Noriko Nagano is a Japanese manga artist and original creator, born on July 5, 1960, in Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. She is primarily recognized for her work in the manga industry, particularly for creating the series Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy, which was later adapted into an anime television series.

Nagano made her professional debut with the manga Sci-Fi Motion, which was published by Tokuma Shoten in 1985. Her most famous work, Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy (Japanese: Misutenaide Deijī), was serialized in the monthly magazine Monthly Shōnen Captain from October 1986 to September 1989. The manga was published in several volumes by Tokuma Shoten and later by ASCII. This series is a romantic comedy with science fiction elements, centering on a socially isolated boy genius named Techno who becomes obsessively infatuated with a girl he calls Daisy. In 1997, the manga was adapted into a twelve-episode anime television series produced by Studio Deen and broadcast on TV Tokyo. The anime was later licensed for North American release by Bandai in 2000.

Beyond Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy, Nagano created a significant body of manga work throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Her other notable series include Kure Kure Tama-chan, published in 1987, and God Save the Sugekoma-kun, a long-running series that began in 1992. She also produced works such as Science Boy Zeroichi-kun, Ken nii-chan, and Nagano Land, a compilation of unusual manga serialized in Animage magazine. Her manga Mogukko Mog-tan appeared irregularly in Animage starting in 1993.

Nagano's artistic identity is characterized by a specific brand of twisted humour, a deep association with otaku culture, and recurring narrative variations on the theme of a geek or socially awkward male protagonist pursuing a reluctant love interest. Her stories often feature science fiction elements and a self-referential, sometimes transgressive, comedic tone. One of her signature motifs is the appearance of a bespectacled character known as Megane-kun, who appears across her different works. Her series God Save the Sugekoma-kun, for instance, is described as a send-up of S&M clichés, adult manga, science fiction, and the otaku mentality, showcasing her tendency toward parody and metafictional commentary.

While Nagano has a dedicated following, her work has also received notable critical commentary. The anime adaptation of Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy garnered negative reviews from several English-language publications, with critics pointing to the male lead's stalker-like behavior as a primary issue. Despite this reception, the series retains a place in anime history, and its ending song was reused in the 1997 Capcom video game Rockman X4. Nagano remains a figure of interest as a creator who developed a unique comedic voice within the shōnen manga landscape of the late 1980s and 1990s.