Ai Yazawa

is a Japanese manga author. Yazawa's most famous manga include Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai, Neighborhood Story, Paradise Kiss, and especially Nana, the latter being one of the best-selling manga series. Career While most of Yazawa's manga is published in Japan by Shueisha, publishers of Ribon and Cookie (Nana was serialized in the latter), series like Paradise Kiss have appeared in non-Shueisha magazines such as Zipper, published by Shodensha. She also voiced an animated rendition of herself that made a cameo appearance in the final episode of the Neighborhood Story anime. All five volumes of Paradise Kiss were released in English by Vertical, Inc. Nana ran in now-defunct American manga magazine Shojo Beat. In 2003, Yazawa was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for Nana. Nana was made into an anime (produced by Madhouse) and a successful movie with a sequel in Japan. In June 2009, it was revealed that Yazawa had contracted a sudden illness, and had to be sent to the hospital for treatment, putting Nana on hiatus. She returned from the hospital in April 2010, although it has yet to be revealed when or if she will be continuing Nana.