is a Japanese writer and novelist. He was the head writer of the anime series ''

Serial Experiments Lain ''Serial Experiments Lain'' (stylized as ''serial experiments lain'') is a Japanese anime television series created and co-produced by Yasuyuki Ueda, written by Chiaki J. Konaka and directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura. Animated by Triangle Staff ...

'', ''

Digimon Tamers is a Japanese anime television series and the third television series in the '' Digimon'' franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series takes place in a new setting separate from the preceding series, ''Digimon Adventure'' and '' Digimo ...

'', and ''

Hellsing ''Hellsing'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Young King OURs'' from May 1997 to September 2008, with its ch ...

'', as well as the television drama ''

Ultraman Gaia is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show and is the 14th show in the Ultra Series. Featuring Chiaki J. Konaka as series composer and produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS TV), ''Ultraman Gaia'' was aired on JNN TV statio ...

''.

Personal life

Konaka gave himself the middle initial "J", evoking the Christian name "John", due to him being born to parents who were members of the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

, but he does not identify as Christian. He began using the middle initial at the age of 12, when he began making

8 mm film 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of the ...

s; he patterned the style after Western names such as

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wid ...

Artistry and themes

Konaka's serious works generally have a dark, psychological tone. As a

Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...

writer, he tends to add

Lovecraftian Lovecraftian horror, sometimes used interchangeably with "cosmic horror", is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named a ...

elements to his works. He has cited ''

Ghost Hound is an anime television series, created by Production I.G and Masamune Shirow, noted for being the creator of the ''Ghost in the Shell'' series. The original concept and design was first developed by Shirow in 1987. It is Production I.G's 20th ...

'' as his favorite screenwriting project. The story-line of the early episodes of ''Digimon Tamers'' was based on one of the original scripts by Chiaki and Kazuya Konaka for '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'' in 1995 before the final draft by

Kazunori Itō is a Japanese anime screenwriter and artist who is well known for his work in the ''.hack'' franchise and his writing for the 1995 ''Ghost in the Shell'' movie. Itō supervised the writing for the novel, '' .hack//Another Birth'' which was writ ...

. Konaka brothers' plot was later used for ''Digimon Tamers'' and ''

Gamera the Brave , is a 2006 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ryuta Tasaki, written by Yukari Tatsui, and produced by Kadokawa Daiei Studio. It is the 12th entry in the ''Gamera'' film series, and serves as the second reboot of the franchise, with the first ...

'' in 2006.

Controversy

In 2021, Konaka wrote a stage drama for ''Digimon Tamers 20th anniversary that was performed at DigiFes 2021, an official ''Digimon'' event held annually on August 1. The drama featured the cast of the show being confronted by a physical manifestation of "

political correctness ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

" that uses "

cancel culture Cancel culture, or rarely also known as call-out culture, is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles—whether it be online, on ...

" as an attack. This brought attention to his blog meant for retrospective commentary on ''Digimon Tamers'', in which he also discussed conspiracy theories, and sparked international controversy among Internet Digimon circles. In response, Konaka posted a statement in English addressed to his overseas fans on August 8, 2021, to explain his circumstances and to apologize for triggering a divide among the fandom.

List of works

Anime

*''

Air Gear is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Oh! great, serialized in Kodansha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from November 2002 to May 2012, with its chapters collected in thirty-seven ''tankōbon'' volume ...

'': Series composition, script *''

Armitage III is a 1995 cyberpunk original video animation series. It centers on Naomi Armitage, a highly advanced "Type-III" android. In 1996, the series was edited into a film called . The series was followed up in 2002 with a sequel, set some years ...

'': Screenplay * ''Astro Boy'' (2003): Script *''

The Big O ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'': Screenplay, script *''

Birdy the Mighty is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Yuki. His initial attempt with the story ran in Shogakukan's ''Shōnen Sunday Zōkan'' from 1985 to 1988, but it was eventually abandoned. Over a decade later, Yuki began a rebo ...

'': Screenplay *''

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 is an anime series produced by Anime International Company, AIC. It is a reboot of the 1987 original video animation, OVA series ''Bubblegum Crisis'', which focuses on the Knight Sabers, a rogue vigilante group made up of four women who use pow ...

'': Screenplay *''

Catnapped! , known outside Japan as ''Catnapped!'', is a 1995 Japanese anime feature film, directed, created and written by Takashi Nakamura, who was also its character designer. The animation was produced by Triangle Staff. The theme song of the film was pe ...

'': Screenplay *''

Despera is a planned anime series, written by Chiaki J. Konaka and featuring character designs by Yoshitoshi Abe. It is Abe and Konaka's third collaboration, following ''Texhnolyze'' and '' Serial Experiments Lain''. Ryūtarō Nakamura, who directed ...

