Takeshi Hinata
Description
Takeshi Hinata is a Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of the long-running basketball manga Ahiru no Sora. Born in 1972 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Hinata initially pursued an interest in filmmaking before relocating to Tokyo, where he shifted his focus to becoming a manga artist around the age of twenty five. His early career included work as an assistant to several established artists, including Toru Fujisawa of Great Teacher Onizuka fame, though he found the workload overwhelming, and later Masashi Asaki, known for Psychometrer Eiji.
Hinata made his professional debut in 1998 when his one shot Three Out Change won the 61st Weekly Shonen Magazine Newcomer's Manga Award. His first serialized work, Howling, was published in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2001 but was discontinued after two volumes. He achieved significant success with his next series, Ahiru no Sora, which began serialization in Weekly Shonen Magazine in December 2003. The manga, a sports story centered on a short but passionate high school basketball player named Sora Kurumatani, became his signature work. As of June 2019, the series had been compiled into fifty one tankobon volumes, and Hinata announced in January 2019 that the story had entered its final arc.
Ahiru no Sora received a fifty episode anime television adaptation produced by the studio Diomedéa, which aired from October 2019 to September 2020. The series was directed by Shingo Tamaki with Keizō Kusakawa as chief director. Prior to his manga career, Hinata was active in sports, having practiced kendo in junior high school and serving as the captain of the rowing club in high school, where his team competed in the Inter High Tournament. His wife is a former classmate from his rowing club.
In terms of his artistic identity, Hinata has been open about the physical demands of his work, revealing that he has suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome since around the publication of the twenty second volume of Ahiru no Sora. He is also known for mentoring other artists; notable manga creators who worked as his assistants include Toshio Sako of Usogui, Kei Sasuga of Domestic Girlfriend, and Kouji Miura of Blue Box. His career is notable for the longevity of Ahiru no Sora, which has been serialized for over two decades, establishing him as a significant figure in sports manga within Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine.
Hinata made his professional debut in 1998 when his one shot Three Out Change won the 61st Weekly Shonen Magazine Newcomer's Manga Award. His first serialized work, Howling, was published in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2001 but was discontinued after two volumes. He achieved significant success with his next series, Ahiru no Sora, which began serialization in Weekly Shonen Magazine in December 2003. The manga, a sports story centered on a short but passionate high school basketball player named Sora Kurumatani, became his signature work. As of June 2019, the series had been compiled into fifty one tankobon volumes, and Hinata announced in January 2019 that the story had entered its final arc.
Ahiru no Sora received a fifty episode anime television adaptation produced by the studio Diomedéa, which aired from October 2019 to September 2020. The series was directed by Shingo Tamaki with Keizō Kusakawa as chief director. Prior to his manga career, Hinata was active in sports, having practiced kendo in junior high school and serving as the captain of the rowing club in high school, where his team competed in the Inter High Tournament. His wife is a former classmate from his rowing club.
In terms of his artistic identity, Hinata has been open about the physical demands of his work, revealing that he has suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome since around the publication of the twenty second volume of Ahiru no Sora. He is also known for mentoring other artists; notable manga creators who worked as his assistants include Toshio Sako of Usogui, Kei Sasuga of Domestic Girlfriend, and Kouji Miura of Blue Box. His career is notable for the longevity of Ahiru no Sora, which has been serialized for over two decades, establishing him as a significant figure in sports manga within Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview