is a Japanese

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

and TV commentator. After graduating from

Seikei University is a private university in the Kichijōji area of the city of Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. Its name derives from a passage in the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. Its campus is noted for its rows of zelkova trees, which is listed as ...

, he worked for a number of different advertising production companies and as a freelance copywriter. In 1997, he published his first short story collection, ''

Ikebukuro West Gate Park , usually referred to by its initials IWGP, is a series of urban mystery novels by Ira Ishida. It was adapted into a drama television series directed by Tsutsumi Yukihiko. The television drama then got a manga adaptation. An anime telev ...

'', which won the 36th All Yomimono New Mystery Writer's Prize. In 2003, he won the

Naoki Prize The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for ...

for ''4teen''. His novels describe the culture of young people in Japan, particularly young women and

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejora ...

without a college education. Many of his works have been adapted for

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) 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 prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

and television. As an actor, he made his first appearance in a leading role in the 2006 film '' Love My Life''. Ishida's pen name, Ishida Ira, was derived by splitting his real family name Ishidaira.

Works in English translation

;Novel *'' Call Boy'' (original title: ''Shōnen''), trans. Lamar Stone (

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

English Edition, 2013) ;Short story *''

'' (''Digital Geishas and Talking Frogs: The Best 21st Century Short Stories from Japan'', Cheng & Tsui Company, 2011)

Awards and nominations

*1997 - All Yomimono New Mystery Writer's Prize: ''

'' (short story) *2001 - Nominee for

: ''Call Boy'' *2002 - Nominee for Naoki Prize: ''Kotsuon: Ikebukuro West Gate Park 3'' *2003 - Naoki Prize: ''4teen'' J'Lit , Publications : 4teen , Books from Japan
/ref>

Main works

Ikebukuro West Gate Park

*Short story collections **, 1998 *** *** *** *** **, 2000 **, 2002 **, 2003 **, 2005 **, 2006 **, 2007 **, 2008 **, 2009 **, 2010

Call Boy series

*, 2001 ('' Call Boy'',

English Edition, 2013) *, 2008 * Call Boy 3, 2018

Standalone novels

*, 1999 *, 1999 *, 2001 *, 2004 *, 2004 *, 2019

Short story collections

*, 2002 *, 2003

TV and film adaptations

;Japanese TV dramas *

Ikebukuro West Gate Park (TV series) was a popular Japanese television drama by screenwriter Kankuro Kudo. Based on a novel by Ira Ishida, it initially aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System during the summer of 2000, and was directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. The success of the ...

(2000) *4teen (2004) *

Akihabara@DEEP is a 2004 novel by Ira Ishida which spawned a manga, television drama, and movie adaptation. The drama and manga versions have considerable differences from the original novel. The original novel focuses on a group of outcasts and their ...

(2006) ;Japanese film *

(2006) * (2018)

References

External links

Ira Ishida
at J'Lit Books from Japan 1960 births Living people Japanese writers Japanese crime fiction writers Writers from Tokyo {{japan-writer-stub