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Chohei Kanbayashi

かんばやし ちょうへい

Kanbayashi Chohei

Pen Names: Chohei Kanbayashi（Pen name used for literary works）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1953-07-10 （Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Science fiction writer
Active Years
1979-
Affiliations
Science Fiction Writers Club of Japan (became chair in 2001, left in 2014)
Memberships
Science Fiction Writers Club of Japan

Education

Nagaoka College of Technology
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: Japan
Listed as final education (technical college)

Awards

Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
1983
Work: Kotoba Tsukaishi
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Novel)
1984
Work: The Enemy Is a Pirate (Pirate Edition)
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
1984
Work: Super Phoenix
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Novel)
1985
Work: Yukikaze (Sentou Yousei Yukikaze)
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Novel)
1987
Work: Prism
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner
Japan Science Fiction Award
1995
Work: Kototsubo
Organization: Japan SF Award Committee
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Novel)
1998
Work: The Enemy Is a Pirate: A-Class Enemy
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Novel)
2000
Work: Good Luck: Yukikaze
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
2013
Work: Now, the Collective Unconscious,
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Enemy Is a Pirate (Pirate Edition)

1983 Science fiction

An early work in the pirate-themed series centered on the pirate division, blending humor with science-fiction settings.

PiracyHumorOrganization vs individual
Adaptations
  • [Anime (OVA / TV)] The Enemy Is a Pirate: The Feast of Cats (source material) (1990)

Yukikaze (Sentou Yousei Yukikaze)

1984 Science fiction (military/mecha)

A military SF series about combat aircraft and artificial intelligence, focusing on the relationship between the fighter Yukikaze and its pilots and the allegorical aspects of war.

WarArtificial intelligenceHumanity
Adaptations
  • [OVA] Yukikaze (OVA)
  • [Novel (revised edition)] Yukikaze (Revised) (2002)

Kototsubo

1994 Science fiction (short stories/linked collection)

A linked collection of short stories themed around language and communication. Winner of the Japan SF Award.

LanguageCommunicationIdentity

Bibliography

  • Dance with the Fox
  • The Enemy Is a Pirate (Pirate Edition)
  • Yukikaze
  • Kototsubo
  • Prism

Adaptations

  • Yukikaze (OVA, produced by GONZO)
  • The Enemy Is a Pirate: The Feast of Cats (anime broadcast on WOWOW / OVA)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed hard-SF descriptions combined with humorSharp observations on dialogue and language
Recurring Motifs
War and the individualBoundaries between machines and humansLanguage and communication

Legacy

One of the prominent Japanese SF writers since the 1980s. Multiple Seiun Award and Japan SF Award wins have earned him high regard within the genre, and adaptations have brought his work broader recognition.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction Writers Club of Japan

In Popular Culture

  • Yukikaze OVA adaptation (GONZO) and related publications
  • The Enemy Is a Pirate: The Feast of Cats anime adaptation (WOWOW, etc.)

Trivia

  • Real name: Kiyoshi Takayanagi
  • Served as the 11th chair of the Science Fiction Writers Club of Japan (became chair in 2001, left in 2014)
  • Debuted with "Fox and Dance" (1979), selected for the Hayakawa SF Contest