Naoki Urasawa

Writing

Naoki Urasawa

Born January 2, 1960 · Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan (age 66)

Naoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his professional career has created two series simultaneously. The stories to many of these were co-written in collaboration with his former editor, Takashi Nagasaki. Urasawa has been called one of the artists that changed the history of manga and has won numerous awards, i…

Known For

20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End · 2008
20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End
6.72008
MovieScience FictionAdventure
In 1969, Kenji, an elementary school kid and his friends built a secret base during their summer holidays. They fantasized that they had to fight villains who were out to conquer the world and wrote them in the Book of Prophecies. Years later in 1997, Kenji becomes a convenience store manager and leads a regular life after giving up his dreams to become a rock star. His boring life is suddenly turned upside down when his old classmate dies mysteriously and an entire family in the neighbourhood disappears. At the same time, a religious cult and its mysterious leader, Friend emerges and a strange chain of events duplicating exactly the events described in the Book of Prophecies follow. Is this the beginning of the end of the world? Who is Friend?
20th Century Boys 3: Redemption20th Century Boys 3: Redemption · 2009
20th Century Boys 3: Redemption
6.72009
MovieAdventureMystery
The final showdown, and the final reveal. Who is Friend? How can he be stopped?
Tibetan DogTibetan Dog · 2011
Tibetan Dog
6.42011
MovieAnimationAdventure
After his mother dies, Jiantan has to leave Xi'an to live with his father on the Tibetan steppe, where he meets a golden dog that helps him cope with the new challenges ahead.
20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope · 2009
20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope
6.72009
MovieScience FictionAdventure
Set 15 years after "Twentieth Century Boys," Kanna (Airi Taira) reunites with several main characters from the first film in an attempt to stop Friend's increasing influence over the world and continued plans to eliminate humanity, as detailed in the New Book of Prophecy.
Yawara! Atlanta SpecialYawara! Atlanta Special · 1996
Yawara! Atlanta Special
6.51996
MovieAnimationComedy
Yawara Inokuma competes for Japan in the Atlanta Olympic Games as she meets with several familiar faces throughout the tournament.
The Brand New Legend of the Stardust BrothersThe Brand New Legend of the Stardust Brothers · 2018
The Brand New Legend of the Stardust Brothers
2.02018
MovieComedyScience Fiction
A sequel to the 1980 movie The Legend of the Stardust Brothers. As well as being a rock musical comedy, it also borrows elements from other genres such as road movies, westerns, and meta fiction.
Happy!Happy! · 2006
Happy!
2006
MovieTV MovieDrama
After her parents' death, Umino Miyuki was forced to give up a promising future in tennis to take care of her three younger siblings. Her elder brother, in a plan to become rich, disappears, leaving a 250 million debt on his sister's shoulders. Two debt collectors seek her out for payment and inform her that she will be forced to work as a bath hostess at a bath house if she cannot come up with the money. Miyuki makes up her mind to become a professional tennis player in order to win the prize money. She seeks for help from the son of a famous tennis family, Ootori Keiichiro, who was also her senior in middle school and fellow tennis player. Will Miyuki be able to become a pro and pay off the debt?
Yawara! Go Get 'Em, Wimpy Kids!!Yawara! Go Get 'Em, Wimpy Kids!! · 1992
Yawara! Go Get 'Em, Wimpy Kids!!
5.31992
MovieAnimationComedy
Yawara helps a group of timid grade school kids overcome their fears and compete in a judo competition.

Filmography

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20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End · 2008
20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End
6.72008
MovieScience FictionAdventure
In 1969, Kenji, an elementary school kid and his friends built a secret base during their summer holidays. They fantasized that they had to fight villains who were out to conquer the world and wrote them in the Book of Prophecies. Years later in 1997, Kenji becomes a convenience store manager and leads a regular life after giving up his dreams to become a rock star. His boring life is suddenly turned upside down when his old classmate dies mysteriously and an entire family in the neighbourhood disappears. At the same time, a religious cult and its mysterious leader, Friend emerges and a strange chain of events duplicating exactly the events described in the Book of Prophecies follow. Is this the beginning of the end of the world? Who is Friend?

Screenplay

Manben: Behind the Scenes of Manga with Urasawa NaokiManben: Behind the Scenes of Manga with Urasawa Naoki · 2015
Manben: Behind the Scenes of Manga with Urasawa Naoki
8.22015
SeriesDocumentary
Urasawa Naoki no Manben (Naoki Urasawa's Manga Exertions) is a TV Documentary airing on NHK Educational TV. It follows acclaimed mangaka Naoki Urasawa (creator of 20th Century Boys and Monster) as he sets out to break new ground for manga even further than he already has. In an attempt to educate viewers about manga and preserve the intricate craftsmanship and process of Japanese artists on video for future generations, he invites a manga artist to have their workplace filmed for a couple of days, so as to display them in the process of crafting chapters for their current serializations. After the footage has been shot, Urasawa meets with the artist and they discuss the footage, talking about the artist's workplace and workflow, the difficulties involved in the mangaka lifestyle, their reasons for drawing manga in the first place, and their perspective on the current industry and their own work.

Creator