Nekojiru
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Nekojiru debuted in Garo Magazine, June 1990 when 'Nekojiru Udon' began serialization. The author of the series, simply known as 'Nekojiru', is considered to be Chiyomi Hashiguchi. However the division of work shared with her manga-artist husband, Yamano Hajime has always been unclear. It seems early on Chiyomi did most of the drawings, however most descriptions of the creative process emphasize Chiyomi being the source of ideas while Yamano translates them into art.
Nekojiru being created in this way would only last from 1990 to 1998, however a large amount of media was produced due to Yamano's policy of never turning down a job or deal. In 2000 Yamano began slowly producing work as 'Nekojiru y', creating manga using the Nekojiru cast and a more refined version of the art style.
During the peak of Nekojiru's popularity there was a collaboration with Tokyo Electric Power Company. In 1997 A mascot character called 'Denki-Kun' (see here) was designed and main characters Nyako and Nyatta were going to be used in advertising material, however Chiyomi's death would cancel those plans and Denki-Kun would stop appearing in commercials.
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Trivia
- Originally the penname 'Nekojirushi' was used, however it was changed to simply Nekojiru. Chiyomi mentions this was intentional and she believed it would leave a lasting impact.
- The Nepal section of JiruJiru Travelouge was never completed though would later be published as-is in some editions of the book.
- A Denki-Kun display could be seen in the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Ginza building and remained there until 2002.