Otsuichi

Otsuichi was born on October 21, 1978, in Tanushimaru (now part of Kurume), Fukuoka Prefecture, the eldest son of a family of four with his parents and two older sisters. He attended Kawai Elementary School For the next year and a half, Otsuichi read as many light novels as he could get his hands on either from friends or his older sisters, while also encountering mystery novels such as Takemaru Abiko's Satsuriku ni taru Yamai, Yukito Ayatsuji's The Decagon House Murders and Sōji Shimada's Detective Kiyoshi Mitarai series. making his official debut at only 17 years old. At university, he belonged to a science fiction research group. In 2002, Otsuichi graduated from Toyohashi University. In 2003, he moved from Toyohashi to the vicinity of Tokyo's Gakugei-daigaku Station, and a few months later to the vicinity of Musashi-Nakahara Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. At that time, Otsuichi was invited by an editor to watch the sound editing of Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. There, he met Oshii's daughter Tomoe Oshii who was a writer for the film, and the two later got married in 2006. In February 2007, they moved from Kawasaki. In 2010, the couple had a child together. == Style and influence in the field ==

In his early career, Otsuichi's works could be described as mainly short stories with interesting ideas and heartwarming light novels. However, Goth, one of the work he is most known for, was a highly acclaimed mystery novel, even winning the Honkaku Mystery Award. and many of his works are divide into four or even sixteen parts. Otsuichi himself says that he "just enjoys working on his works as they take shape." In 2012, Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! Award of Excellence winner Hitsuji Tomoi self-described himself as a "serious Otsuichi fan" and said that reading and studying Otsuichi's work inspired him to become a novelist. == Otsuichi and light novels ==

Light novels have a peculiar position in the publishing world, according to Otsuichi. "None of the editors I've known read light novels." This is connected to how light novels are perceived as lesser compared to other forms of literature, a fact which Otsuichi only learned after becoming active in the publishing industry. When he debuted, there were no awards for light novels. Otsuichi wrote and published Goth as a light novel to introduce people who only read light novels to the mystery genre in the hope of expanding the horizons of readers to other forms of literature. ==Works in English translation==

• Calling You (original title: Kimi ni shika kikoenai: Kōringu Yū), trans. Agnes Yoshida (TokyoPop, 2007) • Calling You • Kiz/Kids • Flower Song • Goth (original title: Gosu: Risutokatto jiken), trans. Andrew Cunningham (TokyoPop, 2008 / VIZ Media, 2015) • Zoo (original title: Zū), trans. Terry Gallagher (VIZ Media, 2009 / Shueisha English Edition, 2013) • Zoo • In a Falling Airplane • The White House in the Cold Forest • Find the Blood! • In a Park at Twlilight, a Long Time Ago • Wardrobe • Song of the Sunny Spot • Kazari and Yoko • SO-Far • Words of God • Seven Rooms • Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse (original title: Natsu to hanabi to watashi no shitai), trans. Nathan Collins (VIZ Media, 2010) • Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse • Yuko • Black Fairy Tale • Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse (original title: Natsu to hanabi to watashi no shitai), trans. Nathan Collins (Shueisha English Edition, 2013) • Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse • Yuko • Black Fairy Tale (original title: Ankoku dōwa), trans. Nathan Collins (Shueisha English Edition, 2013) ;Short story • ''F-sensei's Pocket (original title: F sensei no poketto), trans. Andrew Cunningham, illustrated by Takeshi Obata (Faust 1'', Del Rey, 2008) • Where the Wind Blows (original title: Mado ni fuku kaze), trans. Andrew Cunningham, illustrated by Takeshi Obata (Faust 2, Del Rey, 2009) • Firestarter Yukawa (original title: Faiasutātā Yukawa-san), trans. Matt Treyvaud, illustrated by KEI (Kindle Single, 2015) written under the name Eiichi Nakata ==Awards and nominations==

;Japanese Awards • 1996 – Weekly Shōnen Jump Novel Award: Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse • 2003 – Honkaku Mystery Award for Best Fiction: Goth == Bibliography ==

• Ugoku Omocha (Shosetsu Subaru, August 2000) • Tsuma no Denwa (Shosetsu Subaru, August 2000) • Kamikakushi (Shosetsu Subaru, August 2000) • Shufuku sareta Mizu (Da Vinci, November 2002) • Kaidan (Akumu seigyo Sochi horror anthology, November 2002) • F-Sensei no Pocket (Faust vol. 2, 2004) • Kodomo ha Tōku ni Itta (Faust vol. 4, 2004) • Dare ni mo Tsuzukanai (Faust vol.4, 2004) • A relay novel written with Takekuni Kitayama, Yuya Sato, Tatsuhiko Takimoto and Nisio Isin. • Mado ni fuku Kaze (Faust vol.6 Side-A, 2005) • Kono ko no e wa Mikansei (Nanatsu no Kuroi Yume, March 2006) • Utopia (Light novel o kaku!, August 2006) == Manga ==

• Hajime (Weekly Shonen Jump) • Script. Art by Takeshi Obata. Two part short story, appeared in Jump in 2003. • Misshitsu Kanojo (2006, gekidan, Yukiko Mototani) • Planning. Not published, but his plot in script for was distributed at performances. • Shonen Shojo Horyuki (Shosetsu Subaru) • Script. Art by Usamaru Furuya. == Movies ==

His movie work is often done under his real name. • Nikako no Hitomi (2002) • Directed by Keisaku Sato. Script by Keisaku Sato and Hirotaka Adachi. • Pool de Oyoda Kaerimichi (2002) • 5-minute-long short film. Written and directed by Hirotaka Adachi. • Rittai Tokyo (2007) • Scheduled to be shown at the Yubari Ouen Eigasai. Directed by Hirotaka Adachi. == JoJo's Bizarre Adventure novelization ==

In 2000, it was announced that Otsuichi would be writing a novel set during the fourth arc of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The novel proved difficult to complete; in Kono Mystery ga Sugoi'' 2004, Otsuichi claimed to have written over 2000 pages, but thrown them all out. Intent on writing a novel that lived up to the manga, it took him until 2007 to complete it. • The Book: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 4th Another Day. == Adaptations ==

Movies • Te o nigiru Dorobo no Monogatari (2004) • Made for web, released on DVD • Zoo (2005) • Anthology film, covering five of the stories in the Zoo short story collection. Kazari to Yoko, Seven Rooms, So-far, Hidamari no Shi, and Zoo. Hidamari no Shi was animated; each film had a different director. • Kurai tokoro de Machiawase (2006) • Calling You (2007) • Kids (2008) • Goth (2008) Manga • Goth (Monthly Shonen Ace) • -Kiz/Kids- (Asuka) • Calling You (Asuka) • These two were collected as Calling You and published in English by Tokyopop. • Kimi ni shika Kikoenai (Shonen Ace) • Shinizokonai no Ao (Mystery Bst.) • Collection from Gentosha comics, collectsion Shinisokonai no ao, Kurai tokoro de Machiawase, and Happiness is a Warm Kitty. • Zoo (Young Jump Special Mankaku) • Collection contains Kazari to Yoko, Kami no Kotoba, Youdamari no Shi, and Zoo. • Shisso Holiday (Beans Ace) • Shonen Shojo Hyonikki (Shueisha) • Collects the serial from Shosetsu Subaru. The authors name is given as Furuya x Otsuichi x Usamaru Drama CD • Calling You (2003, Sneaker CD Collection) TV Drama • Shisso Holiday • Broadcast from February 10, 2007, on Terebi Asahi • Ultraman Geed • My Daemon • Broadcast from November, 2023, on Netflix ==References==