Clamp (manga artists)

File:Toprunner24.jpg

A group photo of Clamp. From Left to Right: Ageha Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi, Mokona, Satsuki Igarashi.

Clamp is an all-female Japanese mangaka group. Their manga series are often made into anime after release. More than 90 million Clamp tankoubon copies have been sold worldwide.

Clamp originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member doujinshi circle. The former members of Clamp included Tamayo Akiyama, Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Inoue Yuzuru, Sei Nanao, Shinya Ohmi and Leeza Sei. By 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group over the course of RG Veda's production, leaving the current four members.

According to Clamp, the group's name means "a pile of potatoes".

Current Clamp members

Ageha Ohkawa

大川緋芭 ([Ōkawa Ageha] Error: {{nihongo}}: text has italic markup (help)), formerly Nanase Ohkawa (大川七瀬, Ōkawa Nanase)

• Birth : May 2, 1967 in Ōsaka
• Blood Type: A

Ohkawa is the leader of the group and the script writer. She negotiates with their editors and sometime writes the screenplay of the animated version of their manga.

Mokona

もこな ([Mokona] Error: {{nihongo}}: text has italic markup (help)), formerly Mokona Apapa (もこなあぱぱ, Mokona Apapa)

• Birth : June 16, 1968 in Kyōto
• Blood Type: A

Mokona is the main artist of most stories and was also several times in charge of design. Her art style is the trademark of the studio. She is the namesake of the character Mokona, who appears first in Magic Knight Rayearth and later in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and ×××HOLiC.

Tsubaki Nekoi

猫井　椿 ([Nekoi Tsubaki] Error: {{nihongo}}: text has italic markup (help)), formerly Mick Nekoi (猫井みっく, Nekoi Mikku)

• Birth : January 21, 1969 in Kyōto
• Blood Type: O

Nekoi is mostly Mokona's assistant but she is also the main artist for some series (Watashi no Suki na Hito, Wish, Suki. Dakara Suki, Gōhō Drug). She is in charge of drawing Super Deformed (SD) characters and mascots and is doing the character design in turn with Mokona.

Satsuki Igarashi

いがらし寒月 ([Igarashi Satsuki] Error: {{nihongo}}: text has italic markup (help)), formerly Satsuki Igarashi (五十嵐さつき, Igarashi Satsuki)

• Birth : February 8, 1969 in Kyōto
• Blood Type: A

Satsuki is assisting Mokona and Nekoi in their works and is also in charge of the design of the tankōbon. She has a monthly column in Kadokawa Newtype Magazine.

These names are recent: In 2004, as part of Clamp's 15th Anniversary, Clamp's members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi (pronounced the same, but written with different characters), respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of Clamp simply wanted to try out new names. A later interview with Ohkawa revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

Clamp works

Header descriptions

Volumes released refers to the number of volumes of a given series released in Japan. For international releases, please see International publishing status of Clamp works.

In-progress works

Name	Volumes Released	Current Status
CLOVER	4	Ran in the now cancelled Amie magazine.
Kobato. (こばと。)	N/A	Ran in Monthly Sunday Gene-X for seven chapters. Returned to publication in the November 2006 edition of Newtype (magazine).
Legal Drug (合法ドラッグ, Gohō Drug)	3	Not running in any magazine. According to Clamp, it will resume production soon.
Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE- (ツバサ−RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE−)	19	Running since 2003 in Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
X/1999 (Ｘ, Ekkusu)	18	Not running in any magazine since March 2003. Some social problems in Japan prevent Kadokawa from releasing further chapters.
×××HOLiC (×××ホリック, Horikku)	10	Running weekly since 2003 in Young Magazine.

Completed Works

Name	Publisher and Series	Volumes Released
Angelic Layer (エンジェリックレイヤー, Enjerikku Reiyā)	Kadokawa Shoten Kadokawa Comics Series	5
Cardcaptor Sakura (カードキャプターさくら, Kādokyaputā Sakura)	Kodansha KC Deluxe	12
Chobits (ちょびっツ, Chobitsu)	Kodansha Young Magazine KC Deluxe	8
Clamp no Kiseki (Clampノキセキ, Clamp no Kiseki)	Kodansha	12
Clamp School Detectives (Clamp学園探偵団, Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan)	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX	3
Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders (学園特警デュカリオン, Gakuen Tokkei Dyukarion)	Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics	2
The Legend of Chun Hyang (新・春香伝, Shin Shunkaden)	Hakusensha Serie Mystery HLC / Hakusensha Library	1
Magic Knight Rayearth (魔法騎士レイアース, Majikku Naito (Mahō Kishi) Reiāsu)	Kodansha KC Deluxe	6
20 Mensō ni Onegai!!/20 Masks, Please!! (20面相におねがい!!, 20 Mensō ni Onegai!!)	Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics / Kadokawa Comics Series	2
Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (不思議の国の美幸ちゃん, Fushigi no Kuni no Miyuki-chan)	Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics Extra / Kadokawa Comics Series	1
The One I Love (わたしのすきなひと, Watashi no Suki na Hito)	Kadokawa Shoten Young Rose Comics DX	1
RG Veda (聖伝, Sei-den)	Shinshokan Wings Comics	10
Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales (白姫抄, Shirahime-Shō)	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX	1
Suki Dakara Suki (I like, therefore I like) (「すき。だからすき」, "Suki; Dakara Suki")	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics	3
Tokyo Babylon (東京BABYLON, Tōkyō BABYLON)	Shinshokan Wings Comics / Wings Library	7
Wish	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX	4

Short works

These are short works that were only available in monthly magazines; they were never published in manga form.

