A Girl on the Shore Collector's Edition

Inio Asano (born 1980) is considered by many to be one of the biggest new names in manga of the 2000s. Debuting in 1998, Asano was immediately thrust into the manga spotlight by earning praise from luminaries such as Naoki Yamamoto and Shin Takahashi. His ascent to stardom was very quick, and regretfully, the young man went into a bit of a slump soon after. However, after four years of struggle and soul-searching as an assistant to some of Japan's most artistically respected comic artists, Asano returned to become the voice of modern Japanese adolescents. His breakthrough work, Solanin, captivated the globe, earning him recognition in Japan and an Eisner Award nomination in North America. Solanin was later adapted into a cult film, further cementing Asano's place among outsiders globally. Since 2002, Asano has penned 10 graphic novel series, dozens of short stories, and is now making inroads as one of Japan's more popular graphic designers. In 2014, his most recent English language release, Nishigahara Holograph, was selected as one of the best graphic novels of the year by Publishers Weekly, Comics Alliance, Comics Resources, and Good OK Bad.