The Manga Auteur: Naoki Urasawa

As of late my anime-watching time has dropped almost completely. Aside from watching two seasons of Vinland Saga, and the disastrous mistake of agreeing to watch an episode of Boruto that will not be spoken about further here, I haven't been diving into any anime as of late.

That being said, I now consider myself an amateur Manga collector. As it is quite costly for a student like me to buy whole titles in bulk, I have stuck to buying the first volumes only of each of my favourite Manga. With the exception of two titles. Naoki Urasawa's Pluto and Monster.

Johan Liebert from Naoki Urasawa's Monster. Available as a Manga and Anime.

I find his stories really charging. They hook me with the story in a way I can't say any other anime really has. It's innovative but original. The stories have real substance whereas most popular anime don't. I like stories that mean something. That explores what it means to be human or the importance of our emotions as Monster does. I find anime that use what's "cute" to be the most boring waste of my time I can think of.

Naoki Urasawa's Pluto.

Naoki Urasawa represents in Manga for me what Satoshi Kon does in Anime. An auteur that leaves his signature on every project he's involved in. His stories aren't all dark and depressing, but they still retain detailed storytelling and phenomenal artwork that I feel is still underrated even with his legendary reputation in the manga world.

He creates characters that are so relatable, but also feel alienating at times. He creates worlds that are tangent and real. In a medium as fantasy-driven as Manga, that's quite the achievement. I don't mean "real" as in "real life" but real as in they are worlds that feel lived in. That have a texture to them. Not some digitally analysed world that is then robotically synthesized. Nothing would depress me more.

Naoki Urasawa attending a showcase of his Manga in Los Angeles.

It would be difficult to find many Manga enthusiasts or collectors to have some or all of Urasawa's work in their collection. He is a mangaka, who doesn't let all his work become anime just like that. Most of his work, you'll find, is in Manga form and not anime.

Naoki Urasawa's Monster.

Monster is the exception, of course, being one of Urasawa's few Anime adaptations to date. Pluto is soon to follow, but for now, it's just Monster. The sheer quality of his work makes most anime pale in comparison. It's really not hard to see why he's so respected in the industry for his work.

Personally, I as a Manga reader appreciate the work of an artist who isn't so quick to commercialise his work. He instead allows for his work as a mangaka to shine first and foremost. Leaving the money machine of anime, till later. This gives me a kind of assurance of the quality of his work. He makes his Manga for the Manga itself and not so that it can be turned into an anime at the earliest convenience.

Naoki Urasawa's first serialised work, Dancing Policeman (1987).

Naoki Urasawa had written a few volumes of Manga here and there but I'll be starting from his first serialised work that announced him as a Mangaka in the Manga industry. The project would be the Dancing Policeman which came out in 1987. It consists of 7 chapters in a single volume for those of you who like me right now want to add this to my budding collection. This particular work however has yet to be released in English so we'll just have to wait I guess.

Pineapple Army by Naoki Urasawa and Kazuya Kudo from 1986 to 1988.

For his second serialised work, Urasawa teamed up with writer Kazuya Kudo and the two of them made Pineapple Army a Manga about a legendary Japanese ex-mercenary, working as a self-defence instructor. He is sent all around the world for a job by an international self-defence agency, and in each episode, there is a human drama. Along the way, he also saves the world a few times from the hands of terrorists.

This Manga would run for 2 years and be collected across 8 volumes. I have yet to read this one myself, but i am dying to just from the aforementioned premise.

Naoki Urasawa's rom-com Manga, Yawara! in 1986.

Another one of Urasawa's works that were allowed to be adapted into an anime, Yawara was written and drawn by the man himself and is a much lighter, fun story than most of Urasawa's other work.

Inokuma Yawara is just another young high school girl. Well, not quite for Yawara is being raised by her grandfather, 7th dan Judo master Inokuma Jigorou, to be Japan's great hope for the women's Judo competition at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. All the same, Yawara just wants to live a normal life...

We all love a good romance comedy/slice-of-life Manga so this is definitely one to add to your list.

Volumes of Naoki Urasawa's Master Keaton Manga in 1988.

After the conclusion of Pineapple Army, Urasawa set to work on yet another project with writer Hokusei Katsuhika which was a pseudonym for Hajime Komura another great writer in his own right. Urasawa at the time was still busy with Yawara so he split the duties with Katsuhika but after a while, the two of them stopped working together due to some unknown creative differences. Urasaw then assumed full writing and artwork duties on the Manga series.

An anime series that was immensely popular both critically and with its audiences at the time of its release, Master Keaton follows a man named Taichi Keaton, who is a half-British half-Japanese archaeologist and SAS veteran of the Falklands War. He solves mysteries and investigates insurance fraud for Lloyd's around the world.

This manga has collected 144 chapters and 18 volumes. It even has a sequel series called Master Keaton Remastered.

Naoki Urasawa's Manga, Happy!

After wrapping things up with Yawara, Urasawa turned his attention to another Manga series. This one doesn't have an anime adaptation but has a few live-action ones instead. Happy! Is about a girl named Miyuki Umino who is a tennis prodigy who must succeed as a pro tennis player to pay off a debt left to her by her brother or risk being sold for her body by the people she now owes money to.

This Manga series has collected 254 chapters that have been serialised into 23 volumes. This is another one of Urasawa's titles that haven't officially been released in English and hopefully down the road, we'll get that sorted because this is one story I'm particularly drawn to.

Naoki Urasawa's Monster Manga, Perfect Edition.

Now we come to Monster. What is already my favourite anime of all time and my second favourite manga of all Urasawa's works, this series is worth every penny spent on it. In the above picture is the Perfect Edition which I one day dream of owning. I am now in the process of collecting the normal volumes one-by-one for Monster. All 18 volumes.

The Manga follows Dr Kenzou Tenma, A brilliant neurosurgeon who finds his life in utter turmoil after getting involved with a psychopathic former patient. My thoughts on Monster have been well documented in my blogs, Youtube and Instagram so here's the link to my blog post, Monster: A Study of Identity.

Monster has collected over 162 chapters in 18 volumes. Highly recommended.

Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys Manga, Perfect Edition.

Urasawa wanted to take a break from the pressure of weekly serialisation but when he got the idea for 20th Century Boys, he knew he had to hurry as the century was fast coming to an end. So began this wonderful Manga that I one day dream to have on my shelves.

As the 20th century approaches its end, people all over the world are anxious that the world is changing. And probably not for the better.

Kenji Endo is a normal convenience store manager who's just trying to get by. But when he learns that one of his old friends going by the name "Donkey" has suddenly committed suicide and that a new cult led by a figure known as "Friend" is becoming more notorious, Kenji starts to feel that something isn't right. With a few key clues left behind by his deceased friend, Kenji realizes that this cult is much more than he ever thought it would be—not only is this mysterious organization directly targeting him and his childhood friends, but the whole world also faces a grave danger that only the friends have the key to stop.

Kenji's simple life of barely making ends meet is flipped upside down when he reunites with his childhood friends, and together they must figure out the truth of how their past is connected to the cult, as the turn of the century could mean the possible end of the world.

This Manga collected 249 chapters and 22 volumes. 11 for the Perfect Edition in the picture above.

Much like Satoshi Kon, Urasawa was hospitalised for exhaustion when making this Manga. I have eternal respect for those who keep going no matter their own needs pursuing a story they can't shake. This Manga ended up being one of Urasawa's most praised works in his entire career up to that point. a true gem.

A year later he'd wrap up the series with a sequel to his much-acclaimed work, 21st Century Boys, which was collected over 2 more Volumes. All I can say is bruh. Just 2 more? But well who am I to critique his genius?

Naoki Urasawa's Pluto Anime Adaptation 2023.

What I consider to be Urasawa's best work as far as Manga goes, Pluto was originally developed as an ad campaign for Astro Boy which Urasawa then got permission to turn into a serialised Manga. It is an amazing read and I am currently in the midst of collecting this particular Manga right now.

A partnership between Osamu Tezuka and Naoki Urasawa resulted in one hell of a story coupled with jaw-dropping visuals and not to mention it will soon have an anime adaptation sometime this year.

Famous for his military service in the 39th Asian War, the legendary Swiss robot Montblanc is violently murdered. Humans and robots around the world mourn for the beloved celebrity. Montblanc's popularity only grew in the years following the war, thanks to his dedication to nature conservation and his loving personality.

Once a fellow war veteran, robotic Europol detective Gesicht is sent to investigate Montblanc's tragic demise. In his pursuit, Gesicht uncovers evidence of a mysterious entity known only as "Pluto." He also learns of a conspiratorial plot to dismantle the eight specialized robots from around the world who participated in the war. Racing against time to save those who still remain, Gesicht grapples with his memory, morality, and a world full of hate, desperately attempting to defend the fragile coexistence of man and machine.

Pluto is collected across 65 chapters in 8 volumes.

Naoki Urasawa's Manga, Billy Bat.

Another Manga series that desperately needs an official English translation, is Billy Bat. Yet another acclaimed Manga, was also the first of Urasawa's Manga that was published in the Kodansha Magazine which is a famous Manga magazine for those who don't know.

Japanese-American Kevin Yamagata now authors the renowned detective comic book "Billy Bat" after serving in the Allied Forces in World War II. But as his series becomes a massive hit, Kevin discovers that his famed character, Billy Bat, already existed before within a Japanese comic. Worried that he may have unconsciously copied something he saw during his time there, Kevin returns to Japan to find Billy Bat's original creator and seek permission for him to use their character. However, as he traces back Billy Bat's roots, he finds himself unravelling a dark and twisted history of murders that somehow involve the character he thought he created.

Billy Bat has collected 20 volumes containing 165 chapters.

Naoki Urasawa's latest Manga series, Asadora.

As of 2018, Naoki Urasawa is currently working on his newest Manga series, Asadora! The series is set in 2020, when a large creature rampages through Tokyo, destroying everything in its path. In 1959, Asa Asada, a spunky young girl from a huge family in Nagoya, is kidnapped for ransom—and not a soul notices. When a typhoon hits Nagoya, Asa and her kidnapper must work together to survive.

Asadora! Is currently an ongoing series and I've read a couple of volumes and I can safely say it's brilliant. It reminds me in a way of Satoshi Kon's Manga, Tropic of the Sea. I guess art does draw parallels right?

I hope you enjoyed reading this because I did do my research to write this so I am grateful to anyone who has read at the end. I wouldn't be able to keep doing this without your support so thank you and see you at the next one!