'': Script *''

Devil Lady ''Devil Lady'', known in Japan as , is a 1997 manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai, and the sequel to ''Devilman''. It was originally serialized by Kodansha from January 1997 to July 2000 in the magazine ''Weekly Morning'', and l ...

'': Script (episodes 1–5, 8, 12, 18, 25–26), series composition *''

Digimon Adventure 02 is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It is the sequel to ''Digimon Adventure'', and the second anime series in the '' Digimon'' franchise. The series aired in Japan from April 2000 to March 2001. It was originall ...

'': Scenario (episode 13) *''

'': Series composition, script (episodes 1–3, 7, 13–14, 23–24, 34–35, 41, 44–45, 49–51) *''

Futari Ecchi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsu Aki. It has been serialized in ''Young Animal'' since 1997, with the chapters later combined into tankōbon volumes by Hakusensha, of which there are eighty-eight as of Janua ...

'': Script *''

Gasaraki is a mecha anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Ryousuke Takahashi, who also co-created the series along with Sunrise (Hajime Yatate). Goro Taniguchi was the assistant director. The screenplay was written by Toru ...

'': Script *''

GeGeGe no Kitarō , originally known as , is a Japanese manga series created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as ''yōkai'', a class of spirit-monster which all of the main characters ...

'' (1996): Script (Episode 89 only) *''

'': Series composition, screenplay *'' GR: Giant Robo'': Series composition *''

'': Series composition, script (episodes 1–6, 8–9, 11–13) *''

Magic User's Club is a magical girl/magical boy, boy anime created by Triangle Staff and Junichi Sato. It was first released as a six-part OVA in 1996 and then a 13-episode TV series in 1999, which was broadcast by WOWOW, and then by the anime television ne ...

'': Script (eps 2–6), novelization (1,2,5,6) *'' Malice@Doll'': Script, original story *''

Parasite Dolls is a three-part original video animation produced by the Anime International Company and IMAGICA Entertainment, and written by Chiaki J. Konaka and Kazuto Nakazawa. The series is set in the ''Bubblegum Crisis'' universe and takes place after ...

'': Script *''

Princess Tutu is a Japanese magical girl anime series created by illustrator and animator Ikuko Itoh. Inspired by ballet and fairy tales, particularly ''The Ugly Duckling'' and ''Swan Lake'', the story follows a duck who is transformed into the mythical b ...

'': Script (4, 9, 22, 23) *''

RahXephon is a Japanese anime television series created and directed by Yutaka Izubuchi. The series follows 17-year-old Ayato Kamina, his ability to control a mecha known as the RahXephon, and his inner journey to find a place in the world. His l ...

'': Screenplay (episodes 11–12, 17–18, 24–25) *'' RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio'': Screenplay *''

'': Miniseries composition, script *''

Shadow Star ''Shadow Star'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mohiro Kitoh, originally serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Afternoon'' from 1998 to 2003. The Japanese name is an abbr ...

'': Series composition, script (eps 1–3, 12–13) *''

Texhnolyze ''Texhnolyze'' (stylized as ''TEXHNOLYZE'') is a Japanese experimental film, experimental anime television series animated by Madhouse (company), Madhouse and directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, with screenplay by Chiaki J. Konaka, with original char ...

'': Series composition, script, scenario (episodes 1–4, 6, 12, 20–22) *''

Vampire Princess Miyu is a Japanese horror manga series by Narumi Kakinouchi and Toshiki Hirano, as well as an anime adaptation by the same creators. The anime was originally presented in a 4-episode OVA (Original Video Animation) licensed by AnimEigo in 1 ...

'': Script (ep 20)

Television dramas

*''

Ultraman Tiga is a Japanese tokusatsu TV drama and the twelfth show in the Ultra Series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, ''Ultraman Tiga'' had aired at 6:00pm and aired between September 7, 1996 to August 30, 1997, with a total of 52 episodes with five mo ...

'' *''

'' *'' Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy'' *''

Ultraman Max is a Japanese Tokusatsu series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Released as the 19th ''Ultra Series'', it aired from July 2, 2005, until April 1, 2006. The show aimed to return to the fast-paced formula ...

Cthulhu Mythos

* ''Cthulhu's Strange Record'' * ''Insumasu wo Oou Kage'' (a Japanese television adaptation of ''

The Shadow Over Innsmouth ''The Shadow over Innsmouth'' is a horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in November–December 1931. It forms part of the Cthulhu Mythos, using its motif of a malign undersea civilization, and references several shared ...

'') * "Terror Rate", a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

included in Volume 2 of the ''Lairs of the Hidden Gods''

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

(Kurodahan Press: )

Novel

*''Marebito'' (also screenplay of 2004 feature film)

Video games

*''

'' *''Kowloon's Curse''

References

External links

* * * * 1961 births Anime screenwriters Cthulhu Mythos writers Japanese screenwriters Japanese horror writers Living people Japanese former Christians Japanese conspiracy theorists {{anime-bio-stub