is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by George Akiyama

George Akiyama

is a Japanese manga artist known for dealing with controversial and incendiary topics in many of his works.-Biography:Akiyama quit high school and moved to Tokyo to become a manga artist. After working briefly as a book wholesaler, he became an assistant for manga artist Kenji Morita...

. It has been serialized by Shogakukan

Shogakukan

is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

 in Big Comic Original

Big Comic Original

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at an older adult and mostly male audience. It is a sister magazine to Big Comic, the biggest difference being that it goes on sale twice a month in the weeks Big Comic doesn't. Cover artwork usually features a dog or cat, and a haiku...

since 1973 and collected in 91 tankōbon

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

 as of April 2010. Haguregumo received the 1979 Shogakukan Manga Award

Shogakukan Manga Award

The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...

 for general category.

It was adapted into a movie in 1982 by Madhouse Studios and Toei Animation

Toei Animation

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...

. Directed by Mori Masaki, it premiered in Japan on the 24 April 1982.

Plot

Set at the end of the Edo (Tokugawa Shoganate) era, the series depicts Cloud's family with his wife, Turtle, their 11-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter. The Clouds are always ignoring work and playing. Cloud is notorious for womanising.

Characters

is the protagonist of the series. He is a famous womaniser and rarely works. is the wife of Cloud and often joins her husband in his idling. is the 11-year-old son of Cloud and Turtle. His personality is completely opposite to that of his father's. is the 8-year-old daughter of Cloud and Turtle. She is a tomboy and has a serious attitude, opposite to those of her parents.

Volume List

External links

• Official Madhouse Haguregumo movie website