naruto's mangaka is a man, so the emotional moments in his story are special? and arakawa-sensei's are not?

The moments are not special, but..... "less" special but only because....... I dunno how to say this exactly..... -___-;; It seems if I continue talking I'll only dig a deeper grave or something.

Hmmm, I guess you could say Arakawa's special because she made a shonen-manga. Blah.... *shrugs* I'm just strange like that.

And I've never read Naruto... T__T Only seen two eps of the anime.

female mangakas in shonen-type genre and male mangakas in shojo-type manga genre are rare... the fact itself is already special in my opinion.

Righto~ Special because of different reasons.

Her story is unique, that's what counts... wonder how old is she...

not that old, i guess... 25-30?

i wonder what other series she made in the past... anyone knows?

According to Yebyosh's translation of her interview with Yahoo, none. FMA is her first series, though she made some one-chapter stories before.

I'm actually quite inspired. I always thought that Arakawa was a "she" even though her manga was shonen, although I couldn't figure out why. I guess it's because FMA has so much depth. I like shojo manga, but even though I'm a girl, I've always been most attatched to shonen stories. Of all the shonen manga I've read, FMA has the most plot and character depth, which is probably why it topped my favourites list.

I've been wanting to draw manga for five years now. If I ever actually drew my own story, it would probably have more shonen elements than shojo, which is why I find Arakawa so inspiring. Like Chibi Viki said, female manga-ka who draw in the shonen style are rare, but Arakawa was able to become famous for a shonen series in her first try. That's really amazing.

In the interview, Arakawa mentioned how she inserts humor even into the angstiest moments to make the manga lighter and more entertaining. I really like this element of FMA, and it was probably another reason I assumed Arakawa was female. Either way, I don't think it would matter all that much to fans of FMA because gender does not make an artist better or worse, and that's the way it should be.

I agree with Kase. Somehow the whole sense of manga makes me feel, that author is a man. Yes, Arakawa-sensei is a 'she', it's proved, but I would have never guessed about it.

wow, success on her first try! as shiroi said, arakawa-sensei is truly an inspiration.

~ Are We Suuuuuuure Arakawa's A Woman? ~

The novel's afterword refered to Arakawa as "him." I wonder if VIZ just made a big mistake?

By the novel, I mean The Land of Sand, by the way.

Yes she is, VIZ made a HUGE mistake.

yes... shame on you, VIZ!! well no, not really, they're really wonderful with all this fullmetal alchemist stuff actually, i'm so grateful, but yeah.

we're suuuuuuuure arakawa's a woman. i read at some website how they took her for a guy cuz of her pen name and some other random stuff, sorry but i don't have the website with me anymore! so you'll just have to take our word for it...

Yap, here is the thing....
(Though I 'm sure I'm repeating the info someone had posted before...)

Her name, Hiromu Arakawa in Japanese writing is 荒川(Arakawa) 弘(Hiromu.)

The chinese character, 弘, used for her first name, HIROMU, is usually associated with a common Japanese Masculine (male) first name, HIROSHI, and rarely used for HIROMU, which itself is a less common name and could be a male or female name.

Therefore, when someone with no previous knowledge of the author's gender sees the name in chinese characters, 荒川 弘, it is most likely that the person would read it as Arakawa HIROSHI, thus assuming the person in that name is a male, not a female.

That, and the fact that Fma is a very masculine manga, not a feminin cutie manga, probably contributes to Arakawa sensei's often mistaken gender identity, so I read.

That I know... she was called "Hiroshi" untill she said "I'm Hiromu" O.o but I'm not sure...

That must be why she writes "Arakawa Hiromu" in Katakana next to the Kanji on title pages and such.

*shrugs* I didn't even know that she was first called "Hiroshi" untill Dai told me so, I've always known her as "Hiromu" (I've seen some merchandising where it was written "Hiroshi" lately, though").

It could have perfectly been a way to make the manga work... the woman are lower rated in japan so she, being a woman, drawing a shounen manga could have affected the success.

Another reason we know Arakawa is a female is she draws herself as a cow. There is no such thing as a male cow.

