Welcome to Imaginarium: an alternate history of art. A podcast where we delve in to the most obscure parts of art history.
Hello dear listeners, I’m your host Nadjah, and in this podcast, we try to shed light on less studied parts of the history of art and visual culture. In today’s episode, we’re going to wear our most extravagants outfits and gloves, curl our hair and look at the world with giant Sparkles in our eyes. We will explore one of my favorite eras of manga, the most excessive world of 1970s shoujo manga. From Rose of Versailles to Heart of Thomas, this era of manga has so much more depth to offer than we initially seem to think, so… without any further ado. Let’s begin.
First of all, I think it would be just nice to put everything in its context and talk about what is manga, and specifically shoujo manga. Even though manga is now an international staple of the comic industry, from My Hero Academia to Witch Hat Atelier, it definitely transcends genres and classifications. It is definitely a style of comic that has a very rich and established history and that people have been increasingly appreciating in the last decades, it has grown to have a very mainstream and crucial place in the international comic industry. I feel like this will needlessly explain something that most of you dear listeners probably already know, nonetheless, I think it is still important to make sure everyone is on the same page. Manga is simply the term to designate Japanese comics. It is true that mangas do have their own tropes and visual conventions that developed independently from the western comic industry, but at its core, manga is a comic, a way of telling a story through the use of sequential art and text.
Shoujo manga is definitely and predictably my favorite genre of all when it comes to manga, literally no one who has ever interacted with me at least once is surprised. Shoujo is simply the name given to the subgenre of manga that is generally and historically aimed toward youn girls. I am definitely the kind of person to think that everyone should be allowed to read whatever they want, no matter the apparent and in my very humble opinion, very needless, gendering of the story. A good story is a good story and I simply think more people would benefit from reading stories such as Sailor Moon or Card Captor Sakura…or maybe Princess Tutu….There truly are so many excellent stories within this genre and I do hope people do give them a try at least.
Even though it is a type of story that is specifically created to appeal to a public of young girls mostly. It can include a wide range of stories from magical girl adventure stories to simple romances set in high schools and coming of age stories. These stories are often given a bad rep for being shallow, trivial and superficial, which definitely seems to be a recurring theme when it comes to media aimed at a primarily female audience. But, dear listener, we both know that this is far from the truth, don’t we ?
When it comes to the 1970s shoujo manga, I think it's important to kind of talk a bit about what happened before that era in the world of comics and manga in Japan as to have a better idea of the context in which this sort of comic flourished. So i’ll start with a brief (very brief) history of the manga, this is really not meant to cover the complete and entire very rich history of comics or even specifically of japanese comics, but simply to understand even if just generally, the historical context that surrounds the eventual creation of the type of art that will come to be during the 1970s.
Even though comics and manga seem like a relatively new concept to us, the fact still is that the simple notion of sequential art and mixing words and images is older than we think it is. It is true that the way it appears is wildly different from what we imagine and that it doesn’t fit with the modern idea of what we think comics or mangas are. Nonetheless, the basic idea is still the same, to be able to tell a story with the combined use of images and words. The first instance of what is considered to be a type of manga comes from a 12th or 13th century illustrated scroll with drawings of frogs and rabbits, named « The scrolls of Frolicking Animals ». A very short animation adapted from these scrolls was even produced by Studio Ghibli and it is adorable. Even the great japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, known for the extremely popular print of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”, im sure you all have seen this work of art at some point of your life, even if you think you know nothing of art history, i am CERTAIN of it, but even him had a book in 1814 called “Hokusai Manga” which is a collection of sketches and drawings by the famous artist. So, the term “manga” had been in usage for a very long time, and its history is deeper than we might initially thing.
And this sort of simple combination of sequential art along with some text continued on until the beginning of the 20th century, where things really changed on a global level for the art of comics, especially following the end of the Second World War. It is during that period that started the beginning of the industry of the manga that ended up becoming the lucrative field that it eventually ended up being. With the influence of some american comics during the Second World War, comics started being published in newspapers and magazines. This overall concept ended up being so successful and thriving that a number of specialized magazines got created and published new mangas on a weekly or monthly basis.
A lot of mangas got started in that way, titles such as Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka, which is one of the earliest mangas in the way we comprehend it now. A manga that has been incredibly popular in its time, and still has a lot of nostalgia even to this day. This way of publishing and distributing manga has been the basis of the way things are done currently, even though things are definitely changing with the internet and new communication technologies. People can now self-publish their own comics without needing to rely on traditional publishing to bring their work to the public. From webcomics to simply sharing their work on social media, the landscape of the comic and of the manga world has been evolving at an extremely rapid speed in the past years, and will probably continue to do so as it finds its footing between the traditional way of doing things and this new platform that artists have. This is by no mean restricted to the comic industry, but generally speaking, a lot of creative industry, from book publishing, music, art, etc etc have been navigating these issues as certain concepts become a bit less needed to be able to achieve success. It is not to say that huge publishing houses or music studios will become obsolete, just that the times are changing, and I’m very excited to see to what extent it will continue to do so.
But back to the early 20th century, with the rise of the publishing industry and the rapid industrialization of the field of printing truly upended the way things were usually done. More and more of these magazines started appearing with all of these illustrated comics which were a staple of children's magazines until the 1950s, which was the main audience for these stories during that time. And even with the austerity and harsh economic conditions, paper was always a cheap material to produce and to buy. It is also during that time that the distinction between shoujo manga, which we’ve covered a bit earlier, and shounen manga, which is a genre dedicated to an audience of younger boys, with more stereotypically masculine stories, really got settled, with each audience having their dedicated monthly and weekly illustrated magazines. Even though each of these sub-genres also have their own subsequent sub-categories like josei for example, I think it’s going to be simpler if we simply stick to the terms of shoujo and shounen for the purpose of this episode.
During the decades preceding the 1970s, artists such as Makoto Takahashi were very much the vogue and established the general aesthetic when it came to shoujo manga. He was one of the key figures of the shoujo manga of the late 1950s and 1960s, building the core visual conventions for female-centric manga in the mid-20th century, such as the curly ringlets, bows and flowers everywhere. His art was cute and fashionable, and very appealing to the young girls reading the shoujo magazines of the time. And it also simply is something i think simply is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to look at, characters that are well dressed, and have huge and sparkling eyes, long and beautiful flowy hair, painted in soft colors palettes. His art style is the epitome of Cuteness and prettiness as it would be established during that era, especially within the shoujo genre. Even when it comes to formal comic techniques, he also played a lot with the visual tools of the comic layouts, and innovated a lot when it came to the visual and technical side of manga.
It is always important when it comes to discussing manga and comics in general, that this medium is very much an entanglement of words and images, and you cannot dissociate one from the other. Also, it is also very much important to remember that the visual arts is also very much the text. Visual literacy is incredibly important during our current age of mass media, where images are a huge component, if not the main component, of the media we consume on a daily basis, and it is important to be able to understand them and to study them. I know I’m getting a bit on a tangent but it is still important for me to say. And in this same vein, as i was saying, when you look to analyze a manga or comic, it is impossible to simply talk of the story and of the art as separate entities because the art IS the story.
As i was saying, Takahashi definitely innovated when it came to formal techniques of manga, with the layouts and how he used the page. For example, he was arguably the first one to use the technique that is now known as the « quote » three row style picture « unquote » The traditional panels in which the page was divided in a wildly different way than people were used to, thus implementing a new narrative structure using these panels. Sometimes adding a full figure character overlaying the story panels, something that we now see frequently both in mangas or non-japanese comics, but was a very new and innovative technique at the time. This sort of new and modern way of drawing mangas would continue deeply influence the later generations.
I would love to own one of the artbooks dedicated to his art, for example « romantic princess style: a collection of art by macoto takahashi » or « Dreaming Girls; Art Collection of Macoto Takahashi ». As you can see by these titles, they are are very cutesy and feminine, very much focusing on a more fairy-tale-like atmosphere to his stories that are often set in vaguely european settings, as would be a lot of the mangas of the 1970s as well. The characters were young girls experiencing adventures and pursuing their interests and were very much a way of centring them in stories where they had agency and control and could expand their horizons even though the stories were mostly always focused on very feminine stories about romantic relationships. The visual aesthetics of the manga of this era, especially of Macoto Takahashi are very focused on the aesthetic of Cuteness.
Which is what we’re now talking about…. welcome to the 1970s. It is in this era that things really got interesting in a lot of ways when it came to shoujo manga. Visual and Storytelling boundaries were pushed by these newcomers on the scene of the manga industry. Especially the group known as the Year 24 was a group of women comic-makers that was composed of very well known artists such as Hagio Moto, Ōshima Yumiko, Takemiya Keiko and Yamagishi Ryōko. All having the same particularity of having been born in 1949, or the 24th year of the Showa Era as the name of the would imply. These women had grown up with the magazines and illustrated stories of the 50s and 60s, such as the previously mentioned Macoto Takahashi, and his visual influence can definitely be seen in the way their styles and stories developed during the 1970s, as they would all go on to become the flagship artists of their eras.
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visual and story particularity of the 70s shoujo manga
When it comes to 1970s shoujo, it is very well known for its very stylish visuals and aesthetic, but also for the way it challenges the norms of the society of the time, and i think in a lot of ways, it is still some very progressive stories, even currently, even tho some terms and tropes might not be up to today’s standards. Nonetheless, these stories were pushing so many boundaries and destroying preconceived notions of what stories could be told through the medium of manga.
