Naoshi Arakawa

Naoshi Arakawa
新川 直司
NationalityJapanese
Area(s)Manga artist
Notable works
Your Lie in April
Awards37th Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shōnen Manga with Your Lie in April

Naoshi Arakawa (Japanese: 新川 直司, Hepburn: Arakawa Naoshi) is a Japanese manga artist, known for his work Your Lie in April.

Early life

Naoshi Arakawa grew up in the countryside of Japan with an older brother.[1] They used to get manga magazines like Weekly Shōnen Jump and Monthly Shōnen Magazine often, so he was exposed to manga from a young age.[1] That, along with his love for Fist of the North Star and Kinnikuman was what ultimately made him decide to become a manga author.[2] However, he elected not to tell anyone due to the conservative nature of his hometown and his shy personality.[1]

Career

After getting advice from a friend at college, Naoshi Arakawa decided to enter for the Monthly Shōnen Magazine Grand Challenge. The one-shot he submitted would become the basis for Your Lie in April.[2] Afterwards, he then worked as an assistant before making his serial debut with the manga adaptation of A School Frozen in Time.[2] It ran in Monthly Shōnen Magazine from December 2007 to April 2009, and was published in four volumes.[3] At the time, he was also working on a one-shot manga prototype, which would eventually become his second serial, Sayonara, Football.[2] It ran in Magazine E-no from June 20, 2009, to August 20, 2010,[4][5] and was published in two volumes.[6][7]

After finishing Sayonara, Football, he wanted to try something new.[1] He eventually decided on doing a music-focused anime, however, his first attempt was turned down.[8] To find inspiration, he decided to go back to the original one-shot he entered in the contest.[2] He eventually created Your Lie in April. It ran in Monthly Shōnen Magazine from April 6, 2011, to February 6, 2015,[9][10] and was published in eleven volumes.[11] It won the award for Best Shōnen manga at the 37th Kodansha Manga Awards.[12] He also made a spinoff manga for the Japanese blu-ray release of the anime adaptation and was later published in tankōbon format.[13] He also did the illustrations for the light novel spinoff.[14] Around this time, he also did an illustration for the endcard (the drawing at the end of the episode) for the fifth episode of Occultic;Nine.[15]

For his next series, he decided to make a sequel to Sayonara, Football in the form of Farewell, My Dear Cramer. It ran in Monthly Shōnen Magazine from May 6, 2016, to December 4, 2020,[16][17] and is being published in volumes, with fourteen having been released as of August 2022 (last release April 2021).[18] A volume zero to Farewell, My Dear Cramer was also given out to people who saw the movie adaptation of Sayonara, Football in theaters.[19]

On September 21, 2022, Arakawa released a preview for his new manga series, titled Atwight Game, in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine.[20] It was serialized from September 28, 2022,[21] to April 12, 2023.[22]

Arakawa's next series, Orion's Board, began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Magazine on January 10, 2024.[23]

Works

Manga

  • A School Frozen in Time (冷たい校舎の時は止まる, Tsumetai Kōsha no Toki wa Tomaru) (2007–2009) (serialized in Monthly Shōnen Magazine)
  • Sayonara, Football (さよならフットボール) (2009–2010) (serialized in Magazine E-no)
  • Your Lie in April (四月は君の嘘, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) (2011–2015) (serialized in Monthly Shōnen Magazine)
  • Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Coda (四月は君の嘘Ｃｏｄａ) (2016) (included with the Japanese Blu-ray release of the main series' anime adaptation)
  • Farewell, My Dear Cramer (さよなら私のクラマー, Sayonara Watashi no Cramer) (2016–2020) (serialized in Monthly Shōnen Magazine)
  • Atwight Game (アトワイトゲーム) (2022–2023) (serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
  • Orion's Board (盤上のオリオン, Banjō no Orion) (2024–present) (serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine)

Other

  • Your Lie in April – A Six Person Etude (四月は君の嘘　６人のエチュード) (2014) (illustrations)
  • Occultic;Nine (オカルティック・ナイン, Okarutikku Nain) (2016) (episode 5 endcard)

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Report from Anime Expo: An exclusive interview with Naoshi Arakawa". Kodansha Comics. August 8, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e 足りないのはLOVEとヤンキー〈『四月は君の嘘』新川直司インタビュー前編〉. Excite News (in Japanese). January 25, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  3. ^ Mateo, Alex (July 17, 2020). "Kodansha Comics, Vertical License Summer of You, Haru's Curse Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  4. ^ マガジンイーノ No.2号 2009年06月20日 (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 21, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  5. ^ 「たま♡はな」安原いちる新連載、男子中学生が魔女になる. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). August 20, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  6. ^ さよならフットボール（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  7. ^ さよならフットボール（２）＜完＞ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Aoki, Deb (August 12, 2016). "Interview: Your Lie in April Mangaka Naoshi Arakawa". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  9. ^ 「さよならフットボール」新川、月マガで恋物語スタート. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). April 6, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Ressler, Karen (December 26, 2014). "Your Lie in April Manga to End in February". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  11. ^ 四月は君の嘘（１１）＜完＞ [Your Lie in April (11) <Final>] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  12. ^ Ressler, Karen (May 9, 2013). "Animal Land, Ore Monogatari!! Win 37th Kodansha Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  13. ^ 四月は君の嘘Ｃｏｄａ [Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Coda]. Kodansha. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Tokiumi, Yui (2017). A Six Person Etude. Vertical. p. V. ISBN 978-1945054266.
  15. ^ Site 05 ここが新しい世界なのね She's Lost Control. Occultic;Nine official website (in Japanese). November 4, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  16. ^ 新川直司、個性豊かな少女たちのサッカー物語「さよなら私のクラマー」開幕. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). May 6, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  17. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 5, 2020). "'Farewell, My Dear Cramer' Manga Ends in December". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  18. ^ さよなら私のクラマー（１４） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  19. ^ さよなら私のクラマー：劇場版アニメの入場者特典にマンガ"第0巻" 新川直司描き下ろし 中学生編と高校生編の幕間描く. Mantan Web (in Japanese). April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  20. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 13, 2022). "Your Lie in April Author Naoshi Arakawa Announces New Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  21. ^ 「さよなら私のクラマー」新川直司の新連載「アトワイトゲーム」週マガで始動. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). September 28, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  22. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 6, 2023). "Naoshi Arakawa's Atwight Game Fantasy Manga Ends on April 12". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  23. ^ 『四月は君の嘘』『さよなら私のクラマー』作者の新連載は将棋×青春×ラブストーリー PV公開. Oricon (in Japanese). January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.