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)

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

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  Autographed illustration

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  Autograph of Homura

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Character Designs

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  Madoka Kaname Original Design

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  Homura Akemi Original Design

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  Sayaka Miki Original Design

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  Mami Tomoe Original Design

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  Kyubey Original Design

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  Ultimate Madoka design

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  Character design for Devil Homura

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  Early Madoka and Homura designs

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  Early Mami design

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  Early Sayaka design

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  Early Kyoko design

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  Old height chart

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  Early Kyosuke and Kazuko designs

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  Early Kyubey and Hitomi designs

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  Character designs from Megami Magazine 2011-01

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  Ume's original designs for Madoka's drawings

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  Ume Aoki's original Nagisa design

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  Outfit designs by Ume Aoki for the Rebellion Story

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  Kyoko outfit design and later Nagisa design

Character Art

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  ClariS art

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  Madoka Magica Anthology 1 cover

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  Madoka Magica Anthology 2 cover

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  Madoka Magica Anthology 3 cover

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  Newtype Magazine cover

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  Episode 1 End Card

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  Episode 9 End Card

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  Episode 12 End Card

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  Magia Record Episode 13 End Card

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  3 part cover art for Kirara Magica vol.9-11

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  Ultimate Madoka art

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  Figure based on the art

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  Devil Homura art

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  Figure based on the art

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  Manga Time Kirara Magica Vol.3 cover

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  Volume 3 insert

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  Art from a monthly Rakugaki

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  Ume Aoki's 10th Anniversary illustration

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  Nitro+ Novel ad

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  Anime The Television Vol.1 cover

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  NewType 2015-05

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4koma

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  Ume 4-koma Megami Magazine

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  Translated Ume 4koma

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  Translated 4koma from Madoka BD volume 1 fanbook

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  Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 2 fanbook. Header is, "Aoki Ume's Special 4Koma Theater (2)"

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  Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 3 fanbook

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  Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 4 fanbook

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  Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 5 fanbook

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  Translated 4koma from the Madoka BD 6 fanbook

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  Translated 4koma from the Madoka movie Blu-ray. (alternate translation)

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  Translated 4koma from the Madoka Rebellion movie Blu-ray

See Also

• Kirara Magica Interview Ume Aoki
• Manga Time Kirara Magica Vol.13
• Pre-Broadcast Official Site Staff Quotes
• Audio Commentary/Episode 2
• Audio Commentary/Episode 12
• Megami_Magazine_2011-01
• NewType 2011-12

External Links

• Apricot+ Website
• Ume Aoki's Blog
• Ume Aoki's Twitter
• Youtube - Ume Aoki Live Painting
• Ume Aoki at Pixiv image repository (Japanese)
• Ume Aoki's Doujin a success
• Madoplus+, fan art coloring of Ume's doujin work
• Ume Aoki at a promotional event for Hidamari Sketch