Yuki Midorikawa is a Japanese manga artist known for creating works that blend supernatural elements with gentle human drama. Born on May 23, 1976, in Kumamoto Prefecture, she began her professional career in 1998 while still in high school, making her debut with the short story Coffee Hirari, which appeared in the November issue of LaLa DX and won the 18th LMG Fresh Debut award. Her first serialized work, Akaku Saku Koe, known in English as The Voice of a Red Flower, ran from 1998 to 2000 and earned her the 25th Hakusensha Athena Newcomer Award for outstanding debut in 2000.

Midorikawa is most widely recognized as the original creator of Natsume’s Book of Friends and Hotarubi no Mori e. Natsume’s Book of Friends began as a short story in LaLa DX in 2003 before becoming a regular serialization in 2005, and it remains ongoing with over thirty volumes published as of 2025. The series follows a boy who can see spirits and inherits a book containing the names of supernatural beings, exploring themes of loneliness, friendship, and coexistence between humans and youkai. The franchise has generated a substantial media legacy, beginning with an anime television series that first aired in 2008 and ultimately spanning seven seasons, with the most recent installment released in 2024. The series has also inspired multiple original video animations and two theatrical anime films, Natsume’s Book of Friends the Movie: Tied to the Temporal World in 2018 and Natsume’s Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor in 2021.

Her other signature work, Hotarubi no Mori e, originated as a short story published in LaLa DX in July 2002. The story, about a young girl who befriends a spirit boy who will disappear if ever touched by a human, was later collected in a short story anthology. In 2011, it was adapted into a critically acclaimed 44-minute anime film directed by Takahiro Omori and produced by the studio Brain’s Base. A special edition of the manga containing additional material from the spirit Gin’s perspective was released shortly before the film’s premiere in September 2011. The film is noted for its atmospheric, photorealistic imagery and its restrained depiction of a fleeting romance.

Throughout her career, Midorikawa has maintained a consistent artistic identity centered on themes of human-spirit interaction, delicate emotional bonds, and a sense of melancholy that is often tempered by quiet warmth. Her work is characterized by a spare, expressive line and a focus on atmosphere, frequently drawing inspiration from the natural landscapes of her native Kumamoto. Many character surnames in her works are derived from place names in the region, and her pen name itself comes from a local river. Her early short stories, including works such as Hibi, Fukaku and Taion no Kakera, established the motifs of longing and impermanence that would define her longer narratives.

Beyond her manga publications, Midorikawa has contributed to the anime adaptations of her works in a creative capacity, receiving credit as the original story author and also as a writer for the seventh season of the Natsume’s Book of Friends anime in 2024. Her significance within the manga industry is reflected in both commercial success and formal recognition. Natsume’s Book of Friends had sold over five million copies by the release of its twelfth volume, and the series has been nominated for and received multiple awards, including a selection for the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival’s Manga Division in 2009. In 2024, she was awarded the third Kumamoto Nichinichi Manga Culture Award in recognition of her artistic achievements and her contributions to supporting recovery efforts following the 2020 Kumamoto floods.