Ume Aoki

Ume-sensei in Metapod form

Ume Aoki (蒼樹うめ, Aoki Ume) is a Japanese mangaka born August 3. She illustrated under the pennames Apply Fujimiya (藤宮アプリ, Fujimiya Apuri) for the visual novel Sanarara (Nekoneko Soft) and Apricot+ for most of the doujinshi that she writes. Ume's most well-known work is Hidamari Sketch, also known as Sunshine Sketch. She is also the voice of the little caterpillar creature in the anime for Hidamari Sketch. Most notably, Aoki provided the original character designs for Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She is from Hyōgo Prefecture.

Works

See if you can find Ume Aoki

Hidamari Sketch (ひだまりスケッチ) (2004, ongoing) (manga, original creator)
Hidamari Sketch (2007) (anime, original creator)
Hidamari Sketch ×365 (2008) (anime, original creator)
Hidamari Sketch ×☆☆☆ (2010) (anime, original creator)
Hidamari Sketch × Honeycomb (2012) (anime, original creator)
Tetsunagi Kooni (てつなぎこおに。) (manga, original creator)
Sanarara (サナララ) (visual novel by Nekoneko Soft, illustrator)
Two Smiling Faces (笑顔ふたつ, Egao Futatsu) (manga, original creator)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (anime, original character design)
Mado no Mukōgawa (マドの向こう側) (2012, ongoing) (manga, original creator)
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Trivia

End card from the broadcast version of episode 12

Ume Aoki's first Puella Magi Madoka Magica doujin sold out in a little over an hour. She had to apologize to the public for the inconvenience. There are photos of the event showing long lines.[1]
According to the Blu-Ray Episode 2 voice commentary:
- Ume Aoki's started the girls designs with the weapons first then she decided what clothes went with the weapons.
- Madoka, Homura and Mami's character designs were easy for Ume Aoki. On the other hand, Sayaka and Kyubey's character designs were hard.
  - According with Ume Aoki's interview with Kirara Magica, from a design perspective, Kyouko and Sayaka were easier to draw. Madoka, Homura and then Mami-san were harder.
    - It's their twin tails hair, if the size and texture are slightly off, the character would look completely different.
- Kyubey was not based on any animal, just the concept of a "small mahou shoujo animal"
- When asked what animals she used as the basis for Kyubey, Ume Aoki was very cryptic because of spoilers.
Aoki, Shinbo, and Urobuchi discussed the idea of Kyubey visiting Hidamari-so in "Hidamari Sketch" as a joke.
- And Shinbo suggested that it should be called "Madoka Magica the Origin".
  - Apparently, Shinbo and Urobuchi had succeeded in corrupting Ume Aoki.

Ume-sensei's letter

In the last episode of the TV series, when Sayaka disappeared due to the Law of Cycles, I was happy to hear Kyouko say "And we finally became friends, too...". In her last scene (in the concert hall), though, she didn't mention Kyouko.

Even in the pre-Law-of-Cycles timelines, when Sayaka became Oktavia, she identified Madoka as her "most important friend" just before becoming a witch.

There's something powerful about the image of Kyouko and Sayaka as a duo, but in the TV series, I don't think the strength of Sayaka's feelings for Kyouko and vice versa were well-balanced. Kyouko felt very strongly about Sayaka, since Sayaka reminded her of herself when she was younger. Sayaka, on the other hand, just saw Kyouko as "another person who wished for someone else's happiness". (Of course, that was why, in the very end, it was Kyouko to whom Sayaka spoke about how she really felt at the very end.)

And now, The Rebellion Story!! When I heard the two of them talking towards the end, it made me think. This version of Sayaka was aware of post-Oktavia Kyouko. She was aware of how much Kyouko suffered trying to bring her back; of how Kyouko died with her in the end! Wow! Of course, I'm just one fan, and that's just what I got out of the movie, so I can't say I know what Mr. Urobuchi thought about it [laughter], but I was just thinking that she, like Madoka, knew what Kyouko did back then, since she's part of the Law of Cycles, too. This time around, it was Kyouko that said "I had a horrible dream", and it was she that didn't quite remember what had happened. That works, too...

Oh, it looks like I've written a lot here. Now, a message for Kyouko and Sayaka: "Be friends with one another forever! Stay on good terms!!!"... come on, that was just one line! [laughter]

I love Kyouko and Sayaka as a duo! -Aoki Ume

Gallery

Autographs

Autographed illustration
Autograph of Homura

Character Designs

Madoka Kaname Original Design
Homura Akemi Original Design
Sayaka Miki Original Design
Mami Tomoe Original Design
Kyubey Original Design
Ultimate Madoka design
Character design for Devil Homura
Early Madoka and Homura designs
Early Mami design
Early Sayaka design
Early Kyoko design
Old height chart
Early Kyosuke and Kazuko designs
Early Kyubey and Hitomi designs
Character designs from Megami Magazine 2011-01
Ume's original designs for Madoka's drawings
Ume Aoki's original Nagisa design
Outfit designs by Ume Aoki for the Rebellion Story
Kyoko outfit design and later Nagisa design
Early Ultimate Madoka Design, Aokiume-Ten

Character Art

ClariS art
Madoka Magica Anthology 1 cover
Madoka Magica Anthology 2 cover
Madoka Magica Anthology 3 cover
Newtype Magazine cover
Episode 1 End Card
Episode 9 End Card
Episode 12 End Card
Magia Record Episode 13 End Card
3 part cover art for Kirara Magica vol.9-11
Ultimate Madoka art
Figure based on the art
Devil Homura art
Figure based on the art
Manga Time Kirara Magica Vol.3 cover
Volume 3 insert
Art from a monthly Rakugaki
Ume Aoki's 10th Anniversary illustration
Nitro+ Novel ad
Anime The Television Vol.1 cover
NewType 2015-05

4koma

Ume 4-koma Megami Magazine
Translated Ume 4koma
Translated 4koma from Madoka BD volume 1 fanbook
Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 2 fanbook. Header is, "Aoki Ume's Special 4Koma Theater (2)"
Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 3 fanbook
Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 4 fanbook
Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 5 fanbook
Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 6 fanbook
Translated 4koma from the Madoka movie Blu-ray.
Alternate translation
Translated 4koma from the Madoka Rebellion movie Blu-ray