Otsuichi

Otsuichi (乙一 Otsuichi) is the pen name of Hirotaka Adachi (安達 寛高 Adachi Hirotaka), born 1978. He is a Japanese writer, mostly of horror short stories, as well as a filmmaker. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of Japan and the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan.^[1][2]

He made his debut with Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse while still in high school. Major works include the novel Goth, which was adapted into a comic and a feature film (Goth: Love of Death) and the Zoo short story collections which were also adapted into a feature film. Goth won the 2003 Honkaku Mystery Award.^[3]

Tokyopop has published English-language translations of his short story collection Calling You, the novel Goth and the comic adaptations of both. Another short story, F-Sensei's Pocket, appears in the English edition of the literary magazine Faust.

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)^[4]
  • 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)^[4]
  • Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse
  • Yuko
• Black Fairy Tale (original title: Ankoku dōwa), trans. Nathan Collins (Shueisha English Edition, 2013)^[4]

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^[3]
• 2004 - Nominee for Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize: Zoo

U.S. Award

• 2009 - Nominee for Shirley Jackson Award for Single-Author Collection: Zoo^[5]

Bibliography

Novels or short story collections

• Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse (Shueisha, 1996: ISBN 4-08-703052-0, Shueisha bunko, 2000: ISBN 4-08-747198-5)
  • Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse
  • Yuko
• Tentei Yōko (Shueisha, 1998: ISBN 4-08-703070-9, Shueisha bunko, 2001: ISBN 4-08-747342-2)
  • A Masked Ball - Or, the appearance and disappearance of the bathroom smoker
  • Tentei Yōko
• Ishi no Me (Shueisha, 2000: ISBN 4-08-702013-4)/Heimen Inu (Shueisha Bunko, 2003: ISBN 4-08-747590-5)
  • Ishi no Me
  • Hajime
  • Blue
  • Heimen Inu
• Shissō Holiday (Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, 2001: ISBN 4-04-425301-3)
  • Happiness is a Warm Kitty
  • Shissō Holiday
• Calling You (Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, 2001: ISBN 4-04-425302-1)
  • Calling You^[6]
  • Kiz/Kids^[6]
  • Flower Song
• Ankoku Dowa (Shueisha, 2001: ISBN 4-08-702014-2, Shueisha Bunko, 2004: ISBN 4-08-747695-2)
• Shinizokonai no Ao (Gentosha Bunko, 2001: ISBN 4-344-40163-8)
• Kurai tokoro de machiawase (Gentosha Bunko, 2002: ISBN 4344402146)
• Goth Wristcut Case (Kadokawa Shoten, 2002: ISBN 4-04-873390-7) - the winner of the 3rd Honkaku Mystery Award^[3]
  • Goth
  • Wristcut
  • Dog
  • Twins
  • Grave
  • Voice
• Goth Yoru no Shō (Kadokawa Bunko, 2005: ISBN 4-04-425304-8)
  • Goth
  • Dog
  • Twins
• Goth Boku no Shō (Kadokawa Bunko, 2005: ISBN 4-04-425305-6)
  • Wristcut
  • Grave
  • Voice
• Samishisa no Shūhasū (Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, 2003: ISBN 4-04-425303-X)
  • Mirai Yoho Ashita, Harereba ii
  • Te o Nigiru dorobō no Monogatari
  • Film no naka no Shōjo
  • Ushinawareta Monogatari
• Zoo (Shueisha, 2003: ISBN 4-08-774534-1)
  • Kazari to Yōko
  • Ketsueki wo Sagase!
  • Hidamari no Shi
  • So-far
  • Tsumetai Mori no Shiroi Ie
  • Closet
  • Kami no Kotoba
  • Zoo
  • Seven Rooms
  • Ochiru hikoki no Naka de
• Zoo 1 (Shueisha Bunko, 2006: ISBN 4-08-746037-1)
  • Kazari to Yōko
  • Seven Rooms
  • So-far
  • Hidamari no Shi
  • Zoo
• Zoo 2 (Shueisha Bunko, 2006: ISBN 4-08-746038-X)
  • Ketsueki wo Sagase!
  • Tsumetai Mori no Shiroi Ie
  • Closet
  • Kami no Kotoba
  • Ochiru Hikoki no Naka de
  • Mukashi Yuhi no Kōen de (Not included in the original edition of Zoo. Originally appeared on Otsuichi's now defunct website.)
• Ushinawareru Monogatari (Kadokawa Shoten, 2003: ISBN 4-04-873500-4, Kadokawa Bunko, 2006: ISBN 4-04-425306-4)
  • Calling You
  • Ushinawareru Monogatari
  • Kiz/Kids
  • Te wo Nigiru Dorobō no Monogatari
  • Happiness is a Warm Kitty
  • Maria no Yubi
  • Boku no Kashikoi Pantsu-kun (Only in bunko edition)
  • Usokano (Only in bunko edition)
• Gun and Chocolate (Kodansha Mystery Land, 2006: ISBN 4-06-270580-X)

Picture book

• Kutsushita o Kakuse! (Kobunsha, 2003: ISBN 4-334-92414-X)

Essays

• Shosei Monogatari (Gentosha, 2004: ISBN 4-344-00655-0)
  • Collection of essays written for the web
• Toruko Nikki ~ Dame Ningen Sakka Trio no Datsuryoku Tabi Nikki~ (Shueisha, 2006: ISBN 4-08-780424-0)
  • Serialized on the web, heavily revised; in tandem with Shinji Sadakane and Makoto Matsubara.

Uncollected Stories

• 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.^[7] Intent on writing a novel that lived up to the manga, it took him until 2007 to complete it.^[8]

• 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

References

1. "Otsuichi (List of members)" (in Japanese). Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
2. "Members of the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan" (in Japanese). Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
3. The Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan
4. Otsuichi.com | English-language website for works in translation by Japanese author Otsuichi
5. The Shirley Jackson Awards » 2009 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners
6. Yamasaka, Clara. "Calling You". (January 2007) Newtype USA. Volume 6, Number 1, page 136.
7. @Jojo article: Otsuichi struggling to complete novel
8. @Jojo article: Otsuichi's novel finally solicited

External links

• Otsuichi.com | English-language website for works in translation by Japanese author Otsuichi
• Twitter
• Otsuichi official site (Japanese)
• Otsuichi approved fan site (Japanese)
• Otsuichi at Hatena Diary (Japanese)
• Profile at J'Lit Books from Japan (English)
• "On The Right Corpse" -(ANN review of Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse anthology) (English)
• Otsuichi in Media Arts Database (Japanese)