Left: Hiroshi Fujimoto; Right: Motoo Abikonote
Fujiko Fujio (藤子不二雄) was a nom de plume of a manga writing duo formed by two Japanese manga artists. Their real names are Hiroshi Fujimoto (藤本 弘 1933–1996) and Motoo Abiko (安孫子 素雄 1934–2022). They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987. From the outset they adopted a collaborative style where both worked simultaneously on the story and artwork, but as they diverged creatively they started releasing individual works under different names, Abiko as Fujiko Fujio (A) (藤子不二雄Ⓐ), and Fujimoto as Fujiko F. Fujio (藤子・F・不二雄). The company Fujiko-Pro continued their legacy.Their most internationally well-known work (and probably most successful) would most likely be Doraemon, though Little Ghost Q-Taro was the first to come out in America. Other than that, the rest of their works aren't quite that prolific in the Anglosphere and are mostly reserved for Japanese audiences. Though they've had followings in other non-English speaking countries.
But should one take the time to read and observe their works, one could find the visible use of Strictly Formula. Also, most if not all, their works are all for children. Well, at least when it concerns Fujiko F. Fujio while Fujiko Fujio (A) concentrated on work incorporating more Black Humor.
Works with their own page(s):
- 21 Emon
- Chinpui
- Doraemon
- Doraemon franchise
- Esper Mami
- Kiteretsu Daihyakka
- The Laughing Salesman
- Little Ghost Q-Taro
- Mojacko
- Ninja Hattori
- Pokonyan
- Perman
The following tropes exemplified in their works include:
- Anthology Comic: The Complete Works of Fujiko F. Fujio is an anthology collection of all of Fujiko F.'s comics.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Averted quite a lot. But because it appears in kid-oriented works and fanservice isn't incorporated, it's usually looked over.
- Black Humor: Fujiko A incorporated some of this into his work.
- Crossover: Fujiko Fujio loved crossing over their works. One example is the old Fujiko Fujio comic, Super-Weapon Guh Mk. I, have Gulliva, a giant-sized human from outer space, crashing in 1940s Japan. After spooking off some Japanese soldiers, he picks up one of them - the human protagonist, Officer Kaido - by the collar using two fingers and asks what planet is he on.
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Fandom Rivalry: Or rather a fandom civil war as some of their fans didn't get well with each other. Otherwise, they are mostly act friendly with each other. Examples include: Doraemon fans vs. Chimpui fans, Fujiko F Fujio fans vs. Fujiko Fujio A fans, etc. - Naked People Are Funny: If a girl, she'll usually be prone to Comedic Underwear Exposure. If a boy, he'll be seen naked all through. And it's usually with good, inexplicable reason.
- No Dub for You: Due to No Export for You, their works were only dubbed in some international languages or have no international dubs at all despite most of them being for children. To this day, the Doraemon franchise is the only work from the author to be dubbed in more languages than expected, since it was more well-known in international countries than the other works. For example, only very few of their works were dubbed in Italian, while the rest was left undubbed and unreleased there.
- No Export for You: Some of their works have been really successful outside Japan, but Japan is the only country that's received their complete works. This has resulted in their works either being dubbed in some international languages or none at all.
- Puppy Love: The Fujios love this trope — their Kid Hero protagonists are around 9 to 11 years old and usually have romantic feelings for their female (or male) classmate. Examples include: Nobita and Shizuka from Doraemon, Eiichi and Miyoko from Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Eri and Shou from Chimpui, etc.
- Reused Character Design: Their protagonists bear resemblance to some of their other protagonists in other works.
- Similarly Named Works: Fujiko Fujio produced two unrelated works with similar names: Kurobe, a black comedy manga from 1969, and Jungle Kurobe, a children's manga (and anime) from 1973. Fujiko Fujio A created the former while the latter was by Fujiko F Fujio.
- Stealth Pun: the "A" part in Fujiko Fujio A's name is similar to what you can make when you see something horrifying or about to get attacked.
- Strictly Formula: They have a pretty Troperiffic thing going on. The fact that it always stars with a Kid Hero is just a tip of the iceberg. There's also the star's personalities, relationships, and crushes. Also a staple, their Magical Helpers capable of fantastic feats, usually they ask for their help only for things to not go as all that is planned. Though this is averted with other works like Esper Mami (the protagonist is a psychic girl while her Magical Helper(s) are a ordinary but intelligent human boy and her tanuki-looking pet dog) or The Laughing Salesman (the Magical Helper is the titular salesman, except he screws over his clients if they betray him or refuse to take his advice).
- Super Drowning Skills: The Kid Hero, if it's a boy, is totally helpless in water. He'll start drowning in a matter of seconds after getting in a pool/river. Many stories revolve around them asking the Magical Helper to use their magic powers/gadgets to learn how to swim, or pretend that they can if they need to impress their Love Interest and/or friends.
- Troperiffic: Their works all have similar tropes in common.
