Akira Sasō
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is a Japanese
manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the indus ...
and educator. He has won a
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Current ...
and two Japan Media Arts Awards, the latter for his
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
'' Shindō'' (1997–98) and ''
Maestro Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher," plural: maestros or maestri) is an honorific title of respect, sometimes abbreviated Mo. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and oper ...
'' (2003–07).


Biography

Sasō was born in
Takarazuka, Hyōgo file:Takarazuka city-office.jpg, 270px, Takarazuka City Hall file:Takarazuka city center area Aerial photograph.1985.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Takarazuka city center The kanji (UTF-8 code FA1016), which is part of Takarazuka's official name () ...
, Japan, in 1961. He completed his secondary education at Ikeda Senior High School in
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, then attended the Faculty of Literature at
Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...
, graduating in 1984. That year he made his debut in
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
with ''Shiroi shiroi natsu yanen'', which was published in ''
seinen is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word means "youth", but the term " manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Manga Times'' and '' Weekly Man ...
'' oriented ''
Young Magazine is a Japanese weekly anthology magazine published in Tokyo each Monday by Kodansha. The magazine started on June 16, 1980, and is targeted at the adult male () demographic. It was published bimonthly (under the title ), on the second and fourth ...
'' in 1984. By the late 1990s he had finished such works as ''Busy Love'' (''Ai ga isogashii'') and (''Oretachi ni Asu wa Naissu''). Between 1997 and 1998 Sasō wrote '' Shindō'' (''The Prodigy''), which was published in ''
Manga Action is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Futabasha. It is currently published twice a month, on the first and third Thursday. The magazine was originally formed as and began publishing weekly from July 7, 1967. It is considered the fir ...
'' in four volumes. It follow Uta, a young musical prodigy who rejects her gifts in her grief over her father's disappearance. For this manga, Sasō received the 3rd
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Current ...
, as well as a Japan Media Arts Award for Excellence. Receiving the latter award, Sasō stated that he had attempted to convey sound through his narrative. The Japan Media Arts Council stated that the manga's "delicate illustrations express the tempestuous emotions of the young girl and boy, while also creating a rhythm for the piano music". A film version of the manga, directed by Koji Hagiuda and starring
Riko Narumi , known professionally by the stage name is a Japanese actress and Model (person), model. Personal life On September 23, 2020, Narumi's agency announced that she had registered her marriage to a non-celebrity man. Her spouse's name was not dis ...
and
Kenichi Matsuyama is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008. He was ca ...
, was released in 2007. In early 2004 Sasō began publishing '' Kodomo no Kodomo'' (''Child's Child'') in ''Manga Action''. The manga's three volumes followed Haruna, an 11-year-old fifth grader who became pregnant after having sex with her childhood friend Hiroyuki. In 2008 the story was adapted to film, with Haruna Amari in the lead role. Sasō's won a Japan Media Arts Award for Excellence in 2008, and was nominated for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. Published in
Futabasha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Futabasha is known for its manga works, and its 1967 magazine Manga Action first conceived of the manga category, decades before the other major companies tested th ...
's ''Manga Action'', and later its website, from 2003 to 2007, the comic follows an unorthodox conductor named Tendō who leads an orchestra and restores its members confidence. A film adaptation, directed by Shōtarō Kobayashi and starring
Tori Matsuzaka is a Japanese actor and model. He debuted as Takeru Shiba/Shinken Red in '' Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.'' Since then, he has appeared in several television shows and films. Personal life On December 10, 2020, Matsuzaka married actress Erika Tod ...
and
Toshiyuki Nishida was a Japanese actor. He won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for '' The Silk Road'' (1988) and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 6'' (1993). He also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for '' Get Up!'' and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 14'' (2003). O ...
, is scheduled for 2015. From February to August 2008, Sasō published an adaptation of
Yōjirō Takita Yōjirō Takita (滝田 洋二郎 ''Takita Yōjirō'', born December 4, 1955) is a Japanese filmmaker. Takita received an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for his 2008 drama '' Departures''. It marked the first time a Japanese film won the aw ...
's film '' Departures'', serialized in twelve instalments in the bi-weekly ''
Big Comic Superior is a semimonthly seinen manga magazine published since July 1, 1987, by Shogakukan in Japan. Its target audience is somewhere between the audience for ''Big Comic Original'' and '' Big Comic Spirits''. The magazine has published works by a numb ...
''. He agreed to take on the adaptation as he was impressed by
Kundō Koyama (born 1964) is a Japanese writer. He is best known for scripting the television series ''Iron Chef'' and the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film recipient ''Departures (2008 film), Departures''. Koyama has also worked under the pen ...
's script. Sasō had the opportunity to view the film before beginning the adaptation, and came to feel that a too-literal adaptation would not be appropriate. He made changes to the settings and physical appearances of the characters, and increased the focus on the role of music in the story. Later in 2008 the serial was compiled in a 280-page volume released by
Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
. Sasō has written a variety of manga, including ''Toto's World'' (about a child who is unable to speak) and ''Fujisan''. ''Toto's World'' was adapted to film by
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
. In June 2014 he was one of twenty artists to collaborate on a special ''Godzilla'' manga, published by ''
Big Comic Original is a Japanese manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at an older adult and mostly male audience. It is a sister magazine to the manga magazine '' Big Comic'', the biggest difference being that it goes on sale twice a month in the weeks ...
'' in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the title character. Sasō became a professor at the Department of Manga at
Kyoto Seika University is a private university in Kyoto, Iwakura, Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan. The school's predecessor was founded in 1968, and it was chartered as a university in 1979. The school is noted for its faculties of manga and anime, and being involved in ...
in 2006.


References


Works cited

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saso, Akira 1961 births Manga artists from Hyōgo Prefecture Living people