Miho Obana
| Miho Obana 小花 美穂 | |
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| Area(s) | Manga artist |
Notable works | Kodomo no Omocha, Honey Bitter |
| Awards | Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1998 |
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Miho Obana (小花 美穂 Obana Miho, born April 26, 1970) is a shōjo manga artist born in Tokyo, Japan. Her best-known work was Kodoma no Omocha, also known as Kodocha, which was published in Ribon magazine, and won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1998. Other works include Partner, Andante and Honey Bitter.
Biography
Obana began her manga career as an assistant to Momoko Sakura, the creator of Chibi Maruko-chan. In 1990 she debuted with a one-shot manga) Mado no Mukō, which was published in the autumn 1990 issue of Ribon Bikkuri. Later stories would appear in Ribon Original and Ribon magazines.
In 1994, she authored Kodomo no Omocha, a shojo manga series about a child actress who interacts with an aloof elementary school boy. The series won the Kodansha Manga Award for shojo in 1998, [1] and was adapted to an anime television series Kodocha that ran for 102 episodes. Within the TV series, there is a character named after her. The manga ran until 1998, totaling 10 tankobon volumes. In 1999, she wrote a one-shot called Mizu no Yakata which focuses on the drama story that characters Sana and Naozumi of Kodomo no Omocha starred in. In 2015, Kodocha was adapted into a stage play.[2] She also released a Kodocha one-shot for the 60th anniversary of Ribon.[3]
In 1999, she authored Partner, a drama series about a two pairs of twins who are classmates and friends when one of them is killed by a drunk driver. Partner was noted for its dark, mature, and disturbing tone, and ran through 2000 in Ribon, and compiled into 3 tankobon volumes. In 2001, she worked on Andante, a story about a girl who falls in love with her stepbrother but a family friend whose parents have died comes to live with them. It was serialized in Ribon through 2002, and compiled into 3 tankobon volumes. In 2003, she worked on Pochi, which is about a junior high school girl who is stressed about life and her classmate whose mother treats him as a pet dog.
In 2004, Obana started a josei manga called Honey Bitter, about a girl who was mistreated by her ex-boyfriend but then has to deal with him as a coworker in their aunt's detective agency. The manga was serialized in Cookie in February 2004, and is one of her ongoing works, occasionally appearing in the Oricon charts for top manga.[4] She also wrote some manga for the josei magazine Chorus. In November 2008, Obana took a hiatus from making manga because of her pregnancy and worsening tendonitis; she resumed working on Honey Bitter in November 2009.[5] In 2010, celebrating her 20th anniversary of her debut, she authored Deep Clear, a two-part crossover story with characters from Kodomo no Omocha and Honey Bitter.[6]
Works
| Title | Year | Notes | Refs[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiranami no Gensō (白波の幻想?, Shiranami no Illusion) | 1992 | Serialized in Ribon Published in 1 volume. |
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| せつないね (Setsunai ne?) | 1993 | Published in Ribon Published in 1 volume. |
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| Kono te wo Hanasanai (この手をはなさない?, I won't let go of this hand) | 1994 | Serialized in Ribon Published in 2 volumes. |
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| Kodomo no Omocha | 1994–98 | Serialized in Ribon Published by Shueisha in 10 volumes. Kodansha Manga Award, Shojo, 1998 |
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| Mizu no yakata (水の館?, Mansion of Water) | 1999 | Serialized in Ribon Published in 1 volume. |
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| Neko no Shima (猫の島?, The Island of Cats) | 1996 | Serialized in Ribon Published in 1 volume. |
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| Partner | 1999–2000 | Serialized in Ribon Published by Shueisha in 3 volumes. |
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| Andante | 2001–02 | Serialized in Ribon Published by Shueisha in 3 volumes. |
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| Pochi | 2003 | Serialized in Ribon Published by Shueisha in 1 volume. |
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| Aruyōde Nai Otoko (あるようでない男?) | 2003 | Published in Queen's Comics Published by Shueisha in 1 volume. |
[8][9] |
| Honey Bitter | 2004–present | Serialized in Cookie Published by Shueisha in 11 volumes. |
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| Deep Clear | 2010 | Serialized in Cookie Crossover story with Kodomo no Omocha and Honey Bitter to celebrate 20th anniversary of Obana's debut |
[6] |
References
- ↑ Joel Hahn. "Kodansha Manga Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ↑ "Kodocha Stage Play Casts Sailor Moon's Kotono Mitsuishi, TeniMyu's Ikkei Yamamoto". Anime News Network. March 30, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ↑ "Kodocha Manga Gets New One-Shot 17 Years After Ending". Anime News Network. June 30, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, November 14-20". Anime News Network. November 23, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ↑ "Kodocha's Obana Ends 1-Year Hiatus on Honey Bitter Manga". Anime News Network. October 26, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- 1 2 "Kodocha, Honey Bitter Get Crossover Manga in Japan". Anime News Network. June 27, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ↑ "著者：小花美穂" [Author: Miho Obana]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Japan: Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ↑ "あるようでない男(クイーンズコミックス)" [Man not there as (Queens Comics)]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Japan: Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ↑ "あるようでない男(集英社文庫)" [Man not there as (Shueisha Bunko)]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Japan: Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
External links
- Official website (Japanese)
- Miho Obana at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Miho Obana profile at Ultimate Manga Guide
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