Hiromu Arakawa is a female mangaka best known as the creator of the hit series Fullmetal Alchemist, which got two anime adaptations and movie adaptations in both live-action and anime formats as well. The series is an adventure fantasy with steampunk elements set in the early 20th century and centers on two brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who want to restore their bodies using the philosopher’s stone.
Apart from Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa is also known for the Silver Spoon manga series, and the manga adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan. She has taken inspiration for her manga from a variety of sources, such as other mangaka and their works and even movies that came out of Hollywood.
Where all did Hiromu Arakawa take inspiration from for her manga?
Hiromu Arakawa often interacted directly with her fans in the extras or afterward section of her manga, drawing herself as a cow with spectacles as she grew up on a dairy farm. She is described as being a big fan of Star Wars, the mega-franchise created by George Lucas, and was considering buying a Darth Vader inflatable at one point. Quite memorably, she even wondered about the romantic pairing of the prequel trilogy, saying in one afterword, “WHY DID PADME FALL FOR ANAKIN?”
Also confessing to being a big watcher of B movies, Hiromu Arakawa also said she was fond of another George Lucas-created franchise, namely Indiana Jones. Of these two cinematic inspirations, she said:
“I love the way they make me think ‘what the hell is this? That’s crazy!’ yet still draw me in so that I watch the whole thing”.
B movies in particular helped her create the alchemy depicted in Fullmetal Alchemist:
“As you read it, please criticize it by saying to yourself, ‘What kind of alchemy is that?’”
Rumiko Takahashi, a fellow female mangaka who is known for her manga Inuyasha and Ranma ½, was also one of her influences and inspirations.
What did Hiromu Arakawa say about female mangaka?
The fact that Fullmetal Alchemist was created by a woman often comes as a surprise to many fans of the manga and anime, as there are still some stereotypical expectations of women being unable to write action series targeted mainly at teenage boys. Hiromu Arakawa offered her own take on the matter:
“It is often said that women are better to talk about emotions, to write dialogues that hit the nail on the head, and men know how to create stories with twists and turns. As for me, I think it’s difficult today to make a distinction between genres. Some men are really able to imagine sensitive and complex characters, while some women are able to create sometimes violent action scenes. Nowadays, each writer has their own specialty. It doesn’t matter if they’re a man or a woman.”
Arakawa’s first name is in fact Hiromi and not the more boyish Hiromu, which is a male-sounding pen name so that male readers won’t use her gender to dismiss her work. But Arakawa is so famous that her gender is well known too. There have been other female mangaka over the years who have followed in her footsteps, and speaking on the growing number of female mangaka making shonen series, or series mainly for preteen and teenage boys, she said:
“There were female readers who found those shonen very entertaining and often more interesting than the usual shojo manga [manga marketed to young women and girls]. Ten years later, we were old enough to draw and so we made boys’ manga. This explains the increased number of female drawers in this area.”
Hiromu Arakawa is indeed one of the most successful and famous female mangaka ever, and will no doubt continue to influence mangaka in the years to come.
Source: The Mary Sue
