Mitsuru Adachi
あだち充
Birth name安達 充
Birth dateFebruary 9, 1951 (age 75)
Birth placeIsesaki, Gunma, Japan
TrainingAssistant to Shinji Nagashima
Assistant to Isami Ishii
Notable worksNine
Touch
Rough
H2
Katsu!
Cross Game
Mix
AwardsShogakukan Manga Award (1982, 2008)

Mitsuru Adachi (あだち 充 or 安達 充, Adachi Mitsuru, born February 9, 1951) is a Japanese manga artist. After graduating from Gunma Prefectural Maebashi Commercial High School in 1969, Adachi worked as an assistant for Isami Ishii.[1] He made his manga debut in 1970 with Kieta Bakuon, based on a manga originally created by Satoru Ozawa. Kieta was published in Deluxe Shōnen Sunday (a manga magazine published by Shogakukan).

Adachi is well known for romantic comedy and sports manga (especially baseball) such as Touch, H2, Slow Step, Miyuki and Cross Game. He has been described as a writer of "delightful dialogue", a genius at portraying everyday life,[2] "the greatest pure storyteller",[3] and "a master manga artist".[4] He is one of the few manga artists to write for shōnen, shōjo and seinen manga magazines, and be popular in all three.

His works have been carried in manga magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Ciao, Shōjo Comic, Big Comic and Petit Comic, and most of his works are published through Shogakukan and Gakken. He was one of the flagship authors in the new Monthly Shōnen Sunday magazine which began publication in June 2009. Two short story collections, Short Program and Short Program 2 (both through Viz Media), have been released in North America, and Viz Media scheduled to begin publishing Cross Game in October 2010.[5] The first volume was released on October 12.[6]

He modeled the spelling of あだち (rather than 安達) for his family name after the example of his older brother, manga artist Tsutomu Adachi. In addition, it has been suggested that the accurate portrayal of sibling rivalry in Touch may come from Adachi's experiences while growing up with his older brother. Adachi did the character designs for the OVA anime series Nozomi Witches, so he is sometimes incorrectly given credit for creating the original series.

Brief history

Prior to 1969, Adachi began submitting works to the manga magazine COM. In 1969, he followed his older brother's lead and moved to Tokyo to begin work as an assistant to manga artist Isami Ishii. The following year, he made his professional debut with Kieta Bakuon.[7] He continued publishing various short stories and shorter series throughout the 1970s based on works created by others, the most well known being his adaptation of Rainbowman from 1972 to 1973. In 1978, he published his first original series, Nine, in Weekly Shōnen Sunday. He published two other original series, Hiatari Ryōkō! from 1979 to 1981 in Weekly Shōjo Comic, and Miyuki from 1980 to 1984 in Shōnen Big Comic.

Adachi became a household name with the publication of his series Touch from 1981 to 1986 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday. In 1982, Hiatari Ryōkō! was adapted into a live action TV drama series. The following year, 1983, was a big year for Adachi. He received the 28th Annual Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen/shōjo manga his two series Touch and Miyuki.[7][8] His Miyuki series was adapted into both an anime television series and a live-action film and Nine was adapted into three films, with another following in 1984.

Touch was adapted into an anime television series in 1985 and the series ran for two years on Fuji TV. Adachi's romantic shōjo manga series, Slow Step, was serialized in Ciao from 1986 to 1991 and another romantic comedy series, Rough, appeared in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1987 to 1989. Adachi then released Niji Iro Tōgarashi, a fantasy medieval romantic comedy manga series, from 1990 to 1992 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday.

Jinbē, a romantic comedy about the relationship between a stepfather and stepdaughter, was serialized in Big Comic Original from 1992 to 1997. Adachi's longest manga series, H2 was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1992 to 1999 and compiled in 34 volumes. This manga was adapted into an anime television series which aired on TV Asahi from 1995 to 1996.

From 2000 to 2001, Adachi published a fantasy romantic comedy series in Weekly Shōnen Sunday titled Itsumo Misora. His next longer series was the boxing romantic comedy, Katsu!, published from 2001 to 2005 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday. In 2005, H2 was adapted into a live action drama series aired on TBS in Japan, and Touch was adapted into a live action movie released by Toho. He also began his manga series Cross Game, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday. The following year, Rough was adapted into a live action movie, also released by Toho.

