In the beginning of her career, she published mainly in the manga magazine Margaret, where she debuted in 1979 at age 15 with Maggie.
She received the 2000 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for the series Barairo no Ashita ("Rose-Colored Tomorrow"), which she created for the magazine.
[3] She created the series Kiyoku Yawaku for the magazine, which won her the 2009 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo.
[4] In 2013, Kiyoku Yawaku was adapted into a live-action film starring Masami Nagasawa and Masaki Okada.
[5] Ikuemi drew the cover art for Kazuyoshi Saito's October 2013 single "Kagerō", which was the film's theme song.