Nisio Isin facts for kids

Nisio Isin (Japanese: 西尾 維新, Hepburn: Nishio Ishin, born 1981) is the pen name of a famous Japanese writer of novels, manga, and screenplays. His name is often written as NISIOISIN. This is because it's a palindrome, which means it reads the same forwards and backward.

Nisio Isin became famous in 2002 when he won the Mephisto Prize for his novel The Beheading Cycle. He was only 20 years old at the time! He is best known for creating popular series like Monogatari, Katanagatari, and the Medaka Box manga. Many of his stories have been turned into successful anime series. He even worked on a novel for the famous Death Note series.

His books are known for their clever and funny conversations between characters. He is seen as a writer who mixes serious novels with light novels, which are short, easy-to-read books often aimed at young adults. By 2022, more than 36 million copies of his novels and manga had been sold.

How His Career Began

Ever since he was a child, Nisio Isin loved manga and wanted to become a manga artist, known as a mangaka. He realized he wasn't improving enough at drawing, so he decided to become a writer instead. He went to Ritsumeikan University but left before he finished his degree to focus on writing.

When he was starting out, Nisio was known for writing very quickly. He once wrote the second book in his Zaregoto series in just three days! His first book, The Beheading Cycle, won a big award called the Mephisto Prize in 2002. This made him famous, and his slogan was "Nisio Isin, the 20-year-old from Kyoto".

He continued to work with magazines and publishers, creating many popular series. In 2007, he published his Katanagatari series, releasing one book every month for a whole year. This was a huge achievement that very few authors have done.

His Unique Writing Style

Nisio Isin's stories are famous for their smart and playful dialogue. He believes that "dialogue is the character," meaning you learn about his characters through what they say, not just what they look like. He often writes about female characters because he feels it's easier to show their unique personalities through things like fashion and how they talk.

Manga and Pop Culture Fun

Nisio is a huge fan of manga, especially from the magazine Shōnen Jump. He loves JoJo's Bizarre Adventure so much that he thinks everyone in the world should read it. You can often find references to JoJo and other anime and manga in his books. He even got to write a novel for the JoJo series called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Over Heaven.

Creative Character Names

One of the most interesting things about Nisio's writing is how he names his characters. He gives them very unusual and memorable names that often have a special meaning or follow a certain pattern. Some examples of his creative names include:

• Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade
• Backyard Bottomslash
• Byōinzaka Kuroneko (which means "Black Cat of Hospital Hill")
• Shikigishi Kishiki

Famous Works by Nisio Isin

Many of Nisio Isin's works have become huge hits, especially after being turned into anime. Here are some of his most well-known series.

The Monogatari Series

This is probably Nisio's most famous work. Monogatari (which means "Story") started as a series of short stories in 2005. It grew into a long series of novels with many different parts, like Bakemonogatari ("Monster Story") and Nisemonogatari ("Fake Story").

The series follows a high school student named Koyomi Araragi, who helps different girls deal with problems caused by ghosts, gods, and mythical creatures. The anime version, made by the studio Shaft, is very popular for its unique art style and fast-paced dialogue.

The Zaregoto Series

This is the series that started his career. Zaregoto (which means "Nonsense") is a mystery series about a narrator who gets caught up in strange and complicated cases. The first book, The Beheading Cycle, was adapted into an OVA (a type of anime released directly on DVD/Blu-ray).

Katanagatari

Katanagatari (which means "Sword Story") is a samurai adventure. The story follows a swordsman who doesn't use a sword and a clever strategist on a quest to collect twelve legendary swords. The anime adaptation is known for its beautiful art and for being released one episode per month for a year, just like the books.

Medaka Box

Unlike his other famous works, Medaka Box started as a manga that Nisio wrote, with art by Akira Akatsuki. It's about Medaka Kurokami, a super-talented high school student president who tries to solve any problem her students have. The manga was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump and was also turned into an anime series.

Adaptations of His Work

A big reason for Nisio Isin's popularity is that so many of his stories have been adapted into other forms, like anime, manga, and even stage plays.

• Anime: Many of his novel series, including Monogatari, Katanagatari, Zaregoto, Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, and Pretty Boy Detective Club, have been made into popular anime.
• Manga: Some of his novels have been turned into manga series. He has also written original stories just for manga, like Medaka Box.
• TV Shows and Plays: His Bōkyaku Tantei series was made into a live-action Japanese TV show, and Juni Taisen became a stage play in Japan.

His ability to create interesting worlds and characters has made him one of the most successful and influential writers in modern Japanese fiction.

See also

In Spanish: Nishio Ishin para niños