Female Excellence in the Manga Space

For as many as there are stars, there are equally as many incredibly talented female mangakas. From Yana Toboso to Jun Mochizuki, from Natsuki Takaya to Mitsubachi Miyuki, the list is endless. And since March is Women’s History Month, why not highlight some pillars of the industry? 
  
This month, celebrate alongside Yen Press as we highlight five outstanding mangakas that have set the bar, jumped across it, put down a flag, and redefined their own genres! 
   
Ryoko Kui 
  
Ryoko Kui doesn’t need much introduction: the phenomenon of Delicious in Dungeon speaks to this mangaka’s talent. And if you just discovered that yes, Delicious in Dungeon was written by a woman: congratulations! May this discovery bring a smile to your face. 
  
But why is Delicious in Dungeon such a big deal? Well, Ryoko Kui offers a fresh take on the typical fantasy set-up. Dungeon exploration? A classic of the genre. A mis-matched party looking to save a fallen comrade? We love heroes on a quest, but could there be something more added to the mix? A Michelin-star food tour of the dungeon, however? Now that is a unique concept! 
  
What this mangaka got right is that readers are looking for a fun read that still challenges traditional fantasy tropes and assumptions. Because why are elves always so put together? Sometimes, they should be allowed to be just as disastrous as Marcille. And why should dwarves always be warmongers? Instead of an axe, maybe they would prefer to have a ladle and a pot in their hands. 
  
And if you can’t get enough of sensei’s world-building, then check out Seven Little Sons of the Dragon: A Collection of Seven Stories. You won’t regret it! 
  
Jun Mayuzuki 
  
With April at the doors, you might have come across the news that Kowloon Generic Romance is finally getting an anime this spring! As a staff favorite, we are eagerly waiting for the first episode to release, and we are incredibly excited for more fans to come to know Jun Mayuzuki’s dramatic work. 
  
Entrenched in the languid atmosphere of a perennial summer, Kowloon Generic Romance perfectly toes the line between eroticism and pure art just as it straddles the line between mystery and science fiction. This sensei’s brilliance shows in the way she has managed to offer readers a unique experience—intimate enough to keep the hopeless romantics coming back for more, but not so close to result in being vulgar. Truly, reading this series is like experiencing a tide: one can never be too sure on what the next chapter will bring, but the eagerness is always there.  
  
Recently, we have also announced that we will be publishing sensei’s short story collection. Farewell, Daisy: Jun Mayuzuki Short Story Collection will be available this August, so don’t forget to pre-order your copy! 
  
Kaoru Mori 
  
If the dictionary allowed for illustrations, under the term ‘historical fiction’ you would find Kaoru Mori’s portrait. This author first came onto the scene with Shirley, a two-volume series set in Victorian England, but it wasn’t until Emma that the public really grasped how much one could love Victorian London. If Shirley was the prelude, Emma was the entire operatic score. Places, clothes, mannerisms—everything lost to time was fully researched and reconstructed in the passionate love story portrayed in its pages.  
  
Then Kaoru Mori brought us A Bride’s Story, a series that could be argued to be one of the best pieces of historical fiction across mediums. Set in the late 19th century along the Silk Road, A Bride’s Story stands out for its impeccable portrayal of nomadic lifestyles, and women’s lives and relationships. If you thought that Emma was great, wait until you read A Bride’s Story. You are in for a life-changing journey 
  
With her talents, Kaoru Mori taught us that no corner of history is boring if you know how to tell it right, and we have to say that we will be eternally grateful to be her students! 
  
P.S.: New Zealanders, rejoice! Sensei is attending this year’s Overload, so if you have ever wanted to gush about Emma and A Bride’s Story, now is your time! 
  
Hiromu Arakawa 
  
One word: Fullmetal. Two words? Fullmetal Alchemist. It might come as a surprise to some, but the mangaka behind one of the 2000s most iconic series is a woman! But while Hiromu Arakawa is best known for the colossus that is Fullmetal Alchemist, it is difficult for some readers to imagine her writing anything different than fantasy—an idea that we would like to change. For you see, right after Fullmetal Alchemist, Arakawa begun the serialization of a new series, Silver Spoon, which Yen Press had the pleasure to bring to English-speaking audiences. 
  
And this is where she showed that while writing about a fantasy world might be entertaining, there is just as much entertainment to be found in real life, too. Part slice-of-life, part dramedy, Silver Spoon is a reflection of life in rural Hokkaido told from the point of view of a rebellious ‘city boy’ transfer student. Arakawa aimed to have a more realistic series that also reflected her own roots, and with the amount of life lessons imparted on the main character, some more painful than the others, our view of agricultural farming and small towns has changed forever. 
  
CLAMP 
  
And we cannot end this compendium of female excellence without mentioning one of the most influential mangakas of all time: we are talking about, of course, CLAMP. This all-female group truly captured the essence of womanhood and made it theirs, offering not only romance, but a compelling exploration of femininity and gender that resonated with audiences across decades. 
  
While Kobato. was the first series of this group that we brought to Yen Press back in 2010, in 2022 we released another CLAMP-tastic series, Tokyo Babylon. Far darker than its sparkling younger cousin, Tokyo Babylon was one of the OG’s of the 1990s. Not only did it establish a new trend in fantasy manga with its use and depictions of exorcists and occultism, but also broke down a few social barriers too. In fact, it was one of the earlier series to feature a homosexual romance between the main leads, a dynamic that has been further explored and elaborated on in CLAMP’s later works. The final volume of the series will be available this May, so don’t forget to grab your copy of CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon! 
  
This March, make it your reading challenge to read any of the above works! And don’t let this list stop you from checking out the works from more brilliant female mangakas!