Kōsuke Fujishima
Description
Kōsuke Fujishima is a Japanese manga artist and character designer born on July 7, 1964, in Chiba, Japan. He first came to public attention after completing high school by working as an editor for Puff magazine. Fujishima originally intended to become a draftsman but took the editorial role after failing to secure a drafting apprenticeship. He later became an assistant to manga artist Tatsuya Egawa before beginning his own career as a creator.
Fujishima is best known for creating two major manga series. His first original series, You're Under Arrest!, began serialization in 1986. His second and most famous work, Oh My Goddess! (also known as Ah! My Goddess), was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine from September 1988 to April 2014, with its chapters collected in 48 tankobon volumes. The series follows college sophomore Keiichi Morisato and the goddess Belldandy, and it has over 25 million copies in circulation as of June 2020. Oh My Goddess! won the 33rd Kodansha Manga Award for the general category in 2009.
The Oh My Goddess! manga has seen extensive adaptation into anime. An original video animation was produced by Anime International Company, released from February 1993 to May 1994. A 48-episode anime television series titled The Adventures of Mini-Goddess aired from April 1998 to March 1999. An anime television series titled Ah! My Goddess aired from January to July 2005, followed by Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy from April to September 2006. Additional OVAs include Ah! My Goddess: Fighting Wings released in 2007 and Ah! My Goddess: Together Forever released between 2011 and 2013. An anime film was also released in 2000.
Beyond his manga work, Fujishima created the original anime OVA series éX-Driver, for which he handled planning, original concept, and original character design. The series, produced by Bandai Visual and Actas, spanned six episodes released from July 2000 to September 2001, and was followed by a feature film and an additional OVA titled éX-Driver: Danger Zone. The story is set in a future where artificial intelligence controls automobiles, and specialized drivers chase down runaway AI-controlled cars using older mechanical vehicles.
Fujishima is widely recognized for his character design work in the video game industry. He served as character designer for several games in the Tales series, beginning with Tales of Phantasia in 1994 and continuing through entries such as Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of Xillia, Tales of Zestiria, and Tales of Berseria. He also designed characters for the first five Sakura Wars games from 1996 to 2005. Additional character design credits include Kōryū Densetsu Villgust, Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart, and Black Rose Valkyrie.
A notable recurring element in Fujishima's work is his passion for automobiles and motorcycles, which is consistently reflected across his series. This interest is particularly evident in You're Under Arrest!, the motorcycle-focused Toppu GP which began in 2016, and the vehicle-centric premise of éX-Driver. He also served as mechanical designer for the Gungrave video game series. Fujishima owns a rare Krauser Domani, a motorcycle-like vehicle with an integrated sidecar that he purchased in 1994. He continues to work as a manga artist, with Toppu GP ongoing since 2016.
Fujishima is best known for creating two major manga series. His first original series, You're Under Arrest!, began serialization in 1986. His second and most famous work, Oh My Goddess! (also known as Ah! My Goddess), was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine from September 1988 to April 2014, with its chapters collected in 48 tankobon volumes. The series follows college sophomore Keiichi Morisato and the goddess Belldandy, and it has over 25 million copies in circulation as of June 2020. Oh My Goddess! won the 33rd Kodansha Manga Award for the general category in 2009.
The Oh My Goddess! manga has seen extensive adaptation into anime. An original video animation was produced by Anime International Company, released from February 1993 to May 1994. A 48-episode anime television series titled The Adventures of Mini-Goddess aired from April 1998 to March 1999. An anime television series titled Ah! My Goddess aired from January to July 2005, followed by Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy from April to September 2006. Additional OVAs include Ah! My Goddess: Fighting Wings released in 2007 and Ah! My Goddess: Together Forever released between 2011 and 2013. An anime film was also released in 2000.
Beyond his manga work, Fujishima created the original anime OVA series éX-Driver, for which he handled planning, original concept, and original character design. The series, produced by Bandai Visual and Actas, spanned six episodes released from July 2000 to September 2001, and was followed by a feature film and an additional OVA titled éX-Driver: Danger Zone. The story is set in a future where artificial intelligence controls automobiles, and specialized drivers chase down runaway AI-controlled cars using older mechanical vehicles.
Fujishima is widely recognized for his character design work in the video game industry. He served as character designer for several games in the Tales series, beginning with Tales of Phantasia in 1994 and continuing through entries such as Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of Xillia, Tales of Zestiria, and Tales of Berseria. He also designed characters for the first five Sakura Wars games from 1996 to 2005. Additional character design credits include Kōryū Densetsu Villgust, Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart, and Black Rose Valkyrie.
A notable recurring element in Fujishima's work is his passion for automobiles and motorcycles, which is consistently reflected across his series. This interest is particularly evident in You're Under Arrest!, the motorcycle-focused Toppu GP which began in 2016, and the vehicle-centric premise of éX-Driver. He also served as mechanical designer for the Gungrave video game series. Fujishima owns a rare Krauser Domani, a motorcycle-like vehicle with an integrated sidecar that he purchased in 1994. He continues to work as a manga artist, with Toppu GP ongoing since 2016.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview