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Misako
Japanese Manga Artist
Online Educator
Travels from: Brooklyn, New York

“This story hits all the middle school sweet spots-friendship struggles, bullying, popularity, and awkward crushes…. Though this book will have special appeal to manga readers, the universal story and engaging art will delight a wide range of middle schoolers.” —School Library Journal

 

Misako wanted to move to American since she was 11 after she got a crush on Michael J Fox in Back to the Future. At age 19, she won a scholarship to come to American as an exchange student.

Her first break came when The Onion decided to use her illustrations for their “Savage Love” column. Shortly after Misako scored a two-book deal with Hyperion and a three-book deal with Henry Holt. Her autobiographical comic, Rock and Roll Love was featured in Best Teens Book List by NYPL.

Outside of U.S., she has published four books in Japan. Her latest book “How to learn English with Misako’s method” became the bestseller in Japanese amazon.

Her new manga graphic novel, Bounce Back, was released from Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan. It is selected to be on the list of 2021 BEST GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR CHILDREN by American Library Association.

She was selected as one of outstanding Japanese artists in NY and invited to meet Japanese Prime Minister Abe and the first lady. After that she started appearing on multiple Japanese TV and radio shows. Also, the BBC and NHK featured her in a documentary about her comic book life. Recently she was featured on NBC TODAY show and collaborated with Playstation to promote Ghostwire: Tokyo.

She has taught manga drawing classes at Metropolitan Museum and Brooklyn Cherry Blossom Festival and given many speeches in various schools all around the U.S.

Besides her book projects, she currently teaches Manga at her online community Learn Manga with Misako where she helps kids learn kawaii manga drawing.

Misako's Featured Titles

No Such Thing as Perfect (Bounce Back #2)

Feiwel & Friends |
Middle Grade Manga

Emma is a conscientious student and has good friends. But she can’t help comparing herself to her bright and popular older sister, Julia. Try as she might, Emma can’t seem to please her mom as much as her sister does.

The more Emma measures herself alongside Julia and others, the more pressure she feels to try to change. But trying to be as good at everything as everyone else is exhausting and frustrating.

With help from her friends and basketball teammates, as well as Lexi, the French bulldog she’s dog-sitting, Emma realizes that there’s no such thing as “perfect” – and it feels better to be true to herself, instead of trying to please others. But will other people, especially her mom, understand that Emma may not excel at the same things as her sister?

Once again, Misako Rocks!, creator of Bounce Back, presents a relatable story about friendship and family, with appealing manga-style art that readers will embrace.

Bounce Back

Feiwel & Friends |
Middle Grade Manga

Lilico, with the help of her cat, must learn to adjust to a new country, a new school, and new pressures in Bounce Back, a middle grade graphic novel from author/illustrator Misako Rocks! about finding your team and finding yourself.

Lilico’s life in Japan is going well. She has great friends and is the captain of the school’s basketball team. She’s happy!

Then comes her parents’ news: they’re moving to America! Before she knows it, Lilico finds herself in Brooklyn, New York, forced to start all over. And that won’t be easy with her closest friends thousands of miles away or a school bully who immediately dislikes her.

Luckily, anime-loving Nala and Henry eventually befriend Lilico and with help from them—along with her guardian spirit who looks a lot like her cat, Nicco—Lilico just might figure out where she fits in.

This is age-appropriate, kid-friendly manga for kids – both elementary and middle school – that tells a story about friendship, new beginnings, and doing what you love, no matter what.

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Coming soon!

Popverse | Learn to Draw Manga in 15 Minutes Flat with Misako Rocks!

LIVE Manga Drawing Lesson and Celebrate BOUNCE BACK!

Nasher News | An exclusive interview with Japanese Manga artist Misako Rocks

Snack Time with MacKids Books: Bounce Back by Misako Rocks!

30 min Manga Drawing Lesson Part 1 : Manga Girl step by step!

Learn Manga with Misako

Learn more about Bounce Back

Honors, Awards & Recognition

New York Public Library’s Best Books for Teens List
Best Selling Author in Japan
Illustrator | The Onion
Manga Educator | Metropolitan Museum & Brooklyn Cherry Blossom Festival

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

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