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Hagio Is 1st Shōjo Manga Creator to Win Japan's Purple Ribbon (Updated)
posted on by Ko Ransom
The Japanese government announced on Saturday that it will award manga creator Moto Hagio with the Spring 2012 Medal With Purple Ribbon, which honors academic and artistic achievement. The award is given twice a year, and 674 individuals and 20 organisations are receiving it this spring, including actor Kōji Yakusho (Shall We Dance?).
While other manga creators including Fujio Akatsuka, Ryohei Saigan, Tetsuya Chiba, Leiji Matsumoto, and Shigeru Mizuki have received the award in the past, Hagio will be the first female manga creator to receive it. (Composer and Studio Ghibli's frequent collaborator Joe Hisaishi received the honor in 2009, while Only Yesterday singer Harumi Miyako received it in 2010.) As part of the award, Hagio and other recipients will hear comments from the Japanese Emperor.
A number of titles by Hagio have been or will be released in English, such as the Fantagraphics editions of Heart of Thomas (Thomas no Shinzō) and A Drunken Dream and Other Stories.
Update: Comic Natalie corrected its article to note that Hagio is the first shōjo manga creator to receive the medal. Machiko Hasegawa was the first female manga creator to receive the medal. Thanks, Tenbinzan.
Source: Comic Natalie
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