Aka Akasaka

Aka Akasaka (赤坂 アカ, Akasaka Aka, born August 29, 1988)^[1] is a Japanese manga artist and writer best known for his series Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Oshi no Ko.

Aka Akasaka 赤坂 アカ
Born	(1988-08-29) August 29, 1988 (age 36) Sado, Niigata, Japan
Area(s)	Manga artist, writer
Notable works	Kaguya-sama: Love Is War Oshi no Ko
Awards	Shogakukan Manga Award

Biography

Akasaka contributed to the background assets of the visual novel video game Wonderful Everyday, released in Japan in 2010.^[2] His series Kaguya-sama: Love Is War was serialized in Shueisha's Miracle Jump between May 2015 and January 2016, and was then transferred to Weekly Young Jump starting from March 2016. It was the 9th best selling manga in Japan in 2019, with over 4 million copies sold.^[3] In 2020, he won the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category with the manga. Starting from April 2020, his work Oshi no Ko, which is illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari, is serialized in Weekly Young Jump and is his second active series on the magazine at the same time.^[4] In August 2021, Oshi no Ko won the Next Manga Award in the print category.^[5]

Following the end of Kaguya-sama, Akasaka announced on November 3, 2022, that he would retire from drawing manga to instead focus on writing.^[6]

In April 2023, Akasaka launched a new manga, Renai Daikō, which is illustrated by Nishizawa 5mm. ^[7]

Works

Manga

• Sayonara Piano Sonata (さよならピアノソナタ) (2011–2012, story by Hikaru Sugii, character design by Ryō Ueda)
• Ib: Instant Bullet (ib －インスタントバレット－) (2013–2015)^[8]
• Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (かぐや様は告らせたい ～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～) (2015–2022)
• Oshi no Ko (【推しの子】) (2020–2024, illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari)
• Renai Daikō (恋愛代行) (2023–2024, illustrated by Nishizawa 5mm)^[9]

Video games

• Wonderful Everyday (background assets)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2015	Next Manga Award	Manga I Want to Sell in the Future	Ib: Instant Bullet	13th place	[10]
2017		Print Manga	Kaguya-sama: Love Is War	Won	[11]
2020	Shogakukan Manga Award	General Manga	Kaguya-sama: Love Is War	Won	[12]
	BookWalker Awards	Grand Prize	Kaguya-sama: Love Is War	Won	[13]
2021	Manga Taishō	—	Oshi no Ko	5th place	[14]
	Next Manga Award	Print Manga	Oshi no Ko	Won	[15]
2022	Shogakukan Manga Award	General Manga	Oshi no Ko	Nominated	[16]
	Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize	Grand Prize	Oshi no Ko	Nominated	[17]
	Manga Taishō	—	Oshi no Ko	8th place	[18]
	Kodansha Manga Award	General Manga	Oshi no Ko	Nominated	[19]

References

1. 『かぐや様』作者が原作の新連載27日開始 ヤンジャンで『【推しの子】』含め2作同時の週刊連載. Oricon News (in Japanese). April 20, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
2. Akasaka, Aka [@akasaka_aka] (December 7, 2019). （今まで内緒にしていたのですが、素晴らしき日々の背景何枚か描かせて頂いていました） (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via Twitter.
3. Loo, Egan (November 27, 2019). "Top-Selling Manga in Japan by Series: 2019". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
4. 『かぐや様』作者、ヤンジャンで2作品同時連載開始 原作担当の新連載は芸能界描く. Oricon News (in Japanese). April 23, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
5. "NEXT MANGA AWARDS 2021". NEXT MANGA AWARDS 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
6. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 3, 2022). "Kaguya-sama Creator Aka Akasaka Retires from Drawing Manga to Focus on Writing". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
7. "'"Oshi no Ko"' Author Aka Akasaka Launches New Manga". MyAnimeList.net. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
8. 「デュラララ!!」キャラが2頭身に、ギャグ「みにでゅら」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 28, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
9. Harding, Daryl (April 13, 2023). "Kaguya-sama Creator Aka Akasaka's New Manga Renai Daiko Starts April 27". Crunchyroll. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
10. 「次にくるマンガ大賞」1位に輝いたのは「僕のヒーローアカデミア」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 6, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
11. 次にくるマンガ大賞、「かぐや様は告らせたい」がコミックス部門1位に. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 23, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
12. Sherman, Jennifer (January 23, 2020). "Aoashi, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, More Win 65th Shogakukan Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
13. 「かぐや様は告らせたい」がBOOK☆WALKER大賞を受賞、赤坂アカ描き下ろしイラスト到着. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
14. マンガ大賞2021、大賞は山田鐘人・アベツカサ「葬送のフリーレン」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
15. 『次にくるマンガ大賞 2021』大賞作品は『【推しの子】』&『怪獣8号』. Oricon News (in Japanese). August 24, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
16. Mateo, Alex (January 18, 2022). "Komi Can't Communicate, My Love Mix-Up!, Do not say mystery Manga Win 67th Shogakukan Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
17. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 20, 2022). "Oshi no Ko, Kaiju No. 8, Jojolion, Peleliu Nominated for Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
18. マンガ大賞2022発表！大賞はうめざわしゅん「ダーウィン事変」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
19. Mateo, Alex (May 11, 2022). "46th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards' Winners Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 13, 2023.

Further reading

• Aka Akasaka (February 16, 2020). "Wielding emotions to create a story: "Kaguya-sama Wants to Be Confessed To" author Aka Akasaka shares his strategy for writing manga". Guya.moe (Interview). Interviewed by Daisuke Okamoto. Translation by Kaguya-sama Discord. Retrieved July 8, 2020. based on Aka Akasaka (January 30, 2020). "感情を操り、物語を創る。『かぐや様は告らせたい』赤坂アカが考える"戦略的"漫画論" [Manipulate emotions and create stories. "Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai" Akasaka's "strategic" comic theory]. Livedoor News (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Daisuke Okamoto. Retrieved July 8, 2020.

External links

• Aka Akasaka on Twitter (in Japanese)
• Aka Akasaka | Official Publisher Page