Mitsuru Adachi (1951-) is known as one of the pillars of modern shonen and sports manga. In every way imaginable Adachi is a true veteran of Japan's comic scene. He debuted in 1972 drawing adaptations of TV series and would eventually progress to drawing short series focusing on high school baseball. He would eventually break through with his work NINE. His follow up MIYUKI is known in Japan as the original shonen rom-com but while there is quite a bit of humor, this particular title incorporates many somber themes that have made it one of the most memorable manga of all time. Through his career, Adachi has penned over fifteen series and his works have sold more than 200,000,000 units in Japan.