"Moi Ippon!" is a series serialized in Weekly Shonen Champion, depicting high school girls who are devoted to judo. It is also attracting attention that an anime version will be broadcast in January 2023. The main characters are high school girls, but with a strong sports element, it is a popular work that is as interesting as a boys' manga. By the way, do you know who the author of the original work is? In this article, I would like to explain the author! It is a must-read for those who have read the original work and those who have not!
What kind of story is it?
Michi Sonoda, who belonged to the judo club in junior high school, enjoyed winning by ippon and had a strong obsession with winning by ippon. Naturally, she was planning to win the final tournament and finish on a high note, but her opponent was stronger than any she had ever faced, and she lost by a chokehold. After graduating from junior high school and entering high school, Michi had planned to give up judo in high school and focus all her energy on love and fun. However, after meeting the person who had defeated her in her last junior high school match, her passion for judo was rekindled.
Author: Yu Muraoka
The author of "Moi Ippon!" is Yu Muraoka. Mr. Muraoka is a manga artist from Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and currently lives in Mitaka City, Tokyo. His age is unknown, but he has been active as a manga artist since 2004. Assuming he started when he was in his twenties, he may be in his late thirties now. His gender has not been stated, but when I looked into it, I found information that he has a wife. In other words, he is a man. By the way, Mr. Muraoka's wife is also active as a manga artist. If both husband and wife are manga artists, we may be able to see a work that they have drawn together someday.
About Mr. Muraoka's career
He has been active as an illustrator since he was a student at Hiroshima University. In 2004, he won an honorable mention in the Young Magazine Monthly Newcomer Manga Award. In the same year, his work "Gorillabu" was published in Bessatsu Young Magazine, marking his debut as a manga artist. After that, he won an award in Young Jump and began serializing his own work in the same magazine and Big Comic Spirits. His first work was serialized in Weekly Shonen Champion in 2013. "Moi Ippon!" began serialization in 2018.
What is Muraoka's Twitter like?
Recently, many famous people other than celebrities have started using Twitter, and Muraoka is no exception. He has been using Twitter since around 2009. In 2009, Twitter had just started. As his work was being made into an anime, many of his tweets and retweets were about "Moi Ippon!" According to Muraoka's tweet, 20 volumes have been released so far, but the artwork for volume 22 has already been completed and is scheduled to be released during the anime broadcast. This is great news for those who have read the original work!
About the editor in charge, Uda
Of course, a manga artist is needed to draw, but there is another important person besides the artist. Who is that? Yes, the editor in charge. The editor keeps track of the artist's progress, manages the schedule, and checks the completed manuscript. To complete a manga, the editor in charge is essential. The editor in charge of this work is a person called Uda. The initials U suggest that he may have a name like Ueda or Uchida. Mr. Uda is also on Twitter and has published the first episode of the original work. Why not check it out as a preparation before watching the anime?
Summary of explanations about the author, Yu Muraoka
Getting to know the author can help you discover unexpected sides of him and give you the opportunity to learn about his other works. I also think that the presence of an editor who supports the author is very important. It is because they support each other that good works are created. The original work is still being serialized, so if you are interested, why not read all the way to the latest volume before the serialization begins? That's all for now. Thank you for reading.