Due to achieving total manga sales numbering over 200 million volumes, Weekly Shōnen Sunday devoted issue 26 in 2008 to Adachi and his works. In 2009, Adachi won the 54th Annual Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga for Cross Game,[9] which was adapted into an anime television series which began airing on TV Tokyo in April 2009.

Adachi began Q and A in the inaugural issue of Monthly Shōnen Sunday in June 2009. Asaoka High School Baseball Club Diary: Over Fence began in the April 27, 2011, issue of Weekly Shōnen Sunday.[7] In May 2012 he finished Q and A and began his new series, Mix, a semi-sequel to Touch set 30 years later, in the June 2012 issue of Monthly Shōnen Sunday.[10] Currently, Adachi's works have sold over 200 million copies.[7]

Works

Original

These are original series created by Adachi.

YearsNameTotal number of volumesAnthology
1978–1980Nine5Shōnen Sunday Super
1979–1980Oira Hōkago Wakadaishō2Chūichi Course
1980–1981Hiatari Ryōkō!5Shōjo Comic
1980–1984Miyuki12Shōnen Big Comic
1981–1986Touch26Weekly Shōnen Sunday
1986–1991Slow Step7Ciao
1987–1989Rough12Weekly Shōnen Sunday
1990–1992Niji-iro Tohgarashi11Weekly Shōnen Sunday
1992–1997Jinbē1Big Comic Original
1992–1999H234Weekly Shōnen Sunday
1998–2005Bōken Shōnen1Big Comic Original
2000–2001Itsumo Misora5Weekly Shōnen Sunday
2001–2005Katsu!16Weekly Shōnen Sunday
2005–2010Cross Game17Weekly Shōnen Sunday
2005–2007; 2010–2011Idol Ace1Weekly Young Sunday, Monthly Shōnen Sunday
2009–2012Q and A6Monthly Shōnen Sunday
2012–presentMix22+Monthly Shōnen Sunday
Sources:[11][12][13]

Short works

Many of Adachi's short works have been collected in Short Program, an anthology series with four volumes.

Sources:[11][12][13]

Series

Adaptations

These series were based on works originally created by another author or artist.

YearsNameTotal number of volumesAnthologyOriginal creatorJapanese publisher
October 1972 - October 1973Warrior of Love Rainbowman (愛の戦士レインボーマン, Ai no Senshi Reinbōman)4TV MagazineKōhan KawauchiKodansha
1974, issues 28–47Little Boy (リトル・ボーイ)Weekly Shōnen SundayMamoru SasakiShōgakukan
September 1974 - March 1975Hey Ganta (おらあガン太だ, Orāgantada)TV LandMamoru SasakiTokuma Shoten
1975, issues 2-34Fang Match (牙戦, Kibasen)Weekly Shōnen SundayKai TakizawaShōgakukan
April 1975 - March 1976Hirahira-kun Youthful Duty (ヒラヒラくん青春仁義, Hirahira-kun Seishun Jingi)Chūichi CourseMamoru SasakiGakken
May 1976, issues 5/6-18Gamushara (がむしゃら)Weekly Shōnen SundayJūzō YamasakiShōgakukan
April 1976 – March 1977Hirahira-kun Youthful Tone (ヒラヒラくん青春音頭, Hirahira-kun Seishun Ondo)Chūichi CourseMamoru SasakiGakken
April 1976 – March 1977Soul of Kōshien (甲子園魂, Kōshien Tamashī)Weekly Power ComicMamoru SasakiFutabasha
1976, issues 34–51First Love Kōshien (初恋甲子園, Hatsukoi Kōshien)Weekly Shōjo ComicJūzō YamasakiShōgakukan
1977, issues 15–46Crybaby Kōshien (泣き虫甲子園, Nakimushi Kōshien)Weekly Shōjo ComicJūzō Yamasaki
April 1977 – March 1978Hirahira-kun Youthful Drumbeat (ヒラヒラくん青春太鼓, Hirahira-kun Seishun Taiko)Weekly Shōjo ComicMamoru Sasaki
April 1978 – March 1979Let's Play Baseball!! (おひけェなすって!野球仁義, O Hike ~e Nasutte! Yakyū Jingi)Chūichi CourseMamoru SasakiGakken
1979, issues 8–19Rise, Setting Sun!! (夕陽よ昇れ!!, Sekiyō yo Nobore!!)Weekly Shōjo ComicJūzō YamasakiShōgakukan
Sources:[11][12][13]

