Naoki Urasawa

Naoki Urasawa (Japanese: 浦沢 直樹, Hepburn: Urasawa Naoki, born January 2, 1960) is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his career has created two series simultaneously. Urasawa has been called one of the artists that changed the history of manga, and has received the Shogakukan Manga Award three times, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize twice, and the Kodansha Manga Award once. By 2016, his various works had over 126 million copies in circulation.[1]

Naoki Urasawa
Naoki Urasawa at the 2012 Japan Expo, Paris
BornNaoki Urasawa
浦沢 直樹
(1960-01-02) January 2, 1960
Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan
OccupationManga artist, musician, TV and radio presenter
NationalityJapanese
EducationMeisei University
SubjectSeinen manga
Notable works20th Century Boys
Monster
Pluto
Yawara!
Notable awardsShogakukan Manga Award (1989, 2000, 2002)
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (1999, 2005)
Years active1981–present

Urasawa's first major work was illustrating the action series Pineapple Army (1985–1988), which was written by Kazuya Kudo. The first serial that he wrote and illustrated himself, and his first major success, was the sports manga Yawara! (1986–1993). He then illustrated the adventure series Master Keaton (1988–1994), which was written by Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki, and created the sports manga Happy! (1993–1999). The thriller Monster (1994–2001) was his first to receive international acclaim and success, which continued with the science fiction mystery 20th Century Boys (1999–2006). Following the acclaimed Pluto (2003–2009), which is a re-imagining of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka, one of his biggest influences, he created the mystery series Billy Bat (2008–2016). After two short series, a sequel to Master Keaton and Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams, Urasawa began his currently ongoing Renzoku Manga Shōsetsu Asadora! in 2018.

Early life

Urasawa cited Osamu Tezuka as one of his heroes, being particularly fond of his manga Phoenix.[2] "The Greatest Robot on Earth" and "The Artificial Sun" arcs of Tezuka's Astro Boy were his first experiences with manga at four or five years old.[3] Around that same age is when he started to draw manga, and at eight he created his first complete story.[4] Even at a young age, Urasawa saw the gulf between his work and that of a "real manga artist." He said that he could also identify manga that was "commercialized" and made just for the money, something he did not want to do. Thus he never thought of becoming a professional manga artist, and graduated from Meisei University with a degree in economics.[4]

Career

When Urasawa visited Shogakukan to apply for a business job, he decided to bring some manga he had drawn out of curiosity.[5] An editor from Weekly Shōnen Sunday did not give him the time of day, but the head editor of Big Comic Original happened to walk by and felt the work was better suited for Big Comic Spirits, and took Urasawa to their editorial department. He ended up submitting manga for their 1982 New Manga Artist Award, which his unpublished work "Return" won. It was only then that he thought about becoming a professional manga artist.[5]

After working as an assistant, Urasawa made his professional debut in 1983 with "Beta!" before creating the short serialized work Dancing Policeman the following year. He began his first major serialized work, Pineapple Army, in 1985 in the semimonthly Big Comic Original. He was the illustrator of the series, while Kazuya Kudo was its writer. It ended in 1988 and was collected into eight tankōbon volumes. While working on Pineapple Army, Urasawa began Yawara! in the weekly Big Comic Spirits in 1986 which he wrote and illustrated himself. It earned him the 1989 Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category.[6] That same year it was adapted into a live-action film and an anime television series. It ended in 1993 and was collected into 29 volumes.

When Pineapple Army ended, Urasawa began Master Keaton for Big Comic Original in November 1988. He illustrated it, while Hokusei Katsushika wrote it. It ended in August 1994 and was collected into 18 volumes. An anime television adaptation began in 1998, before finishing as an original video animation in 2000. Likewise when Yawara! ended, Urasawa began another solo series in Big Comic Spirits. Happy! ran from 1993 until 1999 and was collected into 23 volumes. It was adapted into two live-action television films in 2006.

