.
Sasuke is the story of a ninja child that starts right after the battle of
Sekigahara where Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes shogun of Japan. Sarutobi Sasuke
(Jump Like Monkey Sasuke) was a famous ninja in the employ of Sanada
Daisuke who fought for the losing side against Ieyasu. He was believed to
have committed suicide when he was trapped in a castle, but the story
takes off that he really escaped and that Sarutobi is not a name of a
ninja but a whole ninja clan.
Watari ワタリ - published by Kodansha, 1965, 5 volumes @ Y580.
This story was about a ninja war, where the things they did were much more
superhuman. It was made into a live action movie many years ago.
Kogarashi Kushi, 1957.
Kaze no Ishinoru, 1960.
La pesca, 1967.
Bacchus, 1976.
Kamui Gai-den 2 カムイ伝第２部 - written by Okamoto Tetsuji
岡本鉄二, published by Shogakukan, 1988-91, 8 volumes @ Y500.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shimizu Reiko 清水玲子
The first runner up of Puff magazine's New Artist Award in 1985. Her debut
manga was Sansaro monogatari 三叉路.
------------------------
Moon Child 月の子 - published by Hakusensha, 1989-93, 13 volumes @ Y390.
Story about 3 children, the offspring of a mermaid and a human. After they
were born, they were grew up on another planet and they returned to the
Earth in 1985. One of them lost memory in an accident. They also found out
what happened to their clan, and had to save the Earth and the mermaids.
Tenshitachi no shinkaron 天使たちの進化論 - published by Hakusensha,
1991, Y390.
About a sexless robot, Alan, who won't die, won't grow old, and of course
will never be able to reproduce. But it has superior intelligence and
physical power, and also can communicate with animals. Alan suffers a lot
because it lives with human, but it realises it can never live like a
human.
22XX - published by Hakusensha, 1994, Y390.
About a robot, Jack, who appears frequently in Shimizu's SF stories. He's
a robot with very human-like psyche. He once believed that he was human
and he can even consume food, unlike many of the other robots of those
times. While performing bounty-hunting duties on a strange planet, he has
a flashback to the time he believes he was human...
ARIA - published by Hakusensha, Y1550.
Ryu no nemeru hoshi 竜の眠る星 - serialized on Hana to Yume, 1986-8, 5
volumes @ Y360.
Papillon パピヨン - published by Hakusensha, 1994, Y390.
Yume no tsudzuki 夢のつづき - published by Hakusensha, 1989, Y390.
Kaguyahime 輝夜姫 - currently published by Hakusensha, 1994, 5 volumes @
Y390.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shinohara Chie ○原千絵
Aoi no fuuin 蒼の封印 - published by Shogakukan, 1992-4, 11 volumes @
Y390.
This is a pursuit and discovery story, similar in flavor to Mai the
Psychic Girl. The heroine is actually an oni-queen, though she doesn't
believe it until volume 2. She gets energy by drainng it from other
people, which I guess makes her something of a vampire. One of her
pursuers becomes her protector. A friend of mine with no Japanese is
picking it up for the artwork and visual story telling. [RMC]
Umi no yami, Tsuki no kage 海の闇・月の影 - published by Shogakukan,
1986-91, 18 volumes @ Y390.
Ryoko no Shinreijikenbo 陵子の心霊事件簿 - published by Shogakukan,
1988-91, 4 volumes @ Y390.
Sanninme ga kieta ３人目が消えた - published by Shogakukan, 1992, Y390.
Yami no Purple Eye 闇のパープル・アイ - published by Shogakukan, 12
volumes @ Y370.
Nani kaga yami de miteiru なにかが闇で見ている - published by Shogakukan,
Y370.
Houmonsha wa mayaju ni 訪問○は真夜 - published by Shogakukan, Y370.
Mokugekisha ni kyonara 目撃○にきょうなら - published by Shogakukan,
Y370.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shirow Masamune 士郎正宗
Formerly a high school art teacher, Shirow (a pseudonym) started out drawing
Black Magic M66 for a dojinshi anthology. He turned pro in 1985, after the
first volume of Appleseed was well-received. He worked on the Black Magic M66
anime and hired an assistant, but Shirow found both arrangements unworkable and
he settled down as a solo manga-ka. In 1990, Seishinsha launched Comic Gaia to
showcase Shirow's work. It featured many Shirow-like artists, but it folded in
mid-1993. His current manga projects are shared between at least three
different publishers.
Shirow's library includes magazines (he subscribes to a couple of dozen
titles), books on biotechnology, military technology, mythology, cars, and
artbooks; about half of these are imported. Apart from his work, his hobbies
include window shopping and watching TV with friends. Shirow has expressed
dissatisfaction with most popular Japanese SF anime and manga, although he
cites Miyazaki, Otomo and filmmaker Terry Gilliam as important influences.
(born 23 November 1961, debut 1982)
See also: Randall Wood's Shirow homepage
<http://www.acs.appstate.edu:80/~rw6946/Shirow/>
------------------------
Black Magic M66 ブラックマジック - published by Seishinsha, 1986, Y880.
Black Magic M66 E-conte ブラックマジックＭ６６絵コンテ Seishinsha, 1986,
Y1240.
Dominion ドミニオン - published by Hakusensha, 1987, 2 volumes @ Y900.
Sometime in the future, both crime and pollution proliferate in the
cities. Leona is a member of the Tank Police, and loves her tank Napoleon
over all else. Pitted against the Tank Police is the master criminal
Buaku, and his cat-girl assistants.
Dominion Conflict-shuu #1: No More Noise! ドミニオン
コンフリクト編第１話 - published by Seishinsha, 1995, 2 volumes @ Y900.
New instalments of Dominion were published just before Shirow's magazine
Comic Gaia folded in 1993. Buaku is on the loose again, and the Puma
sisters join the Tank Police.
Appleseed アップルシ―ド - published by Seishinsha, 1988-present, 5
volumes @ Y880.
As the earth recovers from nuclear war, the utopian city of Olympus
emerges as a powerful force. Controlled by a central computer called Gaia,
and sparsely populated by synthetic humanoids called ``bioroids'', even
utopia turns out to have its problems. Appleseed is the story of Deunan
Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires, former outsiders who are now key members
of Olympus' E-SWAT team.
Appleseed Databook アップルシ―ド・デ―タブック - published by
Seishinsha, 1990, Y880.
Includes a timeline, organisations of Olympus, character details, mecha
designs, sketches, a substantial short story, and other bits and pieces.
Comic Gaia-ban Appleseed Soushuuhen: Shirow Masamune Hypernauts
コミックガイア版アップルシ―ド総集編 士郎正宗ハイパ―ノーツ -
published by Seishinsha, 1995.
(?)
Kokaku Kidotai 攻殻機動隊 [The Ghost in the Shell] - irregularly featured
on Young Magazine Kaizokuban, 1991-present, 1 volumes @ Y1000.
Set in the near future, where information networks and direct neural
interfaces are revolutionizing society. But the divisions of nations and
races remain, and keeping the peace is the ``Shell'' mobile strike force.
Major Kusanagi Motoko is an officer of the Shell's 9th division; she has a
full cyborg body, which houses her living brain. Together with team leader
Aramaki and fellow part-cyborg Bato, the 9th division takes on the
terrorists of the information age.
For the tankoubon, Shirow drew 36 additional color pages, many of which
are "fade-ins" and "fade-outs" to the black and white pages. The plot is
more or less episodic, with less of the twisting intrigue that
characterises Appleseed, though there is a lot of difficult
mecha/cyberpunk jargon. A second volume is planned; one new instalment was
published in Young Magazine Weekly #26, 1992, with slightly revised
character designs. An anime is also planned for release in late 1995.
Illustrations to publicise the anime were published in the February 1995
issue of Young Magazine Kaizokuban.
Senjutsu Chokokaku Orion 仙術超攻殻オリオン Seishinsha, 1991, Y950.
In the Yamata People's Empire, powerful technology is based solely on
consciousness. Dr. Snake-eye has devised a `dharmaquation', which will
release Kuturyu, a 9-headed dragon, to devour the planet's bad karma.
However, the `dharmaquation' is incomplete, and by chance, the stellar
navigator Seska becomes its 10th, evil component. The `dharmaquation' has
already begun to manifest and Seska's father, Fuzen, desperately summons
the destructive god Susa-no-Oo to counter it...
While Orion is essentially a comedy manga, it contains some interesting
ideas, incorporating elements from Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu and Shinto
mythology. It can be enjoyed at face value, although many concepts will
remain opaque to Western readers.
