Tow Ubukata
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese science fiction
light novel
, manga
and anime
creator. He spent ages four to nine of his childhood in Singapore
and ages 10 to 14 in Nepal
. In Nepal, Ubukata made great effort to maintain his Japanese heritage and language abilities; he read dictionaries to keep in touch with his native tongue. This led to great successes immediately following his high school years, when he snagged several writer's awards. Formerly a student of Waseda University
's school of political economics, his works include Le Chevalier D'Eon
, Mardock Scramble
, Heroic Age
(Series Composition), Pilgrim Jäger
, and Sōkyū no Fafner
.
His other written works include Bye Bye Earth, Madoromi no Sefiroto (The Sleeping Sephiroth), Storm Bring World and his debut book, Kuroi Kisetsu (The Black Season). Planned works include Shinjuu Kari (Hunt for the Divine Beasts) and Kurakami Taiheiki (Record of the Kurakami Tranquility) [tentative title].
One of his more internationally known works is his novel Chaos Legion
, the basis for Capcom
's video game of the same title. The series spans seven novels with each successive novel after the first (the novel the video game was based after) ranging from #00 to #06. Unlike the game, there is another female character who is an alchemist of sorts.
Hoping to become a novelist, he took part in the Kadokawa Shoten
Sneaker competition after graduating from high school, and won. After that, he enrolled in Waseda University, and then entered the world of game production. He also fulfilled his dream of making manga, by teaming up with illustrator Mami Itou. At this time, he was already planning Mardock Scramble. He also published the ultra-thick novel Bye Bye, Earth before leaving the university without completing his degree.
Ubukata also writes extensively for the Japanese visual culture magazine NewType. His serialized segments, called "A Gambler's Life," are comedic, often-satiric expository pieces. They chronicle his day-to-day experiences and interactions with various people, such as his wife. In these segments, he dubs himself "The Kamikazi Wordsmith." These segments were also published in the American counterpart, NewType USA, which is now discontinued.
Tow Ubukata won the 24th Nihon SF Taisho Award
in 2003 and is one of Japan's most promising up and coming writers in the genre. Ubukata has written the novelization and the script for the manga version of Le Chevalier D'Eon, and has also actively contributed to the screenplay and the overall story plot of the animated version, literally creating a whole new world for the TV series.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
, manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
creator. He spent ages four to nine of his childhood in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and ages 10 to 14 in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. In Nepal, Ubukata made great effort to maintain his Japanese heritage and language abilities; he read dictionaries to keep in touch with his native tongue. This led to great successes immediately following his high school years, when he snagged several writer's awards. Formerly a student of Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
's school of political economics, his works include Le Chevalier D'Eon
Le Chevalier D'Eon
is a 24-episode anime TV series produced by Production I.G based on an original story by Tow Ubukata. The anime originally aired in Japan on WOWOW from August 19, 2006 to February 2, 2007. The story has also been adapted into a manga series written by Tow Ubukata and illustrated by Kiriko Yumeji,...
, Mardock Scramble
Mardock Scramble
is the name for a series of novels by Tow Ubukata, which were later adapted into a manga series and a trilogy anime film series. The story is about a girl named Rune Ballot who was taken in by a man named Shell who later killed her and left her for dead. She is saved and turned into a cyborg...
, Heroic Age
Heroic Age (anime)
is a science fiction anime directed by Toshimasa Suzuki. It is produced by XEBEC and airs on Japanese television networks. The series first aired on April 1, 2007 and ended on September 30, 2007, with 26 episodes....
(Series Composition), Pilgrim Jäger
Pilgrim Jäger
is a Japanese manga series written by Tō Ubukata and illustrated by Mami Itō. It is published in English by Media Blasters Press. Jäger means Hunter in German....
, and Sōkyū no Fafner
Fafner of the Azure
is a 26-episode anime series produced by Xebec. The story focuses on a group of children who pilot the titular Fafners in an escalating war against giant aliens called Festum. The anime is subtitled Dead Aggressor...
.
His other written works include Bye Bye Earth, Madoromi no Sefiroto (The Sleeping Sephiroth), Storm Bring World and his debut book, Kuroi Kisetsu (The Black Season). Planned works include Shinjuu Kari (Hunt for the Divine Beasts) and Kurakami Taiheiki (Record of the Kurakami Tranquility) [tentative title].
One of his more internationally known works is his novel Chaos Legion
Chaos Legion
is a third-person hack and slash video game developed and published by Capcom. The video game is based on Tow Ubukata's novel of the same name.The story of Chaos Legion is a gothic opera which begins November, 791 A.S. :...
, the basis for Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's video game of the same title. The series spans seven novels with each successive novel after the first (the novel the video game was based after) ranging from #00 to #06. Unlike the game, there is another female character who is an alchemist of sorts.
Hoping to become a novelist, he took part in the Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
Sneaker competition after graduating from high school, and won. After that, he enrolled in Waseda University, and then entered the world of game production. He also fulfilled his dream of making manga, by teaming up with illustrator Mami Itou. At this time, he was already planning Mardock Scramble. He also published the ultra-thick novel Bye Bye, Earth before leaving the university without completing his degree.
Ubukata also writes extensively for the Japanese visual culture magazine NewType. His serialized segments, called "A Gambler's Life," are comedic, often-satiric expository pieces. They chronicle his day-to-day experiences and interactions with various people, such as his wife. In these segments, he dubs himself "The Kamikazi Wordsmith." These segments were also published in the American counterpart, NewType USA, which is now discontinued.
Tow Ubukata won the 24th Nihon SF Taisho Award
Nihon SF Taisho Award
Nihon SF Taishō Award is a Japanese science fiction award. It has been compared to the Nebula Award as it is given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan or SFWJ...
in 2003 and is one of Japan's most promising up and coming writers in the genre. Ubukata has written the novelization and the script for the manga version of Le Chevalier D'Eon, and has also actively contributed to the screenplay and the overall story plot of the animated version, literally creating a whole new world for the TV series.
External links
- Tow Ubukata's website - Japanese