Rachel Thorn (formerly Matt Thorn; born May 12, 1965) is a

cultural anthropologist Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The portman ...

and an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

in the Department of Manga Production at

Kyoto Seika University is a private university in Iwakura, Kyoto, Japan. The school's predecessor was founded in 1968, and it was chartered as a university in 1979. The school is noted for its faculties of manga and anime, and being involved in the teaching and ...

's Faculty of Manga in Japan. She is best known in North America for her work dealing with manga (Japanese comics for girls). She has appeared at multiple

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 ...

conventions, including Otakon 2004. She chose to translate manga into English after reading ''

The Heart of Thomas is a 1974 Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Moto Hagio. Originally serialized in '' Shūkan Shōjo Comic'', a weekly manga magazine publishing ''shōjo'' manga (manga aimed at young and adolescent women), the series follows ...

'' by

Moto Hagio is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to ''shōjo'' manga ( manga aimed at young and adolescent women), Hagio is considered the most significant artist in the demographic and among the most influential manga artists of a ...

in the mid-1980s. In March 2010, it was announced that Thorn would edit a line of

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

co-published by

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

and

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

Bibliography

The following credits are for translation unless otherwise noted. Most of the translation credits are as "Matt Thorn": * '' 2001 Nights'', by

Yukinobu Hoshino is a Japanese manga artist. Life He was born in Kushiro, Hokkaidō and dropped out of Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music after two years of studying mid-semester from the fine arts department. He moved to Tokyo in order to pu ...

* '' A, A''', by

* ''

AD Police ''AD Police Files'' is a three-part original video animation produced by Youmex and animated by Artmic and AIC. Set in 2027, it is a prequel to the ''Bubblegum Crisis'' OVA series, focusing mainly on AD Police officer Leon McNichol, the futu ...

'', by

Tony Takezaki is a Japanese mangaka born on July 15, 1963, in Osaka. Selected bibliography Manga and anime * A.D. Police Files (1990) * Dr Kishiwada's Scientific Affection (1992–98) * Genocyber is a 1992 Japanese manga series by Tony Takezaki. One ...

* '' Banana Fish'', by

Akimi Yoshida is a Japanese manga artist and a graduate of Musashino Art University. She made her professional debut in 1977 with the short story , published in '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine. Yoshida is best known for the crime thriller series '' Bana ...

( 1–4, translated with Yuji Oniki) * ''

Battle Angel Alita ''Gunnm '' ( ja, 銃夢, Ganmu, ), also known as ''Battle Angel Alita'' in English, is a Japanese cyberpunk manga series created by Yukito Kishiro and originally published in Shueisha's ''Business Jump'' magazine from 1990 to 1995. The se ...

'', by

Yukito Kishiro is a Japanese manga artist born in Tokyo in 1967 and raised in Chiba. As a teenager he was influenced by the mecha anime ''Armored Trooper Votoms'' and ''Mobile Suit Gundam'', in particular the designs of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, as well as the w ...

* ''

Dance Till Tomorrow is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Yamamoto. It is a romantic comedy which details the life of Suekichi Terayama, a student who will inherit a fortune when he graduates from college and gets married with unexpecte ...

'', by Naoki Yamamoto * ''

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 to 2007. Publication The stories were selected by translator Rachel M ...

'', by Moto Hagio (translator and editor) * ''Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan'', edited by William W. Kelly (anthology, one chapter by Thorn) * ''

Four Shōjo Stories ''Four 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 earliest (if not the first) shōjo titles relea ...

'', an anthology of manga by

Keiko Nishi is a Japanese manga artist. Life After graduating from Kagoshima Prefectural Ibusuki High School, she attended Tsuru University from where she graduated with a degree in Japanese literature. While still attending Tsuru University, Nishi mad ...

, Moto Hagio, and

Shio Satō (6 December 1952 – 4 April 2010) was a Japanese manga artist. Satō was a member of the Post Year 24 Group, a group of female manga artists considered influential in the development of shōjo manga. She also wrote under the pen name . She ...

* ''

'', by Moto Hagio (translator and editor) * ''

The Legend of Kamui is a manga series written and drawn by Sanpei Shirato. Set in feudal Japan, it tells the story of a low-born ninja who has fled his clan. The series combines historical adventure with social commentary and themes of oppression and rebel ...

'', by

Sanpei Shirato , known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist and essayist known for his social criticism as well as the realism of his drawing style and the characters in his scenarios. He was considered a pioneer of the controversial ''gekiga'' genre ...

* ''Love Song'', an anthology of short stories by Keiko Nishi * ''

Maison Ikkoku is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 1980 to 1987, with the chapters collected into 15 ''tankōbon'' volumes. ' ...

'', by

Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with ''Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, Takahashi is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are popular worldwide, where they have ...

* '' Mermaid Saga'', by Rumiko Takahashi * ''

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind may refer to * Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga), ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'' (manga), a manga series by Hayao Miyazaki * Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film), ''Nausicaä of the Valle ...

'', by

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

* ''

Otherworld Barbara is 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 sto ...

'', by Moto Hagio * ''

The Poe Clan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Moto Hagio. It was serialized in the manga magazines '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' and '' Shūkan Shōjo Comic'' from 1972 to 1976, while a revival of the series has been serialized in '' ...

'', by Moto Hagio * ''

Project A-ko is a 1986 Japanese action comedy science fiction anime film that had several sequels and a spin-off. This film focuses on a happy-go-lucky 16-year-old red-haired, sailor-suited teenage schoolgirl, A-ko Magami, who goes on her magical adventure ...

'' * ''

Red Blinds the Foolish is a Japanese yaoi manga written and illustrated by est em. Initially serialized in '' Mellow Mellow'', the individual chapters were published in a single ''tankōbon'' volume by Ohzora Publishing in January 2008. The volume also includes som ...

'', by

Est Em is the pen name of Maki Satoh, a Japanese manga artist. Career She made her debut as a professional manga artist with three yaoi collections after being scouted in art school. She was a student of Rachel Thorn, who provided translations for ...

* ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

'', by

Sho Fumimura , known by the pen names and , is a Japanese manga writer. Making his debut in 1972, he first found success with the hardboiled detective manga series ''Doberman Deka'' (1975–1979) alongside illustrator Shinji Hiramatsu. He is best-known f ...

and

Ryoichi Ikegami is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He is best known for ''Crying Freeman'' (1986–1988), written by Kazuo Koike, and '' Heat'' (1999–2004), written by Buronson. The latter won the ...

* ''

Silent Möbius is a twelve-volume manga series created by manga artist Kia Asamiya. Both anime versions have been licensed by Bandai Entertainment. It is heavily influenced by the film ''Blade Runner'' and is centered on the lives of a dedicated group o ...

'', by

Kia Asamiya , best known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist whose work spans multiple genres and appeals to diverse audiences. He is well known for using influences from American comics, television, and films in his work, and describes himself as ...

* ''Striker: The Armored Warrior'', by Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa * ''

Seduce Me After the Show is a Boys' Love manga by est em released in English by Aurora Publishing in April 2008. It will be republished in English by Digital Manga. It was released in French as ''Tango'' by Editions H. ''Seduce Me After the Show'' contains five sho ...

'', by Est Em (supervising translator) * * ''

Wandering Son is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takako Shimura. It was originally serialized in ''Comic Beam'' from the December 2002 to August 2013 issue, and published in 15 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Enterbrain from July 2003 to August ...

'', by

Takako Shimura is a Japanese manga artist. She is primarily known for her manga works which feature LGBT (especially lesbian and transgender) topics. Her best known and selling series are ''Aoi Hana'' and '' Wandering Son''. ''Aoi Hana'' was adapted as an anim ...

References

External links

* * Anime and manga critics Cultural anthropologists American translators Living people 1965 births American expatriates in Japan American anthropologists Transgender women Transgender writers LGBT academics American women anthropologists LGBT anthropologists Japanese–English translators American LGBT writers American expatriate academics {{US-cultural-anthropologist-stub