Usui Yoshito 臼井儀人

He has become known through his hugely successful series Crayon Shinchan. Although he apparently gets his material from his own household and by watching the children in parks, Shinchan is not about Usui's own family. Usui's children are both girls and they are not a model for Shinchan. Debut in 1987 in Action.

Crayon Shinchan
クレヨンしんちゃん
serialized on Action, 1992-present
36 volumes @ Y560
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Imagine having a son like Nohara Shinnousuke, only 5 years old but a real terror for his parents and everyone who comes near him. Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes is an angel compared to him. The humour may not be so refined as in Calvin and Hobbes, quite a lot of sexual and bathroom humour but laughs about the gags are guaranteed. The series has been setting new records in sales of volumes and is of course heavily merchandised and animated. In recent volumes, there appeared a new family member: shinchan's little sister. Can you believe that he loses from her? Most stories are in the 3-pages format.

From an article in the Japan Times newspaper on 24 June 1993: "In a nation where shame is a social disease, Shin-chan is a virus... Usui's motives in creating the strip are easier to understand. It was originally dreamed up to reflect the home life of _Action's_ typical reader, a 'sarariman' in his mid-30's with young children... It has proved wildly popular across a whole range of ages and types. It's even a favorite of young children -- a fact that should have a lot of parents worried... One theory for its success is that it counters the wide-spread image of the pampered Japanese child, ruling the roost at home... Another is that it breaks taboos. Shin-chan says the unsayable and does the unacceptable... Perhaps most of all, it presents a recognizable reality, albeit a hugely distorted and exaggerated one."

See also:
<http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/2998/>

APG:(TV)920413-

APG:(FILM)930724

APG:(FILM)940423

APG:(FILM)970419

TRA:(E)
Click to buy English translated volume 1 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 2 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 3 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 4 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 5 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 6 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 7 at Amazon.

Darakuya Sutoa-monogatari
だらくやストア物語
serialized on Action,
3 volumes @ Y600
[ 01:8811| 02:9001| 03:9107]

No Synopsis.

Ooeru GUMI
おーえるＧＵＭＩ
serialized on Action,
2 volumes @ Y470
[ 01:9005| 02:9206]

No Synopsis.

Anbaransu Zoon
あんＢａらんすゾーン
serialized on Action,
1 volume @ Y550
[ 01:9208]

No Synopsis.

Sukuranburu Eggu [Scrambled Egg]
すくらんぶるえっぐ
serialized on Action,
1 volume @ Y?
[ 01:____]

No Synopsis.

Mikkusu Konekushon [Mix Connection]
serialized on Action,
1 volume @ Y571
[ 01:____]

Yakuza Gag manga. Usui ventures into the world of Yakuza.