Kafka Asagiri
Description
Kafka Asagiri is a Japanese manga author, scenario writer, and novelist, best known as the creator of the multimedia franchise Bungo Stray Dogs. Born on March 17, 1984, in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, Asagiri chose his professional pseudonym as a reference to the renowned Czech writer Franz Kafka.
Asagiri originally worked as a salaryman for an automobile company. While in his second or third year at that job, he began thinking about becoming a scenario writer but found the demanding schedule left him unable to write. He left the company in early 2012 to pursue a creative career. After his resignation, he started uploading videos to the platform Nico Nico Douga, including a popular series titled Yukkuri Youmu and the Really Scary Cthulhu Mythos. Approximately four months after uploading the video, he was approached by an editor from Monthly Shōnen Ace, which led to a meeting that launched his professional manga career.
Asagiri made his commercial debut as a manga scenario writer in December 2012 with the serialization of Bungo Stray Dogs in Kadokawa's Young Ace magazine, with illustrations provided by Sango Harukawa. The series reimagines famous literary authors from history as young adults with supernatural abilities tied to their real-life works. Prior to the manga's publication, Asagiri wrote a light novel prequel titled Bungo Stray Dogs: Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam, which was released in 2014. He has continued to author numerous light novels expanding the franchise's universe, including Bungo Stray Dogs: 55 Minutes, Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chūya, Fifteen Years Old, and Bungo Stray Dogs: Storm Bringer.
Beyond the main series, Asagiri has been credited for several spin-off manga. He is the original creator of Bungo Stray Dogs: Another Story - Yukito Ayatsuji vs. Natsuhiko Kyogoku, illustrated by Oyoyo, and Bungo Stray Dogs: Woof!, a comedic spin-off illustrated by Neco Kanai. He also wrote the original novels for Guilty Children, a series about children fighting giant monsters, which later received a manga adaptation. Other works include Ayane Shionomiya Cannot Be Wrong! and a contribution to the Ghost in the Shell Novel Anthology.
Asagiri has been actively involved in the anime adaptation of Bungo Stray Dogs, produced by Studio Bones. He participates in every script meeting to review changes and discuss the adaptation, though he generally allows the animation staff creative freedom, noting that he is a professional writer but not a professional animator. The anime series has run for multiple seasons, with the fifth season airing in 2023.
Asagiri has cited a wide range of influences on his work. He has stated that the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure influenced him while creating Bungo Stray Dogs. He also enjoyed reading YuYu Hakusho and Black Lagoon, with a line from Black Lagoon serving as a motivating factor for his career change. He is a fan of the Dragon Quest game series and was addicted to RPG Maker software in his youth, where he constantly created stories. He draws inspiration from films, including The Avengers, and from Western television series such as The Mentalist. He has also cited literary works, including Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human and Shūsaku Endō's Ryūgaku.
His creative process involves writing rough storyboards called name, which include simple artwork and dialogue, and then passing them to illustrator Sango Harukawa, who polishes them into the final manga. Asagiri has stated that approximately ninety percent of Harukawa's first drafts are used as the final character designs, with Chūya Nakahara being a notable exception that required extensive back-and-forth. He has also mentioned that he typically works only three hours per day, believing that creative output has a natural daily limit.
The Bungo Stray Dogs franchise has expanded into a significant multimedia property, including the manga, light novels, anime television series, an anime film titled Dead Apple, stage plays, and mobile games. Asagiri has supervised scenarios for game collaborations and contributed drama CDs to the franchise. He has appeared as a guest of honor at international events such as Anime Expo 2023.
Asagiri originally worked as a salaryman for an automobile company. While in his second or third year at that job, he began thinking about becoming a scenario writer but found the demanding schedule left him unable to write. He left the company in early 2012 to pursue a creative career. After his resignation, he started uploading videos to the platform Nico Nico Douga, including a popular series titled Yukkuri Youmu and the Really Scary Cthulhu Mythos. Approximately four months after uploading the video, he was approached by an editor from Monthly Shōnen Ace, which led to a meeting that launched his professional manga career.
Asagiri made his commercial debut as a manga scenario writer in December 2012 with the serialization of Bungo Stray Dogs in Kadokawa's Young Ace magazine, with illustrations provided by Sango Harukawa. The series reimagines famous literary authors from history as young adults with supernatural abilities tied to their real-life works. Prior to the manga's publication, Asagiri wrote a light novel prequel titled Bungo Stray Dogs: Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam, which was released in 2014. He has continued to author numerous light novels expanding the franchise's universe, including Bungo Stray Dogs: 55 Minutes, Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chūya, Fifteen Years Old, and Bungo Stray Dogs: Storm Bringer.
Beyond the main series, Asagiri has been credited for several spin-off manga. He is the original creator of Bungo Stray Dogs: Another Story - Yukito Ayatsuji vs. Natsuhiko Kyogoku, illustrated by Oyoyo, and Bungo Stray Dogs: Woof!, a comedic spin-off illustrated by Neco Kanai. He also wrote the original novels for Guilty Children, a series about children fighting giant monsters, which later received a manga adaptation. Other works include Ayane Shionomiya Cannot Be Wrong! and a contribution to the Ghost in the Shell Novel Anthology.
Asagiri has been actively involved in the anime adaptation of Bungo Stray Dogs, produced by Studio Bones. He participates in every script meeting to review changes and discuss the adaptation, though he generally allows the animation staff creative freedom, noting that he is a professional writer but not a professional animator. The anime series has run for multiple seasons, with the fifth season airing in 2023.
Asagiri has cited a wide range of influences on his work. He has stated that the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure influenced him while creating Bungo Stray Dogs. He also enjoyed reading YuYu Hakusho and Black Lagoon, with a line from Black Lagoon serving as a motivating factor for his career change. He is a fan of the Dragon Quest game series and was addicted to RPG Maker software in his youth, where he constantly created stories. He draws inspiration from films, including The Avengers, and from Western television series such as The Mentalist. He has also cited literary works, including Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human and Shūsaku Endō's Ryūgaku.
His creative process involves writing rough storyboards called name, which include simple artwork and dialogue, and then passing them to illustrator Sango Harukawa, who polishes them into the final manga. Asagiri has stated that approximately ninety percent of Harukawa's first drafts are used as the final character designs, with Chūya Nakahara being a notable exception that required extensive back-and-forth. He has also mentioned that he typically works only three hours per day, believing that creative output has a natural daily limit.
The Bungo Stray Dogs franchise has expanded into a significant multimedia property, including the manga, light novels, anime television series, an anime film titled Dead Apple, stage plays, and mobile games. Asagiri has supervised scenarios for game collaborations and contributed drama CDs to the franchise. He has appeared as a guest of honor at international events such as Anime Expo 2023.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Manga overview
- Topics: Manga overview