Section 4 Resonating Images
Hagio, Yamagishi, and Yamato are artists who have each built entirely distinct creative worlds. Looking closely at their works, however, reveals curious resonances between them. Among the works introduced so far, certain major themes — history, an interest in culture and the arts, fascination with Western culture, perspectives on gender, and so on — may already be apparent. This section provides an overview of the three artists' work, using more specific motifs as a guide.
1 Shojo Manga and Fashion
Fashion has long been a popular subject in girls’ magazines, and in the 1960s their pages were filled with glamorous fashion illustrations typified by Makoto Takahashi. Yamato’s Mon Cheri CoCo (1971), introduced in the previous section, was a pioneering work that approached fashion not merely as a hobby, but from the perspective of a professional designer. Marmalade-chan (1972) is also of interest; while it is a bittersweet love story, it also showcases Hagio’s scholarly interest in the history of Western clothing.
Moto Hagio
Marmalade-chan
Shogakukan, Weekly Shōjo Comic, June 4 1972, No. 23
Jo, who is skilled at making marmalade, collides one day with Jeff, an aspiring fashion designer, spilling oranges everywhere. This chance encounter leads her to bring him homemade marmalade, and the two quickly grow close. Jeff, however, mistakes the tomboyish Jo for a boy. What will become of Jo’s feelings for him? An early short romantic comedy.
Waki Yamato
Mon Chéri CoCo
KODANSHA, Weekly Shōjo Friend, April 20 1971, No. 17 - December 7 1971, No. 50
This dramatic story follows Coco Charmant, a fashionloving girl with a keen sense of style, as she grows into a powerful, world-renowned designer, starting with the Paris fashion scene. It gained popularity for its glamorous art style — which vividly captured the cutting edge of fashion at the time of its serialization — as well as its enchanting romance and dream-filled plot, and was adapted into a TV anime series in 1972.
2 Tales of the Heian Period
Yamagishi and Yamato have produced a number of works themed around Japanese history. Introduced here are two “monogatari” (tales) that originated in the Heian period. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter was drawn by Yamato for an academic book of the same name (Gakushū Kenkyūsha, 1988). Yamagishi’s The Tale of Ochikubo, meanwhile, retells a Japanese Cinderella story said to have been composed by the end of the tenth century, and was published in the full-color magazine Lyrica (Sanrio). Note also the delicate depictions of Heian-period court dress by the artists, both of whom possess a deep knowledge of kimono.
Ryoko Yamagishi
The Tale of Ochikubo
Sanrio, LYRICA, 1976, No. 1 (First Issue) - December, No. 2
The Tale of Ochikubo is an anonymous work of prose fiction believed to have been written in the late 10th century. A kind of Cinderella story, it centers on Lady Ochikubo, who lives in a shabby house and is mistreated by her stepmother, but then catches the eye of the lieutenant of the Right Palace Guards.
Waki Yamato
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
Gakken, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Gakken Mook, 1988
Illustrations created for an explanatory guidebook on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, published by Gakushū Kenkyūsha. They accompany Seiko Tanabe’s translation into modern Japanese. Published around the same time as Dreams at Dawn, the volume features exquisite depictions of Heian-period attire.
3 The Conflflict Between Mother and Daughter
The works of both Hagio and Yamagishi frequently explore the relationship between mothers and daughters. Hagio’s The Iguana Girl (1992) and Yamagishi’s Kishimojin (1993) both feature, if in different ways, a mother who is unable to love her daughter and a daughter who is denied her mother’s love. Intriguingly, in each work it is the daughter, not the mother, who chooses to change. The pain of not having been loved never fades. But the daughters, in the way they accept this reality and strive to move forward, embody the strength of women that Hagio and Yamagishi have continued to depict in their work.
Moto Hagio
The Iguana Girl
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, May 1992
Rika Aoshima sees herself as an ugly iguana and believes that no one will ever love her. Her mother, too, sees only Rika as an iguana; she dotes on Rika’s younger sister but feels ashamed of Rika. Having grown up unloved by her own mother, Rika eventually marries and moves away from her family. This short masterpiece depicts the love-hate relationship between mother and daughter and Rika’s struggle to find self-acceptance.
Ryoko Yamagishi
Kishimojin
Shogakukan, Big Gold, July 1993
Mizuki bears no resemblance to her fraternal twin brother, in personality or appearance, and believes that he, being a boy, is a prince, while she, being a girl, is a demon. She sees her father’s face as nothing more than a family nameplate, and her mother, usually so bodhisattva-like, seems to reveal a different face on the back of her head every time Mizuki makes a mistake. Her brother, the prince, tries desperately to live up to their mother’s expectations, until one day… A story chronicling the darkness and collapse of a family in which each member plays their respective role.
4 The Boundaries of Sexuality
The 1970s can be described as a time of rapidly expanding awareness of gender issues, driven by the rise of the women’s liberation movement and a backlash against the hierarchical social structures of earlier eras, along with the release of films and novels that championed diverse sexualities and liberation from traditional gender roles. The androgynous beauty of Tadzio, the blond, ethereal boy played by Bjorn Andresen in the film Death in Venice (1971), became a huge sensation in Japan as well, helping to define the ideal of the beautiful young boy in shojo manga. This trend was further fueled by the glam-rock culture epitomized by David Bowie, who captivated young people with his outlandish costumes, makeup, and provocative performances. Stars gained popularity for their androgynous charm, and the cutting-edge fashion styles they established would have a major influence on character design in shojo manga of the same era. Here, we introduce works by each of the three artists that feature characters portrayed as transcending gender.
Moto Hagio
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.
Ryoko Yamagishi
Chimera
Shogakukan, Petit Flower, May 1984
After failing her entrance exams, Isomura enrolls at a newly established university on the outskirts of S City, where she ends up sharing a room in the women’s dormitory with Kakeru Suzuki, a sprinter who studies in the physical education department. Isomura finds herself drawn to the mysterious Kakeru, who has an androgynous, boyish beauty and, though quiet and cool, is deeply fond of plants and animals. But then a series of murders begins to occur throughout the city…
Waki Yamato
The Rose Viscount
KODANSHA, Monthly mimi, April and November 1976; May and December 1977
Fede, a noble’s daughter who fled her hometown due to certain circumstances, is led by a twist of fate to meet Viscount Gideon, a man of angelic beauty. He lives alongside an elderly servant, as if in hiding, in a mansion overgrown with climbing roses. Fede gradually grows closer to the man, and yet… This is a series of linked short works of aestheticism and fantasy, centered on Gideon, an enigmatic and gender-transcending young man.
5 Cats
It is almost an industry truism that shojo manga artists tend to be cat lovers, and Hagio, Yamagishi, and Yamato are no exception. This section introduces their three distinct perspectives on cats. Hagio’s Lil’ Leo (2008–09) is a comical portrayal of the absurdities that arise when a cat imitates human social behavior; it can also be read as a story that, from the cat’s perspective, questions the conventions and assumptions that humans take for granted. Yamagishi, meanwhile, has often shared real-life anecdotes about her beloved cat in her essay manga. Yamato, too, has featured cats in her work, capturing their physical charms with the kind of keen observation that could only come from actually living with them.
Moto Hagio
Lil’ Leo
Shogakukan, Monthly Flowers, February 2008 - June 2012
Leo, an adorable tabby cat, is incredibly curious and loves to have fun and eat good food. Although he attends school with his neighbor Tatsuru, goes on blind dates, and works as a manga assistant, he keeps making one mistake after another. This comedy delightfully depicts Leo’s earnest efforts to navigate human society, all while surprising those around him with his free-spirited and eccentric behavior.
Ryoko Yamagishi
Cat, Neko, 猫
Kadokawa Shoten, Mei, Vol. 1 (First Issue)
An essay manga recounting how the author, still grieving the loss of her beloved cat, takes in a rescue cat from a disaster-stricken area. The story subtly explores the sense of responsibility that comes with taking in a living creature as a family member, the social circumstances affecting animals, and the sincere efforts of those who support them. It also features a slightly mysterious experience. A heartwarming story that cat lovers will find irresistible.
Days with Koban
KODANSHA, The Spirit of Language, Newly drawn for the book, 2013
A short essay chronicling the daily life of the author’s beloved cat, Koban.
Waki Yamato
Peter Brown’s Strange Adventure
KODANSHA, Weekly Shōjo Friend, April 24 1973, No. 17
Peter, who will soon turn six, has been longing to have a cat. One day, while chasing a stray, he finds himself transformed into a white cat. Peter learns the ways of the strays from Mia, a more experienced cat. This is an early short story that conveys Yamato’s gentle, affectionate regard for animals.
N.Y. Komachi
KODANSHA, Weekly Shōjo Friend, August 5 1985, No. 16 - August 20 198, No. 17
Set in Tokyo immediately after the Meiji Restoration, Shino was raised like a boy as the heir to a sundries wholesaler. However, when her younger brother is born, she is suddenly forced back into the role of “woman” and loses her sense of purpose. Around this time, she meets Irving, an American who has come to Japan as a foreign expert hired by the Meiji government, and sets off with him for a new life in New York. An adventure romance comedy about a “komachi musume” (a beautiful, spirited young woman) as she charges headlong into love and work during an era of historical transformation.
