とり・みき

Miki Tori (とり·みき, Tori Miki, born February 23, 1958 in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan), also known as Micky Bird or Mickey Bird, is a Japanese manga artist, character designer, essayist, and screenplay writer. Tori has won multiple awards for his work, including two Seiun Awards (in 1994 for Dai-Hon'ya, and in 1998 for SF Taishō) and one Bungeishunjū Manga Award (in 1995 for Tōku e Ikitai). His pen name was created by mixing up the pronunciation of the kanji making up his real name. He worked as a writer on WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3. Tori attended Meiji University, majoring in English literature, though he left his studies before receiving a degree. He was a member of the rakugo research club during his time there, and attended at the same time as owarai, tarento, and senpai Masayuki Watanabe. He made his professional debut in 1979 after winning an honorable mention for his story My Alien (ぼくの宇宙人, Boku no Uchūjin) at the 12th Shōnen Champion Rookie Manga Awards, after which he became known mainly for his gag manga such as Kuru Kuru Kurin and Tōku e Ikitai, as well as manga featuring science fiction elements. For many years, his manga appeared in the television guide "TV Bros."