Ira Ishida Explained

Ira Ishida
Birthname:	Shoichi Ishidaira
Birth Date:	March 8, 1960
Birth Place:	Tokyo, Japan

is a Japanese novelist and TV commentator.

After graduating from Seikei University, he worked for a number of different advertising production companies and as a freelance copywriter.^[1] In 1997, he published his first short story collection, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, which won the 36th All Yomimono New Mystery Writer's Prize. In 2003, he won the Naoki Prize for 4teen.^[1]

His novels describe the culture of young people in Japan, particularly young women and otaku without a college education. Many of his works have been adapted for manga and television. As an actor, he made his first appearance in a leading role in the 2006 film Love My Life.

Ishida's pen name, Ishida Ira, was derived by splitting his real family name Ishidaira.

Works in English translation

Novel

• Call Boy (original title: Shōnen), trans. Lamar Stone (Shueisha English Edition, 2013)^[2]

Short story

• Ikebukuro West Gate Park (Digital Geishas and Talking Frogs: The Best 21st Century Short Stories from Japan, Cheng & Tsui Company, 2011)

Awards and nominations

• 1997 - All Yomimono New Mystery Writer's Prize: Ikebukuro West Gate Park (short story)
• 2001 - Nominee for Naoki Prize: Call Boy
• 2002 - Nominee for Naoki Prize: Kotsuon: Ikebukuro West Gate Park 3
• 2003 - Naoki Prize: 4teen ^[3]

Main works

Ikebukuro West Gate Park

• Short story collections
  • , 1998
    • • • • • • • • • • • • , 2000
  • , 2002
  • , 2003
  • , 2005
  • , 2006
  • , 2007
  • , 2008
  • , 2009
  • , 2010

Call Boy series

• , 2001 (Call Boy, Shueisha English Edition, 2013)
• , 2008
• Call Boy 3, 2018

Standalone novels

• , 1999
• , 1999
• , 2001
• , 2004
• , 2004
• , 2019

Short story collections

• , 2002
• , 2003

TV and film adaptations

Japanese TV dramas

• Ikebukuro West Gate Park (TV series) (2000)
• 4teen (2004)
• Akihabara@DEEP (2006)

Japanese film

• Akihabara@DEEP (2006)
• (2018)

External links

• Ira Ishida at J'Lit Books from Japan

Notes and References

1. Web site: Naoki Prize winner asks Japan to put more faith in the young. Janet Ashby. Japan Times. 2003-09-11. 2009-03-07.
2. Web site: Call Boy – A Novel by Ira Ishida . 2013-10-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140517072653/http://callboynovel.com/ . 2014-05-17 . dead .
3. http://www.booksfromjapan.jp/publications/item/837-4teen J'Lit | Publications : 4teen | Books from Japan