A manga artist , also known as a mangaka ( Japanese : 漫画家 ), is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga . As of 2013, about 4,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan, plus thousands of part timers and wannabes.
41-428: Kazuo Umezu or Kazuo Umezz ( 楳図 かずお , Umezu Kazuo , birth name 楳図一雄; September 3, 1936 – October 28, 2024) was a Japanese manga artist , musician and actor. Starting his career in the 1950s, he is among the most famous artists of horror manga and has been vital for its development, considered the "god of horror manga". In 1960s shōjo manga like Reptilia , he broke the industry's conventions by combining
82-414: A birds head—later known as Chicken George—appears from the fermenter. Chicken George studies and learns all human knowledge. He learns that all mankind and the planet will come to an end when children born that year reach the age of 14. With the goal of escaping planetary destruction due to mankind, he builds a planetary escape rocket, Tyrannosaurus , to carry the animals. However, Chicken George, falling for
123-474: A drawing circle with others called "Kaiman Club". In 1955, he published his first manga at the age of 18 with Mori no Kyōdai based on the fairytale Hansel and Gretel with the kashihon publisher Tomo Book. He would soon shift towards the gekiga movement and publish manga in the kashi-hon industry in Osaka of the time, which would allow him more freedom than serializing his manga in magazines. His specialty
164-458: A magazine compiled by him. Rumiko Takahashi briefly worked as an assistant for him, while he was working on Makoto-chan . His reputation gave him the nickname "god of horror manga" (ホラーまんがの神様) in Japanese media. Umezu's manga broke with the norms of the commercial manga industry at the time that he started publishing in major magazines in the mid 1960s and created a boom around horror manga in
205-502: A manga artist. Nowadays there are many self-published manga artists on the internet posting their work on websites. It is possible for these manga artists' works to be officially picked up by a publishing company, such as Shueisha . For example, One-Punch Man started off as a webcomic before Shueisha began publishing a manga remake on Tonari No Young Jump. While Japan does have a thriving independent comic market for amateur and semi-professional artists, creating manga professionally
246-663: A public figure, appearing regularly on TV in a red and white striped shirt. He was also famous for the architecture of his candy-striped home in Kichijōji , inspired by his Makoto-chan series. In 2011, he released a second music album with his songs. In 2018 he was awarded the Prize for Inheritance at the Angoulême International Comics Festival for the French translation of My Name Is Shingo . This
287-634: A schoolgirl and her sick mother, who turns out to be a snake woman when she visits her in hospital. Manga scholar Tsuchiya Dollase compares this character with the Jungian "Terrible Mother". The children of the deserted school in The Drifting Classroom are immediately betrayed by their teachers and need to fight for their survival. In My Name Is Shingo , children are the only ones able to communicate with and have an emotional connection with an AI computer. Umezu explained that he himself finds
328-494: A writer creating a story which is then handed over to a manga artist for drawing. The Japanese term for such a writer of comics is gensakusha ( 原作者 ) . In 2009, 5,300 mangaka were honored with a title published in bound volume in Japan. In a 2010 message Japan Cartoonists Association chairman, Takashi Yanase says: "[w]hile Japan is often said to be world's cartoon kingdom, not a few people will surely be wondering what exactly
369-514: A writer, as any conversation must fit within the physical constraints imposed by the art. Takeshi Obata of Death Note , Tetsuo Hara of Fist of the North Star , and Ryoichi Ikegami of Sanctuary are all successful manga artists who have worked with writers through the majority of their careers. Most manga artists have assistants who help them complete their work in a clean and timely manner. The duties of assistants vary widely, as
410-594: Is a horror , science fiction manga by Kazuo Umezu . It was serialized in Big Comic Spirits between 1990 and 1995 with 20 volumes released. A new final chapter was added in the 2012 Perfection release. Fourteen is a spiritual sequel to The Drifting Classroom . While The Drifting Classroom illustrated a future after the fall of mankind, Fourteen illustrates how the destruction of mankind occurs. Other themes include child protagonists attempting to overcome environmental destruction and crises, as well as
451-453: Is considered exceptional. Assistants are commonly used for inking , lettering , and shading , though the predominance of black and white art in manga means that unlike in the western comic industry, a studio rarely employs a colorist . Some manga artists only do the sketchwork for their art, and have their numerous assistants fill in all of the details, but it is more common for assistants to deal with background and cameo art, leaving
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#1732801020905492-456: Is rarely a solo effort. Manga artists must work with an assortment of others to get their work completed, published, and into the hands of readers. Most professionally published manga artists work with an editor, who is considered the boss of the manga artist and supervises series production. The editor gives advice on the layout and art of the manga, vets the story direction and pace, ensures that deadlines are met, and generally makes sure that
533-509: Is related to religion in Japan , as monsters and demons are not considered completely evil, and Umezu wants readers to sometimes also feel compassion for the monsters in his works. Many of his manga feature intergenerational conflict between children and adults. Umezu initially focused on this topic as he found that relationships between mothers and children in shōjo manga in the early 1960s were portrayed only as caring, never as scary. His manga Reptilia depicts an intense conflict between
