Hirohiko Araki is a Japanese mangaka. His most famous work is the manga "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure". It has been published by Weekly Shonen Jump for over 30 years. In 2019, Araki received an award from the Ministry of Culture of Japan for Achievement in Art.
The alias Hirohiko Araki made Toshiyuki Araki famous. In Japan alone, over 80 million copies of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure have been sold. She is rapidly conquering the West.
Searching for a vocation
The biography of the famous mangak began in 1960 in Sendai. The child was born on June 7. Araki spent his childhood in a family with younger twin sisters. Often tired of the girls' tricks, the older brother in his room looked through his father's art albums or read the manga "Ai to Makoto".
Gradually, the boy found a calling. The source of inspiration for him was the canvases of Gauguin. The future celebrity began to draw at school. Friends supported the young artist. Thanks to them, the boy decided that he would become a real master. However, until the end of his studies, Araki hid his hobby from his family.
Going to show his manga in Tokyo, the guy did not dare to enter the Shogakukan office. He contacted his neighboring Shueisha. Araki asked the editor he met to check his creation.
An experienced employee immediately saw a lot of flaws, but decided to give the boy a chance. Despite harsh criticism, the author heard an encouraging verdict.
The editor called the product potentially successful, and recommended correcting all the shortcomings within five days in order to take part in the Tezuka Awards competition. The runner-up new manga was titled "Poker Under Arms" or "Busou Poker".
Improving the style
After the success with readers, Araki began to work with renewed vigor. He often borrowed motives from famous works. The similarities between "Hokuto no Ken" are especially evident. The author pays a lot of attention to color schemes and grotesque.
I especially like pink and blue manga tones. With them, he denotes a special expression. So, purple with blue is tension, and green and blue are calm and constancy.
Often the author adds ink strokes to his drawings. The creation of facial expressions of the characters was influenced by Hirohiko's passion for Yervopean sculpture. The mangaka was attracted by bright and eccentric characters who were to become the hallmark of the chosen style. At first, the excessive flashiness drew criticism, but over time it turned into an author's uniqueness.
He launched his first manga series in 1983. Cool Shock B. T is distinguished by the simplicity of the drawings by an as yet inexperienced artist. Hirohiko began to pay more attention to portraits since 1984. The plot of the new manga "Baoh" develops around the kidnapped schoolboy Ikuro Hasizawa by a secret organization. During the experiments, the boy received superpowers. His mission was to save the world from the virus.
The story became the basis for many of the artist's motives. The completely author's style was formed in 1985 when "Gorgeous Irene" was released. For the first time in the manga, the artist's business card, hypertrophied muscles, appeared.
Iconic creations
Since 1986 the release of the first part of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Phantom Blood" began. According to the plot, the adopted son of the aristocrat George Joestar strives with all his might for world domination. With the help of an ancient artifact, he multiplies his capabilities. The noble Jonathan Joestar, with the help of a martial arts master, challenges a new evil. The first part gave birth to the franchise. The sequel has gotten more effective.
In 1987 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency came out. Many stereotypes have been broken in the new story. The era, the main character, his temperament and character have changed. The artist was inspired by the images of Indiana Jones and Han Solo. The author gave complete freedom to fantasy and a riot of colors, arrogance and glamor are noticeable in everything.
The third part "Stardust Crusaders" was created from 1989 to 1992. And again, the fans were waiting for the most grandiose changes in the form of a new era and the flow of the former protagonist. The main operating countries were India and Egypt. The main character has become a tactful and calm, slightly rude guy.
Stands appeared, the materialization of spiritual power in the form of a ghost, guarding a person and obeying him. It can only be developed by those who have passed many tests. It is thanks to the stands that the whole world of “JoJo” has become recognizable. Initially, the author tried to focus on three parts. In the new one, the drawing style has finally taken shape.
The manga is dedicated to different people, there are almost no connections with the first parts. The style of storytelling has also changed. Regularity, intimacy and detective intrigue appeared. Sometimes Diamond Is Unbreakable has been compared to Twin Peaks. The main character is a friendly and even frivolous person. Araki's distinctive feature was the desire for experimentation and the use of new directions in creativity to capture the interest of readers.
Popularity
In 2000, the OVA series began showing the events of past episodes. In 2012, a television series appeared in 26 moments. It was the beginning of JoJo's epic adventure saga. They are based on aesthetics and atmosphere. The main feature is the incredible intensity of drama and masculinity.
The main leitmotif is family, friendship, and the salvation of mankind takes only second place. References to fashion, memes, and culture are mandatory. Araki collaborates with the Glamb clothing brand. In an eccentric story, there are so many sharp expressions and absurd pathos that the manga was doomed to success from the very beginning.
Araki is passionate about creativity. He keeps his personal life a secret. The author himself can be called a meme. He practically did not change by the age of 57.
He began work on his creation in the eighties. Many hits of that time have lost popularity, but Hirohiko's manga remains relevant.
Araki perfectly perfected the most unique style, the mangaka is not afraid to go against the rules, even created by himself. Therefore, JoJo's adventures are always amazing.
