Section 3 Moto Hagio’s World
Theme 1: The Impact of The Poe Clan
The Poe Clan was an unprecedented work that blew a breath of fresh air into the narrative structures of shojo manga, catapulting Moto Hagio to widespread recognition. Centered on Edgar — a boy transformed into a “Vampanella (vampire)” and frozen in time forever — the story unfolds across time and space, possessing a structure and depth that differed from conventional linear storytelling.
Due to concerns about the vampire theme, however, and to the fact that she was still a newcomer at the time, the project was not granted an immediate serialization. In response, Hagio strategically introduced her fictional world through a series of stories set in the same universe: Limpid Looks of Silver (1972), The Village of Poe (July 1972), and Glensmith’s Diary (August 1972), eventually consolidating them into a serialized work. Her technique of weaving episodes with disjointed timelines and varying perspectives into a single, grand narrative was innovative at the time — and occasionally challenging for readers to follow — but her fantastical and profound world left a powerful impression and lasting resonance on many readers.
The Poe Clan
Shogakukan, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, March 1972 - June 1976 / New Series: Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, July 2016 - Ongoing
An omnibus series told from various eras and perspectives, centered on Edgar, a boy destined to live forever as a Vampanella. A total of 15 short and mediumlength stories were published in the 1970s. In 2016, more than forty years later, a new series titled The Poe Clan/ Spring Dream began serialization, surprising many fans. This work could be considered a symbol of the fictional world to which Hagio has devoted her career.
Theme 2: Boys and the Gymnasium
In Hagio’s early works, boys serve as a central motif. By casting boys — figures different from her readers — as her protagonists, Hagio is able to use boyhood itself as a lens through which to explore certain ultimate questions, like the definition of love and the meaning of existence, while portraying her characters’ delicate feelings and pure relationships.
In her masterpiece The Heart of Thomas (1974), she imagines in rich detail how such boys confront their inner selves within the confined space of boarding Gymnasium (German secondary school). The world with the atmosphere of 19th-century Europe serves as a setting far removed from day-to-day reality. Full of clarity and tension, Hagio’s work introduced a level of psychological depth never before seen in shojo manga.
The Heart of Thomas
Shogakukan, Weekly Shōjo Comic, May 5, No. 19 - December 12, 1974, No. 52
One morning, at the end of winter, Thomas Werner falls from an overpass and dies. He leaves behind a letter addressed to Juli, an older boy he had admired. Amidst this, a transfer student named Erich — who looks exactly like Thomas — appears, and Juli’s heart is thrown into turmoil. Set in a German boarding school, this is a story of love woven by sensitive, emotionally complex boys.
The Visitor
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, 1980, Spring Issue (First Issue)
Oscar’s father Gustav is a struggling photographer who argues constantly with Hera, Oscar’s mother. Nevertheless, Oscar loves his father for telling him stories about God. Just before his ninth Christmas, however, Oscar loses his mother. Stricken by the tragedy, he sets out with his father on an aimless journey. This is a prequel that reveals the secret surrounding the birth of Oscar Reiser, who appears in The Heart of Thomas.
The Gymnasium in November
Shogakukan, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, November 1971
A story set in a German Gymnasium (or boarding school). One day, after having caused problems at his previous school, Erich Nieritz transfers in and meets Thomas Schubel, who closely resembles him. From their very first meeting, Thomas acts strangely, saying that Erich is the spitting image of his older brother who died at the age of fifteen. Although The Heart of Thomas features some of the same characters and was published later, Hagio had in fact already been working on it when she created The Gymnasium in November as its spinoff; The Gymnasium in November was the first to be published.
At the Lakeside — The Summer Erich Was Fourteen and a Half
SHINSHOKAN, Strawberry Fields, Newly drawn for the book, 1976
An epilogue to The Heart of Thomas. This story, told through beautiful language and images, chronicles the peaceful days Erich spends with his stepfather Sid in Boden during summer vacation. It also touches on what becomes of Oscar and Juli.
Theme 3: Girlhood
In Hagio’s work, the time of girlhood is depicted with great delicacy and symbolism; people long to make girlhood eternal precisely because it is so brief and fades so quickly. In that sense it resembles boyhood for Hagio, whose boy characters attempt to remain outside time, but perhaps because Hagio writes girlhood from experience, it also feels somehow different.
In early short stories, such as The Girls of October (1971) and Violetta (1975), the fleeting nature of girlhood was emphasized. However, works published in the 1980s, such as Angel in Disguise (1984), and the historical drama Queen Margot (2012–18), depict stories where girls grow up and carve out their lives as independent women.
Girls in October
Mushi Pro Trading Co., COM, October 1971
An anthology featuring three girls — Tula, Machiko, and Freisy — living in different places. Tula, who has yet to experience love and longs for a kiss; Machiko, who dreams of romance but is torn between the idealized boys in novels and real ones; and Freisy, who is taken aback by her boyfriend’s sudden proposal. A collection of short stories that cherishes the fading days of girlhood.
The Thousandth Pin
Shogakukan, Weekly Shōjo Comic, 1973 New Year’s Special Issue, Flower Comic, December 24 1972
This story begins when one of the seven princess sisters — who use 1,000 hairpins to beautifully style their hair — loses a single hairpin. The youngest princess, unable to style her hair because she’s one pin short, sets out to find a substitute, but nothing quite works. And tomorrow, an important guest is arriving... A picture-book-style rendering of a fairy tale.
Violetta
Shogakukan, JOTOMO, December 1975
The aging Johan dreams of Violetta, who is at times his mother, his childhood friend, and his lover. Yet in his dreams, Johan is never able to catch her and continues to chase after her. A lyrical work that celebrates the girl as an eternal presence.
Amid Flowers and Light
Shogakukan, Weekly Shōjo Comic, March 28 1976, No. 14
Childhood friends Lou and Isabel spend their days together in fields full of flowers and light. Their expected future of eternal happiness together is suddenly cut short by Isabel’s death. Unable to accept her loss, Lou grows into adulthood still grieving — until one day he meets Marcy, who resembles what Isabel might have looked like had she grown up.
Kaleidoscope
SHINSHOKAN, Paper Moon, 1976, Autumn Issue
A boy meets a little girl in the village where he vacations every summer. The two play innocently together, spending summer days that sparkle like the boy’s treasured kaleidoscope. When autumn arrives and it’s time for the boy to leave, he promises the tearful girl that after they bury the kaleidoscope at the base of the tree they’ve been playing under, they’ll dig it up together next year. A short story depicting the tender romance between a boy and a girl.
The Girl in the Light Blue Apron
HAKUSENSHA, LaLa, November 1976
The unnamed speaker “I” proposes to a girl in a light blue apron. He tells her about his dream of becoming an astronaut, but she says she wants to marry someone who comes home every day; she doesn’t want to just wait around for him. How will this proposal end? A charming collection of poems and illustrations.
Marine Original Story : Takako Imasato
SHUEISHA, Monthly Seventeen, May 1977
In a seaside town, a boy named Abe lives in poverty with his sick mother, working as an errand boy for the wealthy Payton family. One day, while being bullied in town, he is rescued by a beautiful woman named Marine. Marine, with eyes as blue as the sea, begins to appear before Abe from time to time, and the two grow closer, but… A poignant love story based on the original work by Takako Imasato.
Angel Mimic
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, November 1984
Tsugiko Arisugawa is found collapsed on the beach after swallowing a large quantity of pills, and is rescued by Shiro Oda, who is staying at a church. Scolded for her foolish behavior, Tsugiko parts from him without properly thanking him — only to meet him again unexpectedly when he arrives as a new teacher at her high school. The two become aware of each other’s feelings, and yet… A story of a girl’s emotional healing and renewal.
The Blue of the Sea Somewhere Else Series
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, July 2009
Mai Urashima, a plain and serious college student who believes she is a mermaid princess, has a crush on Yohane Amakusa, a playboy popular among the girls. Because she is a “mermaid princess," however, she finds it difficult to talk to her “prince.” One day, after Mai wins a newcomer’s award from a literary magazine, she invites Yohane out to dinner. A love story inspired by the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid."
Queen Margot
SHUEISHA, Monthly YOU, September 2012ｰNovember 2018 / SHUEISHA, Cocohana, January 2019ｰFebruary 2020
In 16th-century France, where religious conflict has intensified, Margot is born to King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. She grows up entangled in the intrigues of court politics. This historical epic manga depicts the life of Margot, a queen renowned for her beauty, as a tale of love and hatred involving three men — all of them named Henri.
Theme 4: Science Fiction and Fantasy Worlds
Science fiction is a genre Hagio has continuously explored throughout her career. They Were Eleven! (1975), published around the same time as works set in the West such as The Poe Clan, drew attention as full-fledged space sci-fi despite its short length.
The defining feature of Hagio’s sci-fi lies not in its pursuit of scientific consistency, but in its understanding of time, space, and the human mind as multidimensional, and in how it constructs them philosophically. This is particularly true in works like Star Red (1978–79), The Silver Triangle (1980–82), and Otherworld Barbara (2002–05), in which worlds that exist on different planes unfold in layer-like forms. What these works share is a common visual language marked by a sense of cultural otherness and fantasy, along with a quiet rhythm.
They Were Eleven!
Shogakukan, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, September - November 1975
The final exam at the Space Academy requires ten candidates to survive together for fifty-three days aboard a drifting spaceship. However, when the candidates gather on the ship, there are eleven of them — one too many. Who is the eleventh person, and what is their purpose? The curtain rises on a turbulent final exam, into which each candidate carries their own circumstances. One of the crowning achievements of Hagio’s science fiction work.
They Were Eleven! Continued: Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West
Shogakukan, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, December1976 – February 1977
A sequel to They Were Eleven! Three months after enrolling at Cosmo Academy, Tada and Frol travel to Aritoska Rey at the invitation of young King Baceska, who took the entrance examination with them. But their sightseeing is short-lived: immediately upon their arrival, a coup is staged, Baceska is stripped of his throne, and war breaks out with the neighboring country of Aritoska Rah. Tada and Frol are swept up in the turmoil, and race to find a way to resolve the crisis.
R is for Rocket Original story: Ray Bradbury
SHUEISHA, Weekly Margaret, March 26 1978, No. 14
Chris and Ralph dream of becoming astronauts. Almost every day, they gaze at rockets at the spaceport and share their dreams with each other. To go to space, they must wait to be chosen. One day, someone from the space agency comes to Chris’s house and tells him he has been selected for astronaut training, but… This is a manga adaptation of a short story by science fiction writer Ray Bradbury.
Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights Original story: Ryu Mitsuse
Akita Shoten, Weekly Shōnen Champion, August 15, No. 34, 1977 – January 2, No. 2, 1978
Centered on historical and religious figures such as Plato, Siddhartha (the Buddha), and Asura, this work depicts an endless battle to confront the transcendent being who rules the universe, as countless civilizations rise and fall. An epic science fiction work portraying gods and humanity, and the meaning of salvation and evolution on a grand scale.
Star Red
Shogakukan, Weekly Shōjo Comic, May 28, No. 23, 1978 - February 5, No. 3, 1979
Sei, a fifteen-year-old girl living on Earth, has hidden the fact that she is a Martian with white hair, red eyes, and psychic powers. As her longing for Mars grows stronger by the day, one day a young man named Erg approaches her, revealing that he too is a Martian. So begins Sei’s journey toward her home planet, in this epic sci-fi fantasy that transcends both Earth and Mars, as well as time and space.
Ragini
Hayakawa Publishing Corporation, S-F Magazine, February 1980
Seven beautiful sisters sing love songs to the gods every day. It is their ceaseless dancing and singing in turns that keeps the world turning smoothly. Sasha, one of the sisters, and Sigur, a researcher, are drawn to each other, and Sasha, swept up in her love, forgets to sing when it’s her turn. A beautiful short work of science fiction, set in a world reminiscent of ancient mythology.
The Silver Triangle
Hayakawa Publishing Corporation, S-F Magazine, December 1980 - June 1982
Marley, a security officer with Central, is tasked with using her precognitive abilities to eliminate social unrest. One day, she hears music with a high fluctuation index and sets out to investigate. She then learns of a beautiful race with a special gift for music who once lived on a planet called the Silver Triangle. This is a long-form science fiction manga that unfolds in a complex narrative spanning space and time — from the past to the future — centered on this now-extinct race.
A,A’(A.A Prime)
Akita Shoten, Monthly Princess, August 1981
Adi, a mutated and emotionally detached member of the rare “unicorn” race, dies in an accident during the Proxima Project. However, she is revived using a preserved clone and returns to her former workplace, retaining only memories from before three years ago. Her lover, Reg, is there, but having no memory of the past three years, Adi has no recollection of the days spent with him. Reg, too, is torn between the original Adi and the cloned one. A poignant science fiction romance.
4/4: Quatre-Quarts
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, November 1983
A sequel to A,A’ (A.A Prime), continuing the science fiction romance of the rare “unicorn” race. Mori, a boy with psychic powers he cannot control, meets Trill, a girl of the unicorn species. Mori can read Trill’s emotions, and having her by his side enables him to control his powers. As the two resonate, they rapidly grow closer, but an unexpected tragedy awaits. What becomes of these souls drawn to one another?
X+Y
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, July - August 1984
Takuto, a researcher of the “unicorn” race that is part of Earth’s delegation to the Mars terraforming project, discovers just before leaving for Mars that he possesses two X chromosomes, meaning that he is female. Takuto, who has a female lover, heads to Mars while refusing to accept his feminization, and there he meets Mori. Mori is intrigued by Takuto, who, like Trill, belongs to the unicorn race. The sequel to her previous work, 4/4: Quatre-Quarts.
Marginal
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, August 1985 - October 1987
“Marginal” is a world populated only by men, where society is structured around the idea that everyone is a “son” of Houri Maza, or “the one and only Mother.” When she is assassinated, however, people anxiously await the emergence of a new Maza. Meanwhile, a memoryless boy named Kira suddenly appears in the desert. He is taken in by Grinja, Maza’s assassin, and meets Ashizin, who lives in a cave. Through his interaction with them, Kira transforms into the world’s only being capable of reproduction. Is Kira the new Maza? A science fiction work set in the year 2999, on a version of Earth now known as “Marginal.”
Your Beautiful Eyes
Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, August 1985 (First Issue)
Merdale, who aspires to become a clergyman, receives from his friend Hapt a Dreambird with beautiful eyes. The Dreambird is able to use dreams to reveal the depths of a person’s heart. Since it is a rare species, Merdale attempts to return it to the planet where its sanctuary is located, but on the way, the Dreambird shows him a nightmare, and tragedy unfolds. A beautiful and melancholy sci-fi romance.
Otherworld Barbara
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, September 2002 - August 2005
Tokio Watarai possesses the special ability to extract information from people’s dreams, and is commissioned to enter the dreams of Aoba Jujo, a girl who has been asleep for seven years. In her dreams, Aoba lives happily in a world called “Barbara” — but that world has in fact been born from the imagination of Tokio’s son, Kiriya... A science fiction work that weaves back and forth between dream and reality.
The Dangerous House on the Hill
Kadokawa Shoten, Asuka Fantasy DX, 1992, Summer Issue – Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Fantasy DX, October 1994
Having lost his parents, Mahiko now lives alone with his older brother Azumi. When strange phenomena begin to occur at their home on Moon Hill, their grandfather — a Shinto priest — reveals a secret about the house. The story depicts the brothers' daily lives as Mahiko gets swept up in Azu’s secrets and other mysteries, including ghosts, time travel, and a transfer student from the future. A humorous and strange collection of four short stories.
AWAY Original concept: Sakyo Komatsu, The Summons
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, June 2013 - August 2015
One morning in 2033, children wake up to find that all the adults have vanished. The world is now split in two: “AWAY,” inhabited only by children, and “HOME,” inhabited only by adults. Kazuki and his fellow middle-schoolers help one another and struggle desperately to survive. But why has the world been split in two?
Theme 5: Music and Ballet
Many of Hagio’s works focus on music and ballet as art forms. Rather than serving merely as subject matter, however, they function as important devices for depicting characters’ emotions and relationships.
The Perfect Crime: Fairy (1988) features a unique structure in which the entire story unfolds in a manner modeled on the lyrics of songs by Yoshihiro Kai — an ambitious attempt to represent a musical in manga form.
Furthermore, in the ballet-themed works represented by the long-form series Flower Festival (1988–89), the friction and conflicts arising within family and romantic relationships are brought to the surface through the physical expression of dance.
American Pie
Akita Shoten, Monthly Princess, February - March 1976
One day, a Miami musician who goes by “Gran Pa” takes in a boyish girl named Lu and begins to look after her. Lu is reluctant to talk about herself or her seemingly troubled past. Encouraged by Gran Pa to sing, she pours her feelings into song. But what is the story behind her situation?
The Perfect Crime: Fairy
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, February - April 1988
Kayako, the heroine of the musical GOLD, has died. Her co-star Kosuke is removed from his role, and Louis — until then a minor cast member — is promoted to the lead. This stroke of luck draws suspicion from those around him. A mystery created in collaboration with music by Yoshihiro Kai.
Flower Festival
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, July 1988 - July 1989
Midori, a ballet-loving high school student, is in love with her stepbrother Kaoru. During summer vacation, she attends a summer camp at the ballet school in London where Kaoru is studying. Though initially bewildered by her homestay and the differences between the London ballet world and Japan’s, she gradually grows. Eventually, she is cast in a major role in a new production, but....
Aria of the Sea
Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, August 1989 – May 1991
On a stormy day, Juri and three others take a yacht out onto the waters off Kamakura, only to be stranded in the rough seas, where they see a ball of fire over the water. Of the four, Abel alone fails to return. Half a month later, a boy who looks exactly like Abel appears before the singer Marisa in Okinawa. Though he has lost his memory, he plays beautiful music on the piano, and the two begin living together... A sci-fi fantasy that beautifully depicts the sea and music.
Juliet’s Lover
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, March 1991
Ballet dancers Sandra and Arnaud are reunited after five years. They had previously partnered as Romeo and Juliet, and are set to dance the same roles once again. Sandra confesses her feelings to Arnaud, but he adamantly rejects her. Though they move in perfect sync on the dance floor, the two cannot bring themselves to be honest with each other. A love story told through dance.
The Ungrateful Man
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, May - July 1991
Levi, a ballet dancer, suffers from insomnia. Seeking a quiet environment, he moves to a new boarding house, but his housemate Morris and his girlfriend Millie are meddlesome and constantly fuss over him. Levi only wants to be left alone, but the two don’t seem to notice. Before long, Millie starts to develop feelings for Levi. Is this the beginning of a love triangle? Set against the beauty of ballet, this work depicts the inner world of a sensitive young man.
Maddening Moon and Stars The Ungrateful Man Series
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, March 1992
Archie, a student photographer captivated by Levi’s performance after he joins a ballet company, begins taking photos of Levi as his model. Levi dances joyfully, feeling Archie’s gaze through the lens, and the two, who share a similar sensibility, develop a friendship. But once photos of Levi begin attracting attention, things gradually start to go wrong... A sequel to The Ungrateful Man.
The Pirate and the Princess
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, September 1989
Rosemary, who has come to Paris from New York, is a modern ballet dancer. But when the lead in the classical ballet The Pirate and the Princess is injured, Rosemary is asked by Oliver, who plays the pirate, to step into the role of the princess. As she dances, memories of performing with her former lover, Mikaya, stir up emotions she had kept buried deep within her heart. A story of love unfolding through the medium of ballet.
The Blue Bird
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, November 1989
After making his debut in the role of The Blue Bird at the age of seventeen, Yan Rafati of the Paris Mari Ballet earns high acclaim and is invited to join the promising Scipio Ballet. He takes on the new production The Nightingale alongside Ashua, who sees him as a rival, and his girlfriend Charmian. The show is a success, but Yan suffers under the weight of his relationships and grows increasingly isolated. A coming-of-age ballet manga depicting Yan’s growth and inner conflicts as he carries the image of the Blue Bird on his shoulders.
Rothbart
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, January 1991
Rob is invited as a guest performer to the La Fosse Ballet Company, where, despite resistance from the company’s top star Eve, he takes on the role of the demon Rothbart in Swan Lake. However, the performance is interrupted by an unexpected accident, and newcomer Pina is chosen to take over the lead role of Princess Odette. As they prepare to restage the performance with the new cast, a series of strange incidents begin to occur onstage. A work that lightly blends mystery elements with dramatic turmoil.
Theme 6: Inner Drama
One of the most important elements characterizing Hagio’s work is her thorough depiction of characters’ inner lives. Invisible realms — all emotions, memories, and fluctuations in self-concept — form the core of many of her stories.
Hanshin: Half-God (1984) poses the fundamental question of what constitutes the self through the extraordinary existence of conjoined twins. In Mesh (1980–84), set in Paris, a lonely young man’s process of confronting his true self is depicted in a serialized format; the series is now regarded as a defining work of the 1980s. Later, beginning the 1990s, Hagio entered her mature creative period with A Cruel God Reigns (1992–2001), which portrays over a long narrative arc how a psyche deeply wounded by violence collapses and eventually moves toward recovery.
Hagio’s stories quietly but persistently explore the uncertainty and complexity of the self.
Les Enfants Terribles Original story: Jean Cocteau
SHUEISHA, Monthly Seventeen, May - August 1979
Fourteen-year-old Paul lives in Paris with his sick mother and his older sister, Elisabeth. Frail Paul and overprotective Elisabeth find escape by playing in a closed-off room, immersed in a world of their own imagination. The only other person to know about it is their friend Gerard. One day, this dynamic begins to change when Elisabeth brings home her friend Agathe.
The Castle
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, September 1983
Radcliffe has lived with his father since his parents divorced when he was young. In his mind, a small imp stacks white and black stones to build a “castle.” Through his relationships with the model student Adam and the bully Ossian at his boarding school, Radcliffe comes to understand the contradictions between ideals and reality. A coming-of-age story of a boy grappling with loss.
Hanshin: Half-God
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, January 1984
Yucy and Yudy are identical conjoined twins, joined at the hip and unable to separate. Yucy, the younger sister, is beautiful but simple-minded; Yudy, the elder sister, is intelligent but unattractive. Always compared unfavorably to her sister, Yudy resents her situation. But as they grow older, Yudy’s body — which has been sustaining the life of both — reaches its limit, and the question of separation surgery is raised.
A Cruel God Reigns
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, July 1992 - July 2001
Fifteen-year-old Jeremy endures a living hell, suffering sexual abuse at the hands of Greg, his stepfather and his mother Sandra’s new husband. Unable to confide in anyone about his suffering, he finally resolves to kill Greg, but events take an unexpected turn. A multilayered psychological epic by Moto Hagio that explores family love, control, and recovery from trauma.
Theme 7: Facing Society
Hagio has spent many years building her creative world around themes such as the human psyche, time, and the universe, but the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake became the catalyst for a major turn toward real-world social issues. This series of works, while maintaining continuity with her earlier style, came to readers as a great surprise.
In a trilogy including Nanohana (2011), set in Fukushima, and Madame Pluto (2011), whose titular character personifies nuclear material, she addresses issues such as nuclear power, the benefits and risks of nuclear technology, and war and peace. These themes are portrayed not simply as social messages, but as matters closely tied to individual lives and memories.
