Yukio Sawada
| Yukio Sawada | |
|---|---|
 
| |
| Born | March 12, 1953 (age 72)[?] |
| Super Mario–related role | Author and artist of the Super Mario-kun series |
Yukio Sawada (Japanese: 沢田 ユキオ; real name 沢田 幸男) (born March 12, 1953 in the Osaka Prefecture, Kansai region, Japan) is a manga artist famously known for being Super Mario-kun's (and the other related manga) author. He appears in some panels of his manga as the narrator or even a character of the story, mostly in special chapters about his experience as the "Mario mangaka", in which he is usually called「作者」(sakusha, "the author").
After studying engineering at Doshisha University and graduating, Sawada started his career in manga with one-shot manga on Weekly Shōnen Jump. His first Super Mario manga is a Super Mario Bros. one-shot in the February 1986 issue of a Shogakukan publication aimed at third-grade elementary students.[1] This one-shot was republished in Volume 40 of Super Mario-kun. Nintendo then gave Wanpakku Comic the rights for a Super Mario manga serialization, with Sawada as the author and artist: Super Mario Bros. 2. This was based on Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and ran monthly until 1988. In December 1988, Sawada started a new series called Super Mario Bros. 3 but it ran for only two issues as the publication shut down in January 1989. In 1990, Sawada moved to CoroCoro Comic where he has worked on Super Mario-kun ever since.
Sawada is the father of two children and author of 60 Super Mario-kun volumes, three collections, and two spin-offs based on the Wario franchise and Yoshi's New Island. He has also designed an Event Course in Super Mario Maker.
Publications[edit]
Shogakukan[edit]
Shōgaku Sannensei[edit]
- Super Mario Bros. (1986)
Yōchien[edit]
- Famicom Quiz to Meiro: Mario Bōken Meiro (1986)
- Famicom Meiro: Super Mario/Makaimura (1986)
- Mario no Bōken Meiro (1986)
- Super Mario no Daibōken (1986-1987)
- Ganbare Super Mario (1987)
Gakushū Yōchien[edit]
- Famicom Manga: Super Mario-kun (1986)
- Super Mario-kun (1987, 1990, 1992, 1994)
- Super Mario-kun 2 (1987)
- Miracle Peach (1988)
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988–1989)
- Super Mario Bros. 3 Bōken Meiro (1989)
- Super Mario Land Kessen Meiro (1989)
CoroCoro Comic[edit]
- Super Mario-kun (1991–ongoing)
- Super Mario Manga Mania (2017)
- Super Mario-kun Gekijō - Yoshi New Island (2016)
- Super Mario-kun Special Selection (2023)
- Super Mario-kun Kessaku-sen! Henshin Mario dai Shūketsu SP!! (2023)
Shōgaku Yonensei[edit]
CoroCoro Ichiban![edit]
- Ore Dayo! Wario Dayo!! (2007–2012)
- Super Mario-kun Gekijō (2013–2016)
Tokuma Shoten[edit]
Wanpakku Comic[edit]
- Super Mario Bros. 2 (1986–1988)
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988–1989)
Workhouse[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Sawada in his early days
A message to the reader from Sawada in volume 11
Scene of a special 4-koma manga by Sawada, to commemorating the opening of Jisedai World Hobby Fair in Summer 2015
Scene of a special 4-koma manga by Sawada, to commemorating the opening of Jisedai World Hobby Fair in Summer 2015
Scene of a special 4-koma manga by Sawada, to commemorating the opening of Jisedai World Hobby Fair in Summer 2015
Scene of a special 4-koma manga by Sawada, to commemorating the opening of Jisedai World Hobby Fair in Summer 2015
Mario and Olivia drawn by Sawada, used for the present of a lottery activity commemorating the release of Super Mario-kun volume 58 initiated by CoroCoro
A 2023 nengajō drawn by Sawada
Elephant Mario drawn by Sawada
Elephant Mario drawn by Sawada
Notes[edit]
- When writing a story for Super Mario-kun, Sawada usually plays the game on which the story is based and gets help from his children in difficult levels.[2]
- Sawada's favorite character is Yoshi.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Sawada interview in Famitsu
- ^ Super Mario-kun volume 15
- ^ Back cover of the Super Mario-kun volume 14
