Takashi Itsuki is a Japanese manga artist born in 1956 in Tokushima Prefecture. He began his career as an assistant to the influential manga creator Kaiji Kawaguchi before establishing his own reputation in the industry. During the 1980s, Itsuki became recognized as a distinctive voice in the field of erotic manga, contributing to publications that allowed for significant pictorial experimentation and counterculture storytelling. Notable works from this period include short story collections such as La Poupée from 1981 and Schizoid from 1984. His artistic style during this era has been characterized by a creative use of dark tones, inventive panel composition, and narratives that often blended erotic content with elements of dark comedy and psychological unease.

Beyond adult-oriented publications, Itsuki also produced work for mainstream magazines, including Manga Action and Big Mah-Jongg. His standard genre credits from the 1980s and 1990s include Miracle Monkey from 1985, the mah-jongg comedy Nanpûsô Monogatari from 1987, Love Co., Ltd. from 1991, and the police comedy Flying Police from 1993, the latter of which was based on novels by Koshi Kurumizawa. These works demonstrate his range across action, comedy, and game-oriented genres.

Itsuki is credited as the illustrator for the manga Ganglion, with the story written by Hisaya Shiraiwa. The manga was serialized by Yoshimoto Books in its Comic Yoshimoto magazine from June 19, 2007 to September 18, 2007, and was later compiled into a single tankobon volume published by Wani Books on April 25, 2009. The story is a workplace drama set in early 2000s Tokyo, following Kenji Isobe, a mid-level fighter employed by Ganglion Co., Ltd., a corporation with ambitions of world domination. Isobe is sent on absurd missions such as the Mount Fuji Demolition Plan and the Tokyo Cedar Pollen Operation, only to be repeatedly defeated by the hero Hopeman. The narrative balances the tropes of superhero and villain conflicts with the mundane frustrations of corporate life, including unreasonable superiors and personal financial struggles like rent and mortgages.

In August 2025, it was announced that Ganglion would receive a television anime adaptation. The short-form series is produced by Studio Maf and directed by Ayumu Watanabe, with Ryōsuke Tanaka serving as assistant director. The anime premiered on October 3, 2025, on TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, AT-X, and BS Yoshimoto. To commemorate the announcement, Takashi Itsuki created a special illustration. This adaptation marks a significant moment in Itsuki's career, bringing a manga originally published nearly two decades earlier to the screen and introducing his artistic work to a broader audience through the medium of television animation.