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Manabu Makime

まきめ まなぶ

Makime Manabu

Pen Names: Manabu Makime（Pen name (same as legal name)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1976-02-27 （Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka Prefecture (birthplace) → Shizuoka Prefecture (factory assignment) → Tokyo (moved for writing/career)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Lyricist, Screenwriter
Active Years
2006-
Influenced By
Magic realism, Tomihiko Morimi
Influenced
Contemporary Japanese fantasy writers
Nominations
137th Naoki Prize nominee (Shika Otoko Awo ni Yoshi, 2007), 141st Naoki Prize nominee (Princess Toyotomi, 2009), 143rd Naoki Prize nominee (Kanoko-chan and Madame Madeleine, 2010), 150th Naoki Prize nominee (Toppinparari no Fūtarō, 2013), 152nd Naoki Prize nominee (Gojō Shuttsu, 2014), 170th Naoki Prize winner (August's Gosho Ground, 2024)

Education

Seifu Nankai Junior & Senior High School
Country: Japan
After graduation he spent one year as a ronin before entering Kyoto University
Kyoto University
Faculty of Law / Department of Law
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Faculty of Law

Awards

Boiled Eggs Newcomer Award
2005
Work: Kamogawa Horumō
Organization: Boiled Eggs
Result: Winner
Sakuya Konohana Prize
2009
Work: Princess Toyotomi
Organization: Sakuya Konohana Prize
Result: Winner
Naoki Prize
2024
Work: August's Gosho Ground
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: Winner
Japan Booksellers' Award
2007
Work: Kamogawa Horumō
Organization: Japan Booksellers' Award Committee
Result: Nominated
Yamada Futaro Award
2014
Work: Gojō Shuttsu
Organization: Yamada Futaro Award Committee
Result: Nominated
Yamada Futaro Award
2016
Work: Babel Kyūsaku
Organization: Yamada Futaro Award Committee
Result: Nominated
Yamada Futaro Award
2021
Work: Hitokoburakuda-sō Z
Organization: Yamada Futaro Award Committee
Result: Nominated
Yamamoto Shugorō Prize
2018
Work: Permanent Divine Comedy
Organization: Yamamoto Shugorō Prize Selection Committee
Result: Nominated

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kamogawa Horumō

2006 Fantasy

A comedic fantasy set in Kyoto in which university students become involved in bizarre events tied to ancient rituals and local legends.

Kyotostudent lifefolklore and fantasy
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kamogawa Horumō / 本木克英 (2009)
  • [Stage] Kamogawa Horumō / 鄭義信 (2009)

Shika Otoko Awo ni Yoshi

2007 Fantasy

A fantasy set around Nara and Kyoto where legends involving deer and humans intersect with contemporary life; adapted into a television drama.

folkloreKyoto/Narathe ordinary and the uncanny
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Shika Otoko Awo ni Yoshi (2008)

Princess Toyotomi

2009 Fantasy / Social satire

An entertaining, fantastical story set in Osaka that plays with civic myths and traditions; adapted into a film.

Osakatraditionsocial satire
Adaptations
  • [Film] Princess Toyotomi / 鈴木雅之 (2011)

The Magnificent Shuraranbon

2011 Fantasy / Humour

A humorous fantasy exploring a provincial family line and its strange traditions, with sweeping narrative scope.

family sagafolklorehumor
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Magnificent Shuraranbon / 水落豊 (2014)

Babel Kyūsaku

2016 Fantasy

A fantastical tale set in a contemporary urban building; later adapted into a television drama.

urban spacestemporalitydéjà vu
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Babel Kyūsaku (2020)

Permanent Divine Comedy

2017 Fantasy

A long-form novel weaving mythology and supernatural elements into a comedic narrative.

mythhumorcontemporary society

Hitokoburakuda-sō Z

2021 Speculative fiction

A work noted for its outrageous premises and ensemble character depictions, blending short and long forms.

fantastic imaginationensemble drama

August's Gosho Ground

2023 Fantasy / Coming-of-age

A work set in Kyoto that depicts the brightness and poignancy of youth, presented in a collection-like form; winner of the Naoki Prize.

Kyotoyouthnostalgia

June's Buriburigiccho

2024 Short fiction

One of his recent short story collections.

short storiesthe everyday and the fantastic

Bibliography

  • Kamogawa Horumō (2006)
  • Horumō Rokkei (2007)
  • Shika Otoko Awo ni Yoshi (2007)
  • Princess Toyotomi (2009)
  • The Magnificent Shuraranbon (2011)
  • Toppinparari no Fūtarō (2013)
  • Gojō Shuttsu (2014)
  • Babel Kyūsaku (2016)
  • Permanent Divine Comedy (2017)
  • Hitokoburakuda-sō Z (2021)
  • August's Gosho Ground (2023)
  • June's Buriburigiccho (2024)

Adaptations

  • Kamogawa Horumō (film, stage, manga adaptations)
  • Shika Otoko Awo ni Yoshi (TV drama adaptation)
  • Princess Toyotomi (film adaptation)
  • Babel Kyūsaku (TV drama adaptation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Inventive, whimsical prose with strong humorA narrative voice that seamlessly connects the everyday with the extraordinaryEnsemble-driven stories with brisk pacing
Recurring Motifs
Local Kyoto / Kyoto University settingsinsertion of legends and mythic elementsfriendship and the bittersweetness of youth

Legacy

Makime's body of work—often referred to as the "Makime World"—is noted for its mix of whimsical imagination and humor that reinterprets contemporary Japanese settings. Many works have been adapted into films, TV dramas and stage plays, giving him wide popular influence.

Archives

  • National Diet Library of Japan (holds works and related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Broad recognition through television and film adaptations
  • Collaboration with Osaka Metro (short stories distributed for free)

Quotes

  • If you are too clever you see too far ahead and give up. Become a little foolish.
    Source: Words of his high-school classical Japanese teacher (recounted by Makime) (2015)
  • His hallmark is outrageous invention and wild improbability.
    Source: Book critic Hiroko Oya (Asahi Shimbun review) (2021)

Trivia

  • While at Kyoto University he joined an a cappella circle but later stopped attending.
  • After graduation he worked in accounting for a chemical-fiber company before resigning to focus on writing.
  • Debuted with Kamogawa Horumō, winning the Boiled Eggs Newcomer Award.
  • Multiple-time Naoki Prize nominee; won the 170th Naoki Prize in 2024.
  • In 2024 he began activities as a lyricist, providing lyrics for Chage.