Haruka Takachiho

Haruka Takachiho 高千穂たかちほ 遙はるか
Born	Kimiyoshi Takekawa (1951-11-07) November 7, 1951 Nagoya, Japan
Alma mater	Hosei University
Occupation	Science fiction author
Notable work	Crusher Joe, Dirty Pair, Dirty Pair Flash
Awards	Best Japanese Short Story at the 1980 Seiun Awards for Daatipea no Dai Boken Best Japanese Novel at the 1986 Seiun Awards for Dirty Pair no Dai Gyakuten

Haruka Takachiho (高千穂たかちほ 遙はるか, Takachiho Haruka) (born November 7, 1951, as Kimiyoshi Takekawa (竹川たけかわ 公こう訓くん, Takekawa Kimiyoshi) in Nagoya, Japan) is a Japanese science fiction author and founder of Studio Nue. Takachiho is best known as the creator of Crusher Joe, Dirty Pair and Dirty Pair Flash. Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies called him one of Japan's leading pulp novelists

Takachiho established the anime production house Studio Nue in 1972, working as an anime producer and scenario writer, while still a student at Hosei University. He graduated three years later, in 1975, in social science. In 1977 Takachiho made his authorial debut with his novel "Crusher Joe: Rentai Wakusei Pizan no Kiki" ("Crusher Joe: Crisis on Solidarity Planet Pizan"). Two of Takachiho's stories have won Seiun Awards, "Daatipea no Dai Boken" ("Great Adventure of The Dirty Pair") for Best Japanese Short Story in 1980, and "Dirty Pair no Dai Gyakuten" ("The Dirty Pair Strike Again") for Best Japanese Novel in 1986. He held the title of Executive Secretary of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ) until the end of 1997.

Dirty Pair

Main article: Dirty Pair

The inspiration for Dirty Pair novels was a visit to Japan by the British Australian SF author A. Bertram Chandler, in August 1977. On his itinerary was a stop at the young Studio Nue, which Takachiho co-founded. As something to entertain their guest, two of the staffers there, Yuri Tanaka and Keiko Otoguro, hit upon the idea with Takachiho of taking Chandler to a tournament of the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling organization, which was a member of the World Women's Wrestling Association (WWWA). The card included the highly-popular wrestling (and singing) team, the Beauty Pair. Something that passed among the foursome during that match led Chandler to remark to Takachiho something to the effect that "the two women in the ring may be the Beauty Pair, but those two with you ought to be called 'the Dirty Pair'."

This became the germ of an idea for a novella Takachiho decided to write, transplanting the rough-housing of pro-wrestling to the realm of space-opera mystery stories, with which he already had experience in his already successful Crusher Joe series. The team code-name "Lovely Angels" is also a play on the names of certain women's teams of the time, such as the Queen Angels.

Works

• Crusher Joe series

1. Rentai wakusei Pizan no kiki (連帯れんたい惑星わくせいピザンの危機きき) "Crisis on Solidarity Planet Pizanne" (November, 1977)
2. Gekimetsu! Uchuu kaizoku no wana (撃滅げきめつ!宇宙うちゅう海賊かいぞくの罠わな) "Extermination! The Space Pirates Trap" (January, 1978)
3. Gingakei saigo no hihō (銀河系ぎんがけい最後さいごの秘宝ひほう) "The Final Secret of the Milky Way" (April, 1978)
4. Ankoku jashinkyō no dōkutsu (暗黒あんこく邪神じゃしん教きょうの洞窟どうくつ) "Cave of the Cult of the Dark God" (July, 1978)
5. Ginga teikoku e no yabō (銀河ぎんが帝国ていこくへの野望やぼう) "Treachery Toward the Galactic Empire" December, 1978)
6. Jimmen majū no chōsen (人面じんめん魔ま獣じゅうの挑戦ちょうせん) "Challenge of the Human-faced Demon Beasts" (June, 1979)
7. Utsukushi maō (美うつくしき魔王まおう) "The Beautiful Demon King" (March, 1983)
8. Akuryō toshi Kukuru (悪霊あくりょう都市としククル) "Kukuru, the Haunted City" (Part 1: November, 1989; Part 2: March, 1990)
9. Wāmu'uddo no genjū (ワームウッドの幻まぼろし獣じゅう) "The Phantom Beast Wormwood " (October, 2003)
10. Dairon no seishōjo (ダイロンの聖せい少女しょうじょ) "The Holy Virgin Dairon" (May, 2005)

• Crusher Joe extra series

1. Nijiiro no jigoku (虹色にじいろの地獄じごく) "Rainbow-colored Hell" (February, 2003)
2. Doruroi no arashi (ドルロイの嵐あらし) "The Doruroi Storm" (December, 1986) (* originally published as side story' rather than extra series by Asahi Sonorama)

• Dirty Pair series
  • Dātīpea no daibōken (ダーティペアの大だい冒険ぼうけん) "The Dirty Pair's Great Adventures" (serialized 1979; book May 1980)
  • Dātīpea no daigyakuten (ダーティペアの大だい逆転ぎゃくてん) "The Dirty Pair Strike Again" (August 1985)
  • Dātīpea no dairansen (ダーティペアの大だい乱戦らんせん) "DP's Rough and Tumble" (March 1987)
  • Dātīpea no daidassō (ダーティペアの大だい脱走だっそう) "DP's Great Escape" (March 1993)
  • Dātīpea no daifukkatsu (ダーティペアの大だい復活ふっかつ) "DP's Great Resurrection" (August, 2004)
  • Dātīpea no daiseifuku (ダーティペアの大だい征服せいふく) "DP's Great Conquest" (April, 2006)
  • Dātīpea no daiteikoku (ダーティペアの大だい帝国ていこく) "DP's Great Empire" (October, 2007)
  • (ダーティペア外伝がいでん 独裁どくさい者しゃの遺産いさん, Dātīpea gaiden: dokusaisha no isan) "DP side story: Legacy of the Dictator" (August 26, 1998)
• Dirty Pair Flash series
  • Tenshi no yūutsu (ダーティペアFLASH 天使てんしの憂鬱ゆううつ) "Melancholy of the Angels" (December 1994)
  • Tenshi no hohoemi (ダーティペアFLASH 2 天使てんしの微笑びしょう（ほほえみ）) "Smiles of the Angels" (January 1997)
  • Tenshi no itazura (ダーティペアFLASH 3 天使てんしの悪戯いたずら（いたずら）) "Prankster Angels" (September, 1999)
• Shinken Ri Suiryū (神かみ拳けん 李り酔よい竜りゅう) "Li Zuilong of the Divine Fist" aka "Lee Suiron the Godhand" series
  • 1. Yakōju majō (夜光やこう珠たま魔ま城じょう) "Magic Castle of the Shining Night Pearl" (July, 1997)
  • 2. Kīan no seihai (キーアンの聖ひじり杯はい) "Holy Grail of Kiian" (October, 1997)
  • 3. Mujōdani aika (無情むじょう谷だに哀歌あいか) "Lament of Heartless Valley" (April, 1998)
  • 4. Bara no majo (薔薇ばらの魔女まじょ) "Rose Witch" (August, 1998)
  • 5. Reijin zatsugidan (麗人れいじん雑技ざつぎ団だん) "The Beauteous Acrobatic Troupe" (December, 1999)
  • Ginga saikyō densetsu: donrō hen (銀河ぎんが最強さいきょう伝説でんせつ 貪むさぼ狼おおかみ篇へん) "Legend of the Galaxy's Strongest. Chapter:Hungry Wolf" (October, 1997)
  • Ginga saikyō densetsu: fushichō hen (銀河ぎんが最強さいきょう伝説でんせつ 不死鳥ふしちょう篇へん) "Legend of the Galaxy's Strongest. Chapter:Phoenix" (April, 1999)
  • Ginga saikyō densetsu: dakatsu hen (銀河ぎんが最強さいきょう伝説でんせつ 蛇蝎だかつ篇へん) "Legend of the Galaxy's Strongest. Chapter:Serpents&Scorpions" (October, 2000)
• Igyō sangokushi (異形いぎょう三国志さんごくし) "Nonhuman Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series
  • Norie ga shogun!? (NORIEが将軍しょうぐん!?) "Norie is a General!?" (Book1: October, 1992; Book2: October, 1993)
  • Gamos no maken (ガモスの魔ま剣けん) "Magic Sword of Gamos" (Book1: July, 1994; Book2: April, 1996; Book 3: November, 1998)
• Hakobiya Sam (運はこび屋やサム) "Smuggler Sam" series

1. Ginga bangaichi (銀河ぎんが番外地ばんがいち) "Galactic unchartered zone" (November 1980)
2. Seijū no tō (聖せい獣ししの塔とう) "Tower of the Holy Beast" (October 1983)

• Kyōsenshi Ai (凶きょう戦士せんし 愛あい) "Berserk warrior Ai" series

1. Kyōsenshi Ai (凶きょう戦士せんし 愛あい) (June, 1988; January, 1993)
2. Bōsatsu kyōdan (凶きょう戦士せんし 愛あい PART2 謀殺ぼうさつ教団きょうだん) "Part 2:Conspiratorial Murder Cult" (January 1990; February, 1993)

• Ankoku-ken Seiden (暗黒あんこく拳けん聖ひじり伝つたえ) "The Dark-Fist Hagiography" series

1. Yami no haō (闇やみの覇王はおう) "Prince of Darkness" (August, 1988)
2. Chinmoku no haō (沈黙ちんもくの覇王はおう) "Prince of Silence" (September, 1990)
3. Gen'ei no haō (幻影げんえいの覇王はおう) "Prince of Illusion" (March, 1995)

• "The Dragon Kung Fu" (ザ・ドラゴンカンフー) series
  • Mezameshi mono wa ryū (目覚めざめしものは竜りゅう : ザ・ドラゴンカンフー) "Awaken the Dragon" (January, 1981)
  • Madō shinwa (魔道まどう神話しんわ) "Myth of Sorcery" (3 vols.; May, 1986; July, 1987; October, 1988)

individual titles

• Ōkami tachi no kōya (狼おおかみたちの曠野あらの) "Wolves' Wilderness" (April, 1981)
• Isekai no Yūshi (異い世界せかいの勇士ゆうし) "Warrior from Another World" (Tsuru Shobō: February, 1979; Tokuma Shoten: May, 1981)
• Bijū kamigami no senshi (美び獣じゅう-神かみ々の戦士せんし-（上うえ）（下した）) "Beautiful Beast: Warrior of the Gods" (2 vols.; April 1985)
• Natsu kaze raidā (夏なつ・風ふう・ライダー) "Summer, Wind, Rider" (May, 1984)
• Hiru kuraimā (ヒルクライマー) "Hill Climber" (July, 2009)

External links

• Takachiho Notes, Haruka Takachiho's personal webpage
• SFWJ Profile (author's webpage on the SF Writers of Japan homepage)
• Interview in EX volume 2.8
• Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction