Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro
島袋 光年
Born (1975-05-19) May 19, 1975 (age 48)
Naha, Okinawa, Japan
OccupationManga artist
Years active1996–present
Known forSeikimatsu Leader den Takeshi!,
Toriko
AwardsAkatsuka Award,
Shogakukan Manga Award (2001)

Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro (島袋 光年, Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi, born May 19, 1975) is a Japanese manga artist. He first gained success with his comedy series Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi! (1997–2002), but is better known for Toriko which was serialized from 2008 to 2016 and has over 25 million copies in circulation. He ranked 14th on Nikkei Entertainment's list of the most successful manga artists between 2010 and 2011.[1]

Career

Shimabukuro was born in Naha, Okinawa, and made his debut as a professional artist in 1996, in Weekly Shōnen Jump. His first serial, Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi! (1997–2002), earned him the Akatsuka Award for best new manga writer and the 2001 Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga.[2]

In 2002, he was arrested and convicted of violating child prostitution laws, including paying a 16-year-old girl ¥80,000 to have sex.[3][4][5][6] As a result of the arrest, Seikimatsu Leader Den Takeshi! was cancelled by Weekly Shōnen Jump.[7] Shimabukuro was sentenced to two years in prison. However, the sentence was suspended for four years.[4]

In 2004, Shimabukuro returned to manga with a sports comedy, Ring, which continued for 3 volumes (24 chapters) in Super Jump magazine. He then temporarily resumed serialization of Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi! in Super Jump in 2005. Shimabukuro returned to work for Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2008 with Toriko.[8] It became one of the magazine's top sellers, with over 25 million copies in circulation,[9] and was nominated for the 2nd Manga Taishō award in 2009.[10] Toriko was adapted into an anime television series by Toei Animation that aired from 2011 to 2014 before the manga ended in November 2016.[11] The manga was released in North America by Viz Media and the anime by Funimation.

Shimabukuro is friends with Eiichiro Oda, author of One Piece.[12] In 2011, the two created the Toriko and One Piece crossover one-shot Taste of the Devil Fruit. Shimabukuro stated that he came up with the bulk of the story while Oda gave suggestions.[13]

Shimabukuro published two one-shots in April 2017; Warai no Ōji Penpenpen for Saikyō Jump on April 1 and Chingiri in Weekly Shōnen Jump on April 24.[14][15] He then contributed two more one-shots to the September 2017 issue of Grand Jump; Jijī 100% and Halftime.[16]

In April 2018, Shimabukuro released a one-shot called Build King in Weekly Shonen Jump. In November 2020, the one-shot became a serial in the same magazine.[17][18] In December, Shimabukuro revealed that he has switched to digital production of manga.[19] Build King ended in an April 2021 issue, but its third and final tankōbon will feature additional content.[20]

Works

References

  1. ^ Top 50 Manga Creators by Sales Since 2010
  2. ^ 小学館漫画賞: 歴代受賞者 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  3. ^ "Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro Arrested". Anime News Network. 7 August 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Mangaka Convicted and Sentenced for Schoolgirl Sex "Romp"". Anime News Network. 1 November 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  5. ^ 児童買春で漫画家再逮捕 神奈川県警 (in Japanese). Anti Pornographic and Prostitution Research Group. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  6. ^ 漫画家の島袋光年被告に有罪判決 児童買春で横浜地裁 (in Japanese). Anti Pornographic and Prostitution Research Group. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Journalista!: Award-winning manga artist found guilty of child prostitution". The Comics Journal. 29 October 2002. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2008.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Crunchyroll - NHK: Act-Age Writer Tatsuya Matsuki Arrested for Allegedly Sexually Harassing 2 Junior High School Aged Girls".
  9. ^ 『トリコ』作者の4年ぶり新連載、ジャンプ次号で開始 大工兄弟の建築バトルファンタジー. Livedoor News (in Japanese). November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "10 Titles Nominated for 2nd Manga Taisho Awards". Anime News Network. 2002-01-18. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  11. ^ "Toriko Gourmet Battle Manga Ends on November 21". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  12. ^ Oda, Eiichiro (2 August 2002). One Piece Blue: Grand Data File (in Japanese). Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-873358-6.
  13. ^ "SNEAK PEEK: Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro Interview Pt. 2". Viz Media. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Toriko's Shimabukuro Publishes New 1-Shot in Grand Jump Magazine This Fall". Anime News Network. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  15. ^ 「ちんぎり」とはなんなのか…？島袋光年の新作ギャグ読切がジャンプに. Natalie (in Japanese). 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  16. ^ "Toriko's Shimabukuro Publishes 2 More 1-Shots on September 6". Anime News Network. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  17. ^ "Toriko's Shimabukuro Pens New 'Build King' 1-Shot".
  18. ^ "Shonen Jump Launches 2 New Manga, Including New Series by Toriko's Shimabukuro".
  19. ^ "Mangaka Musings 12/13/2020". Viz Media. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  20. ^ "Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro's Build King Manga Ends". Anime News Network. 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-04-17.

External links

Shogakukan Manga Award – Children
Authority control databases
Categories