| Kazuo Koike 小池 一夫 | |
|---|---|
 Koike atNew York Comic Con, 2013 | |
| Born | (1936-05-08)May 8, 1936 Daisen, Akita, Japan |
| Died | April 17, 2019(2019-04-17) (aged 82) |
| Area | Writer |
Notable works | Lone Wolf and Cub Lady Snowblood Crying Freeman |
| Awards | Hall of FameEisner Award (2004) |
Kazuo Koike (Japanese:小池 一夫,Hepburn:Koike Kazuo; May 8, 1936 – April 17, 2019) was a prolific Japanesemanga writer (gensakusha), novelist, screenwriter, lyricist and entrepreneur. He is best known for his violent, artfulseinen manga, notablyLone Wolf and Cub (withGoseki Kojima, 1970–6),Lady Snowblood (withKazuo Kamimura, 1972–3) andCrying Freeman (withRyoichi Ikegami, 1986–8), which – along with their numerous media adaptations − have been credited for their influence on the international growth ofJapanese popular culture.
Early in Koike's career, he studied underTakao Saito. He began his manga career at Saito Production in 1968, working on series such asMuyōnosuke and as a founding scriptwriter forGolgo 13.[1]
Koike, along with artistGoseki Kojima, made the mangaLone Wolf and Cub, and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actorTomisaburo Wakayama. In 1992 he himself produced aLone Wolf and Cub film,Lone Wolf and Cub: Final Conflict which starredMasakazu Tamura.[2] Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success ofLone Wolf and Cub.
In the 1970s, Koike was exceptionally prolific, working on dozens of manga series. Notable collaborations from this period includeSecretary Bird withMonkey Punch (1970), a story withKazuo Umezu (1973), andHanappe Bazooka withGo Nagai (1979-82). He also founded Studio Ship (later Koike Shoin) in 1972 as a production house and publisher.[1]
Another series written by Koike,Crying Freeman, which was illustrated byRyoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French directorChristophe Gans. In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga. He has also writtenmahjong manga, as he himself is a former professional mahjong player.
Koike's later works included the long-runningAuction House (with Seisaku Kano) andYume Genji Tsurugi No Saimon, a novel serialized in theMainichi Shimbun with illustrations byRumiko Takahashi. His manga output slowed in the 21st century as he focused on teaching and writing theoretical books on character creation.[1] In the early 2000s, he wrote aWolverine story forMarvel Comics.[3] In 2011, Koike announced his intention to write amagical girl manga series titledMaho Shojo Mimitsuki Mimi no QED.[4]
On April 17, 2019, Kazuo Koike died due topneumonia at the age of 82. His death happened just five days after the death of fellow prolific manga artistMonkey Punch on April 11, who also died of pneumonia and who Koike considered his rival in theWeekly Manga Action magazine.[5]
Koike's work is characterized by hyper-violence and choreographed action; his stories are known for graphic, meticulously detailed depictions of violence where fights and assassinations are treated as brutal, artful ballets, most famously realized in the swordplay ofLone Wolf and Cub and the gunplay ofCrying Freeman. This violence is frequently contextualized by a deep exploration of existential codes and personal honor. Many of Koike's protagonists, such as Ogami Ittō inLone Wolf and Cub or Yo Hinomura inCrying Freeman, operate under a strict, personal code that justifies their actions, placing them in constant conflict with societal laws and morality.[1]
Sexuality and eroticism are frank and frequent elements in Koike's narratives, ranging from consensual passion to depictions of sexual violence. Series likeWounded Man andI Ueo Boy are, as scholar Joe McCulloch writes, noted for their fusion of rage and eroticized intensity, whileLady Snowblood uses its protagonist's sexuality as a calculated weapon for vengeance.[1]
His content often served a larger purpose of social critique. Works likeI Ueo Boy andMad Bull 34 are infused with a spirit of social anger and anarchic rebellion, featuring anti-heroes who violently reject corrupt systems of power, reflecting, according to McCulloch, the tense, protest-heavy atmosphere of 1970s Japan in which Koike rose to prominence.[1]
In 1977, Koike founded the Gekiga Sonjuku (劇画村塾), a vocational school to teach manga artists, manga writers (orgensakusha), andscreenwriters. The school's pedagogy was built on Koike's belief that compelling character creation was the foundation of storytelling, rather than plotting a narrative from the outset.[1]In 2009, the school became independent from Koike and renamed itself Manga Rak (漫画楽).[6]
Notable graduates:
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