Nio Nakatani (仲谷鳰, Nakatani Nio) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for creating the yuri manga series Bloom Into You, which has been a commercial success and spawned a media franchise encompassing an anime, light novels, a stage play, and an anthology manga spinoff. Nakatani is also known as a creator of doujinshi works, particularly those based on the Touhou Project series. Her current work is God Bless the Mistaken, currently being serialized in Dengeki Daioh.

Nio Nakatani
BornNovember 25[1][a]
Shiga, Japan
Pen nameRireba (リレバ)
OccupationManga artist
LanguageJapanese
Alma materKyoto Seika University
Period2010–present
Genre
Notable works
Notable awards21st Dengeki Comics Grand Prize, Gold (2014)
Signature
Website
Official website

Nakatani is a native of Shiga Prefecture. She is a graduate of Kyoto Seika University.[5]

Early life

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Nio Nakatani first began drawing in her elementary school years, though she described her early drawings as derivative of existing works.[6] In an interview, she stated that she had performed in a concert band as a student, playing the trombone and tuba while in middle and high school, respectively.[7]

Career

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Nakatani's first complete project was produced around the time of her high school graduation, after which she continued drawing until her art met a professional standard.[6] She submitted some of her work to art exhibitions, but found being a "proper" artist boring. After recalling her childhood memories of being told she could draw manga when she got older, she decided to pursue it seriously. According to Nakatani, she found it funny that it "took 20 years for me to believe it".[6]

Nakatani became known as a manga artist through her work on doujinshi, especially those based on the Touhou Project series,[8] which she published under the pseudonym "Rireba" (リレバ).[b][9] Nakatani's professional pen name, Nio, is the Japanese term for little grebe, which is the official bird of her home prefecture of Shiga. As the little grebe is known as a long-lived bird in Shiga, she stated that she hopes it will grant her a "long and successful career." However, Nakatani admitted that in reality, she came up with "Nio" by scrambling her real name, and the relation to the bird was a coincidence.[10]

According to Nakatani, she became first interested in drawing manga about girls when reading Yun Kōga's manga Loveless, "which has no girls in it" and led her to realize "I might like stories about girls."[11] In 2014, Nakatani submitted her one-shot work Farewell to My Alter, which she had previously self-published, to the Dengeki Daioh magazine.[12][13] Farewell to My Alter appeared in the magazine in October 2014 as Nakatani's professional debut, winning her a Gold award in the 21st Dengeki Comics Grand Prize contest.[14][15][8] Nakatani created one additional one-shot work for the magazine, Tear-Flavored Escargot, which appeared in the December 2014 issue prior to her first serialization.[13]

Because her works were primarily about relationships between girls (a fact which Nakatani attributed to the Touhou series' almost entirely female cast), she gained a reputation as an author of yuri manga.[10][7][8] This surprised Nakatani, as she had not intentionally set out to write yuri nor considered her works as such, saying that her primary interest was to depict complex human relationships that interested her.[10][7][8] However, as she nonetheless was interested in the yuri genre, she became interested in drawing an unambiguous love story between girls.[8][16] When Tatsuya Kusunoki, an editor of the manga magazine Dengeki Daioh (in which she had professionally debuted with their publication of her previously self-published short story Farewell to My Alter)[17][18] approached her at a doujinshi convention to ask if she wanted to draw a yuri series for the magazine, Nakatani accepted the offer, and went onto create Bloom Into You for the magazine.[10][8]

Bloom Into You began its serialization in Dengeki Daioh on April 27, 2015[19] and concluded on September 27, 2019, after a 45-chapter run.[20] The series had over 1,000,000 copies in print in Japan as of 2019,[21] and placed 4th in the 2017 Next Manga Awards from Niconico and Da Vinci.[22] It has been adapted into an anime series[23] and a stage play,[24][25] and received spinoffs in the form of light novels[26] and anthology comics.[27]

After the completion of Bloom Into You, Nakatani expressed that she wanted her next work to be of a genre other than yuri, as she felt she had already written the yuri story she wished to write.[8] However, she said that she would likely revisit the yuri genre in the future.[8][28] Nakatani's current work, Kami-sama ga Machigaeru, was announced in Dengeki Daioh on September 26, 2021, and began serialization on October 27, 2021.[29][30] It is being simultaneously published digitally in English by Yen Press under the title God Bless the Mistaken.[4][31]

Nakatani has collaborated as an illustrator with light novel writer and Adachi and Shimamura author Hitoma Iruma, first on the Bloom Into You light novel spinoff series Regarding Saeki Sayaka,[32] as well as his original novels End Blue and Shoujo Mousou Chuu.[8][33][34][35]

