Nekomaki
Description
Nekomaki is the credited creator behind several manga series that have been adapted into anime, including Tora to Mike. The name Nekomaki functions as a collective pseudonym for a husband-and-wife team of illustrators and manga artists based in Nagoya, Japan. The duo began their professional activities as independent creators in 2002 after leaving previous employment at an exhibition company. Their work is characterized by a handmade, often watercolor-based aesthetic and a focus on intimate, slice-of-life storytelling.
The creative identity of Nekomaki is strongly defined by its recurring focus on animals, particularly cats, which appear as central characters in nearly all of their major works. This thematic dedication is reflected in the pen name itself, with "Neko" meaning cat in Japanese. Their narratives typically follow gentle, observational daily life stories, often classified as comic essays or diary-style manga that blend humor with tenderness. Beyond manga, the collective has also worked in advertising and social media illustration.
Nekomaki is the original creator of Tora to Mike, a manga series centered on two cat sisters who run a long-established doteni (boiled beef giblet) shop in Nagoya. The manga began serialization in Shogakukan's josei magazine Josei Seven on May 17, 2018. The series was recognized as a judges' choice in the manga category at the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. The manga was adapted into a short-form original net animation series titled Tora to Mike Animation, which premiered on August 5, 2021. The anime adaptation consisted of 24 episodes, each approximately two minutes in length, and was produced by the studio Charaction with direction by Yuzo Yamamoto.
Another significant original work by Nekomaki is Neko to Jii-chan, known in French as Le vieil homme et son chat and in English as The Old Man and His Cat. This series depicts the quiet daily life of Daikichi, a retired widowed teacher, and his ten-year-old cat Tama on a small island. The manga has been published in France by Casterman, with multiple volumes released starting from 2018. The series explores themes of memory, community, and intergenerational relationships, using the bond between the elderly man and his cat as a narrative lens.
Additional manga credited to Nekomaki include works with feline and canine protagonists such as Mame Neko, which was adapted into a television series in 2018, as well as other titles like Mimosa, Momo et Moi. Their artistic identity is consistently defined by a warm, unpretentious depiction of the relationship between humans and animals, often drawing on a nostalgic view of contemporary Japan.
The creative identity of Nekomaki is strongly defined by its recurring focus on animals, particularly cats, which appear as central characters in nearly all of their major works. This thematic dedication is reflected in the pen name itself, with "Neko" meaning cat in Japanese. Their narratives typically follow gentle, observational daily life stories, often classified as comic essays or diary-style manga that blend humor with tenderness. Beyond manga, the collective has also worked in advertising and social media illustration.
Nekomaki is the original creator of Tora to Mike, a manga series centered on two cat sisters who run a long-established doteni (boiled beef giblet) shop in Nagoya. The manga began serialization in Shogakukan's josei magazine Josei Seven on May 17, 2018. The series was recognized as a judges' choice in the manga category at the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. The manga was adapted into a short-form original net animation series titled Tora to Mike Animation, which premiered on August 5, 2021. The anime adaptation consisted of 24 episodes, each approximately two minutes in length, and was produced by the studio Charaction with direction by Yuzo Yamamoto.
Another significant original work by Nekomaki is Neko to Jii-chan, known in French as Le vieil homme et son chat and in English as The Old Man and His Cat. This series depicts the quiet daily life of Daikichi, a retired widowed teacher, and his ten-year-old cat Tama on a small island. The manga has been published in France by Casterman, with multiple volumes released starting from 2018. The series explores themes of memory, community, and intergenerational relationships, using the bond between the elderly man and his cat as a narrative lens.
Additional manga credited to Nekomaki include works with feline and canine protagonists such as Mame Neko, which was adapted into a television series in 2018, as well as other titles like Mimosa, Momo et Moi. Their artistic identity is consistently defined by a warm, unpretentious depiction of the relationship between humans and animals, often drawing on a nostalgic view of contemporary Japan.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview