Creator / Ume Aoki

Ume Aoki (蒼樹うめ Aoki Ume, born August 3, 1981) is a female Japanese mangaka from Hyōgo Prefecture. She also illustrated under the pen-names Apply Fujimiya, for the visual novel Sanarara (Nekoneko Soft) and Apricot+ for various doujinshi she makes. She also provides the voice for her Metapod Author Avatar in the anime version of Hidamari Sketch. Aoki also provided the original character designs for the anime production, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, developed by Shaft. She is also credited as one of it's co-creators alongside Gen Urobuchi, Akiyuki Shinbo, and Atsuhiro Iwakami, all apart of the Magica Quartet that developed the series.

Works made by/worked on by Ume Aoki:

• Hidamari Sketch: Original manga, and also did the voice of Ume-sensei in the anime version of it.
• Tetsunagi Kooni: Original manga.
• Sanarara: Character design/artwork
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Original character design
• Two Smiling Faces: Story and art.
• Mado No Mukogawa: Original manga.
• Kirara Fantasia: Character design/artwork for the protagonist Kirara and the redesigned Hidamari Sketch cast.

Tropes associated with Ume Aoki:

• Author Avatar: A depiction of her in a Metapod cosplay.
• Break the Cutie: Her reactions to Gen Urobuchi's trolling◊ during the production of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
• Older Than They Look: She's not any taller than Yuno. In the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Blu-Ray commentary Chiwa Saitō asked her and Aoi Yūki (who's shorter than Ume) to form a "minimum squad."
• Puni Plush: Her art style, which causes a great deal of Art-Style Dissonance in regards to the dark story of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
• Shout-Out: Her Author Avatar is of herself cosplaying as a Metapod from the Pokémon series.
• Super-Deformed: Her distinctive "widefaces."
• Yuri Fan: She has publicly admitted she ships Homura X Madoka and Kyouko X Sayaka, from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
  • If a Doujinshi she made is anything to go by, she also seems to like Mami X Charlotte.
  • And, of course, there are the strong yuri undertones in Hidamari Sketch, particularly between Sae and Hiro.

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