Ai Yazawa

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Yazawa started reading manga magazines when she was 10 years old, and at 12 she attempted to draw manga and submitted it to Ribon Manga School, making it into the lowest class. She began training seriously around age 15, eventually making it into a higher class. As a student, she was a fan of Eikichi Yazawa, whose surname she adopted for her pseudonym. At the time of her manga debut, Yazawa was 17 years old and in her final year of high school. Unsure of whether she could make a living as a manga artist, she attended Osaka Mode Gakuen to become a stylist, but dropped out once *Ribon* decided to serialize her works—a decision she described as 'disappointing' and 'painful' at the time. Yazawa cites manga artists Fuyumi Ogura and Ryo Ikuemi as inspirations, as well as music from singers Miyuki Nakajima and Yumi Matsutoya. She was later requested to draw two short stories to accompany the launch of *Cookie*, which led to the creation of *Nana* as she decided to make the two stories related so they would be easier to read if later picked up for serialization. In 2003, Yazawa was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for *Nana*.

In Their Own Story

The pen hovers over the white page, silent save for the scratch of graphite. In this quiet room, a city begins to breathe. Two girls with matching names step out of ink lines, carrying guitars and heartbreak into existence. She does not draw them; she listens to their songs before they are played. Outside her window, Tokyo sleeps, unaware that its neon streets will soon echo with the music of her creation. Every stroke is a melody, every panel a chord struck in the dark. The story lives because she keeps listening.

Reader's Guide

The original manga *Nana* was serialized in *Cookie* after Yazawa was requested to draw two short stories for the magazine's launch. She made the two stories related so they could be picked up for serialization. In June 2009, Yazawa became hospitalized after contracting an illness, putting *Nana* on indefinite hiatus. She returned from the hospital in April 2010. In 2022, Yazawa stated she was still recovering and expressed interest in continuing *Nana* in the future. Since putting *Nana* on hold, she has focused on illustration work: she provided artwork for singer Juju's single 'Iiwake' in 2017, a celebratory illustration for *Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash* in 2020, drew a mini-manga featuring characters from *I'm No Angel* and *Neighborhood Story* in 2016, contributed new images to the 2015 *Nana* calendar, and published a new 'Junko's Room' chapter in 2013—her first new manga in over three years. From July 20 to August 8, 2022, she held an art exhibit titled 'All Time Best' featuring original manuscripts and illustrations. On January 31, 2024, she illustrated a promotional visual for a collaboration with fashion brand Lulu Felice, who created wedding dresses based on *Nana* and *Neighborhood Story*.

Did You Know?

• Yazawa adopted her pseudonym from singer Eikichi Yazawa, whose fan she was as a student.
• She debuted as a manga artist at age 17 with her 10th submission to *Ribon*, the short story *Ano Natsu* (1985).
• Yazawa attended Osaka Mode Gakuen to become a stylist before dropping out to focus on manga.
• She illustrated the cover of Rumi Shishido's 2003 album *Rumi Roll* after becoming friends with Shishido during the anime adaptation of *Neighborhood Story*.
• In 2024, a survey of 100 people by TV Maga voted *Nana* as the most fashionable manga, with *Paradise Kiss* and *Neighborhood Story* following at no. 2.