Shinbo on the Japanese Wikipedia

Posted On July 30, 2009

There’s not a lot of information about our boy Shinbo Akiyuki on the internet. Well, at least in English. I mean, yeah, there is this blog, which has some really informative translations and shitty everything else, but that’s about it! As such, one has to turn to the Japanese internet for information–with the first and most obvious place to stop being Wikipedia.

The Japanese Wikipedia article on Shinbo isn’t all that longer than the English language version, but while reading it last night to kill some time I did happen across some interesting bits of information which I would like to share very much with you, the reader.

I’d just like to note upfront that this won’t be any sort of kransom-esque translation of an obscure, interesting, ONLY IN JAPANESE UNTIL NOW interview or essay or anything. My Japanese is really bad, and I’m just sharing with you some of these random bullet points I found interesting incase you’re unable to figure out Japanese sentence structure and don’t really know how to work Rikai-chan. Of course, it goes without saying that what I write may be inaccurate. Anyway, here goes!

• Much like Outlaw Star director Hongou Mitsuru, Shinbo is bad with photos. Even though he does accept interviews, pictures of him in the mass media are few in number. (If that’s so, why is he smiling in that one Zetsubou Sensei opening!)
• Shinbo is acquainted with Yu-Gi-Oh! manga author Takahashi Kazuki.
• Shinbo is a big fan of film director Ichikawa Kon. The Tenamonya Voyagers ending theme is apparently a cover of the theme song for a television series directed by Ichikawa. The show was called Kogarashi Monjirou, and the song was titled Dareka Ga Kaze no Naka De. Also, episode 11 of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Kuroi Juunin no Shoujo) was a parody on an Ichikawa film titled Inugami-ke no Ichizoku. This episode was actually made when Ichikawa died.

That’s it. Nothing really interesting to anyone else except me, but it’s there if you want it. The rest of the bullet points are either obvious or already covered in the English article. There is a section in the Japanese article on Shinbo’s stlye, but once again it’s all stuff that you can figure out just by watching the shows he does.

It’s going to be cool when this post gets no comments.

(Also, does anyone know where that photo is from? Seems like a TV show or DVD extra. Nico and Youtube turn up nothing.)