Line #22 Creator/SatoshiMizukami


1	[[quoteright:303:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mizukami_satoshi_pic.png]]
2	Satoshi Mizukami (水上悟志) is a Japanese mangaka who writes mainly for the {{seinen}} demographic, with most of his major works being published in the monthly ''Young King OURS''. His influences include ''Manga/GhostSweeperMikami'', ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' and the works of Creator/StudioGainax (particularly ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'').
3
4	Outside of one-shots, Mizukami's style is best described as "unassuming" - his art is rarely spectacular, and his plots often start out with generic scenarios more akin to {{shounen}} than {{seinen}}. Rather what his works are most praised for for is their ''composition''. This extends from the small scale with effective framing and use of panels, up to the large scale with narratives that feel [[HiddenDepths increasingly]] guided by the characters rather than the other way around (while still working in plentiful {{Foreshadowing}} and {{Foil}}s to tie everything back to the story's CentralTheme). While even his most successful works have [[CultClassic struggled to break into the mainstream]],[[note]]Notoriously his 2005 ''Manga/TheLuciferAndBiscuitHammer'' - a manga seemingly tailor-made to be animated by Creator/StudioGainax at the peak of their popularity - would only receive a (low-budget and [[CompressedAdaptation compressed]]) anime after ''17 years'', long after Gainax's collapse.[[/note]] he has a strong reputation within the industry with many larger creators citing him as an influence.
5
6	Mizukami's typical depiction of himself is a crudely-drawn humanoid frog with stick limbs, which [[CreatorCameo makes cameo appearances]] in some of his works.
7
8	! Notable Works
9
10	[[index]]
11	[[AC: Anime]]
12	* ''Anime/PlanetWith'' (including manga retelling)
13
14	[[AC: Manga]]
15	* ''Manga/AngelOnayamiSoudanjo''
16	* ''Manga/ClimaxNecromance'' (with Seto Ichiri as artist)
17	* ''Manga/TheLuciferAndBiscuitHammer''
18	* ''Manga/MizukamiSatoshiNoMangaSadou'' (an autobiography)
19	* ''Manga/MizukamiSatoshiTanpenshuu'' (collections of all of his oneshots and short stories)
20	* ''Manga/MyIsekaiEssayByBucket'' (art only)
21	* ''Manga/NihonmatsuKyoudaiToMokuzouKeikokuNoBouken''
22	* ''Manga/PsychoStaff''
23	* ''Manga/SengokuYouko''
24	* ''Manga/SpiritCircle''
25	* ''Manga/WorldEndSolte''
26	[[/index]]
27
28	! Tropes common to Mizukami's works:
29	* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: Many intelligent characters in his works are shown to create their own problems - spending all their mental energy worrying about things that ''might'' happen, using their smarts to talk themselves into insane actions, and being unable to admit their mistakes. Conversely {{Blood Knight}}s and {{Fitness Nut}}s tend to be some of the [[LovableJock nicest and most well-adjusted members of the cast]] even when they're [[AntiVillain villains]]. [[DownplayedTrope On a lesser level]] characters grappling with complicated issues are often shown to achieve moments of clarity through physical exertion.
30	* BreakingTheFellowship: Whatever way [[CastHerd the cast is initially broken up]] it will rarely be the same by the end, with heroes parting ways or villains showing unexpected sympathy for their cause.
31	* ComingOfAgeStory: Many of his stories, often the delayed version or having multiple characters help each other through their own journeys.
32	* MagnumOpus: ''Manga/TheLuciferAndBiscuitHammer'', ''Manga/SengokuYouko'' and ''Manga/SpiritCircle'' compete for this spot, being collectively known as Mizukami's "Big Three". Out of these, his most ''polished'' work is generally considered to be ''Manga/SpiritCircle'', due to its format (a boy flashing back to his past lives and seeing how each one impacted the next) combining Mizukami's one-shot and long-form storytelling modes in a way that compensates for his stories' occasional pacing issues.
33	* MentalHealthRecoveryArc: Many of his protagonists have some pre-series trauma or emotional baggage which they need to overcome. Yuuhi of ''Biscuit Hammer'' is probably the least subtle example in Mizukami's entire corpus, with his abuse at the hands of his grandfather causing him to regularly hallucinate about being bound by chains.
34	* NotSoAboveItAll: If a Mizukami villain is being consistently ominous and threatening, expect them to either have a scene where [[SpannerInTheWorks something unexpected happens]] and they gawp like an idiot... or one where [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes a friend or family member shows up]] and their whole manner [[WhenSheSmiles softens]] around them.
35	* RousseauWasRight: Mizukami's antagonists are almost never 100% evil, having been set on their path through mistreatment or a twisted desire to help others, and even the most depraved show at least a ''possibility'' of redemption. More than once he's introduced a hero and a villain who are actually the same person at different points in life (in [[FallenHero both]] [[TheAtoner directions]]).
36	* ShowWithinAShow: Some of his older works reappear in newer ones as fiction. This includes Sensei from ''Anime/PlanetWith'' owning figures of Samidare and Anima from ''Manga/TheLuciferAndBiscuitHammer'', and ''Biscuit Hammer'' itself depicting a version of [[MagicalGirlWarrior Magical Mary]] (from the one-shot ''The Great Natsugorou'') as an anime watched by the characters.

Context Creator / SatoshiMizukami