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 a member of 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 ...
.
She made her professional debut in 1969 with the short story in ''
Bessatsu Margaret
, or for short, is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly in Japan by Shueisha since 1964.
Serializations
Current
*''Fujishiro-san Kei'' – Yuki Nojin
*'' Ima Koi: Now I'm in Love'' – Ayuko Hatta
*''My Special One'' – Momoko Kōda
* ...
''.
She is best known for her
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 ...
series , serialized from 1977 to 1984 in ''
LaLa
Lala may refer to:
Geography
* Lala language (disambiguation) Places
* Lala (Naples Metro), an underground metro station in Naples, Italy
* Lala, Assam, a town in Assam, India
* Lala, Ilam, a village in Ilam Province, Iran
* Lala, Lanao del No ...
'', which follows a romance between two young men at the start of the
Shōwa era
The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa ( Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the Taishō era.
The pre-1945 and post-war Shōwa periods are almos ...
.
Several of her manga series have inspired
musicals performed by the all-female
Takarazuka Revue
The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals and stories adapted from films, novels, manga, and Japane ...
, including ''Angélique'', an adaptation of the
novels by Anne Golon;
, an adaptation of the
Heian era
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
tale ;
and .
In 1985, Kihara won the 30th
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...
in the
(girls') category for , a multi-volume collection of short stories with (male-male romance) themes.
In 2017, to commemorate Kihara's 48th anniversary as a manga artist,
Kawade Shobo Shinsha published a book containing a chronological list of all of her works; a lengthy interview with Kihara about her career; a round-table discussion between Kihara and her fellow Year 24 Group members,
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 ...
and
Yasuko Aoike
is a female Japanese manga artist. Most of her works are ''shōjo'' manga, predominantly focused on romance, adventure, and light comedy, and many of them contain elements of shōnen-ai. She is included in Year 24 group.
Aoike grew up as the you ...
; and contributions from other celebrated manga artists, such as
Riyoko Ikeda
is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She is included in the Year 24 Group, 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 ...
and
Yasuko Sakata
Yasuko Sakata 坂田 靖子 is a Japanese manga artist who belongs to the Post Year 24 Group. She was born on 25 February 1953 in Osaka, Japan. She now lives in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. Her official debut was with the work ''Saikon Kyousou ...
.
The same year, Kihara's first solo
art exhibition
An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhib ...
was held at the Span Art Gallery in
Ginza
Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo, with numerous intern ...
, Tokyo, Japan, from November 3 to November 14, 2017.
The exhibition was also held at the Niigata City Manga House in
Niigata, Japan, from June 21 to October 9, 2018.
Another exhibition dedicated solely to was held at the Span Art Gallery in two parts: first, from April 26 to May 8, 2019, and second, from June 22 to July 9, 2019. During its run, Kihara made several appearances at the gallery to sign autographs.
Works
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:* An adaptation of
Anne Golon
Anne Golon (17 December 1921 – 14 July 2017) was a French author, better known to English-speaking readers as Sergeanne Golon. Her ''Angélique'' novels have reportedly sold 150 million copies worldwide and have inspired multiple adaptations. ...
's
''Angélique'' novel series
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References
External links
Official Twitter account
at ''
Monthly Flowers''
*
1948 births
Female comics writers
Japanese female comics artists
Japanese women writers
Living people
Manga artists from Tokyo
People from Tokyo
Women manga artists
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