Here is the conclusion of my article that began in “Medal with Purple Ribbon Winners in the Anime/Manga Industry Part 1“.
In 2012, Moto Hagio, one of the legendary Year 24 Group, was honoured with the Medal with Purple Ribbon. I have mentioned the Year 24 Group before for revolutionizing shojo manga with stories discussing gender roles and sexuality and reinterpreting manga paneling with the addition of flowery artwork and softening, sometimes removing, panel borders so that images flow into each other. Moto Hagio is one of the best known members of this group with titles such as The Poe Clan and The Heart of Thomas having a profound impact on the manga medium.
It may surprise you, given his impact on Western anime fandom, but Katsuhiro Otomo only received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2013. Easily his most famous series is Akira for which he both wrote the manga series as well as directing the anime adaptation of it. However, something I find fascinating about Katsuhiro Otomo is how much work he has done since Akira. In addition to writing other manga series, he has continued to direct with films such as Steamboy and Combustible as well as two live-action films, World Apartment Horror and Mushish, and writing screenplays for other anime films such as Metropolis and Roujin Z.
In 2014, another member of the Year 24 Group, Keiko Takemiya, was granted the Medal with Purple Ribbon. While arguably less famous than Moto Hagio, Keiko Takemiya has still made incredible contributions to the manga industry with titles such as The Door Into Summer and The Poem of Wind and Trees amongst the earliest manga to deal with same-sex sexuality and has also contributed to science fiction manga with her titles Toward the Terra and Andromeda Stories.
Anime director Keiichi Hara was given the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2018 and, just like Ryohei Saigan, I admit that I was completely unfamiliar with the name. Looking at his filmography however, it quickly became clear how he had contributed to the arts. Directing many episodes of the second series of Doraemon as well as directing another TV anime adaptation of a Fujiko F. Fujio series, Mami the Psychic, he transitioned into directing films with four Doraemon movies, various Crayon Shin-chan movies and recently transitioning to original films such as Colorful, Miss Hokusai and Birthday Wonderland.
Osamu Akimoto won the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2019 and, in contrast to many of the individuals who have been honoured with the award, his contributions to the arts can easily be boiled down to one title. The series Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo, more commonly known as Kochikame, started in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1976 and ran for forty years until 2016 with a total 1,960 chapters compiled into 200 volumes. In addition, the series has been adapted into an anime series, several animated and live-action films, stage adaptations and a live-action TV series.
Finally, returning to 2020, Rumiko Takahashi was given a Medal with Purple Ribbon. Rumiko Takahashi is the best-selling female comic artist of all time with an estimated 200 million copies sold and is best known for her various comedy series such as Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2 and the action series Inuyasha.
In conclusion, I am pleased that such a prestigious award as the Medal with Purple Ribbon has seen so many winners with connections to the anime/manga industry. I can only hope that this article has enlightened you on many of the most influential people within the industry (it certainly has for me with regards to Ryohei Saigan and Keiichi Hara). Let me know your thoughts on the award, on the people with anime/manga industry connections who have won the award and any additional information you have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!