George Asakura

George Asakura (Japanese: ジョージ朝倉, Hepburn: Jōji Asakura, born May 11, 1974) is a Japanese manga artist. She took her pen name from one of the title characters in Gatchaman and made her debut in 1995 with Punky Cake Junkie, which was published in the magazine Bessatsu Friend DX Juliet. She is best known for A Perfect Day for Love Letters, for which she received the 2005 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga, and Knock Your Heart Out!. A Perfect Day for Love Letters was adapted as a live-action movie and has been licensed in English by Del Rey Manga. Known for her unique, edgy style and storytelling, George Asakura crosses over between the everyday and the fantastic, the hilarious and bittersweet.[citation needed] Her past works include Shōnen Shōjo Romance, Bara Ga Saita, Suimitsuto No Yoru, Happy End (published by Kodansha), Heart wo Uchinomese, Piece of Cake, Karaoke Baka Ichidai (published by Shodensha), and Heibon Punch (published by Shogakukan). Her current series are Oboreru Knife ("The Drowning Knife", published by Kodansha), TEKE TEKE★RENDEZ-VOUS (published by Shodensha), and Dance Dance Danseur (published by Shogakukan). In the afterword to A Perfect Day for Love Letters volume 2, she says her arms are long but her legs are short, and complains about her appearance by drawing herself as male. She also claims "I can eat everything. I have no sense of taste. Tone deaf. I have no sense of direction. I'm uncoordinated at sports." Her favorites foods include coffee with milk in it, cream cheese and dairy products, and natto.