View source for Hideaki Sorachi

{{Short description|Japanese manga artist}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = <!-- Only freely-licensed images may be used to depict living people.  See [[WP:NONFREE]].  -->
| image_size         = 150px|
| name               = Sorachi Hideaki
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1979|5|25|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Sorachi Subprefecture|Sorachi]], [[Hokkaido]], Japan
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| death_cause        = 
| nationality        = [[Japanese people|Japanese]]
| known_for          = 
| notable_works      = ''[[Gintama]]''
| occupation         = [[Manga artist]]
| years_active       = 2002–present
| website            = 
| signature          = Hideaki_Sorachi_sign.svg
}}

{{nihongo|'''Hideaki Sorachi'''|空知 英秋|Sorachi Hideaki|born May 25, 1979}}<ref>{{cite book|last= Sorachi|first= Hideaki|title= Gin Tama, Vol. 10|year= 2009|publisher= [[Viz Media]]|isbn=978-1-4215-1623-3|page=1}}</ref> is the pen name<ref name=":0">{{cite web| url=http://www.yorozuyasoul.com/translations/character_book_1_interview|title= Character Book 1 Interview| work=Yorozuya Soul| language=en| access-date=Sep 23, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527084737/http://www.yorozuyasoul.com/translations/character_book_1_interview|archive-date=May 27, 2015}}</ref> of a Japanese [[manga artist]], most well known for his [[manga]] ''[[Gintama]],'' which began serialization in 2003 and ended in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jump.shueisha.co.jp/henshu/backnumber/2004/02.html|script-title=ja:2004年新年2号|publisher=[[Shueisha]]|language=ja|access-date=June 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205050754/http://jump.shueisha.co.jp/henshu/backnumber/2004/02.html|archive-date=February 5, 2008}}</ref> He has also written numerous [[One-shot (comics)|one-shots]], including ''Dandelion'', for which he won the Tenkaichi Honourable Mention Manga Award in 2002.<ref name=":5" /> Sorachi's distinctive sense of humour and writing style has been the subject of academic research papers.<ref name=":1">Lee, R. (2011). Romanticising Shinsengumi in Contemporary Japan. ''New Voices (Sydney, N.S.W.), 4'', 68–187. {{doi|10.21159/nv.04.08}}</ref><ref name=":2">Jones, H. (2013). Manga Girls: Sex, Love, Comedy and Crime in Recent Boys’ Anime and Manga. In B. Steger & A. Koch (Eds.), ''Manga Girl Seeks Herbivore Boy: Studying Japanese Gender at Cambridge'' (pp. 23-82). Lit Verlag.</ref><ref name=":3">Smith, A. (2020). ''What Do Manga Depict? Understanding Contemporary Japanese Comics and the Culture of Japan''. (27834637) [Doctoral thesis, Indiana University of Pennsylvania]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.</ref> As of February 2018, the ''Gintama'' manga has sold 55 million units in [[Japan]].<ref>Valdez, N. (2018). ‘Gintama’ Manga Hits New Sales Record. ''Comicbook''. https://comicbook.com/anime/news/gintama-manga-sales-record-55-million/</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Takikawa city center area Aerial photograph.2009.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph of Takikawa, Hokkaido.]]
Hideaki Sorachi was born on May 25, 1979, in [[Takikawa, Hokkaido|Takikawa]] of [[Hokkaido]], Japan. Sorachi has stated that his pen name is derived from the Sorachi prefecture in Hokkaido, but Hideaki is a part of his real name.<ref name=":4">Sorachi, H. (2006). Gintama Official Character Book – Gin Channel!. ''Shueisha''.</ref> He has an older sister, and occasionally shares stories about her in the end notes of manga volumes.<ref name=":0" />

Sorachi has commented that he prefers using analog writing implements as opposed to creating digital art; his most used writing utensil being the calligraphy brush pen. He also uses felt-tip and permanent markers, and a round-nib and G-pen.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Jump Comics Channel. (2021, 8 January). ''Hideaki Sorachi draws! “Gintoki Sakata”.'' [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGnLsfJMH6g</ref><ref name=":6">Sorachi, H (2008). Gin Tama'', Vol.6'' (p. 26). Viz Media.</ref>

In an interview, Sorachi described how watching [[Castle in the Sky]] in his childhood inspired him to start drawing manga, and how he feels like he “is always chasing after a castle in the sky”.<ref name=":4" /> From a young age, he read various manga series, and he drew manga during breaks in elementary school. However, after his father ridiculed a manga he drew in 4th grade, Sorachi decided to give up on his dream of becoming a manga artist.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="quickjapan">{{cite book |url=http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1849269892 |title=Quick Japan |date=October 2009 |publisher=Otashuppan |isbn=978-4778311940 |pages=22–41 |language=ja |issue=86}}</ref>

Sorachi entered a university in Hokkaido, studying a degree in advertising. He recounted feeling unsure of his career path while enrolled at university, considering following his interests in both architecture and creating computer graphics. After graduating, Sorachi considered himself to be a "[[NEET]]", and sent his first work, ''Dandelion'', to a publisher whilst being unsure of its potential success.<ref name="quickjapan" />

Sorachi has stated that he does not use social media, including Twitter, as he “intend[s] to eliminate stress through manga”.<ref>Sorachi, H. (2013). Gin Tama, ''Vol. 50''. Shueisha.</ref>

==Career==
Sorachi, unemployed after graduating university, was able to live off ''Dandelion''. Soon afterwards, he began writing the storyline for ''Gintama''.<ref name="quickjapan" />

At the start of the serialisation of ''Gintama'', the series lacked popularity and support, leading to a potential cancellation.<ref name="quickjapan" /> While the first edition of the physical ''[[tankōbon]]'' volumes completely sold out, [[Shueisha]] had only printed the minimum number of volumes and still considered the sales to be “poor”. Sorachi believed that the manga was unlikely to become popular, and recounted other people also telling him that the manga would not surpass the printing of two ''tankōbon'' volumes.<ref>Sorachi, H. (2009). ''銀魂公式キャラクターブック2 「銀魂五年生''. [in Japanese] (pp. 194 - 195) [[Shueisha]]. {{ISBN|978-4-08-874805-4}}.</ref> However, interest in the manga slowly increased, to the extent that Sorachi found he did not have “any fresh material to use” after the release of the third volume.<ref>Sorachi, H. (2008). Gin Tama, ''Vol. 3'' (pg. 2). [[Viz Media]]. {{ISBN|978-1-4215-1360-7}}.</ref> He later stated that he was overjoyed when the manga was adapted into an [[anime]], and, until then, hadn't fully grasped the extent to which the series was popular. ''Gintama'' was featured in the [[Jump Festa|2005 Jump Festa Anime Tour]], which Sorachi visited and recounted seeing “the crowd’s reaction and realised that people actually knew about ''Gintama''.”<ref>Sorachi, H. (2010). Gin Tama, ''Vol. 19''. [[Viz Media]]. ISBN 978-1-4215-2817-5.</ref>

==Writing style and influences==

Researchers have credited the popularity of the ''Gintama'' series to Sorachi's uniquely humorous characters and satirisation of contemporary themes.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> It has been described by Sorachi as “Gently painting the life of a loser, a really likeable kind of humanity and reality”, stating that the appeal of the manga's characters are due to their relatable, flawed nature.<ref name=":4" /> Smith has described the series as an “Edo-era comedy decked out in science fiction trappings and alternative historical versions of famous characters”.<ref name=":3" />

Critics have also complimented Sorachi's distinctive sense of humour, often satirising Japanese pop culture, or frequent use of vulgar language and toilet humour. Smith has considered ''Gintama''’s balance of comedic elements and drama as representing Sorachi’s unique style and approach to characters.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

Sorachi stated that reading Wanpakku Comics had the greatest influence on his work as a manga artist, though was also inspired by popular series such as [[Akira Toriyama]]'s ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' and [[Shigeru Mizuki]]'s ''[[GeGeGe no Kitarō|GeGeGe no Kitarou]]''. He also mentioned that watching various variety shows and historical films served as creative inspiration for ''Gintama''. Sorachi has stated that the midnight radio program ''Attack Young'', by Akashi Eiichirou, inspired his satirical humour.<ref name="quickjapan" /><ref name=":4" />
[[File:The clothes which Yuya YAGIRA, Ryo YOSHIZAWA and Kankuro NAKAMURA wore in "Gintama 2".jpg|thumb|Costumes for the Shinsengumi characters in the live-action movie "Gintama 2: Rules are Made to be Broken".]]
In the early stages of production for ''Gintama'', Sorachi stated that his editor encouraged him to write a story about the Japanese [[shinsengumi]], due to the popularity of a TV drama called ''[[Shinsengumi!]]'' that was airing at the time. However, he felt that his creativity would be limited by the genre of historical fiction and thus decided to incorporate the shinsengumi as side characters in a science-fiction and comedy manga.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />

The first year of the release of ''Gintama'' coincided with the airing of ''Shinsengumi!,'' during which the manga consisted mostly of shorter stories to establish the characters and the world they were situated in, as Sorachi wanted to minimise the potential overlap of the two texts. However, following the first year of serialisation, Sorachi stated that he grew more comfortable with extending the storyline of the manga to include more serious themes and dramatic moments, whilst keeping his uniquely comedic and fantastical characterisation of modern Japan.<ref name=":6" />

Sorachi's inspiration for the initial characterisation of the shinsengumi in ''Gintama'' was [[Ryōtarō Shiba|Ryotaro Shiba]]’s ''[[Moeyo Ken]]''.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> This characterisation was then further developed and adapted through the audience reception of ''Gintama'', by mail, weekly surveys, and sales data.<ref name=":1" />

The character Hijikata Tōshirō in ''Gintama'' is considered to be Sorachi’s rendition of the popular protagonist [[Hijikata Toshizō]] in ''Moeyo Ken''. Critics consider Tōshirō’s character to be the “embodiment of [Shinsengumi] values and virtues” within the manga, and is a major supporting character.<ref name=":1" /> Sorachi stated that he initially wanted to make Hijikata the main character, but instead decided to create [[Gintoki Sakata]] as a “strong main character . . . who’s not part of an organisation” to make the series more memorable.<ref name="quickjapan" />

In an interview with QuickJapan, Sorachi details the romantic appeal of the shinsengumi as characters and in Japanese pop culture:

“As for historical periods that see great changes, like [[Bakumatsu]] or [[Sengoku period|Sengoku]], you witness humanity under extreme conditions, and it brings out the good and the bad of humanity. I like that.”<ref name="quickjapan" />

Sorachi's characterisation of women has been considered by academic reviewers as a subversion of stereotypical female archetypes in fiction, particularly through the rejection of conventional behaviours of women in manga.<ref name=":1" /> He mentioned that he dislikes the trope of typical manga with “unnaturally” cute female leads, and therefore created the character of Kagura in ''Gintama'' with the intention of portraying a “female lead who could throw up but still make people think she’s adorable”. However, Sorachi later realised that such characters were also unrealistic, though considered her character as a creative “challenge”.<ref name="quickjapan" />

== Appearances on ''Gintama'' ==
Sorachi has appeared on ''Gintama'', both the manga and the anime, in a short comedy segment, often on the subject of writing and working as a manga artist. His character is drawn as a humanoid gorilla wearing a yellow shirt with the Japanese [[kanji]] 俺 (I, me). Sorachi voices this character himself in the Japanese ''Gintama'' anime.<ref>Takamatsu, Shinji (director) (27 September 2007). [https://www.crunchyroll.com/gintama/episode-75-dont-complain-about-your-job-at-home-do-it-somewhere-else-510212 "Don't complain about your job at home, do it somewhere else"]. ''Gin Tama.'' Season 2. Episode 75. TV Tokyo.</ref><ref>映画『銀魂2』公式 [@gintama_film]. (20 June 2019) 連載を終えた #空知先生 がチーズ蒸しパンにならないことを願っています。15年間お疲れ様でした。この素晴らしい作品に出会わせてくれて、そして実写化まで許可してくださって、本当に本当にありがとうございました！！！ [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/gintama_film/status/1141532636420067329?s=21</ref> Sorachi has also appeared in a life-sized suit of this character for promotional interviews on ''Gintama'' movie releases. In these appearances, a cast member will read out a letter written by Sorachi, about the stages of production or effort which went into creating the movie, frequented by sudden, comical one-liners.<ref>Warner Bros Channel. (2020, 24 January). ''Movie: Gintama The Final, Our Stage. JumpFesta2020.'' [Video]. Youtube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Qli44gpsk</ref>

== Crossovers and appearances ==
[[Kenta Shinohara]] (author of ''[[Sket Dance]]'') used to be his assistant,<ref name="Tan">{{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/2/24/lifebookshelf/19949222&sec=lifebookshelf|title=Samurai sci-fi|last=Tan|first=Kevin|date=24 February 2008|work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]|access-date=23 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622072131/http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F2%2F24%2Flifebookshelf%2F19949222&sec=lifebookshelf|archive-date=22 June 2011 }}</ref> as well as [[Yōichi Amano]] (author of ''Akaboshi: Ibun Suikoden''). ''Gintama'' and ''Sket Dance'' had a [[Fictional crossover|crossover]] chapter in ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]],'' marking the 360th chapter for ''Gintama'' and the 180th for ''Sket Dance''. The author for ''[[One Piece]]'', [[Eiichiro Oda]], also drew the main characters Gintoki Sakata from ''Gintama'' and [[Monkey D. Luffy]] from ''One Piece'' for the ''Gintama'' exhibition, and gave commentary on the series.<ref>{{cite web|last=Green|first=Scott|title="One Piece" And "Gintama" Authors Measure Up In Exhibit Comments|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/12/24/one-piece-and-gintama-authors-measure-up-in-exhibit-comments|website=[[Crunchyroll]]|access-date=September 18, 2021|date=December 24, 2016}}</ref>

Several other ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' series have been referenced or parodied in ''Gintama'', including ''[[One Piece]]'', ''[[Naruto]]'', and ''Dragon Ball''.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Suzail |last=Ahmad |date=2021-10-22 |title=10 Best Times Gintama Referenced Other Anime |url=https://gamerant.com/gintama-best-anime-references-easter-eggs-nods |website=gamerant.com}}</ref> The second season of the anime adaptation of Shūichi Asō's ''[[The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.|The Disastrous Life of Saiki K]]'' also featured a crossover with ''Gintama''.<ref>Valdez, N. (2017). ‘Saiki K’ Anime Teases Upcoming ‘Gintama’ Crossover. ''Comicbook''. https://comicbook.com/anime/news/saiki-k-gintama-crossover-anime/</ref>

During the premiere of the film ''[[Gintama: The Very Final]]'', Sorachi hand drew physical cards of ''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba]]'' characters, including the protagonist Tanjiro, which were then offered to those attending the film's release.<ref>Warner Bros Japan. (2021). 原作者・空知英秋先生が描いた「（たぶん？）最後の＜万事屋＞イラスト」が、第四週目の入場者プレゼントになることが決定！！＜炭治郎&柱イラストカード＞集合ビジュアルも解禁‼ [in Japanese] https://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/gintamamovie/news/?id=38</ref> Sorachi wrote that the cards were acknowledging the success of the movie ''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train|Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train]]''.<ref>Valdez, N. (2020). Gintama Creator Offering Demon Slayer Art for Fans Watching the Final Movie. ''Comicbook''. https://comicbook.com/anime/news/gintama-creatir-demon-slayer-movie-art/</ref>

== Works ==
* ''Dandelion'' — one shot, 2002 (featured in volume 1 of ''Gintama'')
* ''Shirokuro'' — one shot, 2003 (featured in volume 2 of ''Gintama'')
* ''13'' — one shot, 2008 (featured in volume 24 of ''Gintama'')
* ''Bankara'' — one shot, 2010 (featured in volume 38 of ''Gintama'')
* ''[[Gintama]]'' — manga series, 2003–2019
* ''[[3rd Year Z Class: GinPachi Sensei]]'' — light novels, 2006 – 2013 (illustrator)

== Awards ==
Hideaki Sorachi received an honourable mention for the 71st Tenkaichi Manga award for his debut work, ''Dandelion''. The Tenkaichi Manga Award was held from August 1996 to March 2003, replacing the Hop ☆ Step Award as a monthly newcomer award for [[Weekly Shōnen Jump|''Shōnen Jump'']], held by Shueisha.<ref name=":5">Shōnen Jump. (2002). Weekly Shōnen Jump. ''Shueisha, 42''.</ref> Sorachi later described, in an interview, that winning the award aided his career as a manga [[artist]].<ref name="quickjapan" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{anime News Network|people|35879}}

{{Gintama}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorachi, Hideaki}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Manga artists from Hokkaido]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous artists]]