In 2019, Watase came out as X-gender, a Japanese non-binary gender identity.[6][7][8] Following the announcement, an editor for Viz Media's Shojo Beat imprint clarified that Watase's pronouns in English are still "she" and "her".[9]
Watase developed an interest in drawing manga at a young age. However, Watase did not receive any formal training until after high school when she went to a private art school. There she was taught how to draw manga, but because her first short story, "Pajama de Ojama", had already debuted, Watase quit in the middle of it.
Watase prefers to work with more traditional methods, because she believes the traditional methods have more feelings. Despite finding new media jarring, Watase has expressed a desire to work with new media as well. While Watase mostly works with colored inks and markers, she has used digital programs such as Photoshop to enhance traditional work.
Issues in career
In a 2014 blog post, Watase detailed some of the issues that she faced as a manga artist. A former editor for Arata: The Legend continuously asked Watase to redraw scenes that he did not like or understand. Watase was doing redraws all day and pulling late nights just to meet the next morning's deadlines. Because of the constant cycle, Watase began to lose interest in working on the manga for the fans or even the story. She was simply working to try and get it approved for the weekly publication.[10]
Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki – ongoing, first vol. released in April 2018. On hiatus from May 2018 (officially August 2018) – May 2024, resuming May 28th on a monthly schedule.
