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Takeru Hokazono

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Takeru Hokazono
外薗健
Born (2000-09-06) September 6, 2000 (age 24)[1]
Osaka Prefecture, Japan
OccupationManga artist
Years active2020–present
Known forKagurabachi

Takeru Hokazono (Japanese: 外薗健, Hepburn: Hokazono Takeru, born September 6, 2000) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for Kagurabachi, which is serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump, starting in 2023 and licensed by Viz Media in North America.

Biography

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Takeru Hokazono was born in the Osaka Prefecture, Japan on September 6, 2000. Hokazono started making comics during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was in college.[2] His first manga was the one-shot Enten published in the Jump Giga Spring 2021 issue and won the 100th Tezuka Award, in addition to his other one-shot Farewell! Cherry Boy! being published in the same issue.[3]

In September 2023, Kagurabachi started serializing in the 42nd Issue of Weekly Shonen Jump.[4] The release of Kagurabachi had taken on a life of its own on social media. Chapter one was met with critical acclaim. Even an ironic meme campaign, known as “Kagurabachi glazing,” declared the manga as an inheritor to the likes of One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach as one of the new-generation “Big Three.”[5] Due to the excitement, Kagurabachi has become a hit with Volume 1 having more than 200,000 copies in circulation by March 20, 2024.[6]

Career

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In September 2023, the serialized version of Kagurabachi premiered in Weekly Shōnen Jump and quickly became a hit.[7]

Hokazono's Kagurabachi was the highest-voted work in the Manga Plus AX poll, beating out Sakamoto Days, RuriDragon, and Blue Box. As a result, this historical moment made Kagurabachi officially hit #1 in the Shonen Jump Table of Contents. Typically when a series hits #1 in the Table of Contents, it means that Jump has identified a work as worthy of promotion. That spot is typically reserved for the magazine's most prized works.[8] In fact, since Kana acquired the rights to publish Kagurabachi in France, they co-promoted the series with popular names like Naruto and Boruto. However, this was met with criticism as some posters were covering the latter series' posters, and fans saw it as disrespect to Kishimoto.[9]

Naruto and Boruto creator, Masashi Kishimoto, co-signed Hokazono by recommending the series while Kana was promoting the release of the third volume of Kagurabachi at Japan Expo 2024 in France.[9]

Style and influences

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Takeru's story elements were inspired by Naruto, Chainsaw Man, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Attack on Titan. However, they also note that some Western media influences like Batman and John Wick.[10]

In the Kagurabachi series, Hokazono's story breaks the traditional Shonen Jump mold in a variety of ways: it's set in an alternate version of 1950s Japan, a uniquely dark storyline, and Hokazono is a fairly new mangaka who's art-style says otherwise. Shonen Jump's best-selling works are typically optimistic heroes who pursue strength and glory while cheerfully confronting any bad guys that get in their way.[8] In this specific universe of Japan, Hokazono "wanted to make Japan cooler," embracing the stylized Japan depicted in films such as Inception and Kill Bill. Filmmakers such as David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan are favorites of Takeru Hokazono.

Works

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Serializations
One-shots
  • Enten (炎天) (April 2021; published in Jump GIGA)
  • Farewell! Cherry Boy! (さらば！チェリーボーイ！) (April 2021; published in Jump GIGA)
  • Chain (チエイン) (July 2021; published in Jump GIGA)
  • Madogiwa de Amu (まどぎわで編む, Knitting by the Window) (April 2022; published in Weekly Shonen Jump)
  • Roku no Meiyaku (ロクの冥約) (August 2022; published in Weekly Shonen Jump)

References

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  1. ^ "漠然とした夢より「復讐」を マンガ「カグラバチ」作者インタビュー". The Asahi Shimbun. May 2, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "2024 Manga Picks Editor Interview". Shueisha. February 16, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "MamaYuYu Leads Off 3 New Shonen Jump Manga Debuts". Crunchyroll. September 10, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  4. ^ "Fabricant 100 Manga Ends, 3 New Manga to Launch in Shonen Jump". Anime News Network. September 3, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Kagurabachi Is Big, But Not as Big as the Internet Wants You to Think". Gizmodo. September 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Kagurabachi Manga Hits Unprecedented Sales Record". Comicbook.com. April 24, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (September 3, 2023). "Fabricant 100 Manga Ends, 3 New Manga to Launch in Shonen Jump". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Senzatimore, Renee (July 10, 2024). "Sakamoto Days Loses Out to Shonen Jump's New Hit Series in Manga Plus Vote". CBR. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Chettiyar, Gokul (July 15, 2024). ""Shame on you"— Naruto fans lambast Kana for disrespecting Kishimoto and Ikemoto with Kagurabachi banners in France". Sportskeeda. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Edmunson, Carlyle (May 5, 2024). "Shonen Jump's New Hit Kagurabachi Is Inspired By One Of The Biggest Manga Ever". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
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