Mine Yoshizaki
Mine Yoshizaki | |
---|---|
Born | (1971-12-02) December 2, 1971 (age 52) Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan |
Nationality | Japanese |
Occupation | Manga artist |
Notable work | Sgt. Frog |
Website | Mine Yoshizaki's Homepage |
Mine Yoshizaki (吉崎 観音, Yoshizaki Mine, born December 2, 1971) is a Japanese manga creator. His most well known works are Sgt. Frog, a manga he created which later received an anime adaption, and Kemono Friends, a multimedia franchise for which Yoshizaki serves as concept designer.
Career
Yoshizaki was born in Isahaya, Nagasaki. As a graduate student of Nagasaki University, he started from drawing his own dōjinshi, based on video games that were famous at that time (somewhere in the 1980s). With that dōjinshi, he practiced and improved his drawing skills day by day. Yoshizaki said that his experience in drawing dōjinshi was the most priceless experience that he ever had. According to him, making dōjinshi gave him the opportunity to seek through the world of the manga industry, with all aspects from drawing to producing (meeting with printers, editing process etc.). This allows him to do all the work, rather working in a big-scale production company that lets him work in one particular branch.
Yoshizaki later worked as an assistant to manga artist Katsu Aki. His first publication was featured in a compilation book published by Shogakukan in 1989.
He is best known for his manga Keroro Gunso, published as Sgt. Frog in the United States, which was first published in the Japanese manga magazine Shōnen Ace.[1] He is also the creator of Arcade Gamer Fubuki and did character designs on the series Seven of Seven. In 2005, Sgt. Frog received the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga.[2]
Due to various Gundam references, an ongoing Sgt. Frog anime was produced by Sunrise, the original creators of the Gundam franchise. The show’s main sponsor is Bandai, Sunrise’s parent company, and the maker of the plastic model Gundam kits commonly seen in both the manga and anime (also known as "Gunpla" in Japan). This led to Yoshizaki collaborating on certain Gundam projects, such as designing the mascot girls Reiko Holinger and Catharine Blitzen for the Gundam Card Builder game.
He was also the designer of the Angel-XX figurine series from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
He provided character designs for the 1999 PlayStation video game Pop'n Tanks.[3]
He later was a character designer for the Konami Gradius-type shooter Otomedius. This is significant because, instead of simply moving a fighter craft around, the player controls a unique character bound within a vehicle.
He has also designed a playable character called Angol Fear (a nod to his character Angol Mois in Sgt. Frog – they even wield similar weapons) to the fighting game Soulcalibur IV. He also is credited as concept designer for the Kemono Friends franchise, including the anime series.[4]
Works
- 1993–1995: FANTASWEAT
- 1993–1995: Detana!! TwinBee (spin-off from the video game series Twin Bee)
- 1994–1995: 8BIT FIGHTER SHIEN
- 1995–1997: Space Juubei
- 1996–1998: VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fire (tie-in manga)
- 1998–2002: Arcade Gamer Fubuki
- 1999–present: Sgt. Frog (story and design)
- 1999: Pop'n Tanks (character design)
- 2000–2003: Dragon Quest Monsters +
- 2005: Taisen Hot Gimmick: Axes-Jong (partial character design)
- 2007–2011: Otomedius (spin-off from the Gradius series)
- 2015: Kemono Friends (concept design)
References
- ^ Wong, Amos. "Creator Profile: Mine Yoshizaki". (February 2007) Newtype USA. pp. 52-55.
- ^ 小学館漫画賞: 歴代受賞者 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
- ^ Mine, Yoshizaki (January 2013). Yoshizaki Mine World = ALL ABOUT MINE YOSHIZAKI: 1988-2013. Kadokawashoten. ISBN 9784041103494. OCLC 840098166.
- ^ けものフレンズプロジェクト公式サイト (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-12-06. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
External links
- Mine Yoshizaki's Homepage (in Japanese)
- Mine Yoshizaki at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- v
- t
- e
- Doraemon by Fujiko Fujio (1981)
- Game Center Arashi and Kon'nichiwa! Mi-com by Mitsuru Sugaya (1982)
- Panku Ponk by Haruko Tachiiri (1983)
- Kinnikuman by Yudetamago (1984)
- Asari-chan by Mayumi Muroyama (1985)
- Ganbare, Kickers! by Noriaki Nagai (1986)
- Tsurupika Hagemaru by Shinbo Nomura (1987)
- Obocchama-kun by Yoshinori Kobayashi (1988)
- Mari-chan by Kimiko Uehara (1989)
- Amaizo! Dango by Moo. Nenbei (1990)
- Dojji Donbei by Tetsuhiro Koshita (1991)
- No award given (1992)
- One More Jump by Michiyo Akaishi (1993)
- Ore wa Otoko Da! Kunio-kun by Kōsaku Anakubo (1994)
- Kocchi Muite! Miiko by Eriko Ono (1995)
- Midori no Makibaō by Tsunomaru (1996)
- Ninpen Manmaru by Mikio Igarashi (1997)
- No award given (1998)
- Taro the Space Alien by Yasunari Nadotoshi (1999)
- Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi! by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro (2000)
- Pukupuku Natural Circular Notice by Sayuri Tatsuyama (2001)
- Croket! by Manavu Kashimoto (2002)
- Mirmo! by Hiromu Shinozuka (2003)
- Sgt. Frog by Mine Yoshizaki and
- Grandpa Danger by Kazutoshi Soyama (2004)
- Animal Yokochō by Ryō Maekawa (2005)
- Kirarin Revolution by An Nakahara (2006)
- Keshikasu-kun by Noriyuki Murase (2007)
- Naisho no Tsubomi by Yū Yabūchi (2008)
- A Penguin's Troubles by Yūji Nagai (2009)
- Yumeiro Patissiere by Natsumi Matsumoto (2010)
- Inazuma Eleven by Tenya Yabuno (2011)
- Mysterious Joker by Hideyasu Takahashi (2012)
- Zekkyō Gakkyū by Emi Ishikawa (2013)
- Yo-kai Watch by Noriyuki Konishi (2014)
- Usotsuki! Gokuō-kun by Makoto Yoshimoto (2015)
- Ijime by Kaoru Igarashi (2016)
- PriPri Chi-chan!! by Hiromu Shinozuka (2017)
- Age 12 by Nao Maita (2018)
- My New Life as a Cat by Konomi Wagata (2019)
- Duel Masters by Shigenobu Matsumoto and The Magic of Chocolate by Rino Mizuho (2020)
- No award given (2021)
- Ui × Kon by Minori Kurosaki (2022)
- Categories (until 2022):
- General
- Shōnen
- Shōjo
- Children
- 2023–