Yuu Watase was born March, 5 (1970) in Osaka, Japan. She's famous as an author and drawer of female (shojo) manga. She debuted with a short story, Pajama de Ojama (An Intrusion in Pajamas, 1989). In 1998 she won Shogakukan Manga Award for the best shojo manga - Ceres, Celestial Legend. Her most fans know her best for Fushigi Yuugi (The Mysterious Play). She has so far released 80+ mangas both as short stories and multi-volume series like * Absolute Boyfriend * Alice 19th * Appare Jipangu! * Ayashi no Ceres * Epotoransu! Mai * Mysterious Play * Pandora's Cube * Piece of Peace * Watase Yuu the Best Selection
In 1991 she released her 1st 3-volume manga, Shinshunki Miman Okotowari (No Pre-teens Allowed). There teenage Higuchi Asuka sets out for her separated father after learning a family name of Sudou from her dying mother.
Suna no Tiara (Sand Tiara, 1991) is a 1-volume collection of short romance fantasy stories. The 1st story's heroine is Princess Tiara, the only survivor headed for Eden. The other 2 stories are Hatsuki Triangle and 700 Nichi no Blue.
In 1992 Watase takes up fantasy again to create her top manga, Fushigi Yuugi (The Mysterious Play), proceeding into an anime series and some short movies. In it Miaka Yuuki, a senior schoolgirl, gets absorbed into a bookish world, The Universe Of The 4 Gods, where she begins to serve the Suzaku cult and has to find her Celestial-Warrior protectors.
In 1993 comes 3-volume Zoku Shishunki Miman Okotowari (No Pre-teens Allowed Continuation) as a sequel of the mentioned Shinshunki Miman Okotowari. Asuka moves from Hokkaido to Tokyo in search for her absent father. In his house she finds only his children missing him either. Asuka joins her siblings to look for their father together. Things get even more complicated with Asuka's liking for her alleged brother...
Epotoransu! Mai was released in 1994 as Watase's another fantasy work. Kurahashi Mai loves Nimura Hiroki, a big Sailor Moon fan and soccer star. Her 16th birthday brings her a digital notebook telling a girl's fortune in love. Her accidental input of Epotoransu pops up a boy named Takuma empowering her to understand the device's secret.
1995 is a release of another fantasy collection, the Mint de Kiss Me manga, prequeled with Suna no Tiara. 1996 started off 14-volume Ayashi no Ceres manga bringing Watase a prestigious award. Its plot is a side story of The Mysterious Play and based a 24-scene series in 200 . The story describes Aya with a twin brother Aki getting a gloomy 16th-birthday present from their grandfather Mikage - a mummified hand awakening mystical powers in Aya and heavy wounds on Aki. Mikage promises Aki his fortune while Aya his curse! Still she finds support with fighter Yuhi and cute Toya. The mysterious guys try to save Aya even sometimes against her uncontrolled power.
In 1996 Oishii Study (Delicious Study) is released where Itsuki Ringo is an industrious high schoolgirl. Asked, she tutors Tsurugi Budou, brother of her crush, Tsurugi Minori. Budou seems a hooligan whose skipping leads Ringo to his cafe side job revealing his real essence.
1998 is when a 3-volume adventurous history manga, Appare Jipangu!, came into print. Yusura is a foundling brought up by a pharmacist and acting as a Hikeshiya erasing people's sadness via the Kongoumaru. It turns blue by absorbing sorrows to send them back to their initiator.
In 2000 Watase published another collection of Shishunki Miman Okotowari romance stories. The next year she set up a popular manga, Alice 19th, about Alice Seno from high school. Shy and in love with Kyou, she's got an elder and cuter sister. Her dreary life changes after meeting a fairy-tale rabbit girl revealing superpowerful Lotis Words.
2003 saw Watase's next manga with sci-fi elements, Absolute Boyfriend (Zettai Kareshi), including 2 extra stories. To try luck in love after all her undivided feelings, Riiko Izawa subscribes to an online Nightly Lover figure. Just overnight she finds a handsome lover at her door ready to become her perfect boyfriend! The guy is so sweet, smart, cute, hard-working and creative that Riiko feels in heaven with happiness. But if back overdue, he'll cost Riiko a fortune what he really looks like...
With her most stories in shoujo, Watase is also mastering new genres resulting in Arata Kangatari (2008) currently in 5 shounen volumes. In 2010 her Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden manga will still be out. So Watase's fans shouldn't worry as she has many stories to come.
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