Hiromu Arakawa

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox comics creator Template:Nihongo<ref name=natalie>Template:Cite web</ref> is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for the manga series Fullmetal Alchemist (2001–2010), which became a hit both domestically and internationally, and was adapted into two anime television series. She is also known for Silver Spoon (2011–2019) and the manga adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan novels.

Early life

Born on May 8, 1973, in Tokachi, Hokkaidō, Japan, Arakawa was born and raised on a dairy farm with three elder sisters and a younger brother. Arakawa thought about being a manga artist ever "since [she] was little" and during her school years, she would often draw on textbooks. After graduating high school, she took oil painting classes once a month for seven years while working on her family's farm. During this time, she also created dōjinshi manga with her friends and drew yonkoma for a magazine.<ref name="YahooBooks">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="EquivalentExchange">Template:Cite journal Template:Page needed</ref> Arakawa moved to Tokyo in the summer of 1999.<ref>Hyakushou Kizoku (2008)</ref>

Career

Arakawa began her career in the manga world as an assistant to Hiroyuki Etō, author of Enix'sTemplate:Efn Mahōjin Guru Guru.<ref name="ProfileBookInterview">Template:Cite book</ref> Her own manga Stray Dog was published in Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan in 1999.<ref name="EquivalentExchange" /> Stray Dog won the ninth 21st Century "Shōnen Gangan" Award.<ref name="YahooBooks" /> She published one chapter of Shanghai Yōmakikai in Monthly Shōnen Gangan in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Fullmetal Alchemist

In July 2001, Arakawa published the first chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist in Monthly Shōnen Gangan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series spanned 108 chapters, with the last one published in July 2010, and the series was collected in twenty-seven volumes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="JapaneseVolume27">Template:Cite book</ref> Some reviewers say that the combination of Arakawa's art style and the writing in Fullmetal Alchemist contribute to its dark thematic elements.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> The series won the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2004.<ref name="ShogakukanAward" />

Fullmetal Alchemist has been adapted into two anime series by Bones. When they were creating the first, Arakawa assisted them in its early development.<ref name="guide2">Template:Cite book</ref> However, she was not involved in the making of the script, so the anime has a different ending from the manga, which she developed further.<ref name="EquivalentExchange" />

When the second anime adaptation was reaching its ending, Arakawa showed director Yasuhiro Irie her plans for the manga's ending, making both end in near dates.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Most reviewers distinguish between the manga and anime, which they attribute to differences in style and subject matter.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> One review explains that the manga is more "emotional," whereas the anime is more whimsical.<ref name=":1" /> Arakawa's simple, dark style and plot choices contrast with the anime's "cartoony," colorful rendering.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Reviews in general tend to ascribe the anime to children and the manga to teens and adults.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Other works

Arakawa has published more works, including Raiden-18, Sōten no Kōmori (also known as Bat in Blue Sky), and Hero Tales.<ref name="EquivalentExchange" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Arakawa has collaborated with the creation of Hero Tales with Studio Flag under the name of Huang Jin Zhou. In the anime adaptation of the series, Arakawa was responsible for the character designs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She has also drawn the cover from the Japanese edition of the novel The Demon's Lexicon authored by Sarah Rees Brennan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2011, Arakawa began a series called Silver Spoon in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday. Rather than writing another fantasy series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Arakawa wanted to challenge herself by trying a more realistic story with Silver Spoon.<ref name="animeland">Template:Cite journal</ref> It quickly rose among Shogakukan's best-selling titles and an anime series by A-1 Pictures began airing in July 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also in July 2013 she began her manga adaptation of Yoshiki Tanaka's The Heroic Legend of Arslan series of novels in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Arakawa started the manga series Daemons of the Shadow Realm in Monthly Shōnen Gangan on December 10, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, an anime adaptation of Arakawa's autobiographical manga Hyakushō Kizoku was announced.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Arakawa is married and has three children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She gave birth to a daughter in 2007 and had her third child in January 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arakawa is a fan of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and has described Darth Vader as "the greatest villain of all time".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Influences

Arakawa has stated that Suihō Tagawa, the author of Norakuro, is the "root of [her] style as an artist". She also learned composition and drawing during her time as assistant of Template:Ill. She also cites Rumiko Takahashi, Shigeru Mizuki, and Kinnikuman by Yudetamago as influences and is a fan of Mike Mignola's work.<ref name="EquivalentExchange"/><ref name="ProfileBookInterview"/> Reviewers consider Fullmetal Alchemist to have steampunk influences.<ref name=":1" />

Works

• Stray Dog (1999)
• Template:Nihongo (2000)
• Template:Nihongo (2001–2010)
• Raiden-18 (2005–2021)
• Template:Nihongo (2006)
• Template:Nihongo (2006–2010)
• Template:Nihongo (2006–present)
• Template:Nihongo (2011–2019)
• Template:Nihongo (2013–present)
• Template:Nihongo (2021–present)
• Template:Nihongo (2025) (character design)

Awards

• 1999: 9th 21st Century Enix Award for Stray Dog<ref name="YahooBooks"/>
• 2003: 49th Shogakukan Manga Award, Shōnen category for Fullmetal Alchemist<ref name="ShogakukanAward">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2011: 15th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, "New Artist Prize" category.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2011: 42nd Seiun Award, "Best Science Fiction Comic" category for Fullmetal Alchemist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2012: 5th Manga Taishō Award for Silver Spoon<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2012: 58th Shogakukan Manga Award, Shōnen category for Silver Spoon<ref name="ShogakukanAward2">Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

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External links

• Template:Anime News Network
• "Arakawa Hiromu" (The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction entry by Jonathan Clements)