Junko Mizuno
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Junko Mizuno is a Japanese manga artist. Her work has exhibited at the Mondo Bizarro art gallery in Italy andpublished by Editions Treville.
Mizuno's drawing style, which mixes childish sweetness and cuteness with blood and terror has been termed a Gothic kawaii or kawaii noir style. In addition to her comics, she designs T-shirts, calendars, postcards, and other collectibles. Some of Junko Mizuno's designs were used in the documentary series Japanorama, which aired on BBC.
Mizuno has participated in the Angoulême International Comics Festival.
Last Gasp and Viz Comics are the English-language publishers of her work.
Some of Mizuno's recent work was on display at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles, in an exhibit titled Heart Throb (March 10 to April 7, 2007, with new work by Miss Van and Aiko Nakagawa), and at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California in an exhibit titled Tender Succubus (October 6th to October 27th with work by Mizna Wada and Alayna Magnan).
Mizuno provides the art that accompanies the horoscopes in Shojo Beat magazine.
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Art style
Mizuno has stated that her work is influenced by shōjo manga works; this influence is exhibited through her use of bright colorization and the large eyes she provides for her characters Her art has a decidedly pop-art and psychedelic flair, and a sizable proportion of her published work is colored, rather than the black and white which is the norm for Japanese comics.
Mizuno's female characters are often characterized by large eyes, long flowing (and wildly colored) hair, and prominently displayed breasts/cleavage. Her works from 1995-98 portray women with almost-minuscule waists; since then they have evolved to display more curvaceous figures. Conversely, male characters are portrayed alternately as large, gauze-wrapped monster-like humanoids, sometimes green and dripping with ooze. In more recent work, men are portrayed as simple silhouettes with the bare minimum of facial features, and are significantly more plain than their female counterparts.
A notable aspect of Mizuno's work is her frequent exposition of the female form. Many of her female characters are depicted topless, or even completely nude. This is done in an unceremonious manner; none of the characters comment upon the nudity. Sex, while less often depicted, is portrayed in an oblique manner: for example, two characters "meld" into one another in Cinderalla and Princess Mermaid.
Works
- Cinderalla, (Koushinsya, 1995); English ed. Viz, (2002).
- "The Life of Momongo," story by Norimizu Ameya, Comic Cue, (East Press, 1998); reprinted in Chikao Shiratori, (ed.), Secret Comics Japan, (Viz, 2000).
- Pure Trance, (East Press [Tokyo], 1998); English ed. Last Gasp, (2005).
- Hansel & Gretel, (Koushinsya, 2000); English ed. Viz, (2003).
- Junko Mizuno's Hell Babies, (Kenichi Kawai/Pan-Exotica, 2001).
- Princess Mermaid, (Bunkasha, 2002); English ed. Viz, (2003).
- Collector's File 002: Junko Mizuno's Illustration Book, (Viz, 2003).
Merchandise
A handful of objects have been produced from Junko Mizuno's designs. These include vinyl figurines (produced by Fewture Models/Art Storm USA), plush animals, stationery (produced by Dark Horse USA), and original artwork T-shirts (made by Fine Clothing). In early 2009 Mizuno Garden launched a line of erotic products such as condoms and lube. In addition, the Viz editions of her graphic novels include stickers and postcards.
Bibliography
- "Junko Mizuno's Fantasy World," (Interviewed by Pushead), Juxtapoz #60 (January 2006), pp. 54-57.
- "The Junko Mizuno Interview," (Interview conducted by Ema Nakao; questions and research by Kristy Valenti), The Comics Journal #273 (January 2006), pp. 117-130.
- "Interview with Junko Mizuno," (Interview conducted by Izumi Evers, translated into English by Andy Nakatani), in Cinderalla, pp. 130-135.
