original_creator
102Morita, Masanori
- Blood type
- O
- Active since
- 1984
- Other names
- 森田真法, Morita Shinpou
Links
Personal Information
Masanori Morita was born in Rittou, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Following his high school graduation, he served as an assistant to Tetsuo Hara, the creator of Hokuto no Ken, while simultaneously publishing several short stories in special issues of JUMP magazine. Morita made his official debut in 1984 in Fresh Jump with *It's Late*, the pilot chapter for Rokudenashi Blues, a story that earned the Tezuka Excellence Award from Shueisha. In 1987, he launched his first serialized work, Bachi Atari Rock. Two years later, in 1988, he began publishing Rokudenashi Blues in Weekly Shonen Jump. The series captivated readers with its passionate narrative, diverse cast of characters, and superior artwork, becoming a long-running hit that continued for eight years. Upon the conclusion of his breakout series, Morita shifted his focus to baseball with Rookies, another successful work in Jump spanning 24 volumes. Although it did not reach the same level of fame as his previous hit, the series was adored by fans and is often considered more accomplished regarding both storytelling and art. By the time Rookies ended in 2003, Morita was 37 years old. The demands of the weekly schedule had worn him down, and the constraints of the shōnen demographic frustrated him, yet he remained under an exclusive contract with Shueisha, which insisted he continue drawing shōnen titles for Jump. A fan of manzai, or Japanese stand-up comedy, Morita created Beshari Gurashi, a story about the rapid rise of a comedy duo. After publishing nearly 30 chapters in Jump, editors determined that the manga's increasingly edgy themes were better suited for a seinen publication, leading the series to move to a bimonthly schedule in Young Jump. Beshari Gurashi ran for 19 volumes until 2015. In 2019, Morita returned to the story to draw additional chapters compiled into a 20th and final volume to coincide with the marketing campaign for its TV drama adaptation. He stated at the time that Beshari Gurashi would be his final manga and his life's work. However, in 2022, he began a new horror/thriller series titled Zashisu, which ran from 2022 to 2024 and consists of 3 volumes. Morita is a fan of the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. His assistants have included Kishi Daimurou, Tsuruoka Nobuhisa, Iwata Yasuteru, Son Yoshihito, Ito Makoto, Sonoda Tatsunosuke, Oota Fumihiko, Tanaka Akira, and Nagatomo Kenji. Additionally, Oh!Great has applied to become his assistant.
