Yoshikatsu Miyakoshi
Description
Yoshikatsu Miyakoshi was a Japanese manga artist and original creator active from the 1960s until his death in 2005. Born in 1943 in Akita Prefecture, he began his career in the anime industry after graduating from middle school when he joined Mushi Productions, the studio founded by Osamu Tezuka. During his time there, he worked as an assistant to Tezuka before making his debut as a manga creator.
He made his professional debut in 1964 under the name Tsukamoto Koji on the manga Steel Man Sigma, a collaboration with writer Yokoyama Mitsuteru. The following year, he began work on his most renowned creation, Space Boy Soran. The series was a collaborative effort; Miyakoshi is credited as the illustrator and co-creator, while Kazuya Fukumoto is credited as the writer. The Space Boy Soran manga was serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine beginning in 1965.
The series was quickly adapted into a black-and-white anime television series produced by TCJ. The anime, directed by Haruyuki Kawajima, premiered on May 4, 1965, and ran for a total of 96 episodes until March 28, 1967. The story follows a boy who is rescued by aliens and transformed into a cyborg before returning to Earth to search for his missing sister.
Miyakoshi’s early career placed him at the center of a notable incident in manga publishing history known as the Wonder Three incident. Because the character Chappy from Space Boy Soran bore a resemblance to a character Osamu Tezuka was developing for his series Wonder Three, and due to Miyakoshi’s prior connection to Tezuka’s studio, Tezuka moved his manga to a different publication, Weekly Shonen Sunday, to avoid potential accusations of plagiarism. His other notable works from this period include the manga Steel Man Sigma.
Beyond his direct creative work, Miyakoshi is recognized as a figure from the early days of modern manga and anime, with a career that intersected with some of the most influential creators of the era. His body of work is primarily associated with the 1960s. Yoshikatsu Miyakoshi passed away in 2005.
He made his professional debut in 1964 under the name Tsukamoto Koji on the manga Steel Man Sigma, a collaboration with writer Yokoyama Mitsuteru. The following year, he began work on his most renowned creation, Space Boy Soran. The series was a collaborative effort; Miyakoshi is credited as the illustrator and co-creator, while Kazuya Fukumoto is credited as the writer. The Space Boy Soran manga was serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine beginning in 1965.
The series was quickly adapted into a black-and-white anime television series produced by TCJ. The anime, directed by Haruyuki Kawajima, premiered on May 4, 1965, and ran for a total of 96 episodes until March 28, 1967. The story follows a boy who is rescued by aliens and transformed into a cyborg before returning to Earth to search for his missing sister.
Miyakoshi’s early career placed him at the center of a notable incident in manga publishing history known as the Wonder Three incident. Because the character Chappy from Space Boy Soran bore a resemblance to a character Osamu Tezuka was developing for his series Wonder Three, and due to Miyakoshi’s prior connection to Tezuka’s studio, Tezuka moved his manga to a different publication, Weekly Shonen Sunday, to avoid potential accusations of plagiarism. His other notable works from this period include the manga Steel Man Sigma.
Beyond his direct creative work, Miyakoshi is recognized as a figure from the early days of modern manga and anime, with a career that intersected with some of the most influential creators of the era. His body of work is primarily associated with the 1960s. Yoshikatsu Miyakoshi passed away in 2005.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview