note: I translated the information here from Italian and French Ai Yazawa fansites with online translations-- which, of course, as we all know, do not translate anything perfectly. But I tried very hard, and please feel free to correct any mistake I happen to make lol
name: Ai Yazawa
birthday: March 7, 1967
born at: Osaka, Japan
zodiac: Pisces
hobbies: Reading fashion reviews
special abilities: Making clothes
favorite food: Chocolate
favorite animals: Cats, she has two- Tora and Nuke
favorite music: Rock groups and Western Pop music
characteristics: Optmistic but critical at the same time. She's a perfectionist. Obstinate and tenacious.
Since Yazawa was a young girl, she had already demonstrated strong, talented abilities towards the arts and design. At the age of 13, she entered a mangaka competition organized by a prestigious publishing house, Shuiesha. Though Shuiesha rewarded Yazawa the prize, they thought she was still too young to publish a mangaka-- but they believed she had all the potential to become successful.
At the age of 18, Yazawa attends a fashion institute in Osaka, but it did not last long. Yazawa loves fashion and clothes-- but she soon finds that her real passion lies in drawing mangakas. She soon makes an official debut in the tankoubon, Ribon, with a short story called Ano Natsu. Her career as a mangaka artist had many ups and downs. But as you know, she is now very successful with manga series such as Paradise Kiss, which is now also well-received outside of Japan, even in the United States. I hope NANA will soon follow... ^_^
Yazawa with her friend Wataru Yoshizumi ^_^
