Miho Obana
Description
Miho Obana is a Japanese manga artist born on April 26, 1970, in Tokyo, Japan. She began her career in the manga industry as an assistant to Momoko Sakura, the creator of the beloved series Chibi Maruko-chan. Obana made her professional debut in 1990 with the one-shot manga Mado no Mukō, which was published in the autumn issue of Ribon Bikkuri. Following her debut, her work regularly appeared in Ribon Original and the main Ribon magazine, establishing her as a regular contributor to the prominent shōjo magazine.
Obana is best known as the creator of Kodomo no Omocha, also known as Kodocha. The manga was serialized in Ribon from 1994 to 1998 and was compiled into ten tankōbon volumes. The series follows Sana Kurata, a child actress, and her tumultuous relationship with an aloof classmate, Akito Hayama. Kodomo no Omocha became a significant critical and commercial success, winning the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1998. The series was adapted into a 102-episode anime television series that aired from 1996 to 1998, bringing Obana’s work to a wider international audience. A stage play adaptation was also produced in 2015. The original anime features a minor character named after Obana, highlighting her direct connection to the adaptation.
Beyond Kodocha, Obana has authored several other manga series that demonstrate her range as a storyteller. Following Kodocha, she wrote Partner, a drama serialized from 1999 to 2000 about two pairs of twins whose friendship is shattered by a tragic accident. Partner is notable for its dark, mature, and disturbing tone, a significant departure from the more comedic elements of her best-known work. In the early 2000s, she created Andante, a story about a girl navigating complex family dynamics and romance with a stepbrother, which ran from 2001 to 2002. She also produced the one-volume work Pochi in 2003, which tells a story of a stressed junior high school girl and a classmate with an unusual home life.
In 2004, Obana began serializing Honey Bitter, a josei manga aimed at an older female audience. The series was published in Shueisha’s Cookie magazine from February 2004 until December 2018. Honey Bitter follows a young woman who, after being mistreated by an ex-boyfriend, must work alongside him at her aunt’s detective agency. The series occasionally appeared on the Oricon manga charts and represents Obana’s longest-running work. Her career has been punctuated by a hiatus due to pregnancy and worsening tendonitis in late 2008, from which she returned to finish Honey Bitter in late 2009.
In 2010, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut, Obana authored Deep Clear, a two-part crossover story that brought together characters from Kodomo no Omocha and Honey Bitter. This special project was published in Cookie and served as a tribute to her enduring legacy as a creator. Obana’s body of work shows a willingness to evolve from lighthearted romantic comedies to more serious dramas and mature-themed josei narratives, securing her place as a versatile and influential figure in shōjo and josei manga.
Obana is best known as the creator of Kodomo no Omocha, also known as Kodocha. The manga was serialized in Ribon from 1994 to 1998 and was compiled into ten tankōbon volumes. The series follows Sana Kurata, a child actress, and her tumultuous relationship with an aloof classmate, Akito Hayama. Kodomo no Omocha became a significant critical and commercial success, winning the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1998. The series was adapted into a 102-episode anime television series that aired from 1996 to 1998, bringing Obana’s work to a wider international audience. A stage play adaptation was also produced in 2015. The original anime features a minor character named after Obana, highlighting her direct connection to the adaptation.
Beyond Kodocha, Obana has authored several other manga series that demonstrate her range as a storyteller. Following Kodocha, she wrote Partner, a drama serialized from 1999 to 2000 about two pairs of twins whose friendship is shattered by a tragic accident. Partner is notable for its dark, mature, and disturbing tone, a significant departure from the more comedic elements of her best-known work. In the early 2000s, she created Andante, a story about a girl navigating complex family dynamics and romance with a stepbrother, which ran from 2001 to 2002. She also produced the one-volume work Pochi in 2003, which tells a story of a stressed junior high school girl and a classmate with an unusual home life.
In 2004, Obana began serializing Honey Bitter, a josei manga aimed at an older female audience. The series was published in Shueisha’s Cookie magazine from February 2004 until December 2018. Honey Bitter follows a young woman who, after being mistreated by an ex-boyfriend, must work alongside him at her aunt’s detective agency. The series occasionally appeared on the Oricon manga charts and represents Obana’s longest-running work. Her career has been punctuated by a hiatus due to pregnancy and worsening tendonitis in late 2008, from which she returned to finish Honey Bitter in late 2009.
In 2010, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut, Obana authored Deep Clear, a two-part crossover story that brought together characters from Kodomo no Omocha and Honey Bitter. This special project was published in Cookie and served as a tribute to her enduring legacy as a creator. Obana’s body of work shows a willingness to evolve from lighthearted romantic comedies to more serious dramas and mature-themed josei narratives, securing her place as a versatile and influential figure in shōjo and josei manga.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview