Chie Kutsuwada Manga
About me
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I am a UK-based Japanese manga creator and illustrator. Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, I have created a wide range of works, often known for their delicate, romantic style.
As both a writer and illustrator, I create original stories as well as artwork. My first manga, King of a Miniature Garden (2007), was included in The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2 (Constable & Robinson). This was followed by Moonlight (2008), which was featured in The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 3 and shortlisted for the Manga Jiman Competition organised by the Embassy of Japan in the United Kingdom.
I have also illustrated adaptations of notable works, including As You Like It for SelfMadeHero and The Book of Five Rings for Shambhala Publications.
As a columnist, I created and illustrated Mondo Manga, a regular series for The Mainichi Newspapers, exploring life and culture in the United Kingdom. My illustrations have also appeared in books such as Extreme Stickering Manga, Artful Etching: Manga, and Artful Etching: Kawaii (Thunder Bay Press, USA). In addition, I have written and illustrated instructional titles including 10 Step Drawing Manga and 10 Step Drawing Kawaii, published by Search Press.
More recently, I have collaborated with author Julian Sedgwick on several acclaimed projects. Together we created Tsunami Girl (2021, Guppy Books), which was nominated for a number of literary awards, including the Carnegie Medal. Our subsequent collaboration, 100 Tales from the Tokyo Ghost Café, was published in 2023 by Guppy Books and it was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for illustration.
My books are available throughout the English-speaking countries and have been translated into several languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish.
Alongside creating manga and illustrated books, I regularly participate in manga-related events in the UK and internationally. I also lead manga workshops at schools, universities, libraries, and cultural institutions, including the British Museum, British Library, Royal Academy of Arts, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. In addition, I taught holiday manga courses at Art Academy London.
My clients and collaborators have included the Embassy of Japan in the United Kingdom, Embassy of Japan in Iceland, BBC, Channel 4, CNN, Wagamama, Marugame Udon, and Winsor & Newton.
For more detailed information, please refer to my CV.