Here again, Hagio depicts external reality while simultaneously turning her gaze toward the inner life of the people who must bear it. Her stance of viewing society and the individual as inseparable was a groundbreaking new direction.
Nanohana Somewhere Else Series
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, August 2011
Naho, living as an evacuee in Fukushima, is searching for her grandmother, who went missing in the earthquake disaster. In the dreams she has every night, Naho meets a girl living in Chernobyl. One day, she learns from a friend of her grandmother’s that her grandmother had been sending dolls to children exposed to radiation in Chernobyl. A story of renewal and hope set in the world after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11.
Madame Pluto Somewhere Else Series
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, October 2011
The radiantly beautiful Madame Pluto stands before a tribunal that will determine the fate of humanity. Humanity is fascinated by her power, but at the same time fears it. A work following “Nanohana,” dealing with themes of radioactive contamination and the possession of nuclear weapons.
Rainy Night - Count Uranus Somewhere Else Series
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, February 2012
Count Uranus loves people and grants them their every wish. Some ask for diamonds, others for luxury cars, and still others are presented with entire cities and airports as gifts. But what Anne wishes for is safe land, food, and water — untouched by radioactive contamination. A short work exploring the theme of coexistence between people and radioactive materials.
Salome 20XX （Somewhere Else Series）
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, March 2012
The beautiful dancer Salome performs for Jokanaan. As her dance nears its end, she is suddenly seized by figures in decontamination suits and locked away in an underground cell. Following “Nanohana,” “Madame Pluto,” and “On a Rainy Night — Count Uranus,” this is another work that takes up the theme of nuclear materials.
Nanohana — A Fantasy of “Night on the Galactic Railroad” Somewhere Else Series
Shogakukan, Moto Hagio's Collected Works Nanohana, Newly drawn for the book, 2012
Naho falls asleep while reading Kenji Miyazawa’s "Night on the Galactic Railroad" and, in her dream, she boards the Galactic Railroad with her older brother Gaku. On the train are young children separated from their parents, as well as cows and other animals, and from the train window she can see decontamination work taking place at the “Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.” Naho is then reunited with her long-missing grandmother. A requiem-like story, and a sequel to Nanohana.
Fukushima Drive
Shogakukan, BIG COMIC, November 10 2013, No. 21
This work depicts the romantic memories of a young couple from Fukushima — their student days, their move to Tokyo, their breakup, and finally the earthquake — overlaid with a sense of speed as they drive through the countryside. Inspired by Kai Yoshihiro’s song “Tachikawa Drive,” Hagio changed the setting from Tachikawa to Fukushima, adding a story and artwork to the lyrics. It is part of the series of earthquake-themed works that began with Nanohana.
Theme 8: Super Happy Moto-chan and Its Illustrations
Though known for more serious and weighty narratives, Hagio has also produced work full of humor and playfulness. Super Happy Moto-chan is a series of short manga that appeared intermittently in the early 1970s in Weekly Shōjo Comic, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, and CIAO (all published by Shogakukan). The character Moto-chan, who shares its name with the author, is a mysterious flying green creature. The creature’s carefree days, lived alongside a human boy named Johnny Walker-kun and Remi-chan, a pink little bird, showcase Hagio’s characteristic humor and imagination.
Hagio has also produced numerous essays and illustrations. This section introduces her lighthearted charm — distinct from her manga work — through illustrated essays based on her own European travels in the late 1970s, along with gorgeous illustrations that adorned magazine covers and other publications.
Super Happy Moto-chan
Serialized irregularly in Weekly Shōjo Comic, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, CIAO and other magazines.
Shogakukan, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, October 1972, Extra Issue - Shogakukan, Ohisama, July 1976
A cute gag comedy depicting the slightly whimsical everyday life of Moto-chan, a mysterious green creature, and a human boy named Johnny Walker, among others. It is primarily composed of twelve-panel comic strips, though occasional short stories run several pages. One parody episode features a guest appearance by “Erogar Porchinero,” a character resembling Edgar, the protagonist of The Poe Clan.