Intron Depot イントロンデポ artbook - published by Seishinsha, 1992,
Y2400.
Includes all Shirow's color illustrations from 1981 to 1991. There is an
extensive bilingual Japanese/English commentary. A sequel is not being
planned (but is probably inevitable).
Exon Depot エックソンデポ Seishinsha, 1992.
A very short (no more than 20 pages) color manga, which remained
unfinished with the demise of Comic Gaia.
Neuro Hard ニューロハード - irregularly featured on Comic Dragon,
1993-1995.
Subtitled Hachi no Wakusei 蜂の惑星 [Planet of the Bee]. (Shirow has
a keen interest in bees and wasps.) Not a manga, but a complete
illustrated specification for an imaginary universe, listing
personalities, politics, races, technology, locations, and much more. An
interesting experiment, described by Shirow as ``e-conte''. Shirow fans in
the West will enjoy the few pictures that are there, although they make no
sense at all without following the highly dense, jargony, kanji-dependent
text. Not enough instalments have been published to make up a tankoubon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sonoda Ken'ichi 園田健一
A prominent dojinshi artist who rose to fame as the character designer for OAVs
such as Bubblegum Crisis, Burn Up, Gall Force, and Riding Bean. He's also done
character designs for a Super Famicom strip-mahjong game.
See also: World of Mega Tokyo <http://server.cs.jhu.edu/~vincie/megatokyo.html>
------------------------
Sonoda Ken'ichi Early Works Compilation Fuse Box
園田健一初期作品集「Ｆｕｓｅ ＢＯＸ」 - published by Byakuya Shobo,
1990, Y980.
A collection of Sonoda stories, with nothing really outstanding.
Sonoda Ken'ichi Comic Selection 園田健一コミックセレクション - published
by Bandai, 1991, Y1500.
Gun Smith Cats - currently serialized on Afternoon, 6 volumes @ Y500.
It's got decent action and story, but not outstanding comparing with
others doing shoot-em-up-action-suspense mangas. This is like saying A.C.
Green is an average NBA player; he can still kick butt playing street
ball. Japan's got a lot of them, and not all of them well fed, I'm afraid.
Garden Party - artbook, published by Bandai, 1992.
Includes BGC, lots of Gall Force, Riding Bean, GSC, Otaku no Video, an
interview, and annoated illustrations.
Mechanical Operation メカニカルオペレーション published 1992.
A Samurai Pizza Cats dojinshi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Takada Yuzo 高田裕三
------------------------
Suposhon Kids スポーションＫＩＤｓ - written by Yakuma\&MAT, serialized
on Young Magazine, 1988, 2 volumes @ Y480.
Takada was apparently asked to include violent sex scenes; he joked that
he didn't mind.
Everyday is Sunday 毎日が日曜日 - published by Futabasha 1988-9, 2
volumes @ Y480, anime comics Y850.
About policewoman Takashita Yumi, who when necessary can muster great
strength, and a carefree stage magician, Ichidaiji Toru, who has nothing
to do other than walking around (he is waiting for the World Master
Magician to re-accept him as an apprentice). In each story, the magician
tries to explain a little bit about the tricks used in stage magic.
Toritsuki-kun トリツキくん - published by Take Shobo, 1991, Y560.
A mah-jong manga, of no interest to those not familiar with Japanese
mah-jong rules.
Ban'no bunka Neko Musume 万能文化猫娘 [The All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl,
aka Super Cat Girl Nukunuku] - published by Futabasha, 1993, Y2000.
Yusaku is the top engineer for Mishima Heavy Industries, the company run
by his wife, Akiko. Yusaku believes that Akiko is no longer capable of
looking after his son Ryunosuke, and runs away with him. Akiko sends her
minions after him, and a cat is badly injured in the chase. Yusaku puts
the cat's brain in his powerful prototype android, which becomes
Ryunosuke's `big sis', Nukunuku! She helps to defend Yusaku and Ryunosuke
from Akiko and her increasingly outlandish mecha.
Nukunuku was running in a magazine that folded shortly after the manga
started, and the story wasn't long enough for one volume. After the
successful OAVs were made, the character designer, Moriyama Yuji
もりやまゆうじ, finished off the manga so that a tankoubon could be
published.
See also: Super Catgirl Nuku Nuku homepage
<http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/edmonds/anime/nuku.html>
Sazan Eyes [3x3 Eyes] - currently serialized on Young Magazine, 1987-present,
20 volumes @ Y500, anime comics 4 wide-ban volumes @ Y790.
Yakumo, a reasonably ordinary high school student, one day runs into Pai,
a strange girl bearing a letter from his dead father. Pai is believed to
be the last of the Sanjiyan Unkara, a 3-eyed race with the ability to
grant immortality. Yakumo soon finds himself on the verge of death, but
Pai saves him by making him her `Wu', a soulless, unkillable being. Pai
wants to be human, and there are ways it can be done; Yakumo thinks it
would be a nice to have his soul back, too.
So the quest begins, ranging across many countries, Pai's mind and the
ancient land of the Sanjiyans. Fair slices of action, humor, intrigue, H,
and solid art and storytelling - it belatedly won Kodansha's 1993 best
shonen/seinen manga award, more on the strength of the first few volumes
than anything churned out in recent years. The quality of 3x3 degenerated
visibly after around volume 11, when Takada began work on other major
projects such as Blue Seed and the Nukunuku anime.
Aien Kien 合縁寄縁 - artbook, published by Kodansha, 1993, Y1950.
This book's got a lot of colored Sazan Eyes illustrations, plus material
from the days when he was a real green horn, and some CD jackets he has
done for various Gundam-related merchandise. The last several pages of the
book contains indexes and explanations of the illustrations much the same
way Intron Depot contains Shirow's commentary, in both English and
Japanese.
Aokushimitama Blue Seed 碧奇魂ＢＬＵＥＳＥＥＤ - currently serialized on
Comic Gamma (Take Shobo), 1992-present, 3 volumes @ Y800, anime comics 5
volumes @ Y780.
Ancient gods return to Earth. Much like early 3x3 Eyes in terms of form
and content. There is a TV anime, based on the manga, which was the basis
for the ``film comic''.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Takahashi Rumiko 高橋留美子
------------------------
Urusei Yatsura うる星やつら [aka Lum] - serialized on Shonen Sunday
1979-85, 34 volumes @ Y390, 15 wide-ban volumes @ Y680.
Ataru Moroboshi, the unluckiest boy in the world, is randomly selected as
Earth's champion to defeat an alien in a contest with the world at stake.
A complete lecher, he agrees when he finds the contest is tag and the
quarry is the beautiful alien princess Lum. After many humiliating misses
(no one told him Lum could fly), his long-suffering, unnaturally-strong
"girlfriend" Shinobu promises to marry him if he wins. He does, and
declares that he will be married, which the aliens take as a proposal. So
he ends up engaged to a jealous alien every boy desires, while chasing
every other girl in town, not to mention the galaxy.
The title is a pun. "Urusei" means "noisy/obnoxious" and "yatsura" is
slang for "people". But Takahashi wrote "sei" as "star", so that "Urusei"
could be read as "planet Uru". Thus, the title means both "Noisy people"
and "Uru-planet people".
See also: Urusei Yatsura homepage
<http://www.coe.uncc.edu/~tecardwe/uy.html>
Maison Ikkoku めぞん一刻 - serialized on Big Comics Spirits, 1987, 15
volumes @ Y500, 10 wide-ban volumes @ Y1100.
A romantic comedy/drama about the residents of an old boarding house,
centering on the relationship between Godai, a perennial ronin, and Kyoko,
the widowed manager who hasn't let go of her late husband.
See also: Maison Ikkoku homepage
<http://www.math.ufl.edu/~smg/maison.html>
Mermaid Series - 2 volumes, both Y1200, serialized on Shonen Sunday: Mermaid's
Forest, 1989; and Mermaid's Scar 人魚の傷, 1993.
The story of Youta, a 500 year old "young man", and Mana, a 17 year-old
girl. After eating mermaid flesh, they both became immortal. (At least two
new stories have been published since the second compilation.) stories
Rumick World るーみっくわーるど - published by Shogakukan, 1990, 3
volumes @ Y710.
The OAVs from this series include: Firetripper, about a girl who
experiences a timewarp after an explosion; Warau Hyouteki [Laughing
Target]; and The Supergirl.
Ranma Nibunnoichi らんま1/2 - irregularly featured on Shonen Sunday, 1987,
35 volumes @ Y390.
Saotome Ranma is a martial artist whose training in China left him with a
curse: he transforms into female when splashed with cold water, and back
to male when splashed with hot. Other characters are similarly cursed
(turning into pandas, cats, etc). He is engaged to Akane, the youngest of
three daughters, and lives in her father's dojo (which he is supposed to
inherit). The romance between Ranma and Akane has shades of Maison Ikkoku,
but it's played primarily for laughs, and there are many parodies of
martial arts fiction cliches. A volume of Ranma 1/2 anime comics is
available: Eiga Ranma Nibunnoichi: Chomusabetsu kessen! Ranma Team vs.
Densetsu no Hoo
映画だらんま１／２超無差別決戦！乱馬チームＶＳ伝説の鳳凰 - published
by Shogakukan, 1994, Y800.
See also:
o Ranma 1/2 Expanded homepage
<http://www.coe.uncc.edu/~tecardwe/ranma.html>
o Ranma 1/2 People & Places List
<http://www.princeton.edu/~qpliu/ranma_ppt.html>
One Pound Gospel １ポンドの福音 - irregularly featured on Young Sunday,
1989-present, 2 volumes @ Y500.
A light drama about a nun and a boxer. (It remains unfinished yet - four
episodes have been printed on Young Sunday since volume 2, though they
haven't been compiled into a tankoubon yet.)
Takahashi Rumiko Masterpiece Collection: P's Tragedy
高橋留琵子傑作集Ｐの悲劇 - published by Shogakukan, 1994, Y980.
Contains most of Takahashi's recent short stories; the rest appear in 1 or
W. The stories included are:
1. P no higeki [P's tragedy]
Dad begs Mom to nurse a _real penguin, his company's mascot, for a
few days, despite the "no pets allowed" rule enforced by the stern
kanrinin (janitor) of their apartment building, who doesn't seem to
like pets at all..
2. Roman no akindo [Romantic merchant]
A love/proposal/wedding affair, held in an old house, involving two
"old" and "young" couples, whose protagonists somehow look like elder
Akane and Ranma, quarelling all the time..
3. POI no ke [Home of rubbish]
A housewife keeps trashing her husband's souvenir items from his
trips all around the world, bothering another family by putting them
day after day at the wrong "trash" spot right in front of the other
family's yard..
4. Hachi no naka [Inside the pot]
A housewife goes nuts when she realizes that the plants her neighbor
gave her to water are planted into flowerpots made of.. human bones
?? Might they be her neighbor's mom's, who just passed away ???
5. Hyaku nen no koi [A hundred years' love]
An old lady dies in a hospital but suddently comes to life again,
with unexpected ESP powers, to make things go smoothly between a boy
and his girlfriend, the nurse in charge of the old lady, in memory of
the old lady's own love who killed himself before her eyes, long
ago..
6. L size no shiawase [The happiness of large size]
When the mother-in-law of her husband comes to live among them, a
housewife realizes in horror that she's the only one to see a very
tall ghost spirit, named "zashikiwarashi", who is supposed to look
after households. Effectively, he will eventually prevent them from
making a big mistake in the purchase of their new house.. [PJ]
1 or W - published by Shogakukan, 1995, Y1100.
A compilation of 9 short stories (most dating from before 1990). The title
story is about a lazy kendo boy, a girl manager of the kendo club who
drowned and became a ghost, and an eccentric kendo teacher who has been
drowned and intercepted her body. Other stories include Slim Kannon and
Invitation to Takarazuka.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Takeuchi Naoko 武内直子
In September 1986, Takeuchi Naoko won Kodansha's 2nd New Manga Artist award
with Love Call, published in Nakayoshi Deluxe. It was in 1991 that she decided
to do something different for the seasonal Run-Run (billed as Nakayoshi's
younger sister magazine). Takeuchi had an interest in live-action heroes and
decided to create a masked girl who wore a variation of the Japanese
schoolgirl's uniform, the serafuku セ―ラ―服 (sailor suit).
She called her ``Sailor V'' and she debuted in August 1991. This story became
popular, and TV Asahi approached her, but wanted to have a team. She created a
new lead, Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon debuted in the February 1992 Nakayoshi,
winning the 17th Kodansha Manga Award in 1993. The TV anime came out March 6th
1992. Sailor V joins the team as Sailor Venus, but Takeuchi still writes new
Sailor V material for Run-Run.
Takeuchi has said that she most admires manga-kas who draw for weekly shonen
magazines, and that she relieves stress by driving around in "Poru-poru-kun"...
(born 15 March 1967, Yamanashi prefecture)
------------------------
Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon 美少女戦士セーラームーン [aka Pretty Soldier
Sailor Moon] - currently serialized on Nakayoshi, 1992-present, 13 volumes @
Y390, anime comics 13+ volumes @ Y600.
Tsukino Usagi learned from Luna, a myterious black cat, that she can
transform into Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon teams up with Sailor Mercury,
Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, and they search for the
Princess of the Moon, Serenity, and fight for love and justice against
Queen Beryl, their enemy.
Part 2: From Neo-Tokyo comes Chibi Usagi, the future daughter of Usagi and
Mamoru, and she came to Earth to ask for Usagi's help to fight against
Wiseman, who wiped out Neo-Tokyo.
Part 3: The very cool Sailor Uranus, the very elegant Sailor Neptune and
the very beautiful Sailor Pluto turn up! This manga has excellent art,
very interesting story, is fun and easy to read, and has good sense of
humour and style. Strongly recommended.
See also:
o We Love SailorMoon!
<http://tahiti11.far2.cc.kanagawa-u.ac.jp/~ys360260/Sailor/Sailor.html>
o Sailor Moon homepage <http://www.tcp.com/doi/smoon/smoon.html>
Codename wa Sailor V コードネームはセーラービー - serialized on Run Run
1991-present, 2 volumes @ Y390.
The prototype of Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon. Sailor V explains the first
encounter of Minako and Artemis, which had not been explained in the
Sailor Moon manga. Now, Codename wa Sailor V regularly appears in Run-Run.
Chocolate Christmas チョコレート・クリスマス - published by Kodansha,
1988, Y370.
Maria ま・り・あ - published by Kodansha, 1990, Y390.
The Cherry Project Ｔｈｅチェリ―・プロジェクト - published by Kodansha,
1991, Y390.
Miss Rain ミス・レイン - published by Kodansha, 1993, Y390.
Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Utsukushii Kaguya Hime Densetsu
美少女戦士セーラームーンＳ－美しきかぐや姫伝説－ - published by Kodansha,
1994.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tanaka Masasi 田中政志
Tanaka Masasi's manga is almost completely dialogue-free, but his dark,
detailed line art - no screentone whatsoever, just pen, ink and crosshatching -
tells the whole story. His work is characterised by over-the-top action and a
black sense of humour.
(born 10 July 1962, Gotsu, Shimane prefecture)
------------------------
Flash フラッシ - serialized on Morning, 1986-90, 3 volumes @ Y750.
Flash is a bandit from the wild west, a man of few words who comes out of
extraordinary situations with the money and the girl, every time. The
first volume seems like a bit of an experiment, but Tanaka has his
technique well and truly sorted out by the third volume. The final story
is The Junior, where Flash raises a baby dinosaur as his sidekick. (The
dinosaur later spins off into his own manga, Gon.)
Unidentified Prince Object U.P.O. 未確認プリンス物体 - serialized on
Morning, 1990, Y720.
A prince singlemindedly pursues his princess, ploughing through Nazis,
demons and medieval battlefields in the process. Not much plot here, but
pretty amusing.
Gon ゴン - serialized on Morning, 1992, 3 volumes @ Y530.
A baby dinosaur, Gon, causes havoc throughout the animal kingdom. There's
no dialogue at all; just about anyone should be able to pick this up and
enjoy it.
Samurai Daiboken 侍大冒険 - serialized on Afternoon, 1991, Y800.
Boken Victoria-go 冒険ヴィクトリア号 - serialized on Morning, 1988, Y700.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Takemiya Keiko 竹宮恵子
------------------------
Tenma no Ketsuzoku 竹宮恵子 - currently serialized on Asuka, 1992, 10
volumes @ Y390.
This is a steppe nomad / fantasy story. Combat is both ninja and massed
battle, but the swirling horse combat is done better than in Arslaan
Senki. Magic is mostly psychic illusions and premonitions, though there is
a "spirit plane" where strange things happen and strong psychics meet.
This is a really nice historical novel, and the author has actually
researched her subject. I can compare the armor to some of my historical
books and say "yup, that's Persian, around 1450" or "that's Uighur". Many
of the details are really similar to the "Secret History of the Mongols",
one of the primary sources for the steppes. The story itself is shojo,
revolving around a young woman who is the "ki" ("spirit"?) of the tribe,
her romantic interest in the chief, her "milk brother"'s feelings toward
her, and the negotiations required to forge the alliance between the
tribes to create a steppe nation. A top-notch example of how beautiful
open and airy shojo pages can be, with a story that's not a high school
girl with love pangs.
Terra E... 地球へ - published by Kadokawa Shoten, 3 volumes @ Y700.
A classic, though the anime is reportedly "terrible".
Kaze to Ki no Uta 風と木の詩 - published by Chuokoronsha, 4 wide-ban
volumes @ Y1400.
"People blame Takemiya for starting a genre of homosexuality. But I think
Kaze to Ki no Uta is different from any other "bishonen" mangas. The
author of Pataliro is certainly influenced by Takemiya's work. When I
finished reading Kaze to Ki no Uta, I couldn't stop crying...it's really
good." [HHs]
------------------------
Other important works:
Izuaron Densetsu イズァロ―ン伝説 - published by Shogakukan, 6 wide-ban
volumes @ Y780.
Pharaoh no haka ファラオの墓 - published by Kadokawa Shoten, 4 wide-ban
volumes @ Y700.
Watashi o tsuki tsuretette! 私を月まで連れてって！ - published by
Kadokawa Shoten, 4 volumes @ Y680.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Takezaki トニーたけざき
(a pseudonym)
A graduate of an Osaka design school, Takezaki is a versatile manga-ka with a
gross sense of humor. Major artistic influences include Otomo and Umezu Kazuo
(there are also many homages/parodies of their work in his manga). Takezaki
used to draw doujinshi based on Sonoda's work, and got his big break when he
was comissioned to do the AD POLICE mangas. Takezaki also contributed to volume
2 of the Ariel manga anthologies.
(born 15 July, 1963)
------------------------
AD POLICE 25:00 - published by Bandai, 1990, Y880.
AD POLICE Ultimate City ＡＤ・ＰＯＬＩＣＥ終焉都市 - published by Bandai,
1990, Y880.
Various stories inspired by the AD Police anime; there's some serious
stories, and some extremely flippant ones. Unravelling brains, Leon in
Osaka, perverted boomers, it's all there. 25:00 reads left to right, is
bilingual (English/Japanese, with a wild English translation), and even
has a hilarious Western-style `comic'. The anime bears little resemblance
to the manga.
See also: AD Police homepage <http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/adp.html>
Dr. Kishiwada's Scientific Affection 岸和田博士の科学的愛情 - currently
serialized on Afternoon, 1991, 6 volumes @ Y530.
The hero is Dr. Kishiwada, a brilliant but demented scientist, who creates
bizarre mechs, battles the forces of evil, or just mucks about. There are
many parodies of B-grade SF movies and TV. Crazy, slick and very funny.
Genocyber ジェノサイバー - serialized on Comic Self, 1992, Y780.
Bio-weapons on the loose. Perfunctory, run-of-the mill story cranked out
as raw material for the anime industry.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terasawa Buichi 寺沢武一
(A former Tezuka disciple?)
------------------------
Goku Midnight Eye ゴクウ - serialized on Comic Burger, 1988-92, 4 volumes
@ Y500.
Goku's name comes from Seiyuki (q.v.). He's a private detective, with a
cyborg eye tied to the world's computer networks, and an expanding
explosive staff. Sexist, stupid and now looking pretty dated, but still
readable.
Kimi mo Mac de Manga ga Kakeru 君もMacで漫画が描ける (aka Den'no
Manga jutsu 電脳漫画術?) - published by Scholar, 1994, Y1500.
How to use computers (Macintoshes) to create and color manga.
Cobra コブラ - published by Shuueisha, 12 volumes @ Y1000.
COBRA [CG version, no kana in title] - published by Shuueisha, 1995, Y1500.
Cobra Girls - Terasawa Buichi Illust-kessakushu 寺沢武一イラスト傑作集 -
published by Shuueisha, 12 volumes @ Y1000.
Kabuto - published by Shuueisha, 1988, 2 volumes @ Y850.
Takeru - serialized on Comic Burger, 1993, Y1500.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tezuka Osamu ○塚○虫
Often referred to as ``manga no kami-sama'' (``the god of manga''), [Image]
whose importance to the world of manga cannot be overstated. Tezuka's
first manga appeared when he was 20, while he was studying at university. He
continued his studies and went on to become a qualified doctor; in the
meantime, he kept drawing manga, borrowing ideas from many sources and pushing
the medium forward. His innovation paid off, inspiring his contemporaries and
catalysing the growth of today's vast manga industry. (Tezuka's personal
contribution eventually amounted to over 150,000 pages.) Today, time has not
diminished the impact of Tezuka's mangas, which are characteristically
intelligent, mature and expertly told. His death was justifiably regarded as a
national tragedy. Just prior to his death, some Japanese journalists suggested
that he should be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Only the most recent editions of Tezuka's mangas are listed here. Older
printings can probably be obtained more cheaply.
(born 3 November 1926, Osaka - 9 February 1989)
------------------------
Tetsuwan Atom 鉄腕アトム [aka Astroboy, Mighty Atom] - published by
Kodansha, 18 volumes @ Y570.
Originally about a 100000hp robot in shape of a boy. Made into a
phenomenally successful TV series in the early '60s, and remade into
another TV series in the '80s. It even ran in newspapers for a while.
Jungle Emperor ジャングル大帝 [aka Kimba the White Lion] - published by
Kodansha, 3 volumes @ Y520.
Story of Leo the white lion. Achieved blockbuster success as a TV series,
first Jungle Taitei, then Shin-Jungle Taitei and Shin-Jungle Taitei,
Susume Leo. The TV serialization basically lost all the drama of the
original, though.
An article in the July 13, 1994 LA Times pointed out that there were many
uncanny similarities between this manga and Disney's movie, The Lion King.
Common elements include the basic story, the talkative bird, the wise old
baboon, the evil hyenas, some names (Kimba/Simba, Claw/Scar), and a scene
where clouds form the shape of the main character's dead father. It is
also rumoured that the opening sequence to Kimba was printed and pinned up
on the wall of some of Disney's studios while The Lion King was being
animated, and that Simba was originally going to be white. Matsutani
Takayuki, the president of Tezuka Productions Co., holder of the Jungle
Taitei copyrights, said Tezuka would have been pleased by any borrowing,
but considered The Lion King to be ``Disney's original work''. However,
dozens of anime and manga personalities (eg. Satonaka Machiko) signed a
letter of protest to Disney. Disney has declined to comment or disclaimed
all knowledge through `anonymous employees'.
See also: Tezuka's Jungle King and Disney's Lion King
<http://bronze.ucs.indiana.edu:80/~tanaka/Tezuka_Disney/Tezuka_Disney.html>
W3 ワンダースリー - serialized on Kodansha, 3 volumes @ Y570.
Story of 3 intergalactic agents sent to earth to investigate whether the
Earth should be destroyed to save the galaxy from its barbaric ways. They
disguise themselves as a rabbit (Colonel Bokko), a duck (Lieutenant Pukko)
and a horse (Sergeant Nokko).
Big X - published by Kodansha, 4 volumes @ Y570.
The story of an heir to the secret formula of the Nazi V4 project and his
struggle against a Neo-Nazi organization. (Apparently, current reprints
don't contain all the original stories.)
Vampire バンパイヤ - published by Kodansha, 3 volumes @ Y570.
Contrary to what the title suggests, it's actually about Werewolves and
werebeings. Heavily features Tezuka's two regular characters: Manabe
Rokuro (Rock) and Hige Oyaji. The TV series had both live action and cel
animation.
Dororo どろろ - published by Kodansha, 4 volumes @ Y570.
An unborn child's body is promised to a hundred monsters in exchange for
power by a 16th century noble. The child grows up and start killing off
the monsters to regain his missing body-parts (he is heavily
prosthesized). Dororo is a hanger-on child of a brigand.
A Knight with Ribbons リボンの騎士 - published by Kodansha, 3 volumes @
Y570.
One of the few Tezuka shojo-manga. The story is about this princess who
has to pretend she is a man to prevent succession problems.
Microid S ミクロイドＳ - published by Kodansha.
