© MIND WAVE

From this universal theme of transience, Japanese illustrator Tomoko Kitano has developed the design and storyline concept Ichigoichie, centered around love and friendship stories from the everyday life of teenage schoolgirls. These very kawaii illustrations usually carry messages of encouragement or greetings, and have become very popular among school pupils and students in Japan.

The Ichigoichie design concept first took off in a stationery collection first launched in 2007 by Japanese stationery manufacturer Mind Wave Inc. The publishing house Gakken has further developed the concept in a series of three Ichigoichie books, which since the beginning of 2008 have sold more than 240.000 copies. Currently, Ichigoichie is one of the hottest properties in Japan!

A television series of thirteen five-minute episodes of Ichigoichie has been developed by anime network Kids Station and was first launched in October 2007. Columbia Pictures released the series on DVD in February 2008. The original theme song was specially composed for the series with lyrics written by Tomoko Kitano herself.