With stories featuring gender bending, fluid sexualities and dramatic storylines, A theme of girls cross-dressing up as boys, as seen in rose of versailles, or of dramatic romantic relationships and class tensions. Historical elements of the 18th and 19th century are very heavy in the visual aesthetic of this genre, as shown in such stories as THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES by Riyoko Ikeda in 1972 or CANDY CANDY by Yumiko Igarashi in 1975. From heavily embroidered and embellished court dresses to strict and well-cut military uniforms, flowy and curly hair and sparkly eyes, these specific mangas do lean into a very particular and identifiable aesthetic and visuals, and it is very easy to distinguish them.
The very particular aesthetic of 1970s shoujo is lovely to look at in my opinion, it truly is a feast for the eyes. If you have already seen any kind of older shoujo, you know the sort of visuals that they had, if not, as usual you can be sure to find the images on our social platforms, both on twitter and instagram. A lot of Very overly dramatic shoujo roses that frame the page layout as well as the characters. Sparkly eyes, ringlets and curls with giant bows adorning the hair and clothes, i t is a very ostentatious and flamboyant art style, which obviously takes its inspiration from the 18th century art styles of rococo and baroque, but also just generally from the aesthetic and historical period in which Marie-Antoinette existed. The lush and extravagant period just before the French Revolution was one of the main historical inspiration for the 1970s shoujo. The art of the rococo movement is known as one that is more frivolous and maybe a bit shallow, which are criticisms that I think are very valid, even though I also definitely think that the people who were criticizing the movement, especially during the 18th century were very boring. I am joking but barely. The valid criticisms of rococo in my opinion are less about the prettiness, frivolous and colorful nature of it, but mostly about the ostentatiousness of wealth by the rich, which i think is a very valid criticism.
Nonetheless, what is important to remember about the Rococo movement that started in the early 18th century in France, is its propensity for lush and elaborate serpentine-like details, softer color palettes full of pastels and golds and light colors. It’s a movement that was both within the fine arts with paintings, but also within architecture and the decorative arts, which encompasses interior design as well as furniture design. I think the most eponymous work of art from that movement would definitely be THE SWING by Jean-Honoré Fragonard in 1767. I’m pretty sure most of you know this painting, or at least have seen it before, it’s a painting of a woman, dressed in a beautiful lovely pink gown, on a swing in the middle of a lush and abundant garden in very beautiful deep greens. So it is this art movement that visibly inspired the artists of the 1970s shoujo.
Moto Hagio is also a member of the group of the Year 24 and simply one of the masters of classic shoujo of the time, consolidating the tropes of the genre to this day. With stories such as The Heart of Thomas as well as The Poe Family, she really established herself as one of the key creators of the 1970s shoujo, and she continues to work as a manga artist to this day. Her work, which ranges from character drama, to romance, as well as science-fiction, was greatly inspired by authors such as the very well known author of science fiction and fantasy : Ursula K. Leguin. Her stories are ones that are focus a lot on the inner lives of the characters, on their feelings and it is a work that is narratively really complex and layered, and it is with the use of the visual elements that she manages to do this.
Hagio linked shoujo to the art of theatre in a way that I find really compelling. In a conversation with Naoki Urasawa, who is the author of the popular manga 20th Century Boys and also has a show named urasawa naoki no manben in which he invites various manga-artists to share their work space, film them while creating their art and be able to talk with them about their artistic process. In the episode starring Moto Hagio, they talk about how shoujo manga is a world that’s a bit distorted, where the acting is exaggerated, and so is the drama. Unlike more realistic media and stories, in theatre, you can have some small turn of events, and then just from the lighting suddenly changing, you can create a wholy different scene. This linkening of the shoujo genre, esp the type of shoujo that Moto Hagio herself creates, to the dramatical arts is very fascinating to me. It does make a point of accentuating the very theatrical aspect of 1970s shoujo, there’s a surge of the actions, a heightening of the emotions that the characters feel and of the challenges they have to face. Everything feels like More in a very dramatic way. Which can be a very cathartic experience for the reader.
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The Rose of Versailles
Rose of Versailles still is to this day the titular work of the era and of the style, and had so many adaptations, from the subsequent anime to the 1979 movie Lady Oscar directed by Jacques Demy, a director of the french new wave, which is a subject that we touched upon in the first episode of this podcast, a movie that’s definitely entertaining even tho ….. maybe not really good. as well as reprints of the series through the years. This work stood the test of time and keeps introducing new readers to the work of Riyoko Ikeda and her own particular vision.
