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 ...

, born in Urawa,

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

(now part of Saitama City). She graduated from Saitama Prefecture's prestigious Urawanishi High School and Hosei University's department of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, with a major in sports psychology. During her high school days, she was a member of her school's

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

team, which would go on to be an inspiration in her work '' Big Windup!'' as well as her high school which is featured in detail (the school now advertising the manga and anime on their website). In 1998, Higuchi won noted seinen

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 used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

magazine '' Afternoons Shiki competition with her work ''Yuku Tokoro''. It was noted for the unique relationships shared by its characters and was subsequently published in the August issue of the magazine, thus marking her debut as a manga artist. She is currently working on ''Big Windup!'', which has spanned 37 volumes to date and being serialized in the monthly ''Afternoon''. It won the 10th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for best creative work in 2006, and the 31st Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 2007.

Works

* ''Yuku Tokoro'' (1998) * ''Kazoku no Sore Kara'' (2000, serialized in ''Afternoon'', Kodansha) * ''Yasashii Watashi'' (2001–2002, serialized in ''Afternoon'', Kodansha) * '' Big Windup!'' (2004–present, serialized in ''Afternoon'', Kodansha)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Higuchi Asa Japanese female comics artists Japanese female comics writers Women manga artists Manga artists from Saitama Prefecture Living people 1970 births Hosei University alumni 20th-century Japanese women writers 20th-century Japanese writers 21st-century Japanese women writers 21st-century Japanese writers