When and where was Go Nagai born?
Go Nagai was born on the 6th of September 1945 in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. His family had just returned from Shanghai when he arrived into the world.
Questions about Go Nagai
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why did Go Nagai drop out of university to pursue manga?
Go Nagai dropped out after suffering a severe case of diarrhea for three weeks during his university entrance exam preparation. This illness made him aware of his own mortality and prompted a decision to leave school after only three months instead of attending Waseda University.
What was Go Nagai's first published professional work?
Meakashi Polikichi appeared as a very short gag comedy one-shot published in November 1967 in the magazine Bokura by Kodansha. Many people mistakenly believe Kuro no Shishi was his first work but it remained unpublished until 2007.
How did Harenchi Gakuen influence Japanese society and publishing?
Harenchi Gakuen introduced eroticism into modern manga for the first time and helped Shueisha launch its new magazine Shōnen Jump which sold more than one million copies. The series met severe criticism from parents, women's associations, and PTAs who protested against the content depicting students preoccupied with catching glimpses of girls' panties or naked bodies.
When did Dynamic Productions start and what was its purpose?
Dynamic Productions was founded by Go Nagai with his brothers in April 1969 following the success of Harenchi Gakuen. The company became one of the first to require publishers sign contracts instead of relying on verbal agreements and allowed Nagai to manage his relations and contractual rights while funding creative ventures like Getter Robo.
Which major works did Go Nagai create in 1970 and how many weekly publications did he write that year?
Go Nagai created Mazinger Z and Devilman in 1970 which developed concepts of giant mecha piloted by heroes and demonic heroes fighting hordes of demons respectively. In 1972 Nagai managed the difficult feat of drawing and writing five weekly manga publications at the same time equalled only by Shinji Mizushima and George Akiyama.