Ishinomori and Yamakawa: a history of contrasts

How do Shōtaro Ishinomori’s works outsell Sōji Yamakawa’s own in a constant fashion? The rise of not only anime and manga as we know today, but also Japanese Tokusatsu, have played a role in how the former gained export and meme potential before dying shortly after his 60th birthday. In other words, Shotaro Ishinomori was much more prepared for the long run than what his spiritual predecessor from Koriyama would imagine. 

It didn’t really hurt that he was a juggernaut who not only guest starred in his own works, but also wrote theme songs for some of them and voiced a stocky character for The Age of The Great Dinosaurs, which also was his only directing credit. 

Although both were from Japan’s Tohoku region, Ishinomori moved out into Tokyo at 18 years old. So, despite not being a pupil of Yamakawa himself, he influenced the former more than any of the latter’s own pupils were by him. 


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