Small sized humanoids with insect wings attempt to destroy humans. (Or
something like that.)
Triton of the Seas 続のトリトン - published by Kodansha, 4 volumes @
Y570.
The manga wasn't all that popular, but the TV version became phenomenally
popular, especially among teenage female anime fans. The last of the
Triton tribe fights against the Poseidon tribe.
Ambassador Magma マグマ大使 - published by Kodansha, 3 volumes @ Y?.
Another short Tezuka series. This was made into a TV live action monster
series (kind of like Ultraman) and was pretty popular.
Hi no Tori 火の鳥 [Firebird] - published by Kodansha, 1977-80, 13 volumes
@ Y600.
Tezuka's most profound and ambitious work, dealing with man's quest for
immortality, ranging from the distant past to the far future. It remains
unfinished.
Black Jack ブラック・ジァック - serialized on Shonen Champion, 12 volumes
@ Y1000.
Medical Manga. Black Jack is an illegal but talented surgeon. He is in
conflict with the conservative medical establishment, for using radical
and supernatural techniques to combat rare afflictions. One of Tezuka's
most outstanding titles, whose basic premise has been extensively copied.
Adolf ni Tsugu アドルフに告は [Aufruf an Adolf!, I announce to Adolf] -
published by Bunshun Bunko, 1992, 5 volumes @ Y500.
``This is a story about three men named Adolf. Although each led different
lives, they were tied to one another by a single string called destiny.
Now that the last Adolf has died, I would like leave this story to our
sons. My name is Sohei Toge..... the main supporting role and narrator of
this story....''
Some netters have given this a `6 out of 5' rating. ``It has one of the
most compelling plots in the history of manga. It is Tezuka's masterpiece,
and one I'd recommend to anyone... provided they have a translation to go
with it... If you can understand Japanese and have the money, just go out
get this... It's worth it.''
Crime and Punishment 罪と罰英語版 - translated by Frederik Schodt,
published by the Japan Times, Y1030.
An adaptation of Dostoevsky's classic work. The Japan Times edition is in
English, with Japanese footnotes; the intended audience is Japanese, but
as a language learning tool, it should be just as useful to Westerners.
Nanairo Inko 七色いんこ - published by Akita Shoten, 5 volumes @ Y500.>
Kuuki no Soko 空気の底 - published by Akita Shoten, Y1000.>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tagami Yoshihisa たがみよしひさ
(debuted 1978)
------------------------
Nervous Breakdown - currently serialized on Nora, 1990-present, 10 volumes @
Y520.
Ando, weak but sharp-minded, forms a detective company with him as the
president. His office has five people, including a former police detective
in his 50s; Miwa (airheaded but strong); and another very rich woman, who
loves Ando (like Miwa). Mostly, they are short stories, with the only
continuity being the women fighting over Ando. All the characters are
drawn superdeformed, but it doesn't suffer for it. It is funny in places,
but despite the SD, the stories are serious.
Pepper - published by Akita Shoten, 1991, Y1800. A western, set in the US.
Horonichi 滅日 - serialized on Shonen Captain, 1987, 5 volumes @ Y380.
Waga ga na wa Okami 我が名は狼 - published by Akita Shoten, 1987, 2
volumes @ Y1000.
Fighter ファイター - published by Hakusensha, 1990-1, 4 volumes @ Y490.
Karuizawa Syndrome 軽井沢シンドローム - published by Shogakukan, 1990-1,
5 volumes @ Y780.
Yokaisenki 妖怪戦記 - serialized on Shonen Captain, 1994, 2 volumes @
Y530.
Fedaain フェダーイン - serialized on Shonen Captain, 1994, Y520.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Togashi Yoshihiro 冨樫義博
------------------------
Yu Yu Hakusho 幽★遊★白書 [aka Astral Visit Report, The Poltergeist
Report] - serialized on Shonen Jump, 1991-4, 19 volumes @ Y390, gekijo version
Y690.
The worst kind of bad boy, Urameshi Yusuke, died when he accidentally
saved a child. But his death was so unpredictable that even Enma, the
judge of the dead, can't decide whether he must go heaven or hell. He goes
on a quest to decide his destiny. An enormously popular occult/comedy
manga, which became an enormously popular dragged-on fighting manga under
typical Shonen Jump pressures.
Ten de Seiaku Cupid てんで性悪キューピッド - published by Shueisha, 1990,
3 volumes @ Y500.
Okami nante kowaikunai!! 狼なんて怖くない!! - published by Shuueisha,
1989, Y370.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toriyama Akira 鳥山 明
His manga, full of goofy characters and generally aimed at children, have been
wildly successful. Toriyama has worked on two anime in 1990 (one was Pink). In
addition, he has has done graphic design work for video games such as Toruneko
no Daiboken, Chrono Trigger and most notably Dragon Quest, which was later
animated. A Dragon Quest manga based on the game appeared (currently serialized
on Shonen Jump, written by Sanjou Riku 三条 陸 and drawn by Inada
Koji 稲田浩司, 1990-present, 23 volumes @ Y390); Toriyama has nothing to
do with it.
See also: Dragon Quest homepage <http://cent1.lancs.ac.uk/TB/dragon_quest.html>
------------------------
Dr. Slump ドクタースランプ - serialized on Shonen Jump, 1980, 18 volumes
@ Y360.
A series of strange stories (sometimes building on each other) about a
silly mad inventor, and his young-girl robot, Arare. Non-stop puns, toilet
humor, and sex jokes. It was wildly popular in Japan, and brought him into
prominence. The decision to animate Dr. Slump was taken 5 weeks after the
manga started, setting a new record.
A manga called Dr. Slump Arare-chan Ｄｒスランプアラレちゃん
(published by Shuueisha, 1993, Y690) has since been released, and a color
serialization is currently running on Virtual Jump.
Sakugekijo 作劇場 - serialized on Shonen Jump, 1983, 2 volumes @ Y360.
A work that came out after Dr. Slump had started, but before Dragon Ball.
Shows exactly the same kind of twisted bathroom humor as Dr.Slump, but
with some of the combat sequences that appeared later in Dragon Ball. Has
many of the same character designs, but with a slightly different
storyline.
Dragon Ball - serialized on Shonen Jump, 1985-1995, 42 volumes @ Y390.
An RPG arcade game-style series with Son Goku searching out the location
of the seven powerful Dragon Balls. When they are brought together, the
balls will grant the possessor one wish. Lots of toilet and sexual humor,
and later on, loads of action. Very silly, but addictive, and lots of fun.
``Hey, I know this sounds odd, but Toriyama Akira should be
given credit for his unique artwork and designs... and the story
is pretty good if you just read the first three volumes or so...
(actually, it ain't that bad until you get past vol.12 or
somewhere around there.)''
``I actually liked it more after it got more serious. It seemed
too much like Dr Slump in the beginning - I liked Dr Slump, but
I was expecting something more different. One thing I love about
DB is watching Gokuu grow up and I actually liked that `enemy
character even stronger than the last' thing. I think though,
that Toriyama should have ended it after the Freeza battle. I
mean, Freeza was the strongest in the universe and Gokuu beat
him. (Vegeeta was supposed to be the strongest when he first
appeared but I kinda figure that was just his ego talking) After
that, what can you do? The cyborgs and Sel (Cel?) are a real
letdown after Freeza.''
Toriyama abruptly ended it in Shonen Jump #25, 1995, just as a new
tournament was about to begin. In a situation which could have been a
straight replay of Togashi Yoshihiro's Yu Yu Hakusho ending, Toriayama
humbly explained to readers that he'd had enough and he couldn't take it
any more.
Toriyama Akira's Awkward Manga Laboratory 鳥山明の○○っぴ漫画研究 -
published by Shuueisha.
A "how to draw manga" instruction book - will be of little use to those
not enamoured with Toriyama's style.
Toriyama Akira Marusaku gekijo 鳥山明○作劇場 - published by Shuueisha,
1983, 2 volumes @ Y360.
Dabu and Peter One - serialized on Virtual Jump, 1992.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U-jin 遊人
U-jin (a psuedonym) can be translated as `Play Person'.
A controversial, well-known H artist, with a ``wide artistic envelope'' and a
distinctive style. ``A very brilliant sicko, he has an uncanny ability to make
very cute characters do very sick things.'' Apart from his manga work, he has
done character design for anime and computer games.
(born 15 June 1959)
------------------------
Angel currently - published by Cybele Shuppan, 1993-present, 7 volumes @ Y500.
