{"product_id":"little-miruko-14-soji-yamakawa-pg-6-1952","title":"Little Miruko #14 | Sōji Yamakawa | pg.6 | 1952","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003eSize : 20,5 x 26 cm\u003cbr\u003eMedia : pencil, ink \u0026amp; watercolor on paper\u003cbr\u003eCondition : Good to Very Good\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e“Little Miruko”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e is a major illustrated work by Soji Yamakawa, created for the girls’ magazine \u003cb\u003eShōjo Book\u003c\/b\u003e, a Shueisha publication issued between 1951 and 1963.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe adventures of Miruko \u003cu\u003estart in the very first issue of Shojo Book\u003c\/u\u003e and continue for 14 chapters, 14 consecutive months (until October 1952).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMiruko and her family live deep in the dense, wild jungle of French Equatorial Africa (a colonial designation that covered regions corresponding to present-day Gabon, Congo, and Chad).\u003cbr\u003eThe environment is inhabited by numerous wild animals, creating a backdrop that is both exotic and challenging for the characters, but the speciality of Soji Yamakawa.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003eShōjo Book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e launched in 1951, was one of the first major postwar magazines of Japan \u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003ecreated specifically for girls\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e(Shōjo), and it quickly became highly influential.\u003cbr\u003eAt a time when the girls’ magazine market still largely consisted of publications in smaller formats, Shojo Book adopted the larger B5 size, giving more space to images and design.\u003cbr\u003eIts success was immediate: the first issue sold around 80,000 copies, and within three years circulation rose to 650,000, making it the best-selling girls’ magazine of its time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe magazine’s impact continued with the creation of the highly successful shōjo manga magazine Ribon (1955).\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe magazine stood at the center of a rapidly changing publishing world, bringing together entertainment, education, and inspiring content.\u003cbr\u003eIt presented a transitional format, \u003cb\u003ecombining early forms of manga, short stories, educational texts, fashion pages, and emonogatari.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithin this context, \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Little Miruko” is a striking example of Yamakawa’s refined style.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike other emonogatari of the period, it is built on large, carefully composed illustrations accompanied by blocks of text, rather than panel-by-panel narration.\u003cbr\u003eThis approach creates a slower reading rhythm, where the images shape atmosphere and emotion instead of directly advancing the action.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003eIn the early 1950s, this form was still common, and in Shōjo Book it existed alongside emerging manga.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis coexistence is historically important, as it shows the gradual shift from text-based illustrated storytelling to panel-based manga, a transformation that would soon be reinforced by artists such as Osamu Tezuka.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eYamakawa’s work retains a distinct visual and narrative identity rooted in illustration.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShōjo Book played a key role in shaping early postwar shōjo culture, presenting new ideas of girlhood that combined innocence, sensitivity, and curiosity about the world.\u003cbr\u003eWithin this evolving context, “Little Miruko” is not only a perfect example of emonogatari, but also an important document of a time when the forms and visual language of girls’ media were still taking shape.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sōji Yamakawa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52882522243400,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0799\/6974\/7272\/files\/soji_thumb_13_4b8accc3-79b0-4f5d-9bae-dde445607721.jpg?v=1775895073","url":"https:\/\/sultansofmanga.com\/products\/little-miruko-14-soji-yamakawa-pg-6-1952","provider":"Sultans of Manga","version":"1.0","type":"link"}