, also known as Micky Bird or Mickey Bird,
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 ...
, character designer,
essayist
An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
, and
screenplay
A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...
writer.
Tori has won multiple awards for his work, including two
Seiun Award
The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fic ...
s (in 1994 for ''Dai-Hon'ya'', and in 1998 for ''SF Taishō'') and one
Bungeishunjū Manga Award (in 1995 for ''Tōku e Ikitai'').
His
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
was created by mixing up the
pronunciation
Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. To
This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or all language in a specific dialect—"correct" or "standard" pronunciation—or si ...
of the kanji making up his real name. He worked as a writer on ''
WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3''.
Tori attended
Meiji University
is a Private university, private research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Originally founded as Meiji Law School () by three lawyers in 1881, it became a university in April 1920.
As of May 2023, Meiji has 32,261 undergradu ...
,
majoring in
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
, though he left his studies before receiving a degree. He was a member of the ''
rakugo
is a form of Japanese verbal comedy, traditionally performed in '' yose'' theatres. (Bibliographyvolume 38(1)
article
T ...
'' research club during his time there, and attended at the same time as ''
owarai
is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word ''owarai'' is the Honorific speech in Japanese#Honorific prefixes, honorific form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". '' ...
'', ''
tarento
Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in the United States were descri ...
'', and ''
senpai'' Masayuki Watanabe.
He made his professional debut in 1979 after winning an honorable mention for his story at the 12th
Shōnen Champion Rookie Manga Awards, after which he became known mainly for his
gag manga such as ''Kuru Kuru Kurin'' and ''Tōku e Ikitai'', as well as manga featuring
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
elements. For many years, his manga appeared in the television guide "TV Bros."
Works
Manga
*''Komaken Harēshon'' (1979, ''
Weekly Shōnen Champion
is a Japanese Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Akita Shoten.
History
''Shōnen Champion'' was first published on July 15, 1969. It has had numerous popular series by manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, Shinji Miz ...
'',
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita in 1948. As of May 2023, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi. The company is known for publishing the manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Champ ...
)
**released in the
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
''Shimatta.''
*''Shimatta.'' (1979–1984,
Jets Comics,
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
The company mainly publishes manga magazines and is involved in series' productions in their games, original video animation, music, and their animated TV series.
The com ...
)
*''Bara no Susumu-sama'' (1980, ''Weekly Shōnen Champion'', Akita Shoten)
*''Runrun Company'' (1980–1982, ''Weekly Shōnen Champion'', Akita Shoten)
*''Tamanegi Parco'' (1981–1982, ''
Monthly Shōnen Champion
is a Japanese manga anthology. It is published by Akita Shoten since March 1970.
Manga artists and series
* Daijiro Morohoshi
**''Mudmen''
* Hideo Azuma
**'' Chibi Mama-chan''
**'' Kakuto Family''
**'' Yadorigi-kun''
* Hideyuki Yonehara
**'' ...
'', Akita Shoten)
*''Sukekoma-kun'' (1982, ''
Young Champion'', Akita Shoten)
*''Rare Masters'' (1982–1994,
Kawade Personal Comics,
Kawade Shobō Shinsha
, formerly , is a publisher founded in 1886 in Japan. It is headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. It publishes the magazine '' Bungei'' and administers the Bungei Prize.
History
Kawade Shobō Shinsha traces its history to 1886 ...
)
*''Yūsei kara Bishōjo X'' (1983, ''
Petit Apple Pie
is an 18-volume ''bishōjo'' lolicon manga anthology series published by Animage Comics from November 10, 1982, to March 10, 1987. The first volume was released under the name , before the series was renamed to ''Petit Apple Pie'' with the ori ...
'',
Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company's product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, man ...
)
*''Kuru Kuru Kurin'' (1983–1984, ''Weekly Shōnen Champion'', Akita Shoten)
**made into a
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
series starring
Sayuri Iwai,
Joe Shishido
was a Japanese actor recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles. He appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film ''Branded to Kill'' (1967). In Japan, he is also known by the nickna ...
,
Hisahiro Ogura, and
Narimi Arimori
*''Torimikin!!'' (1983–1984, Jets Comics, Hakusensha)
*''Yoshida-san Kiki Ippatsu'' (1983–1986, ''Super Action'',
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 ...
*''Tokimeki Brain'' (1984, ''
Monthly Shōnen Champion
is a Japanese manga anthology. It is published by Akita Shoten since March 1970.
Manga artists and series
* Daijiro Morohoshi
**''Mudmen''
* Hideo Azuma
**'' Chibi Mama-chan''
**'' Kakuto Family''
**'' Yadorigi-kun''
* Hideyuki Yonehara
**'' ...
'', Akita Shoten)
**released in the tankōbon ''Uratori''
*''Uratori'' (1984–1986, CBS/Sony Comics, CBS/Sony Shuppan)
*''Poritan'' (1985, ''
Monthly Comi Comi'', Hakusensha)
*''Ai no Sakaagari'' (1985–1986, ''
Heiban Punch'',
Magazine House)
*''Damatte Ore no Tsuite Koi'' (1985–1986,
Seirindō)
*''A Heebie Jeebie'' (1986–1987, Monthly Comi Comi, Hakusensha)
*''Sharibari'' (1987, ''Super Action'', Futabasha)
*''
Anywhere But Here'' (1988–2003, ''
TV Bros.'',
Tokyo News Tsūshinsha, released in tankōbon by Kawade Shobō Shinsha, published in North America by
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the Erotic comics, erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed sev ...
