Jirō Akagawa

Template:Template other is a Japanese novelist born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Biography

Best known for his humorous mysteries, Akagawa's first short story, "Ghost Train", was published in 1976 and went on to win the annually granted All Yomimono New Mystery Writers' Prize by Bungeishunjū, a Japanese literary publishing company. Other works of his, and , were later made into anime, while was made into a popular live action movie. His most recognized works to date pertain to his Mike-neko (or Calico cat) Holmes series. He is extremely prolific; as of 2013, he had written more than 560 novels in the course of his thirty-year career, over 300 million individual published volumes.

Works in English translation

Mystery novel

• Three Sisters Investigate (original title: San Shimai Tanteidan), trans. Gavin Frew (Kodansha International, Kodansha English Library, 1985)

Short story collection

• Midnight Suite (original title: Mayonaka no tame no Kumikyoku), trans. Gavin Frew (Kodansha International, Kodansha English Library, 1984)

Short story

• Beat Your Neighbor Out of Doors (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March 1992)

Essay

• My Favourite Mystery, "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie (Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc. [1])

Awards and nominations

• 1976 – All Yomimono New Mystery Writers' Prize (for unpublished short stories): "Ghost Train" (short story)
• 1979 – Nominee for Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Novel: Himatsubushi no Satsujin
• 1979 – Nominee for Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Short Story: "Zennin Mura no Mura Matsuri"
• 1980 – Kadokawa Novel Prize: Akusai ni Sasageru Rekuiemu (novel)
• 1980 – Nominee for Naoki Prize: "Uwayaku no Inai Getsuyobi", "Kinshu no Hi" and "Toho Jugo fun" (three short stories)
• 1980 – Nominee for Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers: Mike-neko Homuzu no Kaidan (novel)
• 1982 – Nominee for Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Short Story: "Kaidan"
• 2006 – Japan Mystery Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement

Main works

Calico Cat Holmes

• Novels
  1. , 1978
  2. , 1979
  3. , 1980
  4. , 1981
  5. , 1981
  6. , 1982
  7. , 1983
  8. , 1985
  9. , 1986
  10. , 1987
  11. , 1988
  12. , 1990
  13. , 1990
  14. , 1991
  15. , 1991
  16. , 1992
  17. , 1993
  18. , 1994
  19. , 1995
  20. , 1995
  21. , 1996
  22. , 1997
  23. , 1998
  24. , 2000
  25. , 2001
  26. , 2002
  27. , 2003
  28. , 2005
  29. , 2006
  30. , 2007
  31. , 2008
  32. , 2009
  33. , 2011
  34. , 2012
  35. , 2013
• Short story collections
  1. , 1983
  2. , 1984
  3. , 1984
  4. , 1986
  5. , 1988
  6. , 1989
  7. , 1992
  8. , 1993
  9. , 1996
  10. , 1997
  11. , 1998
  12. , 1999
  13. , 2002
  14. , 2009

Three Sisters Investigate

• Novels
  1. , 1982 (English translation: Three Sisters Investigate. Kodansha International, Kodansha English Library. 1985)
  2. , 1985
  3. , 1986
  4. , 1987
  5. , 1988
  6. , 1989
  7. , 1990
  8. , 1991
  9. , 1992
  10. , 1993
  11. , 1994
  12. , 1995
  13. , 1996
  14. , 1997
  15. , 1998
  16. , 1999
  17. , 2000
  18. , 2002
  19. , 2003
  20. , 2005
  21. , 2007
  22. , 2011
  23. , 2013

Hayakawa family series

• Novels
  1. , 1978 (French translation: Meurtres pour tuer le temps. Philippe Picquier Publishing. Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN)
  2. , 1987
  3. , 2000

Standalone novels

• , 1978
• , 1981 (French translation: Le piège de la marionnette. Philippe Picquier Publishing. Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN)

Film adaptations

• Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981)
• Detective Story (1983)
• Early Spring Story (1985)
• Who Do I Choose? (1989)
• Chizuko's Younger Sister (1991)

TV drama adaptations

• Mike-Neko Holmes Series (1979 - 1984)
• Mike-Neko Holmes no Suiri (2012)

Video game adaptations

Majo-tachi no Nemuri was an adaptation of two of Akagawa's works: Majotachi no Tasogare and Majotachi no Nagai Nemuri. Akagawa provided the original novel and did not supervised the script for the game. It was released for the Super Famicom in Japan on November 24, 1995. They were later re-leased with extra content as Majotachi no Nemuri -Kanzenban- in 1996 for home computers and for the PlayStation as Majo-tachi no Nemuri -Fukkatsusai- in 1999.

Yasōkyoku

• Akagawa Jirō: Yasōkyoku (PlayStation – 1998) (based on Akagawa's short story collection Satsujin o Yonda Hon)
• Akagawa Jirō: Yasōkyoku 2 (PlayStation – 2001)
• Akagawa Jirō Mystery: Yasōkyoku – Hon ni Manekareta Satsujin (Nintendo DS – 2008)

Others

• Akagawa Jirō no Yurei Ressha (Family Computer – 1991) (based on Akagawa's short story "Ghost Train")
• Tsuki no Hikari: Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin (PlayStation 2 – 2002) (based on Akagawa's novel Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin)
• Akagawa Jirō Mystery: Tsuki no Hikari (Nintendo DS – 2008) (based on Akagawa's novel Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin)

Unique Games

• Emit Vol. 1: Toki no Maigo (Scenario writing by Akagawa Jirō. Also bundled in the Emit Value Pack compilation)
• Emit Vol. 2: Inochigake no Tabi (Scenario writing by Akagawa Jirō. Also bundled in the Emit Value Pack compilation)
• Emit Vol. 3: Watashi ni Sayonara o (Scenario writing by Akagawa Jirō. Also bundled in the Emit Value Pack compilation)

See also

• Japanese detective fiction

References

• J'Lit | Authors : Jiro Akagawa | Books from JapanTemplate:In lang
• List of video games at GameFAQs
• Akagawa Jirō no Yūrei Ressha at MobyGames
• Akagawa Jirou Majotachi no Nemuri (Super Famicom) at Superfamicom.org
• Akagawa Jirō Mystery: Tsuki no Hikari – Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin at MobyGames
• Tsuki no Hikari: Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin at Gamefaqs
• Emit series at vndb.org