• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.18
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• pp.1-16
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• 2010

As manga is a genre characterized by combined use of letters and pictures, visual expression, that is style, is one of the most important representative elements, even beyond the structuring of the story. Shojo Manga (lit. Young girl's Manga) in particular is distinguished by visual style clearly differentiated from other manga genres. Shojo Manga uses a variety of unique techniques that cannot be found in other manga genres. The use of starry eyes in the depiction of the characters, taller than life characters, and the creative use of frames which disregard the traditional square shape are some examples. Therefore, the question arises of by whom and when such visual characteristics in Shojo Manga were created. This paper will analyze the figure of Nakahara Junichi (1913-1983), illustrator of Shojo magazines active between the 1930's and 1950's, and who as it has been stated in previous research, influenced the splendorous illustrations of Shojo Manga. Therefore, I will look for the commonalities and differences between Shojo Manga and Nakahara's oeuvre, shedding light on the origins of Shojo Manga and attempting to theorize the relationship existing between them.