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Robico

Robico (Japanese: ろびこ, Hepburn: Robiko; born October 8) is a Japanese manga artist from , best known for creating the romantic comedy series (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun), which serialized from 2008 to 2013 and was adapted into a 2012 television series. Her works often explore themes of romance, personal growth, and interpersonal relationships among young adults, blending humor with emotional depth. Notable series include (2015–2019), a slice-of-life drama about high school friends navigating secrets and bonds, which earned her the Best award at the 44th Manga Awards in 2020, and Himikoi (2008), an early romance focusing on secret admirers. Robico has also contributed as an artist to Skip! Yamada-kun (2014) and provided original character designs for the Backflip!! anime series (2021). Her manga Our Precious Conversations received a Jury Selection award in the Manga Division at the 20th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2016, recognizing its innovative storytelling. Maintaining an active online presence through her website and , Robico continues to influence the genre with her distinctive character designs and relatable narratives, including a 2025 one-shot titled To Dusk and Twilight.

Biography

Early Life

Robico was born on October 8 in , , in the region. Her blood type is A, as documented in Japanese profiles. Details about her family background and formal education remain limited in public records, with sources emphasizing her origins in Kagoshima without further elaboration on early personal influences.

Professional Career

Robico entered the manga industry in 2005 with her debut one-shot "Demekinikku," published in the May issue of Kodansha's Dessert magazine. This marked the beginning of her professional career, focusing primarily on shōjo manga targeted at a young female audience. Following her debut, she became a regular contributor to Dessert, serializing multiple works that established her reputation for blending romance, humor, and character-driven narratives. From 2005 to 2019, Robico maintained a steady output in , with standout series such as serving as key milestones that highlighted her distinctive artistic style and storytelling approach. In 2014, she expanded her collaborations by teaming up with renowned writer —known for —to illustrate the one-shot "Skip! Yamada-kun," which appeared in . This project represented a departure from her usual solo endeavors, showcasing her versatility in adapting to different creative partnerships and publication outlets. Beyond manga serialization, Robico ventured into animation design with her role as the original character designer for the 2021 anime Backflip!!, where she crafted the visual concepts for the rhythmic gymnastics-themed series, including the protagonists' expressive designs and dynamic poses to capture the energy of the sport. Her contributions emphasized fluid, youthful aesthetics that aligned with the show's themes of perseverance and teamwork. In 2019, an exhibition of her artwork titled "Robico Illustrations" was held at Gofa gallery in , from August 10 to September 16, displaying over 150 pieces including sketches and original drawings from major works like Himikoi and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. This event underscored her growing influence in circles outside traditional publishing.

Works

Serialized Manga

Robico's serialized manga are primarily published in Kodansha's Dessert magazine, a shōjo publication aimed at teenage girls and young women, featuring romance and slice-of-life stories centered on emotional and relational growth. Her works in this format span multi-volume series that delve into high school dynamics, unrequited affections, and personal maturation, often blending humor with heartfelt introspection. One of Robico's most prominent serialized works is Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (), which ran from August 2008 to June 2013 and was compiled into 13 volumes. The story follows Shizuku Mizutani, a highly studious and socially detached high school girl tasked with delivering class notes to Yoshida, a known for his explosive temper and isolation from peers after a violent incident. Their unlikely partnership evolves into a romance marked by mutual misunderstandings, as Haru grapples with his impulsive nature and desire for connection, while Shizuku confronts her single-minded focus on academic success. Themes of social awkwardness, vulnerability, and emotional growth underscore the narrative, highlighting how the protagonists learn to navigate relationships beyond surface interactions. The series' popularity is evidenced by its adaptation into a 13-episode in 2012. Himikoi, serialized from December 2007 to June 2008, comprises 2 volumes and examines the intricacies of concealed emotions among high school students. The anthology-style narrative centers on secret crushes, such as a protagonist's hidden affection that risks exposure just before graduation, forcing confrontations with unspoken feelings and the fear of rejection. Through interconnected tales like "Time Limit" and "Arashi no Yoru ni," Robico portrays the tension of maintaining facades in youthful romance, emphasizing themes of confession, regret, and the bittersweet transition to adulthood. In 2007, Robico serialized Boy x Meet x Girl as a single-volume work in Dessert, consisting of 4 chapters that capture classic shōjo romance tropes through episodic encounters. Stories such as "Masamune-kun no Susume" and "Nijiiro House" depict chance meetings between boys and girls in school environments, exploring initial attractions, playful rivalries, and the spark of young love amid everyday adolescent challenges. The collection highlights lighthearted relational dynamics, with an emphasis on mutual discovery and the charm of innocent flirtations. Robico's Boku to Kimi no Taisetsu na Hanashi () was serialized from August 2015 to December 2019, spanning 7 volumes. The plot revolves around Nozomi Aizawa, a cheerful high school girl who confesses her long-held crush to the aloof Shirou Azuma at a train station, only to face immediate rejection that shatters her confidence. As Nozomi processes the heartbreak, she forms deeper bonds with friends and confronts her insecurities, leading to gradual emotional development and reflections on self-worth beyond romantic validation. The series underscores themes of , as a support system, and the value of honest dialogues in healing personal wounds. Another shorter serialized entry, Miracle☆Gift (2015), forms a single volume published as a holiday-themed one-shot in Dessert, blending fantasy with shōjo romance. The story features Takeo Komatsu, a skeptical boy dreading Christmas, who encounters a mysterious girl on a reindeer after finding a glowing object, sparking a whimsical adventure that rekindles belief in magic and unexpected connections. This narrative emphasizes serendipitous romance and the transformative power of holiday wonder in youthful hearts.

