Mangaka of the Week: Fujio Akatsuka
[via]
Fujio Akatsuka-sensei pioneered comedy in manga, hence his title as the Gag Manga King.
He has numerous accomplishments under his belt: As one of the founding artists of manga he revolutionized the manga industry through his use of puns and countless other means of word play. Ever wonder why puns are in every manga you read? Well, it is because of this man.
——
Besides being the father of gag manga, he is also credited with being the first to come up with the idea of the Magical Girl. Although he doesn’t have the first Magical Girl anime, his manga, Himitsu no Akko-chan, predates it by several years.
Many of Akatsuka-sensei’s works contain supporting characters that eventually become more popular and more iconic than the main character. Often these characters become the main character of the work. Thinking about it, this situation is quite funny… Could this be Akatuka-sensei’s greatest gag?
In 1964, Akatsuka-sensei’s work, Osomatsu-kun, won the 10th Shogakukan Manga Award. Seven years later, in 1971, the Bungeishunjū Manga Award was awarded to Tensai Bakabon, another one of sensei’s works.
Interesting facts: Akatsuka-sensei founded Fujio Productions Ltd. in 1965, and the company is still around today. He also wrote manga in braille in 2000. How does such a thing work? I have no idea, but he did it. The Akatsuka Award is named after Akatsuka-sensei and is the counterpart to the Tezuka Award.
Fujio Akatsuka-sensei’s most notable work*:
[via]
Osomatsu-kun
“About the lives of the sextuplets:
Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Chyoromatsu, Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu.
Winner of the 10th Shogakukan Manga Award in 1964.
Also was adapted to two animes and a live-action TV special. ” -Mangaupdates.com
Genre(s): Comedy Shounen
——
*Note: I only showcased manga of the mangaka that has been translated to English.
——
