is a Japanese

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

and singer. She is included in the

Year 24 Group The is a grouping of female manga artists who heavily influenced ''shōjo'' manga (Japanese girls' comics) beginning in the 1970s. While ''shōjo'' manga of the 1950s and 1960s largely consisted of simple stories marketed towards elementary s ...

, by some, although her status as one of them has been debated due to a focus more on epic stories than the internal psychology of those mangaka. She was one of the most popular Japanese comic artists in the 1970s, being best known for ''

The Rose of Versailles , also known as ''Lady Oscar'' and ''La Rose de Versailles'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine '' Margaret'' from 1972 to 1973, while a revival of the s ...

''.

Education

Ikeda was a

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

major and a member of the Democratic Youth League of Japan. She would later drop out.

Career

Ikeda began publishing manga in the magazine ''Kashihonya'' while studying philosophy. She debuted in 1967 with ''Bara Yashiki no Shōjo''. Ikeda has written and illustrated many

shōjo manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent boys), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adul ...

, many of which are based on

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

events, such as the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

or the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. Her use of foreign settings and androgynous themes made ''

'' and '' Orpheus no Mado'' enormous successes. Her most famous manga is ''

'', also known as ''Lady Oscar'' in Europe. This manga, loosely based on the

, has been made into several Takarazuka

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

s and into an

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series and a

live-action film Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

. After ''Rose of Versailles'' concluded, Ikeda wrote articles for ''

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...

''. In the 2000s Ikeda studied at a music school and became a singer. Her voice is in the

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

range. She made a comeback to the comic industry as a script writer in 1999. Her recent manga includes ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the '' Nibe ...

''. It is a manga version of the

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

written by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

. In 2008, she received France's

Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

for her contribution to Japan's cultural awareness of France, and she has been a guest of the 2011

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lu ...

Works

* ''Bara Yashiki no Shōjo'' (1967) — short story * ''Soyo Kaze no Mary'' — short story * ''Francesca no Shouzou'' (1969) * ''Sokoku ni Ai o'' (1969) * ''Freesia no Asa'' (1970) * ''Futari Pocchi'' (1971) * ''Ikite te Yokatta!'' (1971) * ''Jinchouge'' (1971) * ''Mariko'' (1971) * ''Sakura Kyou'' (1972) * ''

'' (1972) * ''Shiroi Egmont'' (1973) * ''Yureru Soushun'' (1973) * ''Shōko no Etude'' (1974) * ''

Dear Brother is a Japanese manga series by Riyoko Ikeda. It was adapted into an anime series that aired on the channel NHK-BS2 from July 14, 1991 to May 31, 1992. The series originally started out as a manga in the early to mid-1970s. The story is a ...

'' (1974) * '' Orpheus no Mado'' (1975) * ''

Claudine Claudine may refer to: Name * Claudine (given name), a feminine given name of French origin Culture * ''Claudine'' (film), a 1974 American film by John Berry ** ''Claudine'' (soundtrack), its soundtrack album. Music by Curtis Mayfield and Gladis ...

'' (1978) * ''Ayako'' (1980) * ''Epitaram: A Wedding Song'' (1981) * ''Aoi Zakuro'' (1982) * ''Jotei Ecatherina'' (1982) * ''

Versailles no Bara Gaiden , also known as ''Lady Oscar'' and ''La Rose de Versailles'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine '' Margaret'' from 1972 to 1973, while a revival of the s ...

'' (1984) — extra chapters for ''The Rose of Versailles'' * ''

Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica is a manga by Riyoko Ikeda that is the official sequel to ''The Rose of Versailles''. It tells the story of Napoleon's empire, including the Thermidorian Reaction, the Italian Campaign, the Egyptian Campaign, the Battle of the Nile, the co ...

'' (1986) * ''Glass no Yami'' (1987) * ''Mijo Monogatari'' (1988) * ''Kasuganotsubon - Kefuzo Kataku o'' (1989) * ''Porando Hishi Ten no Hate Made'' (1990) — Poland's Secret Story: To the Borders of Heaven * ''Shoutoku Taishi'' (1991) * ''Fuyu no Shukusai'' (1997) * ''Elizabeth'' (1999) — text only; art by Erika Miyamoto * ''Niberunku no Yubiwa'' (2000) — ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' * ''Ikeda Riyoko the Best: Ai to Tatakau Onnatachi'' (2001) * ''Falcon no Meikishu'' (2004) * ''Ai wa Waltz ni Nosete'' (2005) * ''BeruBara Kids'' (2006) — ''The Rose of Versailles Kids'' (parody) * ''Haru no Yuki'' (2006) — ''Spring Snow'' * '' The Legend'' (Taiōshijinki) (2007) * ''Taketori Monogatari'' (2014)

References

External links

Riyoko Ikeda's Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikeda, Riyoko 1947 births Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Japanese female comics artists Japanese sopranos Living people University of Tsukuba alumni Musicians from Osaka 21st-century Japanese singers Women manga artists Manga artists from Osaka Prefecture Musicians from Osaka Prefecture 21st-century Japanese writers 21st-century Japanese women writers 21st-century Japanese women singers Recipients of the Legion of Honour