Yuichi Suzumoto
Encyclopedia
is a male Japanese
novel
ist originally from Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
, Japan
, though he now lives in Osaka
, Japan. As of 2006, he works for Aquaplus, known for being the publishing company of Leaf
. Before going to Leaf, Suzumoto worked at the publishing company Visual Art's
as a scenario writer for brands under the company. He is notable for having had a hand in the production of three Key
visual novels: Air, Clannad, and Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume.
's sixteenth Cobalt Novel Prize in 1991 and won first prize. The following year in March 1992, Shueisha published Suzumoto's novel under their Cobalt Bunko label. In 1998, Suzumoto's novel tied in second in the tenth Japan Fantasy Novel Award
competition. In 1999, Key
released their first visual novel
Kanon
; the game had such an impact on Suzumoto that he entered Visual Art's
, the publishing company Key is under, in February 2000 to work for Visual Art's as a scenario writer for brands under the company.
Suzumoto first worked on the scenario for Air, Key's second game released in 2000, and that same year worked as a scenario assistant for Mamahaha Chōkyō by Giant Panda. In 2001, Suzumoto again worked as a scenario assistant for Giant Panda for their game Shoyakenjō, and started work on Key's next game Clannad which was not released until 2004. Also in 2001, Suzumoto was employed as the scenario assistant for the game Sakura no Ki Shita de for the brand Words which was released in 2002, and that year he began work as the scenario assistant for Studio Mebius' Snow released in 2003. Also in 2003, Suzumoto worked as the scenario assistant again for Giant Panda for their game Oshikake Princess released in 2004. After completing his work on Clannad, Suzumoto's last contribution to Key was as the scenario writer for Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume released in 2004. Suzumoto continued to work with brands under Visual Art's until September 2005 when he resigned from the company. Suzumoto wrote a style guide
entitled published on July 24, 2006 by Shuwa System which describes how to write scenarios for visual novel
s. In September 2006, Suzumoto entered the publishing company Aquaplus
, known for being the parent company to Leaf
. In December 2006, Suzumoto's first light novel
Die Nachtjäger was published by SoftBank
under their GA Bunko imprint.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist originally from Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
is one of three wards of the city of Shizuoka, in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, located in the eastern part of the city.-Geography:Shimizu is located on the coast of Suruga Bay of the Pacific Ocean and covers a wide area from a coastal plain to the hills...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, though he now lives in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan. As of 2006, he works for Aquaplus, known for being the publishing company of Leaf
Leaf (company)
Leaf is a Japanese visual novel studio under the publisher Aquaplus, and has offices in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, and Tokyo. It and its competitor Key are the most popular and successful dedicated visual novel studios operating today. It was launched out of obscurity by its early release ToHeart...
. Before going to Leaf, Suzumoto worked at the publishing company Visual Art's
Visual Art's
, formally , is a Japanese publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Art's has developed the game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and...
as a scenario writer for brands under the company. He is notable for having had a hand in the production of three Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
visual novels: Air, Clannad, and Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume.
Career
After graduating from high school Shizuoka Prefecture Shitsu Shimizu East High School, Suzumoto entered a novel he wrote called into ShueishaShueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's sixteenth Cobalt Novel Prize in 1991 and won first prize. The following year in March 1992, Shueisha published Suzumoto's novel under their Cobalt Bunko label. In 1998, Suzumoto's novel tied in second in the tenth Japan Fantasy Novel Award
Japan Fantasy Novel Award
The is an annual award which began in 1989 and is sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Shimizu Corporation with the backing of publisher Shinchōsha. The winner gets a contract to have their unpublished work published by Shinchōsha and receives ¥5 million. The contest is open to anyone, whether an...
competition. In 1999, Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
released their first visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
Kanon
Kanon
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and originally released as an adult game on June 4, 1999, playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable...
; the game had such an impact on Suzumoto that he entered Visual Art's
Visual Art's
, formally , is a Japanese publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Art's has developed the game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and...
, the publishing company Key is under, in February 2000 to work for Visual Art's as a scenario writer for brands under the company.
Suzumoto first worked on the scenario for Air, Key's second game released in 2000, and that same year worked as a scenario assistant for Mamahaha Chōkyō by Giant Panda. In 2001, Suzumoto again worked as a scenario assistant for Giant Panda for their game Shoyakenjō, and started work on Key's next game Clannad which was not released until 2004. Also in 2001, Suzumoto was employed as the scenario assistant for the game Sakura no Ki Shita de for the brand Words which was released in 2002, and that year he began work as the scenario assistant for Studio Mebius' Snow released in 2003. Also in 2003, Suzumoto worked as the scenario assistant again for Giant Panda for their game Oshikake Princess released in 2004. After completing his work on Clannad, Suzumoto's last contribution to Key was as the scenario writer for Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume released in 2004. Suzumoto continued to work with brands under Visual Art's until September 2005 when he resigned from the company. Suzumoto wrote a style guide
Style guide
A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field...
entitled published on July 24, 2006 by Shuwa System which describes how to write scenarios for visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
s. In September 2006, Suzumoto entered the publishing company Aquaplus
Aquaplus
, formally and , is a Japanese company which main specializes in the publishing and distribution of visual novels under their brand Leaf which produces adult games, and games for all-ages are released under Aquaplus' name alone. Aquaplus has been involved with the production of anime based on...
, known for being the parent company to Leaf
Leaf (company)
Leaf is a Japanese visual novel studio under the publisher Aquaplus, and has offices in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, and Tokyo. It and its competitor Key are the most popular and successful dedicated visual novel studios operating today. It was launched out of obscurity by its early release ToHeart...
. In December 2006, Suzumoto's first light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
Die Nachtjäger was published by SoftBank
SoftBank
is a Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation, with operations in broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-Commerce, Internet, broadmedia, technology services, finance, media and marketing, and other businesses....
under their GA Bunko imprint.