Rose of Versailles is a historical fiction manga set at the time of Louis the 16th . The cast of characters included historical characters, such as Marie-Antoinette herself, but also fictional characters like the amazing Oscar, who was raised as a son and she grows up to become Marie-Antonette’s bodyguard and the manga details their adventures in the years leading up to the French Revolution, touching upon subjects such as gender identity, political unrest as well as issues of class. This manga is still one of the pioneer when it comes to this study of gender identity and expression and pushing the boundaries when it comes to this particular subject. Oscar is a gender non-conforming woman who is handsome, competent, confident and kind and who simply is the head of the palace guards. Even when today’s media has a hard time portraying gender non-confirming people in a compassionate and respectful way, and yet this 1970s manga managed to do so in a way that is still relevant and even influential to this day.
So, Ikeda uses the historical french setting to explore all of these themes that were relevant to her, and still are relevant today and will connect with the audience, themes of toxic masculinity, sexism, gender and trying to deal and exist within an oppressive social system. It is by using the french social of the years preceding the french revolution as a framing device that she manages to tackle questions and topics that were important to her as a woman living in japan in the 1970s. And the way she framed these stories, the way it was achieved, was through the visual medium of shoujo manga.
During the 1970s, a new visual language was getting constructed when it came to comics and specifically the technical and formal approach to storytelling, because as I was saying earlier, the art also is the story. The way to construct the layout of the manga was different from the earlier outputs in manga, there is a definite newer and more dynamic way of drawing the story, a certain cinematic framing of the action. Some of these new visual elements will be things such the use of open frames, a visual layering of the components on the page. There was also a much wider use of symbolic imagery and motifs, as well as interior dialogues, in a way that wasn’t really there before that time. This shows how the artists were exploring stories that had a very interior dimension to them, about the feelings and the emotions of the characters, instead of only focusing on the events and actions that are taking place.
The visual framing, with all of the open frames, the way the panels are used in the layout and the composition of the page. The manga artists of the 1970s used white space and negative space as a way to convey the things they wanted to convey for the story. It can create a very dreamy yet ethereal atmosphere to the story, which was an effect they desired with the focus they put on the inner lives of their characters.
It is a new formal and technical vocabulary when it came to the making of manga during that era, something that will embody the image of what the era’s artistic and visual style is. From a lot of delicate line work, full of swirls and sparkles to the use of flowers, to adorn the page. Those flowers are more often than note, simply a decorative and emotional touch to the visual landscape of 1970s shoujo manga. It is this technical and formal exploration of the visual tool of comic that 1970s shoujo manga truly distinguishes itself. This introspection and visual depiction of the inner turmoil of the characters is something that truly impacted the way shoujo manga was going to evolve, and is definitely something that I would like to see more of, just in general. I think it is fascinating how these manga artists use the visual medium of manga as a mean of conveying these deep sentiments and feelings, and using fiction as a way to unravel and deconstruct and understand certain concepts. (add more ?)
Before we go, I put a bunch of relevant resources on today’s subject in the show notes, you have some books as well as some theses and articles that you can read if you maybe want to further your knowledge and read more on the subject. As always, all the relevant images will also be on all of our social platforms @ imaginarium_pod on instagram as well as on twitter. If you want to support this podcast, you can do so on patreon.com-nadjah. I want to take this opportunity to thank my patrons : may leigh, vilja sala, Trung-Le Nguyen Cappecci, Jak, Muq as well as Sam Hirst, thank you so much for supporting this podcast. Today’s Recommendation of the day will be the book and or movie Kamikaze Girls, which i think is quite fitting for today’s subject. Iy is a book on a young girl who is very much into Lolita fashion, a fashion movement that is very decidedly hyper-feminine on purpose and that i love, who goes on a quest to find a mysterious legendary embroiderer, and she is accompanied in this adventure by her unlikely companion: a goth and tough girl. It is such an enjoyable story that i hugely recommend.
On this, I wish you all a very lovely day, evening or night, and I hope to see you soon.
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/488607
https://www.animefeminist.com/history-shoujo-mangas-lost-generation/
https://www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=12068
https://odorunara.com/2016/05/14/the-sparkling-world-of-1970s-shojo-manga-part-1-introduction/
https://fractionoffiction.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/a-history-of-shoujo-manga/
https://shoujo-manga.land/a-peek-at-some-random-70s-80s-shoujo-manga/
https://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/researchlab/wp/wp-content/uploads/sa_dalma_kalovics1.pdf
https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/5642/1/Sutcliffe,_Paul.pdf
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2772&context=art_sci_etds
https://www.rightstufanime.com/post/making-history-the-rose-of-versailles
https://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/2010/12/moto-hagio-girls-and-artists/
http://refractory.unimelb.edu.au/tag/the-rose-of-versailles/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/rococo/