A Look into Classic Shōjo Manga at Hideko Mizuno's Holiday Gallery
by Richard Eisenbeis,When Osamu Tezuka, the creator of seminal manga Astro Boy, saw the artwork of the then 15-year-old Hideko Mizuno, he told an editor, "She has talent." This event became the catalyst for Mizuno's career, and she went on to become one of the most famous shōjo manga authors of the '60s and '70s. Her series, Fire!, won the Shogakukan Manga Award, and her work Honey Honey no Suteki na Bōken was adapted into an anime that even aired on American TV in the '80s. Now, at 85 years of age, a small gallery of her work was shown off at the 1800s house-turned-cafe-and-exhibition- space, The Former Residence of Theodora Ozaki. ANN dropped by to check it out.
Examples of Hideko Mizuno Works From Across the Years
Hideko Mizuno has been publishing manga and other artwork since the late 1950s. In glass cases around the exhibition were several copies of both her classic manga and more modern work—along with some of her original art done for magazines.
Cecilia, Shiroi Troika, and Carnival
Much of the exhibit contained reproductions of some of the most famous scenes in Mizuno's manga. One wall featured scenes from Cecilia (a romance-fantasy/sci-fi story based on the 1948 film Portrait of Jenny) and Shiroi Troika (a 1964-1965 historical fiction manga set in the Russian Empire in the late 1700s/early 1800s). The neighboring glass case was filled with all 16 pages of her 1963 one-shot manga Carnival.
Glass no Tenshi, Lulu, Obaasan no Surippa, and a Christmas Card Illustration
Another wall of the exhibition featured a reproduction of Mizuno's 1965 one-shot Glass no Tenshi alongside her illustrated short story Obaasan no Surippa, a 1968 magazine insert Christmas card illustration, and color illustration from her 1962 manga Lulu.
Honey Honey no Suteki na Bōken, Hoshi no Tategoto, Aru Yuki no Yoru no Monogatari, and the Hoshi no Shirabe Illustration
The second room of the exhibition had a wall dedicated to two of her longer-running works, Honey Honey no Suteki na Bōken (a story set in 1907 Vienna about an orphan girl who has unknowingly come into the possession of the Princess' ring—and whoever has it is allowed to marry the Princess) and Hoshi no Tategoto (the story of a count's daughter, a mysterious harpist, and the court intrigue surrounding them). Another wall contained a full reproduction of Mizuno's 1960 one-shot Aru Yuki no Yoru no Monogatari as well as one of her original illustrations, Hoshi no Shirabe.
Guest Artwork
The final wall of the exhibition featured Mizuno-inspired artwork drawn by other manga authors and celebrities.
• Thumbnail 1: belne (Heretical Manuscripts, Godhand Teru)
• Thumbnail 2: Akiko Higashimura (Princess Jellyfish, Tokyo Tarareba Girls), Youji Kigi (Harun Tani Tale)
• Thumbnail 3: Hiroshi Aoshima (Composer and lover of shōjo Manga), Nami Sasou (The Day I Met the Wind, Bara wa Shuraba de Umareru)
• Thumbnail 4: Kyōko Fumizuki (Abunai Doctor, Kin no Alexandria)
• Thumbnail 5: Machiko Satonaka (Ashita Kagayaku, Karyūdo no Seiza)
• Thumbnail 6: Shō Kitagawa (B.B. Fish, Nineteen)
• Thumbnail 7: Kazumi Yamashita (The Life of Genius Professor Yanagizawa, Land)
Gift Shop
The Former Residence of Theodora Ozaki gift shop contained not only Hideko Mizuno-related limited-edition merch and prints but also merch of past manga-related exhibitions. The shop also features three signboards—each containing doodles from famous manga artists who have either visited or had their exhibitions here. More than a few are instantly recognizable.
“Happy Winter Holidays! The Hideko Mizuno Exhibition” ran from November 30, 2024, to January 14, 2025, at The Former Residence of Theodora Ozaki.
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