Due the general backlash against pornographic manga that began around
1991, Angel was pulled off the shelves for a while. However, it has since
been reprinted, completely unaltered, with the addition of random dot
stereograms, and two new volumes have been released in addition to the
five - serialized on Young Sunday.
Juliet - serialized on Young Sunday, 1992, 3 volumes @ Y500.
U-jin Brand 遊人ブランド - published by Studio Ship, 1991, 6 volumes @
Y500.
Frogman フロッグマン - published by Leed-sha, 1993, 3 volumes @ Y500.
Walking On ウォーキングオン - serialized on Morning, 1992, 2 volumes @
Y480.
Nankyoku 28-go 南極２８号 - published by Scholar, 1994, 530.
Visionary ヴィジョナリー - published by Cybele Shuppan, 1994, 10 volumes
@ Y580.
U-June 遊ジェンヌ - published by Shufu Tomosha Hatsubai
○婦の友○発売, 1994, Y2800.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urasawa Naoki 浦沢直○
Urasawa does not have the most versatile character design ability, but he has a
great mastery of comic expression and serious tension-building.
(born 2 January 1960)
------------------------
Pineapple Army パイナップルＡＲＭＹ - written by Kudou Kazuya
工藤かずや, published by Shogakukan, 1986-8, 10 volumes @ Y460.
An ex-military man trains others to defend themselves, on the condition
that he never gets involved himself. But he always does, anyway. The
stories always have a nice twist to the plot, are well-written, and have
great artwork.
YAWARA! - serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1987-93, 29 volumes @ Y500.
Judo romance comedy. About a judo-champion girl who wants to have fun just
like other girls, and her strict grandfather who wants her to triumph in
Judo tournaments.
See also: Yawara Manga Summaries
<http://www.tcp.com/doi/yawara/yawara.html>
Master Keaton ＭＡＳＴＥＲ キートン - written by Katsuhika Hokusei
浦沢直○, serialized on Big Comic Original, 1992, 18 volumes @ Y500.
The main character is this guy who's half Japanese, half English. He's a
lecturer at a university, and is an archaeologist... but then again, he
works as an operative/detective for Lloyds of London. He used to be in the
SAS and is a veteran of the Falklands War, and was one of the members of
the Iran Embassy incident... it's Indiana Jones + Pineapple Army + some
other things rolled together. If you liked Pineapple Army, you'd like it.
Urasawa Naoki Tampenshu NASA 浦沢○○短編集 ＮＡＳＡ - published by
Shogakukan, 1988, Y480.
Urasawa Naoki Tampenshu Jigoro! 浦沢○○短編集 ＪＩＧＯＲＯ� -
published by Shogakukan, 1994, Y500.
Happy! - published by Shogakukan, 1994, 7 volumes @ Y500.
Monster - published by Shogakukan, 1995, 2 volumes @ Y500.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Umezu Kazuo 楳図かずお
A famous manga-ka who has influenced the entire horror manga genre.
------------------------
14 １４歳 - serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1991-1995, 20 volumes @
Y500.
In the near future, the world is bleak and heavily industrialised. One
day, a scientist finds that a lump of chicken meat (in an experimental
vat) is becoming sentient. The lump eventually grows into Chicken George,
who seeks revenge on humanity for their mistreatment of animals. But he
falls in love with a human girl.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wada Shinji 和田慎二
An old-style action manga-ka. His main characters are women, and he draws for a
shojo audience.
------------------------
Sukeban Deka スケバン刑事 - serialized on Hana to Yume, 21 volumes @
Y350.
Mainly about an agent named Asamiya Saki fighting various evil
organizations. Her main weapon (and trademark) is a yo-yo. The one OVA is
supposed to be more closely tied to the original premise.
Mystery Thief Amaririsu 怪盗アマリリス - currently serialized on Hana to
Yume, 1991, 13 volumes @ Y390.
Amaririsu is a super thief, whose real name is Shizaki Nana (a high school
student). Nana wears a wig in her non-thief identity. She can disguise
herself, is extremely athletic, highly skilled, and a determination to
always end up on top. The stories are about her life and adventures. Her
mother is Shizaki Yukino, a retired thief who went by the title Kaito
Narushisu. Another character named Sugar is an inventor/technician/helper
who makes sure Nana has the equipment she needs to succeed. In volume 3,
there is a change in direction of the story (which is spoofed by the
artist/author in the title frames), in which Nana gets a job as an idol
singer with the title Flower Dream Nana (she has a trick wand too).
------------------------
Other important works:
Pygmalion ピグマリオ - published by Hana to Yume, 1990, 27 volumes @
Y390.
Asagi iro no Densetsu あさぎ色の伝説 - published by Hana to Yume, 1990, 4
volumes @ Y390.
Supergirl Asuka: Kyuseishu no chi 超少女明日香 救世○の血 -
serialized on Hana to Yume, 2 volumes @ Y390.
Kami ni sei muketa otoko 向けた男 - written by Hamada Shoko
浜田翔子, currently published by Hakusensha, 5 volumes @ Y490.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yamamoto Naoki 山本直き
(aka. Moriyama Tou 森山塔, Touyama Mori 塔山 森;
born 1 February 1960, Hokkaido; blood type AB)
Debuted in 1984 using the alias "Moriyama Tou", and began his career as a
lolicom specialist. In 1986 he started to use his real name, and debuted in Big
Comic Spirits with Happa 64. He also spent time as character designer for some
of the Cream Lemon episodes.
Generally when using the name "Moriyama" or "Touyama", his works are considered
H. But when he used his real name Yamamoto, the works are considered adult
oriented. Despite its sexual and violent content, Yamamoto's manga actually
presents a very strong viewpoint on social issues. The sex and violence are
merely disguises.
His favorite character is Suzuki Ichirou (from Arigato), the Suzuki clan's
loving father who does everything right but winds up as a victim.
When Yamamoto draws manga, he uses a Quadra 700 computer, a Agfa Arcus scanner,
a Unity Lazermaster 1200XLJ, and an Apple 21" monitor. Yamamoto's hobby is
music. He plays the guitar.
------------------------
Yoiko no Seikyouiku よい子の性教育 - published by France Shoin?, Y800.
Various tales of high school sex, mostly rapes. Shocking.
Pengin H ペンギンＨ - published by Fujimi Shuppan, 1986, Y800.
A libertine artist couple and their adventure. Here, sex and art-literate
lives all mix together...interesting point of view on Bohemian lifestyle.
Blue ブルー - published by Yukitachisha, 1991, Y1200.
(Once the subject of a ban.)
Happa 64 はっぱ６４ - published by Shogakukan, 1986?, 3 volumes @ Y1000.
Gomen ne B-Boy ごめんねＢボーイ - serialized on Comic Burger, 1988, Y480.
Assate Dance あさってＤａｎｃｅ - serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1990,
7 volumes @ Y980.
Young & Fine - seriazlied on Action, 1992, Y750.
The story about a strange relationship between an immoral high school
student and his alcoholic female teacher who has a dark past. Depressing
view of life.
Bokura ha minna iki teiru 僕らはみんな生きている - written by Isshiki
Noboyuki? 一色伸幸, serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1993, 4 volumes @
Y500.
Yume de aimashou 夢で逢いましょう - published by Koubunsha, 1993, Y800.
Kamoshida-kun - fight! かもしだ君・ファイト！ - published by France
Shoin, 1993, Y450.
Koke Dish こけディッシュ - published by Shogakukan, 1994, Y500.
Manatsu no omoide 夏の思い出 - currently published by Shogakukan, 1994,
Y1000.
Kyoku metekamoshida 極めてかもしだ - currently published by Shogakukan,
1992, 5 volumes @ Y450.
Arigatou ありがとう - currently published by Shogakukan, 1994, 3 volumes
@ Y500.
A depressing story about how a Japanese family's family life goes wrong:
an immoral protagonist, her sister who was gang raped before, her
alcoholic mother who later devoted her life into a cult, and her father
(Suzuki Ichirou) who lost flavor with his Kaisha....full of sexual content
and highly violent. Yamamoto uses sex and violence to disguise the social
issues (traditional family values, Japanese education system and Japanese
political system) he criticizes. An eye opener and highly recommended.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yano Kentaro 矢野健太郎
------------------------
Network Warrior ネットワーク戦士 - serialized on Comic Nora, 1991, Y550.
If Usenet had a manga, this would be it. The stories within the story are
loosely connected by common characters, the heroes, and the mysterious
"D". Network Warrior is like Tron meets Vagrant, and unlike the latter,
this story actually makes sense. Not a spectacular piece by itself, but it
makes it makes a nice warm-up for the other Yano Kentaro titles.
