Minori Kimura

Minori Kimura (樹村 みのり) is a Japanese manga artist. Critics and scholars often count her among the Year 24 Group, a nebulous group of female artists considered to have revolutionized manga (Japanese comics for girls) in the 1970s.

She made her professional debut in 1964 at the age of 14 with her short story Picnic (ピクニック), published by Shueisha in the Spring Break Special issue of Ribon. During her school breaks, Kimura continued writing short stories published in magazines such as COM and Ribon Comic. Her stories' settings throughout the 1960s and early 1970s were varied, including places like Auschwitz, Vietnam, and the slums of Rio de Janeiro. She covered topics interesting to young girls, elaborately drawing out the feelings and motivations of her characters.

After graduating from college, Kimura took a short break from creating manga before returning with "Gift" (贈り物), published by Shogakukan in Bessatsu Shōjo Comic in 1974. The short story discussed the struggles of elementary school life. She later published "This Side of the Rapeseed Blossom Field" (菜の花畑のこちら側), a short story about four young college girls living together. caused her to gain wider popularity. From that point, Kimura generally published manga in Shōjo manga (aimed at teenage girls), Seinen manga (aimed at young men), and ladies' comics (aimed at adult women) magazines published by Akita Shoten and Kodansha.

In recent years, Kimura has published fewer works, with most of her releases being reprints of older works. She has also created several health-related manga. One of her works finished its run in 2008 in Mugenkan, a magazine published by Asahi Sonorama.

Rachel Thorn, an anthropologist noted for her work on manga, called Kimura "one of the most brilliant and largely forgotten members of the [Year 24 Group]". Thorn praised her for creating manga with "explicitly social and feminist messages" and for addressing "issues of interest to women, including sexuality, work, and health."

