Takeshi Hinata (日向武史, Hinata Takeshi) is a Japanese manga artist from Ibaraki Prefecture. All of his works have been serialized and published by Kodansha Ltd. He is best known for his sports manga, ‘Ahiru no Sora.’
Manga Career
Before pursuing a career as a manga artist, he was interested in entering the Japanese film industry in creating movies. However, he lost interest in that visual art form. At the age of 25, he moved to Tokyo and decided to become a manga artist. His first job was as an assistant of Toru Fujisawa, best known for ‘Great Teacher Onizuka,’ but later resigned. When interviewed by one of Fujisawa-san’s assistant, he replied that he quit because he was overwhelmed by the workload. Later, he became an assistant of Masashi Asaki, who at the time was serializing Psychometrer Eiji. After a year or so, he resigned from that position and then worked part-time, submitting short stories (One-Shot) in the magazine, and in 1998 his work ‘Three Out Change’ won an accolade at the 61st Weekly Shōnen Magazine Newcomer's Manga Award.
In 2001, ‘Howling’ was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. After two volumes, the serialization of the manga got discontinued. In 2003, he debuted his most famous work, ‘Ahiru no Sora,’ and in total, 51 volumes have been published.
Sports
He was a member of the ‘kendo club’ in junior high and the ‘rowing club’ in high school. A talented individual served as the rowing team captain, which competed in the Inter-High Tournament. His wife is a colleague from the rowing club.
Twitter Account
Since 2012, Takeshi Hinata has a Twitter account. He is active on that social media platform and shares his opinions regarding his work on Ahiru no Sora, his hobbies, interests, and other topics on life in general.
Works
Manga Serialized
- Howling (2001, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Kodansha, Volumes 1-2)
- Ahiru no Sora (2003 to Present, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Kodansha, Volumes 1-51)
One-Shot (short stories)
- Three Out Change (1998, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Kodansha)
- Shonen Amplifier (2010, Aria Monthly Magazine, Kodansha)
Accolade
- 61st Weekly Shōnen Magazine Newcomer's Manga Award (Three Out Change)
Mentor
- Masashi Asaki (known for Psychometrer Eiji)
Notable Assistant
- Toshio Sako (known for Usogui)
- Kei Sasuga (known for Domestic Girlfriend)
- Yoshiyuki Murakami (known for Barcelona no Taiyō and Kyojin no Hoshi)