Maya was born in
Niigata. He made his debut as a professional manga artist in 1973 with
Mishiranu hōmon-sha in the shōjo magazine
Bessatsu Margaret. In 1981, he was nominated for the
Seiun Award and in 1999, he received the
Japan Cartoonists Association Award for the series. The spin-off series
Patalliro Saiyūki! has been translated into French. In the early 1980s, he met ballet dancer Yoshimi Yamada and got married. They have two children, one of them is the manga artist
Marie Yamada. His manga
Tonde Saitama has been adapted into a live-action film starring musician
Gackt in 2019 and with himself appearing in the opening scene. Maya is a heavy drinker. Because of excessive alcohol consumption, he had health problems with his liver in February 2016 and was forced to undergo medical treatment. == Works ==