Fuichin-san
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is a Japanese
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 ...
series written and illustrated by
Toshiko Ueda was a Japanese manga artist. After apprenticing under the manga artist Katsuji Matsumoto at the age of seventeen, Ueda published her first manga in 1937. Like her mentor, she drew mainly humorous manga, both in '' shōjo'' (girls) magazines ...
. It was originally serialized in the '' shōjo'' (girls) magazine ''
Shōjo Club was a monthly Japanese (girls) magazine. Founded by the publishing company Kodansha in 1923 as a sister publication to its magazine '' Shōnen Club'', the magazine published articles, short stories, illustrations, poems, and manga. ''Shōjo Cl ...
'' from 1957 to 1962. Set in early 20th century
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
, the series depicts the adventures of Fuichin, the daughter of a servant of a wealthy family, and Li Chu, the son of this family. The series won the 5th
Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major 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 ...
in 1959, and was adapted into an
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
film in 2004.


Synopsis

The series is set in
Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
,
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
(located in modern
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
) at an unspecified date during the occupation of Manchuria by the
Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
in the early 20th century. The primary character is , a Chinese teenager and daughter of the doorman of the residence of , the patriarch of the wealthiest family in the city. Fuichin is an independently minded
tomboy A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men. Origins The w ...
, but is also kind and good-natured, and is distinguished by her two characteristic long braids of hair. Despite Fuichin's low status, her sunny disposition wins her the admiration of most people she encounters, including Liu Tai. He asks Fuichin to become the playmate to his youngest son , who is ten years Fuichin's junior. The series comedically illustrates the various adventures and misadventures of Fuichin and Li Chu, including the jealousy of Li Chu's mother, an attempted arranged marriage between Fuichin and Li Chu, and the kidnapping of Li Chu.


Production

''Fuichin-san'' author
Toshiko Ueda was a Japanese manga artist. After apprenticing under the manga artist Katsuji Matsumoto at the age of seventeen, Ueda published her first manga in 1937. Like her mentor, she drew mainly humorous manga, both in '' shōjo'' (girls) magazines ...
was born in Japan, but lived in Harbin as a child from 1917 to 1929, and again as an adult from 1943 to 1946. She made her debut as a
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 ...
in 1937, and between 1937 and 1938 published the series in the daily newspaper ''
Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun The (lit. ''Tokyo Daily News'') was a newspaper printed in Tokyo, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of ...
''. The series was a humorous ''
yonkoma is a comic strip format that generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom. They also sometimes run right-to-left horizontally or use a hybrid 2×2 style, depending on the layout requiremen ...
'' (four-panel
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
) featuring a Chinese girl, which Ueda has described as a prototype version of ''Fuichin-san''. After repatriating to Japan, Ueda contributed manga to various '' shōjo'' (girls) manga magazines in the 1950s. She decided to create a manga series based on her life in Harbin, rendering an idyllic version of history in which the city's Chinese, Japanese and Russian populations live in harmony. China was an atypical setting for ''shōjo'' manga of the era, which were typically set in Japan or western settings; Ueda sought to appeal to girl readers with a setting that was exotic, but still recognizably Asian. While Ueda drew from her own experience living in Harbin, she elected to make the protagonist of the series Chinese, with the name "Fuichin" drawn from the name of the daughter of the Ueda family's cook in Harbin. ''Fuichin-san'' was published in the magazine ''
Shōjo Club was a monthly Japanese (girls) magazine. Founded by the publishing company Kodansha in 1923 as a sister publication to its magazine '' Shōnen Club'', the magazine published articles, short stories, illustrations, poems, and manga. ''Shōjo Cl ...
'' on a monthly basis from the January 1957 issue to the March 1962 issue.


Reception

''Fuichin-san'' is Ueda's most well-known series, and enjoyed a comparable level of popularity to
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...
's influential ''shōjo'' series ''
Princess Knight ''Princess Knight'', also known as ''Ribon no Kishi'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. This manga follows the adventures of Sapphire, a girl who was born accidentally with a blue heart of a boy and a pin ...
'', which was published in ''Shōjo Club'' from 1953 to 1956. The titular character of ''Fuichin-san'' became the mascot of the magazine for the duration of its publication run. In 1959, both ''Fuichin-san'' and Ueda's manga series ''Bonko-chan'' won the 5th
Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major 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 ...
.


Adaptation

An
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
film adaptation of ''Fuichin-san'' produced by was released on March 20, 2004. The film was directed by , and features Michiyo Yanagisawa as the voice of Fuichin and
Yuko Sasamoto is a Japanese voice actress. Filmography Anime *'' Cyborg Kuro-chan'' (1999) – Pooly, Nyan Nyan Army No. 2/Spyder, Lily *''Hamtaro'' (2000) – Mimi (Momo Iwata) *'' Gate Keepers'' (2000) – Ayako Isagai *'' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' (20 ...
as the voice of Li Chu.


References

{{Shogakukan Manga Award - General 1957 manga 1962 comics endings 2004 anime films 2004 films Anime and manga set in China Japanese animated films Kodansha manga Shōjo manga Films set in Harbin