Itaru Bonnoki
Description
Itaru Bonnoki is a Japanese manga artist born on July 3, 1990, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He is best known as the original creator of the supernatural horror comedy manga and anime series The Vampire Dies in No Time, known in Japanese as Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu.
Bonnoki made his professional debut as a mangaka in 2013. His debut work was a one-shot version of The Vampire Dies in No Time, which he submitted to Akita Shoten's "Joint Newcomer Manga Award" where it received an honorable mention. The same one-shot was subsequently published in the 30th issue of Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine that same year, marking the beginning of his career. After experiencing creative difficulties following his debut, Bonnoki worked as an assistant to the acclaimed manga artist ONE, known for One-Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100. Bonnoki has publicly credited ONE as a major influence on his work, stating that his series would not exist in its current form without the experience and mentorship he gained in that role.
Bonnoki's primary and most notable work is The Vampire Dies in No Time, a serialized manga that began publication in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion on June 25, 2015, and is collected under the Shōnen Champion Comics imprint. The series remains ongoing, though as of August 2024 it entered a long-term hiatus due to the author's health issues. The manga has also spawned a spin-off series titled Almost Daily Armadillo John, which centers on a popular character from the main series.
The commercial and popular success of the manga led to an anime television adaptation produced by the studio Madhouse. The first season of The Vampire Dies in No Time aired from October to December 2021, and a second season followed from January to March 2023. Bonnoki is credited as the original work's creator for both anime productions, and his creative involvement extended to providing lyrics for character songs featured in the anime, including Vamone-san no Theme for the first season and Wakatteta yo for the second season. The official soundtrack for the second season also planned to feature original cover art drawn by Bonnoki.
The artistic identity of Itaru Bonnoki is closely tied to gag comedy and the deconstruction of familiar supernatural tropes. The Vampire Dies in No Time is characterized by its rapid-fire humor, absurdist situations, and the subversion of traditional vampire lore, where the supposedly invincible vampire lord Draluc is, in fact, incredibly fragile and turns to dust at the slightest provocation, only to immediately revive. Bonnoki has directly acknowledged his artistic debt to his former mentor ONE, noting that the structure of the protagonist's agency in his own work was directly inspired by ONE's series Mob Psycho 100.
In terms of industry significance, Bonnoki represents a successful career trajectory from an amateur award winner to a published serialized author with a multi-season anime adaptation. In late 2022, Bonnoki publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with a spinal condition known as ossification of the yellow ligament, which had been causing him significant back pain and was expected to require a complicated surgical procedure. This health condition has impacted the publication schedule of his ongoing manga series.
Bonnoki made his professional debut as a mangaka in 2013. His debut work was a one-shot version of The Vampire Dies in No Time, which he submitted to Akita Shoten's "Joint Newcomer Manga Award" where it received an honorable mention. The same one-shot was subsequently published in the 30th issue of Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine that same year, marking the beginning of his career. After experiencing creative difficulties following his debut, Bonnoki worked as an assistant to the acclaimed manga artist ONE, known for One-Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100. Bonnoki has publicly credited ONE as a major influence on his work, stating that his series would not exist in its current form without the experience and mentorship he gained in that role.
Bonnoki's primary and most notable work is The Vampire Dies in No Time, a serialized manga that began publication in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion on June 25, 2015, and is collected under the Shōnen Champion Comics imprint. The series remains ongoing, though as of August 2024 it entered a long-term hiatus due to the author's health issues. The manga has also spawned a spin-off series titled Almost Daily Armadillo John, which centers on a popular character from the main series.
The commercial and popular success of the manga led to an anime television adaptation produced by the studio Madhouse. The first season of The Vampire Dies in No Time aired from October to December 2021, and a second season followed from January to March 2023. Bonnoki is credited as the original work's creator for both anime productions, and his creative involvement extended to providing lyrics for character songs featured in the anime, including Vamone-san no Theme for the first season and Wakatteta yo for the second season. The official soundtrack for the second season also planned to feature original cover art drawn by Bonnoki.
The artistic identity of Itaru Bonnoki is closely tied to gag comedy and the deconstruction of familiar supernatural tropes. The Vampire Dies in No Time is characterized by its rapid-fire humor, absurdist situations, and the subversion of traditional vampire lore, where the supposedly invincible vampire lord Draluc is, in fact, incredibly fragile and turns to dust at the slightest provocation, only to immediately revive. Bonnoki has directly acknowledged his artistic debt to his former mentor ONE, noting that the structure of the protagonist's agency in his own work was directly inspired by ONE's series Mob Psycho 100.
In terms of industry significance, Bonnoki represents a successful career trajectory from an amateur award winner to a published serialized author with a multi-season anime adaptation. In late 2022, Bonnoki publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with a spinal condition known as ossification of the yellow ligament, which had been causing him significant back pain and was expected to require a complicated surgical procedure. This health condition has impacted the publication schedule of his ongoing manga series.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview