Hirukuma
Description
Hirukuma is a Japanese author known for creating the light novel, manga, and anime series Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon. The author began by publishing a web novel version of the series on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō, where it ran from March 3, 2016, to December 18, 2016. Later that same year, the series was acquired by Kadokawa Shoten for publication as a light novel, with the first volume released on August 1, 2016. The light novel originally featured illustrations by Itsuwa Kato, while a revised edition later featured illustrations by Yūki Hagure.
The author’s path to professional publication was shaped by personal circumstances. In the afterword of the first light novel volume, Hirukuma explained that he had spent years helping with his father’s independent business before his father died from a high fall, an event that also left the author with acrophobia. After closing the business, he began pursuing a writing career. For four years, he submitted various works on Shōsetsuka ni Narō without commercial success, including another isekai story and a near-future battle novel. He described Reborn as a Vending Machine as a final effort, written without adjusting for reader expectations or carefully constructing a plot based on market trends, instead focusing on pursuing his own style. This approach resulted in his most popular work and ultimately led to its professional publication.
Hirukuma is credited as the original creator for the manga adaptation of Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, which began serialization in ASCII Media Works’ shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on August 27, 2021, with illustration by Kunieda. The author is also credited for the anime television series adaptation, which was produced by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ. The first season aired from July to September 2023, and a second season aired from July to September 2025. Both the light novel and manga have been licensed in English by Yen Press.
The author’s creative identity is closely tied to the highly original concept of Reborn as a Vending Machine, which follows a protagonist reincarnated as a sentient vending machine in a fantasy dungeon world. Hirukuma has written about how this work represented a shift toward writing what he personally wanted to create rather than what he believed readers expected, and he noted that this pursuit of his own style garnered the most popularity among his works. This artistic approach, combined with the unconventional premise, has contributed to the series receiving critical praise for its unique take on the isekai genre.
In terms of industry significance, Reborn as a Vending Machine represents a successful example of a web novel that transitioned to professional light novel publication and subsequently expanded into manga and multiple anime seasons, demonstrating the viability of unconventional premises within the isekai genre. The author’s background as a writer who found success after years of effort on a user-generated novel platform also reflects broader trends in contemporary Japanese publishing, where online platforms have become significant avenues for discovering new authors and launching multimedia franchises.
The author’s path to professional publication was shaped by personal circumstances. In the afterword of the first light novel volume, Hirukuma explained that he had spent years helping with his father’s independent business before his father died from a high fall, an event that also left the author with acrophobia. After closing the business, he began pursuing a writing career. For four years, he submitted various works on Shōsetsuka ni Narō without commercial success, including another isekai story and a near-future battle novel. He described Reborn as a Vending Machine as a final effort, written without adjusting for reader expectations or carefully constructing a plot based on market trends, instead focusing on pursuing his own style. This approach resulted in his most popular work and ultimately led to its professional publication.
Hirukuma is credited as the original creator for the manga adaptation of Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, which began serialization in ASCII Media Works’ shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on August 27, 2021, with illustration by Kunieda. The author is also credited for the anime television series adaptation, which was produced by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ. The first season aired from July to September 2023, and a second season aired from July to September 2025. Both the light novel and manga have been licensed in English by Yen Press.
The author’s creative identity is closely tied to the highly original concept of Reborn as a Vending Machine, which follows a protagonist reincarnated as a sentient vending machine in a fantasy dungeon world. Hirukuma has written about how this work represented a shift toward writing what he personally wanted to create rather than what he believed readers expected, and he noted that this pursuit of his own style garnered the most popularity among his works. This artistic approach, combined with the unconventional premise, has contributed to the series receiving critical praise for its unique take on the isekai genre.
In terms of industry significance, Reborn as a Vending Machine represents a successful example of a web novel that transitioned to professional light novel publication and subsequently expanded into manga and multiple anime seasons, demonstrating the viability of unconventional premises within the isekai genre. The author’s background as a writer who found success after years of effort on a user-generated novel platform also reflects broader trends in contemporary Japanese publishing, where online platforms have become significant avenues for discovering new authors and launching multimedia franchises.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Manga overview