Makoto Akui is a Japanese manga artist from Chiba Prefecture. She began her professional career after winning an honorable mention in the 66th Newcomer Comic Award's少年 (shōnen) division for her work RUSH. Following this success, she gained experience working as an assistant to the creator of the popular manga Magi. Her first regular serialization came in 2013 with the manga Moukin-chan. Early in her career, she was also responsible for the artwork on the series Zekureator ~Kami Manga Senki~.

Akui is best known as the original creator of Blue Orchestra, known in Japanese as Ao no Orchestra. This shōnen manga, which she writes and illustrates, has been serialized on Shogakukan's digital platforms MangaONE and Ura Sunday since April 2017. The series follows a violin prodigy, Hajime Aono, who quits playing due to family circumstances but later rediscovers his passion for music in his high school's orchestra club. As of December 2021, the manga had over 3.3 million copies in circulation. In 2023, Blue Orchestra won the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category.

The success of the manga led to an anime television adaptation. The first season of Blue Orchestra, produced by the studio Nippon Animation, aired on NHK Educational TV from April to October 2023. The series was directed by Seiji Kishi, with scripts by Yūko Kakihara. A second season of the anime was announced following the conclusion of the first and began airing in October 2025. In a comment released before the second season's premiere, Akui expressed her belief that the characters' music is born from their struggles through both joy and pain.

Beyond her original work, Akui is also known for creating the manga adaptation of the anime film Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda. (known in English as The Anthem of the Heart). This series, published by Shogakukan, was released in multiple volumes, including editions published internationally by Egmont Manga in 2021. This body of work establishes a clear artistic identity for Makoto Akui, centered on deeply emotional, character-driven youth dramas where music serves as a powerful medium for personal expression, healing, and interpersonal connection. Her significance in the industry is underscored not only by the commercial success and award-winning status of Blue Orchestra but also by its successful transition into a major anime production.