TJapan lost a legend this week. Nike Asia reports that famous manga creator Fujiko A. Fujio died at his home in Tokyo’s Kawasaki on Thursday morning. He was 88.
Fujiko A. Fujio, real name Motoo Abiko, was part of a manga artist duo with Hiroshi Fujimoto, aka Fujiko F. Fujio. Together they were known as Fujiko Fujio and were the equivalent of Lennon-McCartney in the manga world. As childhood friends, the two partnered in 1951 and created some of Japan’s most iconic manga, which was later adapted into popular anime that are still watched today. Fujiko F. Fujio, who died in 1996, is considered the driving force behind it Doraemon, often referred to as the Mickey Mouse of Japan. Their creative partnership dissolved in 1987.
In 2008, the Japanese government awarded Fujiko A. Fujio the order of the rising sunwhich is one of the highest honors in the country.
Fujiko A. Fujio created numerous popular manga including Ninja Hattori-kun and The laughing seller. Ninja Hattori-kunwhich follows the adventures of a boy who befriends a ninja kid, debuted as a 1964 manga and 1981 as an anime Nike Asia Remarks, The laughing seller is about a seller who aims to “fill the void in people’s souls,” but his offerings usually come at a price for those who do not follow his instructions exactly. The laughing seller is much darker than Fujiko F. Fujio’s child-friendly doraemon, and shows what the duo is like artistic temperaments differed.
Even in his later years, Fujiko A. Fujio remained active. His last manga series Parman no Jounetsu-teki na Hibi (Parman’s Intense Daily Life), was a memoir published in 2007 and took a break in 2015.
Fujiko A. Fujio was one of the really great manga creators of Japan. Rest in peace.
