Ai Yazawa is the pen name of the manga author of iconic series such as Nana and Paradise Kiss. She is known for her realistic art style that beautifully captures the emotions of her characters unlike any other and female-centered storylines, which has changed the manga genre forever and cemented her as an icon in girls’ manga.
Ai Yazawa was born on March 7, 1967, in Japan. She originally went to school to become a fashion designer, but later dropped out. Her time at art school still greatly affected her work, with all of her characters sporting trendy, elaborate outfits, which makes her work extremely popular with fashion enthusiasts. While Ai is her given name, the name Yazawa comes from singer Eikichi Yazawa, whom she is a fan of. She claims that musicians and designers inspire her work just as much as other manga authors, and her ability to take inspiration from other art mediums is prevalent in the details of her stories. She started writing in 1985, and since has released over 10 series. Her most famous works include Nana, Paradise Kiss, Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai, and Gokinjo Monogatari, with Nana and Paradise Kiss receiving anime adaptations, and even a live-action film adaptation of Nana with a sequel.
Arguably her most popular work (and my personal favorite), is Nana, which tells the story of two girls who are the same age, with the same name, who are both moving to Tokyo, and happen to sit next to each other on the train. Nana Komatsu is traveling to Tokyo to live with her boyfriend and her friends while trying to find a job, while Nana Osaki is traveling to Tokyo to begin her career as a singer. Later on, they run into each other again while looking for an apartment and decide to live together. The story follows their friendship while they navigate the troubles of independence and young love.
Ai Yazawa is known for her female-centered stories that realistically depict relationships and the hardships of growing up. While other shojo, or romance, manga may depict love through rose-colored glasses, Yazawa’s storylines never shy away from depicting the ugly sides of romance, with relationships often serving as a tool of character development for her characters. Her characters are relatable and full of dimension and depth, not afraid to show their flaws, and constantly learning from mistakes. Yazawa uses a three-dimensional art style to embody the multi-dimensional characters. With trendy clothing and hairstyles and attention to small details in the face, Ai Yazawa is able to perfectly capture the emotional rollercoaster of her characters, proving her mastery of the down-to-earth storytelling that has cemented her as an icon in manga.
While she had to go on hiatus in 2009 due to illness, she said in an interview that she intends to finish Nana, the tragically incomplete masterpiece which is arguably one of the best girls’ manga of all time. I patiently await the day that she (fingers crossed) releases more of Nana. Ai Yazawa is a Pro-C, with an extensive career and published works unlike any other before that produced commercial success and changed the genre of romance manga forever.
https://womenincomics.fandom.com/wiki/Ai_Yazawa
https://www.otaquest.com/introducing-ai-yazawa/
I don't know too much about manga, but this post was super interesting and informative! I find it so interesting that this individual went to fashion school, and how that actually impacted the characters and their sense of fashion as well—what a unique form of collecting.
ReplyDeleteI loved this artist and all her works, very nice description of her work!
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