Other

  • Legendary Girls Calendar (1992, Petit Comics)[11]
Tsutomu Adachi
Mitsuru's older brother was a manga artist and an assistant to Fujio Akatsuka. He died of stomach cancer in 2004. In 1982, he authored Mitsuru Adachi Monogatari, a manga detailing the early life of Mitsuru as a rookie manga artist.
Shinji Nagashima
Adachi became a fan of Nagashima around the age of 10, and began tracing his works. He became an assistant to Nagashima for a short time after graduating from high school. However, Nagashima suddenly moved overseas, so he then became an assistant to Isami Ishii. In the October 16, 2005, issue of Big Comic, Adachi published a short work titled The Runaway God which was meant as a memorialization of Nagashima.[14]
Rumiko Takahashi
From the early 1980s, both Adachi and Takahashi were popular authors in Weekly Shōnen Sunday and they formed a friendly rivalry. He even commented about how he had a lot to live up to with how popular Takahashi was, especially with it being a shōnen magazine. Several times a year they would meet, to share their thoughts and ideas with each other.[15] At the end of Weekly Shōnen Sunday issue 43 in 2006, the authors were asked, "If you could pick one penname to use which was different than your own, which one would you pick?", and Takahashi replied, "Adachi Mitsuru."
Kazuhiko Shimamoto
Shimamoto and Adachi are mutual fans of each others' works. The main character in his Blazing Transfer Student manga series, Noboru Takizawa, made a guest appearance in Touch.[14]
Mr. Pogo
Pogo and Adachi graduated in the same class and have spoken about this in various magazine interviews. The character Kōtarō Matsudaira from Touch is modeled after Pogo.

References

  1. ^ Duffield, P. (September 2002). "Japan's Love Affair with Baseball in Manga and Anime". Animerica. 10 (9): 30–32.
  2. ^ Kimlinger, Carl (April 3, 2009). "The Spring 2009 Anime Preview Guide: Carl Kimlinger: Cross Game". Anime News Network. Archived March 4, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  3. ^ Santos, Carlo (April 3, 2009). "The Spring 2009 Anime Preview Guide: Carlo Santos: Cross Game". Anime News Network. Archived April 19, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  4. ^ Brienza, Casey (April 4, 2009). "The Spring 2009 Anime Preview Guide: Casey Brienza: Cross Game". Anime News Network. Archived September 5, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  5. ^ "News: Viz Media to release Mitsuru Adachi's Cross Game Manga in October". Anime News Network. March 18, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  6. ^ "Cross Game, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 8, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  7. ^ "［あだち充］サンデーに新連載 女子マネ主人公の野球ラブコメもの" [Mitsuru Adachi serializing in Sunday new baseball romantic comedy featuring a female manager protagonist]. MaiComi Journal. April 20, 2011. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "ja:小学館漫画賞：歴代受賞者" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
  9. ^ "54th Shogakukan Manga Award Winners Announced". Anime News Network. January 21, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  10. ^ "Touch's Adachi to Launch New Manga, End Q&A". Anime News Network. March 11, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  11. ^ Adachi, Mitsuru (September 1, 2002). あだち充イラスト集 Season's Album (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-199593-3.
  12. ^ "ja:あだち充作品年表" (in Japanese). あだち充 Database. Archived April 14, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
  13. ^ "ja:あだち充 プロフィール、作品リスト" (in Japanese). こみっくらぼ. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
  14. ^ "Adachi Mitsuru Daijiten" [Mitsuru Adachi Encyclopedia]. QuickJapan. 62. Ōta Publishing. 2005.
  15. ^ "Adachi Mitsuru Intabyū" [Mitsuru Adachi Interview]. QuickJapan. 62. Ōta Publishing. 2005.