Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989)
Considered the "Father of Manga", Osamu Tezuka was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1928. He's most remembered as the prolific manga-ka (manga artist)who inspired artists of all genres to follow in his footsteps. Inspired by Walt Disney, Tezuka is credited with applying those large Bambi eyes to the manga characters.
His life works are simply astounding. No other manga-ka has come close to creating as many successful classics. Among them are Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy) ,Black Jack , Tell Adolf, Hi no Tori, Jungle Emperor, and buddha.
Astro Boy, which became a hit animated series from 1963-1996, is about a robot, Atom, invented by Dr. Tenma as a substitude for his son who died in a car accident. However, Atom is disowned when Dr. Tenma realizes he's a robot who will never grow or become a complete replacement for flesh and blood. Holding a pure heart and knowledge of good or bad, Atom finds a new home with another genius inventor, Dr. Ochyanomizu, who builds a younger sister, mother, father for him. Atim is equipped with super strength and machine guns on his posterior, and he can fly. Throughout the series, he fights crime and injustice.
In addiction to creating shonen manga series, Tezuka pioneered the shojo manga genre with the hit classic, Ribbon no Kishi.
Fujiko Fujio: Hiroshi Fujimoto (1933-1996) and Motoo Abiko (1934-1988)
A true manga-ka dream team, the dynamic duo of Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko formed to work under the pen name Fujiko Fujio for more that 40 years before going on their seperate creative paths.
Buddies since fifth grade, these two lit up the manga world with titles such as Doraemon, Kaibutsu-kun, Pa-man, 21 Emon, and Obake Q-no Taro. In 1956, they formed a manga alliance group with other well-noted manga-ka, Fujio Akazuka and Ishinomori Shotaro. In a megahit projects titled Manga Michi (Manga Road), Fujiko Fujio recorded their events and experiences growing up to become professional manga-ka.
Perhaps their best claim to fame is Doraemon, which first appeared in 1970 and lasted for a phenomenal 40 volumes. Its about a robot cat, Doraemon, from the future, who pops out of elementary school student Nobita's desk at home. Doraemon is here to take care of Nobita because he's quite lazy as well as a social outcast. One of the many appealing factors is that Doraemon has a mysterious pocket where he stores a lot of cool gadgets, which he uses to bail Nobita out of trouble. The series continues to live on and maintains merchandise success even after the deaths of both artists.
Rumiko Takahashi (1957-)
One of the most successful female shonen manga-ka, Rumiko Takahashi was born in 1957 in Niigata, Japan. Her claim to superstar fame came when she wrote and illustrated the satire/comedy series of Urusei Yatsura, which was published by shonen Sunday, spanning a decade from 1978-1987. It's about a high school playboy, Moroboshi Ataru, who saves the world by beating the daughter, Lum, of the head of a group of allien invaders in a game of "catch me if you can." In the process, Ataru inadvertently proposes to Lum while thinking of his current girlfriend, Shinobu. Although Lum is very pretty, for some reason, Ataru refuses to tie the knot with her and thus triggers the series of this wacky romantic comedy that spans 34 volumes and animated movies.
Rumiko Takahashi's other titles include Firetripper, Mermaid's Flesh, One or W, Laughing Target, Dust in the Wind, Bye-bye Road, Surimu Kannon, Dutiful Vacation, Maris the chojo, and many more.
Leiji Matsumoto (1938-)
A legend in the science-fiction manga genre, Matsumoto Leiji was born in 1938 in Fukuoka, Japan. Ironically, he began his career drawing shojo manga series. It wasn't until he met his wife, Miyako Maki, also a shojo manga-ka, that he got his chance at drawing shonen manga magazines.
His claim to fame with his classics space opera series in 1974, Space Cruiser Yamato (later translated as Star Blazers when the series came to the U.S). The saga went on to become a successful animated movie series. The opening premise is about Earth on the brink of death as invading aliens in search of a new living planet pummel it with radiation meteorites. Facing death, scientists engineerthe ultimate fighting battleship using the remains of the battleship Yamato, which sank during World War II. Armed with a powerful Wave Motion and warships, the crew must travel light-years away to acquire machinery that will restore Earth to its normal state. They're ultimately successful despite the fierce and devastating battles and death tolls that occur during the mission.
His fame is also manifested in the space opera work he created in 1977, titled Galaxy Express 999. His other titles include The Cockpit, Queen Millenia, Queen Emeraldas, Gun Frontier, Sexaroid, and otoko Oidon.
Takehiko Inoue (1967-)
One od the most popular young superstar manga-ka in Japan, Takehiko Inoue was born in Kyushu , Japan, in 1967. His exceptional storytellings skills, popular subject matters, and incredible artwork have made his works top sellers worldwide.
