Safa Al Ani (Sophie-chan) was born in 1990 in Iraq. She is a self-taught manga artist who gained a following by posting drawing videos on her YouTube channel titled "sophiechan90" with over 23 million video views. Sophie began drawing and writing stories when she was 7-years old, determined to reach her goals of having her own manga series/anime adaption and becoming well-known worldwide as a manga artist.
With hard-work, patience and determination, Sophie was able to publish her first graphic novel The Ocean of Secrets, a full volume manga series in April 2015.