Works

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Published manga

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Light novels

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Anthologies/compilations

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  • Éclair: A Girls' Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart (エクレア あなたに響く百合アンソロジー)[e]
  • Éclair Blanche (エクレア blanche)
  • Éclair Bleue (エクレア bleue)
  • Éclair Rouge (エクレアrouge)[f]
  • Éclair Orange (エクレア orange)
  • Bloom Into You Anthology (やがて君になる 公式コミックアンソロジー)[g]
  • Farewell to my Alter: Nio Nakatani Short Story Collection (さよならオルタ)[h]

Art books

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  • Bloom Into You Illustration Works ASTROLABE (やがて君になる画集 アストロラーベ)

Doujinshi works

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Self-published under the pen name "Rireba" (リレバ).[37]

  • Silver Fire (銀の火, Gin no Hi)
  • Mimesis Dolls
  • Fantasy Melt (幻想メルト, Gensō Meruto)
  • Tsukinaki (月哭)
  • And to Call Your Name (そして名前を呼ぶために, Soshite Namae o Yobu Tame Ni)
  • Luminous Butterfly (ルミナスバタフライ)
  • Spectral Feelings -Invisible Violet- (スペクトルのきもち, Supekutoru no Ki Mochi)
  • The Focal Length is Nine Feet (焦点は求フィート, Shouten wa Motome Photo)
  • unfair randomizer (アンフェア ランダマイザ)
  • Cat's House (ねこのいえ, Neko no Ie)
  • Relation Valley 1 (リレイション・バレイ1 リレバ総集編, Rireishon Barei 1 Rireba Sōshūhen)[i]
  • Research on a Certain Flower (或る花の研究, Aru Hana no Kenkyū)
  • BLOODBERRY TRAP
  • Farewell to My Alter (さよならオルタ)[c]
  • The Hero Saves the World Three Times (勇者は三回世界を救う, Yūsha wa San-kai Sekai o Sukuu)[d]
  • Wandering Yu-Kyoto (ワンダリング酉京都)
  • The Bittersweet Blue (青の甘さは忘れない, Ao no Ama-sa wa Wasurenai)
  • Soft Enclosure (やわらかなかご, Yawaraka na Kago)
  • Imaginary Anata (イマジナリーあなた, Imajinarī Anata)
  • Nagi o Matsu -ue- (凪を俟つ -上-)
  • Guardian of Scars (きずあとの番人, Kizuato no Bannin)
  • Relation Valley 2 (リレイション・バレイ2 リレバ総集編, Rireishon Barei 2 Rireba Sōshūhen)[j]
  • The Idol Diagonally Opposite Me (ななめまえの偶像, Nanamemae no Idol)
  • Q's Copyist (Qの模倣子, Q no Mohō-ko)
  • Kyōzō no M (鏡像のM)

Notes

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  1. ^ Date of tweet from Nakatani (and therefore her birthday in this case) is localized to Japan Time
  2. ^ A contraction of リレイション・バレイ, the katakana spelling of "Relation Valley," a literal English translation of "Nakatani".
  3. ^ a b Initially self-published as doujinshi, republished as one-shot in Dengeki Daioh as Nakatani's professional debut, and later collected in short story compilation of the same name
  4. ^ a b Later republished in Nio Nakatani Short Story Collection
  5. ^ Contributed chapter "Happiness in the Shape of a Scar"
  6. ^ Contributed chapter "I Am Custom-Made"
  7. ^ Original creator, contributed chapter to volume 2
  8. ^ Collection of previously published one-shot works
  9. ^ Compilation of previous Touhou doujinshi works, includes new work "Relation Valley"
  10. ^ Compilation of previous doujinshi works

