A 13-Year-Old Just Made An Impressive Manga Debut
There's a new star emerging on to the manga scene - and she is only 13-years-old! Teenage artist [...]
There's a new star emerging on to the manga scene - and she is only 13-years-old! Teenage artist Nana Hoshiki is quickly gaining acclaim for her new manga Tidings of Snow (or Inshin no Yuki), as she is one of (if not the) youngest manga creators to gain this level of acclaim:
伝統と格式の別マまんがスクールから驚異の新人現る。年齢が強調されててそこも確かにスゴいんですが、年齢を抜きにしても上手だと思うので、今後の活躍が楽しみです。
— 日高利泰 (@shigureya) February 14, 2019
星木奈々「音信の雪」『別マ』3月号 pic.twitter.com/tYPPdw4CBC
Translated from Twitter user Tidae Hidaka: "A marvelous newcomer from a different manga school of tradition and formality. The age is emphasized and it is certainly great, but I think it is good even without [her] age. I am looking forward to more in the future. Nana Hoshi "The snow of the Touch..."
The manga's lede image have been going viral on Twitter, as more and more anime/manga fans get wind of this breakout young talent:
今月売りの別冊マーガレット3月号に載ってる13歳デビュー驚異の新人・星木奈々さん（ちゃん？）「音信の雪」は凄い！13歳にしてこの画力、16ページというコンパクトな中で見事に仕上げる構成力。そして面白い。長い漫画編集人生、ここまでの13歳は見たことない。真っ直ぐに育ってほしい！マジ凄い。 pic.twitter.com/z8ol62OrPT
— みふもとうとりあ (@izumonoari) February 14, 2019
Translation (via Kotaku): "In my long life as a manga editor, I've never seen a 13-year-old like this," wrote Tomofumi Arito, a veteran manga editor at publisher Shogakukan. "Truly incredible."
Anime / manga fans have been expressing a mix of emotions, with some saying things like "13 years old! ! What?", while others are naturally taking a more snarky approach ("How long have you been 13 years old?"). Manga beings being as fickle as they typically are, some are not at all impressed by Hoshiki's work ("This one? It is terrible something terrible"). Still, both the art and writing of Tidings of Snow are getting praise, proving that Hoshiki is likely to be a fast-rising talent in the industry.
The manga / anime genres are yet another venue in the larger entertainment industry in which female talents are beginning to emerge and gain prominence with increasing frequency. For another example: Dragon Ball Super's anime series came to a series-high conclusion with a finale episode overseen by Megumi Ishitani, whose animation and battle designs were a distinguishing change from DBS's at times shoddy style. It seems there's no shortage of female talent out there - of all ages. And the fans seem to be the ones reaping the benefit.
You can check out Tidings of Snow over at Margaret magazine.