Papillon - Hana to Chou

Papillon - Hana to Chou, written and illustrated by Miwa Ueda, was serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Friend magazine beginning in 2005. The series emerged during a period when Ueda was already well-regarded for her work on Peach Girl, and it followed a similar focus on the complex, often tumultuous emotional lives of high school students. The story centers on Ageha, a girl who undergoes a significant transformation to move past a difficult childhood, exploring themes of self-identity and romantic entanglement.

Ueda's design approach for the series emphasizes the delicate, fluttering nature of its titular butterfly motif, often utilizing expressive, dramatic character designs characteristic of mid-2000s shoujo manga. While it maintained the high-stakes romantic tension of her previous hits, the series was received as a nuanced examination of past trauma and the psychological process of growing up, solidifying Ueda's reputation for crafting emotionally resonant, character-driven narratives.