is the pen name of a pseudonymous 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 ...

, designer and illustrator. Umino is noted for being the author and creator of the '' Honey and Clover'' series, for which she received 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 2003, and which has been adapted into 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 ...

series, produced by J.C.Staff.

Biography

Chica Umino aspired to be a character designer and

since elementary school. In high school, she had one work published in "Bouquet". Her pen name comes from her favorite location Umi no Chikaku no Yuuenchi (海の近くの遊園地, lit. an amusement park by the sea), which is also the title of her

doujinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created b ...

works prior to her debut. She likes

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

and anime by

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

. She calls herself an

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...

. Western children's books like

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

(for which she drew the cover artwork in a republished version in 2011) she read as a child had a notable influence on her work, especially how she chooses to portray unusual family constellations. Some of Umino's inspirations as an artist comes from the artists Fusako Kuramochi and

Moto Hagio is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to ''shōjo'' manga (manga aimed at young and adolescent women), Hagio is considered the most significant artist in the demographic and among the most influential manga artists of al ...

, the latter of which she self-taught artistic techniques from. In 2000, Umino's most notable work, '' Honey and Clover'', began serialization in

Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...

's manga magazine ''Cutie Comic''. The series' first fourteen chapters were published in ''Cutie Comic''; serialization was later moved to

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

's ''

Young You was a Japanese josei manga magazine published by Shueisha, based in Tokyo and first published in 1986. It ran for 22 years before being cancelled in October 2005. After the magazine's closure, Shueisha moved several series serialized in ''You ...

''. With the demise of ''Young You'' in 2005, the series moved to the magazine ''Chorus'', where it continued its run until the series ended in July 2006 with 64 chapters. Umino received the 27th Kodansha Manga Award for ''Honey and Clover'' in 2003, which was adapted into an anime series produced by J.C. Staff. Umino's most recent work is , which began serialization in

Hakusensha is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company mainly publishes manga magazines and is involved in series' productions in their games, original video animation, music, and their animated TV series. The com ...

seinen is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word means "youth", but the term " manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Manga Times'' and '' Weekly Man ...

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, '' Young Animal''. ''March comes in Like a Lion'' was inspired by Umino's editor, who suggested that her next work be about shogi or boxing. Because Umino herself did not have any prior experience with shogi, the games depicted in the manga were drawn in partnership with a supervisor. In 2009, she provided the character designs for original anime series, '' Eden of the East'', by director Kenji Kamiyama. Umino has also illustrated "Tobira o Akete" and the ''Glass Heart'' series, including "Boukensha-tachi", "Netsu no Shiro" and "Love Way." In 2013, Umino was hospitalized for surgery and medical treatment, and was temporarily suspended from her activities.

Works

One-shots

*''Sora no Kotori'' *''Hoshi no Opera''

Manga

*'' Honey and Clover'' *''

March Comes In like a Lion is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chica Umino. It has been serialized in Hakusensha's manga magazine '' Young Animal'' since July 2007, with its chapters collected in 17 volumes as of August 2023. It follows the li ...

Books

*''Honey and Clover: Official fan book vol.0'' *''Honey and Clover Illustrations''

Character Design

*'' Eden of the East'' *'' Fate/Grand Order'' (Oberon)

References

External links

* *
Official website

s-women.net's interview with Umino
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Umino, Chica Japanese female comics artists Japanese female comics writers Women manga artists Manga artists from Tokyo People from Adachi, Tokyo Japanese illustrators Japanese women illustrators Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (Shōjo) Living people Manga Taishō Pseudonymous artists Year of birth missing (living people)