Minoru Toyoda
Description
Minoru Toyoda is a Japanese manga artist born on October 7, 1971, in Oshima, Tokyo. He made his professional debut in a commercial magazine in 2000 when his work "Leonies" received an honorable mention at the Afternoon Four Seasons Contest. His career gained further momentum in 2002 when he won the grand prize for "Love Roman." Toyoda is married to fellow manga artist Masako Tomii, and the couple has one daughter.
Toyoda is the creator of several notable manga series, many of which have been serialized in prominent publications such as Kodansha's Afternoon magazine and Shogakukan's Monthly Shonen Sunday. One of his early major works is "Love Roma," which began serialization in 2003 and was later published in five volumes in North America by Del Rey. Other completed serializations include "Friends 100 People Dekiru Kana" and the seven-volume series "Takehichan Items Romance." From September 2017 to July 2020, he serialized "Kongōji-san wa Mendōkusai" (Kongōji is Annoying) in Monthly Shonen Sunday, a series that was nominated for the 12th Manga Taisho awards in 2019.
His most acclaimed work to date is "Kore Kaite Shine" (Draw This and Die), which he launched in Shogakukan's Monthly Shonen Sunday magazine in November 2021. The manga is set on the Izu Oshima island, Toyoda's own birthplace, and follows a high school girl who loves to read manga and learns about both the joy and pain of creating it. The series has garnered significant critical recognition, winning the 16th Manga Taisho awards in 2023 and the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2025. It also ranked sixth on the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list for male readers in 2023. An anime television adaptation of "Kore Kaite Shine" has been announced and is scheduled to premiere in 2026, with Hiroaki Akagi directing at the animation studio Shin-Ei Animation.
Toyoda's artistic identity is characterized by a unique painting style and sensibility that distinguishes his work from his contemporaries. He is a known fan of Osamu Tezuka and employs a star system in his manga, a technique where recurring characters are treated as actors and appear in different roles across various works. His strong attachment to his hometown of Oshima frequently influences his work, as he often uses the location as a background for his stories. His contributions to the industry have been recognized with major awards, including the grand prize at the third Shine! Bros Comic Awards in 2010, affirming his reputation among both readers and fellow creators.
Toyoda is the creator of several notable manga series, many of which have been serialized in prominent publications such as Kodansha's Afternoon magazine and Shogakukan's Monthly Shonen Sunday. One of his early major works is "Love Roma," which began serialization in 2003 and was later published in five volumes in North America by Del Rey. Other completed serializations include "Friends 100 People Dekiru Kana" and the seven-volume series "Takehichan Items Romance." From September 2017 to July 2020, he serialized "Kongōji-san wa Mendōkusai" (Kongōji is Annoying) in Monthly Shonen Sunday, a series that was nominated for the 12th Manga Taisho awards in 2019.
His most acclaimed work to date is "Kore Kaite Shine" (Draw This and Die), which he launched in Shogakukan's Monthly Shonen Sunday magazine in November 2021. The manga is set on the Izu Oshima island, Toyoda's own birthplace, and follows a high school girl who loves to read manga and learns about both the joy and pain of creating it. The series has garnered significant critical recognition, winning the 16th Manga Taisho awards in 2023 and the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2025. It also ranked sixth on the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list for male readers in 2023. An anime television adaptation of "Kore Kaite Shine" has been announced and is scheduled to premiere in 2026, with Hiroaki Akagi directing at the animation studio Shin-Ei Animation.
Toyoda's artistic identity is characterized by a unique painting style and sensibility that distinguishes his work from his contemporaries. He is a known fan of Osamu Tezuka and employs a star system in his manga, a technique where recurring characters are treated as actors and appear in different roles across various works. His strong attachment to his hometown of Oshima frequently influences his work, as he often uses the location as a background for his stories. His contributions to the industry have been recognized with major awards, including the grand prize at the third Shine! Bros Comic Awards in 2010, affirming his reputation among both readers and fellow creators.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview