Nobuhiro Watsuki

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Nobuhiro Watsuki (和月 伸宏 Watsuki Nobuhiro?, born May 26, 1970) is a Japanese mangaka, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata, and is influenced by Marvel comics such as the X-Men and Spider-Man. [1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Nobuhiro Watsuki was born in Nagaoka, Niigata prefecture, Japan. When Watsuki was a young boy, his brother, who was three years older, drew manga. Watsuki’s older brother was his role model so he started drawing Manga as well. Watsuki was also inspired by a variety of early Manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka and Fujiko F. Fujio. Later on, his brother stopped drawing manga but, "Because Mr. Watsuki was dumb, he kept drawing it (manga) for a while.”

When Watsuki was in middle school, he practiced kendo. He still drew Manga but also enjoyed sports. Watsuki admits that he was “So weak in fact, that I was an embarrassment to my 183 centimeters of height." Watsuki never won a kendo match. He was once chosen to be a starter after a teammate was suspended for causing an uproar. Watsuki grew frustrated with kendo, and eventually quit. When he was challenged to come up with a new character for Rurouni Kenshin, he used his outlook on kendo for a base of Myōjin Yahiko. [2]

Nobuhiro Watsuki has had many works in the past. In high school he won the Hop Step award for his work on his comic sleeve he called Podmark. Not much is known about Podmark because it has not been translated to English. Later on, Watsuki was an assistant in the work of Mashin Bōken Tan Lamp-Lamp (Arabian Genie Adventure Lamp-Lamp). The model for Sagara Sanosuke was based on a version of Lamp. [3] In 1994 a new sleeve was created and published in Weekly Shonen Jump. It seems that this was the first sleeve about Rurouni Kenshin. His most recent work, Buso Renkin (Arms Alchemy) was published on June 2003, also in Jump. His 2001 work, Gun Blaze West, was cancelled after three volumes, and is set to be published in North America in April 2008.

When not working on manga, Watsuki enjoys playing video games, reading other manga, and watching television. His favorite American comic book is X-Men because he likes the action. His favorite Anime (other than his own) is Neon Genesis Evangelion. He likes video games like Samurai Spirits and things of that sort. He also enjoys action movies like Die Hard and The Matrix.

Watsuki describes himself as "pro-dōjinshi" and asks fans to send fan comics. [4]


[edit] Real-World Inspirations

Watsuki bases many of his characters on historical figures and characters from other anime/manga series. For example, Himura Kenshin was based on Kawakami Gensai,[5] one of the hitokiri (assassins) during the Bakumatsu (Japanese revolution). He was the master of the sword style called shiranui-ryu. Gensai is famous for felling the famous idealist Sakuma Shozan. Four years after the revolution ended, Gensai was falsely accused of a crime and was executed.[6] Watsuki admires Kenshin for his desire to do good in honor of those whom he had to kill so the Meiji government could exist.[7]

In addition, Saitō Hajime was based on the historical Saito, a member of the Shinsengumi although Watsuki admitted altering him to the point of fans complaint.[8] Several other characters, most notably Sagara Sanosuke, Shinomori Aoshi, and Seta Sojiro, are also loosely based on certain figures among the Shinsengumi.[9] Okita Soji, Okubo Toshimichi, and Katsura Kogoro were among numerous other historical figures who made appearances in the story. Yukishiro Enishi's minion Gein was based on puppeteer and serial killer Edgar(Edward) Gein, as stated in "The Secret Life of Characters #47", volume 24.[10]

[edit] Manga Works

  • Podmark- The comic Watsuki had made during highshcool, earning himself the Hop Step award.
  • Crescent Moon in the Warring States (first professional work) - Indirectly set in the Rurouni Kenshin universe, during the era of the waring states. Tells the tale of a former Hiko Seijūrō. It is collected in Rurouni Kenshin tankōbon volume 6.
  • Rurouni: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story - Two short story Rurouni Kenshin pilots that preceded the launching of the ongoing series in Shonen Jump. They are collected in Rurouni Kenshin tankōbon volumes 1 and 3.
  • Rurouni Kenshin (るろうに剣心) - finished at 28 volumes.
  • Kenshin Kaden - A Rurouni Kenshin guidebook that includes a short story in full color detailing the fates of all of the Rurouni Kenshin characters.
  • Yahiko no Sakabatō - Also set in the Rurouni Kenshin universe. Details the final story set in the Rurouni Kenshin universe with Myōjin Yahiko as the main character. Yahiko must save the daughter of a swordsmen teacher from an old lost follower of Shishio. Included in the European 28th volume of Ruroni Kenshin.
  • Meteor Strike (メテオ ストライク) - Short story done for a Shonen Jump artist competition. About a boy that got a meteor lodged in his head. He gains super-human strength from the meteor in his head and saves a city from being crushed by another meteor headed towards the nuclear reactor. Also included in the 28th volume of Rurouni_Kenshin.
  • GUN BLAZE WEST- Set in America in the 1800s, the 3 main characters look for the gunslingers paradise "Gun Blaze West". It was cancelled after 3 volumes.
  • Buso Renkin (武装錬金 Busō Renkin)- finished at 10 volumes. About a boy who risked his life to save a girl from a monster called the homunculus - flesh eating monsters disguised as humans. His heart was replaced by alchemy and he uses it to call his Lance weapon to fight off these monsters.
  • Embalming -DEAD BODY and BRIDE- (done for "Jump the Revolution!" 2005 - Short story based on the Frankenstein idea of bringing the dead to life)
  • Embalming II -DEAD BODY and LOVER- (done for "Jump the Revolution!" 2006 - Another short story taking place in the Embalming universe)
  • Embalming -The Another Tale of Frankenstein- (started November 2007 in Jump Square; based on his previous one shots)

[edit] Video Game Designs

[edit] Notable Helpers

 This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Man, Hulk, and Spawn when making his characters. Rurouni Kenshin Volumes 12-15 VIZ Media.
  2. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (3) Myōjin Yahiko," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 1. VIZ Media. 103.
  3. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (6) Sagara Sanosuke," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 2. VIZ Media. 48.
  4. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. Rurouni Kenshin Volume 2. VIZ Media. 175.
  5. ^ Viz Graphic Novel Ruroni Kenshin Vol. 1
  6. ^ Viz Graphic Novel Ruroni Kenshin vol. 1
  7. ^ Viz Graphic Novel Ruroni Kenshin vol. 1
  8. ^ Viz Graphic Novel Ruroni Kenshin Vol. 7
  9. ^ Viz Graphic Novel Ruroni Kenshin Vol. 1 and 7
  10. ^ Viz Graphic Novel Ruroni Kenshin Vol. 24
  11. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinsengumi_Gunraw_Den
  12. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai_Shodown_V

[edit] External links