Kenichiro Takai

Takai, circa 1995 from an Akatsuka documentary.

**Kenichiro Takai** (高井研一郎, July 18, 1937-November 14, 2016) was a Japanese manga-ka, who was affiliated with Fujio Akatsuka and Fujio Pro through the 1960s and on occasion afterward.

## Life and Career

Takai was born in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, but grew up in Shanghai in his youth due to his father opening a bookstore as part of the Shanghai Concession.

During high school, he posted works to the Manga Shonen magazine and became acquainted with Shotaro Ishinomori and Fujio Akatsuka. Though he formed the Kyushu branch of the East Japan Manga Study Group, he found that he was unable to go to Tokiwa-so after his graduation from high school due to the fact that all the rooms had been filled (with Hideko Mizuno having recently taken the last space).

In the late 1950s, he made his professional manga debut, most notably in *Shojo* magazine with the work ***Riko-chan***. He would also assist Osamu Tezuka for a time. However, in mid-1962, when Akatsuka began to have trouble with weekly deadlines for his Osomatsu-kun series, Takai requested to help out with the stories and characters and would wind up being instrumental in developing other amusing designs to add to the series. He would become known as the chief drawing assistant of Fujio Pro, being the usual artist to ink and complete Akatsuka's illustrations after the draft stage, though Takai would also draw art all on his own for some features.

Takai would depart Fujio Pro in 1968, having already been collaborating with Joji Yamauchi under the penname of **Tsutomu Dazai** (太宰勉) for gag manga until he left to pursue a fully-independent manga career once again in 1970. Starting in 1986 and up to his death, he would illustrate Norio Hayashi's Big Comic-serialized manga of ***Roppeita Yamaguchi of the General Affairs Division, General Affairs Section***. He would also be responsible for the artwork in Tetsuya Takeda's ***Pro Golfer Oribe Kinjirō***.

Takai would occasionally reunite for Fujio Pro works through the 1990s, assisting on The Collapse of the Sheeh! Religion as well as what would be Akatsuka's final serialized work of *Liquor Hermit Dayoon*.

It is said up until his death from pneumonia on November 14, 2016, Takai was still drawing out drafts for *Roppeita Yamaguchi* while hospitalized, having never truly wanted to stop working. The series was soon announced to be ended after his death announcement, out of respect for Takai.

## List of Works

*Full information for his serialized works or even one-shots in progress. Many that have evidence of their existence do not have dates or magazine origin attached in auction listings of their artwork.*

### Independently-Credited Works

* **Mischievous Riko-chan** (いたずらリコちゃん, April to August 1959, Shojo)
* **Rumi-chan and Her Body Clock** (ルミちゃんとはらどけい, September 1959, Nakayoshi)
* **Ponko-chan** (ポン子ちゃん)
* **Mischievous Yo-chan** (いたずらよっちゃん)
* **Zenta and the Flute** (善太と笛)
* **Well Done Ojou-san** (あっぱれお嬢さん)
* **Golden Tower Theater** (金語楼劇場, January to October 1960, Hitomi)
* **Hello! Rita-chan** (ハロー！リタちゃん, January 1960, Ekubo #1)
* **Disappeared 1** (消えちゃった１, February 1960, Ekubo #2)
* **Our Papa-chan** (うちのパパちゃん, 1960, Shojo Club)
* **Mr. Papa-chan** (パパちゃん先生, November 1960- ? 1961, Hitomi)- *Reprinted in kashihon form by Akebono in 1961.*
* **Salute to the Policemen!** (おまわりさん敬礼！, April to November? 1960, Ribon)- *Based off the TV Work starring The Three Pockets (Mikiichi Tani, Kiyoshi Atsumi, and Keiroku Seki)*
* **The Little Priest** (September 1961, Fun 6th Grader separate appendix)
* **Romaji Corner** (ローマ字コーナー, April 1962 to March 1963, Fun 6th Grader)
* **Harehore Plastic Surgery Clinic** (ハレホレ整形医院, November 1969, Ribon)
* **Marudashi-kun** (まるだし君)
* **Yokohama 100-Year Cafeteria** (横浜百年食堂)

#### Kashihon

* **A Little Princess** (小公女, January 10 1959, Shueisha)- *Based off the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.*
* **Tonton Toko-chan** (トントントコちゃん, Yurikago vol.2, Nibunsha)

### Collaborations with Fujio Akatsuka/Fujio Pro

* **Advance! Kentaro** (すすめ!ケン太郎, June to December 1962 issues of Manga King)- Credited as co-writer for scripting
* (㊙〇ナ氏, January 12, 1968, Manga Sunday)- Art
* **Jamako** (ジャマ子, May 1968, Ribon Comic)- Art
* **I'll Do Anything!** (なんでもヤリます!, May 8th-December 25th, 1968, Weekly Manga Sunday) - Art
* **Shinsengumi** **Osomatsu-ki** (新撰組おそまつ記, November 15, 1968, Extra Edition Manga Sunday)- Art
* **The Collapse of the Sheeh! Religion** (シェー教の崩壊, January 1996, Big Gold)- Partial credit for art, being one of 30 artists on the feature
* **Liquor Hermit Dayoon** (酒仙人ダヨーン, January to February 1999, Big Comic)- Art credits for chapter 2

### As Tsutomu Dazai for Fujio Pro

*Full lengths for some serial works unknown and must be determined. It appears a number of these works are considered to be more of Takai's input, as they have been exhibited with his other independent stories.*

* **Tonchin Kantaro** (トンチンカン太郎, January 1965, Shonen separate New Years' volume "Manga Book")- Debut of Takai and Yamauchi as a duo, both were credited by their individual names in the original release before the credit was altered to "Tsutomu Dazai" for book reprints.
* **1+1 Equals Santaro** (1+1は3たろう, April to August 1965, Bokura) - reprinted in a 1-volume kashihon by Bunka.
* **The Amazing Atomic Bomb** (おわらい原子爆弾ついにばくはつ, April 1965, Bokura)- Collaboration with Fujio Akatsuka, Tokuo Yokota, and Kenichi Kitami. Some characters from Osomatsu-kun appear.
* **Summer Vacation Variety Show** (夏休みバラエティーショー,1965, Nakayoshi Summer Vacation extra number issue)- Collaboration with Kazuo Maekawa and Akaoni Yamane.
* **Tachichiri Taiko-chan** (トチチリたい子さん, September 1965, Separate Edition Margaret)
* **The Mad Four** (マッド4, September to November 1965, Adventure King)
* **Getemono-kun** (ゲテモノくん, 1965, Separate Edition Shonen King)
* **Jinx-1-chan** (ジンクス1ちゃん, October 1965-May 1966, Shonen)- reprinted by Akebono in 1969 as "**Jinx-chan**" (ジンクスちゃん), but also under its original title as a kashihon. Debut of the Dazai Star "Kansuke", who will star in his own series as a follow-up to this.
* **Minus Boy** (マイナス小僧, 1965, Manga King)- *Included as extra content in both reprints of Deresuke due to the shared magazine.*
* **Deresuke** (デレ助, 1965-1966, Manga King)- reprinted by Akebono in 1969 as "**The Wandering Deresuke**" (さすらいのデレ助), but also previously reprinted in a 2-volume kashihon from Bunka.
* **Let's Go! Kansuke** (それいけ！カンスケ, June 1966-August 1967, Shonen)- reprinted by Akebono in 1969 as "**Hustle Boy Kansuke**" (ハッスルBoyカンスケ), but also in earlier kashihon form by Bunka.
* **Wan! Nyan! Kemeko-chan** (ワン！ニャン！　ケメ子ちゃん, June 1966, Separate Edition Shojo Friend)
* **Three Chamurai** (三匹のチャムライ, *exact date and magazine unknown* *but seen to be available as extra content in Deresuke kashihon vol.2*)
* **Nerd-kun** (ガリ勉くん, 1967, Junior High School 2nd Year Course)
* **Humanity Sample Book** (人間見本帳, March 24, 1968, Weekly Shonen Sunday #13)- Two of the girls in this story were re-used as chapter-specific guests Matsubara-san and "The Oden Girl" in *Extraordinary Ataro* around the same interval.
* **Artificial Human Boketa-kun** (人工人間ボケ太くん, January 1969, Shonen Magazine Comics "The Star of the Giants #10)
* **Phantom Thief 8-Emon** (怪盗8エ門, April 1969, Shonen Magazine Comics "The Star of the Giants" #11)
* **Is This Okay! The Future of Manga Hellhole University** (これでいいのか!!未来まんがハレホレ大学, February 1969, COM)- Writer: Kunio Nagatani
* **Papillon Prince** (パピヨン王子, 1969, Bokura)
* **Bokepin 3** (ボケピン3, 1969, Separate Edition Shonen King)
* **Zebra Kid** (ゼブラキッド, August 20, 1969, Weekly Shonen Jump)

### Collaborations with Norio Hayashi

* **Roppeita Yamaguchi of the General Affairs Division, General Affairs Section** (総務部総務課山口六平太, 1986-2016, Big Comic)- Art
* **Luggage by the Wall: The Story of an Employee's Company Takeover, Koike-san** (壁際お荷物社員会社乗っ取り物語小池さん)- Art
* **Shanghai Wonderland** (上海ワンダーランド)- Art

### Characters designed by Takai for Akatsuka works

In some cases, Akatsuka was responsible for the rough draft or in correcting the sketches that Takai and other assistants would come up with for the characters, but these are specific designs that can be attributed to Takai.

* Iyami
* Hatabo
* Dekapan
* Dayon
* Moguramaru
* Dekoppachi
* Boss Kokoro
* The Police Officer with the Connected Eyes (in this character's case, Akatsuka had drawn the eyes as an infinity symbol shape in the drafts, but enjoyed Takai's interpretation of one large connected eyeball and decided it'd stick)
* Rerere (finalized design)

Other miscellaneous characters by Takai can be seen to appear in *Osomatsu-kun*, *Extraordinary Ataro*, *Leave it to Chota*, and other series across his span at Fujio Pro.