Osamu Sōda
Description
Osamu Sōda was a Japanese novelist best known as the creator of the Bokura series of juvenile novels, which includes the work that inspired the anime film Seven Days War. Born on May 8, 1928 in Tokyo, Sōda grew up in Aichi Prefecture and graduated from the Department of Cinema at Nihon University College of Art. Before becoming a novelist, he worked as a screenwriter and magazine editor. He made his literary debut in 1979 with the novel Michi Kaiiki, which was nominated for the prestigious Naoki Prize.
Sōda achieved mainstream success with the publication of Bokura no Nanokakan Sensō (Our Seven Days War) in April 1985. This novel, published by Kadokawa Shoten, follows a group of junior high school students who barricade themselves inside an abandoned factory to resist what they see as unreasonable treatment from parents and teachers. The book became a bestseller and launched the long running Bokura series. The novel directly inspired a live action film adaptation in 1988 starring Rie Miyazawa. Decades later, the story was adapted into an anime film titled Seven Days War, which was released in 2019. This animated feature competed in the Features category of the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and won the award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 53rd annual Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain.
Throughout his career, Sōda continued to write prolifically, contributing to the Bokura series for decades. He published the 51st installment, Bokura no Tokyo Kakumei, in 2023, and his final novel, Bokura no Italia (Kai) Senso, was released just a month before his death. The series has sold over 20 million copies in total. His other notable works include series such as 2年A組探偵局シリーズ and 悪ガキ7シリーズ. Editors from Kadokawa, his long time publisher, noted that his work consistently expressed opposition to war, a perspective shaped by his personal experiences, and that he wrote with the intention of uplifting young readers. Osamu Sōda died on April 8, 2024 at a hospital in Nagoya due to pneumonia. He was 95 years old.
Sōda achieved mainstream success with the publication of Bokura no Nanokakan Sensō (Our Seven Days War) in April 1985. This novel, published by Kadokawa Shoten, follows a group of junior high school students who barricade themselves inside an abandoned factory to resist what they see as unreasonable treatment from parents and teachers. The book became a bestseller and launched the long running Bokura series. The novel directly inspired a live action film adaptation in 1988 starring Rie Miyazawa. Decades later, the story was adapted into an anime film titled Seven Days War, which was released in 2019. This animated feature competed in the Features category of the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and won the award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 53rd annual Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain.
Throughout his career, Sōda continued to write prolifically, contributing to the Bokura series for decades. He published the 51st installment, Bokura no Tokyo Kakumei, in 2023, and his final novel, Bokura no Italia (Kai) Senso, was released just a month before his death. The series has sold over 20 million copies in total. His other notable works include series such as 2年A組探偵局シリーズ and 悪ガキ7シリーズ. Editors from Kadokawa, his long time publisher, noted that his work consistently expressed opposition to war, a perspective shaped by his personal experiences, and that he wrote with the intention of uplifting young readers. Osamu Sōda died on April 8, 2024 at a hospital in Nagoya due to pneumonia. He was 95 years old.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview