Moto Hagio
Encyclopedia
is a manga artist
born on May 12, 1949 in Ōmuta
, Fukuoka Prefecture
, Japan
, though she currently lives in Saitama Prefecture
. She is considered a "founding mother" of modern shōjo manga, especially shōnen-ai
. She is also a member of the Year 24 Group
. She has been described as "the most beloved shōjo manga artist of all time." In addition to being an "industry pioneer", her body of work "shows a maturity, depth and personal vision found only in the finest of creative artists".
. Nakayoshis publisher Kodansha
wanted "bright and lively" works, and rival publisher Shogakukan sought her out. Keiko Takemiya
introduced Hagio to Takemiya's editor, Junya Yamamoto, who accepted all of Hagio's works that Kodansha had rejected. When Hagio began drawing manga, she cut large sheets of "manga paper" to B4 size, and she still uses a G-Pen and a Maru-Pen. When she began drawing manga, she used India ink
and a brush, but now uses Copic
markers. Later, for Shogakukan
Publishing, she produced a series of short stories for various magazines. Two years after her debut, she published Juichigatsu no Gimunajiumu 11月のギムナジウム (The November Gymnasium), a short story that dealt openly with love between two boys at a boarding school
. The story was part of a larger movement by female manga artists at the time that pioneered shōnen-ai
, a genre of girls' comics about love between young men. In 1974, Hagio developed this story into the longer Thomas no Shinzō (The Heart of Thomas). She was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award
in 1976 for her science fiction classic Juichinin Iru!
(They Were Eleven) and her epic tale Poe no Ichizoku
(The Poe Family). In the mid 1980s, Hagio wrote her first long work - Marginal
. Prior to writing Iguana Girl in 1991, Hagio had not set her works in contemporary Japan. Moto Hagio had a role in the 2008 film Domomata no Shi (Death of Domomata). On June 11, 2009, a party was held in Moto Hagio's honor, "celebrating her 40th year as a professional manga artist". Approximately 200 people attended. In 2011, Joshibi University of Art and Design
appointed Hagio as a guest professor.
fan, and considers Isaac Asimov
, Arthur C. Clarke
, and Robert Heinlein to have influenced her, and she has adapted Ray Bradbury
's short story "R is for Rocket
" into manga format.
A, A' and They Were Eleven
have science fiction
settings, and both They Were Eleven and X+Y include transgender
elements. The science fiction aspects in particular have led to Hagio's work appealing to manga readers who do not generally like shōjo manga.
A 2010 anthology, A Drunken Dream and Other Stories
, collects the following stories:
These were selected by translator Matt Thorn to be a representative sample of her whole career, with the input of a mixi
fan club for Hagio.
's video game Illusion of Gaia
.
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
born on May 12, 1949 in Ōmuta
Omuta, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 127,126 and the density of 1,558.87 persons per km²...
, Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, though she currently lives in Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
. She is considered a "founding mother" of modern shōjo manga, especially shōnen-ai
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
. She is also a member of the Year 24 Group
Year 24 group
refers to one of two female manga artist groups which are considered to have revolutionized shōjo manga . Their works often examine "radical and philosophical issues", including sexuality and gender issues, and many of their works are now considered "classics" of shōjo manga...
. She has been described as "the most beloved shōjo manga artist of all time." In addition to being an "industry pioneer", her body of work "shows a maturity, depth and personal vision found only in the finest of creative artists".
Publishing career
Moto Hagio made her professional debut in 1969 at the age of 20 with her short story "Lulu to Mimi" in NakayoshiNakayoshi
is a shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha in Japan. First published in December 1954, it is a long-running magazine with over 50 years worth of manga publication history. The target demographic for Nakayoshi is aimed at young girls between...
. Nakayoshis publisher Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
wanted "bright and lively" works, and rival publisher Shogakukan sought her out. Keiko Takemiya
Keiko Takemiya
is a Japanese manga artist. She is included in the Year 24 Group. She resides in Kamukura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Takemiya was one of the female authors who in the early 1970s pioneered a genre of girls' comics about love between young men; in December 1970 she published a short story, "In the...
introduced Hagio to Takemiya's editor, Junya Yamamoto, who accepted all of Hagio's works that Kodansha had rejected. When Hagio began drawing manga, she cut large sheets of "manga paper" to B4 size, and she still uses a G-Pen and a Maru-Pen. When she began drawing manga, she used India ink
India ink
India ink is a simple black ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing, especially when inking comic books and comic strips.-Composition:...
and a brush, but now uses Copic
Copic
is a brand of marker made in Japan by Too and distributed in the United States and Canada by Imagination International. The markers are available in 346 colors and are refillable. The inks used to refill the markers can be mixed to create new colors, and empty markers are sold for this purpose...
markers. Later, for Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
Publishing, she produced a series of short stories for various magazines. Two years after her debut, she published Juichigatsu no Gimunajiumu 11月のギムナジウム (The November Gymnasium), a short story that dealt openly with love between two boys at a boarding school
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. The story was part of a larger movement by female manga artists at the time that pioneered shōnen-ai
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
, a genre of girls' comics about love between young men. In 1974, Hagio developed this story into the longer Thomas no Shinzō (The Heart of Thomas). She was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
in 1976 for her science fiction classic Juichinin Iru!
They Were Eleven
is a manga by Moto Hagio which ran in Shōjo Comic for three issues from September through November 1975. It was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1976, and a sequel Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West was produced in 1976. It was published in English as part of the anthology...
(They Were Eleven) and her epic tale Poe no Ichizoku
Poe no Ichizoku
is a Japanese shōjo historical manga by Moto Hagio that depicts a family of vampires from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The two main characters, Edgar Portsnell and Allan Twilight, as well as the family are named after Edgar Allan Poe. It was serialized by Shogakukan in Flower Comics from 1972 to...
(The Poe Family). In the mid 1980s, Hagio wrote her first long work - Marginal
Marginal (manga)
is a Japanese science fiction manga written and illustrated by Moto Hagio, and serialised in Petit Flower between 1985 and 1987. It is a gender-reversed take on science fiction stories that Hagio had read where men disappeared, leaving an all-female world....
. Prior to writing Iguana Girl in 1991, Hagio had not set her works in contemporary Japan. Moto Hagio had a role in the 2008 film Domomata no Shi (Death of Domomata). On June 11, 2009, a party was held in Moto Hagio's honor, "celebrating her 40th year as a professional manga artist". Approximately 200 people attended. In 2011, Joshibi University of Art and Design
Joshibi University of Art and Design
abbreviated"", is a private art and design university located in Suginami and Sagamihara in Japan.Joshibi is the first art institution for female students in Japan and is the oldest art school as private.- History :...
appointed Hagio as a guest professor.
Personal life
Hagio is a science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
fan, and considers Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
, and Robert Heinlein to have influenced her, and she has adapted Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
's short story "R is for Rocket
R is for Rocket
R is for Rocket is a short story collection by Ray Bradbury, compiled for Young Adult library sections. It contains fifteen stories from earlier Bradbury collections, and two previously uncollected stories.-Contents:* "R Is for Rocket"...
" into manga format.
Works
- Ruru to Mimi, 1969
- Seireigari, 1971–1974
- 11-gatsu no Gymnasium, 1971
- Poe no IchizokuPoe no Ichizokuis a Japanese shōjo historical manga by Moto Hagio that depicts a family of vampires from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The two main characters, Edgar Portsnell and Allan Twilight, as well as the family are named after Edgar Allan Poe. It was serialized by Shogakukan in Flower Comics from 1972 to...
, 1972–1976 - Tottemo Shiwase Moto-chan, 1972–1976
- Thomas no Shinzou, 1973–1975
- They were ElevenThey Were Elevenis a manga by Moto Hagio which ran in Shōjo Comic for three issues from September through November 1975. It was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1976, and a sequel Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West was produced in 1976. It was published in English as part of the anthology...
, 1975–1976 - Alois, 1975
- Hyaku Oku no Hiru to Sen oku no Yoru, 1977–1978
- Star Red, 1978–1979
- Mesh, 1980–1984
- Houmonsha, 1980
- A-A, 1981
- Hanshin, 1984
- MarginalMarginal (manga)is a Japanese science fiction manga written and illustrated by Moto Hagio, and serialised in Petit Flower between 1985 and 1987. It is a gender-reversed take on science fiction stories that Hagio had read where men disappeared, leaving an all-female world....
, 1985–1987 - Flower Festival, 1988–1989
- Aoi Tori, 1989
- Umi no Aria, 1989–1991
- Roma e no Michi, 1990
- Abunai Oke no Ie, 1992–1994
- Zankokuna Kami ga Shihai suruA Cruel God Reignsis a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Moto Hagio. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's josei manga magazine, Petit Flower. Moto Hagio was awarded the first Osamu Tezuka Culture Award Excellence prize in 1997 for A Cruel God Reigns.-Plot:...
, 1993–2001 - Barbara Ikai, 2002–2005
Works in English
Few of her works appear in English, but here are some that do:- A, A', which is currently out of print and includes three stories titled A, A' (A, A Prime), 4/4 (Quatre-Quarts), and X+Y parts one and two (all originally published in 1981).
- They Were ElevenThey Were Elevenis a manga by Moto Hagio which ran in Shōjo Comic for three issues from September through November 1975. It was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1976, and a sequel Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West was produced in 1976. It was published in English as part of the anthology...
(original date of publication 1975), which was part of the 1996 anthology Four Shōjo StoriesFour Shojo StoriesFour Shōjo Stories is a shōjo manga anthology released by Viz Media in February 1996. It contains two stories by Keiko Nishi, and one each by Moto Hagio and Shio Satō. This was one of the first shōjo titles released in English in North America.-Plot:PromiseThe brother and father of Reiko, a...
. They Were Eleven is available on DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
as an animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, in both dubbedDubbing (filmmaking)Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
and subtitled formats. Like most anime based on manga, there are various minor changes and omissions.
- Hanshin (original date of publication 1984), a short story, which was published in issue 269 of The Comics JournalThe Comics JournalThe Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
alongside an interview with Moto Hagio conducted by Matt ThornMatt ThornMatt Thorn is a cultural anthropologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Manga Production at Kyoto Seika University's Faculty of Manga in Japan. He is most well known in North America for his work dealing with shōjo manga. He has appeared at multiple anime conventions, including...
.
A, A' and They Were Eleven
They Were Eleven
is a manga by Moto Hagio which ran in Shōjo Comic for three issues from September through November 1975. It was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1976, and a sequel Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West was produced in 1976. It was published in English as part of the anthology...
have science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
settings, and both They Were Eleven and X+Y include transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
elements. The science fiction aspects in particular have led to Hagio's work appealing to manga readers who do not generally like shōjo manga.
A 2010 anthology, A Drunken Dream and Other Stories
A Drunken Dream and Other Stories
A Drunken Dream and Other Stories is a Japanese manga anthology written and illustrated by Moto Hagio, collecting a variety of her short stories originally from 1970-2007.-Publication:...
, collects the following stories:
- “Bianca” (1970)
- “Girl on Porch with Puppy” (1971)
- “Autumn Journey” (1971)
- “Marié, Ten Years Later” (1977)
- “A Drunken Dream” (1980)
- “Hanshin” (1984)
- “Angel Mimic” (1984)
- “Iguana GirlIguana Girlis a manga by Moto Hagio published in Petit Flower. It was adapted into a television drama in 1996.It is about a young girl, Rika, whose mother views her as being ugly, and favours her other daughter, Mami...
” (1991) - “The Child Who Comes Home” (1998)
- “The Willow Tree” (2007)
These were selected by translator Matt Thorn to be a representative sample of her whole career, with the input of a mixi
Mixi
mixi, Inc. is one of several social networking websites in Japan, founded in 2004. As of May 2008, mixi had over 21.6 million users and an 80% share of the social networking market in Japan...
fan club for Hagio.
Video game works
Moto Hagio did the character designs for QuintetQuintet (game developer)
is a Japanese video game developer, founded in 1987 or 1989. The company name is derived from musical terminology, as well as 5 elements of game design - planning, graphics, sound, programmers, and producers...
's video game Illusion of Gaia
Illusion of Gaia
, known in Europe as Illusion of Time, is an action role-playing game that was released on September 1, 1994, for the Super NES . It was developed by Quintet. Enix published the game in Japan, and Nintendo published it worldwide...
.
Awards
- 1976: 21st Shogakukan Manga AwardShogakukan Manga AwardThe is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
for Poe no IchizokuPoe no Ichizokuis a Japanese shōjo historical manga by Moto Hagio that depicts a family of vampires from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The two main characters, Edgar Portsnell and Allan Twilight, as well as the family are named after Edgar Allan Poe. It was serialized by Shogakukan in Flower Comics from 1972 to...
and They Were ElevenThey Were Elevenis a manga by Moto Hagio which ran in Shōjo Comic for three issues from September through November 1975. It was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1976, and a sequel Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West was produced in 1976. It was published in English as part of the anthology... - 1980: 11th Seiun AwardSeiun AwardThe is a Japanese science fiction award for the best science fiction published in Japan during the preceding year, as voted by attendees of the Japan Science Fiction Convention. "Seiun" is the Japanese word for "nebula", but the award is not related to the American Nebula Award. It was named after...
for Star Red - 1983: 14th Seiun AwardSeiun AwardThe is a Japanese science fiction award for the best science fiction published in Japan during the preceding year, as voted by attendees of the Japan Science Fiction Convention. "Seiun" is the Japanese word for "nebula", but the award is not related to the American Nebula Award. It was named after...
for Gin no Sankaku (Silver Triangle) - 1985: 16th Seiun AwardSeiun AwardThe is a Japanese science fiction award for the best science fiction published in Japan during the preceding year, as voted by attendees of the Japan Science Fiction Convention. "Seiun" is the Japanese word for "nebula", but the award is not related to the American Nebula Award. It was named after...
for X+Y - 1997: 1st Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize (Award for Excellence) for Zankoku na kami ga shihai suru (A Cruel God Reigns)
- 2006: 27th Nihon SF Taisho AwardNihon SF Taisho AwardNihon SF Taishō Award is a Japanese science fiction award. It has been compared to the Nebula Award as it is given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan or SFWJ...
for Barbara IkaiBarbara Ikaiis a science fiction manga by Moto Hagio. It is set in a near-future Japan, and begins with a girl, Jyujo Aoba, who has been in a coma since she was nine years old, who was discovered next to her parents' bodies, with their hearts inside her stomach...
(Otherworld Barbara) - 2010: Comic-ConComic-ConComic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
's Inkpot AwardInkpot AwardThe Inkpot Award, bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International, is given to some of the professionals in comic book, comic strip, animation, science fiction, and related pop-culture fields, who are guests of that organization's yearly multigenre fan convention, commonly known as... - 2011: 40th Japan Cartoonists Association AwardJapan Cartoonists Association Awardis an annual award for manga, sponsored by the Japan Cartoonists Association. The awards began in 1972.-Recipients:-External links:* *...
s: The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award
External links
- Moto Hagio Titles - list of works
- Cafe Bleu