Aoi Hiiragi

Aoi Hiiragi (柊 あおい, Hiiragi Aoi, born November 22, 1962) is a Japanese manga artist born in Fukuoka (which became Kamifukuoka in 1972 and then Fujimino in 2005), Saitama Prefecture, Japan, though she grew up in Mibu, Shimotsuga, Tochigi Prefecture. Hiiragi currently resides in Hakodate, Hokkaidō. Hiiragi made her manga debut with Cobalt Blue no Hitoshizuku in the manga magazine Ribon Original in 1984. Many consider stories such as Hoshi no Hitomi no Silhouette and Gin'iro no Harmony to be her masterpieces. However, she is known for her Whisper of the Heart manga, which was made into an anime film by Studio Ghibli. Baron, Neko no Danshaku, was also animated by Studio Ghibli and released as The Cat Returns. While a sequel of sorts, it is not a continuation of the story found in Whisper.