I wonder what she really looks like since there doesn't seem to be an actual pictures of her on the web. I guess she is shy about the way she looks.



I think that this is a part of it. If people see a woman's name associated with a Shonen manga they might not think it as good. However one of the most popular shonen mangaka (at least in terms of sales) is Rumiko Takahashi and she is a woman. But Rumiko Takahashi is so well known as this point that obviously has to be taken into account.

It could also be that Arakawa was not hiding her identity as a woman but it was just falsely assumed that she was male because she was writing a Shonen manga.

I think Takahashi is responsible for that stigma in part, because her work is garbage.

Whether you like her work or not Takahashi is considered to be one of the most successful mangaka in Japan. She is also the richest female comic artist in the world. Her works are beloved and well known, I doubt she created any stigma against female mangaka. In fact I bet you she helped people respect female mangaka more.

Isn't her work widely regarded as being enjoyed significantly more by females than males?

No I wouldn't say that, actually I think her work in general (not looking at individual titles) is enjoyed equally among both sexes.

...Yet she draws herself as a cow with horns. Only male cows have horns.

Oh my I never noticed that. So is she trying to draw herself as a cow or a bull? And since Arakawa grew up on a dairy farm she should know the difference.

haha, never thought about that XD he could have been a travesti though... XDDDDD



Yeah, I'm curious too. Does anyone have any photo of her?



I've heared that name somewhere... which mangas has she drawn?



Yeah, but then... why did they say she was Hiroshi? I suppose she needs to give a name, right? Unless she wants to be anonymus... It could have been some misunderstanding when reading the kanjis too, now that I think about it.



I don't see how can that affect into someone being a "genius" on something.



Actually, cows do have horns, but little ones (at least Spanish cows XD)

Does anyone know how old Arakawa-sensei is?
I've been wondering forever.
She never tells us anything personal >_<

O.o good question. I think she's young... she once said "I've always wanted to be able to live from the manga" and her humour and all...
I would say about... 25-30 years old ^^ XDD
And I think this is her first manga.

She's 32. Born 05/08/1973
And no, it's not her first manga. She had three others beforehand.

1999 STRAY DOG
2000 Totsugeki Tonari no Enikkusu
2000 Shanghai Yōmakikai

...thank god for wikipedia.


And the cow avatar comes from the fact that she was raised on a dairy farm.

no this is her second and her first was called stray dog or somethin ....

Yeah, I figured she'd be in her 20's since she's a new manga artist (Toriyama-sensei was like 23 when he started Dr. Slump ), but I wish I knew her exact age! >_<



That was a one-shot story. Fullmetal is her first series.

EDIT-Thank you, What, no bacon?

O.o! Does anyone know where can I take a look at those mangas? (32.. hehe, I was close XD)

----EDIT---

@Neokakashi: that's what I thought, that this was her first "series" (I call manga to series), I read the Stray Dog then XDDD it's cool

http://www.hagarenbbs.org/viewthread.php?tid=370&fpage=1

It's in Japanese, though >_<

I am sure you did hear of her. Her most known works are Inuyasha, Ranma ½, Maison Ikkoku to name a few



I am no expert on cows, thanks for clearing that up since I wasn’t sure about that myself.

thank you!!!! ^^

------EDIT-----
AWWW IT'S IN CHINESE!! >.< And... I've just decided that I want to read all and one of each manga this woman does.

One thing, I have no idea why people can get really easily confused by Arakawa sensei's gender witht the art style. When I first read the manga, I had ASUMED that FMA was definately drawn by a woman. Lots of shonen mangas are drawn by women too, and lots of shojo where men draw. FMA has that characteristics that can't be drawn by a man. Very cute, slight details and those chibis with the humor, I kinda find it impossible for a man to think of that way and draw it that way. (Men particuarly DON'T draw that kind of stuff, they're more good at drawing action) FMA art style is more of a woman than man, I just feel it that way. Espacially pictures of Al blushing or doing cute stuff, and all those cute expressions and stuff. (To tell you the truth, a person who use to be a manga drawer told me this also.) Just because FMA is shonen, it doesn't mean that the drawer needs to be a man. As for the name, I didn't know if Hiromu was a man or woman name.

p.s.(If you are thinking that I'm getting mad about woman not getting enough attention, three out of my four fav manga drawers are men.)

Oh! yeah, I know who she is then! XDD I loved Ranma 1/2 XD thanks ^^

Oh, now that you mention it, it is! I just assumed it was in Japanese, and therefore, didn't try to read any of it (since my Japanese is still quite poor).

I have a question... why is arakawa... milking... a cow? XD

OT:
Talking about japanese and offtopicnes... I have an exam tomorrow and I didn't study!! >.<

On topic, Fullmetal Alchemist is cool M I RITE?!

OT:
More offtopicness, I have an exam today, and I did study! *Cheers*

>___<

That's where you're wrong. It's not a male mangaka characteristic, it's a characteristic of shonen manga in general. 'Serious' manga is just as gender-neutral.

Not to stereotype but I always thought the "heart" of Fullmetal Alchemist had a women's touch.

I think this has already been posted on these boards somewhere, but here's a more recent short of hers, for those of you looking for more Arakawa-sensei works.

Raiden 18

Ugh. I can't stand Yebyosh's translations.

Whoa, for a woman, Arakawa's not shy about drawing guro images, eh?

guro? o_O

[quote name='The Great Asparagus' date='Oct 20 2005, 04:54 AM' post='301982']
we're suuuuuuuure arakawa's a woman. i read at some website how they took her for a guy cuz of her pen name and some other random stuff, sorry but i don't have the website with me anymore! so you'll just have to take our word for it...
[/quote]

Yeah, we're suuuuuure Arakawa sensei is a woman.

Or are we? Although I believe her to be so myself too, as a matter of fact, we (or at least, I) don't have really that much evidence...
Let's see:

[quote name='Reika' date='Oct 20 2005, 09:49 PM' post='302198']
[quote post='302186' date='Oct 20 2005, 09:02 PM' name='Kirara']
Another reason we know Arakawa is a female is she draws herself as a cow. There is no such thing as a male cow. [/quote]

haha, never thought about that XD he could have been a travesti though... XDDDDD

[quote]I wonder what she really looks like since there doesn't seem to be an actual pictures of her on the web. I guess she is shy about the way she looks. [/quote]

Yeah, I'm curious too. Does anyone have any photo of her?

[quote]It could also be that Arakawa was not hiding her identity as a woman but it was just falsely assumed that she was male because she was writing a Shonen manga.
[/quote]

Yeah, but then... why did they say she was Hiroshi? I suppose she needs to give a name, right? Unless she wants to be anonymus... It could have been some misunderstanding when reading the kanjis too, now that I think about it.[/quote]

Avatars mean nothing -> I "represent" myself as Yomiko from ROD, and because of that (my guess) someone mistook me by a woman.
Even if she was a man, he could've chosen a cow because of the farm origins anyway... Bulls are, somewhat, less "famous" or "funny-looking" than cows (eh... dunno how to say it. That phrase was pathetic. Whatever U)

And the name, Hiromu, as someone pointed out, is ambiguous, and writing it in furigana is, I believe, a rather common practice in (shounen?) mangas... And we have no photo either... hmmm....

[quote name='What, no bacon?' date='Oct 20 2005, 10:13 PM' post='302209']
She's 32. Born 05/08/1973
And no, it's not her first manga. She had three others beforehand.

1999 STRAY DOG
2000 Totsugeki Tonari no Enikkusu
2000 Shanghai Yōmakikai

...thank god for wikipedia.


And the cow avatar comes from the fact that she was raised on a dairy farm.
[/quote]

There's Wikipedia indeed. But the fact that you can find almost any info in it is as true as the fact that that info is never 100% reliable, since it is such -> a Wiki. Anyone can enter info in it and nothing prevents it from being wrong. As far as I've seen, Arakawa being a she is the most predominant opinion around, and therefore, it's logical that it'd be the one to make it there by some well-informed fan.

To me, the most reliable source is the one where I learnt it personally from: The Interview with Arakawa that Yebyosh translated, and in which he made a comment like... "So, she IS a woman", which makes me guess that in the original it read "Kanojo" or whatever somewhere.
But still, there's nothing sure yet, that I know of.

[quote name='Reika' date='Oct 20 2005, 09:49 PM' post='302198']
[quote]Oh my I never noticed that. So is she trying to draw herself as a cow or a bull? And since Arakawa grew up on a dairy farm she should know the difference. [/quote]

Actually, cows do have horns, but little ones (at least Spanish cows XD)
[/quote]

I second that. Cows, at least in Spain, do have smaller horns. As a matter of fact, if she was drawing herself as a bull, those'd look certainly weird, and 'cowly' to me.

[quote name='NeoKakashi' date='Oct 20 2005, 10:20 PM' post='302214']
http://www.hagarenbbs.org/viewthread.php?tid=370&fpage=1

It's in Japanese, though >_<
[/quote]

Darn for it being in Chinese, but thanks a lot, NeoKakashi!

[quote name='What, no bacon?' date='Oct 20 2005, 11:13 PM' post='302242']
[quote post='302221' date='Oct 20 2005, 04:39 PM' name='MasterKris']
Very cute, slight details and those chibis with the humor, I kinda find it impossible for a man to think of that way and draw it that way. (Men particuarly DON'T draw that kind of stuff, they're more good at drawing action)
[/quote]
That's where you're wrong. It's not a male mangaka characteristic, it's a characteristic of shonen manga in general. 'Serious' manga is just as gender-neutral.
[/quote]

And KareKano is done by a man... My advice is, don't follow conventionalisms or stereotypes such as "women are more -sth-", "men are more -sth else-", "the feminine touch" and similar BS. Everybody is different and unique, people!

[quote name='Jellybean' date='Oct 21 2005, 04:13 AM' post='302471']
I think this has already been posted on these boards somewhere, but here's a more recent short of hers, for those of you looking for more Arakawa-sensei works.

Raiden 18
[/quote]

Which comes to show she loves her chara designs: There you have one Ran fan, one Scar, one Lust/Riza (Je t'aime II ) and one Mustang (the guy who made her). And I think the Tournament announcer looks a lot like good ol' Joliot Comanche, the Silver Alchemist, If I remember right.

[quote name='What, no bacon?' date='Oct 21 2005, 04:22 AM' post='302478']
Ugh. I can't stand Yebyosh's translations.[/quote]

Oooh, why? The guy has a weird English, yes, but he has the good point that he tries to be as close as possible to the original. Even when he finds a phrase joke or pun difficult to translate or when he takes artistic licenses, whatsoever, he makes a note telling you so, and telling you what the original said so you can make a judgement of your own if you don't like his version. Not like many other translators where you have to take for true what they give you when they might've went wrong somewhere. (Cautious note: Hey CSakuraS and Umeko, if you happen to read this, I'm not refering to you... )

Yes, I am an Original Version whore U (sub > dub anytime!). I'm learning Japanese right now because of it.

[quote name='Guest' date='Oct 21 2005, 06:06 AM' post='302537']
[quote name='What, no bacon?' date='Oct 21 2005, 04:22 AM' post='302478']
Whoa, for a woman, Arakawa's not shy about drawing guro images, eh?
[/quote]

guro? o_O
[/quote]

Gore. To ka na...

EDIT: GDDMND quoting! Argh!

@sensenic: You... are a man..? (now he/she hits me XD)


...... O.o!!!!!

I bow to your devotion!! **kowtowing**

[offtopic]I started learning japanese because of it too!! I love the dubbing, but sincerely, the dubbing of the anime here in spain just... I won't say the word XD i personally don't usually like it. that's why I give my best when dubbing something ^^ [/offtopic]

.....
*hits Reika*
....
*not really*
But, tu quoque, Reika? Was it because the avatar or sth else? Boy I'm starting to wonder things...

As for Karekano: ooops, my bad. I recall reading it somewhere, but it seems I was wrong. Checked it now and it was made by a woman U.
But I still say that everyone is different and unique and gender doesn't necessarily determine things.

What does "kowtow" mean? ;

Ah, so you are a dubbing actress? What do you dub, and for who (official, fan dub, sth else)?