Hideaki Sorachi was born on May 25, 1979 and grew up in Hokkaido, Japan. His ongoing series, <b><i>GIN TAMA</i></b>, became a huge hit when it began running in the pages of Japan's <b><i>Weekly Shonen Jump</i></b> in 2004. A <b><i>GIN TAMA</i></b> animated series followed soon after, premiering on Japanese TV in April 2006. Sorachi made his manga debut with the one-shot story <b><i>DANDELION</i></b>, which is included in volume 1 of the <b><i>GIN TAMA</i></b> graphic novels.