Kimio Yanagisawa
Description
Kimio Yanagisawa, also known by the pen name Yanagisawa Kimio, is a Japanese manga artist born on September 26, 1948 in Gosen-shi, Niigata Prefecture. His real name is written with the kanji characters for Kimio Yanagisawa, while his professional name uses a different phonetic rendering. He graduated from Niigata Prefectural Muramatsu High School, where he was a senior to future animator Yoshifumi Kondō, and later attended Wakō University to study fine arts before leaving before completing his degree.
Yanagisawa made his professional debut in 1970 with the short manga Zumbavarin, published in Weekly Shonen Jump under his real name. He worked as an assistant to the established manga artist Torii Kazuyoshi. In 1972, he received an honorable mention in the fourth Tezuka Manga Contest for his story Makeru na Kisaburō. His early serialized works included Onna Darake and Onsen Boy, also in Weekly Shonen Jump.
He achieved significant commercial success and critical recognition with Tonda Couple, a romantic comedy serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine from 1978 to 1981. This work earned him the 1978 Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen manga, establishing him as a major figure in the industry. Following this success, Yanagisawa became active in seinen and general men's magazines, creating a wide range of manga that often explored adult relationships and contemporary urban life.
Among his many manga series are 100%, which was published from 1988 to 1992, and Aoki Honō, serialized from 1989 to 1991. Both are representative of his prolific output during this period. Other notable works from his career include Tsuki to Suppon, Good Girl, Ruri Iro Generation, Mistress, and Dai shimin. His later career saw the creation of the long-running series Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi, which began serialization in 2000 and became one of his most famous works. This series was adapted into an anime television series in 2003 and a live-action film in 2010, marking it as his most significant work to be adapted for the screen.
Yanagisawa's artistic identity is closely tied to his depictions of relationships and the complexities of modern adult life. Many of his manga series, including the award-winning Tonda Couple, focus on romantic and sometimes unconventional partnerships, often with a comedic or dramatic lens. His work for seinen magazines frequently explored themes of love, work, and personal identity. His bibliography includes titles with English words and concepts, such as 100%, Good Girl, and Scrambled Eggs, reflecting a certain contemporary or Western-influenced sensibility common in manga of the 1980s and 1990s.
His industry significance is underscored by his Kodansha Manga Award and the long-running popularity of series like Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi, which sustained serialization for over a decade and spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs. After a long and productive career, Yanagisawa officially retired in 2011, publishing an autobiography titled Nandakana Jinsei that reflects on his life as a manga artist.
Yanagisawa made his professional debut in 1970 with the short manga Zumbavarin, published in Weekly Shonen Jump under his real name. He worked as an assistant to the established manga artist Torii Kazuyoshi. In 1972, he received an honorable mention in the fourth Tezuka Manga Contest for his story Makeru na Kisaburō. His early serialized works included Onna Darake and Onsen Boy, also in Weekly Shonen Jump.
He achieved significant commercial success and critical recognition with Tonda Couple, a romantic comedy serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine from 1978 to 1981. This work earned him the 1978 Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen manga, establishing him as a major figure in the industry. Following this success, Yanagisawa became active in seinen and general men's magazines, creating a wide range of manga that often explored adult relationships and contemporary urban life.
Among his many manga series are 100%, which was published from 1988 to 1992, and Aoki Honō, serialized from 1989 to 1991. Both are representative of his prolific output during this period. Other notable works from his career include Tsuki to Suppon, Good Girl, Ruri Iro Generation, Mistress, and Dai shimin. His later career saw the creation of the long-running series Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi, which began serialization in 2000 and became one of his most famous works. This series was adapted into an anime television series in 2003 and a live-action film in 2010, marking it as his most significant work to be adapted for the screen.
Yanagisawa's artistic identity is closely tied to his depictions of relationships and the complexities of modern adult life. Many of his manga series, including the award-winning Tonda Couple, focus on romantic and sometimes unconventional partnerships, often with a comedic or dramatic lens. His work for seinen magazines frequently explored themes of love, work, and personal identity. His bibliography includes titles with English words and concepts, such as 100%, Good Girl, and Scrambled Eggs, reflecting a certain contemporary or Western-influenced sensibility common in manga of the 1980s and 1990s.
His industry significance is underscored by his Kodansha Manga Award and the long-running popularity of series like Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi, which sustained serialization for over a decade and spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs. After a long and productive career, Yanagisawa officially retired in 2011, publishing an autobiography titled Nandakana Jinsei that reflects on his life as a manga artist.