Hideo Azuma


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 Champion, as well as children's comedy series such as Nanako SOS and Little Pollon. He has been called the "father of lolicon".
In 2005 he published an autobiographical manga titled Disappearance Diary that has won several awards including the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. His name is also sometimes romanized Hideo Aduma.

Career

Early years

While attending Hokkaidō Urahoro High School, Azuma participated in the Hokkaidō branch office of COM, along with other artists such as Monkey Punch and. In 1968, after graduating from high school, he moved to Tokyo and found employment with Toppan Printing. He left this job after three months to work as an assistant to manga artist, where he did uncredited work for Weekly Shōnen Sunday on series such as Mini Mini Manga.
Azuma made his professional debut in 1969 in Manga Ō with his work Ringside Crazy. The following year he quit working as an assistant and doing his own work. He gradually expanded his work to include both shōjo and seinen manga. His first works tended to be light gag manga, though he began to include science fiction elements influenced by his being a fan of the New Hollywood movement in American film. It was during this period that he experimented a lot with one panel manga.
Beginning in 1972, Azuma began rising in popularity due to the off-color humor in his Weekly Shōnen Champion series Futari to 5-nin. He also married his assistant the same year, with whom he had a daughter in 1980 and a son in 1983. His wife was credited as "Assistant A" in his works, and his daughter and son were respectively credited as "Assistant B" and "Assistant C".

Boom period

Azuma began serializing in 1975 his story Yakekuso Tenshi in the semimonthly manga magazine '. He also began publishing science fiction themed works in many different niche magazines such as ' and Peke. Azuma, together with, is considered part of the manga creators in the 1970s. Due to works such as science fiction novel parody Fujōri Nikki, published in Bessatsu Kisō Tengai in 1978, Azuma began to gain a large following among science fiction fans. Fujōri Nikki was awarded the 1979 Seiun Award for Best Comic of the Year. In 1979, Azuma was a major contributor to the first issue of the dōjinshi series , which is credited with launching the lolicon genre.
From there, he began publishing in magazines such as Shōjo Alice, becoming a fixture in the pornographic lolicon manga business and becoming very involved in otaku culture.

Downfall and late career

In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, due to stress from his hectic and demanding schedule during 20 years as a manga artist, Azuma began drinking heavily, disappeared twice for several months to over a year, attempted suicide at least once, and was finally forcibly committed to an alcohol rehabilitation program.
In 2005, he published a manga journal of this experience titled Disappearance Diary. The manga won several awards, including the prestigious Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, and it was translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and Polish.
Azuma died in hospital on October 13, 2019, due to esophageal cancer at the age of 69.

Style

He is frequently mentioned as a part of the New Wave movement of manga in the 1980s. Kentarō Mizumoto cites Azuma's Fujōri Nikki as an example of the approach of science fiction manga of the movement, as they would function as a parody of science fiction and were thus the essence of new wave science fiction. Azuma rejected being labeled as part of the New Wave, when manga critic Natsume Fusanosuke invited him and other artists to appear in a newspaper article Fusanosuke wanted to publish about the movement in 1981.

Works

Manga

  • Futari to 5-nin
  • Shikkomōrō Hakase
  • Oshaberi Love
  • Olympus no Pollon
  • *anime adaptation Ochamegami Monogatari Koro Koro Pollon in 1982-1983
  • *manga reprinted in 2005-2007 by Hayakawa Shoten
  • Eight Beat
  • Kimagure Gokū
  • Midare Moko
  • Chibi Mama-chan
  • Chokkin
  • Yakekuso Tenshi
  • Nemuta-kun
  • Sexy Ai
  • Fujōri Nikki
  • Kyūketsuki-chan
  • Parallel Kyōshitsu
  • Animal Company
  • Azuma Hideo Sakuhinshū 1: Methyl Metaphysic
  • Azuma Hideo Sakuhinshū 2: Gansaku Hideo Hakkenden
  • Azuma Hideo Sakuhinshū 3: Kakutō Family
  • Azuma Hideo Sakuhinshū 4: The Iroppuru
  • Mimi
  • Ningen Shikkaku
  • Tobe Tobe Donkey
  • Yadorigi-kun
  • Brat Bunny
  • Hizashi
  • Mahō Tsukai Chappy - manga adaptation of the 1972 magical girl anime series by Toei Animation; not an original Azuma character
  • Mia-chan Kannō Shashinshū
  • Paper Night
  • Suki! Suki!! Majo Sensei
  • Yōsei no Mori
  • Scrap Gakuen
  • Butsu Butsu Bōkenki
  • Chocolate Derringer
  • Hyper Doll
  • Jinginaki Kuroi Taiyō Lolicon-hen
  • *published in Minity-Yamū
  • Magical Land no Ōjo-tachi
  • Umi kara Kita Kikai
  • Yakekuso Mokushiroku
  • Mia-chan Love World
  • Ochamegami Monogatari: Koro Koro Pollon
  • Nanako SOS
  • *anime adaptation in 1983, also known as Nana Supergirl, Supernana
  • Majunia Eve
  • Hideo Collection 1: Hideo Dōwashū
  • Hideo Collection 2: Jūgatsu no Sora
  • Minity-Yamū
  • Hideo Collection 3: Sumire Kōnen
  • Hideo Collection 4: Tenkai no Utage
  • Hideo Collection 5: Daibōkenko
  • Hideo Collection 6: Taiyō wa Mata Noboru
  • Hideo Collection 7: Tokimeki Alice
  • Hideo Land 1: Amazing Marie
  • Maku no Machi Death Match!!
  • Pulp-chan no Daibōken
  • Oh! Azuma
  • Ginga Hōrō
  • Azumania vol.1-3
  • Crush Okusan
  • Azuma Hideo no Fujiyūjō
  • Futsukayoi Dandy
  • Alien Eri
  • Sanchoku Azuma Magazine 1
  • Disappearance Diary
  • Nanako SOS
  • Benriya Mimi-chan
  • Tokimeki Alice Teihon
  • Utsu Utsu Gideo Nikki
  • Yoru no Tobari no Naka de Azuma Hideo Sakuhinjō
  • Neo Azumania vol.1-3
  • Tōbō Nikki
  • ''The Ward of Alcoholics ''

    Books

  • Nanako My Love: Azuma Hideo Illust Book
  • ''Yo no Sakana: Ohta Comics Geijutsu Manga Sōsho''

    Awards

  • 1979: Seiun Award for Fujōri Nikki
  • 2005: Grand Prize, Manga Division, 9th Japan Media Arts Awards for Shissō Nikki
  • 2006: Grand Prize, Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for Shissō Nikki
  • 2008: Selection, Angoulême International Comics Festival for ''Shissō Nikki''