574-604: The Agency for Cultural Affairs . It is an award for "individuals who have made distinguished accomplishment in artistic and cultural activities". It is rarely awarded to people in the manga industry. In 2016, his manga My Name Is Shingo was adapted into a musical. It stars Mitsuki Takahata and Mugi Kadowaki as the lead characters and is directed and choreographed by Philippe Decouflé . Manga artist Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering
615-478: The Earth and leave. The Earth's balance is destroyed, causing massive earthquakes, tsunamis, and quicksand, resulting in a massive population decrease. The governments for each country were preparing a secret plan to select specific children to escape from Earth, but that came to an end due to violent mobs. Finally, as mankind comes to an end, humanity's true form began to manifest: monsters. The selected children board
656-446: The Japanese mean by the term ' cartoon '. Unfortunately, there is no hard-and-fast definition that can be offered, since the members of this association lay claim to an extensive variety of works." Traditionally in order to become a manga artist, one would need to send their work into a competition held by various publishing companies. If they won their work would be published and they would be assigned an editor and officially "debut" as
697-506: The aesthetics of the commercial manga industry with gruesome visual imagery inspired by Japanese folktales , which created a boom of horror manga and influenced manga artists of following generations. He created successful manga series such as The Drifting Classroom , Makoto-chan and My Name Is Shingo , until he retired from drawing manga in the mid 1990s. He was a public figure in Japan, known for wearing red-and-white-striped shirts and doing his signature "Gwash" hand gesture. Umezu
738-475: The alternative rocket Tyrannosaurus and escape from Earth, but they face problems with the approaching 14 years time limit, as well as the spirit of Chicken George who has possessed the rocket. In addition, the destruction does not end with Earth, but also extends to their destination in the Andromeda Galaxy . Facing increasing problems, those close to 14 years go into hibernation. America,
779-431: The beautiful Barbra, a minion of the rich Rose and American vice president Martha Gorman, decides to stay on Earth and chooses to de-evolve by separating the left and right hemispheres of his brain. Eventually, aliens facing the same destruction as humanity appear. They rape humanity in a desire for sharing DNA in order to survive, but soon realize that there is no future for human DNA and instead steal spiritual energy from
820-480: The bond and separation between parent and child. In 1995, the series came to a sudden end due to Umezu's tenosynovitis . In 2012, a new final chapter consisting of 18 full-color pages was appended to the final volume of the Perfection release. In the 22nd century, mankind seems to be flourishing, but they are facing an approaching destruction. At a chicken manufacturing plant, a heteromorphic creature with
861-414: The designs for anime adaptations, and similar products, though this duty may also fall to the manga artist or an agent. An example of a manga artist and their editor is Akira Toriyama and Kazuhiko Torishima . A manga artist may both write and illustrate a series of their own creation, or may work together with an author. The manga artist typically has a strong influence on dialog even when paired with
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#1732801020905902-447: The industry as a primary creator. More rarely a manga artist breaks into the industry directly, without previously being an assistant. For example, Naoko Takeuchi , author of Sailor Moon , won a Kodansha Manga Award contest and manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka was first published while studying an unrelated degree, without working as an assistant. A manga artist will rise to prominence through recognition of their ability when they spark
943-418: The interest of institutions, individuals or a demographic of manga consumers. For example, there are contests which prospective manga artist may enter, sponsored by manga editors and publishers. This can also be accomplished through producing a one-shot . While sometimes a stand-alone manga, with enough positive reception it can be serialized in a weekly, monthly, or quarterly format. They are also recognized for
984-438: The late 1960s. Tsuchiya Dollase writes: "The monstrous mothers must certainly have scared the audience; at the same time, however, the torture of the pretty but superficial heroines by these horrifying mothers must have given the same audience a certain pleasure." Umezu regularly received complaint letters from parents in the beginning of his career due to his horror visuals and also editors of magazines would ask him to scale down
1025-539: The manga artist to focus on drawing and inking the characters. Assistants may also be employed to perform specialized artistic tasks. Go Nagai , for instance, at one time employed a specialist to draw helicopters and other military vehicles, Kaoru Mori employed a historical consultant for Emma , and series that incorporates photorealistic architecture , animals, computer-rendered imagery , or other technically demanding effects may employ or contract separate artists trained in those techniques. Assistants almost never help
1066-586: The manga artist with the plot of their manga, beyond being a sounding board for ideas. A manga artist's assistants might be listed in the credits for a manga tankōbon , and short interviews with or illustrations by assistant artists are a common form of bonus material in these collections, but they typically do not receive individual credits. Most manga artists started out as assistants, such as Miwa Ueda to Naoko Takeuchi, Leiji Matsumoto to Osamu Tezuka, Kaoru Shintani to Leiji Matsumoto, and Eiichiro Oda , Hiroyuki Takei and Mikio Itō to Nobuhiro Watsuki , who
1107-425: The manga stays up to company standards. Naoki Urasawa compared the relationship between a manga artist and their editor to that of the one between a music producer and a recording artist, specifically citing George Martin 's relationship with The Beatles . The editor may also function as a brand manager and publicist for a series. When a manga is the basis for a media franchise , the editor may also supervise
1148-462: The memory of those who suffered to bring us these stories." Besides his impact on the development of horror manga, scholar Tomoko Yamada counts Umezu as one of the shōjo manga artists in the 1950s who contributed to the development of ballet manga with his series Haha Yobu Koe (1958) and Maboroshi Shōjo (1959). In 2019, Umezu received the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs award from
1189-437: The number of manga they run at any given moment. The original Japanese word can be broken down into two parts: manga ( 漫画 ) and ka ( 家 ) . The manga corresponds to the medium of art the artist uses: comics , or Japanese comics, depending on how the term is used inside or outside Japan . The - ka (家) suffix implies a degree of expertise and traditional authorship. For example, this term would not be applied to
1230-568: The solo album Yami no Album . His comedy manga Makoto-chan , which he published from 1976 to 1981 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday , became a hit. The hand gesture "Gwash" from the manga became Umezu's own trademark hand gesture as well in public. In the 1980s and 1990s, he focused on science fiction manga depicting a near future like My Name Is Shingo and Fourteen . In 1995, he had to retire from regular publishing due to tendinitis after finishing Fourteen . He then became even more of
1271-472: The term incorporates all people working for a manga artist's art studio , but is most commonly used to refer to secondary artists. The number of assistant artists also varies widely between manga artists, but is typically at least three. Other manga artists instead form work groups known as "circles" but do not use additional assistants, such as the creative team CLAMP . A few manga artists have no assistants at all, and prefer to do everything themselves, but this
Kazuo Umezu - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-416: The time. Horror manga like Nekome no Shōjo and Reptilia became a hit in the commercial shōjo manga magazine Shōjo Friend in the mid 1960s. In the late 1960s, he also started publishing in shōnen manga magazines and he switched publishing houses, from Kodansha to Shogakukan , when a new editor asked him to draw something other than horror manga. He became a well established author and
1353-452: The violence in his imagery. He remarks in an interview: "I was protested but never boycotted. I considered such criticism to be a form of praise." He was critical of watering down horror elements: "Old Japanese folk stories and fairy tales could be unflinchingly brutal. They come from a time when tragedy and carnage was an everyday part of life. Now we have people calling to water them down, which essentially whitewashes history. It’s insulting to
1394-402: The world of children more relatable, as children are much more open to illogical and adaptable in their thinking: "I’m writing about myself in a way. I don’t want to become an adult and 'grow up.'" His works inspired a new generation of horror manga artists. Junji Ito , Toru Yamazaki and Minetarō Mochizuki cite him as one of their biggest influences and Kanako Inuki got her career start in
1435-430: The youngest of the children, sees the light of edge of the universe from Tyrannosaurus . As all things are being destroyed, America jumps beyond the edge of space. He appears in another universe and realizes that their universe existed within a single caterpillar in the middle of a road, and that the impending death of the caterpillar about to be run over by a car was the cause of his universe's impending death. After saving
1476-417: Was at times working at up to five serials at the same time. In 1974 he won the 20th Shogakukan Manga Award for his series The Drifting Classroom about a school including its schoolchildren and teachers being teleported into an alternate post-apocalyptic universe. In 1975, Umezu started becoming a public figure also apart from creating manga. He recorded songs based on his horror manga and released them as
1517-504: Was born on September 3, 1936, in Kōya , Wakayama Prefecture , but raised in the mountainous Gojō , Nara Prefecture . His mother motivated him to start drawing when he was seven years old. His father would tell him local legends about ghost and snake women before going to bed. He was inspired to start drawing manga by reading Osamu Tezuka 's Shin Takarajima in fifth grade. He was part of
1558-429: Was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, but did not undergo surgery, remaining in hospice care from September. On November 5, 2024, Shogakukan announced that Umezu died on October 28. He was 88. A private funeral was held by his family and close friends. Umezu was planning a new work prior to his death. His work is influenced by Japanese folklore. Manga artist and critic Sakumi Yoshino explains that his horror manga
1599-407: Was himself an assistant to Takeshi Obata . It is also possible for an assistant to have an entire career as such without becoming an independent manga artist. Assistants, particularly specialists, may work with several different manga artists at the same time, and many assistants also self-publish works of their own in the dōjinshi scene. Fourteen (manga) Fourteen ( 14歳 , Fōtīn )
1640-457: Was the second prize awarded to him throughout his career and Umezu had previously been unhappy about the amount of recognition he had gotten for his work. The award motivated him to start working again and he produced a series of 101 paintings based on My Name Is Shingo , which were exhibited for the first time in 2022 and were his first new work in 27 years. In July 2024, Umezu was hospitalized after collapsing at his home in Kichijōji , Tokyo. He
1681-440: Was to include paranormal elements in his stories. At the same time, he also started working on shōjo manga ; he published in the magazine Shōjo Book and the kashi-hon anthology Niji . After moving to Tokyo in 1963 due to the decline of the kashihon industry, he developed his specific style, which blended the aesthetics of shōjo manga with grotesque horror visuals and broke with conventions of shōjo manga at