Clamp (manga artists)
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Clamp (クランプ Kuranpu?, or CLAMP) is a Japanese mangaka group. The group's manga series are often made into anime after release. Almost 100 million Clamp tankōbon copies have been sold worldwide as of October 2007.[1]
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[edit] History
Clamp originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of Clamp also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.
According to Clamp, the group's name means "a pile of potatoes".[citation needed] (While this explanation may seem apocryphal, a storage clamp is indeed used for temporary storage of root crops, such as potatoes.) Clamp's genres vary widely, from childish and comedic (Cardcaptor Sakura, Clamp School Detectives) to much more dramatic and teen-rated (xxxHolic, X) series.
In 2004, Clamp's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of Clamp simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.[2]
In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.
[edit] Awards
Their work Cardcaptor Sakura won the Seiun Award in 2001.
[edit] Current members
(大川 七瀬 Ōkawa Nanase?), formerly Ageha Ohkawa (大川 緋芭 Ōkawa Ageha?)
- Born May 2, 1967 in Ōsaka. Ohkawa is the leader of the group and the script writer. She negotiates with their editors and sometimes writes the screenplays for the animated version of their manga. She recently changed her name back to Nanase.
(もこな?), formerly (あぱぱ もこな Mokona Apapa?)
- Born June 16, 1968 in Kyōto. Mokona is the main artist of most stories and was also several times in charge of design. Her detailed art style is the trademark of the studio. She is also the namesake of the character Mokona (who originally appeared in Magic Knight Rayearth, and later in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and xxxHolic).
(猫井 椿 Nekoi Tsubaki?), formerly Mick Nekoi (猫井 みっく Nekoi Mikku?)
- Born January 21, 1969 in Kyōto. Nekoi is primarily Mokona's assistant, but is the main artist for some series, including Watashi no Suki na Hito, Wish, Suki. Dakara Suki, Gōhō Drug, and xxxHolic. She is also in charge of drawing super deformed characters and mascots, and works with Mokona on character design.
(いがらし 寒月 Igarashi Satsuki?), formerly (五十嵐 さつき Igarashi Satsuki?)
- Born February 8, 1969 in Kyōto. Satsuki assists Mokona and Nekoi in their work, and is also in charge of the design of the tankōbon. She also has a monthly column in Kadokawa's Newtype magazine.
[edit] Former members
(秋山 たまよ Akiyama Tamayo?)
- Born November 28, 1966 in Ōsaka. Akiyama was responsible for the script and illustrations in Derayd, a manga based on an original idea by Ohkawa, and also worked on 20 Mensō ni Onegai!! and RG Veda with the other artists. She started Cluster (original idea, script and art) with the studio and continued to work on it after leaving Clamp in October 1992. After leaving the group, Akiyama also published Hyper Rune, Mouryou Kiden, Secret Chaser, Zyword and Shade.
- Leeza Sei
聖りいざ (Sei Riiza?)
- Born April 28, 1967 in Ōsaka.
- Officially left in October 1992. Sei was an assistant artist on RG Veda. She was also in charge of story and illustrations of Combination, a manga based on an original idea of Ohkawa. When Sei left Clamp, she continued this series under her "Clamp name", finishing it in 6 volumes. After leaving the group in October 1992, she changed her name to Iba Takeo and published her manga (Gilgrim in 2 volumes, Phantom Cognition in 10 volumes and Tasogare no Rakuen 7 volumes and still running) in Princess Gold magazine. She is still creating dōjinshi with Nanao Sei, another ex-Clamp member, under the L.S.N. name (Leeza Sei Nanao).
- Sei Nanao
七穂せい (Nanao Sei?)
- Born October 29, 1967 in Ōsaka. Officially left Clamp in June 1990 (last mentioned in Shōten 6). Still creates dōjinshi with fellow former Clamp member Leeza Sei.
- Sōshi Hishika
Hishika Sōshi (日鷺総司 Hishika Sōshi?)
- Officially left in March 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).
- Kazue Nakamori
中森かずえ (Nakamori Kazue?)
- Officially left in March 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).
- Shinya Ōmi
大海神哉 (Ohmi Shinya?)
- Officially left in March 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3). He was the only male member of the team, and is related to Tamayo Akiyama.
- Guests
Like many dōjinshi groups, Clamp did welcome guests in their team from time to time. For example, Yuzuru Inoue is often listed as the twelfth member of the group but was only a guest.
[edit] Works
- Volumes released refers to the number of volumes of a given series released in Japan. For international releases, please see International publishing status of Clamp works.
[edit] Future works
| Name | Volumes Released | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| "Mangettes" (2009)[3] | Simultaneous joint global collaboration with Dark Horse Comics. |
[edit] Unfinished/current works
| Name | Volumes Released | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| Clover | 4 | Ran in the now cancelled Amie magazine. |
| Kobato (こばと。?) |
2 | Ran in Monthly Sunday Gene-X for seven chapters. Returned to publication in the November 2006 edition of Newtype magazine. |
| Legend of Chun Hyang (新・春香伝 Shin Shunkaden?) |
1 | The project was dropped after only a few chapters, though a recent interview has stated that Clamp would like to finish the work in the future. |
| Legal Drug (合法 ドラッグ Gohō Drug?) |
3 | Not running in any magazine. According to Clamp, it will resume production soon. |
| Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (ツバサ−RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE−?) |
23 | Running since 2003 in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. |
| X/1999 (Ｘ Ekkusu?) |
18 | Not running in any magazine since March 2003. Some social problems in Japan prevent Kadokawa from releasing further chapters. |
| xxxHolic (×××ホリック Horikku?) |
12 | Running weekly since 2003 in Young Magazine. |
[edit] Completed Works
| Name | Publisher and Series | Volumes Released |
|---|---|---|
| Angelic Layer (エンジェリック レイヤー Enjerikku Reiyā?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Kadokawa Comics Series |
5 |
| Cardcaptor Sakura (カードキャプター さくら Kādokyaputā Sakura?) |
Kodansha KC Deluxe |
12 |
| Chobits (ちょびっツ Chobittsu?) |
Kodansha Young Magazine KC Deluxe |
8 |
| Clamp no Kiseki (CLAMPノキセキ Clamp no Kiseki?) |
Kodansha | 12 |
| Clamp School Detectives (CLAMP学園探偵団 Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX |
3 |
| Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders (学園特警デュカリオン Gakuen Tokkei Dyukarion?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics |
2 |
| Magic Knight Rayearth (魔法騎士レイアース Majikku Naito (Mahō Kishi) Reiāsu?) |
Kodansha KC Deluxe |
6 |
| 20 Mensō ni Onegai!!/20 Masks, Please!! (20面相におねがい!! 20 Mensō ni Onegai!!?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics / Kadokawa Comics Series |
2 |
| Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (不思議の国の美幸ちゃん Fushigi no Kuni no Miyuki-chan?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics Extra / Kadokawa Comics Series |
1 |
| The One I Love (わたしのすきなひと Watashi no Suki na Hito?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Young Rose Comics DX |
1 |
| RG Veda (聖伝 Sei-den?) |
Shinshokan Wings Comics |
10 |
| Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales (白姫抄 Shirahime-Shō?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX |
1 |
| Suki Dakara Suki (I like, therefore I like) (「すき。だからすき」 "Suki; Dakara Suki"?) |
Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics |
3 |
| Tokyo Babylon (東京BABYLON Tōkyō BABYLON?) |
Shinshokan Wings Comics / Wings Library |
7 |
| Wish | Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX |
4 |
[edit] Short works
These are short works that were only available in monthly magazines; they were never published in tankōbon form.
| Name | Year Published | Featured In |
|---|---|---|
| Tenshi no Bodyguard (天使のボディガード Tenshi no Bodigādo?) |
1989 | Kobunsha Val Pretty |
| Shiawase ni Naritai (しあわせ に なりたい Shiawase ni Naritai?) |
1990 | Fusion Product Genki Tokuhon |
| Tenku Senki Shurato Original Memory: Dreamer (天空 戦記 シュラト (オリジナル メモリー)「夢魔 (ドリーマー)」 Tenkū Senki Shurato Orijinaru Memorī: Durīmā?) |
1990 | Kadokawa Shoten Newtype Comic Genki no Moto |
| Koi wa Tenka no Mawarimono (恋は天下のまわりもの Koi wa Tenka no Mawarimono?) |
1990 | Hakusensha Series |
| Left Hand (左手 Hidari Te?) |
1994 | Shinshokan South Summer |
| Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings (水都の四兄弟 創竜伝・外伝 Suito no Yonkyōdai Sōryūden Gaiden?) | 1994 | Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Mystery DX |
| Yumegari (夢狩り Yumegari?) |
1996 | Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Shōsetsu Asuka |
| Ano hi wo shiru mono wa saiwai de Aru (あの日を知るものは幸いである Ano hi wo shiru mono wa saiwai de Aru?) |
2002 | Kodansha Young Magazine Zoukan : Sports Sō |
| Murikuri (むりくり Murikuri?) |
2002 | Kodansha Young Magazine |
- Collaborations
| Name | Collaborated With | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Clamp School Paranormal Investigators (Clamp 学園 怪奇現象 研究会 事件 ファイル Clamp Gakuen Kaikigenshō Kenkyūkai Jiken Fairu?) |
Tomiyuki Matsumoto | Manga illustrations and script |
| Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu?) |
Sunrise | Character design, ending illustrations (season two) |
| Koi (恋 Koi?) |
Takeshi Okazaki | Manga script |
| Night Head | George Iida | Novel illustrations (2 Volumes) |
| Oshiroi Chouchou (おしろい蝶々 Oshiroi Chōchō?) |
Kamon Nanami・Akira | Manga illustrations (1 volume) |
| Rex: A Dinosaur Story (REX 恐竜 物語 Rekkusu: Kyōryū Monogatari?) |
Hata Masanori | Manga illustrations and script (1 Volume) |
| Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings (創竜伝 Sōryūden?) |
Yoshiki Tanaka | Novel illustrations (12 volumes) |
| Shu no Ketsumyaku (呪の血脈 Shu no Ketsumyaku?) |
Kamon Nanami | Novel illustrations (1 volumes) |
| Sweet Valerian (animated series) (スウィート・ヴァレリアン Suuīto Vyarerian?) |
Madhouse Production | Character design |
Clamp has authored other dōjinshi that are not listed above. Having started as a dōjinshi group, most of Clamp's dōjinshi are from their earlier years. A number of Clamp's earlier works are also not listed above.
[edit] Information On Series
Their work "Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle" is believed to end up being 28 volumes long. There have been Character Guides every 7 volumes, and an artbook covering volumes 1-14 - leading fans to believe there will be another for 15-28. They also claimed that 2/3 of the story had been told by approximately volume 19.
Tsubasa's sister publication, "XXXHOLiC", is predicted to end shortly after Tsubasa. It has been stated that in order to understand XXXHOLiC's ending, one must see Tsubasa's ending first.
Another one of their works, "Kobato", is slower in publication, as the magazine it is published in - Newtype - is an anime magazine, not focusing as much on manga. Clamp's leader, Ohkawa, has stated that she wanted fans to really enjoy the story, hence the slow publication.
Fans believe that "Legal Drug" will be published again after Tsubasa and XXXHOLiC's end. It is not known when "X" will resume publication.
In spring of 2009, Clamp will begin on a new manga with Dark Horse Comics. The manga will be released in countries other than Japan, such as America and Korea, simultaneously. The name of it has not been revealed yet, although there are rumours that it will be published monthly in a form called "mangettes", a term created by Dark Horse and CLAMP. Each mangette will contain roughly 80 pages, and will eventually be collected into volumes. Each volume is expected to contain three mangettes. The story will be at least three volumes long. Little has been told about the story, but more will be revealed in the "near future".
[edit] International publishing status
[edit] Style
When asked about the universal popularity of Clamp's works, John Oppliger of AnimeNation stated that although it is "not based on originality [or] their artistic skill", they possess a distinct style that "perfectly mesh[es] the conventional attributes of shōnen and shōjo manga". He also pointed out that Clamp often "recycles" characters from their own earlier works, which gave rise to "a loosely defined 'Clamp universe' that gives much of their work a unifying tone", and creates "absorbing, complex narratives that appeal to both male and female readers". All these factors result in "a cult following devoted to anything and everything the group publishes".[4]
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ WIRED Magazine article "Manga conquers America". Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- ^ Anime News Network's interview with Clamp. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
- ^ Clamp 2009 (English). AnimeNewsNetwork. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ Oppliger, John (2007-10-24). Ask John: What Makes Clamp Works So Special?. AnimeNation. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
[edit] General references
- Clamp at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- "Ye Ol' Potato Club," Amarythia Duuk’Tarquith, Aug. 2001
- "Clamp" profile in the New York Times
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official website maintained by Frontier Works (Japanese)
- Official website for mobile phones maintained by Frontier Works (Japanese)
- CLAMP-NET.de German fan-website (German)
- CLAMP-NOW News community (English)
- CLAMP WonderWorld Italian fan-website (Italian)
- CLAMP Focus Panel and Press Conference
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