Following Master Keaton's end, Urasawa began Monster in Big Comic Original in December 1994. It earned him the 1999 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize,[7] and his second Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category in 2001.[6] It ended in December 2001, was collected into 18 volumes, and adapted into an anime television series in 2004. Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, praised Monster and proclaimed "Urasawa is a national treasure in Japan."[8] With Happy!'s ending, Urasawa began 20th Century Boys in Big Comic Spirits in 1999. It earned him the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the General category,[9] and his third Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category in 2002.[6] It ended in 2006 and was collected into 22 volumes. The story briefly continued as 21st Century Boys in 2007, which was collected into two volumes. 20th Century Boys was adapted into three live-action films, which were released in 2008 and 2009.

While working on 20th Century Boys, Urasawa began adapting "The Greatest Robot on Earth" story arc of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy into the series Pluto. It was serialized in Big Comic Original from September 9, 2003 to April 5, 2009 and collected into 8 volumes. It earned him his second Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.[7] In 2008, Urasawa began working for Kodansha, serializing Billy Bat in Weekly Morning. It ran from October 16, 2008 to August 18, 2016 and was collected into 20 volumes. Also in 2008, Urasawa took a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he taught "Modern Expression Course: Manga Classes" two to three times a year, although the class met every month.[10] Initially planned for only five students, he agreed to expand it to fifteen in an effort to create more "real artists."[10]

Oricon held a poll on the Mangaka that Changed the History of Manga in 2010, mangaka being the Japanese word for a manga artist, and Urasawa came in tenth.[11] Urasawa created a picture book in 2011, illustrating Kosuke Hamada's story Red Oni Cries.[12]

Urasawa began writing a sequel to Master Keaton in 2012 titled Master Keaton Remaster.[13] When asked why he went back to a series after so many years, Urasawa stated it was because with the original series he had a hard time making the story he wanted due to contractual obligation, and because people affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami said they had enjoyed the series, so he wanted to do something for them.[14] Beginning in the March 2012 issue of Big Comic Original it finished in 2014 and was collected into a single volume. As a guest at the 2012 Japan Expo in France, Urasawa talked about how he entered the manga industry, gave a live drawing demonstration, and performed two songs as a musician, and joined rock band Hemenway on stage the following day.[15]

In August 2013, Urasawa created his first "monster manga" titled "Monster Kingdom", a 41-page one-shot published in Big Comic.[16] Urasawa is the host of the NHK Educational TV documentary series Urasawa Naoki no Manben (浦沢直樹の漫勉, "Naoki Urasawa's Manga Exertions"), which focuses on a different manga artist each episode and explores their individual styles. It began as a one-off special in 2014, a first season was launched in September 2015, a second in March 2016,[17] a third in September 2016,[18] and a fourth in March 2017.[19]

Urasawa created a short three-page manga about 1960s British rock band the Beatles time-traveling to 2016. Released in June 2016 on the website of Tokyo radio station InterFM897, it coincides with the TV program KKBOX Here comes The Beatles and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the band's visit to Japan.[20] On April 9, 2017, Urasawa began co-hosting a radio program with actor and comedian Junji Takada. Junji and Naoki (純次と直樹) airs Sundays at 5pm on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting and features both men talking about their lives, professions, and favorite hobbies.[21] That year Urasawa also began the limited series Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams in a collaboration with France's Louvre Museum. It began in Big Comic Original in October 2017 and ended on February 20, 2018.[22]

Urasawa began Renzoku Manga Shōsetsu Asadora! ("Serial Manga Novel Asadora!") in Big Comic Spirits on October 6, 2018.[23] He also designed the official character of the 2019 Osaka Women's Marathon.[24] On January 23, 2019, Japan House Los Angeles presented the first North American exhibit of Urasawa's work, titled "This is MANGA – the Art of NAOKI URASAWA". The exhibit ran until March 28, 2019, and featured more than 400 original drawings and storyboards. Urasawa participated in an artist discussion and book signing on opening day.[25] The exhibit moved to Japan House London from June 5 to July 28, also attended by the artist.[26]

Urasawa was a 2019 nominee for entry into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.[27] In January 2020, Urasawa was chosen to create one of the official promotion posters for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.[28]

Style

Fusanosuke Natsume said that prior to entering university, Urasawa's style showed influence from Shinji Nagashima and Osamu Tezuka's 1970s work, but went on to claim that in 1979 it became aligned with that of Katsuhiro Otomo.[29] When talking in 1997 about the future of manga, Urasawa opined that "Tezuka created the form that exists today, then caricatures appeared next, and comics changed again when Katsuhiro Otomo came on the scene. I don't think there's any room left for further changes."[5] Although Urasawa's works like Yawara! had light entertainment with cute young girls, Natsume says Urasawa developed his own personal style with Monster, which he described as realistic, or directorially based, with cinematic panel layouts similar to Otomo and gekiga artists. Natsume also noted that many of his characters resemble famous movie stars.[29] Urasawa himself described his approach to manga as similar to storyboarding a movie,[30] and acknowledged his work as adult-oriented, stating that even as a child he never liked manga aimed at children.[31] However, he noted that he and Otomo both prefer to have their work called manga and not gekiga.[31]

When asked where he gets ideas from, Urasawa said "I have been illustrating all my life. Inspiration is everywhere, when I get in the bath, when I get out. It's whether you are perceiving these ideas and whether you are able to catch them."[32] He also said that he does not worry about what the readers want, and simply draws stories that he finds interesting.[30] The artist said that while manga is often looked at as simple, he makes sure to use subtleties to show dramatic expressions and convey emotion, claiming "You won't find two expressions that are the same" in his work.[32]

On his storytelling process, Urasawa states, "When I start a new project, I start with the larger arc of the story. I visualize a movie trailer for that story, and after I compose this movie trailer in my mind, there comes a point where I'm so excited about it that I have to write the story. And then I imagine, 'Where do I start to begin to tell this narrative?' and that's usually the first chapter."[33] He does not plan the story out in advance, claiming that it tells him where it wants to go, and that if the story does not keep surprising even him, then he can not continue making it.[30]

He also does not determine the page or panel layouts in advance. Having drawn manga for over five decades, he just follows his instincts, explaining "When I start to structure a story narratively, the question of tempo — developing a character moment-to-moment and then jumping to a two-page spread — how do you determine where that happens? It's like breathing to me — I know when it feels right."[30]

For most of his career, Urasawa has written two different series simultaneously.[34] Urasawa frequently collaborates with manga editor and author Takashi Nagasaki, to the point where Nagasaki has been called his "producer." The two met when Nagasaki was made Urasawa's editor upon his debut. Although the two continue to collaborate even after Nagasaki became freelance, they rarely socialize outside of work.[35] With the exception of 2018's ongoing Renzoku Manga Shōsetsu Asadora!, none of Urasawa's manga have ever been legally available in digital formats. The author stated that he prefers physical books.[36]

Music
Urasawa performing live at the 2012 Japan Expo.

Urasawa is also a musician. He stated "A lot of artists really struggled to decide whether to become manga artists or rock musicians, so the two are intertwined, they're synonymous!"[31] Urasawa started playing guitar in junior high school inspired by folk rock singer-songwriters Takuro Yoshida and Bob Dylan.[37]

Under the stage name "Bob Lennon", he wrote and performed the song "Kenji no Uta" ("Kenji's Song)", which was released on a CD included in the 2002 first pressing of volume 11 of 20th Century Boys.[38] He released his debut single "Tsuki ga Tottemo..." (月がとっても…) on June 4, 2008,[38] and his debut album Hanseiki no Otoko (半世紀の男, "Half Century Man") in 2009. In 2012 he performed a Japanese cover of Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" and "Guta lala suda lala" from his series 20th Century Boys at the Japan Expo, and the following day he joined rock band Hemenway on stage.[15]

Urasawa's second album, Mannon (漫音) which he wrote and produced himself, was released in 2016.[37] Urasawa wrote a demo for a song titled "Kanashiki LA Tengoku" (悲しきLA天国) and sent it to musician Mike Viola, who finished the track and invited Urasawa to Los Angeles to play on it. The people playing on the song are Urasawa, Viola, drummer Jim Keltner, and Mitsuru Kuramoto. It is included on the album The Best of Mike Viola which was released on January 22, 2020 with the performance credited to Monaka.[39]

Works

Serials
  • Pineapple Army (パイナップルARMY, 1985–1988) - written by Kazuya Kudo
  • Yawara! (ヤワラ, Yawara, 1986–1993)
  • Master Keaton (MASTERキートン, Masutā Kīton, 1988–1994) - written with Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki
  • Happy! (1993–1999)
  • Monster (モンスター, Monsutā, 1994–2001)
  • 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) / 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) (1999–2006, 2007)
  • Pluto (プルートウ, Purūtō, 2003–2009) - written with Takashi Nagasaki, based on a work by Osamu Tezuka
  • Billy Bat (ビリーバット, Birī Batto, 2008–2016) - written with Takashi Nagasaki
  • Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター, Masutā Kīton Rimasutā, 2012–2014) - written with Takashi Nagasaki
  • Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-, 2017–2018)
  • Renzoku Manga Shōsetsu Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!, 2018–present)

Other work
  • "Swimmers" (1979) - Unpublished until the May 13, 2003 issue of Evening.
  • "Return" (1981)
  • "Beta!!" (1983)
  • Dancing Policeman (踊る警官, Odoru Keikan, 1984)
  • N・A・S・A (1988)
  • Jigoro! (1994)
  • Early Urasawa (初期のURASAWA, Shoki no Urasawa, 2000)
  • Another Monster (2002) - novel written with Takashi Nagasaki
  • Pleasure! (2003) - album cover for Domino88
  • "Tsuki ni Mukatte Nagero!" (月に向かって投げろ!, 2006) - written with Takashi Nagasaki
  • Wakui Sings Dylan (ディランを唄う, Diran o Utau, 2007) - album cover for Koji Wakui
  • Talkin' About Bob Dylan (ディランを語ろう, Diran o Katarō, 2007) - book written with Koji Wakui, includes the manga "Bob Dylan's Great Adventure" (ボブ・ディランの大冒険, Bobu Diran no Dai Bōken)
  • Manben (漫勉, 2008) - art book
  • All Time Best Tensai ka Jinsai ka (ALL TIME BEST 天才か人災か, 2010) - album cover for Shigeru Izumiya
  • The Tibetan Dog (2011) - initial character designs
  • "Monster Kingdom" (怪獣王国, Kaijū Ōkoku, 2013)
  • "Be Hero" (2014) - single cover for Fudanjuku
  • Urasawa Naoki Egaite Egaite Kaki Makuru (浦沢直樹 描いて描いて描きまくる, 2016) - guidebook
  • "Damiyan!" (ダミヤン, 2016)
  • "It's a Beautiful Day" (いっつあびゅうてぃふるでい, 2018) - original draft by musician Kenji Endo
  • Sneeze: Naoki Urasawa Story Collection (くしゃみ 浦沢直樹短編集, Kushami Urasawa Naoki Tanhenshū, 2019)

Awards

References
  1. "浦沢直樹　描いて描いて描きまくる" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  2. "Naoki Urasawa Talks about Manga and Professionalism". comipress.com. January 27, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  3. Urasawa, Naoki (2009). Pluto, Volume 1. Viz Media. pp. 192–195. ISBN 978-1-4215-1918-0.
  4. "INTERVIEW: All You Need is a White Piece of Paper and Pen: A Conversation with Monster and 20th Century Boys Creator Naoki Urasawa". Crunchyroll. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  5. "The Birth of Best Seller Comics Writers of the New Generation of Comics and their World No. 3: "YAWARA!"". Shogakukan. December 6, 1998.
  6. "小学館漫画賞: 歴代受賞者" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  7. "Tezuka Award Winner Announced". Anime News Network. May 10, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  8. "Pulitzer Winner Diaz Praises Monster Manga in Time Mag". Anime News Network. July 10, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  9. Joel Hahn. "Kodansha Manga Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  10. "Yawara, Monster's Naoki Urasawa to Teach Manga Classes". Anime News Network. March 16, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  11. 『日本の漫画史を変えた作家』、“漫画の神様”手塚治虫が貫禄の1位. Oricon (in Japanese). July 16, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  12. "Award-Winning Manga Artist Naoki Urasawa Draws Picture Book". Crunchyroll. November 30, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  13. "Master Keaton Manga to Get Sequel After 18 Years". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  14. "Interview: Naoki Urasawa". Anime News Network. August 20, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  15. "Naoki Urasawa in conference: very stylish". Japan Expo. August 7, 2012. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  16. "20th Century Boys' Urasawa Draws 'Kaijū Ōkoku' Manga 1-Shot". Anime News Network. July 27, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  17. "NHK Documentary Series Peeks at Process of Drawing Manga". Anime News Network. August 27, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  18. ""Naoki Urasawa's Manben" Returns for 3rd Season in September". Crunchyroll. August 17, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  19. "Naoki Urasawa Manga Documentary TV Series Returns for 4th Season". Anime News Network. February 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  20. "The Beatles Travel Through Time in Naoki Urasawa's Newest Manga Short". Anime News Network. June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  21. "Comedian & Manga Artist Team Up For "Junji and Naoki" Radio Program". Crunchyroll. April 23, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  22. "Naoki Urasawa's Mujirushi Manga Ends on February 20". Anime News Network. February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  23. "Naoki Urasawa Launches New Manga in Big Comic Spirits". Anime News Network. September 14, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  24. "Naoki Urasawa Draws Official Character for 2019 Osaka Women's Marathon". Otaku USA. December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  25. Cirone, David (January 3, 2019). "Japan House LA announces first Naoki Urasawa art exhibit in North America". J-Generation. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  26. "Further Naoki Urasawa Events at Japan House London". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  27. "Hall of Fame 2019 Nominees". San Diego Comic-Con. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  28. Cirone, David (February 9, 2020). "Naoki Urasawa creates sports manga poster for Tokyo 2020 Olympics". J-Generation. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  29. Urasawa, Naoki (2009). Pluto, Volume 3. Viz Media. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-1-4215-1920-3.
  30. Cirone, David (January 25, 2019). "Naoki Urasawa – Interview with creator of Monster, 20th Century Boys at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles (2019)". J-Generation. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  31. "Naoki Urasawa – Interview with creator of Monster, 20th Century Boys at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles (2019)". All the Anime. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  32. "Japanese manga artist Naoki Urasawa's work showcased in Hollywood". Kyodo News. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  33. Cirone, David (January 25, 2019). "Naoki Urasawa - Interview with creator of Monster, 20th Century Boys at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles (2019)". J-Generation. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  34. "Monster's Naoki Urasawa Celebrated In Career-Spanning Exhibition". Otaku USA. February 11, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  35. "Naoki Urasawa Talks about Relationship between Mangaka and Editors". comipress.com. November 29, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  36. "Naoki Urasawa's New Manga Asadora! Has Digital Version for 1st Time". Anime News Network. October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  37. "Interview: Naoki Urasawa". Asahi Shimbun. March 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  38. "Manga Creator Naoki Urasawa Debuts Music CD Single". Anime News Network. June 24, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  39. "浦沢直樹が"天才POP職人"マイク・ヴァイオラのベスト盤にミュージシャンとして参加" (in Japanese). Natalie. January 22, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  40. "Manga Division 1997 (1st) Japan Media Arts Festival Archive" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  41. "Manga Division 2002 (6th) Japan Media Arts Festival Archive" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  42. "Manga Division 2005 (9th) Japan Media Arts Festival Archive" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  43. "37th Japan Cartoonist Awards Announced". Anime News Network. May 10, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  44. "Guin Saga, Summer Wars, Pluto Win at Japan Sci-Fi Con". Anime News Network. August 7, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  45. "Viz Media's Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys Wins 2011 Eisner Award". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  46. "Urasawa, Tezuka's Pluto Wins at France's Angoulême". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  47. "Urasawa's 20th Century Boys Wins 2nd Eisner Award". Anime News Network. September 20, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  48. ""Max und Moritz" Award 2014". Comic Salon. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  49. "Naoki Urasawa Wins Special Award, Mystery Award at France's Angoulême". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 2, 2018.

Further reading
  • James Dorsey. "Urasawa Naoki's Twentieth Century Boys: Autobiographical Manga for Japan’s Children of the 60s,” in Michael A. Chaney, ed., Graphic Subjects: Critical Essays on Autobiography and Graphic Novels (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2011), pp. 117~120.
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