Her unique style often depicts the darker sides of everyday life through simplistic character designs and illustrations that blend manga and Franco-Belgian comics.

[3] Despite her interests in art, Takahama did not intend to create manga and instead, this hobby came to her through daily experiences where she found herself wanting to capture landscapes and discussions between people she cycled past and observed while working as a secretary at the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

[5] While her time at the company was brief she produced a few essays that appeared on the website of Morning magazine also receiving the Manga Open Excellence prize on this occasion.

[4] After her short time at Kodansha, Takahama participated in a contest organised by the monthly magazine Garo and she took the third prize for her story "Woman who survive".

[5] In the following years, Takahama worked on several manga the first of which was Sad Girl, (produced as part of a Casterman collection in 2012).Yotsuya-ku Hanazono-chō, was her next piece.

The story focused on a young orphan gifted with clairvoyance set between Japan and France during the years of the Paris Universal Exposition of 1878.

The series was well received and won the 2018 excellence award at the Japan Media Arts Festival, as well as the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2020.

[7][13][14] Takahama has spoken about her struggles with alcohol early into her career as a mangaka due to her sudden fame and attention from the media, staying up late to be part of international interviews and answering the same questions constantly.