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New Manga Tells Story of Pokémon Creator Satoshi Tajiri

Shogakukan released a manga book about Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri on Wednesday. The book, titled Shogakukan-ban Gakushū Manga Special Pokémon o Tsukutta Otoko Tajiri Satoshi (Shogakukan Edition Learning Manga Special, Satoshi Tajiri: The Man Who Made Pokémon), tells Tajiri's story from his upbringing to the creation of Pokémon.

The 160-page book costs 900 yen (about US$8). The book discusses Tajiri's passion for insect collecting during boyhood, his encountering the Space Invaders game in the 1970s, the fellow game creators he has worked with, and other people who helped push Tajiri forward. In addition to covering the history of the Pokémon franchise, the book includes articles that provide a glimpse into the history of the game industry as well as columns from Tajiri. Nintendo Representative Director, Creative Fellow, and Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto also provided commentary for the book.

The Pokémon franchise began with the release of the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green Game Boy games in Japan in 1996. Since then, the franchise has expanded to include anime, manga, books, a trading card game, toys, and a variety of other related works and merchandise.

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web