Aoi Hiiragi
{{short description|Japanese manga artist}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| name_nonEN = 柊 あおい
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|11|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kamifukuoka, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
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| nationality =Japanese
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| notable works =Whisper of the Heart
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| nonUS = ja
}}
{{nihongo|Aoi Hiiragi|柊 あおい|Hiiragi Aoi|born November 22, 1962}} is a Japanese manga artist who grew up in Mibu. She is best known for her Whisper of the Heart manga, and the film based on it.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-28 |title=Studio Ghibli: 10 Movies Based On Books & Manga |url=https://screenrant.com/studio-ghibli-movies-based-on-books-manga/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US}}
Life and work
Hiiragi was born in Fukuoka (which became Kamifukuoka in 1972 and then Fujimino in 2005), Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and grew up in Mibu, Tochigi.
She made her manga debut with Cobalt Blue no Hitoshizuku in the manga magazine Ribon Original in 1984. She created a number of other manga over the next two decades, including Hoshi no Hitomi no Silhouette and Gin'iro no Harmony.
= Whisper of the Heart =
Hiiragi's most widely known work is Whisper of the Heart, a manga which was later made into an anime film by Studio Ghibli. A number of its characters made its way into other stories and into popular culture. The protagonist of the film was the inspiration for Lofi Girl, whose first iteration was based closely on a still from the film.{{Cite web |date=2020-07-06 |title=Studio Ghibli Is to Thank for YouTube's Lofi Girl |url=https://www.cbr.com/lofi-girl-studio-ghibli-whispers-of-heart/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=CBR |language=en}} Two cats in the film, the Baron and Muta, have appeared in five different Studio Ghibli productions.
Studio Ghibli commissioned another story from Hiiragi involving the cats as more central characters, which became Baron, Neko no Danshaku, also released as The Cat Returns. While this is a sequel of sorts, it is not a continuation of the story found in Whisper.{{Cite web |title=Whisper of the Heart Manga Gets Live-Action Film Sequel After Inspiring Ghibli Anime |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-01-13/whisper-of-the-heart-manga-gets-live-action-film-sequel-after-inspiring-ghibli-anime/.155323 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}
Bibliography
=Manga=
==Series==
- Hoshi no Hitomi no Silhouette (Ribon, 1985–1989)
- Hoshi no Hitomi no Silhouette Bangaihen
- Oinari-san Dai Panic (Ribon, 1988)
- Engage (Ribon Original, 1991)
- Engage II
- Hoshikuzu Serenade (2018){{Cite web |date=2023-07-12 |title=Hoshi no Hitomi no Silhouette Manga by Whisper of the Heart's Aoi Gets New Sequel |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-12-28/hoshi-no-hitomi-no-silhouette-manga-by-whisper-of-the-heart-aoi-gets-new-sequel/.141429 |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}
- Whisper of the Heart (Ribon, 1989)
- Mimi wo Sumaseba: Shiawase na Jikan (Ribon Original, 1995; released the year of the film)
- Gin'iro no Harmony (Ribon, 1990–1992)
- Step (Ribon, 1993)
- Peppermint Graffiti (Ribon Original, 1994)
- Yuki no Sakura no Ki no Shita de... (Bouquet, 1997)
- Smile! (Margaret, 1998)
- Yume no Machi: Neko no Danshaku (Margaret, 2002)
- Kono Machi de Kimi ni (Margaret, 2002)
- "Okaa-san" no Jikan
==One-shots==
- Campus Sketch
- Cobalt Blue no Hitoshizuku (her debut work)
- Harukaze no Melody
- Hajimemashite
- Joshikō no Okite
- Kikyou no Saku Goro
- Kisetsu no Shiori
- Kono Machi de Anata ni ( & Issho ni & Kimi ni )
- Mahō no Toketa Princess
- Naimono Nedari (1 &2)
- Otome Gokoro·Yume Gokoro
- Shōjo Shōkei
- Spring!
- Yuki no Sakura no Ki no Shita de...
- Yume no Kaori no Tea Time
=Films=
- Whisper of the Heart (1995)
- The Cat Returns (2002)
=Books=
- Baron: The Cat Returns (2002), a children's book {{Cite book |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Baron-The-Cat-Returns/Aoi-Hiiragi/Baron-The-Cat-Returns/9781591169567 |title=Baron: The Cat Returns |date=2005-04-05 |isbn=978-1-59116-956-7 |language=en}}
- Sora no Eki [The Cat Returns] (2002), a picture book
=Albums=
- Hoshi no Hitomi no Silhouette Image album (Warner/Pioneer, 1987)
References
External links
- {{ann|person|4768}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiiragi, Aoi}}
Category:People from Fujimino, Saitama
Category:Japanese female comics artists
Category:Japanese female comics writers