is the pen name of , a Japanese
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
, writer, and
radio personality
A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a rad ...
. She is the co-creator of the 2016
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
series ''
Yuri on Ice
is a Japanese sports anime television series about figure skating. The series was produced by MAPPA, directed and written by Sayo Yamamoto with original scripts by Mitsurō Kubo under the chief direction of Jun Shishido. Character designs ...
''.
Biography
Kubo was born on September 19, 1975 in
Sasebo
is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...
,
Nagasaki Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 Square kilometre, km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders ...
. As a child she developed an interest in
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
and
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
after reading her brother's copies of the enthusiast magazine ''
Newtype
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...
''. She reported reading forty
manga magazines
This is a list of manga magazines or published in Japan. The majority of manga magazines are categorized into one of five demographics, which correspond to the age and gender of their readership:
* ''Children's anime and manga, Kodomo'' – ai ...
per month as a child, including ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'', ''
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Shueisha on the third of each month. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are ''Nakayoshi'' and '' Ciao''. Its target audience is girls roughly 8–14 years old.
It is one of the best-s ...
'', ''
Nakayoshi
is a monthly ''shōjo'' manga magazine published by Kodansha in Japan. First issued in December 1954, it is a long-running magazine with over 60 years of manga publication history. Notable titles serialized in Nakayoshi include ''Princess Knight ...
'', and ''
Hana to Yume
, also known as , is a semi-monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Hakusensha on the 5th and 20th of every month. The magazine is B5-size, and always comes with or free supplements, such as drama CDs, pencil boards (shitajiki), manga ...
''.
By first grade Kubo had decided to pursue manga as a career, and by fourth grade was drawing amateur
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
. She cites the manga series ''
Asari-chan'' by
Mayumi Muroyama and ''High School! Kimengumi'' by
Motoei Shinzawa among her early influences.
While in high school, Kubo exhibited her manga at a small local
''doujinshi'' convention. In her final year of high school she submitted an original manga work to a contest held by ''Nakayoshi'', and won the Silver Award. After graduating high school, Kubo worked part time while attending classes for aspiring manga artists organized by ''Nakayoshi'', where an editor told Kubo that manga artist
Masashi Tanaka
Masashi Tanaka (田中 政志, born June 10, 1962) is a Japanese manga artist best known for '' Gon'', his silent manga starring a miniature dinosaur. He began publishing ''Gon'' in 1991. GON is possibly his most well known work, famous for bei ...
had praised her submissions.
Shortly thereafter, Tanaka invited Kubo to move to
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
so they could collaborate on a manga series together; the resultant series, written by Tanaka and illustrated by Kubo, was ultimately rejected after being submitted to the magazines ''
Shōjo Friend
was a shōjo manga magazine formerly published by Kodansha, beginning in 1962. Kodansha used the knowledge gained from publishing magazines aimed at young girls, including ''Nakayoshi'' and '' Shōjo Club'', as well as the experience from publi ...
'' and '.
While working as an artist's assistant to , Kubo was approached by editors at ''Mimi'' to write a three-part
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
for the magazine.
In 1996, Kubo made her debut as a manga artist in ''Mimi'' with her series ''Shiawase 5 Han''.
''Mimi'' folded in 1997 and Kubo transferred to its sister publication ''
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
'', but she struggled to write the
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
stories that were typical of the magazine. A former editor at ''Mimi'' who moved to ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' invited Kubo to create a manga series for the magazine. ' was published in the magazine, and became Kubo's first
''shōnen'' manga (boys' manga) and her first manga published under the pen name "Mitsurou Kubo".
From 2008 to 2010, Kubo wrote the manga series ''
Moteki
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsurō Kubo. It was serialized in ''Evening'' magazine from 2008 to 2010, with its chapters collected into four ''tankōbon'' volumes by Kodansha. It was adapted into a Japanese televi ...
'', which was nominated for the
Manga Taishō
The is a Japanese comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer collected volumes in length. The Manga Taishō was founded with the aim of re ...
, followed by the manga series ''
Again!!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsurō Kubo. It was serialized in 2011 in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' published by Kodansha until reaching its conclusion in 2014. It was adapted into a Japanese television drama series ...
'' from 2011 to 2014.
Following the conclusion of ''Again!!'', Kubo met director
Sayo Yamamoto
is a Japanese anime director. She is known for directing the critically acclaimed anime series ''Michiko & Hatchin'', ''Yuri!!! on Ice'', and '' Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine''. After graduating from the College of Art and Desig ...
, with whom she went on to co-create the 2016 anime series ''
Yuri on Ice
is a Japanese sports anime television series about figure skating. The series was produced by MAPPA, directed and written by Sayo Yamamoto with original scripts by Mitsurō Kubo under the chief direction of Jun Shishido. Character designs ...
'', contributing the original concept, original character designs, and initial script for the series.
Since 2012, Kubo and
Mineko Nomachi have co-hosted ', a block of the radio program ''
All Night Nippon
is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am (JST). It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming heard on stations under both JRN and NRN (TBC Radio, CBC Radio, etc.).
D ...
''.
Works
Manga
* (1996–1997)
* (1997–1998)
*' (2001–2003)
*' (2004–2008)
*''
Moteki
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsurō Kubo. It was serialized in ''Evening'' magazine from 2008 to 2010, with its chapters collected into four ''tankōbon'' volumes by Kodansha. It was adapted into a Japanese televi ...
'' (2008–2010)
*''
Again!!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsurō Kubo. It was serialized in 2011 in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' published by Kodansha until reaching its conclusion in 2014. It was adapted into a Japanese television drama series ...
'' (2011–2014)
*''Yuri on Ice!!! Side Story: Welcome to the Madness'' (2017)
Anime
*''
Yuri on Ice
is a Japanese sports anime television series about figure skating. The series was produced by MAPPA, directed and written by Sayo Yamamoto with original scripts by Mitsurō Kubo under the chief direction of Jun Shishido. Character designs ...
'' (2016; co-creator, writer, and original character designer)
*''
Yuri on Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence'' (TBA; original story, screenwriter, and character designer)
Radio
* '
* '
* ''Mitsuro Kubo & Mineko Nomachi's All Night Nippon GOLD''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kubo, Mitsurou
1975 births
Living people
Japanese female comics artists
Female comics writers
Japanese women illustrators
Japanese women writers
People from Sasebo
Manga artists from Nagasaki Prefecture
Japanese radio presenters
Japanese women radio presenters
Women manga artists