Ryo Yoshigami
Ryo Yoshigami (吉上 亮, Yoshigami Ryō) is a Japanese light novel author who has written Blackstar. and Gleanings of Paradise, two stories featured in the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: Short Story Collection.
He has also written several novels for PSYCHO-PASS and was one of the screenwriters for the PSYCHO-PASS anime's third season. He is active in a wide variety of media, including novels and screenplays, with a focus on the science fiction genre.
Biography
Ryo Yoshigami was born in Saitama Prefecture on February 18, 1989. He graduated from Waseda University's School of Culture, Media and Society. He was a member of the Kendo club in both middle and high school. Although he had no connection with cultural activities, in the spring of his third year of high school, due to a friend's membership in the Literary Club, he wrote a novel as a guest for the cultural festival. He mentions that receiving many comments like "it was interesting" at that event became the starting point for his desire to create stories.[3] Later, in college, he devoted two years to creating visual novels, and only began writing novels in earnest after enrolling in Hiroki Azuma's "Novel Expression" class in his third year.[3]
The initial plot for THE PANZER CLOWN FACES was completed around noon just before the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. He wrote about 240 pages in two weeks and submitted it to a light novel newcomer award, but it was rejected in the first round of screening. Not satisfied with his own work, he rewrote it. In early 2012, he had the opportunity to get feedback from Hiroki Azuma, whom he met in the "Novel Expression" class. Through this connection, he also received feedback from Yoshihiro Shiozawa, the editor-in-chief of Hayakawa Publishing's S-F Magazine, in the summer of the same year. It was still not considered publishable at that time, but after revising the plot again, he completed the third draft by the fall. When Shiozawa read it again, he received a response saying, "Let's publish it".[3]
Influences
Yoshigami was influenced by several authors. Among Japanese authors, he cites names like Tow Ubukata, Minoru Kawakami, Makoto Fukami, Project Itoh, Chohei Kambayashi, Hirotaka Tobi, and Haruki Murakami (especially the first three). Among foreign authors, he mentions Arthur C. Clarke, J.G. Ballard, Philip K. Dick, Cory Doctorow, John Milton, and James Ellroy (especially White Jazz from the L.A. Quartet).[3]
He also acknowledges influences from film directors and creators, naming Yoshiyuki Tomino, Mamoru Oshii, Takeshi Kitano, Hideo Kojima, Stanley Kubrick, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Andrew Niccol, Martin Scorsese, and Nicolas Winding Refn. Moreover, special effects from shows he watched as a child also influenced him, such as the Heisei era Kamen Riders, especially Kamen Rider Kuuga and Kamen Rider 555.[3]
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Yoshigami has been reading the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series since he was in middle school.[4] In February 2010, he used a fan-made website called "JoJotter" where a user can enter their Twitter username and the application would post what JoJo character or Stand they are; for Yoshigami, it said that he is Cream.[5]
In January 2012, he tweeted that he finished reading Purple Haze Feedback and praised it for being really interesting.[6]
In 2017, Yoshigami was given the opportunity to write spin-off stories of Hirohiko Araki's Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series, stating that he felt extreme honor for being allowed to do so and that he never imagined as a teenager that he would get the opportunity to work with Araki.[7] Yoshigami received Diamond is Unbreakable and Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan volumes from the editorial department as reference materials and read them again. Initially, he submitted six plot ideas. From there, it was narrowed down to two, and Blackstar. was chosen. Coincidentally, Blackstar. was the one he labeled as "Project Proposal 1" in the order of the plots.[8] Blackstar. was published in the first booklet of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: Short Story Collection, included in the August 2017 issue of Ultra Jump which released on July 19. A year later, his Gleanings of Paradise story released in the Rohan Kishibe Does Not Frolic volume.
Yoshigami's favorite Stand in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series is Pearl Jam.[9]
References
- ↑ Twitter Biography
- ↑ "ゲンロン友の会第6期総会「五反田ゲンロン化計画——ゲンロン創刊＋五反田アトリエオープン記念」", Numéro Tokyo, November 30, 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 ""THE PANZER CLOWN FACES" Starts Publication! Ryo Yoshioka Interview, p. 250", S-F Magazine, August 2013.
- ↑ @ryoshigami (July 13, 2017), "中学生の頃より愛読し最も敬愛するマンガ作品である「ジョジョの奇妙な冒険」の小説が書ける……ッ！！！ というわけで張り切って執筆させて頂きました。JOJOらしい不気味さ、岸辺露伴の美々しさを意識しつつ、SF的アプローチも盛り込んだ内容となりました。ぜひご一読くださいッッ！！", on Twitter.
- ↑ @ryoshigami (February 6, 2010), "@ryoyoshigamiさんはジョジョでいうところのクリームです。[ジョジョッター 何という微妙ポジ……強いけど影が薄い感じが何ともー]", on Twitter.
- ↑ @ryoshigami (January 16, 2012), "恥知らずのパープルヘイズを読了。これは面白いッッッッッ！！ 周りの友人が全員、べた褒めの小説だったので安心しながら読んだのですが、本当に面白い。ジョジョ五部が好きなら間違いなく、買いだッッッッッ！！！", on Twitter.
- ↑ @ryoshigami (July 19, 2018), "発売中の『岸辺露伴は戯れない』収録の短篇『楽園の落穂』は、プロット段階から荒木飛呂彦先生にビシバシご指導頂き、これまでになく高密度の物語を構築できました。ジョジョに初めて触れた頃、10代の自分には想像もつかなかった「現在」、この上なく光栄な仕事でした。どうぞご一読ください。", on Twitter.
- ↑ @ryoshigami (July 17, 2017), "RT 短篇『Blackstar.』よもやま話１ 本作の執筆にあたり改めて編集部より「ジョジョ第四部」および「岸辺露伴は動かない」を資料に頂き改めて通読。最初にプロット（企画）６篇を提出。そこから２篇に絞ったすえ、本作に決定。偶然にも本作がプロット順で「企画案１」としたものでした。", on Twitter.
- ↑ Rohan Kishibe Does Not Shout - Biography
