Q-taro Hanamizawa, also written as Q-Tarō Hanamizawa and known affectionately by the nickname Hana Q, is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator recognized for creating romantic comedies that blend everyday life with a distinct sense of eroticism. Born in Niigata Prefecture, he attended the Faculty of Fine Arts at Doto University but did not complete his degree. He began his career in the early 1990s, initially participating in dōjin activities focused on adult manga before making his professional debut in 1993 with the work Natsu no Hi, published by Shishobo. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Hanamizawa established himself as a regular contributor to Young King magazine, published by Shonen Gahosha, where he serialized a number of stories that captured the awkwardness and sweetness of adolescent romance. Notable series from this period include Chimachima High School, Tsukiyoshi Suzuran-dori, and HoneyBlue. In 2000, he began serializing Momoiro Sango in the same magazine, a work that further pushed the boundaries of eroticism in seinen manga.

Hanamizawa is best known as the original creator of the series REC, which became his most significant commercial and critical success. REC began serialization in Shogakukan's Monthly Sunday Gene-X in November 2002 and concluded in March 2013, spanning sixteen collected volumes. The story follows the relationship between a young salaryman and an aspiring voice actress, marking a thematic shift for the artist as it was his first work to feature adult protagonists in a workplace setting, placing a greater emphasis on romantic comedy than on the erotic elements of his earlier works. The series achieved mainstream recognition in 2006 when it was adapted into a nine-episode anime television series produced by the studio Shaft, as well as an original video animation episode. This adaptation, which aired from February to March 2006, represents a major milestone in Hanamizawa's career as an original creator whose work was adapted for the screen.

Throughout his career, Hanamizawa has demonstrated a versatile artistic identity, periodically publishing works in different genres that deviate from his usual romantic and slice-of-life stories. These include the adventure series Boken Doki no Watashitachi Densetsu, the period drama NAGI published by Shonen Gahosha, and the action-oriented BWH for Shueisha. Despite this range, his authorial signature remains closely tied to his sensitive and often explicit depictions of the female form and the emotional lives of young people navigating love and sexuality. This aspect of his work has also placed him at the center of industry debates regarding content regulation. In 2011, his self-selected collection Hanabiyori was one of six works designated by the Publication Ethics Association and the Publication Ethics Council as being subject to the revised Tokyo Metropolitan Youth Healthy Development Ordinance, which restricted the sale of works depicting sexual content in a school setting.

In addition to his long-running serializations, Hanamizawa has published numerous short story collections and illustration collections. He also contributed an end card illustration to the 2005 anime series Pani Poni Dash!. His later works include Shonen yo Taishi o Dake, serialized in Young King Ours GH from 2011 to 2013, as well as titles like Marusei, Doubutsu Zukan, and Kanojo ga Bikini Armor ni Kigaetara, demonstrating his continued activity as a writer and illustrator well into the 2010s.