is a Japanese

manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the indus ...

. After debuting in 1999, she launched her first series, '' Yasuko to Kenji'', in 2005. Following its completion, she began illustrating

Kazune Kawahara is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for creating the romantic comedy shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga ''High School Debut'' (''Koukou Debut''). Kawahara has also published and authored several other manga series, most notably ''Ai no Tame ...

's ''

My Love Story!! , is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series written by Kazune Kawahara and illustrated by Aruko. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Bessatsu Margaret'' magazine from October 2011 to July 2016. Viz Media published the series in English ...

'' in 2011, which performed well and received multiple adaptations. Following ''My Love Story!!''s completion, Aruko began illustrating ''

My Love Mix-Up! is a Japanese manga series written by Wataru Hinekure and illustrated by Aruko. It was serialized in ''Bessatsu Margaret'' from June 2019 to June 2022. A spin-off, titled ''Kieta Hatsukoi: Shōgekijō'', was serialized from July to Septemb ...

'' in 2019.

Biography

Aruko was born in

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

on July 26. Aruko debuted as a manga artist in 1999 with the

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'', a ...

''Ame no Chi Hare'', published in ''

Bessatsu Margaret , or for short, is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly in Japan by Shueisha since 1964. The stories featured in it are noted to have an emphasis on character growth, focusing on themes of interpersonal relationships and settings of ever ...

''. After writing a couple more one shots, she launched '' Yasuko to Kenji'' in 2005. It would later receive a TV drama adaptation. Following ''Yasuko to Kenji''s completion, Aruko penned a few more one-shots. She would later be approached by editors of ''Bessatsu Margaret'' to illustrate a new series written by

. Aruko was a fan of some of Kawahara's other works, so she promptly agreed. Together they created ''

'', which debuted in October 2011. The series performed well and won the

Kodansha Manga Award is one of Japan's major manga awards. The event is sponsored by publisher Kodansha. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga in its third iteration since 1977. Categories The award was originally called the until 1968. In 1970, it was ...

in the '' shōjo'' in 2013 and the

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is ...

in the ''shōjo'' category in 2016. The series has also received multiple adaptations, notably an

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series and a live-action film. In June 2019, Aruko began illustrating a new series, ''

''; it was written by Wataru Hinekure. The series has received a TV drama adaptation. The series won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the ''shōjo'' category in 2022.

Works

* (1999) (

published in ''

'') * (2005–2006) (serialized in ''Bessatsu Margaret'') * (2011–2016) (serialized in ''Bessatsu Margaret''; written by

) * (2019–2022) (serialized in ''Bessatsu Margaret''; written by Wataru Hinekure)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Living people Manga artists from Ishikawa Prefecture Pseudonymous women writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (Shōjo) Women manga artists Year of birth missing (living people)