Kouta Hirano(Bình dã cày quá,Hirano Kōta,born July 14, 1973)is a Japanesemanga artistborn inAdachi, Tokyo,Japan, most famous for his mangaHellsing[1]andDrifters.
Kouta Hirano | |
|---|---|
 Hirano atJapan Expo'08 | |
| Born | July 14, 1973 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Known for | Graphic novels,manga |
| Notable work | Hellsing,Drifters |
Career
editHirano said he learned how to be a manga artist from readingAkira Toriyamaand Akira Sakuma'sHetappi Manga Kenkyūjo.[2]Starting his career first as a manga artist's assistant (self-described as "horrible" and "lazy" in said assistant position), and later ahentaimanga artist, he went on to enjoy somewhat limited success with other relatively unknown manga titles such asAngel Dust,Coyote,Gun ManiaandHi-Tension.His first major success came with his manga seriesHellsing,which got its start and was subsequently serialized in a monthlymanga magazine,Young King OURs,towards the latter half of 1997.
However,Hellsingwas not the earliest Hirano series to be published inYoung King OURsmonthly. In 1996, the same yearHellsing's precursor,The Legends of Vampire Hunter,was first released as a single H short story inHeavenly Pleasure(a monthly H-centric manga magazine), another World War II-based short story namedHi-And-Lowwas being published inYoung King OURsby a then lesser-known Kouta Hirano. The story takes place primarily at a train station in Russia and features two female characters that are strikingly similar to Integra Helsing fromHellsingand Yumiko/Yumie inCrossfire;and who are, in actuality, undercover Axis spies in-league with one another for a common purpose: the success ofOperation Barbarossa.This story saw ink in one issue ofOURsbefore being discontinued in favor ofHellsingitself.
A number of Hirano's older works are now considered collector's items due to the small number of them that exist. Many characters fromHellsingappear in his previous works and, as mentioned above, there is a rare hentai prototype ofHellsingtitledThe Legends of (the) Vampire Hunter.At Otakon 2006, he said in an interview that in about a year and a half to two years, he will finishHellsingand move on to a different project which he says will be kept a secret until the time comes. This statement was proven true whenHellsingended with 95 chapters in October 2008. Hirano has since begun a new series,Drifters,which was published in April 30's issue ofYKOand which Hirano keeps working on to this day.
Hirano has also been part of a doujinshi circle titledGUY-YA,consisting of himself andRead or Diemanga artistShutaro Yamada.[3]
Works
editAlphabetical list of works
edit- Angel Dust
- Assassin Colosseum
- Be Wild!!
- Bishōnen de Meitantei de Doesu
- Count Pierre Eros' Gorgeous Daily Grind
- Coyote
- Crossfire
- Daidōjin Monogatari
- Deep
- Desert Schutzstaffel
- Drifters
- Doc's story
- Front
- Gun Mania
- Hellsing
- Hi-Tension
- Hi-and-Low
- Ikaryaku
- Ikasu Sōtō Tengoku
- karera no Shūmatsu
- Koi no Strikeback
- Mahō no Muteki Kyōshi Kawaharā Z
- Magic School
- Susume! Ikaryaku
- Susume!! Seigaku Dennō Kenkyūbu
- The Legends of Vampire Hunter
- The Weekenders
- UFO 2000
References
edit- ^"Hellsing Manga Ends as Hirano Plans New Work Next Year".Anime News Network.October 1, 2008.RetrievedOctober 12,2008.
- ^Toriyama, Akira(2004).Dragon Ball(in Japanese). Vol. 33 (Kanzenbaned.).Shueisha.Insert.ISBN4-08-873476-9.
- ^"Ekizo.mandarake.co.jp".Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2014.RetrievedMarch 19,2010.
External links
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