Hajime Musashino
Description
Hajime Musashino is a Japanese manga artist recognized as the original creator of the sports series Burning Kabaddi, also known as Shakunetsu Kabaddi. The National Diet Library of Japan formally lists him as a manga artist, confirming his professional standing in the industry.
Musashino began drawing manga around the age of twenty, but he did not make his professional debut until he was twenty-three years old. He initially left his job at that time without a specific plan to become a manga creator, but he decided to pursue the craft due to confidence in his artistic abilities and an attraction to the act of creating tangible work. Before his debut, he gained crucial experience by working as an assistant on the manga series Kengan Ashura when he was twenty-two. He has described this period as a valuable learning experience that helped him develop a strong foundation and learn how to draw muscular, powerful characters.
His most significant and defining work is Burning Kabaddi, a manga series centered on the contact sport of kabaddi, which originated in South Asia. The story follows Tatsuya Yoigoshi, a former star soccer player who has grown disillusioned with sports and is reluctantly drawn into the unfamiliar world of kabaddi. The manga was serialized on Shogakukan's Ura Sunday website and MangaONE app from July 2015 to July 2024. Over its nine-year run, Shogakukan compiled its chapters into thirty-one tankōbon volumes. In recognition of its quality, the series was a winner of the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2024.
The creation of Burning Kabaddi was a deliberate process. Musashino initially submitted a sample basketball manga to his editor at Shogakukan, but they collectively decided to search for a less conventional sport. They chose kabaddi because most people in Japan were unfamiliar with its rules, making it a unique subject for a manga. Musashino has stated that his primary inspirations for the series were the classic basketball manga Slam Dunk, which he credits as the gold standard for character development and story structure, and the manga Decathlon by Yoshihiro Yamada, which influenced his artistic expression of emotion.
The manga was adapted into an anime television series by TMS Entertainment, which aired for twelve episodes from April to June 2021. Musashino was involved in the anime's production, particularly in the casting process, where he and the production committee listened to numerous candidates for each role. He also reviewed all episode scripts, requested corrections to dialogue, and consulted with the character designer on multiple occasions. However, he deliberately chose not to involve himself too deeply, acknowledging that anime production was not his specialty.
A notable characteristic of his creative identity is the near-absence of significant female characters in Burning Kabaddi. When asked about this, Musashino explained that many sports manga feature female characters who do not play important roles in the story, and he felt it made more sense to focus simply on the male characters and the sport itself. He also noted that his previous work provided few opportunities to draw female characters. He had once planned a story arc about a girls' kabaddi team but continually postponed it and later considered it unlikely to be used.
Musashino's industry significance is tied to his role in popularizing an obscure sport through manga. He has expressed that he was attracted to the idea of being the first person to create a manga about kabaddi. His work has introduced the sport's rules and appeal to a wider audience, and he has hoped that readers might become interested enough to play or pursue it professionally, noting that the barrier to entry for kabaddi in Japan is relatively low compared to more established sports. He does not play kabaddi himself but relies on imagination and observation of real matches to create compelling scenarios. His early experience as an assistant on Kengan Ashura also helped shape his ability to draw intense, muscular physiques, which is a hallmark of his artistic style in Burning Kabaddi.
Musashino began drawing manga around the age of twenty, but he did not make his professional debut until he was twenty-three years old. He initially left his job at that time without a specific plan to become a manga creator, but he decided to pursue the craft due to confidence in his artistic abilities and an attraction to the act of creating tangible work. Before his debut, he gained crucial experience by working as an assistant on the manga series Kengan Ashura when he was twenty-two. He has described this period as a valuable learning experience that helped him develop a strong foundation and learn how to draw muscular, powerful characters.
His most significant and defining work is Burning Kabaddi, a manga series centered on the contact sport of kabaddi, which originated in South Asia. The story follows Tatsuya Yoigoshi, a former star soccer player who has grown disillusioned with sports and is reluctantly drawn into the unfamiliar world of kabaddi. The manga was serialized on Shogakukan's Ura Sunday website and MangaONE app from July 2015 to July 2024. Over its nine-year run, Shogakukan compiled its chapters into thirty-one tankōbon volumes. In recognition of its quality, the series was a winner of the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2024.
The creation of Burning Kabaddi was a deliberate process. Musashino initially submitted a sample basketball manga to his editor at Shogakukan, but they collectively decided to search for a less conventional sport. They chose kabaddi because most people in Japan were unfamiliar with its rules, making it a unique subject for a manga. Musashino has stated that his primary inspirations for the series were the classic basketball manga Slam Dunk, which he credits as the gold standard for character development and story structure, and the manga Decathlon by Yoshihiro Yamada, which influenced his artistic expression of emotion.
The manga was adapted into an anime television series by TMS Entertainment, which aired for twelve episodes from April to June 2021. Musashino was involved in the anime's production, particularly in the casting process, where he and the production committee listened to numerous candidates for each role. He also reviewed all episode scripts, requested corrections to dialogue, and consulted with the character designer on multiple occasions. However, he deliberately chose not to involve himself too deeply, acknowledging that anime production was not his specialty.
A notable characteristic of his creative identity is the near-absence of significant female characters in Burning Kabaddi. When asked about this, Musashino explained that many sports manga feature female characters who do not play important roles in the story, and he felt it made more sense to focus simply on the male characters and the sport itself. He also noted that his previous work provided few opportunities to draw female characters. He had once planned a story arc about a girls' kabaddi team but continually postponed it and later considered it unlikely to be used.
Musashino's industry significance is tied to his role in popularizing an obscure sport through manga. He has expressed that he was attracted to the idea of being the first person to create a manga about kabaddi. His work has introduced the sport's rules and appeal to a wider audience, and he has hoped that readers might become interested enough to play or pursue it professionally, noting that the barrier to entry for kabaddi in Japan is relatively low compared to more established sports. He does not play kabaddi himself but relies on imagination and observation of real matches to create compelling scenarios. His early experience as an assistant on Kengan Ashura also helped shape his ability to draw intense, muscular physiques, which is a hallmark of his artistic style in Burning Kabaddi.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview