© Kengo Hanazawa, Kodansha
Kodansha announced on Tuesday that this year’s Anime NYC convention will host manga creators Minetarō Mochizuki and Kengo Hanazawa. The creators will participate in discussion events and autograph sessions.
Tokyopop published Mochizuki’s Dragon Head manga in North America in 2006-2008. Three prominent Japanese directors — George Iida, Katsuhito Ishii, and Jōji Matsuoka — have adapted Mochizuki’s Dragon Head, Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (Samehada-Otoko to Momojiri-Onna), and Bataashi Kingyo manga as live-action films. Mochizuki launched the Chiisakobee manga in 2012 and ended it in 2015.
Mochizuki’s manga adaptation of Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs (Inugashima) film serialized in Kodansha‘s Morning magazine from May to July 2018. Dark Horse Comics licensed the manga, and released it in English in February 2020.
Hanazawa launched the I am a Hero manga in Shogakukan‘s Big Comic Spirits magazine in 2009, and ended the series in 2017 with 22 volumes. The manga inspired two spinoff manga series. A live-action film adaptation opened in Japan in April 2016. Dark Horse Comics has released the manga in North America in 11 omnibus volumes.
Hanazawa launched the Under Ninja manga in Kodansha‘s Young Magazine in July 2018. Kodansha published the manga’s 15th compiled book volume on April 4. The manga inspired a television anime, which premiered in October 2023. The anime starred Taito Ban as Kurō Kumogakure and Tarusuke Shingaki as Katō. The manga also inspired a live-action film that premiered in Japan on January 24.
Source: Press release
Dil Nawaz — a writer who breathes life into emotions through words. I find beauty in silence, meaning in longing, and stories in every heartbeat. Writing for me isn’t just passion; it’s a way to connect souls, one feeling at a time.