Mitsuteru Yokoyama

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Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Born June 18, 1934
Kobe, Japan
Died April 15, 2004 (aged 69)
Tokyo, Japan
Nationality Japanese
Occupation Manga artist
Known for Tetsujin 28-go
Giant Robo [disambiguation needed]

Mitsuteru Yokoyama (横山 光輝 Yokoyama Mitsuteru?, June 18, 1934 - April 15, 2004) was a famous Japanese manga artist born in Suma-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo. His real name is "横山 光照" (it is pronounced in the same way). His works include Tetsujin 28-go, Giant Robo [disambiguation needed], Akakage, Babel II, Sally, the Witch, Princess Comet and an adaptation of the wuxia novel Outlaws of the Marsh.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Yokoyama spent his boyhood during World War II, and he evacuated to Tottori with his family. Then he graduated from the Kobe municipal Ota junior high school, and went on to the Kobe municipal Suma high school. Yokoyama wanted to be a mangaka in earnest by having been deeply impressed with Osamu Tezuka's "Metropolis ", and he came to contribute his works to a comic book in his high school days. He entered Kobe bank (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) after graduation from high school. But he quit his job before five months passed because there was no time to draw a manga. He found a new job to the movie company in Kobe, and aimed at a mangaka while working as a publicity department member.

[edit] Professional career

Yokoyama caught Osamu Tezuka's attention, and he came out with the book "Otonashi no Ken (音無しの剣 Sword without sound?)" as a mangaka.

In 1955, Yokoyama's manga was serialized in the magazine "Shojo" for the first time. It was "Shirayuri Koushinkyoku (白ゆり行進曲 White Lily March?)."

In 1956, "Tetsujin 28-go" appeared serially in the magazine "Shonen" after he resigned the movie company. Since "Tetsujin 28-go" won popularity and the animation-ized one also made a smashing success, he established his status as a mangaka. "Tetsujin 28" became a popular work which is equal to Tezuka's "AstroBoy." In the same year, he made up his mind to become a mangaka by this hit and went to Tokyo.

In 1964, he established incorporated company Hikari Production. He produced the hit one after another taking advantage of experience in which he saw many movies when he was working in the movie company. Then, he produced popular comics and popular anime in various genres afterwards, such as "Iga no Kagemaru (伊賀の影丸 Kagemaru of Iga?)" and "Akakage", "Sally the Witch", "Giant Robo", "Babel II" and so on. With the writing of "Suikoden (水滸伝 Water Margin?)" (1967-1971) and "Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi (Records of Three Kingdoms)" (1971-1986), it became his lifework to make a historical story for which the original author uses historical material of China and Japan into comics.

In 1991, "Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi" won the prize for an excellent work of the Japan Cartoonist Association Award [1], and an animated version was broadcast on TV Tokyo.

In July, 1997, Yokoyama was hospitalized with myocardial infarction and had an operation. He returned to work in next year March.

In 2004, Yokoyama was under medical treatment, but won the MEXT Prize of the Japan Cartoonist Association Prize.

In morning of April 15, 2004, Yokoyama suffered burns all over his body with the fire which broke out in his house and he became in serious condition in a coma. Yokoyama died in the hospital near his home at 22:00 on the same day, aged 69. [2]

[edit] Style

The attraction of Yokoyama's works is calculated story deployment, and a elaborate Setting. On the other hand, Yokoyama likes light characterizations and doesn't let characters show their feelings too much. Yokoyama was good at a serious story manga rather than a comedy, but he drew some comedy.

Yokoyama is one of the originator of the present Japanese comics. If Tezuka was the person who established the technique to draw Japanese comics, Yokoyama was the person who established the format of various genres of current Japanese comics and anime. There are many comic artists avoiding that their originals are changed when they are made into live action or animation. In that respect, Yokoyama was realistic and tolerant, so many of his works are animation-ized or made into Tokusatsu.

  • "Tetsujin 28-go" & "Giant Robo" are ancestors of the genres called Super Robot.
  • "Iga no Kagemaru (伊賀の影丸 Kagemaru of Iga?)" & "Akakage" are ninja manga which created a ninja boom. These comics are the story that ninjas with superhuman capability unfold the fight.
  • "Yami no Doki (闇の土鬼 Doki (soil ogre) of the darkness?) " is a Jidaigeki which actual persons appear.
  • "Sally the Witch" which are the first manga/anime of magical girl in Japan & "Princess Comet" are shojo manga.
  • "Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi" is a historical story based on historical facts and historical novels.
  • "Babel II" is a supernatural power science fiction comics.

[edit] Influence on the manga world

[edit] Hirohiko Araki

Hirohiko Araki said that he was conscious of Yokoyama's hard-boiled style that he sticks to suspense and describes hero's character drily.[3]

[edit] Katsuhiro Otomo

Names of the characters of Katsuhiro Otomo’s "AKIRA" are connected with "Tetsujin 28-go."

[edit] Naoki Urasawa

Names of the characters of Naoki Urasawa' 20th Century Boys originate in "Tetsujin 28-go."

  • "Professor Shikishima" is Dr. Shikishima.
  • "Shotaro Kaneda", a student of the Shikishima seminar, is Shotaro Kaneda.
  • "Professor Tetsuo Shikishima" of the movie version is Tetsuo Shikishima.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "List of recipients of the Japanese Cartoonist Association Awards" (in Japanese). http://www.nihonmangakakyokai.or.jp/jushou.html. Retrieved 2007-02-28. 
  2. ^ News from Yomiuri Online (Japanese)
  3. ^ Manga Meister vol.3 (Japanese)

[edit] External links


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