Makoto Kobayashi (artist)

1.1. Childhood and Family

Makoto Kobayashi was born on May 13, 1958, in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. In his hometown, he was affectionately known as "Konbayashi." He is a relative of the famous Japanese singer Sachiko Kobayashi. From his elementary school days, Kobayashi showed an early passion for drawing, often completing manga works of around 200 pages. These early creations were heavily influenced by the horror manga style of Kazuo Umezu and frequently adopted a shōjo manga aesthetic. Interestingly, he would title his works using the names of snakes that he encountered while playing in the fields and even composed theme songs for them.

1.2. Education and Early Artistic Development

Kobayashi continued his artistic pursuits during his time at Kurosaaki Junior High School (now Niigata City Kurosaaki Junior High School). During this period, he continued to draw snake-themed works, one of which earned him an Effort Award in the "Ribon" rookie manga contest, for which he received a prize of 5.00 K JPY, which he used to purchase a school uniform.

He later attended Niigata Prefectural Niigata Commercial High School, where he joined the judo club. His experiences in judo profoundly influenced his later works, particularly martial arts-themed manga such as Grapple Three Brothers and Judo-bu Monogatari. While continuing his judo practice, during his second year of high school, he completed a 144-page horror masterpiece titled Shiromadara, which he submitted to Shogakukan. Although this work was later serialized in Monthly Shōnen Magazine after his professional debut, it was ultimately interrupted due to an unmanageable schedule.

1.3. Early Influences and Artistic Style

Kobayashi's early artistic development was significantly shaped by his fascination with horror manga, especially the works of Kazuo Umezu, which led him to initially focus on shōjo-style horror comics. His unique approach included using snake names for his early manga titles and even composing theme songs for them. However, after facing repeated rejections for his horror works, he decided to shift his artistic direction. This pivot led him to explore comedy manga, where he was influenced by artists like Noboru Kawasaki, particularly his work Inakappe Taishō.

A pivotal moment in his artistic evolution came from his personal experience in judo. His real-life encounter with a "brainbuster" technique during a high school judo match provided the direct inspiration for his transition from comedy to martial arts manga. This blend of personal experience, a foundation in diverse genres, and an unusual drawing style became the hallmark of his distinctive artistic expression throughout his career.

2.1. Debut and Early Career

After graduating from high school, Makoto Kobayashi moved to Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming a manga artist. He sought out and became an assistant to the renowned manga artist Mikiya Mochizuki. However, he found the work very demanding and left after just two months. Following this, he took on various part-time jobs, often quitting after about a month due to their difficulty. During this period, he continued to draw horror manga, but despite his efforts, none of his works were accepted for publication. This continuous rejection led him to abandon the horror genre that he had pursued since childhood.

With a fresh perspective, Kobayashi decided to try his hand at comedy manga. He created Sanshiro Band no Capotasto, a comedy centered around a music band, and submitted it to Weekly Shōnen Magazine, a publication he had admired since he was a child. The editor, Yasushi Kofu, recognized Kobayashi's strong character development skills. Based on a real-life experience Kobayashi shared-losing a judo match in high school after being hit with a brainbuster-Kofu suggested he transform the band manga into a martial arts comedy. This led to the creation of Grapple Three Brothers.

Kobayashi submitted Grapple Three Brothers to the 20th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Rookie Manga Award. This particular year was special, as the magazine was celebrating its 1000th issue, and the prize money was significantly increased from the usual 300.00 K JPY to 1.00 M JPY plus a stereo set. Although Shinji Ono was initially considered the favorite, Kobayashi's entry made the selection process difficult. Ultimately, Kobayashi's work won first place in a decisive final vote, marking his official debut in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 1978. Shinji Ono, who received an honorable mention, humorously lamented his 100.00 K JPY prize and television game. Other artists from the same award period included Moroga Taku (also known as Gascon Kin'ya), while Natsuki Owada also aimed for the award but missed the submission deadline.

2.2. Major Works and Breakthroughs

This period saw the creation of his most iconic works, including the martial arts saga 1・2 no Sanshirō and the internationally acclaimed cat comedy What's Michael?, both of which earned him prestigious awards.

2.3. Later Career and Comeback

In 2014, Makoto Kobayashi announced his retirement from manga creation after completing Mabuta no Haha, citing physical health issues. During this period, he dedicated his time to his other passion: band activities as a bassist. However, his hiatus from manga was temporary. In 2016, Kobayashi made a significant comeback to the manga world with JJM: Joshi Judou-bu Monogatari (JJM: A Girls' Judo Club Story). This new series, which began serialization in Evening magazine before moving to Comic Days, is notably modeled after Yuko Emoto, Japan's first female Olympic gold medalist in judo. His return was met with enthusiasm from fans, demonstrating his enduring passion for storytelling and his ability to draw from real-life inspirations.

3.1. Manga

• Grapple Three Brothers (格闘三兄弟_{Kakutō San Kyōdai}^Japanese) (1978, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Kodansha) - Winner of the 20th Rookie Manga Award.
• 1・2 no Sanshirō (1・2の三四郎^Japanese) (1978-1983, Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
• Shiromadara (シロマダラ^Japanese) (1979-1980, Monthly Shōnen Magazine, Kodansha) - Unfinished. The title refers to a type of Japanese snake (Japanese keelback).
• Sore Ike Iwashimizu (それいけ岩清水^Japanese) (1980-1981, Monthly Shōnen Magazine)
• Bijen no Theme (ビジェ～ンのテーマ^Japanese) (1981, Monthly Shōnen Magazine) - One-shot.
• Irasshaimase (いらっしゃいませ^Japanese) (1982, Weekly Young Magazine, Kodansha) - One-shot.
• Tōkon Production (闘魂プロダクション^Japanese) (1982-1983, Morning, Kodansha)
• I am Makkoi (I am マッコイ^Japanese) (1983-1985, Magazine SPECIAL, Kodansha)
• Manga no Kakikata (マンガの描き方^Japanese) (1983-1984, Morning)
• Yukionna (雪女^Japanese) (1984, Weekly Shōnen Magazine) - One-shot.
• What's Michael? (1984-1989, Morning)
• Judo-bu Monogatari (柔道部物語^Japanese) (1985, Weekly Young Magazine) - One-shot.
• Kobayashi Makoto Shashinshū (小林まこと写真集^Japanese) (1985, Morning) - One-shot.
• Judo-bu Monogatari (柔道部物語^Japanese) (1985-1991, Weekly Young Magazine)
• Michael no Dengurigaeri (マイケルのでんぐりがえり^Japanese) (1988, Comic Ehon Morning, Kodansha)
• Otoko no Uramachi (男の裏町^Japanese) (1988, Weekly Young Magazine) - One-shot.
• Heba! Hello-chan (also known as Club 9) (へば！ハローちゃん^Japanese) (1991-1994, Mr. Magazine, Kodansha)
• Gaburin (ガブリン^Japanese) (1992-1994, mimi, Kodansha) - Unfinished.
• 1・2 no Sanshirō 2 (1・2の三四郎 2^Japanese) (1994-1998, Weekly Young Magazine) - A sequel to 1・2 no Sanshirō. The Korean translated version is titled Da Deombyeo.
• Chichonmanchi (ちちょんまんち^Japanese) (1998-2002, Young Magazine Uppers, Kodansha) - Classified as an adult manga.
  • Stairway to Heaven (天国への階段_{Tengoku e no Kaidan}^Japanese) - A revised and recomposed version of Chichonmanchi (Kodansha KCDX, 4 volumes, 2004).
• What's Michael? Volume 9 (ホワッツマイケル 9巻め^Japanese) (2001-2002, Evening, Kodansha)
• Kakutō Tanteidan (格闘探偵団^Japanese) (2002-2005, Evening) - A sequel to 1・2 no Sanshirō 2.
• Gaburin (ガブリン^Japanese) (2006-2007, Comic BomBom, Kodansha) - A remake version, unfinished.
• Seishun Shōnen Magazine 1978-1983 (青春少年マガジン1978~1983^Japanese) (2008, Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
• Wild 7 Tribute (ワイルド7トリビュート^Japanese) (2009, Young King, Shōnen Gahōsha) - One-shot.
• Baker Street Shōnen Tanteidan (ベイカー街少年探偵団^Japanese) (Illustration)
• Gekiga Hasegawa Shin Series (劇画・長谷川伸シリーズ^Japanese) (Original stories by Shin Hasegawa)
  • Seki no Yatappe (関の弥太ッペ^Japanese) (2009, Evening)
  • Kutsukake Tokijirō (沓掛時次郎^Japanese) (2010, Evening)
  • Ippongatana Dohyōiri (一本刀土俵入^Japanese) (2011-2012, Evening)
  • Mabuta no Haha (瞼の母^Japanese) (2013-2014, Evening)
• JJM: Joshi Judou-bu Monogatari (JJM 女子柔道部物語^Japanese) (2016-present, Evening → Comic Days) - Modeled after Yuko Emoto.

3.2. Anime

• Judo Bu Monogatari OAV
• What's Michael? OAV
• What's Michael? 2 OAV
• What's Michael? TV series

3.3. Music

Makoto Kobayashi has also released music albums as a bassist during his temporary retirement from manga.

• KONBAYASHI 1 (2014, MKS-100)
• KONBAYASHI 2 (2015, MK-2)
• KONBAYASHI 3 (2015, MK-3) - Released under the name "Makoto Kobayashi + RHU".

5.1. Mentor

Makoto Kobayashi's mentor was Mikiya Mochizuki, a prominent manga artist known for his action and detective series. Kobayashi sought Mochizuki out after high school and became his assistant, though he only stayed for two months due to the demanding nature of the work. Despite the brevity of his tenure, Mochizuki's influence as a seasoned professional likely played a role in Kobayashi's early development.

5.2. Assistants

Several notable manga artists began their careers as assistants to Makoto Kobayashi, contributing to his works and later establishing their own successful careers. These include:

• Tetsuya Koshiba
• Shuichi Shigeno - Shigeno notably worked as a temporary assistant for Kobayashi for only one day. Kobayashi reportedly thought Shigeno was younger than him at the time.
• Michiaki Kiyama
• Kazuo Takahashi
• Ibuki Haneda