Short Stories and Collaborations

Robico's debut work, the one-shot "Demekinikku," was published in the May 2005 issue of Kodansha's Dessert magazine, marking her entry into the manga industry with a story exploring quirky interpersonal dynamics. This short piece, later included in her 2006 collection, showcased her early artistic style focused on emotional nuances in relationships. In 2006, Robico released the one-shot "Kanojo ga Inakunatta," serialized in Dessert and compiled into a single volume that also featured "Demekinikku" alongside other shorts like "Karakuri Engekidou," "Rapunzel," "Hatsukoi Tentoumushi," and "Narikiri Gokko." The title story centers on a bittersweet romance where a girlfriend repeatedly runs away after arguments, only to return, highlighting themes of temporary loss, reconciliation, and the rhythms of young love. This work demonstrated her ability to blend heartache with subtle humor in concise narratives. She also published the short story collection Love Kare: Gokujou Men's Dokuhon! (2007–2010), a single volume compiling six sweet stories about finding and maintaining love. In 2009, Ikemen Paradise, another single-volume work, explored romance and school life themes. A notable collaboration came in 2014 with writer , known for , on the one-shot "Skip! Yamada-kun," published in . Robico provided the artwork for Ohba's script, which follows junior high student Yamada, who discovers he can time-skip by jumping, using this ability to avoid chores and schoolwork in a humorous tale of adolescent laziness and unexpected consequences. This project marked Ohba's first partnership outside their usual artist and Robico's initial foray into co-creation post her major series. Robico contributed the one-shot "Miracle☆Gift" to the December 2015 issue of , a holiday-themed story where a boy encounters a Santa-like girl on a who grants him the chance to choose any crush as his girlfriend by , leading to a whimsical of desire and rejection. The narrative captures her signature blend of fantasy elements with relatable romantic awkwardness. During the , Robico participated in the 2020 "Relay Manga" project in , a collaborative of 109 short stories by various artists addressing everyday life amid . Her entry, the 47-page "Wash Me Hug Me!," depicts a budding romance between cram school student Mikage, struggling with art college aspirations, and high schooler Toudou at a laundromat, emphasizing physical intimacy and emotional refreshment in isolated times. Following a period of focus on serialized works, Robico returned to one-shots with "To Dusk and Twilight" (Yuuyami to Kataware) in the August 2025 issue of Young Magazine, a girl and hitman story that revives her humorous take on unconventional pairings. As of November 2025, no additional short stories or collaborations have been announced.

Adaptations

Anime Adaptations

The adaptation of Robico's Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (known in English as ) premiered as a 13-episode television series produced by studio . Directed by Hiro Kaburagi, the series aired from October 2 to December 25, 2012, and faithfully covered the manga's primary arcs involving the protagonists Shizuku Mizutani and Haru Yoshida. Notable voice cast included as Shizuku Mizutani, with voicing Haru Yoshida, and the production was praised for its solid animation quality that captured the expressive, whimsical character designs central to Robico's style without major deviations. In addition to adaptations of her own works, Robico contributed original character designs to the 2021 original Backflip!! (also known as Bakuten!!), a rhythmic gymnastics-themed series produced by . The 12-episode television run, directed by Toshimasa Kuroyanagi with series direction by Seishirō Nagaya, aired from April 9 to June 25, 2021. Robico's designs for the gymnast characters emphasized dynamic, youthful energy, which animation studio adapted with fluid motion sequences that highlighted the sport's while maintaining her distinctive illustrative flair. The series received acclaim for its animation fidelity to these designs, particularly in depicting high-energy performances, contributing to its overall positive reception as a fresh sports .

Live-Action Adaptations

The live-action film adaptation of Robico's manga Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (known internationally as ) premiered in on April 27, 2018. Directed by Sho Tsukikawa, the movie stars in the role of Haru Yoshida, a high school with a volatile yet endearing personality, and as Shizuku Mizutani, an academically focused girl uninterested in social connections. The screenplay by Arisa Kaneko condenses the source material's narrative to emphasize the central romantic and comedic elements, particularly the evolving dynamic between the protagonists as Shizuku's pragmatic worldview clashes with Haru's impulsive affection, leading to humorous misunderstandings and heartfelt growth. The film highlights the pair's contrasting traits through key scenes of banter and emotional vulnerability, portraying Haru's protectiveness and Shizuku's gradual openness in a realistic high school setting. It received positive feedback for the leads' chemistry, with critics noting how and Tsuchiya effectively conveyed the tension and tenderness in their interactions, making the adaptation feel authentic to the manga's quirky romance while adding subtle dramatic depth. Released by , the movie earned approximately 510 million yen at the Japanese , reflecting solid performance for a teen romance amid competition from major blockbusters. As of 2025, this remains the only live-action of Robico's works, following the 2012 series as part of the manga's multimedia expansions.

Recognition

Awards

In 2016, (Boku to Kimi no Taisetsu na Hanashi) received the award in the Manga Division at the 20th , recognizing its innovative storytelling in depicting interpersonal relationships. In 2020, Robico won the 44th Kodansha Manga Award in the Best Shōjo Manga category for Our Precious Conversations (Boku to Kimi no Taisetsu na Hanashi), a romantic comedy serialized in Kodansha's Dessert magazine that explores misunderstandings and emotional growth between high school protagonists Nozomi Aizawa and Azuma-kun. The winners were announced on May 12, 2020, by publisher Kodansha, with the award recognizing excellence in manga storytelling across shōnen, shōjo, and general categories; the jury comprised prominent manga creators including Ken Akamatsu, Tochi Ueyama, Oh! great, Atsushi Kase, Akiko Higashimura, Yūji Moritaka, and Waki Yamato. Each recipient received a certificate, a bronze statuette, and 1 million yen (approximately US$9,100 at the time). The award highlighted the series' emotional depth and nuanced character development, particularly in depicting the awkward yet heartfelt progression of young romance and communication barriers, distinguishing it among nominees such as Kageki Shōjo!! and Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight. This accolade significantly elevated Robico's visibility in the industry, contributing to increased international interest in her work, including expanded digital distribution of by . As of 2025, no additional major awards for Robico have been reported.

Exhibitions and Other Honors

In 2019, Robico's original artwork was showcased in the "Robico Original Art Exhibition" at the GoFa gallery in , running from August 10 to September 16. The event displayed over 150 pieces, comprising original drawings and high-resolution prints primarily from her series Himikoi, , and . This exhibition provided a rare opportunity for fans to view the detailed craftsmanship behind her illustrations, with the curation focusing on thematic elements like character emotions and relational dynamics across her works. The display tied into popular elements from , including original panels depicting pivotal interactions between protagonists Shizuku Mizutani and Haru Yoshida. Post-2020, Robico has maintained informal fan engagement through updates, sharing occasional illustrations that extend her creative output into 2022–2025, such as promotional art for magazine features. Despite this, no major exhibitions or additional public honors have been documented since 2020, underscoring the enduring legacy of her earlier series in sustaining her influence within the landscape.

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