Akamaru Enomoto
Description
Akamaru Enomoto is a Japanese manga artist recognized as the creator of the office romance series I Have a Crush at Work. The manga, which is also known by the Japanese title Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu and the alternative English title Can You Keep a Secret?, was serialized in Kodansha's Morning magazine from March 2019 to January 2023. The series proved popular, selling over 1.1 million copies including digital versions, and was collected into fifteen tankobon volumes.
Enomoto drew on personal experience while creating I Have a Crush at Work. Before becoming a manga artist, Enomoto worked as a regular company employee for over six years. The editor for the series suggested focusing on workplace romance as a theme, and Enomoto used memories and observations from corporate life to build the realistic office setting. Prior to this series, Enomoto created Bunno-san's Stationery Days, which also focused on working adult characters.
The story of I Have a Crush at Work follows Masugu Tateishi and Yui Mitsuya, two coworkers at a confectionery company who are secretly dating while pretending to be rivals in the office. The series was adapted into an anime television series produced by studio Blade, which aired from January 6 to March 24, 2025. Enomoto was actively involved in the anime production, attending voice actor auditions, reviewing scripts, and making specific requests to ensure the adaptation captured the tone of the original work. Enomoto requested that romantic scenes maintain a fresh feel without becoming overly explicit, aiming to show a natural relationship rather than forced sexiness. The goal was to create a romance that gives readers a sense of comfort and healing.
In terms of artistic approach, Enomoto focuses heavily on drawing facial expressions, particularly how characters see their loved ones. The aim is to capture subtle emotions and make characters appear radiant. Enomoto has expressed that rereading personal work can feel embarrassing, especially the more affectionate scenes.
Following the completion of I Have a Crush at Work, Enomoto began a new manga series titled Dramatic Love Starts from the Basics, also serialized in Morning magazine. This newer work features older characters and was intended to explore stronger emotions and more grown-up issues, including real-life problems that were not present in the previous series. Enomoto has described this as an effort to try something new with a different format and more mature themes.
Enomoto drew on personal experience while creating I Have a Crush at Work. Before becoming a manga artist, Enomoto worked as a regular company employee for over six years. The editor for the series suggested focusing on workplace romance as a theme, and Enomoto used memories and observations from corporate life to build the realistic office setting. Prior to this series, Enomoto created Bunno-san's Stationery Days, which also focused on working adult characters.
The story of I Have a Crush at Work follows Masugu Tateishi and Yui Mitsuya, two coworkers at a confectionery company who are secretly dating while pretending to be rivals in the office. The series was adapted into an anime television series produced by studio Blade, which aired from January 6 to March 24, 2025. Enomoto was actively involved in the anime production, attending voice actor auditions, reviewing scripts, and making specific requests to ensure the adaptation captured the tone of the original work. Enomoto requested that romantic scenes maintain a fresh feel without becoming overly explicit, aiming to show a natural relationship rather than forced sexiness. The goal was to create a romance that gives readers a sense of comfort and healing.
In terms of artistic approach, Enomoto focuses heavily on drawing facial expressions, particularly how characters see their loved ones. The aim is to capture subtle emotions and make characters appear radiant. Enomoto has expressed that rereading personal work can feel embarrassing, especially the more affectionate scenes.
Following the completion of I Have a Crush at Work, Enomoto began a new manga series titled Dramatic Love Starts from the Basics, also serialized in Morning magazine. This newer work features older characters and was intended to explore stronger emotions and more grown-up issues, including real-life problems that were not present in the previous series. Enomoto has described this as an effort to try something new with a different format and more mature themes.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview