Makoto Yukimura

Japanese manga artist

Makoto Yukimura

幸村 誠

Yukimura in 2006

Born|  (1976-05-08) May 8, 1976 (age 48)[1]

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Nationality| Japanese
Occupation| Manga artist
Known for| Planetes
Vinland Saga

Makoto Yukimura (Japanese: 幸村 誠, Hepburn: Yukimura Makoto, born May 8, 1976) is a Japanese manga artist best known for his manga Planetes and Vinland Saga.

## Biography

[edit]

### Early life

[edit]

Yukimura considered himself a laidback child at school. The first manga he read was Akira Toriyama's Dr. Slump at 5; he was particularly impressed by its cover. He then watched the anime much to his surprise because he did not see the need of a story being repeated. When Yukimura became 16, he had the idea of becoming a manga author. During his early life, Yukimura was nearly killed in two car accidents. This made him reconsider his way of thinking. He believes he had no social life and barely paid attention to classes in his childhood. The only thing he wrote in his notebook was manga. He graduated from Chuo University and Suginami High School. In contrast to other students, Yukimura faced no hardships in graduating and recalls having brief anxiety. Yukimura's crisis with school and lack of interest with his growth and jobs worried his parents. However, Yukimura's school life changed when being taught by a literature teacher who used Michael Ende famous for The Never Ending Story in a class.[2]

Yukimura was first inspired to become a manga artist after reading Fist of the North Star as a boy.[3] He said he had always wanted to produce a series which reflected the same themes of "strength and justice". However, he felt that he would not accomplish his dream due to poor academic skills. Eventually, he started studying manga at 16 and was recruited as an assistant two years later. His parents convinced him of graduating first from high school. He never drew manga on his own until his debut. Once graduating from college at 22, he met Kaiji Kawaguchi who found his potential to become a manga author. He met Dai Morimura who taught him about drawing manga and find his own style rather than imitating others. Yukimura got married during his work as an assistant who supported him.[4] In regards to his family, Yukimura mentioned he has two children with the second one being born in 2006.[5] With the later birth of another child, Yukimura revealed that all were male but was worried about their health.[6]

### Career

[edit]

Yukimura made his debut with the hard science fiction manga Planetes, serialized in Weekly Morning magazine from 1999 to 2004 and adapted into a 26-episode anime series by Sunrise.[7] Before that, he worked as an assistant for Shin Morimura.[3]

He is currently working on Vinland Saga which was first serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine then moved to the monthly Afternoon magazine due to releases pacing issues.[8] He was inspired by the anime series Vicky the Viking he watched as a child, and since then he has been fascinated with Vikings.[9] For this work he received the 2009 Japan Media Arts Festival Grand Prize in the manga category.[10] In 2010, he was a guest of the Angoulême International Comics Festival.[11] As of July 2021, the manga had over 5.5 million copies in circulation.[12] While the series is notable for its amount of violence normally caused by Vikings, Yukimura claimed he hates the concept of violence. As a result, a key element in writing this story was relaxing his modern sense of morality.[13]

It was also adapted into an anime series by Wit Studio.[14] MAPPA will animate its second season starting in January 2023.[15][16] Yukimura praised the Vinland Saga anime for solving the manga's pacing issues and adding new content.[13][17]

In August 2022, Yukimura did a crossover manga with the video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla where 'Vinland Saga protagonist Thorfinn meets Valhalla lead Eivor.[18]

In July 2023, Yukimura made his first U.S. convention appearance at San Diego Comic-Con.[19]

## Commentary

[edit]

Yukimura's sensation during the Cold War and the September 11 attacks were projected on Thorfinn's character who is traumatized by his actions as a viking and thus decides to find Vinland in order to make a land where people from different races are able to live together peacefully.[20]

Yukimura pays attention to drawing hands as he claims they are more expressive than faces and give a brief explanation of the person's personality. This was influenced by manga author Katsuhiro Otomo.[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yukimura started drawing the chapters of Vinland Saga digitally.[21]

When he first started drawing, Yukimura expected it to take 10 years, but it will still take 14 years to finish. He had calculated that there would be 20 volumes, with each part consisting of 4 volumes, with 5 volumes each, but then the amount increased to over 22 volumes. From the beginning of the serialization, he was at a loss, wondering when he could write the actual arc of Vinland. Because he often had problems with handling the story, Yukimura looks after Hajime Isayama for his work on Attack on Titan due to how he was able to handle the entire plot until the end especially since its 20th volume.[22] In response, Isayama said he admires Yukimura for his detailed art and foreshadowing, remarking that the breaks are necessary to create such a consistently high-quality work. Another series Yukimura became a fan while writing is My Dress-Up Darling.[21] Among other preferred works, Yukimura enjoys horror stories, most notably Junji Ito's, Nokuto Koike's, and Motosuke Takaminato. Anji Matono's recent work from 2022 also attracts him.[23]

## Works

[edit]

* Planetes (1999–2004, serialized in Weekly Morning, Kodansha)[24][25]
* For Our Farewell is Near (さようならが近いので, Sayōnara ga Chikai node) (2004, one-shot published in Evening, Kodansha)
* Vinland Saga (2005–present, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April to October 2005 then in Afternoon from December 2005, Kodansha)[26][27]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "MANGA BUILDING In the very heart of manga culture". Angoulême International Comics Festival. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
2. ^ a b Yukimura, Makoto (2018). Vinland Saga. Vol. 10\. Kodansha Comics. pp. 390–398. ISBN 978-1632366306.
3. ^ a b "『幸村誠先生』 その1 まんが☆天国" (in Japanese). manganohi.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
4. ^ "『幸村誠先生』 その1 まんが☆天国". Manga Nohi. January 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
5. ^ Yukimura, Makoto (2013). "Afterword". Vinland Saga 2. Vinland Saga. Kodansha. ISBN 978-1-61262-420-4.
6. ^ Yukimura, Makoto (2014). "Afterword". Vinland Saga 5. Vinland Saga. Kodansha. ISBN 978-1-61262-422-8.
7. ^ "SUNRISE Inc. Official Site [ 放送・上映情報-放送・上映作品リスト ]". Sunrise. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
8. ^ Bahu-Leyser, Emmanuel; translation by Grégoire Hellot (July–August 2009). "Makoto Yukimura L'auteur de Vinland Saga" [Makoto Yukimura The author of Vinland Saga]. Animeland (in French) (153): 84–85.
9. ^ "Vikinger à la manga". AfterPosten (in Norwegian). Retrieved September 2, 2022.
10. ^ "Grand Prize VINLAND SAGA". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
11. ^ "The creator of "The Vinland Saga" is one of the Festival's special guests. He will be here to meet his fans in the Manga building". Angoulême International Comics Festival. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
12. ^ Loo, Egan (July 7, 2021). "Vinland Saga Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
13. ^ a b "INTERVIEW: VINLAND SAGA Creator, Staff on Returning to the Viking Epic for Season". Crunchyroll. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
14. ^ "Vinland Saga Manga Gets TV Anime by Wit Studio". Anime News Network. March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
15. ^ 制作はMAPPA、新キャストに武内駿輔ら. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
16. ^ Mateo, Alex (June 8, 2022). "Vinland Saga Anime's 2nd Season Reveals Promo Video, Cast, January 2023 Premiere, Production by MAPPA". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
17. ^ "Attack on Titan's Creator Is a Big Fan of Vinland Saga". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
18. ^ "Vinland Saga Gets Crossover Manga with Assassin's Creed Valhalla Game". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
19. ^ Luster, Joseph (June 8, 2023). "VINLAND SAGA Creator Makoto Yukimura to Make First US Appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2023". Crunchyroll. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
20. ^ "「逃げる戦士」描きたい 北欧バイキング題材に暴力の連鎖問う 幸村誠さん（漫画家）". Tokyo NP. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
21. ^ a b "Attack on Titan's Creator Is a Big Fan of Vinland Saga". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
22. ^ "【インタビュー】『ヴィンランド・サガ』幸村誠「『暴力が嫌い』を描きたかったら、描く世界は暴力に満ちたほうがいい。」【アニメ化＆22巻発売記念！】". Media Comic Space (in Japanese). Retrieved August 28, 2022.
23. ^ @makotoyukimura (September 7, 2022). "あー、伊藤潤二さんも小池ノクトさんも高港基資さんも読み尽くして久しい。恐怖漫画が欲しい。今はね、的野アンジさんの「僕が死ぬだけの百物語」が注目新人。すごく怖い。あと「光が死んだ夏」も。すごく怖いやつが欲しい。読んだの後悔するくらいのやつ。" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
24. ^ プラネテス（1） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on November 23, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
25. ^ プラネテス（4） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on May 27, 2006. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
26. ^ ヴィンランド・サガ（1） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
27. ^ ヴィンランド・サガ（8） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 29, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.

## External links

[edit]

* Official Twitter
* Makoto Yukimura at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
* Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

* v
* t
* e

Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura

Media|

* Chapters

TV series|

* Episodes
* Season 1
* 2

Characters|

* Thorfinn
* Askeladd
* Thorkell
* Canute
* Einar

Music|

* "Mukanjyo"
* "Dark Crow"
* "Drown / You & I"

* v
* t
* e

Kodansha Manga Award – General

1980s|

* Karyūdo no Seiza by Machiko Satonaka (1982)
* P.S. Genki Desu, Shunpei by Fumi Saimon (1983)
* Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo (1984)
* Okashi na Futari by Jūzō Yamasaki (1985)
* Adolf by Osamu Tezuka and What's Michael? by Makoto Kobayashi (1986)
* Actor by Kaiji Kawaguchi (1987)
* Bonobono by Mikio Igarashi and Be-Bop High School by Kazuhiro Kiuchi (1988)
* Showa: A History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki (1989)

1990s|

* The Silent Service by Kaiji Kawaguchi and Gorillaman by Harold Sakuishi (1990)
* Kachō Shima Kōsaku by Kenshi Hirokane and Waru by Jun Fukami (1991)
* Naniwa Kin'yūdō by Yūji Aoki (1992)
* Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki (1993)
* Tetsujin Ganma by Yasuhito Yamamoto (1994)
* Hanada Shōnen Shi by Makoto Isshiki (1995)
* The Ping Pong Club by Minoru Furuya (1996)
* Dragon Head by Minetarō Mochizuki (1997)
* Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji by Nobuyuki Fukumoto and Sōten Kōro by Hagin Yi and King Gonta (1998)
* Wangan Midnight by Michiharu Kusunoki (1999)

2000s|

* Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue (2000)
* 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa (2001)
* Zipang by Kaiji Kawaguchi (2002)
* Tensai Yanagisawa Kyōju no Seikatsu by Kazumi Yamashita (2003)
* Basilisk by Masaki Segawa (2004)
* Dragon Zakura by Norifusa Mita (2005)
* Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara (2006)
* Big Windup! by Asa Higuchi (2007)
* Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture by Masayuki Ishikawa (2008)
* Oh My Goddess! by Kōsuke Fujishima (2009)

2010s|

* Giant Killing by Masaya Tsunamoto (2010)
* March Comes In like a Lion by Chica Umino and Space Brothers by Chūya Koyama (2011)
* Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura (2012)
* Gurazeni by Yūji Moritaka and Keiji Adachi and Prison School by Akira Hiramoto (2013)
* Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū by Haruko Kumota (2014)
* Knights of Sidonia by Tsutomu Nihei (2015)
* Kōnodori by Yū Suzunoki (2016)
* The Fable by Katsuhisa Minami (2017)
* Sanju Mariko by Yuki Ozawa and Fragile by Saburō Megumi and Bin Kusamizu (2018)
* What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga (2019)

2020s|

* Blue Period by Tsubasa Yamaguchi (2020)
* Yuria-sensei no Akai Ito by Kiwa Irie (2021)
* Police in a Pod by Miko Yasu (2022)
* Skip and Loafer by Misaki Takamatsu (2023)
* Medalist by Tsurumaikada (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Australia
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Korea
* Poland
* Catalonia

Academics|

* CiNii

People|

* Trove

Other|

* IdRef

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template