Maki Murakami
Description
Maki Murakami is a Japanese manga artist born on May 24 in Otaru, Hokkaidō. She is best known as the creator of the influential boys love manga Gravitation, which was serialized from 1996 to 2002. Her career as a professional artist began in 1995 with the work Narushito no Genki, published in the magazine Kimi to Boku. Before her professional debut, she started drawing manga as an assistant while still in high school and produced many dōjinshi focused on musicians.
Murakami's most significant work, Gravitation, follows the story of aspiring singer Shuichi Shindo and his attempts to achieve musical stardom while winning the heart of the novelist Eiri Yuki. The manga was published by Gentosha and has been licensed for English release in North America by Tokyopop. The series was adapted into a two-episode original video animation (OVA) titled Gravitation: Lyrics of Love, which was released in 1999 and directed by Shinichi Watanabe. The OVA predates the broadcast television series. A thirteen-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired from October 2000 to January 2001. In these adaptations, Murakami is credited as the original creator, as the works are based on her manga.
Beyond Gravitation, Murakami has created several other manga series. Kanpai! was published by Gentosha in 2001. Gamerz Heaven was serialized in Comic Blade from 2003 to 2005. She continued the Gravitation storyline with a sequel titled Gravitation EX, which was serialized from 2004 to 2011 and has been published in two volumes. A one-shot titled Shindo Family Circumstances was published in 2014, followed by a series of the same name. Murakami also produces dōjinshi, or self-published works, under her dōjinshi circle Crocodile Avenue. These include Gravitation Remix and Gravitation Megamix, which are more sexually explicit than the original manga and explore different character dynamics and storylines. On December 31, 2020, she began releasing works on the Japanese dōjinshi site DLsite under the pen name sin.
Recurring elements in Murakami's artistic identity include a focus on the boys love genre, dramatic and comedic storytelling, and a distinct visual style. Her works often feature musicians and explore the tensions in intense romantic relationships. She has a noted history of producing both commercial manga and explicit dōjinshi that allow her to explore themes not present in her mainstream publications.
Maki Murakami holds significant industry importance as a pioneer who helped bring boys love manga to a wider international audience. Gravitation was one of the first yaoi and shōnen-ai series to break into the mainstream market, paving the way for the genre's subsequent popularity outside Japan. The manga and its anime adaptations were among the first of their kind to be widely licensed and distributed in North America and other regions. Murakami is known to be a private person who is shy about being photographed, a condition that was specified for her appearance at the Otakon 2007 convention. She is married and has a daughter.
Murakami's most significant work, Gravitation, follows the story of aspiring singer Shuichi Shindo and his attempts to achieve musical stardom while winning the heart of the novelist Eiri Yuki. The manga was published by Gentosha and has been licensed for English release in North America by Tokyopop. The series was adapted into a two-episode original video animation (OVA) titled Gravitation: Lyrics of Love, which was released in 1999 and directed by Shinichi Watanabe. The OVA predates the broadcast television series. A thirteen-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired from October 2000 to January 2001. In these adaptations, Murakami is credited as the original creator, as the works are based on her manga.
Beyond Gravitation, Murakami has created several other manga series. Kanpai! was published by Gentosha in 2001. Gamerz Heaven was serialized in Comic Blade from 2003 to 2005. She continued the Gravitation storyline with a sequel titled Gravitation EX, which was serialized from 2004 to 2011 and has been published in two volumes. A one-shot titled Shindo Family Circumstances was published in 2014, followed by a series of the same name. Murakami also produces dōjinshi, or self-published works, under her dōjinshi circle Crocodile Avenue. These include Gravitation Remix and Gravitation Megamix, which are more sexually explicit than the original manga and explore different character dynamics and storylines. On December 31, 2020, she began releasing works on the Japanese dōjinshi site DLsite under the pen name sin.
Recurring elements in Murakami's artistic identity include a focus on the boys love genre, dramatic and comedic storytelling, and a distinct visual style. Her works often feature musicians and explore the tensions in intense romantic relationships. She has a noted history of producing both commercial manga and explicit dōjinshi that allow her to explore themes not present in her mainstream publications.
Maki Murakami holds significant industry importance as a pioneer who helped bring boys love manga to a wider international audience. Gravitation was one of the first yaoi and shōnen-ai series to break into the mainstream market, paving the way for the genre's subsequent popularity outside Japan. The manga and its anime adaptations were among the first of their kind to be widely licensed and distributed in North America and other regions. Murakami is known to be a private person who is shy about being photographed, a condition that was specified for her appearance at the Otakon 2007 convention. She is married and has a daughter.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview