Great Mangaka
Manga artists or mangaka are the heart of manga. Without their vision and master pencil work we wouldn't be able to be take in these animated and emotional shonen and shojo stories.
Naoko Takeuchi
Zoom People Information. (October 2024). Ms. Naoko T. Takeuchi. https://advance-lexis-com.libproxy.albany.edu/api/document?collection=directories&id=urn%3acontentItem%3a64Y7-4NR3-GXF6-822W-00000-00&context=1519360&identityprofileid=ZR6PFN51755.
Naoko Takeuchi (1967) is the mangaka behind the shojo classic Sailor Moon. She graduated from Kyoritsu University and became a licensed pharmacist before her life in stardom. She worked part time as a miko for a shrine and developed an interest in astronomy: both in which would become inspiration for her work in the future. Her first work Love Call debuted in 1986. After that she published one shot works till she colloborated with manga artist Marie Kozumi for the project Maria based on the Jean Webber story Daddy Long Legs which became a big hit leading to more work.
Rumiko Takahashi
Rumiko Takahashi. (2005). In Authors and Artists for Young Adults (Vol. 62). Gale. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.albany.edu/apps/doc/K1603001350/MSIC?u=albanyu&sid=bookmark-MSIC&xid=b4320393
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the richest and well-known people in Japan for being a top selling author of four manga(Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha). She produces about one hundred comic book pages per month. Takahashi developed an interest in manga at an early age sketching in margins of manga books and publishing a story in her high school newsletter. She took nighttime classes at manga school(Gekiga Sonjuko) publishing some of her work in university manga club publications. Around 1978 she wrote her first professional story for Shonen Sunday leading to her later publication of Urusei Yatsura a story about a human boy, Ataru who must compete against an alien princess Lum in a game of tag for the fate of the world. After selling 150 million books it is Takahashi's goal to make 150 million.
Akira Toriyama
Simon, S. (2024, March 9). Remembering manga artist and Dragonball Creator Akira Toriyama Remembering manga artist and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama : NPR
Akira Toriyama is the creator of the renowned Dragonball Z series passed away on March 1, 2024 at the age of 68. Dragonball was developed in 1984 after Toriyama completed his first mainstream manga "Dr. Slump". Dragonball was adapted into an anime which ran from 1986 to 1989. Toriyama was most notable for his iconic line work which included wide eyes and expressible faces. He was creative with designing flying machines and crazy hoodickeys. His legacy and inspiration is incalculable introducing a new audience to anime and impacting manga with such releases as "One Piece" and "My Hero Academia" who have been touched by "Dragonball's" influence.
Associated Press.(2024, March 11). Dragon Ball fans in Argentina mourn death of creator Akira Toriyama Video. YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFsU2OhObR8
To mourn Akira's recent death thousands of fans congregated at the Obelisk monument in Buenos Aires. Many are dressed in Dragonball cosplay or are wearing Dragonball attire. They all raise there hands to celebrate the renowned Japanese franchise and to honor Akira Toriyama's legacy. You can see the video below.
Find Mangaka
To find new mangaka use:
Literature Map is part of GNOD(Global Network of Discovery). The more people like an author and another author the closer an author will move on the literature map. This is great for finding different manga authors that are similar in style to ones you currently read or if you are interested in learning more about authors. Input an author name like Akira Toriyama and find all the mangaka that are close in range to find similar authors that write adventure manga with new worlds.
