Iwaya Sazanami Literature Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 38 (2015) award
Fumiko Takano
たかの ふみこ
Takano Fumiko
Pen Names:
Takano Roba（Pen name used on some works/serials (e.g. used for "Watashi wa Dame-Yome")）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1957-11-12 （Niitsu, Niigata Prefecture, Japan (now Akiha Ward, Niigata City)）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Niitsu, Niigata (now Akiha Ward, Niigata City) → Tokyo, Japan (moved to Tokyo after high school)
Career
- Occupations
- Manga artist, Illustrator, Former nurse
- Active Years
- 1979-
- Influenced By
- Moto Hagio, Shotaro Ishinomori, Katsuhiro Otomo, Sabe Anoma
- Influenced
- Kyoko Okazaki, Erika Sakurazawa, Shungiku Uchida, Yuko Ichijo
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niigata Prefectural Niigata Konan High School | — | Sanitary Nursing Course (high school) | — | 高校在学（年代：1970年代前半） | Japan |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Sanitary Nursing School | — | Sanitary Nursing (vocational) | — | 卒業（在学期間2年） | Japan |
Niigata Prefectural Niigata Konan High School
Sanitary Nursing Course (high school)
Period:
高校在学（年代：1970年代前半）
Country:
Japan
Grew up reading children's literature; began submitting manga while in high school.
Tokyo Metropolitan Sanitary Nursing School
Sanitary Nursing (vocational)
Period:
卒業（在学期間2年）
Country:
Japan
Graduated and worked as a nurse for a period; concurrently engaged in doujin activities before debuting as a manga artist.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Japan Cartoonists Association Award (Excellence Award) | Absolutely Safe Razor | — | Japan Cartoonists Association | 優秀賞 |
| 2002 | Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (Manga Grand Prize) | The Yellow Book | — | Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Committee | 受賞（マンガ大賞） |
| 2015 | Iwaya Sazanami Literary Award | Dormitory Tomkins | — | Iwaya Sazanami Literary Award Committee | 受賞 |
Japan Cartoonists Association Award (Excellence Award)
1982
Work:
Absolutely Safe Razor
Organization:
Japan Cartoonists Association
Result:
優秀賞
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (Manga Grand Prize)
2002
Work:
The Yellow Book
Organization:
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Committee
Result:
受賞（マンガ大賞）
Iwaya Sazanami Literary Award
2015
Work:
Dormitory Tomkins
Organization:
Iwaya Sazanami Literary Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Absolutely Safe Razor
1982 Short story collection (short/young adult/shojo manga) 136 pagesA collection of early short pieces showcasing fantastical depictions, distinctive psychological portrayals, and skilled screentone work. Includes notable stories such as "Tanabe no Tsuru" and "Entrance."
GirlsEveryday-life made strangeLife and deathMemory
Translations
- Absolutely Safe Razor (example English title)
Friends
1983 Short story collection (novellas and shorts) 128 pagesA two-part collection: "Japanese Friends" and "American Friends." Contains a long piece set in a Taisho-era girls' school and shorter stories set in the U.S.
FriendshipComing of ageCultural memory
Lucky Girl's New Job
1987 Serialized manga (adventure / spy-style) 258 pagesA six-chapter long work about a salesgirl in a department store who tangles with spies. Notable for cinematic layouts and camera-like compositions.
AdventureHomage to spy filmsEveryday vs. extraordinary
Ruki-san
1993 Serialized comic (4-panel, all-color short strips) 118 pagesA serialized strip in 'Hanako' centered on an independent single woman, Ruki-san. Published roughly monthly as 4-panel color pieces.
Everyday lifeUrban livingSingle woman
One Stick
1995 Short story collection 200 pagesA collection of short stories from around the early 1990s. Features bold compositions that depict subtle moments of everyday life.
Nostalgia and unease of everyday lifeFamilyReminiscence
The Yellow Book
2002 Long standalone (seinen manga) 160 pagesSet in a snowy region, the protagonist slowly reads 'Les Thibault' while the story explores the experience of reading and personal growth. The piece took three years to complete.
Reading experienceComing of ageLoneliness and connection
Dormitory Tomkins
2014 Short story collection (recent work) 120 pagesA collection of short pieces published in the 2010s. Marked the return of a volume after a long interval and shows further simplification in drawing style.
Fragments of everyday lifeMemorySmall wonders
Bibliography
- Absolutely Safe Razor (1982)
- Friends (1983)
- Lucky Girl's New Job (1987)
- Ruki-san (1993)
- One Stick (1995)
- The Yellow Book (2002)
- Dormitory Tomkins (2014)
Adaptations
- The Tale of the Heike (TV anime: character original designs)
Translations by Author
- Jacques Thibault (extract translation/illustration contribution)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Economical, minimal lineworkSkilled screentone applicationExperimental page composition (cinematic camera work)
- Recurring Motifs
- Fragments of everyday lifeProximity of life and deathGirl/woman's perspectiveReading and memory
Legacy
Fumiko Takano is one of the representative manga artists of the New Wave era. Though producing relatively few books, her original visual language and page composition influenced contemporaries and later artists. She has been widely praised by critics and received major awards such as the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
Archives
- National Diet Library, Japan (holds related materials)
In Popular Culture
- Featured on the TV program 'BS Manga Yawa'
Quotes
-
What comes to me first is the theme; I begin drawing and composing the storyboard at the same time.
Source: Interview (AERA COMIC: Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize 10th Anniversary, 2006) (2006)
Trivia
- Debuted as a manga artist while having worked as a nurse.
- Her husband is editor Kyoichiro Akiyama.
- Often produces work without assistants.