Idumi Kirihara
Description
Idumi Kirihara, also written as Izumi Kirihara, is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator who has been active in the industry since 2001. Born on February 8 in the former town of Jimokuji in Aichi Prefecture, Kirihara decided to pursue a career in manga from elementary school. The professional pseudonym was chosen because of an appreciation for the sounds of the words Izumi and Kiri. During university, Kirihara participated in theatre, an experience that would later directly influence the creation of the first original manga.
Kirihara made a professional debut with original works in anthologies beginning in 2001 before starting the first major series, Hitohira. This manga was serialized in Futabasha’s seinen magazine Comic High! from March 2004 to May 2009 and was subsequently compiled into seven volumes. Hitohira follows a shy high school girl who is reluctantly recruited into her school’s tiny Drama Research Society, a premise that draws directly from Kirihara’s own university theatre background. The series was later licensed for an English-language release in North America by Aurora Publishing.
The success of Hitohira led to a twelve-episode anime television adaptation produced by studio Xebec M2, which aired in Japan from March to June 2007. For this adaptation, Kirihara is officially credited as the original creator. Following the conclusion of the main series, a side-story spin-off titled Hitohira Encore was serialized in Comic High! from July 2009 to January 2010 and collected into a single volume.
Following Hitohira, Kirihara continued to produce both original serialized manga and illustrations. Original works include Shirayuki Panimix! published in Monthly Comic Blade, Akira to Hiyori which ran in Square Enix’s Young Gangan and Monthly Big Gangan, Saboten no musume in Comic High!, and the self-published series Tensai kanojo to bakana boku. Kirihara has also worked as the artist for projects based on another creator’s story, such as Gunjō written by Niji Sakamoto.
In the latter half of the 2010s, Kirihara gained significant recognition for adapting the novels of author Yoru Sumino into manga format. From August 2016 to May 2017, Kirihara serialized the manga adaptation of Sumino’s novel I Want to Eat Your Pancreas in Futabasha’s Monthly Action magazine, which was later compiled into two volumes. This was followed by the adaptation of another Sumino novel, Mata, Onaji Yume wo Mite Ita (also known as I Had That Same Dream Again), serialized in the same magazine from February 2016 to August 2018 and collected into three volumes. An English-language omnibus edition of this latter work was released in 2020. These adaptations are noted for translating the emotional depth of the original prose into a visual narrative.
Kirihara’s body of work demonstrates a career balanced between creating original serialized comedies and dramas, often set in school environments, and providing artistic adaptation for acclaimed contemporary literature. The recurring thematic interest in interpersonal relationships and personal growth, first evident in the theatrical setting of Hitohira, remains a consistent element throughout both original and adapted projects.
Kirihara made a professional debut with original works in anthologies beginning in 2001 before starting the first major series, Hitohira. This manga was serialized in Futabasha’s seinen magazine Comic High! from March 2004 to May 2009 and was subsequently compiled into seven volumes. Hitohira follows a shy high school girl who is reluctantly recruited into her school’s tiny Drama Research Society, a premise that draws directly from Kirihara’s own university theatre background. The series was later licensed for an English-language release in North America by Aurora Publishing.
The success of Hitohira led to a twelve-episode anime television adaptation produced by studio Xebec M2, which aired in Japan from March to June 2007. For this adaptation, Kirihara is officially credited as the original creator. Following the conclusion of the main series, a side-story spin-off titled Hitohira Encore was serialized in Comic High! from July 2009 to January 2010 and collected into a single volume.
Following Hitohira, Kirihara continued to produce both original serialized manga and illustrations. Original works include Shirayuki Panimix! published in Monthly Comic Blade, Akira to Hiyori which ran in Square Enix’s Young Gangan and Monthly Big Gangan, Saboten no musume in Comic High!, and the self-published series Tensai kanojo to bakana boku. Kirihara has also worked as the artist for projects based on another creator’s story, such as Gunjō written by Niji Sakamoto.
In the latter half of the 2010s, Kirihara gained significant recognition for adapting the novels of author Yoru Sumino into manga format. From August 2016 to May 2017, Kirihara serialized the manga adaptation of Sumino’s novel I Want to Eat Your Pancreas in Futabasha’s Monthly Action magazine, which was later compiled into two volumes. This was followed by the adaptation of another Sumino novel, Mata, Onaji Yume wo Mite Ita (also known as I Had That Same Dream Again), serialized in the same magazine from February 2016 to August 2018 and collected into three volumes. An English-language omnibus edition of this latter work was released in 2020. These adaptations are noted for translating the emotional depth of the original prose into a visual narrative.
Kirihara’s body of work demonstrates a career balanced between creating original serialized comedies and dramas, often set in school environments, and providing artistic adaptation for acclaimed contemporary literature. The recurring thematic interest in interpersonal relationships and personal growth, first evident in the theatrical setting of Hitohira, remains a consistent element throughout both original and adapted projects.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview