Thanks to the recent Netflix series Devilman Crybaby, there’s been a resurgence in interest in that series. But the creator of Devilman just recently celebrated his 50th anniversary in the manga business – do you know who it is?
Go Nagai was born on September 6, 1945. Throughout his childhood, he gained a love of manga, especially after being given a copy of Osamu Tezuka’s Lost World by his brother. After graduating from high school, he began working on manga. He was actually driven to work on comics after a stomach illness led him to believe he would likely die – though he recovered, he pursued life as a manga artist rather than going to college.
Nagai’s first job in the business was working for another legendary manga creator, Shotaro Ishinomori, who was responsible for such series as Cyborg 009 as well as the live-action superhero Kamen Rider. Nagai’s first professional work was a one-shot comedy, Meakashi Polikichi, published in 1967. Despite being a relative unknown at the time, Nagai was invited to be one of the debut artists for Shonen Jump magazine, where he debuted Harenchi Gakuen; the series was a huge success and is considered one of the first manga titles to have pushed the boundaries of eroticism in mainstream books.
Harenchi Gakuen was soon popular enough to spur several live-action films and a television series – and it was also a huge factor in the early success of Shonen Jump. Nagai’s career continued exploding throughout the 1970s, with many different one-shots exploring genres ranging from comedy to horror and science fiction. Devilman also debuted in 1972 and has since become one of Nagai’s signature series.
Cutie Honey, which blended the appeal of cute girls with that of superheroes, arrived in 1973 and was followed up that same year with the debut of Mazinger Z. The latter is considered to be the earliest example of a “Super Robot” show and saw several spinoffs, such as Great Mazinger and Mazinkaiser.
Nagai continues to work today, though not nearly at the pace he was at in the ’70s and ’80s. Devilman and Mazinger have seen huge international success and continue to see more contemporary adaptations of the original work.
