Asaura
Description
Asaura is a Japanese novelist and light novel author, recognized as the original creator behind several anime and manga series, most notably the action-comedy series Ben-To. The creator writes under the pen name Asaura, which in Japanese is rendered as アサウラ. Born on May 29, 1984, in Hokkaido, Asaura currently resides in Tokyo. The author's real name has not been publicly disclosed.
Asaura made their professional writing debut in September 2006 with the light novel Kiiroi Hana no Aka (Yellow Flower Beni), which was submitted while still a university student. This work earned the Grand Prize at the 5th Super Dash Novel Rookie Award, a competition sponsored by the publishing company Shueisha. This award served as the launchpad for Asaura's career as a published author.
The creator is best known for the Ben-To light novel series, which was published by Shueisha from February 2008 to February 2014 across fifteen volumes, with illustrations by Kaito Shibano. The series presents an eccentric premise where individuals engage in fierce, ritualized battles in supermarket aisles over half-priced bento boxed dinners. This concept was reportedly influenced by Asaura's personal interest in firearms and action-oriented writing, combined with a request from an editor to create a story that seriously tackles trivial, everyday subjects rather than conventional romantic comedy or fantasy scenarios. Ben-To was adapted into a twelve-episode anime television series produced by David Production, which aired from October to December 2011. The franchise also expanded into several manga adaptations, including Ben-To zero Road to witch and Ben-To another Ripper's night, illustrated by柴乃櫂人, and Ben-To △ illustrated by Sankaku Head.
Beyond Ben-To, Asaura has served as the original story creator for the original anime Lycoris Recoil, which aired in the summer of 2022 and became a significant commercial and critical success. In this capacity, Asaura provided the foundational story concept and world-building, while other writers handled the series composition and individual episode scripts. The creator has also contributed as a scriptwriter for several other anime series, including Revisions (episodes 2, 3, 4, 8, and 11), Phantom in the Twilight (episodes 4 and 5), and Märchen Mädchen (episode 7).
Asaura's body of work includes other light novel series such as Death Need Round, which is set in a fractured Japan and follows a teenage mercenary, as well as Do-MEN. A recurring thematic element in several of Asaura's stories is a fascination with firearms, tactical action, and detailed descriptions of combat, reflecting the creator's stated identity as a gun enthusiast. In the manga field, Asaura is credited with the story for the series Inquisition and, in 2024, began serializing a new female buddy action manga titled Double Helix Blossom in Shogakukan's Weekly CoroCoro Comic, featuring character production by illustrator SWAV and art by Gomeyuki Nishiuma.
Asaura made their professional writing debut in September 2006 with the light novel Kiiroi Hana no Aka (Yellow Flower Beni), which was submitted while still a university student. This work earned the Grand Prize at the 5th Super Dash Novel Rookie Award, a competition sponsored by the publishing company Shueisha. This award served as the launchpad for Asaura's career as a published author.
The creator is best known for the Ben-To light novel series, which was published by Shueisha from February 2008 to February 2014 across fifteen volumes, with illustrations by Kaito Shibano. The series presents an eccentric premise where individuals engage in fierce, ritualized battles in supermarket aisles over half-priced bento boxed dinners. This concept was reportedly influenced by Asaura's personal interest in firearms and action-oriented writing, combined with a request from an editor to create a story that seriously tackles trivial, everyday subjects rather than conventional romantic comedy or fantasy scenarios. Ben-To was adapted into a twelve-episode anime television series produced by David Production, which aired from October to December 2011. The franchise also expanded into several manga adaptations, including Ben-To zero Road to witch and Ben-To another Ripper's night, illustrated by柴乃櫂人, and Ben-To △ illustrated by Sankaku Head.
Beyond Ben-To, Asaura has served as the original story creator for the original anime Lycoris Recoil, which aired in the summer of 2022 and became a significant commercial and critical success. In this capacity, Asaura provided the foundational story concept and world-building, while other writers handled the series composition and individual episode scripts. The creator has also contributed as a scriptwriter for several other anime series, including Revisions (episodes 2, 3, 4, 8, and 11), Phantom in the Twilight (episodes 4 and 5), and Märchen Mädchen (episode 7).
Asaura's body of work includes other light novel series such as Death Need Round, which is set in a fractured Japan and follows a teenage mercenary, as well as Do-MEN. A recurring thematic element in several of Asaura's stories is a fascination with firearms, tactical action, and detailed descriptions of combat, reflecting the creator's stated identity as a gun enthusiast. In the manga field, Asaura is credited with the story for the series Inquisition and, in 2024, began serializing a new female buddy action manga titled Double Helix Blossom in Shogakukan's Weekly CoroCoro Comic, featuring character production by illustrator SWAV and art by Gomeyuki Nishiuma.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview