Manga Planet’s Exclusive Interview with Umiharu

Manga Planet is proud to present our exclusive interview with Umiharu, the artist for After School! 

Umiharu graduated from Japan Animation and Manga College in Niigata, Japan and currently works as a professional manga. Along with being the artist for After School!, Umiharu is the mangaka behind Meikai no Keroberos (Cerberus of Hades), a fantasy manga running in Square Enix’s Gangan Online. To share her thoughts on creating manga and After School! with Manga Planet fans, Umiharu kindly took time out of her busy schedule.

When did you start drawing manga?

I started drawing manga after I graduated high school and entered trade school.

What inspired you to begin drawing?

Because I enjoyed drawing since I was young, it’s like manga is only to move the characters I think of myself (lol).

Do you have a favorite anime or manga series?

I like Ghibli movies and shōnen manga. I also like Pokemon.

What influences you as an artists?

My sisters, friends, and family all draw, so I must have been influenced them overtime.

What is your favorite part of the After School!?

I like the bleak worldview Kasuga-sensei, the one in charge of the manuscript, created. Also, the combination of girls with gas masks is cool and I had fun drawing them together.

What inspired your art forAfter School!?

I bought real gas masks and studied them.  Also used military books and other material for the first time as references for my art. It’s fun!

Do you have words of encouragement for aspiring artists and mangaka?

Please let everyone see the art that only you can create!

Do you have any final words you would like to tell the readers?

I am glad if you can read more Japanese anime and manga from now on as a result of After School!

Be sure to check out Inumura‘s manga here on Manga Planet! After School! is also available on Kindle.