Name	Year Published	Featured In
Tenshi no Bodyguard (天使のボディガード, Tenshi no Bodyguard)	1989	Kobunsha Val Pretty
Shiawase ni Naritai (しあわせになりたい, Shiawase ni Naritai)	1990	Fusion Product Genki Tokuhon
Tenku Senki Shurato Original Memory : Dreamer (天空戦記シュラト オリジナルメモリー「夢魔（ドリーマー）」, Tenku Senki Shurato Original Memory : Dreamer)	1990	Kadokawa Newtype Comic Genki no Moto
Koi wa Tenka no Mawarimono (恋は天下のまわりもの, Koi wa Tenka no Mawarimono)	1990	Hakusensha Series
Left Hand (左手, Hidari Te)	1994	Shinshokan South Summer
Sohryuden: The Dragon Kings in the city of water (水都の四兄弟　創竜伝・外伝, Suito no Yonkyōdai Sohryūden Gaiden)	1994	Kadokawa Monthly Mystery DX
Yumegari (夢狩り, Yumegari)	1996	Kadokawa Monthly Asuka
Ano hi wo shiru mono wa saiwai de Aru (あの日を知るものは幸いである, Ano hi wo shiru mono wa saiwai de Aru)	2002	Kodansha Young Magazine Zoukan : Sports Sou
Murikuri (むりくり, Murikuri)	2002	Kodansha Young Magazine

Collaborations

Name	Collaborated With	Contribution
Clamp School Paranormal Investigators (Clamp学園怪奇現象研究会事件ファイル, Clamp Gakuen Kaikigenshou Kenkyuukai Jiken File)	Tomiyuki Matsumoto	Manga illustrations and script
Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion	Sunrise	Character design
Koi (恋, Koi)	Takeshi Okazaki	Manga script
Night Head	George Iida	Novel illustrations (2 Volumes)
Oshiroi Chouchou (おしろい蝶々, Oshiroi Chouchou)	Kamon Nanami・Akira	Manga illustrations (1 volume)
Rex: A Dinosaur Story (REX 恐竜物語, Rekkusu: Kyōryū Monogatari)	Hata Masanori	Manga illustrations and script (1 Volume)
Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings (創竜伝, Sōryūden)	Yoshiki Tanaka	Novel illustrations (12 volumes)
Sweet Valerian (Animated Series) (スウィート・ヴァレリアン, Suuīto Varerian)	Madhouse Production	Character design

Clamp has authored other dōjinshi that are not listed above. Having started as a dōjinshi group, most of Clamp's dōjinshi are from their earlier years. A number of Clamp's earlier works are also not listed above.

International publishing status of Clamp works

Please see International publishing status of Clamp works.

Former Clamp members

Tamayo Akiyama

Akiyama Tamayo (秋山 たまよ)

• Birth : November 28, 1966 in Ōsaka
• Blood Type : B
• Officially left in : October 1992

Akiyama was responsible for the script and illustrations in Derayd, a manga based on an original idea by Ohkawa. Then, she started Cluster (original idea, script and art) with the studio and continued to work on it after leaving Clamp in 1992. She worked on 20 Mensō ni Onegai!! and RG Veda with the other artists of the studio. After leaving the group, Akiyama published Hyper Rune, Mouryou Kiden, Secret Chaser, Zyword and Shade.

Leeza Sei

Leeza Sei (聖りいざ, Sei Riiza)

• Birth : April 28, 1967 in Ōsaka
• Blood Type : B
• Officially left in : October 1992

Sei was an assistant artist on RG Veda. She was also in charge of story and illustrations of Combination, a manga based on an original idea of Ohkawa. When Sei left Clamp, she continued this series under her "Clamp name", finishing it in 6 volumes. After leaving the group, she changed her name to Iba Takeo and published her manga (Gilgrim in 2 volumes, Phantom Cognition in 10 volumes and Tasogare no Rakuen 7 volumes and still running) in the Princess Gold magazine. She is still doing some dōjinshi with Nanao Sei, another ex-Clamp member, under the L.S.N. name (Leeza Sei Nanao).

Sei Nanao

七穂せい (Nanao Sei)

• Birth : October 29, 1967 in Ōsaka
• Blood Type : O
• Officially left in : June 1990 (Last mentioned in Shōten 6).

Still does doujinshi with fellow former Clamp member Leeza Sei under the name "L.S.N." (Leeza Sei Nanao).

Sōshi Hishika

Hishika Sōshi (日鷺総司, Hishika Sōshi)

• Birth : ?
• Blood Type : ?
• Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).

Kazue Nakamori

中森かずえ (Nakamori Kazue)

• Birth : ?
• Blood Type : ?
• Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).

Shinya Ohmi

大海神哉 (Ohmi Shinya)

• Birth : ?
• Blood Type : ?
• Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3). He was the only man in the team and related to Akiyama Tamayo.

O-Kyon

お・きょん (O-kyon)

• Birth : ?
• Blood Type : ?
• Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3). She get married on May 27th 1990.

References

• Clamp ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• "Ye Ol' Potato Club," Amarythia Duuk’Tarquith, Aug. 2001
• Anime News Network's Interview with Clamp
• Clamp profile in the New York Times

External links

• Official website Template:Ja icon
• Clamp-Pla.Net Template:Ja icon
• Clamp@Mobile Template:Ja icon