Japanese manga artist Masashi Kishimoto is world famous. For the most part, the reason for this was his multi-volume manga called "Naruto", which is published in almost all languages of the world. But what do we know about the author himself? How difficult was his path to success? And are there any other worthy works in the arsenal of mangaka?
Young Kishimoto Masashi
November 8, 1974 in Okayama, one of the prefectures of Japan, a small miracle happened - twin boys were born. The older Kishimoto family named Masashi and the younger one Seishi. Then no one knew that in the future the guys will have a great future, united by a common passion. But let's talk about everything in order.
Remembering the past, Masashi Kishimoto's parents say with a smile that their son started drawing his first works in kindergarten. Then they were only sketches of what he saw around: small bugs, trees, animals and vague portraits of people. However, once Masashi grew up a little, his skills improved significantly.
BThe young artist entered the school in 1981. Around the same period, Kishimoto Masashi first takes manga into his own hands. According to the writer himself, Dr. Slump was his first comic book read. At the same time, this work inspired Masashi so much that he already clearly realized what he wanted to become in the future.
However, when he entered high school, the boy gave up drawing. The reason for this was Masashi Kishimoto's new passion - baseball. The sports game captivated the young man so much that he stopped thinking about anything else. It should be noted that Kishimoto was a member of the local baseball team and even traveled with her to regional school competitions.
And again in pursuit of the old dream
The turning point came in 1988. Speaking at regular baseball competitions, Masashi Kishimoto saw a poster for a new manga called "Akira". The author painted it in an unusual, colorful style, which immediately caught the young man's eyes. It was then that Masashi finally realized one simple truth - more than anything, he wants to be a mangaka.
Initially, the young artist tried to imitate the style of drawing that he saw on the pages of a new book. Masashi Kishimoto was sure that this was the only way he could become a great manga artist. However, over the years, he became more and more aware of the fact that he needed his own style and inspiration.
So with the transition to high school, Masashi Kishimoto began to work hard to improve his skills. Moreover, he wanted to enter the prestigious Japanese writing competition. Alas, thenhis first work did not pass the test of his parents, which is why the young artist decided to retreat from his venture.
First confession
After graduating from high school in 1993, Masashi Kishimoto entered an art college. Such a choice is quite obvious, because the mangaka no longer wanted to rely on the opinions of others, and therefore he needed to gain genuine confidence in his abilities. Therefore, he successfully passed the entrance exams and entered one of the best colleges in Japan.
It should be noted that Masashi grasped new material on the fly, thanks to which he quickly won the appreciation of teachers. His thirst for knowledge was phenomenal, and only his passion for drawing could surpass it. That is why, at the end of his second year, he decides to try his luck again and enter his work in the competition for young mangaka.
And so in 1995, at the Hop Step Award exhibition, Kishimoto presented his manga called "Mechanism" (original name - Karakuri) to the world. And although some aspects of his skill were still criticized, the debutant's victory was unconditional.
Great work by the mangaka
However, despite the resounding victory, the next few years were difficult for Masashi Kishimoto. All prestigious editorial offices refused to work with a newcomer and rejected his ambitious ideas. But the mangaka did not give up and continued to draw comics based on his vision of the world.
Thanks to this, in 1999, the first chapter of the story about a ninja boy named Naruto was published. This story was published by a famousJapanese magazine Shonen Jump. Readers fell in love with this character so much that in October 2002, an anime series of the same name was filmed based on a series of books. Such a sensation led to the fact that the name Masashi Kishimoto was recognized by everyone who was somehow connected with the world of manga.
It should be noted that the plot of "Naruto" stretched out for a long fifteen years. The last chapter of this story was written only in February 2015. In addition to "Naruto", the mangaka drew several other works. In particular, in 2013 he wrote a short story about an assassin named Mario.
Interesting facts from the life of Masashi Kishimoto
Strikingly, the artist's younger brother Seishi is also a manga artist. At the same time, their family connection is felt not only in the style of the drawing, but also in the plot features of the stories. And yet, these two writers work separately, and each of them has his own fan club.
Another funny fact is that Masashi is afraid of monkeys. This is due to the fact that in childhood he was attacked by a flock of these animals. And although he did not suffer then, a strong emotional shock left an indelible mark.
