Manga

For me, an interesting thing about the current exhibit World of Shojo Manga: Mirrors of Girls’ Desires (March 28 – July 5) is that I have discovered manga to add to the collection！  

Kuramochi Fusako is a prolific cartoonist, but we only had her masterpiece, Tennen Kokekkō, in the library.  Now I am ordering more of her work. Her style continues to change and evolve, so it may be important to collect many of her manga. The latest one is Hana ni somu, still on order.

Kuramochi frequently contributed to Shūkan Māgaretto = Margaret
週刊マーガレット. Although this is a very famous manga magazine, so far we only have 3 issues in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum collection. Hopefully our holdings will continue to grow!

( Aisuru Anata Koisuru Watashi: Hagio Moto taidanshu 2000 nendai hen. (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2014) 愛するあなた　恋するわたし 萩尾望都　対談集

Hagio Moto is one of the most intriguing mangaka, so many of her works are included in the Ohio State University Libraries collections.  I wrote a brief post about her a while ago: Hagio Moto — Iguana Girl Turns Manga Legend.  Since then more of her work has been translated into English, including Heart of Thomas.

Recently an interesting series of conversations with her about her career and that of other mangaka has been coming out — Hagio Moto taidanshū  萩尾望都対談集 ( Kawade Shobō Shinsha, 2012- ):

Manga no anata SF no watashi  マンガのあなた・SFのわたし (1970-nendai hen)

Kotoba no Anata Manga no Watashi コトバのあなたマンガのわたし(1980-nendai hen)

Monogataru Anata Egaku Watashi 物語るあなた 絵描くわたし (1990-nendai hen)

Aisuru Anata Koisuru Watashi 愛するあなた 恋するわたし(2000-nendai hen)

Note: This is one of a series of posts related to the exhibit: World of Shojo Manga: Mirrors of Girls’ Desires (March 28 – July 5).

Satonaka, Machiko. Tenjō no Niji. Volume 23 (Kōdansha, 2015).

What an amazing coincidence!  The final volume (v. 23) of Satonaka Machiko’s manga, Tenjō no Niji (Celestial Rainbows) which began publication over thirty years ago (in 1983) was published on March 13, 2015 — just a couple of weeks prior to the opening of this spring’s World of Shojo Manga: Mirrors of Girls’ Desires (March 28, 2015 – July 5, 2015) exhibit!  As with many of Satonaka’s manga, this is a work of historical fiction. An empress from Japan’s ancient history is depicted as facing challenges in her various roles as wife, mother, and ultimately female ruler. The library’s copy will be arriving before long by sea mail.

OSU Libraries has several other works by Satonaka Machiko, including Ariesu no Otometachi アリエスの乙女たち (Ladies of Aries) and Ashita Kagayaku あした輝く(Tomorrow it Shines).

Matsumoto Reiji. Kurea no mizuumi (1968)

This is the third in a series of posts related to the upcoming exhibit at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum:  World of Shojo Manga: Mirrors of Girls’ Desires (March 28, 2015 – July 5, 2015). A small rotating exhibit on the 3rd floor of Thompson Library highlights cartoonists who will be included in the exhibit!

Matsumoto Leiji (Reiji) is most famous for his science fiction or “space opera” manga and anime, such as Space Battleship Yamato (Uchū senkan Yamato 宇宙戦艦ヤマト) and Galaxy Express 999 (銀河鉄道999 Ginga tetsudō 999), but he started his career producing shōjo manga.  Furthermore, he is married to another shōjo manga cartoonist, Maki Miyako, who is also featured in the exhibit. Continue reading

Rika-chan 「リカちゃん」(1967)

This is the second in a series of posts leading up to the March 28 – July 5 exhibit of shojo manga at Ohio State’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum entitled: World of Shojo Manga: Mirrors of Girls’ Desire. A small rotating exhibit on the 3rd floor of Thompson Library highlights cartoonists who will be included in the exhibit!

MAKI Miyako 牧美也子 was born in Kobe in 1935. After a very successful career in shōjo manga when she published in such journals as Ribon, Margaret, and Shojo Friend, Maki shifted into the “ladies comics” genre. She is married to Reiji (Leiji) Matsumoto, another cartoonist who will be included in the exhibit. Continue reading