Milk Morizono (Japanese: 森園 みるく, Hepburn: Morizono Miruku, born December 25, 1957) is the pen name of Hiroko Mizoguchi (Japanese: 溝口 比呂子, Hepburn: Mizoguchi Hiroko), a Japanese manga artist and photographer. Noted for her works in the ladies' manga genre that feature ecchi themes and subject material, Morizono has been called the "Queen of Ladies' Manga"[1] and noted by Rachel Matt Thorn as "the most popular and respected creator of erotic manga for women".[2]
| Milk Morizono 森園 みるく | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hiroko Mizoguchi December 25, 1957 Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, Japan |
| Area(s) | Manga artist, photographer |
Notable works | Crazy Love Hisshouho Peacemaker |
| Spouse(s) | |
| http://morizono.babymilk.jp/ | |
Biography edit
Morizono was born Hiroko Mizoguchi on December 25, 1957, in Tokuyama (now Shūnan), Yamaguchi Prefecture,[3] where she drew manga as a child.[4] In 1977, she married and began work as an office lady, but departed the job after a year.[3] In 1981, she divorced her husband and made her professional debut as a manga artist with Crazy Love Hisshouhou published in the manga magazine Shōjo Comic.[3] She won a Shogakukan Manga Award for new artists that same year.[4]
From 1981 to 1986, Morizono primarily created shōjo manga (girls' comics) and gag cartoons for seinen manga (young men's comics) magazines.[5] As ladies' manga began to incorporate more mature elements such as erotica and S&M in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Morizono began to create manga for the genre exclusively.[4] During this period, she began publishing under the name "Milk" as a pen name that was "catchy and feminine".[5] Between 1986 and 1995, Morizono published over 35 paperbacks[5] and earned the nickname of "the Queen of Ladies' Manga".[1]
In 1991, Morizono published the erotic manga series Peacemaker in Midori, a shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha.[6] The series received complaints from the police, parent–teacher associations, housewife groups, and politicians, and prompted Kodansha to pressure the editors of Midori to cease publishing works deemed "harmful".[6] Kodansha refused to publish tankōbon volumes of Morizono's manga unless Peacemaker was revised, which Morizono refused; ultimately, neither Morizono nor Kodansha earned royalties from Peacemaker, and the series was not renewed despite its popularity.[7] As a result, Morizono began primarily publishing works through Shodensha, a smaller company that published a tankōbon of Peacemaker in its uncensored form.[7]
Morizono was married to manga artist Hyakurō Murasaki until his murder in 2010. She published an autobiographical manga on Murasaki's death, My Husband Was Suddenly Killed One Day (私の夫はある日突然殺された), in the digital manga magazine Mecha Comic in 2017.[1] In addition to her manga work, Morizono also works as a photographer.[8]
Style edit
Morizono is known for her "glamorous and media-friendly" public persona[6] and describes her art as etchi, a term broadly used to describe works that are erotic but not explicitly pornographic.[9] Though sex figures heavily into her manga, her works do not render genitalia or pubic hair, and typically feature significant plot and character development in addition to sex scenes.[5] Recurring elements in her work include "wealthy, jet-set young women" who find themselves in a variety of sexual scenarios,[6] foreign settings, and gay characters.[8] Unlike many manga artists who both write and illustrate their manga, Morizono frequently does not write her material, opting to instead work with new and unestablished writers with whom she shares 30 percent of the series' royalties.[8]
Works edit
The following works have been published by Morizono:[10]
| Year | Title | Publisher[a] |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Crazy Love Hisshouhou | Shogakukan (Shōjo Comic) |
| 1983 | Katte ni Senka (勝手に専科) | Shogakukan (Betsucomi) |
| 1984 | Kon'ya mo Sexual (今夜もセクシャル) | Shogakukan |
| 1984 | Nanika ii Koto shinai? Koneko-chan (なにかいいことしない？仔猫ちゃん) | Shogakukan |
| 1988 | Abunai Koibitotachi (あぶない恋人たち) | Tairiku Shobou |
| 1989 | Desire (デザイアー) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1989 | Feel So Bad | Futabasha |
| 1989 | Milky Pink (ミルキィピンク) | Tairiku Shobou |
| 1989 | All Night Long (オ－ルナイトロング) | Tairiku Shobou |
| 1989 | Cocktail Stories (カクテル・ストーリーズ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1989 | Milky Pop (ミルキィポップ) | Tairiku Shobou |
| 1989 | Milky Panic (ミルキィパニック) | Tairiku Shobou |
| 1989 | Milky Party (ミルキィパ－ティ－) | Tairiku Shobou |
| 1989 | Milky Passion (ミルキーパッショーン) | Tairiku Shobou |
| 1989 | Slave to Love (スレーブ・トゥ・ラブ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1990 | Déjà-vu | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1990 | New York Stories | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1990 | Venus Party | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1990 | Hong Kong Yuugi (香港遊戯) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1991 | Sabu & June (さぶとJUNE) | Futabasha |
| 1991 | Crystal Rose (クリスタル・ローズ) | Shodensha |
| 1991 | Kagami no Tasogare (神々の黄昏) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1991 | Lust | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1991 | Peacemaker | Kodansha (Midori) |
| 1992 | Hana Kagami (華鏡) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1992 | High Life (ハイ・ライフ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1992 | Himiko (ヒミコ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1992 | Kiara (キアラ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1993 | Bondage Fantasy (ボンデージ・ファンタジー, Koufuku o Uru Otoko) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1993 | Daisy Blues (デイジー・ブルー) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1993 | Partner | Shodensha |
| 1994 | Soshite Tsutaete, Hibi no Owari ni (そして伝えて、日々の終わりに) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1994 | Atlas no Kaze (アトラスの風) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1994 | Junkyousha (殉教者) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1994 | Let's Go to Bed | Shodensha |
| 1994 | Midsummer Night (ミッドサマ－・ナイト) | Shodensha |
| 1994 | Seaside Lovers (シーサイド・ラバーズ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1995 | Lion no Nakaniwa (ライオンの中庭) | Futabasha (Jour: Suteki na Shufu-tachi) |
| 1995 | Vegetable Love (ベジタブル・ラブ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1995 | Lonely Hearts Club (ロンリ－・ハ－ツ・クラブ) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1995 | Velvet (ヴェルヴェット) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1995 | Anata no Kiss ga Ichiban Ii (あなたのKISSが一番いい) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1995 | Violetta (ヴィオレッタ) | Shodensha |
| 1995 | Ecstasy (エクスタシー) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1995 | Sweet Heart (スイート・ハート) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1995 | Pink Connection (ＰＩＮＫコネクション) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1996 | Pressure Game (プレッシャーゲーム) | Scholar |
| 1996 | Body Shooting | Scholar |
| 1996 | An Angel's Temptation (天使の誘惑) | Scholar |
| 1996 | Monroe Densetsu (モンロー伝説) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1997 | Drag | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1998 | Platinum Finger (プラチナ・フィンガー) | Shodensha (Feel Young) |
| 1998 | Saturn Return (悪魔の帰還―サターン・リターン) | Ohta Publishing |
| 1999 | Melencolia (メランコリア) | SoftBank Creative |
| 2001 | Cleopatra Koori no Bishou (まんがグリム童話 クレオパトラ氷の女豹) | Bunkasha |
| 2002 | Atrocious Fairy Tales for Adults (シンデレラ 世界一美しい残酷童話) | Futabasha |
| 2006 | Ayashii Uzu (妖しい渦) | Futabasha |
| 2007 | Thérèse (欲望の聖女 令嬢テレジア) | Shogakukan (Josei Seven) |
| 2008 | Avalon Babies (アヴァロン・ベイビーズ) | Bunkasha (Hontou ni Kowai Douwa) |
| 2016 | Chimamire no Goo Punch - Bouryoku wo Yamerarenai Onna (血まみれのグーパンチ〜暴力をやめられない女〜) | Shogakukan |
| 2017 | Shin gokutsuma kaachan dotabata nikki ♪ (新・極妻母ちゃんドタバタ日記♪) | Bunkasha |
| 2017 | Manga Grimm Douwa - Satsujin Baishunpu (まんがグリム童話 殺人売春婦) | Bunkasha |
| 2017 | Manga Grimm Douwa - Dorei Bokujou (まんがグリム童話 奴隷牧場) | Bunkasha |
| 2017 | My Husband Was Suddenly Killed One Day (私の夫はある日突然殺された) | Mecha Comics |
Notes edit
- ^ Manga magazine noted in parentheses where relevant.
References edit
- ^ a b c "マンガ家・森園みるくが激白、"鬼畜ライター"村崎百郎刺殺事件の真実！ 憑依、幽体離脱、魔術訓練… 死は予見されていた!?（インタビュー）". Excite News (in Japanese). September 29, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ Thorn, Rachel Matt. "Matt's Shojo Manga Photo Album". matt-thorn.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Profile". Milky World. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c Schodt 1996, pp. 207.
- ^ a b c d Schodt 1996, pp. 208.
- ^ a b c d Kinsella 2010, pp. 150.
- ^ a b Kinsella 2010, pp. 151.
- ^ a b c Schodt 1996, pp. 210.
- ^ Schodt 1996, pp. 209.
- ^ "Works". Milky World. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
Bibliography edit
- Kinsella, Sharon (2010). Adult Manga : Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-0824823184.
- Schodt, Frederik L. (1996). Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Stone Bridge Press. pp. 207–212. ISBN 978-1933330952.
External links edit
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Milk Morizono at Anime News Network's encyclopedia