Hajime Isayama

Hajime Isayama
Born August 29, 1986 (age 28)
Ōyama, Ōita, Japan
Occupation Manga artist
Years active 2006–present
Notable work Attack on Titan
Awards Kodansha Manga Award (2011)

Hajime Isayama (諫山 創 Isayama Hajime, born August 29, 1986) is a Japanese manga artist from Ōyama, Ōita. His first and currently ongoing series, Attack on Titan, is experiencing success with 45 million copies in circulation as of November 2014.[1] He has mentioned Tsutomu Nihei, Ryōji Minagawa, Kentaro Miura, Hideki Arai, and Tōru Mitsumine as artists he respects, and stated that the manga that had the biggest influence on him was ARMS.[2]

Biography

Isayama was born in Ōyama, Ōita Prefecture, Japan, which is now part of Hita. It was in high school, Hita Rinko Senior High School, that he began submitting manga works to contests.[3] After graduating, he matriculated in the manga design program of the arts department at Kyushu Designer Gakuin. In 2006, he applied for the Magazine Grand Prix known as MGP promoted by Kodansha Ltd. and his work "Attack on Titan" (Shingeki no Kyojin) was given the "Fine Work" award.[4] At age twenty, he moved to Tokyo and worked at an internet cafe in order to pursue a career in manga.[3][5] This one-shot would later be included in the series' guidebook and included with the first Blu-ray of the anime adaptation.[6]

Originally, he also offered his work to the Weekly Shōnen Jump department at Shueisha, where he was advised to modify his style and story to be more suitable for Weekly Shōnen Jump. He declined and instead, decided to take it to the Weekly Shōnen Magazine department at Kodansha Ltd.[7]

In 2008, he applied for the 80th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award, where his work "Heart Break One" was given the Special Encouragement Award. His other work, "orz", was chosen as a selected work in the same contest the following year.

In 2009, his first serial work Attack on Titan began in the monthly Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine. It won the Shōnen category of the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in 2011,[8] and was nominated for both the 4th annual Manga Taishō award and the 16th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.[9][10] Attack on Titan has inspired four spin-off manga series, two light novel series, a television anime adaptation, several visual novels, a video game, and a two-part live-action film that is in production. The resort Bungo Oyama Hibiki no Sato in his hometown of Ōyama, ran a free exhibit displaying copies of Isayama's manuscripts for the manga in 2013.[5] A special Attack on Titan event was held in Hita on November 1, 2014, with Isayama and approximately 2,500 spectators attending. The following day, Isayama gave a speech at the Patria Hita cultural hall and was officially named the Tourism Ambassador of Hita by the city's mayor Keisuke Harada.[1]

Works

Awards

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Attack on Titan Creator Named Tourism Ambassador of Hometown". Anime News Network. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  2. ↑ "Interview with Attack on Titan Creator Hajime Isayama". MTV. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "'Attack on Titan' author expresses fears through popular boys' manga". Asahi Shimbun. 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  4. ↑ "7月期MGP結果大発表!!". 講談社コミックプラス. Kodansha. 2009. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "'Attack on Titan' exhibition held in manga artist Hajime Isayama's hometown". Asahi Shimbun. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  6. ↑ "1st Attack on Titan Blu-ray/DVD to Bundle Manga 'Prototype'". Anime News Network. 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  7. ↑ Isayama, Hajime. "Transformation!!!!". Retrieved 2013-05-22.
  8. ↑ "ANIME NEWS: 'Attack On Titan' anime adaptation to hit the small screen in spring". Asahi Shimbun. 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  9. ↑ "13 Titles Nominated for 4th Manga Taisho Awards". Anime News Network. 2011-01-16. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  10. ↑ "16th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Nominees Announced". Anime News Network. 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2013-11-02.

External links