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Motoko Arai

あらい もとこ

Arai Motoko

Pen Names: Motoko Arai（Pen name used in her published fiction works）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1960-08-08 （Nerima, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Translator
Active Years
1977-
Affiliations
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (former chair), Mystery Writers of Japan (member)
Memberships
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan, Mystery Writers of Japan
Influenced By
Shinichi Hoshi, Nobuhiko Kobayashi
Influenced
Hiro Arikawa

Education

Rikkyo University
Faculty of Letters / German Literature
Degree: 文学士
Country: Japan

Awards

Kisou Tengai SF New Writers Award (Honorable Mention)
1977
Work: Atashi no Naka no……
Category: 新人賞
Organization: Kisou Tengai (magazine)
Result: 佳作
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
1981
Work: Green Requiem
Category: 日本短編部門
Organization: Seiun Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
1982
Work: Neptune
Category: 日本短編部門
Organization: Seiun Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan SF Grand Prize
1999
Work: Tigris and Euphrates
Organization: Japan SF Grand Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Green Requiem

1980 Science fiction (short story)

A collection of short stories reflecting the sensibilities of a younger generation; one of her representative works exploring social and fantastical themes.

youth sensibilitythe everyday and the fantastic
Adaptations
  • [Film] Green Requiem / 今関あきよし (1988)

Tigris and Euphrates

1999 Science fiction (novel)

A novel weaving social elements with personal stories. Winner of the Japan SF Grand Prize.

societyhuman relationships

Ship to the Stars

1980 Science fiction (series)

An SF series with elements for younger readers; widely supported by a youthful readership.

adventurecoming of age

The Final Day

1992 Psychological horror

A psychological-horror novel; one of her representative works that was adapted to film.

fearpsychology
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Final Day / 君塚匠 (2000)

Bibliography

  • Atashi no Naka no……
  • Ship to the Stars (series)
  • Green Requiem
  • Neptune
  • Tigris and Euphrates
  • The Final Day
  • Marriage Stories (series)

Adaptations

  • Green Requiem (film)
  • The Final Day (film)
  • Marriage Stories (TV drama)

Translations by Author

  • How to Live with Stuffed Animals (co-translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
innovative use of colloquial languagedistinctive short-line breaks and pacingcasual first-person narration (use of colloquial pronouns)
Recurring Motifs
stuffed animalsfemale perspectivemarriage and familymix of everyday life and fantasy

Legacy

She had a significant influence on the development of light novel writing style and youth-oriented SF from the 1980s onward. Known for a wide range from juvenile fiction to serious SF and horror, she is regarded as an influential figure in contemporary Japanese SF.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan
  • Mystery Writers of Japan

In Popular Culture

  • TV adaptation of 'Marriage Stories' (1987)
  • Film adaptations of several works (e.g. Green Requiem, The Final Day)

Quotes

  • Stuffed animals do not breathe or metabolize, but they live by something unknown that I call 'stuffed-animal power.'
    Source: Interview/essay (source unspecified)

Trivia

  • Reported to own over 4,000 stuffed animals.
  • Gained early attention when her debut story received an honorable mention while she was in the second year of high school.
  • After marriage she is also known by the legal name Motoko Teshima.