Itaru Hinoue
Encyclopedia
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka
, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key
. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga
C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named . Before forming Key, Hinoue worked for the company Tactics
where she had a hand in the creation of the three games for that company: Dōsei
, Moon.
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
. After forming Key, Hinoue has become known for her work on such titles as Kanon
, Air and Clannad. Her dōjinshi
circle is known as "Soldier Frog".
to become a professional artist due to the influence of the popular adult
visual novel
Dōkyūsei
by ELF
. Her first work for a visual novel was as one of many artists for Tamago Ryōri by Bon Bin Pompon in 1996, but shortly after transferred to the software company Tactics
under the publisher Nexton
. There, she was the art director of three games: Dōsei
, Moon.
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
. After the completion of One, Hinoue and much of the staff who made both Moon. and One, including Jun Maeda
, Shinji Orito
, Naoki Hisaya
, and OdiakeS
, left Tactics to work under the video game publishing company Visual Art's
where they formed the company Key. At Key, Hinoue was the sole art director for their first three titles, Kanon
, Air, and Clannad, but did not contribute for the two games that followed, Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume, and Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life. For Key's sixth title Little Busters!
released in July 2007, Hinoue shared the position of art director with fellow artist Na-Ga
, though Na-Ga provided most of the art for the characters. Outside of Key in 2006, Hinoue was the art director for the yaoi
visual novel Bokura wa Minna, Koi o suru by the company Pekoe, also under Visual Art's. In 2007, Hinoue provided uniform design and one of five character designs in a five-part moe adult
drama CD
series named School Heart's produced by Mana, a brand under Visual Art's. Starting in December 2007, Hinoue is one of three personalities (the others being Shinji Orito
and another named woman from Pekoe named Chiro) on an Internet radio
show sponsored by Key in regards to Key called Key Net Radio. Listeners can submit thoughts about the show and any requests they may have for the show, along with submitting questions to the host trio. Hinoue worked on Key's ninth game Rewrite
by heading the project's planning, and acting as the sole art director and character designer.
, much of her distinct style that she has become known for has generally either been omitted or improved upon.
Shortly before the release of Clannad, two autographed illustrations by Hinoue were put onto the Japanese Yahoo!
Auction
website in April 2004; bidding for the drawings started at 1 yen
(about US$
0.01). One of the drawings was bid on by forty-eight people was sold for 479,000 yen (about US$4,300), while the second drawing was bid on by 113 people and fetched 531,000 yen (about US$4,800). The latter item is the fifth most expensive item sold on Yahoo! Auction since April 2001, while the former is the twelfth most expensive. An autographed T-shirt featuring an illustration by Hinoue of Yuiko Kurugaya from Little Busters!
was put onto Yahoo! Auction in March 2009; bidding for the shirt started at 10 yen (about US$0.10). The shirt was bid on by over 68 people and was sold for 1,300,000 yen (about US$13,000). The shirt was originally released at Key 10th Memorial Fes, an event held in commemoration of Key's ten-year anniversary between February 28 and March 1, 2009.
Hinoue was one of several prominent artists who illustrated a pin-up for the manga Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens. The pin-up, released in the third volume, was drawn in collaboration with the manga's author Eri Takenashi. Hinoue also provided a still image used in episode four of Kannagis anime
adaptation as the ending illustration.
An art book featuring illustrations by Hinoue was released on February 28, 2009 as a limited edition by Key at Key 10th Memorial Fes. The book, White Clover: Itaru Hinoue Art Works, which bares the catalog number 00001, was the single-most expensive item sold at the event, and contains over 170 illustrations of mainly heroines featured in Key's visual novels, but also contains other works by Hinoue such as One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
. Upon release, it was later discovered that there were some problems with some of the books, such as missing or out-of-order pages, or small dark specks on some of the illustrations. The art book will be released for general sale on June 26, 2009 and will feature a different cover.
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named . Before forming Key, Hinoue worked for the company Tactics
Tactics (company)
Tactics is a Japanese visual novel studio which specializes in the development of dating sim and eroge style games. Tactics is actually a branch of the joint company Nexton. Their debut release was a game entitled Dōsei in mid-1997, followed by Moon. in the same year, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e in...
where she had a hand in the creation of the three games for that company: Dōsei
Dosei
is a Japanese adult social simulation game developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on May 23, 1997, the same day as the famous To Heart by Leaf...
, Moon.
Moon.
Moon. is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on November 21, 1997 playable on a Windows 95 PC as a CD-ROM; the game was re-released five more times between 1998 and 2003. The game was described by the development team as a...
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
is a Japanese adult visual novel, developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and released on May 26, 1998 playable on the PC for Windows 95. Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel company Key. The game was later ported to the...
. After forming Key, Hinoue has become known for her work on such titles as Kanon
Kanon
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and originally released as an adult game on June 4, 1999, playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable...
, Air and Clannad. Her dōjinshi
Dojinshi
is the Japanese term for self-published works, usually magazines, manga or novels. Dōjinshi are often the work of amateurs, though some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular industry. The term dōjinshi is derived from and . Dōjinshi are part of a wider...
circle is known as "Soldier Frog".
Career
Hinoue entered a vocational schoolVocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
to become a professional artist due to the influence of the popular adult
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
Dōkyūsei
Dokyusei
is the first game in the popular Dōkyūsei series of eroge dating sims by ELF. The original Dōkyūsei , released in 1992.-OVA:...
by ELF
ELF Corporation
ELF Corporation is an eroge studio. One of its most popular games is Dōkyūsei, a pioneering dating sim, which has had a sequel, and been turned into video and TV series. The character design of the main villains from the -saku series is the company mascot...
. Her first work for a visual novel was as one of many artists for Tamago Ryōri by Bon Bin Pompon in 1996, but shortly after transferred to the software company Tactics
Tactics (company)
Tactics is a Japanese visual novel studio which specializes in the development of dating sim and eroge style games. Tactics is actually a branch of the joint company Nexton. Their debut release was a game entitled Dōsei in mid-1997, followed by Moon. in the same year, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e in...
under the publisher Nexton
Nexton
is a Japanese software company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novel video games for a nine game developers that Nexton is partners with. The company is located in Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan...
. There, she was the art director of three games: Dōsei
Dosei
is a Japanese adult social simulation game developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on May 23, 1997, the same day as the famous To Heart by Leaf...
, Moon.
Moon.
Moon. is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on November 21, 1997 playable on a Windows 95 PC as a CD-ROM; the game was re-released five more times between 1998 and 2003. The game was described by the development team as a...
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
is a Japanese adult visual novel, developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and released on May 26, 1998 playable on the PC for Windows 95. Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel company Key. The game was later ported to the...
. After the completion of One, Hinoue and much of the staff who made both Moon. and One, including Jun Maeda
Jun Maeda
is a Japanese writer working for the software company Key; he has majorly contributed as a scenario writer, lyricist, and musical composer for the visual novels the company produces. His birth name in kanji was written as , though there is no change in pronunciation...
, Shinji Orito
Shinji Orito
is a Japanese musical composer originally from Hyōgo, Japan working for the software company Key. Before forming Key, Orito worked for another software company named Leaf where he contributed to four games...
, Naoki Hisaya
Naoki Hisaya
, born , is a Japanese screenwriter who has worked for Tactics, Key and Siesta, but as of 2006, he is a freelance writer. He is well known for being the main writer of the popular visual novel Kanon while working under Key. Additional works include Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and Moon Childe....
, and OdiakeS
OdiakeS
OdiakeS is a Japanese composer from Tokyo, Japan who has worked for a variety of visual novel companies. His first work was on the game One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e under Tactics. When the staff of One left Tactics to create the company Key, OdiakeS became a member of Key and had a hand in the musical...
, left Tactics to work under the video game publishing company Visual Art's
Visual Art's
, formally , is a Japanese publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Art's has developed the game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and...
where they formed the company Key. At Key, Hinoue was the sole art director for their first three titles, Kanon
Kanon
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and originally released as an adult game on June 4, 1999, playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable...
, Air, and Clannad, but did not contribute for the two games that followed, Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume, and Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life. For Key's sixth title Little Busters!
Little Busters!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key which was originally released, rated for everyone as a limited edition version, on July 27, 2007 playable on a Windows PC; a regular edition, also rated for everyone, followed on September 28, 2007. Little Busters! is Key's sixth game, along with other...
released in July 2007, Hinoue shared the position of art director with fellow artist Na-Ga
Na-Ga
Na-Ga is a male Japanese artist who is employed as a graphic designer and illustrator for the company Key known for such famous visual novels as Kanon, Air, and Clannad among others...
, though Na-Ga provided most of the art for the characters. Outside of Key in 2006, Hinoue was the art director for the yaoi
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
visual novel Bokura wa Minna, Koi o suru by the company Pekoe, also under Visual Art's. In 2007, Hinoue provided uniform design and one of five character designs in a five-part moe adult
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
drama CD
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
series named School Heart's produced by Mana, a brand under Visual Art's. Starting in December 2007, Hinoue is one of three personalities (the others being Shinji Orito
Shinji Orito
is a Japanese musical composer originally from Hyōgo, Japan working for the software company Key. Before forming Key, Orito worked for another software company named Leaf where he contributed to four games...
and another named woman from Pekoe named Chiro) on an Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
show sponsored by Key in regards to Key called Key Net Radio. Listeners can submit thoughts about the show and any requests they may have for the show, along with submitting questions to the host trio. Hinoue worked on Key's ninth game Rewrite
Rewrite (visual novel)
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key that was released on June 24, 2011 as a DVD playable on a Microsoft Windows PC and is rated for all ages. Rewrite is Key's ninth game, along with other titles such as Kanon, Air, and Clannad...
by heading the project's planning, and acting as the sole art director and character designer.
Art style and reception
Itaru Hinoue has a distinct style of character art that evolved over the years, but there are still consistencies in her art style. Her characters have very small noses and mouths placed within close proximity of each other which leaves an abnormally large separation between the mouth and bottom of the chin. In contrast, she draws eyes relatively large and are widely spaced apart from each other. The limbs of her characters are depicted as long and narrow, along with possessing a long torso. Generally, despite this unique style, her female characters are often thought to be very moe. These recurring characteristics of her art are referred to by her Japanese fans as . She is skilled in preserving the psychological description of her characters via their facial expressions. Her style of drawing erotic content is also seen as being distinct. As seen with her art from 2006 onwards, such as in Little Busters!Little Busters!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key which was originally released, rated for everyone as a limited edition version, on July 27, 2007 playable on a Windows PC; a regular edition, also rated for everyone, followed on September 28, 2007. Little Busters! is Key's sixth game, along with other...
, much of her distinct style that she has become known for has generally either been omitted or improved upon.
Shortly before the release of Clannad, two autographed illustrations by Hinoue were put onto the Japanese Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Auction
Online auction business model
The online auction business model is one in which participants bid for products and services over the Internet. The functionality of buying and selling in an auction format is made possible through auction software which regulates the various processes involved.Several types of online auctions are...
website in April 2004; bidding for the drawings started at 1 yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
(about US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
0.01). One of the drawings was bid on by forty-eight people was sold for 479,000 yen (about US$4,300), while the second drawing was bid on by 113 people and fetched 531,000 yen (about US$4,800). The latter item is the fifth most expensive item sold on Yahoo! Auction since April 2001, while the former is the twelfth most expensive. An autographed T-shirt featuring an illustration by Hinoue of Yuiko Kurugaya from Little Busters!
Little Busters!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key which was originally released, rated for everyone as a limited edition version, on July 27, 2007 playable on a Windows PC; a regular edition, also rated for everyone, followed on September 28, 2007. Little Busters! is Key's sixth game, along with other...
was put onto Yahoo! Auction in March 2009; bidding for the shirt started at 10 yen (about US$0.10). The shirt was bid on by over 68 people and was sold for 1,300,000 yen (about US$13,000). The shirt was originally released at Key 10th Memorial Fes, an event held in commemoration of Key's ten-year anniversary between February 28 and March 1, 2009.
Hinoue was one of several prominent artists who illustrated a pin-up for the manga Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens. The pin-up, released in the third volume, was drawn in collaboration with the manga's author Eri Takenashi. Hinoue also provided a still image used in episode four of Kannagis anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation as the ending illustration.
An art book featuring illustrations by Hinoue was released on February 28, 2009 as a limited edition by Key at Key 10th Memorial Fes. The book, White Clover: Itaru Hinoue Art Works, which bares the catalog number 00001, was the single-most expensive item sold at the event, and contains over 170 illustrations of mainly heroines featured in Key's visual novels, but also contains other works by Hinoue such as One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
is a Japanese adult visual novel, developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and released on May 26, 1998 playable on the PC for Windows 95. Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel company Key. The game was later ported to the...
. Upon release, it was later discovered that there were some problems with some of the books, such as missing or out-of-order pages, or small dark specks on some of the illustrations. The art book will be released for general sale on June 26, 2009 and will feature a different cover.