Tow Ubukata
 | This biography of a living person includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2016) |
Tow Ubukata | |
|---|---|
 Ubukata in 2019 | |
| Native name | 冲方 丁 |
| Born | Mineo Fujino (藤野峰男) February 14, 1977 Gifu Prefecture, Japan |
| Occupation |
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| Language | Japanese |
Tow Ubukata (冲方 丁, Ubukata Tō, born February 14, 1977 in Gifu Prefecture) is the pen name of a Japanese novelist, mangaka and anime screenwriter who primarily writes fantasy and science fiction. His major works include Mardock Scramble, Le Chevalier D'Eon and Heroic Age. He also did series composition for the Fafner in the Azure series, Ghost in the Shell: Arise, Psycho-Pass 2 and Psycho-Pass 3.
Early life
[edit]Ubukata was raised in Singapore and Nepal.
Career
[edit]In high school, Ubukata received several writer's awards.[1] In 1996, he debuted as a writer of short stories and won the Kadokawa Sneaker Award with his story Black Season.[2] In 2009, he won the Eiji Yoshikawa Award for New Writers with his story Tenchi Meisatsu.[2] In 2012, he won the Fūtarō Yamada Award for his story Mitsukuni-den.[2]
Ubukata writes for the Japanese visual culture magazine Newtype. His serialized segments, called "A Gambler's Life", are comedic, often-satiric expository pieces. They chronicle his day-to-day experiences and interactions with people, such as his wife. In these segments, he dubs himself "The Kamikazi Wordsmith". These segments were also published in the American counterpart, Newtype USA, which is now discontinued.[3]
Ubukata won the 24th Nihon SF Taisho Award in 2003. Ubukata has written the novelization and the script for the manga version of Le Chevalier D'Eon, and has contributed to the screenplay and the overall story plot of the animated version.[4]
Personal life
[edit]On August 21, 2015, Ubukata allegedly hit his then-wife in her jaw and mouth area at their home in Aoyama, Minato Ward of Tokyo,[2] breaking her front tooth.[5] She reported the incident to the police the next day, leading to his arrest on August 24, 2015.[2] Ubukata admitted they had an argument but denied hitting her.[2] On August 26, 2015, Mito City mayor Yasushi Takahashi decided to put NHK's offer to film a live-action taiga drama adaptation of Ubukuta's novel, Mitsukuni-den, in the city itself on hold.[6] Ubukata was released on September 1, 2015 without indictment.[6] The Public Prosecutors Office dropped charges against him in October 2015, with one reason being that his wife did not want to press charges.[5] Following the incident, Ubukata announced that he planned on writing a memoir based on his experiences in jail, titled 9 Days Trapped.[7] In 2016, one year after his arrest and release, Ubukata revealed that he and his wife had divorced, with his wife taking custody of their children.[8]
Bibliography
[edit]- Tenchi Meisatsu, 2009 (ISBN 9784048740135)
- Mitsukuni-den, 2012 (ISBN 9784041102749)
- 12 Suicidal Teens, 2016 (ISBN 9784163905419)
- Ikusa no Kuni, 2017 (ISBN 9784062208048)
- Kirinji, 2018 (ISBN 9784041072141)
- Tsuki to Hi no Kisaki, 2021 (ISBN 978-4-569-85009-2)
- SGU Metropolitan Police Department Special Gun Unit, 2023 (ISBN 9784866997957)
- 11 Rebels, 2024 (ISBN 978-4-06-535708-8)
Filmography
[edit]Anime series
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Fafner in the Azure | Series Composition, Script | |
| 2006 | Le Chevalier D'Eon | Original Creator, Series Composition, Script | |
| 2007 | Heroic Age | Original Creator, Series Composition | |
| 2013 | Ghost in the Shell: Arise | Series Composition, Script | [2] |
| 2014 | Psycho-Pass 2 | Series Composition | [5] |
| 2019 | Psycho-Pass 3 | Series Composition, Script | [9] |
| 2022 | RWBY: Ice Queendom | Series Composition, Script | [10] |
| 2024 | Bye Bye, Earth | Original Creator | |
| 2024 | Moonrise | Original Creator |
Anime films
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mardock Scramble: The First Compression | Original Creator, Script | [11] |
| 2011 | Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion | Original Creator, Script | [12] |
| 2012 | Mardock Scramble: The Third Exhaust | Original Creator, Script | [13] |
| 2015 | Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie | Script | |
| 2019 | Human Lost | Script | |
| 2020 | Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector | Series Composition, Script | [14] |
| 2023 | Psycho-Pass: Providence | Series Composition, Script | [15] |
Live action
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer | Original Creator | [16] |
| 2019 | 12 Suicidal Teens | Original Creator | |
| 2021 | Kenjusho: Mitsukuni Ko to Ore | Original Creator | |
| 2023 | Farewell, Guns Special Firearms Unit, Metropolitan Police Department | Original Story |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Shenmue | Free Scenario Plotter | |
| 2001 | Segagaga | Story | |
| 2006 | Culdcept Saga | Script | [17] |
References
[edit]- ^ Ubukata, Tow. "Taking on a TV interview". Newtype USA. 6 (7) p. 30. July 2007. ISSN 1541-4817.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hodgkins, Crystalyn (2015-08-24). "Ghost in the Shell Arise Writer Tow Ubukata Arrested on Charges of Domestic Violence". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ Newtype USA. ISSN 1541-4817.
- ^ Miya, Shotaro et al. "Le Chevalier D'Eon". Newtype USA. 6 (1) pp. 52-53. January 2007. ISSN 1541-4817.
- ^ a b c Loo, Egan (2015-10-16). "Domestic Violence Charges Dropped Against Writer Tow Ubukata". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ a b Ressler, Karen (2015-09-01). "Tow Ubukata Released Without Indictment on Domestic Violence Charges". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ Cadorniga, Carlos (2015-11-30). "Tow Ubukata Talks About Upcoming Prison Memoir". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ Nishimuta, Yasushi (2016-09-09). "エンタメ作家・冲方丁の"DV疑惑"に隠された思惑（２）". Infoseek (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ "TVアニメ『PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス ３』公式サイト". TVアニメ『PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス ３』公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ "新作アニメ『RWBY 氷雪帝国』キャスト発表 早見沙織・日笠陽子・嶋村侑・小清水亜美ら" [Cast announced for new anime series RWBY: Ice Queendom: Saori Hayami, Yoko Hikasa, Yu Shimamura, and Ami Koshimizu]. Oricon (in Japanese). 2022-03-25. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
- ^ Mardock Scramble: The First Compression (2010) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-08-16
- ^ Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion (2011) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-08-16
- ^ Kudô, Susumu (2012-09-29), Marudukku sukuranburu: Haiki (Animation, Action, Drama), Leraldo Anzaldua, Chris Ayres, Shelley Calene-Black, Mardock Scramble Production Committee, GoHands, King Records, retrieved 2023-08-16
- ^ "アニメ『PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス ３ FIRST INSPECTOR』公式サイト". アニメ『PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス ３ FIRST INSPECTOR』公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ "アニメ『PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス』シリーズ公式サイト". アニメ『PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス』シリーズ公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ "'Tenchi Meisatsu (Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer)'". 14 September 2012.
- ^ Litten, Matt (2008-01-30). "VGB Feature: Culdcept Saga Interview With Localization Producer Nobu Taguchi". VGBlogger.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in Japanese)
- Tow Ubkata anime, manga at Media Arts Database (in Japanese)
- Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
- Tow Ubukata at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
