Okay, so the catch is that I barely remember any details myself, and I don’t have my hopes up that anyone would know what I’m talking about. But I’ll try!

I am looking for a manga that is from the mid 2000s. It’s probably a shoujo manga, and for sure it is long-running (ie. has quite a number of chapters) and one of those serialized ones. The most identifying thing is that the author’s note(s) are very cute — she talks about herself — and at one point(?) they are coloured too. I am mostly going after the authors notes LOL. 😭

I’m thinking somewhere along the lines of Gakuen Alice and Dengeki Daisy, but they’re just not it…!

Anyone have any ideas? I’ll look at everything that is suggested. Thanks in advance!

A few questions if you can remember

• fantasy world? 'modern world'?
• is it set in a school? elementary school/ middle/ highschool
  ---if set in a school, is it about the whole class or interactions with just a few characters?
• Age of the protagonist (young child, teen, adult)
• official translation?
• was there an anime?
• any pets or animal characters?

Below is a list of plot elements that were common in shoujo in 2000's, do any of them look right?

yakuza,
-time travel
-student council

• show biz / Acting / theater
• Music / other talent
• Club activities
• yokai / monsters / supernatural / oni / vampire etc
• fortune telling / tarot cards / shrine / temple
• cross-dressing / gender swap / body swap
• delinquent / outcast / popular

Hahaha, thanks for replying and trying to help! Really appreciate it.

I barely remember anything, so if I point out any details, it may lead me or us into the wrong direction… hence the lack of information.

I mention shoujo because I remember it was a cutesy and funny story, probably slice of life. Chibi too?
Nothing scary (no demons etc) or out of the ordinary (no gender swap, maybe no fantasy).
Protagonists are elementary or high school aged. Should be set in school.
Maybe romance?
I probably read it around 2005-2009, so it can’t be anything later than that.

All I remember was that mangaka (in general) back in the days were so funny in their author / side notes! They would write about themselves and their lives, and draw little tidbits too. That’s what I’m trying to look for — not even the story itself, which is so not helpful 😅. The manga in particular I’m trying to remember was coloured (at least, part of the authors note), and they drew a whole square of art not related to the manga itself. The coloured part is what’s stumping me, cuz nearly everything I’m skimming through is b&w.

The thing is that I didn’t even read that many manga in the past either. It should be easy to pinpoint, but it’s been eluding me. For some reason, I keep thinking about Gakuen Alice, but I’ve already skimmed through 50ish chapters and it’s not it. But it’s along those lines of comedy and cuteness.

Again, thank you for trying to help! I really appreciate it. Not the end of the world if I never get it, but it’s one of those things that will keep bothering me for life, hahah.

Those authors notes might have come from the official releases so if you're skimming online that might be the fan scanned version. Unfortunately, my repertoire is not the licensed version.

I can suggest 2000s licensed manga that you can go through tho for the author notes?

Maybe:
Fruits Basket
Ouran High School Host Club although this one is gender bend kinda lol. Might want to check this one out. The author is silly lol
Vampire Knight
Shugo Chara! this one is magical girls tho
Kamichama Karin another magical girl
Full Moon o Sagashite this one has ghost tho, from my memory this mangaka did a lot of other stories that got license during the 2000 one of which you might want to check out Shinshi Doumei † also from my memory she was a little silly in her notes
Kanata Kara this one is an iseki
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou
Kitchen Princess
Beauty Pop
Yumeiro Pâtissière
Special A this one is also a contender for silly mangaka

Oh Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou might be it. You just unlocked a memory for me that she has a lot of really long and wordy author's notes, and occasionally adds chibi images to them.

Here's one more long shot suggestion too: Gals! has some very funny author's notes where she talks about the manga creation process with her sister and brother.

"We can not resort to simplistic or extreme solutions which substitute myths for common sense." ― Jimmy Carter