Shinichi Ishizuka

Ishizuka studied at universities in the United States, where he was introduced to mountain climbing and given an increased exposure to jazz. After returning to Japan and being laid off, he began working towards becoming a manga artist and published the one-shot The First Step in 2001. His works Gaku: Minna no Yama and Blue Giant have both received film adaptations and awards, including the Manga Taishō, Shogakukan Manga Award, and a grand prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival.

• Name Nonen — 石塚真一 • Nonus — ja • Born — 1971 • Birthplace — Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan • Notable Works — * Gaku: Minna no Yama • Blue Giant • Awards — * 1st Manga Taishō • 54th and 62nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category • 2017 Japan Media Arts Festival grand prize • Manga Artist — y

Ishizuka was born in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1971. After graduating from high school, he attended Southern Illinois University's Niigata campus, before moving to its main campus. He later transferred to San Jose State University to study meteorology. During his time in the United States, a friend of his told him that he chose to study archeology abroad after reading Master Keaton by Naoki Urasawa. Ishizuka was surprised by this answer and desired to create manga with a similar impact. One of Ishizuka's roommates during this time was fond of mountain climbing and introduced it to him. He also gained an increased exposure to jazz music. He described jazz and mountain climbing as "the two souvenirs I brought back [from the United States]". Upon returning to Japan, Ishizuka worked at an import company run by an acquaintance from the United States. However, the company went bankrupt within six months of him joining. After being laid off, he decided to become a manga artist and began to draw manga in his spare time while working part-time teaching English. In 2001, he submitted the one-shot The First Step to the Shogakukan Newcomer Manga Award; it won the award in the general category. After winning the award, he began to pursue drawing manga full-time and quit his job, despite his boss at the time telling him it would be "absolutely impossible" to become a manga artist. He initially worked as an assistant for six months. On September 20, 2003, Ishizuka began serializing Gaku: Minna no Yama, a manga about mountain climbing, in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original magazine. It completed its serialization on June 5, 2012. It won the first Manga Taishō in 2008 and the 54th Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga in 2009. It received a live-action film adaptation in 2011. It also won an excellence prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2012. Ishizuka began serializing Blue Giant, a manga about jazz, in Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine on May 10, 2013. It completed its serialization on August 25, 2016. It won the 62nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2007; it also won the grand prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in the same year. It received an anime film adaptation in 2023. A second series, titled Blue Giant Supreme, was serialized in Big Comic from September 10, 2016, to April 25, 2020. The third series, titled Blue Giant Explorer, was serialized in Big Comic from May 25, 2020, to May 10, 2023. A fourth series, titled Blue Giant Momentum, began serialization in Big Comic on July 25, 2023.

• Title — Year — Magazine — Notes — Ref. References • Gaku: Minna no Yama — 2003–2012 — Big Comic Original • Sonde Yoshi! — 2009 — Big Comic Original Special Edition — Based on a one-shot • Blue Giant — 2013–2016 — Big Comic • Hokurō: Last Hunter — 2013–present — Big Comic Spirits — Irregular serialization • Blue Giant Supreme — 2016–2020 — Big Comic • Blue Giant Explorer — 2020–2023 — Big Comic • Blue Giant Momentum — 2023–present — Big Comic

• Title — Year — Magazine — Notes — Ref. References • The First Step — 2002 — Big Comic Original Special Edition — One-shot • Tokyo Check In — 2005 — Big Comic Original — Short series • 50 Years Later — 2024 — Big Comic Original — One-shot; written by Number 8

• Seiko Jazz (2017) – album cover illustration for Seiko Matsuda