Nekotofu
Description
Nekotofu, also written as Nekotoufu, is a Japanese manga artist and doujinshi creator born on December 20 in Wakayama Prefecture. He currently resides in Tokyo's Nerima Ward. He graduated from Chiben Gakuen Wakayama Junior and Senior High School and later attended Osaka University's Faculty of Engineering Science, though he withdrew before completing his degree. His pen name is derived from a modified portion of his real family name, chosen for its pleasant sound, memorability, and ease of searching.
Nekotofu began his creative activities in 2004 by joining the doujin circle GRINP, producing fan works based on anime and games primarily for events in the Kanto region. His first professionally published short manga, Yutorigurashi, ran in Hobunsha's Manga Time Kirara Carat magazine from the December 2007 issue to the April 2008 issue. His first serialized manga, Tsukaete! Koharu, followed in Manga Time Kirara MAX from the July 2009 issue to the January 2011 issue. From 2011 to 2016, he worked on Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid LIFE, a parody series based on the original by Masaki Tsuzuki, which began serialization in Kadokawa's Comptiq magazine before moving to Monthly Comp Ace.
Nekotofu is best known as the creator of Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!, also known by its Japanese title Onii-chan wa Oshimai!. The series began as a webcomic posted to his Pixiv account on February 25, 2017. He later expanded to Niconico Seiga, where the interactive comment feature significantly boosted readership, with the manga ranking highly in annual comment totals. The series follows Mahiro Oyama, a reclusive adult otaku who is transformed into a middle school-aged girl by his genius younger sister Mihari as a radical method to reintegrate him into society. The story combines gender-bending comedy with slice-of-life elements, depicting Mahiro's gradual adaptation to school life, friendship, and his new identity.
The manga transitioned to print publication when Ichijinsha began releasing tankobon volumes in June 2018, and serialization started in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex magazine from the June 2019 issue. Under an agreement with the publisher, Nekotofu continues to post new episodes freely online and produce doujinshi compilations alongside the commercial release. As of late 2023, the series had over 1.2 million copies in circulation including digital editions. The work placed fifth in the Tsugi Manga Awards in the web manga category.
A television anime adaptation produced by Studio Bind aired for twelve episodes from January 5 to March 23, 2023, directed by Shingo Fujii with series composition by Michiko Yokote. Prior to the anime, Nekotofu had independently produced a series of doujinshi drama CDs starting in 2018, which later influenced the anime's casting as the same voice actors were invited to reprise their roles. Nekotofu participated in script meetings, reviewed storyboards, and attended recording sessions for the anime adaptation.
Before creating Onimai, Nekotofu produced a one-shot doujinshi featuring gender-bending elements that received positive reception. He has cited the 2016 film Your Name as inspirational, along with classic works in the gender-bending genre such as Ranma 1/2, which he credits as foundational, as well as Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl and Idol Pretender. His artistic style focuses on mellow, wholesome comedy, and he describes his work as falling within the TSF and airy genres.
Beyond his major series, Nekotofu continues to create the ongoing web manga Niwasaki Diary, a diary-style comic based on his daily life, and has contributed to anthology works for franchises including K-On!, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Touhou Project. In 2021, he began the series AQUA SHOOTERS!, published online. He actively uses platforms such as Pixiv's FANBOX and BOOTH to offer subscription plans and direct sales, including self-published Chinese translations of his work.
Nekotofu began his creative activities in 2004 by joining the doujin circle GRINP, producing fan works based on anime and games primarily for events in the Kanto region. His first professionally published short manga, Yutorigurashi, ran in Hobunsha's Manga Time Kirara Carat magazine from the December 2007 issue to the April 2008 issue. His first serialized manga, Tsukaete! Koharu, followed in Manga Time Kirara MAX from the July 2009 issue to the January 2011 issue. From 2011 to 2016, he worked on Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid LIFE, a parody series based on the original by Masaki Tsuzuki, which began serialization in Kadokawa's Comptiq magazine before moving to Monthly Comp Ace.
Nekotofu is best known as the creator of Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!, also known by its Japanese title Onii-chan wa Oshimai!. The series began as a webcomic posted to his Pixiv account on February 25, 2017. He later expanded to Niconico Seiga, where the interactive comment feature significantly boosted readership, with the manga ranking highly in annual comment totals. The series follows Mahiro Oyama, a reclusive adult otaku who is transformed into a middle school-aged girl by his genius younger sister Mihari as a radical method to reintegrate him into society. The story combines gender-bending comedy with slice-of-life elements, depicting Mahiro's gradual adaptation to school life, friendship, and his new identity.
The manga transitioned to print publication when Ichijinsha began releasing tankobon volumes in June 2018, and serialization started in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex magazine from the June 2019 issue. Under an agreement with the publisher, Nekotofu continues to post new episodes freely online and produce doujinshi compilations alongside the commercial release. As of late 2023, the series had over 1.2 million copies in circulation including digital editions. The work placed fifth in the Tsugi Manga Awards in the web manga category.
A television anime adaptation produced by Studio Bind aired for twelve episodes from January 5 to March 23, 2023, directed by Shingo Fujii with series composition by Michiko Yokote. Prior to the anime, Nekotofu had independently produced a series of doujinshi drama CDs starting in 2018, which later influenced the anime's casting as the same voice actors were invited to reprise their roles. Nekotofu participated in script meetings, reviewed storyboards, and attended recording sessions for the anime adaptation.
Before creating Onimai, Nekotofu produced a one-shot doujinshi featuring gender-bending elements that received positive reception. He has cited the 2016 film Your Name as inspirational, along with classic works in the gender-bending genre such as Ranma 1/2, which he credits as foundational, as well as Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl and Idol Pretender. His artistic style focuses on mellow, wholesome comedy, and he describes his work as falling within the TSF and airy genres.
Beyond his major series, Nekotofu continues to create the ongoing web manga Niwasaki Diary, a diary-style comic based on his daily life, and has contributed to anthology works for franchises including K-On!, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Touhou Project. In 2021, he began the series AQUA SHOOTERS!, published online. He actively uses platforms such as Pixiv's FANBOX and BOOTH to offer subscription plans and direct sales, including self-published Chinese translations of his work.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview