Waki Yamato

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Waki Yamato (大和 和紀 Yamato Waki?, born March 13, 1948 in Sapporo) is a Japanese mangaka. She debuted in 1966 with the short story Dorobou Tenshi[1][2].

Since this debut, Yamato steadly created and published a variety of works in the genre of shōjo manga. Among her early time works, Mon Cherie CoCo, 1971, was adapted into TV anime series, and her work, Haikara-san ga Tōru, 1975 to 1977, got great success. Yamato won the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1977 by this work.[2][3] This work was also adapted into the stage musical in Takarazuka Revue. Through these early works, she established her position in Japanese shoujo manga world as one of the most popuilar manga artist.

Contents

[edit] The Activities

After the success of Haikara-san ga Tōru, she continued to create many manga works which made her more popular. These works are comical story Aramis '78 (series), Yokohama Monogatari (The Story of Yokohama), and N. Y. Komachi (The Belle of New York) and so on. These three works were series story, especially the latter two were histrocal manga, taking the background age in Meiji period.

Heroines of these stories were active girls who travelled overseas and took active part internationally. So the Yamato's early work Reidii Mitsuko (Lady Mitsuko), 1976, was the story of Mitsuko Aoyama, who is the mother of Richard Nikolaus Graf Coudenhove-Kalergi. Heroine Mitsuko married Count Coudenhove-Kalergi and went to Germany.

Like Mitsuko von Coudenhove-Kalergi, the two heroines of Yokohama Monogatri, Uno and Mariko actively conducted in the early Meiji period. Uno went to California in America and married her Japanese lover there and returned back to Yokohama, Japan. On the other hand, Mariko went to London, England to meet her Japanese husband. In N. Y. Komachi whose stage is same as in early Meiji period, heroine tomboy, but brave Shino went to Newyork and became a female cameraman, and at the end of story, she lived in America with her American husband Danny.

[edit] Asaki Yume Mishi

Yamato's life work is Asaki Yume Mishi. Yamato spent 13 years to complete her represenative, most famous long work, based on Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, i.e. 1980 to 1993. On the one hand, Yamato studied and investigated exact historical details of cultures of the Heian period peers, such as their clothes, furnitures, manners, habits etc. But on the other hand, Yamato boldly changed the images of persons and stories. The criteria of beauty and love are just those of the contemporary Japan, not those of Heian period. Yet her work presents the best-visualization of cultures of Heian period.

[edit] Works

  • Dorobou Tenshi, (どろぼう天使, Thief Angel) debut short work, 1966
  • Mon Cherie CoCo, (モンシェリCoCo) 1971
  • Redii Mitsuko, (レディーミツコ, Lady Mitsuko [4]). 1975 - 1976
  • Haikara-san ga Tōru, (はいからさんが通る, "The Modern Girl Passes By") 1975 - 1977
  • Killa, (Killa) 1977 - 1978
  • Ten no Hate, Chi no Kagiri, (天の果て地の限り) 1978
  • Aramis ’78, (アラミス’78) 1978 - 1984
  • Kigen 2600 nen no Playball, (紀元2600年のプレイボール) 1979 - 1980
  • Gekkou-ju, (月光樹, Moonlight Shining Tree) 1980
  • Yokohama Monogatari, (ヨコハマ物語, The Story of Yokohama) 1981 - 1983
  • N. Y. Komachi, (NY小町, The Belle of New York) 1985 - 1988
  • Asaki Yume Mishi, (あさきゆめみし, Asakiyunemishi, based on Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji) 1980 - 1993
  • Hi-heel Cop, (ハイヒールCOP) 1989 - 1994
  • Tenshi no Kajitsu, (天使の果実, Fruit of the Angel, based on novel by Shizuka Ijuuin) 1993 - 1994
  • Niji no Natascha, (虹のナターシャ, Natascha of Rainbow, based on novel by Mariko Hayashi) 1995 - 1997
  • Nishimuku Samurai, (にしむく士, Samurai facing to the West) 1997
  • Baby-sitter Gin!, (ベビーシッター・ギン!) 1997
  • Kurenai Niwofu, (紅匂ふ)

Two of Yamato's works were adapted into anime television series: Mon Cherie Coco in 1972, and Haikara-san ga Tōru (also known as Mademoiselle Anne in Italy and Marc et Marie in France) in 1978. The latter also became a live-action movie in 1987. Haikara-san ga Tōru, Yamato's well-known and popular work, was awarded the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1977.[3][5]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ According to 「BOOK著者紹介情報」, which can be confirmed in this Amazon page etc.
  2. ^ a b 『あさきゆめみし PerfectBook』 p.181 Special Interview
  3. ^ a b Joel Hahn. Kodansha Manga Awards. Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  4. ^ The story of Japanese woman, Mitsuko Aoyama, who is the mother of Richard Nikolaus Graf Coudenhove-Kalergi
  5. ^ 過去の受賞者一覧 : 講談社漫画賞 : 講談社「おもしろくて、ためになる」出版を (Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.

[edit] References

  • List of Works fan site, based on 『大和和紀自選集5』(Author's Selected Works, Vol.5) Kodansha, (Japanese)
  • List of Works fan site, based on 『大和和紀自選集5』(Author's Selected Works, Vol.5) Kodansha, (Japanese)
  • Yamato Waki Haikara-san ga Tooru Kodansha (Japanese comic)
  • Yamato Waki Lady Mitsuko Kodansha (Japanese comic)
  • Yamato Waki Yokohama Monogatri 8 volumes, Kodansha (Japanese comic)
  • Yamato Waki N. Y. Komachi 8 volumes, Kodansha (Japanese comic)
  • Yamato Waki Asaki Yume Mishi 13 volumes, Kodansha (Japanese comic)
  • 『あさきゆめみし PerfectBook』宝島社 (Takarajima co.ltd.), 2003/2007 ISBN 978-4-7966-3603-2