Jashin Densetsu [Elder Gods Legend series] ○神殿説シリーズ> - currently
serialized on Comic Nora, 1992-present, 5 volumes @ Y520.
The stories in this series are very loosely connected. There are no
regular characters except the four Demon Gods, which probably weren't
Yano's creation anyway (the man is obviously heavily inspired by H.P.
Lovecraft). This is not a drawback, however, as the lack of regulars gives
the author the freedom to create/kill-off his characters, and thus a real
sense of danger for them. One of the short stories, Dark Mermaid, stands
out as a particular masterpiece. The rest of the stories are no less
interesting either. There are occasions, however, when a plot twist seems
artificial just to achieve convenient dramatic effects. Yano also employs
a liberal amount of female nudities during important scenes - just so to
keep your attention on the page, although explicit sex never occured in
this manga. Given the kind of people who read Comic Nora, however, these
tactics are useful and often necessary. Yano seems to possess a lot of
creativity, even though he seems to have trouble focusing it. Coherent or
not, Yano's stories can still be very involving. This is another series I
would recommend manga lovers to look into. (Titles: Lamia, Dark Mermaid,
Last Creator, Confusion, Re Verse).
Onigariju 鬼○獣 - serialized on Business Jump, 1988-90, 2 volumes @
Y600.
Top wo Nerae! Next Generation トップをねらえ！ネクスト・ジェネレ―ション
- published by Bandai, Y980.
Neko ja nai mon! ネコじゃないもん！ - published by Shueisha, 1991-92, 11
volumes @ Y800.
Arbe Z - published by Rapport, 1992, Y500.
Yano Kentaro Sakuhinshu Oma-ju 矢野健太郎作品集 オマージュ -
published by Rapport, 1992, Y500.
Injudicacies インジュカーシス - serialized on Rapport, 1994, 3 volumes @
Y500.
Bust shot バストショット - serialized on Akita Shoten, 1994, 3 volumes @
Y500.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yasunaga Koichiro 安永航一郎
Yasunaga was the pioneer of some now-abused comedic devices, such as the
inappropriate use of nigori 濁り (voiced consonant marks that look like
backward apostrophes).
------------------------
Kenritsu chikyu boeigun 県立地球防衛軍 [Prefectural Earth Defence Force]
- serialized on Shonen Sunday Monthly, 1984, 4 volumes @ Y350, out of print.
Hysterical, nonsensical farce about three highschool students defending
their neighbourhood from Chirusonia, the ultimate incompetent bad guy. An
OVA was wade; the manga is at least as funny, if not funnier, and it's
longer.
Kyonyu Hunter 巨乳ハンター [D-Cup Hunter] - serialized on Shonen Sunday
Monthly, 1990, 2 volumes @ Y500.
The heroine's boyfriend says, ``I just can't love a girl with small
breasts!'', dumps her, and she snaps. She then goes around disguised as
the ``Kyonyuu Hunter'' (stuffing her bra for the role), collecting
breast-prints of women who use their large breasts for evil purposes.
Incredibly stupid, pretty funny. The two volumes are labeled `left side'
and `right side'.
Rikugun Nakano Yobiko 陸軍中野予備校 [Nakano Army Prep School] -
serialized on Shonen Sunday Monthly, 1986-present, 6 volumes @ Y360.
It's a lot like Boeigun in its characters and concept. Boeigun is a lot
wilder and funnier, though.
Kaitei Jinrui Anchovy 海底人類アンチョビー - currently serialized on
Shonen Sunday Monthly, 1993-present, 4 volumes @ Y500.
The story of Denka, a 14-year old boy who wakes up one morning to discover
webbing between his fingers, and gills on his neck. His father then tells
him that Denka was given to him by the princess of the sea, for safe
keeping until the day came when the boy was to return to the ocean. Well,
today is the day, and Denka (human name is Aramaki, a kind of rice
cracker,) is forcibly kicked out of the house to face the world on his
own. He teams up with a rather dense merman whose job it is to teach Denka
how to behave as a sea-kingdom prince, and has to face the wrath of
Okiamisu (the merwoman currently running the sea-kingdom of Anchovi,) and
her henchmen (including one dense guy named Eel.) In later chapters, Denka
returns to school, and everyone there has to put up with the continued
attacks launched by Okiamisu. Near the end of the book, Denka learns how
to disguise his merman features, and the story then turns into a normal
high school sit-com which pits him against a very ardent, but incompetent
female ninja. [CH]
Ganjo Ningen Spartacus 頑丈人間スパルタカス - currently serialized on
Shonen Captain, 1994-present, 3 volumes @ Y520.
About the ultimate in physical perfection, one girl's mission to gain a
`Gold jacket' (ascension by beating the owner up!) Very funny, and a big
improvement over Anchovy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yokoyama Mitsuteru 横山光輝
A prolific writer in the 60's, and a contemporary of Tezuka. His early works
are visibly inferior to Tezuka's works of the time, though he did improve a
lot. Over the years, Yokoyama has authored dozens of titles; only a few are
listed here.
------------------------
Tetsujin #28 鉄人２８号 - published by Akita Shoten, 10 volumes @ Y380.
A popular series about the same time as Tetsuwan Atom (early 60s).
Decidedly inferior drawing. Still, the pioneer of the controllable giant
robot class. Made into a B\&W TV series, and later spawned off a remake/
continuation TV series. Black Ox rules! This manga decidedly made Yokoyama
into a big name.
Iga no Kagemaru 伊賀の影丸 - published by Akita Shoten, 15 volumes @
Y380.
One of the original ninja series, with slightly better art than its
competitors. Unlike Shirato Sampei's stuff, this series is definitely
manga-like rather than gekiga-like. The story is basically about a group
of ninjas who are in the shogun's employ, and they fight other ninjas who
are working for rebellious factions.
Kamen no ninja Akakage 仮面の忍○赤影 - published by Akita Shoten, 3
volumes @ Y380.
This manga marks an improvement Yokoyama's drawing ability. Similar
generic theme to the above, except the Akakage (red shadow) was a
hida-ninja and worked for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Most of the stories are of
multiple member ninja groups fighting each other (and most of them die).
Made into a live action TV series around the same time (kind of stupid
with lots of monsters, but I liked it). Remade into an anime in the late
'80s.
Giant Robo
Protracted series that was finished before it got interesting. Basically
an espionage story concerning the BF group who made 3 giant robots GR1, 2
and 3 which were supposed to be unbeatable in land, water, air
respectively. They lose GR1 and story gets complex after that. Made into a
silly live action TV series Susume Gianto Robo, and recently remade into
an OAV with a more original story and characters.
Babel ni-Sei バビル２世 - published by Akita Shoten, 11 volumes @ Y380.
This went on forever! Describes the battle between Yomi and Babel ni-sei,
the latter being a student plucked from his home and trained to be the
master of the tower of babylon (Babel no toh). Featuring lots of
paranormal powers, this highly influential manga was the precursor of
titles such as Locke the Superman.
The name is 101 その名は１０１ - published by Akita Shoten, 3 volumes @
Y1200.
A young boy breaks into a research lab and destroys some samples. It turns
out that he is a powerful esper. A secret organization had somehow
obtained some of his blood. The blood sample was labeled "From test
subject #101." Hence the title of the manga. His blood, when injected into
other people, will cause the manifestation of psychic powers. The boy
finds out about this and destroys the blood samples, but is too late.
There have been already many psychics created, and they are evil. It's him
against the organization.
Sangokushi 三国志 - published by Ushioshuppansha, 1970s-1988, 60 volumes
@ Y370, 41 wide-ban volumes @ Y480.
A fairly straightforward retelling of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
epic. There is an accompanying encyclopedia, Sangokushi Jiten
三国志事典 (Ushioshuppansha, Y500). There are numerous manga
versions of this epic; Yokoyama's is but one of them.
Koha to Ryuho 項羽と劉邦 - published by Ushioshuppansha, 1990, 15 volumes
@ Y390.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yuki Masami ゆうきまさみ
Before appearing on Shonen Sunday with {Kyukyoku Chojin R, he was known as an
anime-parody manga artist. He is a well-known Tomino otaku and most of his
parodies were on Gundam and other Tomino works.
------------------------
Assemble Insert アッセンフル・インサート - published by OUTC, Y620.
A truly inspired parody of the super-powered crime fighter genre. Most of
the character designs are caricatures, with a noticible absence of noses.
