Go Nagai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Go Nagai
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| 永井豪 | |||||
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Go Nagai at Japan Expo in 2008
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| Born |
Kiyoshi Nagai (永井潔, Nagai Kiyoshi)
September 6, 1945 Wajima, Ishikawa, Japan
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| Nationality | Japanese | ||||
| Occupation | Manga artist | ||||
| Known for |
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| Relatives | Yasutaka Nagai (brother) | ||||
| Awards | 4th Kodansha Manga Award Shōnen: Susano Oh 25th Japan Movie Critics Awards: Diamond Grand Prize 47th Japan Cartoonists Association Award Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award: All of his works |
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| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 永井 豪 | ||||
| Hiragana | ながい ごう | ||||
| Katakana | ナガイ ゴウ | ||||
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Kiyoshi Nagai (born September 6, 1945), known as Go Nagai, is a famous Japanese manga artist. He is known for creating many popular manga and anime series from the 1970s. Some of his most famous works include Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z.
Go Nagai is often seen as a pioneer in the world of Japanese animation and comics. He helped create the "super robot" genre with Mazinger Z. This series showed the first giant robots controlled by a pilot from inside a cockpit. He also helped start the "magical girl" genre with Cutie Honey. Nagai also explored new themes like post-apocalyptic stories with Violence Jack. In 2005, he became a professor at the Osaka University of Arts.
Contents
Go Nagai's Early Life and Career
Growing Up in Japan
Go Nagai was born on September 6, 1945, in Wajima, Ishikawa, Japan. He was the fourth of five brothers. His family had just returned from Shanghai. When he was young, his father passed away. After this, he moved to Tokyo with his mother and brothers.
As a child, he loved the art of Gustave Doré and the manga of Osamu Tezuka. His brother, Yasutaka, even gave him a copy of Tezuka's Lost World. These artists greatly influenced his early dreams.
Becoming a Manga Artist
Nagai finished high school in Tokyo. While preparing for university, he became very ill. This made him think about his life and what he wanted to do. He decided he wanted to create manga, something he loved since he was a child. He wanted to leave his mark on the world.
Even after he recovered, he decided to focus on manga. He stopped attending prep school and started working on his art. With help from his brother Yasutaka, he created his first manga stories. His mother was not happy about this at first.
He sent his work to many publishers, but they often rejected him. It is said his mother secretly asked publishers to turn him down. However, his talent was noticed by Weekly Shōnen Sunday. They connected him with the famous artist Shotaro Ishinomori. In 1965, Nagai was accepted into Ishinomori's studio as an assistant.
His first professional manga, Meakashi Polikichi, was published in November 1967. Soon after, he also worked on a manga version of the TV anime Chibikko Kaiju Yadamon.
Starting Dynamic Productions
Go Nagai founded Dynamic Productions (also known as Dynamic Pro) in April 1969. He started this company with his brothers. It was created to help him manage his work and rights. This was important because he wasn't getting many royalties from his earlier works like Harenchi Gakuen.
Dynamic Productions became one of the first companies to require publishers to sign contracts. This was a big step in the manga industry. Many manga were created based only on spoken agreements before this.
In the same year, Ken Ishikawa joined Dynamic Productions. He became one of Nagai's closest friends and partners. Ishikawa helped Nagai with many of his early works.
Exploring New Story Types
At first, Go Nagai mostly wrote funny, short manga stories. But he wanted to tell more serious tales. In 1970, he created a science fiction story called Oni -2889 Nen no Hanran-. This story was about a war between humans and a race called Onis.
In 1971, he started writing horror stories. One of these was Susumu-chan Dai Shock. He then got the chance to write a full horror series called Demon Lord Dante. This series led to his most famous horror work, Devilman. Nagai said he saw Devilman as his chance to write the serious science fiction stories he always wanted to create.
Go Nagai's Famous Works and Style
Go Nagai's stories often featured action and adventure. His early series, Harenchi Gakuen, became very popular. Some adults were concerned about the content, but it was a big hit. This series was even made into a live-action TV show and movies.
In 1970, Dynamic Productions released its first major titles: Getter Robo and Abashiri Ikka.
Creating Giant Robots
After Harenchi Gakuen, Nagai created the Mazinger Z series. This was a groundbreaking work that introduced the idea of giant robots. Mazinger Z was the first manga where a hero piloted a giant robot from inside. This idea became a huge part of the anime and manga world.
The Mazinger series expanded with Great Mazinger, Grendizer, and Mazinkaiser. Mazinger is considered the first successful "Super Robot" anime. It inspired many other shows with giant robots.
The Dark World of Devilman
At the same time as Mazinger, Nagai created Devilman. This popular manga is about a hero who fights against demons. The Devilman anime series was less intense than the manga. Years later, Nagai created Devilman Lady, which featured a female main character and a new storyline. Go Nagai believes Devilman and Mazinger are his most important works due to their global popularity.
In 1972, Nagai achieved something amazing. He drew and wrote five weekly manga publications at the same time! Only a few other manga artists have done this.
Post-Apocalyptic Adventures
A month after finishing Devilman, Nagai created Violence Jack. This long series is set in a world after a huge earthquake has destroyed Japan. It follows a strong man fighting for justice in this ruined land. This series helped create the "post-apocalyptic" genre in manga and anime.
Magical Girls and Beyond
One of Nagai's most popular works is Cutey Honey. This series is seen as one of the first "magical girl" comics. It had a big influence on later series like Sailor Moon. Nagai also created Majokko Tickle, a more traditional magical-girl series for younger children.
In 1980, he won the 4th Kodansha Manga Award for his work Susano OH.
Go Nagai has worked with other famous artists like Shotaro Ishinomori and Ken Ishikawa. He continues to create many manga today. Many of his works have been turned into anime and live-action shows. Nagai has even made small appearances in some live-action films, like the 2004 Cutie Honey movie.
Go Nagai's Impact Around the World
Go Nagai's works have been very popular in many countries. In Italy, France, and the Middle East, Grendizer was a huge hit when it first aired. In Spain, there is even a Mazinger Z statue in the city of Tarragona.
Go Nagai's Lasting Influence
Go Nagai is famous for starting the "super robot" genre with Mazinger Z. He also pioneered the "magical girl" genre with Cutie Honey. His series Violence Jack helped create the "post-apocalyptic" manga and anime genre. Its ruined, desert setting with biker gangs and chaos influenced later works like the Mad Max films and Fist of the North Star manga.
Many famous creators have said Go Nagai inspired them. Anime director Hideaki Anno (who created Evangelion) said Devilman and Mazinger were big inspirations for his work. Animation director Takahiro Kimura loved Dororon Enma-kun as a child.
Manga artist Kentaro Miura (who created Berserk) said Nagai's energetic style greatly influenced him. Movie director Yoshihiro Nishimura is a big fan of Nagai's work. He even wants to make new live-action movies based on Devilman and Violence Jack.
Scriptwriter Kazuki Nakashima read all of Go Nagai's works. He felt he grew up with the writer's stories, especially Devilman. Japanese novelist Gen Urobuchi learned from Devilman that bittersweet endings can be the most powerful. Video game creators like Matsuzo Machida (Shadow Hearts) and Goichi Suda (Violence Jack and Susano Oh are his favorites) also cite Nagai as an inspiration.
See also
In Spanish: Gō Nagai para niños