)
*''Tori no Ichi'' (1987–1989, Seirindō)
*''Yama no Oto'' (1988, ''
SF Magazine'',
Hayakawa Shobō)
*''Terrible Shōnendan'' (1989, ''
Weekly Shōnen Sunday
is a weekly manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, making it ...
'',
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 ...
)
*''Tori Miki no Kinekomika'' (1989–1992, Sony Magazines)
*''Tori Miki no Mō Anshin'' (1989–1993, Seirindō)
*''Kenka no Ichizoku'' (1990–1993, Tokuma Shoten)
*''Dai-Hon'ya'' (created by
Kansei Takita, 1992–1993,
ASCII Comics,
ASCII Shuppansha)
*''Tori Miki no Jiken no Chiheisen'' (1993–1997,
Chikuma Shobō
is a Japanese book publisher headquartered in , Taitō, Tokyo.
Founded in 1940 by Furuta Akira (1906–1973) in cooperation with the writer and critic Yoshimi Usui, it first published the intellectual monthly ''Tembo'' (Views) in 1946.
In 1953 ...
)
*''Tomason no Wana'' (1994–1995, ''
Comic'○○'',
Bungeishunju)
*''SF Taishō'' (1994–1996, ''SF Magazine'', Hayakawa Shobō)
*''Man'en Gannen no Rugby'' (created by
Yasutaka Tsutsui
is a Japanese novelist, science fiction author, and actor. His ''Yumenokizaka bunkiten'' won the Tanizaki Prize in 1987. He has also won the 1981 Izumi Kyoka award, the 1989 Kawabata Yasunari award, and the 1992 Nihon SF Taisho Award.
Writin ...
, 1995,
Jitsugyō no Nihonsha)
*''Hitotachi'' (1995, ''
Manga Share da!!'',
Bunkasha)
*''Shakujin Densetsu'' (1995-current, ''
Comic Bingo'', Bungeishunju)
*''Doyō Waide Satsujin Jiken'' (co-authored with
Masami Yuki, 1996–1997, ''Weekly Shōnen Captain'', Tokuma Shoten)
*''"Gyōdai Chōdai"'' (1998–1999, Bunkasha)
*''Bōchōsuru Jiken'' (2002, Chikuma Shobō)
*''The Last Book Man'' (co-authored with Kansei Takita, 2002, Hayakawa Shobō)
*''Excite na Jiken'' (co-authored with
Gō Ōhinata, 2004, Akita Shoten)
*''Reishoku Sōsakan'' (2008-current, ''
Weekly Morning'',
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
)
*''
PLINIVS'' (co-authored with
Mari Yamazaki,
Shinchōsha)
Sources:
Non-manga books
*''Tori no Me Hito no Me'' (1989,
Chikuma Shobō
is a Japanese book publisher headquartered in , Taitō, Tokyo.
Founded in 1940 by Furuta Akira (1906–1973) in cooperation with the writer and critic Yoshimi Usui, it first published the intellectual monthly ''Tembo'' (Views) in 1946.
In 1953 ...
, essays)
*''Fukikae Eiga Daijiten'' (co-authored with the , 1995,
San-Ichi Shobo)
*''Mangaka no Himitsu: Tori Miki & Ninki Sakka Kyūnin no Honne Talk'' (1997,
Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company's product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, man ...
)
**The nine include
Go Nagai
, better known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of Japanese science fiction, science fiction, fantasy, Japanese horror, horror, and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with ''Meakashi Polikichi'', b ...
,
Masami Yuki,
Sensha Yoshida,
Noriko Nagano,
Hideo Azuma
was a Japanese manga artist. Azuma made his professional debut in 1969 in the Akita Shoten manga magazine '' Manga Ō''. He was most well known for his science fiction ''lolicon''-themed works appearing in magazines such as ''Weekly Shōnen Ch ...
,
Kotobuki Shiriagari
is a Japanese manga artist and actor.
Life
Shiriagari was born in Shizuoka in 1958. He studied graphic design at Tama Art University in Tokyo. In early 1981, after graduation, he began to work as an advertising illustrator for the beer compan ...
,
Hisashi Eguchi
is a Japanese manga artist and one of Japan's most prominent illustrators of female characters. He made his professional manga debut with in the manga anthology ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1977. Other notable works include (adapted into an anim ...
,
Naoki Karasawa, and
Mitsue Aoki
*''Tori Miki no Eiga Fukikae-Ō'' (2004,
Yosensha)
Anime
*''
Majo demo Steady'' (1986,
Hayakawa Shobō, character designer)
Television
*''Tsuru-chan no Omoikkiri Poko Poko'' (1986,
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
, regular appearances on the "Itaibanashi" segment derived from ''Ai no Sakaagari'')
Awards
*1979: Honorable Mention,
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita in 1948. As of May 2023, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi. The company is known for publishing the manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Champ ...
12th
Shōnen Champion Rookie Manga Awards for ''My Alien''
*1993: Winner, 1st
Ankoku Seiun Awards for
*1994: Winner (Comics category), 25th
Seiun Award
The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fic ...
s for ''Dai-Hon'ya''
*1995: Winner, 41st
Bungeishunjū Manga Awards for ''Tōku e Ikitai''
*1998: Winner (Comics category), 29th Seiun Awards for ''SF Taishō''
Sources:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tori, Miki
1958 births
Japanese essayists
Japanese screenwriters
Living people
Anime character designers
Manga artists from Kumamoto Prefecture
People from Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto