Kana Mafune
Description
Kana Mafune is a Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of the series On Air Dekinai!. Mafune is noted for working as an employee of the television broadcaster BS TV Tokyo, a professional background that directly informs the content of her creative work. Her professional experience in the television industry serves as the foundation for her artistic identity.
Mafune's primary notable work is the manga On Air Dekinai!, which translates to We Can't Go On Air!. The manga was first published in 2017 and released as a single tankōbon volume by Asahi Shimbun Publishing in October of that year under their Sonorama+ Comics imprint. The series is classified as an essay manga, a genre that draws directly from the author's real-life experiences, similar to an autobiography, to discuss various topics. The story is set in 2014 and follows a protagonist named Mafuneko, a 23-year-old newly hired assistant director at a fictional television station called Tokyo Hajikko Television. The narrative chronicles her struggles with the chaotic, unglamorous, and often absurd behind-the-scenes reality of television production, which contrasts sharply with the glamorous image she had imagined. The protagonist's name and circumstances strongly suggest a self-representation of the author.
Following the success of the first volume, Mafune created a sequel manga titled On Air Dekinai! Deep. This sequel was serialized online via Asahi Shimbun Publishing's Sonorama Plus website between January 2019 and 2020, and was also collected into a single tankōbon volume in March 2020. The manga is categorized with demographics including seinen, and genres such as comedy, slice of life, and drama.
In November 2021, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation. The anime adaptation, which covers both the original manga and its sequel, was produced by the animation studios Jinnan Studio and Space Neko Company. It was directed and written by Jun Aoki, with music composed by Junpei Yamada. The series aired in Japan from January 10 to March 28, 2022, on BS TV Tokyo, TV Tokyo, and AT-X. The anime features voice actors You Taichi as Mafuneko, Yasuhiro Mamiya as Director Onigawara, Riho Sugiyama as Yori-chan, and Yuuya Hirose as Chief AD Yokoyama.
The recurring themes and artistic identity of Kana Mafune are centered on workplace comedy derived from authentic, first-hand experience. Her work is significant as an insider's account of the Japanese television industry, presented through a humorous and often self-deprecating lens. The path from a manga drawn in a notebook during work to a published volume and subsequent anime adaptation illustrates the unique potential of the essay manga genre. Mafune's standing as a current industry professional who creates fiction based on her reality gives her work a distinctive voice and a grounded perspective within the broader landscape of anime and manga about media production.
Mafune's primary notable work is the manga On Air Dekinai!, which translates to We Can't Go On Air!. The manga was first published in 2017 and released as a single tankōbon volume by Asahi Shimbun Publishing in October of that year under their Sonorama+ Comics imprint. The series is classified as an essay manga, a genre that draws directly from the author's real-life experiences, similar to an autobiography, to discuss various topics. The story is set in 2014 and follows a protagonist named Mafuneko, a 23-year-old newly hired assistant director at a fictional television station called Tokyo Hajikko Television. The narrative chronicles her struggles with the chaotic, unglamorous, and often absurd behind-the-scenes reality of television production, which contrasts sharply with the glamorous image she had imagined. The protagonist's name and circumstances strongly suggest a self-representation of the author.
Following the success of the first volume, Mafune created a sequel manga titled On Air Dekinai! Deep. This sequel was serialized online via Asahi Shimbun Publishing's Sonorama Plus website between January 2019 and 2020, and was also collected into a single tankōbon volume in March 2020. The manga is categorized with demographics including seinen, and genres such as comedy, slice of life, and drama.
In November 2021, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation. The anime adaptation, which covers both the original manga and its sequel, was produced by the animation studios Jinnan Studio and Space Neko Company. It was directed and written by Jun Aoki, with music composed by Junpei Yamada. The series aired in Japan from January 10 to March 28, 2022, on BS TV Tokyo, TV Tokyo, and AT-X. The anime features voice actors You Taichi as Mafuneko, Yasuhiro Mamiya as Director Onigawara, Riho Sugiyama as Yori-chan, and Yuuya Hirose as Chief AD Yokoyama.
The recurring themes and artistic identity of Kana Mafune are centered on workplace comedy derived from authentic, first-hand experience. Her work is significant as an insider's account of the Japanese television industry, presented through a humorous and often self-deprecating lens. The path from a manga drawn in a notebook during work to a published volume and subsequent anime adaptation illustrates the unique potential of the essay manga genre. Mafune's standing as a current industry professional who creates fiction based on her reality gives her work a distinctive voice and a grounded perspective within the broader landscape of anime and manga about media production.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview