News

Shojo Manga London Talk on December 14

The Japan Foundation has announced a talk on shojo manga at London's Foyles bookstore on Monday December 2014, at 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free but tickets must be reserved here.

Foyles bookstore is on Charing Cross Road between Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road stations.

From the website:

Shojo Manga features narratives of sweet love stories, anguished romances and even real-life issues facing women across a vastly broad range of genres. Whether a sci-fi, fantasy or even period drama, the stories reflect the desires and dreams of its mainly female readership, showing truly what girls want.

In this talk Nozomi Masuda, Associate Professor, Konan Women's University, Japan, will trace the origins of Shojo Manga from its beginnings in girls' magazines through to its more recent transformations today, questioning what significance the genre has in Japanese society, and what it has been expressing over its diverse and complex themes.

Following the presentation, Manga artist Eiko Hanamura, one of the pioneers of Shojo Manga, will have a conversation with curator and writer on comics Paul Gravett and Masuda. Together they will look into Hanamura's work, reflecting on her illustrious career of over half a century in the Manga industry, as well as discussing the phenomenon of Shojo Manga and the impact it has had upon Japanese culture and beyond.

For more information about Eiko Hanamura, please visit: www.eiko-hanamura.com.

Disclaimer: By registering for this event, you will be signed up to The Japan Foundation's mailing list. If you wish to not receive emails from us, please contact [email protected] to let us know.