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Gengen Kusano

くさの げんげん

Kusano Gengen

Pen Names: Gengen（Handle used on social media and in doujin contexts）

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Born
1990-04-16 （Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan）
Nationality
Japanese
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan → Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan → Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Career

Occupations
SF writer, Novelist
Active Years
2016-
Affiliations
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (membership)
Memberships
Member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan
Influenced By
Keikaku Ito, Iori Miyazawa (collaborator/interviewer)

Education

Toin Gakuen High School
Country: Japan
Keio University, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
Year of Graduation: 2013
Country: Japan
Completed undergraduate studies
Hokkaido University Graduate School of Science (doctoral program)
Graduate School of Science / Department of Science
Period: 在籍（博士課程）〜2021年4月退学
Country: Japan
Enrolled in doctoral program; later withdrew

Awards

Hayakawa SF Contest (Special Prize)
2016
Work: The Last and the First Idol
Category: 特別賞
Organization: Hayakawa Publishing (Hayakawa Bunko)
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
2017
Work: The Last and the First Idol
Category: 日本短編部門
Organization: Seiun Award Committee (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Sense of Gender Award (Mirai ni Habatake Idol Award)
2016
Work: The Last and the First Idol (original posting)
Category: 特別賞（部門名：未来にはばたけアイドル賞）
Organization: Gender SF Study Group
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
2019
Work: The Dark Voice Actor
Category: 日本短編部門
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Last and the First Idol

2016 Science Fiction

A short SF story originally posted in a Love Live! doujin context and later revised; explores idols, technology, and personal identity.

Idol cultureIdentityTechnology and humanity

The Dark Voice Actor

2019 Science Fiction

A newly written short story focusing on voice actors and resonant technologies; an unusual SF piece.

MediaIdentityAudio technology

This Is a School Romcom.

2019 Light Novel / School Comedy

A school romcom mixing SF elements with school comedy.

School lifeRomanceHumor

Great Evolution Animal Death Game

2019 Science Fiction / Action

An SF novel themed around evolution and death-game scenarios; its opening was previously serialized in S-F Magazine.

EvolutionSurvivalCompetition

Mass Extinction Dinosaur Time Wars

2019 Science Fiction / Adventure

An SF adventure featuring dinosaurs, published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.

DinosaursTime travelAdventure

Bibliography

  • The Last and the First Idol (collected)
  • The Dark Voice Actor (originally written for book)
  • This Is a School Romcom.
  • Great Evolution Animal Death Game
  • Mass Extinction Dinosaur Time Wars

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Light, accessible narrative voiceSF that incorporates pop culture elements
Recurring Motifs
Intersection of idol culture and technologySchool/young-adult perspectivesShifting personal identity

Legacy

A contemporary SF writer active since the late 2010s. A multiple Seiun Award winner in the short story category, noted for treating pop-culture subjects from an SF perspective.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan

In Popular Culture

  • Uses many subjects originating in doujin and net culture, gaining support particularly among younger readers.

Trivia

  • His mother is the poet Rieko Kusano.
  • Active online via Kakuyomu, a personal blog, and X (formerly Twitter).
  • Announced withdrawal from doctoral program in April 2021.