Tomato Soup
Description
Tomato Soup is a Japanese manga artist known for creating historical fiction works, often set in the medieval and early modern periods. The creator was born in Gunma Prefecture and is a graduate of Tama Art University, where the primary area of study was chalcography, a form of copperplate engraving.
Before making a commercial debut, Tomato Soup began by creating historical doujinshi and sharing research and artwork online. This period of self-publishing led to discovery by a future editor. Professional debut followed in 2019 with the series Dampier no Oishii Bouken (The Delicious Adventures of Dampier), which was serialized on the Matogrosso website and published by East Press. This work, centered on the real-life 17th-century English explorer William Dampier, established an early pattern of blending historical narrative with fictionalized detail.
The artist's best-known work is Tenmaku no Jādūgaru (A Witch's Life in Mongol), which began serialization in Akita Shoten's Souffle magazine in 2021. The manga is set in the 13th-century Mongol Empire and follows the story of Fatima, a young woman from Persia whose knowledge becomes her means of survival and influence within the imperial court. This series has garnered significant critical recognition, ranking first in the female readers category of the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook in 2023. It has also received nominations for the Manga Taishō awards in both 2023 and 2024, and has been licensed for international release in several languages, including English by Yen Press and French by Glénat. The series is being adapted into a television anime by the studio Science SARU, scheduled to premiere in July 2026.
In addition to A Witch's Life in Mongol, Tomato Soup launched Kanshin Smbat (The Traitor Smbat) in 2023. Serialized in the magazine Wings, this shōjo manga is set in the medieval Kingdom of Georgia and deals with political intrigue under Mongol domination.
The creator's artistic identity is defined by a distinct approach to historical subject matter. Research is personally conducted using academic papers, English-language texts, and imported sources to ensure historical verisimilitude. This research is then expressed through a narrative style that uses chibi-style, rounded character designs and a cartoon-like aesthetic—influenced by American animation such as South Park—which contrasts with and tempers the often harsh political and violent realities of the historical settings. This visual approach, combined with a compositional sense derived from printmaking that emphasizes bold areas of black and white, has been noted as a defining feature of their work.
Tomato Soup's career has been marked by a swift rise in industry prominence, with the high-profile anime adaptation of A Witch's Life in Mongol by Science SARU representing a significant milestone. As of 2025, the creator has announced a temporary hiatus from serialization to take maternity leave, with plans to resume work in 2026.
Before making a commercial debut, Tomato Soup began by creating historical doujinshi and sharing research and artwork online. This period of self-publishing led to discovery by a future editor. Professional debut followed in 2019 with the series Dampier no Oishii Bouken (The Delicious Adventures of Dampier), which was serialized on the Matogrosso website and published by East Press. This work, centered on the real-life 17th-century English explorer William Dampier, established an early pattern of blending historical narrative with fictionalized detail.
The artist's best-known work is Tenmaku no Jādūgaru (A Witch's Life in Mongol), which began serialization in Akita Shoten's Souffle magazine in 2021. The manga is set in the 13th-century Mongol Empire and follows the story of Fatima, a young woman from Persia whose knowledge becomes her means of survival and influence within the imperial court. This series has garnered significant critical recognition, ranking first in the female readers category of the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook in 2023. It has also received nominations for the Manga Taishō awards in both 2023 and 2024, and has been licensed for international release in several languages, including English by Yen Press and French by Glénat. The series is being adapted into a television anime by the studio Science SARU, scheduled to premiere in July 2026.
In addition to A Witch's Life in Mongol, Tomato Soup launched Kanshin Smbat (The Traitor Smbat) in 2023. Serialized in the magazine Wings, this shōjo manga is set in the medieval Kingdom of Georgia and deals with political intrigue under Mongol domination.
The creator's artistic identity is defined by a distinct approach to historical subject matter. Research is personally conducted using academic papers, English-language texts, and imported sources to ensure historical verisimilitude. This research is then expressed through a narrative style that uses chibi-style, rounded character designs and a cartoon-like aesthetic—influenced by American animation such as South Park—which contrasts with and tempers the often harsh political and violent realities of the historical settings. This visual approach, combined with a compositional sense derived from printmaking that emphasizes bold areas of black and white, has been noted as a defining feature of their work.
Tomato Soup's career has been marked by a swift rise in industry prominence, with the high-profile anime adaptation of A Witch's Life in Mongol by Science SARU representing a significant milestone. As of 2025, the creator has announced a temporary hiatus from serialization to take maternity leave, with plans to resume work in 2026.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview