Keiko Takemiya is included in theYear 24 Group, a term coined by academics and critics to refer to a group of female authors in the early 1970s who helped transformshōjo manga (manga for girls) from being created primarily by male authors to being created by female authors.[4][5] These women were born in the year 1949 in theGregorian calendar, orShōwa 24 – the 24th year of theShōwa era in theJapanese calendar which resulted in the name "Year 24".[6][4]
The addition of realism to the stories of Takemiya, as well as othershōjo manga creators such asMoto Hagio, andYumiko Oshima is cited as a reason for the increased popularity of the genre.[7]
Takemiya cites her influences as beingshōnen manga (manga for boys), the works ofShotaro Ishinomori, films, and documentaries. In 1972, after publishingSora ga Suki! (空がすき！; "I Love the Sky!"), Takemiya traveled to Europe to learn more about life there as research forKaze to Ki no Uta ("The Poem of Wind and Trees"). After that, she traveled to different parts of Europe on an almost annual basis.[5]
Among her best known works are the mangaKaze to Ki no Uta andToward the Terra, which are noted for being pioneering series of the 1970s and 1980s.[4] She received the 9thSeiun Award for best science fiction manga forToward the Terra in 1978,[9] and the 25th (1979)Shogakukan Manga Award in theshōjo andshōnen category for bothKaze to Ki no Uta andToward the Terra in 1980.[10][11] She is regarded as "one of the first successful crossover women artists" to create bothshōjo andshōnen manga.[12] Many of her series have been adapted intoanime, includingToward the Terra in 1980 and 2007,[10]Natsu e no Tobira ("The Door into Summer") in 1981,[13]Andromeda Stories in 1982,[14] andKaze to Ki no Uta in 1987.[15] In 1983, Takemiya served as a special designer on the theatrical anime filmCrusher Joe: The Movie, alongside other notable manga artists.[16]
Since 2000, Takemiya has taught atKyoto Seika University's Faculty of Manga.[17][18][19] That university is the only one in Japan with its own manga department as well as amuseum showcasing manga art.[20] In 2010, the university offered aMasters graduate degree, where Takemiya would teach.[21] She served as Dean of the Faculty of Manga from April 2008 until March 2013. She was also president of the university from April 2014 to March 2018.[22] During her tenure at Kyoto Seika, Takemiya started the Genga' (Dash) (原画ダッシュ) project, which uses digital technology to create accurate reproductions of manga artwork and manuscripts, for both itspreservation and to produce material suitable forart exhibitions,[23] with a focus onshōjo manga art.[24]
In January 2016, Takemiya published her first autobiography,Shōnen no Na wa Gilbert (少年の名はジルベール,Shōnen no Na wa Jirubēru; "The Boy's Name Is Gilbert"). The book documents theshōjo manga revolution of the 1970s and the creation ofKaze to Ki no Uta andToward the Terra.[30] In March 2021, she published her second autobiography,Tobira wa Hiraku Iku Tabi mo: Jidai no Shōgen-sha (扉はひらくいくたびも 時代の証言者; "The Door Opens Every Time: A Witness of the Times"). Its text was compiled from Takemiya's interviews with journalist Keiko Chino, first published in theJidai no Shōgen-sha column of theYomiuri Shimbun newspaper.[31][32]
Takemiya's work is featured in the catalogue forThe Citi Exhibition: Manga (2019), including an interview where she discusses the Genga (Dash) project (pages 253-267).[33]
In 2019, the Japanese Diet proposed and then ultimately withdrew a bill that could increasecopyright control on the internet for publishers. Takemiya opposed the bill, saying it could harm the creation offan fiction. “Fan fiction represents a love for manga,” Takemiya said. “We don’t want the close relationship between artists and fans to collapse.”[34]
^abOgi, Fusami (2008). "Shôjo Manga (Japanese Comics for Girls) in the 1970s' Japan as a Message to Women's Bodies: Interviewing Keiko Takemiya – A Leading Artist of the Year 24 Flower Group".International Journal of Comic Art.10 (2):148–169.ISSN1531-6793.
^Thorn, Rachel (2010). ""The Magnificent Forty-Niners"".A Drunken Dream and Other Stories. pp. V–VII.
^Toole, Michael (August 10, 2014)."The Mike Toole Show – YAS Hands".Anime News Network.Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2022.[Yoshikazu Yasuhiko] followedArion withThe Song of Wind and Trees, a 1987 OVA based on the manga by Keiko Takemiya.
^"Genga'(Dash) Project".Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center (in Japanese and English).Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2022.
^"Genga'(Dash) Project: Authors".Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center (in Japanese and English).Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2022.
^Coolidge Rousmaniere, Nicole; Ryoko, Matsuba (2019).The Citi exhibition Manga マンガ'. London: Thames & Hudson, The British Museum.ISBN978-0-500-48049-6.
^竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ [Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope] (in Japanese). Tokyo:Shinchosha. September 16, 2016. p. 199.ISBN978-4-10-602269-2.2000年：ブライトの憂鬱（私を月まで連れてって！／続編）… 月刊メロディ10月号〜2004年11月号 白泉社 [2000:Bright no Yūutsu (Watashi o Tsuki made Tsuretette! sequel) ...Monthly Melody October [2000] issue – November 2004 issue, Hakusensha.]
