...The Mangaka
Born in Osaka on December 18th, 1947; the
eldest of 4 brothers. She wanted to study music but she applied
to the school of philosophy at the Tokyo Educational University.
While attending the university, she started working as a waitress
but then she preferred to draw mangas. Her debut as a mangaka was
"Bara-Yashiki no Shoujo" ("The girl from the rose mansion"),
published in 1967 in the magazine Shoujo Friend. Riyoko Ikeda's
style was initially deeply influenced by Osamu Tezuka (as far as
the characteristics of the female heroine, the thoroughness in
details, the classical board layout) but it soon started becoming
more and more original. Her best and most popular work is
"Versailles no Bara", published in 1972, but she showed us her
great talent also with other mangas: besides her masterpiece, the
excellent "Orpheus no Mado" and "Oniisama e" are rather popular,
and not only in Japan. Nowadays, Riyoko Ikeda abandoned her
mangaka activities to study music and she became an opera singer.
But her mangas are still so famous that they are part of Japanese
culture. Ask any Japanese if s/he has ever heard of Riyoko
Ikeda!
♣ Interesting links:
Riyoko
Ikeda's Official Site
