Natsuki Takaya Explained

is a Japanese manga artist best known for creating the series Fruits Basket.

Born Nana Hatake, Takaya was raised in Tokyo, where she made her debut as a manga artist in 1992. Takaya had wanted to be a manga artist since first grade, when her sister started drawing.^[1]

Her manga series Fruits Basket, which debuted in 1998, became one of the best selling manga in North America.^{[2] [3]} Fruits Basket has also been adapted into an anime series twice; the first, which premiered in 2001, aired as one season of twenty six episodes. The second, which premiered in 2019, consists of two seasons of twenty five episodes and the third season comprised 13 episodes and concluded in 2021.

In 2001, Takaya received the Kodansha Manga Award for manga for Fruits Basket.^[4] As revealed in a sidebar of Fruits Basket, Takaya broke her drawing arm after Fruits Basket volume six was published. She had to go into surgery, and as a result, had put Fruits Basket on a brief hiatus. Takaya made a full recovery, but complained that her handwriting had gotten uglier due to the surgery.^[5]

Works

Title	Year	Notes	Refs
Phantom Dream	1994 - 1997	Serialized in Planet Published by Hakusensha in 5 volumes	[6]
	1995 - 1998	Serialized in Published by Hakusensha in 6 volumes	[7] [8]
Fruits Basket	1998 - 2006	Serialized in Published by Hakusensha in 23 volumes, edition in 12 volumes	[9] [10] [11]
Songs to Make You Smile (Japanese: 僕が唄うと君は笑うから)	1999 (vol.)	Short story collection. Serialized in Published by Hakusensha in 1 volume	[12]
Twinkle Stars	2007 - 2011	Serialized in Published by Hakusensha in 11 volumes	[13] [14]
Liselotte & Witch's Forest	2011 - 2013 (hiatus)	Serialized in Published by Hakusensha in 5 volumes	[15] [16]
Fruits Basket Another	2015 - 2019	Serialized in HanaLaLa onlinePublished by Hakusensha in 4 volumes	[17]
Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc	2019	3 chapters
Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc 2	2020	3 chapters
Kakumo Chiisaki Sekai ni te	2023–present	Serialized in Manga Park	[18]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Natsuki Takaya (Creator) . TV Tropes . 2019-05-02.
2. News: 'Fruits Basket' Tally Over 18 Million . ICv2 . 2007-05-08 . 2007-12-12 .
3. News: Tilting @ Windmills 2.0 #49: Looking at Bookscan 2007 . Newsarama . Brian . Hibbs . February 2008 . 2008-02-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080517183444/http://www.newsarama.com/Tilting2_0/Tilting49.html . 2008-05-17 . "Tokyopop’s best-selling title is Fruits Basket v16 with an excellent 58,372 copies sold in 2007" and "[In 2007]...Naruto shares the Top 10 manga titles with Fruits Basket, Death Note and Bleach.".
4. Web site: Kodansha Manga Awards . Joel Hahn . Comic Book Awards Almanac . 2007-08-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070816031310/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/kodansha.shtml . 2007-08-16.
5. Web site: Natsuki Takaya: Series, and a List of Books by Author Natsuki Takaya . www.paperbackswap.com . 2019-05-02.
6. Web site: 幻影夢想(花とゆめcomics) . . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
7. Web site: Tokyopop Announces New Manga Titles (Update 2) . July 5, 2008 . Anime News Network . December 13, 2013.
8. Web site: 翼を持つ者(花とゆめcomics). . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
9. Web site: Fruits Basket's Takaya to Start Liselotte & Witch's Forest . April 16, 2011 . Anime News Network . December 13, 2013.
10. Web site: フルーツバスケット(花とゆめcomics) . . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
11. Web site: フルーツバスケット愛蔵版(花とゆめCOMICSスペシャル) . . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
12. Web site: 僕が唄うと君は笑うから(花とゆめcomics) . . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
13. Web site: New Manga from Fruits Basket Creator Set to Debut . May 20, 2007 . Anime News Network . December 13, 2013.
14. Web site: 星は歌う(花とゆめCOMICS) . . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
15. Web site: Fruits Basket's Natsuki Takaya to Go on Extended Hiatus . December 3, 2013 . November 22, 2014 . Anime News Network.
16. Web site: リーゼロッテと魔女の森(花とゆめcomics／花とゆめCOMICS) . . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
17. Web site: フルーツバスケットanotherFRUITS BASKET another(HC online) . . Media Arts Database . ja . Japan . May 5, 2017.
18. Web site: Fruits Basket's Natsuki Takaya Launches In Such a Small World Manga. Anime News Network. Hodgkins. Crystalyn. September 3, 2023. September 3, 2023.