Setona Mizushiro

Setona Mizushiro
Born23 October 1971
Fujisawa, Kanagawa
NationalityJapanese
OccupationManga artist
Websitewww.page.sannet.ne.jp/setona

Setona Mizushiro (Japanese: 水城 せとな, Hepburn: Mizushiro Setona) is a Japanese manga artist. In 1985 she participated in the publication of a dōjinshi. She remained active in that world until her debut in 1993 with the short story Fuyu ga Owarou Toshiteita (Winter Was Ending) that ran in Shogakukan's magazine, Puchi Comic.

In 2008, her gender bender psychological thriller After School Nightmare won her some of the acclaim she has back home after the Young Adult Library Services Association named it one of the best graphic novels for teenagers.[1] The same work was also nominated for the 2007 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material (Japan).[2][3]

Though her current drawing style is high in aesthetic value, her earlier works had less finesse. Regardless, her popularity grew largely due to her storytelling. Her works are noted for their slightly askew plots and exploration of the human psyche. Even her lighthearted Shōjo works usually have darker underlying elements. X-Day follows a group of teens whose mounting stress during senior year finals culminates in a plan to blow up their high school; the author has indicated that the series was written in response to the Columbine High School massacre.[4] In her After School Nightmare series, she explores both sexual and gender identity issues.[5] After was so successful in France that the French publisher released an exact replica of the key in the series as a limited edition gift. This led to a fierce online bidding war amongst Japanese fans, with the keys selling for outrageous prices.[6]

In 2006 she released The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese. Keiko Takemiya, professor of Kyoto Seika University and one of the members of the Year 24 Group, called it one of the best work published of the BL genre, despite the S&M theme.[7] Widespread success has also followed critical acclaim with many readers rating the work five stars out of a possible 5 on Amazon.jp.[7]

Her series Shitsuren Shokoratie (失恋ショコラティエ, Heartbroken Chocolatier) was awarded in May 2012 with the 36th Kodansha Manga Award in the category Shōjo.[8]

Her works largely involve the individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and personal identity, themes that mirror her favourite author Hermann Hesse's works.[6] Her works include shōjo, josei, and yaoi, and have been translated into many languages, including Chinese, English, French and German.

  1. ^ Koulikov, Mikhail (28 January 2009). "Librarians Honor Sand Chronicles, Real, Uzumaki, Japan Ai". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  2. ^ Macdonald, Christopher (29 July 2007). "Old Boy Wins Eisner Award". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  3. ^ "The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese by Setona Mizushiro > About the Author". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  4. ^ Macdonald, Christopher (28 May 2003). "New Tokyopop Manga Release Details". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  5. ^ Lawrence, Briana (21 April 2007). "After School Nightmare GN 1". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Tokyo Blog: Bishonen Sake with Setona Mizushiro!". Go Comi. 6 May 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  7. ^ a b Matsuo, Yoshiko (19 June 2009). "俎上の鯉は二度跳ねる" [The carp on the chopping board bounces twice]. Asahi (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  8. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (10 May 2012). "36th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards Announced". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2012.