Ryukishi07 (竜騎士07, Ryūkishi Zero-Nana, born November 19, 1973; real name unknown) is the pen name of a Japanese writer who is the leading member of the group 07th Expansion. He is the creator of the When They Cry visual novel series, which includes Higurashi When They Cry, Umineko When They Cry, and Ciconia When They Cry. His pen name is originated from Final Fantasy, "Ryūkishi" being the term for "Dragoon" and "07" a play on words for "Lenna".[1]. He is also the writer for Silent Hill ƒ.
Ryukishi07 | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 19, 1973 Chiba Prefecture, Japan |
| Occupation | Author and artist |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Period | 2001–present |
| Genre | Fantasy, horror, mystery fiction and science fiction |
| Notable works | Higurashi When They Cry Umineko When They Cry |
Early life
editRyukishi07 studied at a vocational school that specializes in art and wrote doujinshi, while having interests in anime, manga and video games. While in college, he tried to write manga and novels, but realized, "No matter your passion for something, without skill, you can never make it as a professional."[citation needed] He met with a colleague from a theatre troupe and he was inspired to write a play called Hinamizawa Bus Stop (雛見沢停留所, Hinamizawa Teiryūjo), which he submitted to a contest that he later lost.[2] His younger brother, Yatazakura, inspired by the success of Type-Moon's visual novel Tsukihime, suggested that he and Ryukishi create their own sound novel. Ryukishi restructured Hinamizawa Bus Stop into the episodic visual novel series, Higurashi When They Cry.[3] After graduating from school, he dreamed of becoming a video game developer. He focused on finding a job at a video game manufacturer, but he failed to do so. He took up a position at a menswear store, but after a few months, he tentatively took up an offer for a civil service position based on the civil service test that he had taken during the job search.[4]
Career
editRyukishi07 launched the doujin circle 07th Expansion in 2001. He originally produced original cards for Leaf Fight, a trading card game produced by the eroge developer Leaf. After his younger brother Yatazakura learned game programming, 07th Expansion began to produce Higurashi When They Cry, a reworking of concepts from Ryukishi's Hinamizawa Bus Stop script into a psychological horror visual novel, with characters inspired by the works of Key.[5]
In a 2012 interview with Damien Bandrac for the Journal du Japon, Ryukishi07 said:
Initially, my audience was otaku who attend Comiket, which are a very small fraction of Japanese otaku, themselves a small part of Japanese people in general! I never thought for one second that I could be read, published, edited at the other end of the planet, in France... As for Higurashi, I never thought that people outside Japan might be interested. Umineko in particular is a text that even Japanese people can have difficulty reading. So, to imagine that foreigners have made the effort to read it, understand it, and translate it, is an indescribable happiness to me.[6]
His writing has been described as alternating between "macabre scenes and schoolboy humor". He has said, "A story should be like a roller coaster. That is to say before writing a really cruel scene, I have to lift the people's spirits, for example, with a fun scene... Before writing a scene of pure despair, we must go through scenes of hope. And indeed, when I write, all of this amuses me very much." He has cited And Then There Were None as his influence.[6]
Works
edit- Higurashi When They Cry (scenario and illustrations, Kodansha Box novels)
- Kaidan to Odorō, Soshite Anata wa Kaidan de Odoru (怪談と踊ろう、そしてあなたは階段で踊る), novel, serialized in Faust
- Kaidan to Odorō, Soshite Anata wa Kaidan de Odoru (怪談と踊ろう、そしてあなたは階段で踊る), manga (story)
- Higurashi Daybreak (scenario)
- Umineko When They Cry (scenario and illustrations, Kodansha Box novels)
- Rewrite by Key (partial scenario)
- Ōkami Kakushi by Konami (original plan/director)
- Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni
- Natsu no Kagerō (なつのかげろう), a cancelled 3D game collaboration with Twilight Frontier
- Rose Guns Days (scenario and partial character design)[7][8]
- Iwaihime (Scenario)
- Hotarubi no Tomoru Koro ni (Story)[9]
- Trianthology: Sanmenkyō no Kuni no Alice (partial scenario and partial illustrations)
- Renai Harem Game Shuuryou no Oshirase ga Kuru Koro ni (scenario)
- Ciconia When They Cry (scenario)
- Bakemonotachi ga Usobuku Koro ni ~ Bakemonohime no Kateikyoushi (バケモノたちが嘯く頃に ～バケモノ姫の家庭教師～), novel
- Gensō Rōgoku no Kaleidoscope (scenario)
- Loopers by Key (scenario)
- Silent Hill ƒ by Konami (scenario)
References
edit- ^ "スクウェア・エニックス Music パワード Vol. 1". Gangan Powered (in Japanese). 2006.
- ^ Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni production staff. "07th Expansion インタビュー"ひぐらしのなかせ方"掲載！" [07th Expansion Interview: How They Make the Cicadas Cry Published!]. Toranoana (in Japanese). Toranoana Inc. Archived from the original on December 24, 2004. Retrieved December 24, 2004.
- ^ Szczepaniak, John (2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Gold Edition. SMG Szczepaniak. p. 322. ISBN 978-0992926021.
- ^ 佐々木, 由香. "ビジネス★ヒーローインタビューVol.6：シナリオライター竜騎士07さん" [Business★Hero Interviews Vol. 6: Ryukishi07]. マイナビ (in Japanese). MyNavi Corporation. Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. Retrieved January 11, 2013.[dead link]
- ^ "Keyキネティックノベルプロジェクト『Loopers』竜騎士07スペシャルインタビュー". fes2020.product.co.jp. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b Bandrac, Damien (2012-06-10). "Interview avec Ryukishi07, auteur chapeauté - Journal du Japon" (in French). Journal du Japon. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
- ^ "Higurashi's Ryukishi07 Announces Rose Guns Days". Anime News Network. January 31, 2012. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ "Rose Guns Days Game by Higurashi's Ryukishi07 Outlined". Anime News Network. 2012-02-26. Archived from the original on 2013-01-06. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
- ^ "Ryukishi07's Hotaru-Bi no Tomoru Koro ni Manga to Begin in March". Anime News Network. December 27, 2015. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
External links
edit- 07th Expansion's official website (in Japanese)
