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Kizara Izumi

きざら いずみ

Kizara Izumi

Aliases: 和泉 務 / 妻鹿 年季子
Pen Names: Kizara Izumi（Joint pen name used by the married duo Tsutomu Izumi and Tokiko Mega）, Tokiko Mega（At one time Tokiko Mega wrote scripts under her real name）

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Born
Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
Screenwriter, Novelist, Broadcast writer
Active Years
1990-
Nominations
11th Booksellers' Award (2nd place — 'Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan'), 27th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize — nominee ('Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan'), 32nd Yamamoto Shugoro Prize — nominee ('Kagerobo')

Education

Kyoto Seika University Junior College
Art Department / Dyeing and Weaving Course
Country: Japan
After graduation Tokiko Mega worked at a trading company before becoming a scriptwriter.

Awards

Mukoda Kuniko Prize
2004
Work: Suika (TV drama)
Organization: Tokyo News Service
Result: 受賞
The Television Drama Academy Awards — Script Award
2006
Work: Nobuta wo Produce
Organization: The Television (magazine)
Result: 受賞
Galaxy Award — Excellence Award
2011
Work: Q10
Organization: Broadcast Critics Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Suika

2003 Television drama

A warm ensemble drama about family, separation and life-and-death themes. Starring Satomi Kobayashi, it was a highly regarded TV series and one of the duo's first full-length serial drama scripts.

familylife and deatheveryday renewal
Adaptations
  • [Book (Scenario book)] Suika — Scenario Book (2004)

Nobuta wo Produce

2005 Television drama

A youth drama about bullying, friendship and growth. The writers reworked the original setting and created a script that respectfully and seriously addressed a teenage audience.

friendshipcoming of agebullying and redemption

Sexy Voice and Robo

2007 Television drama

A drama that combined unique humor with pathos; it gained popularity and starred Kenichi Matsuyama and Suzuka Ohgo.

lonelinessencounterodd friendships

Q10

2010 Television drama

A light youth drama about human-robot interaction. Featuring young actors, it mixes SF elements with human drama.

coexistenceyouth developmenttechnology and humanity

Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan

2013 Novel

A debut novel that depicts family and everyday life with the sensibilities of a screenwriter. It received critical acclaim and ranked highly in the Booksellers' Award.

familymemoryfood and daily life
Adaptations
  • [Television drama] Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan (TV adaptation) (2014)
Translations
  • Chinese (Simplified): 'Zuo ye de ka li, ming ri de mian bao' (2017)

Hal

2013 Animated film

A theatrical animated film for which they wrote the screenplay, delicately depicting human relationships and loss.

lossrecoveryhuman relationships

Kagerobo

2019 Novel

A novel portraying contemporary human relationships from a unique perspective; it was nominated for the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize.

lonelinesssocietyhuman drama

Bibliography

  • Suika (scenario etc.)
  • Nobuta wo Produce (scenario)
  • Sexy Voice and Robo (scenario)
  • Q10 (scenario)
  • Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan (novel)
  • Hal (animated film screenplay)
  • Sazanami no Yoru (novel)
  • Kagerobo (novel)
  • Nidone de Bancha (essay collection)
  • Kizara Shokudo (essay collection)

Adaptations

  • Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan (TV adaptation — NHK BS Premium, 2014)
  • Hal (Animated film, 2013)
  • Multiple media adaptations including TV drama, DVD releases and short dramas

Translations of Works

  • Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan — Chinese (Simplified) edition

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Delicate, warm depictions of everyday lifeA blend of screenplay-like dialogue and scenic descriptionA narrative voice combining humor and poignancy
Recurring Motifs
family and daily lifemeals and kitchen sceneslife-and-death themes (loss and recovery)small everyday miracles

Health

  • Cerebral hemorrhage
    2004〜（発症：2004年）
    Tsutomu Izumi suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 2004 and, due to serious aftereffects, lives with care provided by his wife.
  • Depression
    2007頃〜（発症時期は前後あり）
    Tokiko Mega developed depression around the time of 'Sexy Voice and Robo' and continued creative work while receiving treatment; some episodes were written by substitutes.

Legacy

Kizara Izumi — a joint pen name of a married couple — expanded from TV drama scripts into literature. Works such as 'Suika', 'Nobuta wo Produce' and 'Yuube no Curry, Ashita no Pan' were highly regarded and influenced storytelling focused on youth and family.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (related materials)
  • VIAF / various authority databases (identifiers available)

In Popular Culture

  • DVD/Blu-ray releases of dramas and publication of related books
  • Comic adaptations and media coverage (documentaries, specials, etc.)

Quotes

  • For teenagers — seriously, clearly, and without pandering.
    Source: Production interview (related to the drama 'Nobuta wo Produce') (2005)

Trivia

  • Kizara Izumi is a joint pen name used by the couple Tsutomu Izumi and Tokiko Mega.
  • The pen name is said to derive from 'kiza na Izumi' (a 'dandy Izumi').
  • They call each other familiarly as 'Tomu-kun' and 'Toki-chan'.
  • Tsutomu Izumi originally worked in manzai comedy and as a composition writer, bringing wide-ranging knowledge to their scripts.
  • Tsutomu suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 2004 and has since been cared for by Tokiko; the couple submitted a marriage registration in 2007.
  • Tokiko experienced depression at one point and continued to write while receiving treatment.