Watanabe Masako, pioneer of shōjo manga, dies at 97

Manga artist Watanabe Masako, one of the pioneers of shōjo manga in Japan, passed away on October 3 at the age of 97. The news was confirmed by Kyodo News, which cites her work Garasu no Shiro (The Glass Castle) as one of her best-known titles. She was from Tokyo.

Her death closes a key chapter in understanding how manga aimed at female readers went from a marginal field to one of the pillars of the industry. Watanabe belongs to the generation that paved the way in the 1950s and 1960s, when female authors began telling their own stories in a medium dominated by men.

A career tied to the origins of shōjo

Watanabe Masako debuted in the 1950s and was part of the group of authors who defined the foundations of modern shōjo manga. Her generation shared the era with figures like Mizuno Hideko and Ueda Toshiko, and together they built the space in which, decades later, authors from the Year 24 Group such as Hagio Moto and Takemiya Keiko would work.

Her work was characterized by mystery, suspense, and psychological drama plots, uncommon in girls' manga of her time. Garasu no Shiro remains her most cited title, a story that combined intrigue and family relationships with a darker tone than was expected in female-oriented publications back then.

Kyodo News does not specify the cause of death or the exact location in its report, beyond confirming that it occurred on the 3rd. No public ceremonies or family statements have been reported either.

The generational shift in shōjo manga

Watanabe's passing comes at a time when the Japanese industry is losing several of its foundational figures. The gap between her generation and the authors who came after also marks a shift in the type of stories being published: from classic melodrama and gothic tales to, over the years, the exploration of identity, sexuality, and relationships from a more personal perspective.

Watanabe did not witness that turn as a spectator: she partly led it. Her insistence on mystery plots within shōjo helped expand the boundaries of what was considered appropriate for young female readers, and her professional longevity kept her active for several decades.

The news of her death has spread through Japanese news agencies, with no statement yet published by her publisher or heirs. It remains to be seen whether tributes or commemorative reprints of her major works will be announced in the coming days.

Watanabe Masako belongs to the generation that paved the way in the 1950s and 1960s, when female authors began telling their own stories in a medium dominated by men.

At 97, Watanabe leaves a legacy spanning more than half a century of continuous publication. Her name does not appear in international catalogs as often as that of later female authors, but within Japan her role as a pioneer is beyond question.

The loss of figures like her forces us to revisit the history of shōjo manga from its origins, a field that in the West remains less documented than that of authors from the 1970s onward. Which Watanabe Masako work have you read or would you like to see brought back? Let us know in the comments.