References

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  1. ^ Nakatani, Nio (2018-11-25). "I'm surprised and happy to see a lot of birthday message from overseas. Thank you!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  2. ^ "『やがて君になる』特設サイト | 月刊コミック電撃大王公式サイト" [Yagate Kimi ni Naru Special Site]. Dengeki Daioh Official Site (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. ^ "仲谷 鳰" [Nakatani Nio]. Amazon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b "God Bless the Mistaken, Chapter 1 | Yen Press". Yen Press WP. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  5. ^ "竹宮惠子×仲谷鳰対談 「マンガにおける恋愛の描き方-性の表現」レポート". 京都精華大学入試情報サイト MEETS. 京都精華大学. 2017-10-31. Archived from the original on 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  6. ^ a b c "自分の考える百合のど真ん中ー『やがて君になる』仲谷鳰先生インタビュー". 百合ナビ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  7. ^ a b c "【コラム】 「やがて君になる」第一巻発売記念!仲谷鳰先生インタビュー". アキバBlog. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i "大人気百合漫画『やがて君になる』最終巻直前仲谷鳰に聞く「侑と燈子が『運命の二人』には見えないように」". エキサイトニュース (in Japanese). 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  9. ^ "リレバ | about". rireba.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-07-23. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  10. ^ a b c d Nakatani, Nio (2017). "Afterword". Bloom Into You. Vol. 1. Jenny McKeon, Jenn Grunigen, CK Russell. [Los Angeles, California]. ISBN 978-1-62692-353-9. OCLC 949821904. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-08.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ a b Morissy, Kim (2018-12-14). "Bloom Into You, Riddle Story of Devil Creators Talk Yuri in Latest Newtype Issue". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  12. ^ Silverman, Rebecca (2021-07-25). "Review: Farewell to My Alter". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  13. ^ a b Nakatani, Nio (2021). Farewell to my alter : Nio Nakatani short story collection. Eleanor Summers, Erin Hickman (1st ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 978-1-9753-2125-3. OCLC 1235951031.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ "第21回電撃大賞の贈呈式の様子をお届け! 小説部門の<大賞>に輝いた2作品は電撃文庫&メディアワークス文庫より刊行が決定!". 電撃G's magazine.com - ラブライブ!など人気のキャラクター専門誌 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  15. ^ "AMW|第21回 電撃大賞 入選作品" (in Japanese). 2019-01-04. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  16. ^ "心のコップからあふれた"好き"という気持ち──『やがて君になる』仲谷鳰インタビュー | ダ・ヴィンチニュース". ddnavi.com. 2018-10-19. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  17. ^ Nakatani, Nio (2021). Farewell to my alter : Nio Nakatani short story collection. Eleanor Summers, Erin Hickman (1st ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 978-1-9753-2125-3. OCLC 1235951031. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-08.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ "Farewell to My Alter GN". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  19. ^ "「百合星人ナオコサン」のkashmir新作など、電撃大王で新連載3本が開始". Natalie (in Japanese). 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  20. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (27 June 2019). "Bloom Into You Manga Ends in 3 Chapters". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  21. ^ "100万部超え、そして完結! TVアニメ&舞台化も果たした『やがて君になる』最終8巻 11月27日発売!" [Over 1 million copies and complete! The final 8th volume of "Bloom Into You", which has been adapted into TV animation and stage play, will be released on November 27th!]. PR Times (in Japanese). 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  22. ^ "「次にくるマンガ大賞」発表会、上位入賞者による記念イラストも公開" ["Upcoming Manga Grand Prix" announcement: The commemorative illustrations by the top winners will also be released]. Natalie (in Japanese). 23 August 2017. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  23. ^ "Nio Nakatani's Bloom Into You Yuri Manga Gets TV Anime in October". Anime News Network. April 26, 2018. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  24. ^ "Bloom Into You Yuri Manga Gets Stage Play in May". Anime News Network. January 25, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  25. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (2022-07-26). "Bloom Into You Stage Play's Remake Version "encore" Newly Set for This Fall". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  26. ^ やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について (電撃文庫) (in Japanese). ASIN 4049121654.
  27. ^ "Seven Seas Blossoms with License of BLOOM INTO YOU ANTHOLOGY Manga Series". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  28. ^ Nakatani, Nio [@nakataniii] (September 26, 2021). "百合漫画じゃなくてちょっと驚かせたかもですが、その時々で描きたいものをやっていったらいずれまた百合作品のターンが来ることもあると思うのでそっちを期待してくれてる人も気長にお付き合いいただければ幸いです よかったら新連載も見てね" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (2021-09-27). "Bloom Into You's Nio Nakatani Launches New Manga in October". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  30. ^ Nakatani, Nio (2021-09-26). "新連載のお知らせです!!". Twitter (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  31. ^ Mateo, Alex (2021-10-22). "Yen Press Licenses God Bless the Mistaken, I Want to Be a Wall, Let's Go Karaoke! Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  32. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (2019-10-02). "Bloom Into You Manga Ends, 'Curtain Call' Projects Begin". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  33. ^ a b Nakatani, Nio (2020-12-10). "入間人間さん著『エンドブルー』のイラストを担当させていただいております、電撃文庫より本日発売です!". Twitter (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  34. ^ a b "【コラム】 やがて君になる x 安達としまむら 特集! 仲谷鳰x入間人間x柚原もけ座談会". アキバBlog (in Japanese). 2019-05-27. Archived from the original on 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  35. ^ a b Nakatani, Nio (2017-02-25). "イラストを担当させていただいた、入間人間さんの『少女妄想中。』が本日2月25日メディアワークス文庫より発売です よろしくね!". Twitter (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  36. ^ "大人気百合漫画『やがて君になる』最終巻直前仲谷鳰に聞く「侑と燈子が『運命の二人』には見えないように」". エキサイトニュース (in Japanese). 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  37. ^ "リレバ | circle". rireba.net. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
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