Kazuya Hiramaru (Born June 18, 1984 in Kanagawa-ken, Japan), is a different kind of genius than Eiji Niizuma. He picked up an issue of Jump on the bus, thought it was something he could do, and then quit his job to draw manga. He has a manga
getting seralized in Jump called Otters 11 which was later cancelled. He is also a heavy drinker, but this is only shown in the party for Jump authors.
Personality & Character
Hiramaru was a salary man that hated working; he quit his job to be a mangaka, but he doesn't know how he will keep up a weekly series. He doesn't know why people have to work for a living. He wants sleep when he's tired and eat when he's hungry. Due to his laziness, his editor , Koji Yoshida, often bribes him into doing work by giving him weekly facts about his love interest, Yuriko Aoki. He's also a chronic hypochondriac; he often makes incredible claims of illness, but often proven healthy by the doctors. It's often believed he play on his own fears and also uses it as an excuse to avoid work. Eventually, Yoshida got wise on Hiramaru's motivations and often depicts dramatic scenarios of Aoki rejecting him due to his laziness or inability to produce names to energize him to work hard. Because he couldn't stand the idea of losing Aoki in his life, a combination of his own anxiety and Hiramaru's end-game scenarios, he works feverishly in hopes his work will earn Aoki's heart.
Appearance
Hiramaru has long black hair cut into layers, and tired eyes. He is normally seen wearing a white shirt with suspenders and pants that are slightly rolled up. Later, his black hair gets cut shorter and his eyes become less tired.
History
Beginnings
Hiramaru worked as a salary man for a unspecified amount of years. One day on the subway, he overheard Muto Ashirogi talking about fame and fortune over being a mangaka. After the duo left the train, he found an abandoned copy of Shonen Jump over the rails and started his interest in manga. Tired of his existence, he quit his job and immediately dived into creating his own manga. With no history in being a mangaka, he managed to get Otters 11 published. However, even with his creativity, he often carries a poor attitude to his worth ethics. However, his work gave him success and he invited to Jump's annual new year party.
The New Years Party
During the New Years Party, Hiramaru hangs out with Niizuma. When Takagi and Mashiro show up, he mistakes them for high school students and not the mangakas that they are. He is telling them how he shouldn't be a mangaka, because he doesn't know how he will keep up a weekly series. He stops talking to them when Yoshida comes and gets him. He asks Yoshida, "Do you enjoy life?". Yoshida ingores the question, saying that it will be the tagline for chapter three. A similar tagline is used in Shell (Chapter) 75, in which Otter 11 asks the employee Yoshida, "Do you enjoy your job?"
Otters 11 serialization
Hiramaru is overworked with working on Otters 11. He sneaks out to go to other manga-ka's studios, but Yoshida always finds him. Hiromaru claims that he has started urinating blood, but when he went to the doctor nothing happened, so his editors are continuing to make him work.
Creator Strike
Mashiro is put into hospital and many of the manga-kas go on strike, until Mashiro can start working again. Hiramaru Kazuya joins the strike, though it was mostly so he can avoid his duties as a mangaka and take a break
Anime
Otters 11 had received anime offers but the Editor-in-Chief and Yoshida didn't tell Hiramaru because they wanted to see if they could get a better offer (the original offer had been for a midnight slot), but they couldn't so they finally accepted the offer. The ratings eventually allow it to begin a second season.
Super Leaders Love Fest
Eventually, however, Otters 11 gets canceled at Shell 200, its plot development decreased. Hiramaru believes that he could stop working, but due to an opportunity to continue seeing Aoki, is convinced to start You Can't Reach Me, based off of Kimi ni Todoke. The one-shot places third overall and second of the Super Leaders, prompting Yoshida to convince Hiramaru to try for serialization.
Manga
His manga, Otters 11, is about otter people trying to fix the world. Their hands supposedly turn into giant rocks.
Notes & Trivia
- Hiramaru wishes he was born a pampered panda at the zoo.
- Hiramaru's comic tendencies with animals, exasperation at his editor, and laziness draw a parallel to Sorachi Hideaki, mangaka of Gintama.
- He ranked 3rd on recent popularity poll.
- He likes collecting stuff animals, and he self-proclaimed that his talent was, "to be able to get away from Yoshida-shi."
Articles & References