Minori Kimura
Encyclopedia
is a female Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...

, born 11 November 1949 in Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. She is often counted among the Year 24 Group
Year 24 group
refers to one of two female manga artist groups which are considered to have revolutionized shōjo manga . Their works often examine "radical and philosophical issues", including sexuality and gender issues, and many of their works are now considered "classics" of shōjo manga...

, a nebulous group of female manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 artists considered to have revolutionized shōjo manga.

She made her professional debut in 1964 at the age of 14 with her story Picnic, serialized in the Spring Special issue of Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...

, published by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...

. From that point, she continued writing stories during her school breaks which were published in magazines such as COM
COM (manga magazine)
was a manga magazine started in January 1967 by Osamu Tezuka. It was started in response to the success of Garo , and as a way for Tezuka and other artists to showcase more avant-garde and experimental works in manga...

and Ribon Comic
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...

. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the settings for her stories were varied, including places like Auschwitz, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

, and the slums of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, and they covered topics interesting to young girls, elaborately drawing out the feelings and motivations of her characters.

After graduating from college, she took a short break from publishing before returning with , published by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

 in Bessatsu Shōjo Comic
Betsucomi
, formerly known as Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shogakukan, originally aimed at young girls, but increasingly marketed to older teens and young women. It is released on the 13th of each month...

in 1974. The story discussed the struggles of elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

 life. She then published , the story of four young college girls living together. This story caused her to gain popularity, and from that point she generally published in shōjo, seinen, and ladies manga magazines from Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...

 and Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

.

In recent years, she has published fewer works, with most of her releases being reprints of older works. She has also create several health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...

-related manga. One of her works finished its run in 2008 in Mugenkan, a magazine published by Asahi Shimbun Shuppan
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...

.

Reception

Kimura has been called "one of the most brilliant and largely forgotten members of the Fabulous Fortyniners" by Matt Thorn
Matt Thorn
Matt Thorn is a cultural anthropologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Manga Production at Kyoto Seika University's Faculty of Manga in Japan. He is most well known in North America for his work dealing with shōjo manga. He has appeared at multiple anime conventions, including...

, an anthropologist noted for his work on shōjo manga.

Works

  • Picnic (1964, Ribon
    Ribon
    is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...

    , Shueisha
    Shueisha
    is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...

    ) (December 1966, Ribon, Shueisha) (September 1969, COM
    COM (manga magazine)
    was a manga magazine started in January 1967 by Osamu Tezuka. It was started in response to the success of Garo , and as a way for Tezuka and other artists to showcase more avant-garde and experimental works in manga...

    , Mushi Pro) (May–June 1970, COM, Mushi Pro) (September 1970, Ribon Comic
    Ribon
    is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...

    , Shueisha) (October 1970, Ribon Comic, Shueisha) (February 1971, Ribon Comic, Shueisha) (May 1971, Ribon, Shueisha, collected in ) (September 1971, COM, Mushi Pro) (December 1971, COM, Mushi Pro) (May 1973, Monthly Funny, Mushi Pro, collected in )
  • Gift (October 1974, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic
    Betsucomi
    , formerly known as Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shogakukan, originally aimed at young girls, but increasingly marketed to older teens and young women. It is released on the 13th of each month...

    , Shogakukan
    Shogakukan
    is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

     (November 1974, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan) (January 1975, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan) (April–May 1975, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan) (August 1975, Ribon Comic, Shueisha) (September 1975, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
  • This Side of the Rape Blossom Field (November 1975-January 1976, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan) (Spring 1976, Ribon Deluxe
    Ribon
    is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...

    , Shueisha) (November 1976, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan) (March 1977, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan) (1 May 1977, Big Comic Original
    Big Comic Original
    is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at an older adult and mostly male audience. It is a sister magazine to Big Comic, the biggest difference being that it goes on sale twice a month in the weeks Big Comic doesn't. Cover artwork usually features a dog or cat, and a haiku...

    , Shogakukan) (October 1977, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan) (April, June 1978, Mimi, Kodansha) (May–June, September 1978, Princess
    Princess (magazine)
    is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly on the 6th in Japan by Akita Shoten. It is aimed at teenage girls, and its main competitors are Lala, Bessatsu Margaret, and Betsucomi. Its sister publication is , which branched out from the Princess magazine in 1979...

    , Akita Shoten
    Akita Shoten
    is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...

    ) (December 1978, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
  • Flight (April 1979, Seventeen
    Seventeen (Japanese magazine)
    Seventeen is a monthly Japanese fashion magazine for female teenagers published by Shueisha.Launched in 1967 as a weekly magazine based on the original American Seventeen, the magazine changed the name to SEVENTEEN in 1987, and to Seventeen in 2008.Since the late 1990s, Seventeen has been the...

    , Shueisha) (December 1979 - February 1980, Manga Shōnen, Asahi Sonorama
    Asahi Sonorama
    is a Japanese book, magazine, and manga publisher and a division of Asahi Shimbun Publications, which is a subsidiary of the publisher of the Asahi Shimbun. "Sonorama" is a coined word combining sonus, the Latin word for "sound", and horama, the Greek word for "sight"...

    ) (June, August, November 1980 and January, March 1981, Mimi, Kodansha) (August 1980, Petit Comic
    Petit Comic
    is a Japanese josei manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at young women over the age of 18. Many series in this anthology magazine are romance-oriented and some are well-known for featuring frank depiction of sexual situations...

    , Shogakukan) (Summer 1980, Petit Flower
    Petit Flower
    was a Japanese manga magazine published by Shogakukan. Founded in 1980 as a quarterly magazine, in 1981 it changed to bimonthly, then monthly from 1984 to 1988, when it again became bimonthly. The magazine became defunct in May 2002, and was relaunched as Flowers in April 2004...

    , Shogakukan)
    • a revised version of this story was published in the 1 July 1981 issue of (January - March 1981, Petit Comic, Shogakukan) (August, December 1981, February 1982, Comic Tom, Ushio Publishing) (Early Spring Special 1982, Bonita, Akita Shoten) (January - June 1984, Bonita Eve, Akita Shoten) (December 1989, Scola Magazine) (October 1990 - August 1992, Human Sexuality) (December 1992, Rosa) (March 1993, Rosa) (September 1993, Bell Rosa) (May 2000, Tokyo Women's Foundation) (2006, Mugenkan, Asahi Shimbun Shuppan
      Asahi Shimbun
      The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...

      )
  • The People Living in the Stars (2007, Mugenkan, Asahi Shimbun Shuppan, remake of her 1976 series)


Sources:
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