Full of in-jokes, and constant references to itself as anime. The hero is
a 14 (or so) year-old girl with super strength, who has been enlisted by
the police force to entertain the populace while they wreak havoc fighting
the ``Demon Seed'' crime organization.
The Ultimate Superman R 究極超人あ～る - published by Shonen Sunday, 9
volumes @ Y370, 4 wide-ban volumes @ Y680.
Yuki Masami's first major work. Due to the high content of in-jokes, this
manga might be hard to understand, but for those who have grown up with
manga, anime and live-action stuff, this is a manga that you won't want to
miss.
Kido Keisatsu Patlabor 機動警察パトレイバ― [Mobile Police Patlabor] -
serialized on Shonen Sunday, 1988-94, 22 volumes @ Y390, 3 wide volumes @ Y700.
With the rapidly accelerating development of hyper-technology, a
humanoid-like machine known as the ``labor'' is being used in every field
of industry. However, it has created the new social menace of labor crime.
In order to curb such crimes, the Metropolitan Police Department has
established a special department, the `Special Vehicle Section No.2'. It
consists of a company of patrol labors - the ``Patlabors''.
Compared to the anime, the manga version focuses more on character
development, and the jokes are more subtle. The manga also deals with many
social, political and enviromental issues in depth. There are several good
artbooks available (eg. Patlabor Layout-shu
機動警察パトレイバ―・レイアウト集, - published by Kadokawa Shoten,
1994, Y1400).
See also: Patlabor homepage
<http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/pappasnw/anime/patlabor.html>
Magical Lucy マジカル・ルシィ - published by Rapport, Y500.
Parody World ぱろでぃわぁるど - published by OUTC, Y670.
Yamatotakeru no Boken ヤマトタケルの冒険 - published by OUTC, Y670.
Yuki Masami Shoki Kessaku Tampenshu 初期傑作短編集 - published by
Shogakukan, 1994, Y390.
Jajama Grooming Up! じゃじゃ馬グルーミン★ＵＰ！ - published by
Shogakukan, 1995, 4 volumes @ Y390.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributors
Generally, contributions were in the form of articles posted to the net, or
emailed specifically for inclusion in this guide. They were mostly edited,
researched and expanded by the v2.0-v6.0 editor, Iain Sinclair.
Due to the haphazard growth of the Manga Guide, it has been difficult to match
names with individual contributions. This accreditation is still incomplete,
unfortunately. However, all people who are known to have contributed in some
way are listed below. The authors and titles they discussed are also given,
where possible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil Asato (nas...@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu)
Aro
----------------------------------------
Satoshi "beluga" Amagai (MV...@CORNELLA.cit.cornell.edu)
Ozawa, Tezuka, Yokoyama
----------------------------------------
Tony Chen (toc...@mtu.edu)
Asagiri Yu
----------------------------------------
Mark Chilenskas (Chil...@Bachman.com)
Manabe, Aoi no Fuin
----------------------------------------
David Chiu
Asamiya, Aien Kien
----------------------------------------
Mark Chilenskas (r...@wang.com)
Manabe, Tenma no Ketsuzoku, Shinohara Chie
----------------------------------------
Enrique Conty (jes...@ihlpl.att.com)
Miyazaki
----------------------------------------
Hitoshi Doi 土井仁志 (d...@jrd.dec.com)
Adachi, Hoshisato Mochiru, Takeuchi, Fujishima
----------------------------------------
Michael Edwards (mich...@wapiko.apana.org.au)
Itsuki Natsumi
----------------------------------------
Jim Elliott (elli...@spot.colorado.edu)
Asari (all)
----------------------------------------
Peter Evans (pe...@gol.com)
Okazaki, Tagami Yoshihisa, Yasunaga
----------------------------------------
Gene Fornario (ge...@netcom.com)
Nagai Go
----------------------------------------
Larry Greenfield
----------------------------------------
Hiroshi "Heretic" Haga 芳賀大志 (hh...@andrew.cmu.edu)
(several bits of info about various titles and artists)
----------------------------------------
Hiromi Hasegawa (hase...@cheshire.oxy.edu)
Kaze to Ki no Uta
----------------------------------------
Scott Henry (sco...@sgi.com)
Sesame Street
----------------------------------------
Titus Heng-Hsueh Hsu (h...@ecf.toronto.edu)
----------------------------------------
Vince B. "keke" Ho (h...@sfsu.edu)
Yamamoto Naoki
----------------------------------------
Curtis Hoffman (curr...@pnet51.orb.mn.org)
Monkey Punch, Urasawa, Yasunaga, Yuki Masami
----------------------------------------
Dan Hollis (goe...@venice.mps.ohio-state.edu)
----------------------------------------
Pascal Janin (p-c...@akane.swb.de)
Takahashi Rumiko Masterpiece Collection: P's Tragedy
----------------------------------------
Jason Juta (cj...@daisy.ee.und.ac.za)
Xenon
----------------------------------------
Tomoko Kimura (t-ki...@sdl.hitachi.co.jp)
Night Head
----------------------------------------
Lesfeena "Yuki" Lee (lh...@sdcc13.ucsd.edu)
Koga Yun (many reviews)
----------------------------------------
Pei Lee
----------------------------------------
Larry Mann (lrm...@uci.edu)
Manabe
----------------------------------------
Theresa Martin (thma...@romulus.rutgers.edu)
Urusei Yatsura
----------------------------------------
David Mou (ph11...@violet.berkeley.edu)
Asamiya, Hagiwara, Kitagawa, Kusunoki, Kuradharma, Ghost in the Shell,
U-jin, Yano Kentaro
----------------------------------------
Albert H. Nakano (be...@wagner.cbs.umn.edu)
Nagai Go, Shirato Sampei, Wada Shinji
----------------------------------------
Miho Nishida (vr...@cs2.cs.oki.co.jp)
22XX, Asagiri
----------------------------------------
Steve "Starbuck" Pearl (star...@raven.cybercom.com)
----------------------------------------
Alvaro Pons (ART...@vm.ci.uv.es)
Ikegami
----------------------------------------
Henry Robertson (rob...@cs.pitt.edu)
Saitou Takao, Maruo Suehiro (short stories)
----------------------------------------
Chris Swett (7273...@CompuServe.COM)
----------------------------------------
Gavin Steyn (st...@ll.mit.edu)
----------------------------------------
Kenichiro Tanaka (kt...@andrew.cmu.edu)
Asari
----------------------------------------
Tsuyoshi Yamashiki (t_ya...@hoffman.cc.sophia.ac.jp)
Egawa, Kinutani, Shirow
----------------------------------------
Tomoko Kimura (t-ki...@sdl.hitachi.co.jp)
Night Head
----------------------------------------
Richard Vermaas rich...@htsa.aha.nl
CLAMP
----------------------------------------
Alexander Wong (aw...@emerald.tufts.edu)
(various)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following people made especially significant contributions, reviewing the
guide in its entirety, offering corrections and comments:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chih-Ping Kuo (k...@seattleu.edu)
(original maintainer of the Manga Guide)
----------------------------------------
Patrick Yip (?)
(author of the Usenet Manga Mags list, prototype of the Manga Guide)
----------------------------------------
Cynthia Ma 馬 思敏 (cyn...@wapiko.apana.org.au)
Adachi, Asagiri, CLAMP, Itsuki Natsumi, Kakinouchi, Kishiro Yukito (bio),
Kusunoki, Nasu Yukie, Narita Minako, Nekobe Neko, Ozaki Minami (all)
----------------------------------------
Y. Kitajima (ki...@cad.gatech.edu)
Kikuchi + many others
----------------------------------------
Tonghyun "TK" Kim 金 東《火玄》 (tk...@sdcc3.ucsd.edu)
Aki Kyouma, Asamiya, CLAMP, Hiramatsu, Hirano, Maki Kouji, Ogino, Shibata,
Yuki Masami + many others
----------------------------------------
Kunio "kunedog" Muto 武藤邦雄 (s924...@cs0.sfc.keio.ac.jp)
Hirokane (all), Wingman, Kawaguchi + many others
----------------------------------------
Ryo "W2/JH1CUV" Shiroma 城間 良 (RSHI...@drew.drew.edu)
----------------------------------------
Iain Sinclair (axo...@socs.uts.edu.au)
Araki, Hagiwara, Inoue Noriyoshi, Iwaaki, Nagano Noriko, Otomo,
Saruwatari, Neuro Hard, Tanaka Masasi, Takezaki
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