Works

 * Picnic (ピクニック) (1964, Ribon, Shueisha)
 * "Rain" (雨) (December 1966, Ribon, Shueisha)
 * "Tomorrow's Shining Star" (あした輝く星) (April–June 1967, Ribon, Shueisha)
 * "Tommy" (トミィ) (May 1968, Ribon Comics, Shueisha)
 * "Balloon" (風船) (March 1969, Junior Comics, Shueisha)
 * "Tunnel" (トンネル) (May 1969, Junior Comics, Shueisha)
 * "Little Brother" (おとうと) (September 1969, COM, Mushi Pro)
 * "The First Day of Liberation" (解放の最初の日) (May–June 1970, COM, Mushi Pro)
 * "Mamoru Is Dead" (まもる君が死んだ) (May 1970, Ribon Comic, Shueisha)
 * "To the Sea" (海へ) (September 1970, Ribon Comic, Shueisha)
 * "Carnival" (カルナバル) (October 1970, Ribon Comic, Shueisha)
 * "Winter Fireworks" (冬の花火) (February 1971, Ribon Comic, Shueisha)
 * "Cannot Jump the Vaulting Box" (跳べないとび箱) (May 1971, Ribon, Shueisha)
 * Collected in "Seasons in My Pocket" (ポケットの中の季節)
 * "Big Sister's Marriage" (おねえさんの結婚) (September 1971, COM, Mushi Pro)
 * "Happy Talk" (こうふくな話) (December 1971, COM, Mushi Pro)
 * "Letter from Uruguay" (ウルグアイからの手紙) (May 1973, Gekkan Funny, Mushi Pro)
 * Collected in "Seasons in My Pocket 2" (ポケットの中の季節2)
 * "Gift" (贈り物) (October 1974, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "Unseen Autumn" (見えない秋) (November 1974, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "Rapeseed Blossoms" (菜の花) (January 1975, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "Wingless Bird" (翼のない鳥) (April–May 1975, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "Sick Day" (病気の日) (August 1975, Ribon Comic, Shueisha)
 * "Our Beginning" (わたしたちの始まり) (September 1975, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "This Side of the Rapeseed Blossom Field" (菜の花畑のこちら側) (November 1975 – January 1976, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "Early Spring" (早春) (Spring 1976, Ribon Deluxe, Shueisha)
 * "The People Living in the Stars" (星に住む人びと) (November 1976, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "That and This Side of the Rapeseed Blossom Field" (菜の花畑のむこうとこちら) (March 1977, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * 40-0 (March 1977, Mimi, Kodansha)
 * "My Alien" (わたしの宇宙人) (1 May 1977, Big Comic Original, Shogakukan)
 * "Jewel of the Sea" (海の宝石) (September 1977, Mimi, Kodansha)
 * "If the Rapeseed Blossom Field Is also Clinging to the Night" (菜の花畑は夜もすがら) (October 1977, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "The Cuckoo's Daughters" (カッコーの娘たち) (April, June 1978, Mimi, Kodansha)
 * "Dog Dog Dog Tales" (犬・けん・ケン物語) (May–June, September 1978, Princess, Akita Shoten)
 * "Many Thanks for Supporting Nanohara Hatake" (菜の花畑は満員御礼) (December 1978, Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Shogakukan)
 * Flight (April 1979, Seventeen, Shueisha)
 * "Marta and Leeza" (マルタとリーザ) (December 1979 – February 1980, Manga Shōnen, Asahi Sonorama)
 * "King of the Desert" (砂漠の王さま) (February 1980, Seventeen, Shueisha)
 * "Cain of the Seaside" (海辺のカイン) (June, August, November 1980 and January, March 1981, Mimi, Kodansha)
 * "Bad Girl" (悪い子) (August 1980, Petit Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "Joan B's Summer" (ジョーン・Ｂの夏) (Summer 1980, Petit Flower, Shogakukan)
 * Revised version published in the 1 July 1981 issue of "The Boys and Girls SF Manga Complete Collection" (少年少女ＳＦマンガ大全集)
 * Pyūgurumun (ピューグルムン) (January–March 1981, Petit Comic, Shogakukan)
 * "Azami's Flower" (あざみの花) (August, December 1981, February 1982, Comic Tom, Ushio Publishing)
 * "Warped Mirror" (歪んだ鏡) (Early Spring Special 1982, Bonita (magazine), Akita Shoten)
 * "Mother's Daughters" (母親の娘たち) (January–June 1984, Bonita Eve, Akita Shoten)
 * "Continuation of Yesterday" (昨日の続き) (February 1987, Viva Princess, Akita Shoten)
 * "Takako Doi Story" (土井たか子物語) (October 1989, Comic Burger, Schola (publisher))
 * Later reprinted as "Takako Doi Graffiti" (土井たかこグラフティ)
 * "Series: An Outside View" (シリーズ・横からの構図) (October 1990 – August 1992, Human Sexuality)
 * "Their Crimes" (彼らの犯罪) (December 1992, Rosa, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * And I Love Her (June 1993, Rosa, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * "The Entrance to Dreams" (夢の入り口) (March 1993, Rosa, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * "Parents Kill" (親が・殺す) (September 1993, Belle Rose, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * "Nine Days in February" (二月の九日間) (December 1993, January–February 1994, Belle Rose, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * Later reprinted as "Winter Flower Buds: Beate Sirota and Women's Rights" (冬の蕾：ベアテ・シロタと女性の権利)
 * The Rose (March 1994, Belle Rose, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * You've Got a Friend (June 1994, Belle Rose, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * "Early Autumn" (初秋) (September 1994, Belle Rose, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * "Until Today, and From Tomorrow On" (今日までそして明日から) (August 1995, Belle Rose, Shōnen Gahōsha)
 * "Toward a World Without Sexual Harassment" (セクシュアル・ハラスメントのない世界へ) (May 2000, Tokyo Women's Foundation)
 * "After Seeing You Off" (見送りの後で) (2006, Mugenkan, Asahi Sonorama)
 * "The People Living in the Stars" (星に住む人々) (2007, Mugenkan, Asahi Sonorama)
 * Remake of her 1976 short story of the same name