Ira Ishida

Ira Ishida (石田 衣良, Ishida Ira, born March 8, 1960) is a Japanese novelist and TV commentator.

Ira Ishida
Born	Shoichi Ishidaira (1960-03-08) March 8, 1960 (age 65) Tokyo, Japan

In this Japanese name, the surname is Ishida.

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
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park (池袋ウエストゲートパーク), 1998
    • Ikebukuro West Gate Park (池袋ウエストゲートパーク)
    • Ekisaitaburu bōi [Excitable boy] (エキサイタブルボーイ)
    • Oashisu no koibito (オアシスの恋人)
    • Sanshain-dōri shiviru wō (サンシャイン通り内戦)
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 2: Shōnen keisūki (池袋ウエストゲートパーク2 少年計数機), 2000
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 3: Kotsuon (池袋ウエストゲートパーク3 骨音), 2002
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 4: Denshi no hoshi (池袋ウエストゲートパーク4 電子の星), 2003
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 5: Han-jisatsu kurabu (池袋ウエストゲートパーク5 反自殺クラブ), 2005
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 6: Haiiro no Pītāpan (池袋ウエストゲートパーク6 灰色のピーターパン), 2006
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 7: G bōizu fuyu sensō (池袋ウエストゲートパーク7 Gボーイズ冬戦争), 2007
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 8: Hiseiki rejisutansu (池袋ウエストゲートパーク8 非正規レジスタンス), 2008
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 9: Doragon tiāzu Ryūrui (池袋ウエストゲートパーク9 ドラゴン・ティアーズ 龍涙), 2009
  • Ikebukuro West Gate Park 10: Puraido [Pride] (池袋ウエストゲートパーク10 PRIDE), 2010

Call Boy series

• Shōnen (娼年), 2001 (Call Boy, Shueisha English Edition, 2013)
• Seinen (逝年), 2008
• Call Boy 3, 2018

Standalone novels

• Utsukushii Kodomo (うつくしい子ども), 1999
• Enjeru [Angel] (エンジェル), 1999
• Nami no ue no majutsushi (波のうえの魔術師), 2001
• Burū tawā [Blue Tower] (ブルータワー), 2004
• Akihabara@DEEP (アキハバラ@DEEP), 2004
• Fushichōshōnen (不死鳥少年), 2019

Short story collections

• Surō guddobai [Slow Good-bye] (スローグッドバイ), 2002
• 4teen (4TEEN), 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)
• Shōnen (娼年) (2018)