Miho Obana

Miho Obana (小花 美穂, Obana Miho, born April 26, 1970) is a shōjo manga artist born in Tokyo, Japan. Her best-known work was Kodoma no Omocha, also known as Kodocha, which was published in Ribon magazine, and won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1998. Other works include Partner, Andante and Honey Bitter.

Biography

Obana began her manga career as an assistant to Momoko Sakura, the creator of Chibi Maruko-chan. In 1990 she debuted with a one-shot manga) Mado no Mukō, which was published in the autumn 1990 issue of Ribon Bikkuri. Later stories would appear in Ribon Original and Ribon magazines.

In 1994, she authored Kodomo no Omocha, a shojo manga series about a child actress who interacts with an aloof elementary school boy. The series won the Kodansha Manga Award for shojo in 1998, and was adapted to an anime television series Kodocha that ran for 102 episodes. Within the TV series, there is a character named after her. The manga ran until 1998, totaling 10 tankobon volumes. In 1999, she wrote a one-shot called Mizu no Yakata which focuses on the drama story that characters Sana and Naozumi of Kodomo no Omocha starred in. In 2015, Kodocha was adapted into a stage play. She also released a Kodocha one-shot for the 60th anniversary of Ribon.