- Source: Naoko Moto
Naoko Moto (もと なおこ, Moto Naoko) (born July 16 ) is a Japanese manga artist. Moto made her debut in the comic magazine Princess GOLD in 1985. She has been writing and publishing manga stories which are mainly set in England, in the Victorian age. Her representative works are The Corset with Wings (Corset ni Tsubasa), Lady Victorian and Faraway, Lovely Dreams (Harukanari, Itoshi Roman).
Life and works
Born in Osaka prefecture, Moto started doujin activities from around 1982. She made debut in commercial comic magazine Princess GOLD, July issue, published by Akita Shoten, with her Sorairo tea time (宇宙色ティータイム) in 1985. After debut, she drew illustration for the books by Erika Tachihara (ja) and other writers.
She started to contribute and publish her manga stories in Princess manga magazine. Several and more stories were appeared in magazines and published in tankōbon. She tried to build up her base plot and themes. Her first long and serialized manga story is Harukanari, Itoshi Roman, later published as 14 volume tankōbon, September 1992 to July 2000. The story is mysterious romance with super-natural elements, set in Japan, but the origin is in England.
Naoko Moto's second long and serialized story is Lady Victorian, published as 20 volume tankōbon, December 1998 to March 2007. Lady Victorian is the story set in Victorian age, England, where a heroine, young girl Bluebell, has the dream of working and getting success as a good governess in London. While the story tells the orphan boy Argent Gray's life of puppet of fortune. Though Argent is a man, he plays a role of a daughter of the marquis, as Lady Ethel. He finds his origin, the name and life of his true parents.
Her long and serialized story The Corset with Wings, 10 volume manga, January 2008 to January 2012, is highly evaluated. It was nominated to the 16th "Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize" and to "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2012". This is the story of Chris whose father was died and was sent to Desdemona girls only bording school. From a world oppressed by rules, Chris grows and opens up her own future. Story set in Victorian age and Edwardian age in England.
Moto also comicalized Harlequin romance stories and published them in Harlequin magazines. Some works were published in tankōbon, and others were later published as digital comics. Naoko Moto has constantly contributed manga works to magazines and they have almost been published as tankōbon for around 40 years.
Naoko Moto introduces herself as a manga artist who mainly draws manga stories about England in around 19th century.
= Selected manga list
=Harukanari, Itoshi Roman (悠かなり愛し夢幻(ロマン)), 14 volumes, Princess comics (1992–0925 to 2000–0713), Akita Shoten
Melody and Christopher (メロディー&クリストファー), 2 volumes, Princess comics, Akita Shoten
Christmas monogatari (Christmas物語), Princess comics (1993–1210), Akita Shoten
Hoshi no Nohara wo Yukō (星の野原をゆこう), Princess comics (1995–0810), Akita Shoten
Lady Victorian (レディー・ヴィクトリアン), 20 volumes, Princess comics (1998–1218 to 2007–0316), Akita Shoten
Dear Holmes (Dearホームズ), 2 volumes, Bonita comics, Akita Shoten
The Corset with Wings (コルセットに翼), 10 volumes, Princess comics (2008–0116 to 2012–0116), Akita Shoten
A Tale of Riegienda (リエギエンダ物語), 4 volumes, Flex Comix (2008–0212 to 2008–0512), [revised]
Drina-hime Dōwa - Queen Victoria Bōkendan (ドリーナ姫童話―クイーン・ヴィクトリア冒険譚), Princess comics (2010–0816), Akita Shoten
Girflet-ryō no Hitsuji-tachi (ガーフレット寮の羊たち), 6 volumes, Princess comics (2012–1116 to 2016–0316), Akita Shoten
An to Kyōju no Rekishi-dokei (アンと教授の歴史時計), 3 volumes, Princess comics (2016–0115 to 2018–0416), Akita Shoten
Uri-watasareta Shukujo (売り渡された淑女), 1 volume, Harlequin Comics Kirara (2018–0310). written by Annie Barrows, HarperCollins Japan
Tenshi ga Nozokimi (天使がのぞきみ―英国貴族と領民たちのひみつ), 5 volumes, Princess comics (2017–0915 to 2020–0616), Akita Shoten
Koi no Seizu to Neko-biyori (恋の星図と猫日和), 3 volumes, Princess comics (2023–0713 to 2024–0816), Akita Shoten
= Illustration
=Hana Mmonogatari (花ものがたり) by Erika Tachihara (ja), Shogakukan
Ame wo Yobu Shōjo (雨を呼ぶ少女) by Arimi Yazaki (ja), Kodansha
Kagami no naka no Lemon (鏡の中のれもん) by Saori Kumi (ja), Shueisha
Reception
It is not easy to find that books or specialists who directly mention her and criticize her works. Ariko Kawabata (ja) and Riko Murakami (ja) mention Moto as representative manga artist who published Victorian manga stories from 1998 (the start point of Lady Victorian), along with the famous Emma by Kaoru Mori. They talk that Moto has published Lady Victorian, Corset with Wings, and Girflet-ryō no Hitsiji-tachi. at chapter 3 "Beginning and Development of Victorian manga" in the discussion (paper) "Shōjo manga and Neo-Victorianism". Kawabata and Mori talk about the artists of the Year 24 Group, Yasuko Sakata, Kaoru Mori, Akiko Hatsu, and especially Yana Toboso (author of Black Butler), who have had the relations of development of Victorian manga in Japan.
Mangapedia (ja) introduces 5 Maid manga. Kawabata and Mori mention two artists in their paper, including Moto, among five.
On the other hand, Anna Maria Jones (University of Central Florida, Florida, USA) mentioned Moto's Sherlock Holmes story Dear Holmes, comparing Yana Toboso's Black Butler. in "Palimpsestuous" Attachments. While Waiyee Loh discussed in her doctrate thesis: Empire of Culture: Contemporary British and Japanese Imaginings of Victorian Britain in April, 2016. Loh mentions Moto's Lady Victorian, analyzing its depictions of the various scenes in the manga.
References
= Bibliography
=Nichigai Associates Editorial Department (April 21, 1997), Dictionary of Manga and Anime artists. Nichigai Associates Co., Ltd. ISBN 4-8169-1423-4
Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editorial Department (December 10, 2011), Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2012. Takatajima-sha. ISBN 978-4796688321
External links
Official website (in Japanese)
List of works : note by Moto Naoko (in Japanese)
Bluesky Moto Naoko (in Japanese)
Lady Victorian Akita Shoten (in Japanese)
Five Maid manga Mangapedia (in Japanese)
Shōjo manga and Neo-Victorianism vssj (in Japanese)
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