The series

Heroine ni naritai is a three-chapter romantic comedy shōjo manga written and illustrated by Ikeno Koi which was originally serialized in the January, February, and March 1991 issues of Ribon magazine. It follows three friends, Midori, Rui, and Sayako in their second year of junior high school and their first experiences with being in love. It’s a very sweet series and recommended to anyone who enjoys cute shōjo romances.

The artist

Ikeno Koi is the creator of the popular fantasy shōjo epic Tokimeki Tonight which ran in Ribon magazine between 1982 and 1994 and was turned into an anime series in 1982. It is widely considered one of the most popular shōjo manga series in history, having sold more than 30 million copies and still enjoying many merchandise releases today. If you're curious to know more about Tokimeki Tonight, please visit Tokimeki Tonight Library!

Ikeno also worked as the co-creator of the magical girl manga and anime series Nurse Angel Ririka SOS, and has written a long string of shōjo series and one-shots which you can read more about here.