#classic shoujo

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Shoujo Kakumei Utena Artist: Saitou Chiho Publication: Ciao Magazine (06/1997) Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[animefeminist]

Transmasculinity and queer sexuality in the works of Ikeda Riyoko

Content Warning: Discussion of transphobia and suicide

Spoilers for Dear Brother, The Rose of Versailles, and Claudine

Ikeda Riyoko—perhaps the most famous member of the “year 24 group” that played a large part in creating the foundations of the shoujo manga genre—is often credited with laying the groundwork for depictions of queer characters in shoujo, and in particular with creating the archetype of the gender-bending heartthrob heroine, or “girl prince.” Building on earlier representations of butch or transmasculine characters in early shoujo manga such as Princess Knight, and the Takarazuka theater tradition of the otokoyaku male role actor, Ikeda’s enormously popular gender non-conforming heroes—Lady Oscar from The Rose of Versailles, Rei from Dear Brother, Julius from the Window of Orpheus, and the titular character of Claudine—helped to establish that there was a major mainstream audience excited to cheer for a hotheaded, androgynous tomboy with a heart of gold. Lady Oscar in particular has fingerprints all over the history of anime and manga, from a gender-bending cameo in Pokémon to serving as the inspiration for iconic characters like Tenjou Utena.

When I first read The Rose of Versailles last year, I expected its depictions of queer and transmasculine characters to be somewhat limited—after all, the comic was written for mainstream audiences and a mainstream publisher in the 1970s. But across Ikeda’s work, I was deeply surprised with the level of care and nuance with which Ikeda approaches transmasculine love stories. While there is obviously a lot about Ikeda’s portrayal of transmasculine characters that feels dated to modern audiences (for example, her comics often do fall back on “biological” ideas of women’s weakness and emotionality, and sometimes psychologize her character’s genders in uncomfortable ways), I was surprised by how much of these comics still hit for me today. What makes them work for me is both the extreme pathos with which Ikeda writes transmasculine character’s experiences of rejection—and, at rare moments, gender euphoria —but also the fact that her trans characters are not simply given a one-size fits all born-in-the-wrong-body narrative. Instead, they are each portrayed as unique individuals with varied personal relationships to their gender, their sexuality, and the historical context of the society they live in.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[aprilc0t]

Scanned some Moto hagio sketches from the poe clan and the heart of Thomas

[muffinpills]

“The Rose of Versailles” by Riyoko Ikeda, circa 1972.

[rosegardenscans]

Hello everyone,

we are a scanlation group of classic shoujo enthusiats and we want to post updates here of our projects.

Some of you maybe remember the Rose Garden main site here on tumblr, sadly that one exists no more, but our group is still active.

We also have an discord server, so if you are interested on helping us with our projects, you are very welcome to join: https://discord.gg/wByzNR9pAT

Here is also our project site on MangaDex, where we post our projects: https://mangadex.org/group/da13a6a9-28f1-4e80-9ad5-74f239859632/the-rose-garden?tab=titles

These are our current projects:

Swan by Kyoko Ariyoshi, newest chapter: 55

The Allegory of Nijinsky (Nijinsky Guuwa) by Kyoko Ariyoshi, newest chapter: 1.4

Divine Love, Earthly Passion (Tenjou no Ai Chijou no Koi) by Tomoko Katou, newest chapter: 4

From Eroica with Love Tributes, newest chapter: 23

The Hotel on the Dangerous Hill (Abunazaka Hotel) by Moto Hagio, newest chapter: 1

Marie-Antoinette. La jeunesse d'une reine. by Fuyumi Soryo, newest chapter: 1

Legend of Hikari (Hikari no Densetsu) by Izumi Aso, newest chapter: 1

And we are also working on some more ;)

[bowonmyhead]

[midonart]

"There are two kinds of love in this world: a love of joy... and a love of agony"

[heartsblooming]

finally sharing my classic shoujo memes with the public (cheers erupt from my crowd of adoring fans)

[bishiedoll]

Hanamura Eiko, Futari no Shiawase

花村えい子、二人のしあわせ

[napolka]

I'm in love with @bumblebeescottage's Rockstar AU...

Would you go to Murat's glam rock concert?

[yousei-no-mori]

The Heart of Thomas (1974)

[susansontag]

pov you're a classic shoujo girl going on classy shoujo dates with your girlfriend

[animefeminist]

“An Inner Revolution Of The Japanese Women”: The Rose of Versailles As Feminist Historical Fiction

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Ikeda Riyoko’s The Rose of Versailles is one of the most influential shoujo manga of all time. The18 volume historical fiction retells the story of the French Revolution through the eyes of a number of female protagonists, including Marie Antoinette and the fictionalized character, Lady Oscar. Many shoujo manga historians consider it to be a foundational text in the medium and Ikeda is often credited for popularizing  the sumptuous linework and stylistic expressions which shoujo manga is best known for today.  

Unfortunately, shoujo manga—like most media targeted towards women and girls—is often dismissed as frivolous and apolitical, which means that Rose of Versailles is often overlooked as a work of feminist historical fiction. However, Rose of Versailles is actually remarkably well-researched and it’s clear that Ikeda was dedicated to educating her readers about the history of the French Revolution by centering women in her story. Similarly to English-language commercial successes like Titanic and Hamilton, the Rose of Versailles uses the framing of genre fiction to allow modern audiences to connect with history. The Rose of Versailles makes the argument that women’s lives and the romance genre can be radical and revolutionary—and, in fact, they were always central to revolutionary movements.  

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[classic-shoujo]

[muffinpills]

“Claudine…!” by Riyoko Ikeda, circa 1978.

[rosegardenscans]

New Series: Heaven's son in the Land of the Rising Sun by Ryouko Yamagishi

This project took us a while to prepare. We also decided to translate it again from chapter 1 and with Kanzenban raws for a better reading experience.