In 1998, Obata made her debut with Rain Drops published in the Shogakukan's magazine Deluxe Separate Volume Shojo Comic.
From July 31 to September 5, 2010, an exhibition of Obata's original art was held on the second floor of JR Kushiro Station in Hokkaido.
[1] Exhibitions of Obata's original artwork from We Were There were also held in Sapporo and Tokyo from March to April 2012.
[2] In 1998, Obata won a Shogakukan Award Honorable Mention in the New Mangaka category for the one-shot Rain Drops.
[3] In 2004, We Were There won the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shoujo category, tied with Sand Chronicles by Hinako Ashihara.