#women mangaka

[amethystsoda]

(There’s been a fun woman-authored manga x chappell’s femininomenon trend going around on tiktok so I made one too 🥰)

[animentality]

I don't know shit about one piece, all I know is that one piece artists will drop the rawest fucking art I have ever seen in my life and then I'll look at how the actual character is designed in the source material, and it's like this

[my-plastic-life]

Inspiring Women: Rumiko Takahashi

New custom doll is here! I'm sure we all know about the Mattel Barbie Inspiring Women doll line, right? Well, I took it upon myself to create one of my own because I'm sure Mattel will never make one lol. Click here for behind the scenes on how I made this doll!

I opted to create an Inspiring Woman Barbie based off Rumiko Takahashi, the Japanese manga artist who created my all-time favorite manga and anime, Inuyasha. But that isn't the sole reason she's deserving of this title. Yes, that creation got me into all things Japan and introduced me to the entire anime genre, but this mangaka has excelled in her career for 45 years - a profession that has been primarily male-dominated since its inception.

I also created a box for her designed after the official Mattel Inspiring Women boxes. The outfit she's wearing is inspired by the one she wore during the 2023 knighthood honor she received. Accessories include her most recent book, Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978-2024, as well as her 35th anniversary book that comes with removable genuine sketches, plus the first volume of the Inuyasha manga (original Japanese version). The doll I used was the Asian sister of Ariel from the live action Little Mermaid, but I cut her hair and styled it differently, painted some age lines on her face, removed her pink eyeshadow, and gave her some glasses. I also gave her a curvy body with the same articulation that dolls in this series have - movement at the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, and knee. Because I'm that much of a perfectionist. :D

Doll in the Inspiring Women box. The scene behind her is an actual photo of Rumiko Takahashi's studio.

Back of the box, all made by me based on actual Inspiring Women boxes.

Fun facts: Takahashi has never been married, and she has stated in interviews that she doesn't plan to. In addition, she works with women exclusively as she writes and creates. She has specifically said that she wouldn't hire a male assistant because he would be "troublesome." She prefers the atmosphere of a studio of women working together without distraction. Her work stands out among other shonen pieces because of its creativity, complex characters, and nuanced romances. Her woman and girl characters are never accessories to the guy hero, which was often the case in early shonen stories, especially. Takahashi often likes to implement strong, independent, multi-facetted female characters in leading roles into her stories. Talk about girl power!

Now for more information as to why she's so deserving of having her own doll in my collection. :D Strap in, because this post is a doozy!

BIO: Rumiko Takahashi (born Oct. 10, 1957) is the best-selling female comic artist of all time, selling more than 170 million copies of her work in Japan alone, and one of the names by which to reckon the evolution of anime. She is one of the wealthiest women in Japan, all of her longer running manga have become TV series, and nearly everything she has written has been adapted into animation (OVA or TV). Perhaps more importantly, her influence and the nature of her series since 1980 have been cited as large contributors to the perception and acceptance of anime as a medium today.

Rumiko with her new Colors book. Outfit inspired by the one she wore when receiving her knighthood.

All of Takahashi’s work has become popular throughout the world, and with more than 20 years of publishing her manga art, she earned the title of The Princess of Manga.

Takahashi's professional career began in 1978 when she was a university student. That year, she worked on her first full-length series entitled Urusei Yatsura. It became one of the most loved manga and anime comedies in Japan. In 1980, when she began to publish regularly, she began her second major series, Maison Ikkoku. This series is now considered to be one of the all-time best manga romances.

As her stories appeared and attracted many fans, Takahashi grew in popularity as an artist while improving her writing and artistic abilities. In 1987, a huge year for her career success, three of her most well-known stories ended and she began work on Ranma ½. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ and its anime adaptation are cited as some of the first of their mediums to have become popular in the United States. While publishing Ranma ½, Takahashi was hospitalized several times for peritonitis. But even during her second hospital stay, the series did not stop.

35th anniversary book has removable sketches - real photos actually drawn by the artist. The background is an actual photo of her basement (note all her figures!)

During the latter half of the 1990s, Takahashi began her fourth major work, Inuyasha. With this series, Takahashi is also often said to be the first woman to successfully set foot in the Shōnen genre and leave a lasting impact on it. To date, Inuyasha is her longest-running series, ending in 2008. In 2020, it received a sequel series titled Yashahime: Princess Half Demon.

In the basement library (actually in her home) with the first volume of the Inuyasha manga.

On July 30, 2008, Takahashi noted her 30th anniversary as a mangaka, and on July 8, 2009, during Shonen Sunday's 50th anniversary celebration, characters from three of her most popular series (Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, and Inuyasha) joined together in a short crossover to welcome everyone to the celebratory milestone. That same year, VIZ Media, one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced the launch of a brand new imprint, Shonen Sunday, featuring the works of some of the top shonen manga creators in the world today. Takahashi's series RIN-NE was the first to be featured in the new imprint, and was the first manga novel ever to be published simultaneously in Japan and North America.

In her studio showing off genuine sketches. Featured here: Featured here: Lum from Urusei Yatsura, the Tendo house from Ranma 1/2, and Inuyasha character heights. This outfit is inspired by the one she wore at the Rumic World 30th anniversary ribbon-cutting.

Early in her career, Takahashi expressed that though she doesn't write love stories often, she loves a good love story. While none of her works are straightforward romances, many of her works early and later on have compelling romance subplots that are integral to the characters and world. Her works like Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 are known for their romances. Takahashi's romances are varied, and they are trendsetting. They set the standard for popular romance tropes like slow-burn romances and love triangles. The love triangle between Kagome, Kikyo, and Inuyasha is one of the most iconic in all anime.

In her studio showing off genuine sketches. Featured here: Ranma from Ranma 1/2, Lum from Urusei Yatsura, and Mao and Kiba from Mao.

In her studio showing off genuine sketches. Featured here: Yashahime, Inuyasha 20th anniversary, and Inuyasha, Kagome, and Moroha.

Outfit inspired by the one worn during the Rumic World 30th anniversary ribbon cutting.

HONORS: * Takahashi won the New Comic Artist Award in 1978. * Winner of the 1994 Inkpot Award at The San Diego Comic Con in America. *In 2016, ComicsAlliance listed Takahashi as one of 12 women cartoonists deserving of lifetime achievement recognition, stating that "any one of her projects would be the career highlight of another talent." In 2017, Takahashi was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame as part of the 2016 class. *In July 2018, Takahashi was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame. She was previously nominated for entry in 2014, 2016 and 2017. *In January 2019, Takahashi won the grand prize at the prestigious Angouleme International Comics Festival in France, becoming the second woman and second Japanese manga artist to win the award at the festival. * In 2020, Takahashi was awarded Japan's Medal with Purple Ribbon. First awarded in 1955, this honor is awarded to individuals who have contributed to academic and artistic developments, improvements, and accomplishments. * Takahashi was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame in October 2021. The Harvey Awards are one of the comic industry's oldest and most prestigious awards. Recognizing outstanding achievement in multiple categories, the Harvey's have been a fixture of the comic industry since 1988. * In April 2023, Takahashi was conferred the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government. She is the first female mangaka to receive this honor.

Books: 35th anniversary (with removable genuine sketches inside), Colors: 1978-2024, and volume 1 of the Inuyasha manga.

Genuine sketches, all fit inside the 35th anniversary book.

Source photos (first is from being bestowed a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, second is from the Rumic World 30th anniversary ribbon cutting in 2008):

[sanjipussyindulgence]

dr. stone: humans were born to create, and every scientific discovery we've made has been for the sake of community.

me, thru tears: ur so fucking right.

[l6sadi]

What a cruel world!

This is probably my favorite non-Lupin III related and female-centric art done by Monkey Punch, and I could never find it properly scanned and in good quality. All I know is that the woman in the illustration is one of the protagonists of the manga "Siamese Cat".

[thepersonperson]

So basically what I'm getting is that penetrating gojo('s infinity) endears you to him and the only ppl who've done it successfully are two older men, one of which was literally his awakening

…Yeah Gojo’s relationship with men is not healthy. (Not that he’s any better with women. It’s just a different flavor of messy.) But you don’t need to be violent with him! Geto and Nanami are proof of that.

I think the common thread between the 4 of them (Toji, Sukuna, Geto, and Nanami) is not only their fighting prowess, but their strength when it comes to tolerating Gojo’s insufferable personality. They don’t let Gojo get under their skin and can take control of the conversation from him.

[colorfulfoxengineer]

Sunset lightened Revy

[dumplingprincessextraordinaire]

“Unaware his majesty is a girl” for my wlw enjoyers

[itsjustevil]

Strange how Senshi was the only person who we didn't get to see what his succubus turned into.

They aren't trying to hide gay Senshi from us, are they?

Are they?

[silvermoon424]

everyone knows Junji Ito, for good reason. do you have any favorite horror manga authors who aren't him?

Yes omg! As much as I adore Junji Ito and he rightfully gets a lot of attention, I wish some lesser-known horror mangaka got more attention.

I'd say my favorite non-Junji Ito horror mangaka is Sachiko Uguisu! Her style is gorgeous and her stories are so fun and unique. I highly recommend Shibito no Koe wo Kiku ga Yoi ("You Will Hear The Voices of the Dead") as well as her oneshot manga.

I also really like Kanako Inuki. Unfortunately much of her work isn't available in English, but there's still quite a lot you can read. I like Presents and Wish Fulfillment a lot.

Ahh, does Matsuri Akino count? I think she does. She's the creator of the Petshop of Horror series and her art style is sooooo beautiful!

[maagicmushies]

Desperately wishes that mei terumi was a naruto character that more fans cared about because when you start thinking about it, she probably had one of the most crazy and interesting lives in the series.

She came out of the Bloody Mist village as a Nine Year Old. That means she had to KILL SOMEONE before she was 10. That's not the end of Mei killing people as a child because she's the same age as Kakashi, meaning that she's in the perfect spot to be a 3rd War child soldier. She's also the only character to naturally be born with two nature release Kekkei Genkai which is not really a good thing given that she's from the Land of Hunting People With Kekkei Genkai Down and Killing Them. Anyways, she somehow survives that and has to go back to the mist who had just lost one of their tailed beast due to the idiotic plan with Rin. And then they lost another tailed beast because Utakata decided to cut his losses and abscond. The mist village in this era is essentially defenseless and probably only avoided being conquered because they're an island nation and there really isn't much to gain from trying to take over a blatantly failed state. The Fourth Mizukage luckily gets Isobu back... and then unluckily gets put into a Genjutsu that made him turn everything bad about the mist up to eleven and this is right around the time that the Kaguya Clan planned their assault on the mist (and lost). Right after THAT assault, there's another assault with Zabuza trying to kill the Fourth Mizukage which they honestly should have just let him do? Anyways, all of that is done, Ao comes back and releases the Fourth Mizukage from the genjutsu and he dies a couple of months after that (meaning Isobu is gone again lol). This is the mess that Mei has to inherit. No tailed beast, most notable ninja dead, captured or turned rogue, 0 goodwill with other nations and despite everything she kind of begins to turn stuff around. Want to know the really sad thing though? We get to see her Infinite Tsukuyomi dream and it's her finally getting have that wedding she had to put off her entire life because of the everything constantly happening in her life. That's not the sad part, the sad part is that is the people she sees attending it is the other four Kage. She met them like two months ago and yet they're the only living people she could imagine attending the most important day of her life.

[my-plastic-life]

Behind the Scenes: Rumiko Takahashi

This idea bounced around in my head for a while, and I finally decided to take the plunge!

Not only is Rumiko Takahashi the creator of my favorite manga/anime, Inuyasha, which introduced me to the entire genre and sparked my interest in all things Japan, she's the best selling female comic artist in history. And since I'd made custom dolls of so many of her characters, I thought she was worthy of a doll of her own. Plus, when I heard of her honor of being named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France - the only female mangaka to receive the honor - it just sparked inspiration.

First up was finding a doll to use as a candidate. I'd considered using the Happy Family Grandma doll because she already has the aged look, and her hair was a pretty similar style already (though it would need to be colored, if not rerooted), but she didn't have the Asian eyes:

I have several Asian dolls, but they all just looked like regular Barbies. Fine, but not quite what I was going for.

Then the live action Little Mermaid movie dropped, and the only good thing to come out of that was this doll - she was my candidate.

I'd been saving those glasses (they came with a fashion pack, I think a Jurassic World one), and upon putting them on the doll's face, I thought they were perfect. Plus this doll looked more like an actual person than a regular Barbie doll. And she already had the black hair! Yes!

Next up was choosing a body. I knew a curvy body would be fitting for Rumiko, and the Inspiring Women dolls have either Made to Move bodies (but that's mostly for the athletes) or bodies with articulation at the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, and knee. I opted for the latter. I had some Barbie Extra dolls saved, so I started comparing skin tones. These two were the closest:

I picked one, and once the head was on the body, it looked way off in person... so then I put it on the other body and that looked much better. It looks off on camera, but thanks to Photoshop magic, no one will know that LOL. It's a much better match in person.

Next was the outfit. I knew if I couldn't get an outfit made, this entire ordeal would be for nothing. And you wouldn't believe how difficult it was finding a full body shot of Rumiko! All her interviews and profile stories and what not, they only seem to show her from the waist up. But I did manage to find this one:

That was the ribbon cutting ceremony during the 30th anniversary of Rumic World, back in 2008. Not a recent photo, but something. But I was hoping to get an outfit based on this one because it's what she wore when receiving her most recent honor (the aforementioned knighthood):

I don't know how, but somehow I managed to find that picture, which showed her legs LOL. I don't know what shoes she was wearing with that outfit, so I went with the ones in the previous one. The shoes in question came from a random curvy Fashionista - they were orange and I painted them a more neutral color to match the source photo.

Then I had another conundrum - I couldn't decide which outfit I liked better!!! Fortunately, my seamstress (Molita's World), was kind enough to make both!

The next step was the face. While I didn't use the Happy Family Grandma to create this doll, I did use her as a guide. I needed to make the doll look older, and Grandma has painted age lines on her face. So I kind of went off those - after finding a hopefully good color that looks natural and not like random makeup - to create the face. I also used acetone and a toothpick to remove the heavy pink eyeshadow to give her a more natural look.

Next up was the hair. Since the doll already had the right hair color, all I had to do was cut and style it appropriately. I think I managed to pull it off quite well, if I do say so myself:

(The plastic wrap around the face is meant to keep the hair shape)

The outfits didn't take long to complete and arrive, so I got her dressed and started on the props. All the Inspiring Women dolls come with a prop, and I knew what I wanted this doll to have - her special Colors book that was set to release in December 2023 commemorating her 45 years as a mangaka. But something happened and that particular book was postponed, then renamed Colors 1978-2024 (rather than Colors 1978-2023) and released this past March. So I had to wait for that to release, and then I had to wait to find good pictures of the front, back, and spine so I could put it together, scale it down, print it out, and make a book out of it LOL.

While I was waiting on that, I thought it would be a cool idea to have some of her sketches with her. Plus I had an extra first volume Inuyasha manga from when I made the series for ani-ME, so I threw that in there too. There was another book released for Rumic World's 35th anniversary, so I thought it would be a cool idea to make it like a folder that her real sketches could go inside. So I managed to find some decent photos of the front, back, and spine of that book, then I created a pocket for it, then I found a bunch of Rumiko's sketches from various series, sized them to fit inside the book, then printed them out. So the sketches she comes with are real ones she's drawn, and they fit right inside one of her books!

I wasn't going to make a box for her, since I don't keep my dolls in boxes, but I had a spare one and thought I could use it as a template to create one. So I gathered photos of actual Inspiring Women boxes (I could have used the latest one, Kristi Yamaguchi, because that's probably the newest design and Kristi, like Rumiko, is an Inspiring Woman who's still alive whereas the others have passed, but I like the original style better), created a template, and made my own box. Fun fact - the box was made but not printed. So the doll's pose and everything in the box is all digitally edited LOL.

I created it all from scratch - I looked up fonts, found Barbie logos, made all the name boxes, etc. I'm pretty pleased with how it looks considering it's not a real box lol. I did the same thing for the back, and I even made a design for each side of the box:

And with that, the doll was done! I think the most time-consuming part of this one was the props. I printed a TON of those little sketches because I wasn't sure how many would fit in the book, and then I had to remind myself to use more than just Inuyasha because she did create several other series LOL. But overall, I'm pleased with her and she's now displayed in my cabinet! Thanks for reading!

[blue-thief]

"shounen isn't made for women, shounen jump doesn't need to be concerned for the women in the audience since they only take up whatever percentage of their readership, they won't lose money... blah blah"

even if a majority of shounen jump readers are men and boys, do you really think they're the ones who are buying the cutesie stickers, keychains, and plushies? do you really think most mangakas are making most of their money through something that can be easily pirated?

[fyodoro]

Blue Lock is pretty good it sucks that it’s written by a raging misogynist otherwise it might be even better

[shoyostar]

no, most mangaka don’t know how to write good female characters.

they know how to write STRONG ones . learn the difference please

[dumbbullet]

finishing episode 11 of dungeon meshi and i immediately Get it. Ok ok yep fine im going ill read it i know i know