A manga artist for over ten years, Watase's debut came in 1989 at the age of 18 when her short story PAJAMA DE OJAMA (An Intrusion in Pajamas) appeared in the monthly Shoc;jo Comic manga anthology. Since then she has written and drawn some 50 volumes worth of different short stories and long-running manga series, including the fantastically popular FUSHIGI YUGI, also available in English from VIZ. Her works have provided the basis for two television series, an OVA series, anime soundtrack CDs, and a string of novels.