Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Mitsuteru Yokoyama spent his boyhood during World War II and was evacuated to Tottori with his family. He graduated from Kobe municipal Ota junior high school and went on to the Kobe municipal Suma high school. Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis made a deep impression on Yokoyama who wished to become a manga artist in earnest. He contributed his works to a comic book in his high school days. He entered the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation after graduation from high school but quit his job before five months passed because there was no time to draw a manga. He found a new job as a publicity department member for a movie company based in Kobe and pursued his manga artist career on his free time.
In 1956, Tetsujin 28-go appeared serially in the shonen magazine after he resigned from the movie company. Tetsujin 28-go became a popular work equal to Tezuka's Astro Boy and its animated adaptation also made a smashing success. This prompted Yokoyama to become a full-time manga artist and to move to Tokyo the same year. In 1964, he established Hikari Production, an incorporated company. Making good use of his vast exposure to movies during his previous job, he produced consecutive popular hits in various genres such as Iga no Kagemaru, Akakage, Sally the Witch, Giant Robo, Babel II and so on. Tetsujin 28 & Giant Robo began the Mecha anime & manga genre.
With the writing of Sangokushi (1971, 1987), he began a new chapter in his career as he drew mostly comics based on original stories with material from China's and Japan's histories. In 1991, Sangokushi won the prize for excellence from the Japan Cartoonist Association and an animated version was broadcast on TV Tokyo. Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi is a historical story based on historical facts and historical novels. He also created an adaptation of the Chinese classic Water Margin. The series ran for sixteen years and solidified his reputation beyond simple action serials.
Sally the Witch, one of the first magical girl manga/anime and Princess Comet are shoujo manga. Kamen no Ninja Akakage are ninja manga which started a ninja boom. These comics present stories in which ninjas are endowed with superhuman fighting capabilities. Yokoyama produced consecutive popular hits in various genres such as Iga no Kagemaru, Akakage, Sally the Witch, Giant Robo, Babel II and so on. His work established templates that other creators would follow for decades to come.
The attractions of Yokoyama's works are calculated story deployment and an elaborate setting. On the other hand, Yokoyama liked light characterizations and didn't let characters show their feelings too much. He was better at a serious story manga rather than with comedy, though he nonetheless drew comics in the latter genre. While Tezuka established the technique to draw Japanese comics, it was Yokoyama who established the format of various genres of current Japanese comics and anime. Whereas many comic artists prefer their original stories not to be changed when adapted, Yokoyama was realistic and tolerant, so many of his works were made into animation or Tokusatsu.
Katsuhiro Otomo has cited Yokoyama as an influence and said his own series Akira has the same overall plot as Tetsujin 28-go. Additionally, some of its characters are also known as numbers 25, 26, 27 and 28 in homage to Tetsujin 28-go. Hirohiko Araki said that he was conscious of Yokoyama's hard-boiled style in that he sticks to suspense and describes hero characters drily. Araki also said that Jotaro Kujo wearing his school uniform in the desert has its roots in Yokoyama's Babel II. If he were to draw Stardust Crusaders over again, he would base the Stands on Tetsujin 28-go.
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Common questions
When was Mitsuteru Yokoyama born and when did he die?
Mitsuteru Yokoyama lived from 1934 to 2004. He spent his boyhood during World War II before graduating from Kobe municipal Ota junior high school.
What year did Tetsujin 28-go appear serially in a shonen magazine?
Tetsujin 28-go appeared serially in the shonen magazine in 1956 after Mitsuteru Yokoyama resigned from the movie company. This work became popular equal to Tezuka's Astro Boy and prompted him to move to Tokyo that same year.
Which historical story won the prize for excellence from the Japan Cartoonist Association in 1991?
Sangokushi won the prize for excellence from the Japan Cartoonist Association in 1991. The series ran for sixteen years and solidified Mitsuteru Yokoyama's reputation beyond simple action serials.
How many years did the Water Margin adaptation run under Mitsuteru Yokoyama?
The Water Margin adaptation ran for sixteen years under Mitsuteru Yokoyama. This long-running series established templates that other creators would follow for decades to come.
Who cited Mitsuteru Yokoyama as an influence on their own series Akira?
Katsuhiro Otomo has cited Mitsuteru Yokoyama as an influence and said his own series Akira has the same overall plot as Tetsujin 28-go. Some characters in Akira are known as numbers 25, 26, 27 and 28 in homage to Tetsujin 28-go.