Cotoji
Description
Cotoji is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator, known professionally by the pen name Cotoji, which is romanized from the Japanese 琴慈. Born on June 9 in Kumamoto Prefecture, Cotoji is female. Her career began in high school when she made her debut in Monthly GFantasy published by Enix, using her real name, which has not been publicly disclosed. Following this debut, she drew short general-audience manga for the same publisher. For a period, she ceased commercial activities to focus on writing as a hobby and participating in doujinshi events. She was later discovered again and began creating manga and illustrations for an adult audience before once more returning to commercial work for general audiences.
Cotoji is best known as the creator of the manga series Anne Happy, also known as Unhappy Go Lucky!. The series is a comedy manga written and illustrated by Cotoji. It was serialized in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Forward magazine, beginning with the February 2013 issue released in December 2012. The story follows a group of teenage girls, all students in Class 1-7 at Tennomifune Academy, a special class for students afflicted with extreme misfortune, as they attempt to overcome their bad luck to find happiness. The manga concluded serialization in the January 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara Forward, released on November 24, 2018, and was compiled into ten volumes. The series was licensed in North America by Yen Press. The popularity of the manga led to an anime television series adaptation produced by the studio Silver Link, which aired in Japan between April and June 2016. Cotoji was credited as the original creator for this anime adaptation.
Beyond Anne Happy, Cotoji has created several other manga works. For general audiences, she wrote The Young Lady and Kashima, which was serialized in COMIC SUMOMO and published in two volumes. She also created the spin-off manga NouKin Petit, based on the light novel series NouKin by Shirou Shirou, which was serialized in Monthly Big Gangan. Under the name Koto-san, she wrote Miracle Miku, a children's spin-off of Hatsune Miku serialized in Pucchigumi. Another general-audience manga is The Difficult Daily Life of an Elf, serialized in Manga Time Kirara Carat. Cotoji has also worked in the adult manga genre, with a notable work being The World Where the Sacred Bell Rings, published by Kill Time Communication. Her illustration work includes color illustrations for magazines such as Dengeki Moeoh, art for the card game World Summoner Combination, and ending illustrations for the anime series Is the Order a Rabbit?, School-Live!, and Three Leaves, Three Colors. She also provided the ending illustration for the twelfth episode of the Anne Happy anime. In the video game industry, Cotoji was responsible for character design and supervision for the mobile game Kirara Fantasia.
Cotoji's career demonstrates a trajectory through multiple genres and demographics, from mainstream shonen and seinen manga to adult works and children's comics. Her most significant industry impact stems from Anne Happy, which was successfully adapted into an anime and introduced her work to a broader international audience. The series is a representative example of the comedy and slice-of-life genres common in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara line of magazines, known for featuring stories about groups of young girls in everyday settings. Cotoji's body of work, including her contributions to illustration anthologies for popular series like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, solidifies her identity as a versatile creator within the Japanese manga and anime industry.
Cotoji is best known as the creator of the manga series Anne Happy, also known as Unhappy Go Lucky!. The series is a comedy manga written and illustrated by Cotoji. It was serialized in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Forward magazine, beginning with the February 2013 issue released in December 2012. The story follows a group of teenage girls, all students in Class 1-7 at Tennomifune Academy, a special class for students afflicted with extreme misfortune, as they attempt to overcome their bad luck to find happiness. The manga concluded serialization in the January 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara Forward, released on November 24, 2018, and was compiled into ten volumes. The series was licensed in North America by Yen Press. The popularity of the manga led to an anime television series adaptation produced by the studio Silver Link, which aired in Japan between April and June 2016. Cotoji was credited as the original creator for this anime adaptation.
Beyond Anne Happy, Cotoji has created several other manga works. For general audiences, she wrote The Young Lady and Kashima, which was serialized in COMIC SUMOMO and published in two volumes. She also created the spin-off manga NouKin Petit, based on the light novel series NouKin by Shirou Shirou, which was serialized in Monthly Big Gangan. Under the name Koto-san, she wrote Miracle Miku, a children's spin-off of Hatsune Miku serialized in Pucchigumi. Another general-audience manga is The Difficult Daily Life of an Elf, serialized in Manga Time Kirara Carat. Cotoji has also worked in the adult manga genre, with a notable work being The World Where the Sacred Bell Rings, published by Kill Time Communication. Her illustration work includes color illustrations for magazines such as Dengeki Moeoh, art for the card game World Summoner Combination, and ending illustrations for the anime series Is the Order a Rabbit?, School-Live!, and Three Leaves, Three Colors. She also provided the ending illustration for the twelfth episode of the Anne Happy anime. In the video game industry, Cotoji was responsible for character design and supervision for the mobile game Kirara Fantasia.
Cotoji's career demonstrates a trajectory through multiple genres and demographics, from mainstream shonen and seinen manga to adult works and children's comics. Her most significant industry impact stems from Anne Happy, which was successfully adapted into an anime and introduced her work to a broader international audience. The series is a representative example of the comedy and slice-of-life genres common in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara line of magazines, known for featuring stories about groups of young girls in everyday settings. Cotoji's body of work, including her contributions to illustration anthologies for popular series like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, solidifies her identity as a versatile creator within the Japanese manga and anime industry.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview