Motoo Abiko, also known as Fujiko A. Fujio, passed away at the age of 88 at his home in Kawasaki City in Japan. Abiko was best-known as half of the Fujiko Fujio manga duo, alongside Hiroshi Fujimoto (Fujiko F. Fujio). The duo was best known for creating the popular manga series Doraemon, which has since then become a Japanese pop culture icon.
Abiko’s career started with the manga UTOPIA the Final World War, published in 1953 (under the duo’s pen name). This was followed by Little Ghost Q-Taro, which was serialized from 1964 to 1966. Abiko first started his own manga series titled Futa-kun, which ran from 1964 to 1967. He is known for several manga titles including Ninja Hattori, The Monster Kid, The Laughing Salesman, and Saru the ProGolfer. His latest solo work was PARman’s Passionate Days, which ran from 2007 to 2015. PARman’s is considered Abiko’s final work and a memoir before he announced a hiatus in 2015.
The other half of the Fujiko Fujio, Hiroshi Fujimoto, was well known for his works that included Perman (1967), 21 Emon: The 21st Century Kid (1968), Mojacko (1969), Kiteretsu Encyclopedia (1974), Rocky Rackat! (1975), and Alien Mr. Andro (1995). Fujimoto died in 1996 due to complications related to liver cancer and heart disease.
The Fujiko Fujio duo employed different storytelling styles, with Abiko using black humor in his writeups while Fujimoto focused on teen-centric themes. The duo split up in 1987 due to creative differences and issues surrounding intellectual property and finance regarding their works.
Source: TBS
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