Hayao Miyazaki to create a 2-part series on the designer of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero

by Chris MaGee

Even casual fans of anime genius Hayao Miyazaki knows that he's an aviation buff. Miyazaki's father and uncle actually owned and operated Miyazaki Airplane, a company that manufactured the rudders for the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter planes used by the Japanese Imperial Air Force during WW2, so aviation is seems to run in the 68-year-old animator's genes. Now it looks like Miyazaki will not only be paying tribute to the original designer of the A6M Zero, but in a round about way to his father and uncle as well.

Nausicaa.net is reporting that Miyazaki will be contributing a two part manga titled "Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises)" to the February 25th and March 25th issues of Model Graphics, a popular Japanese model kit hobby magazine. The mini-series will center around Dr. Jiro Horikoshi, the chief engineer and designer behind the A6M Zero.

Here's looking at a very hot eBay item for those rabid Hayao Miyazaki fans out there... Thanks to Anime News Network for pointing the way to this story.