You Higuri

You Higuri (pronounced "yuu") ("Higuri You," born October 16 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist who has made several appearances at anime and manga conventions in the United States, as well as in Germany. Her first U.S. appearance was at the initial Yaoi-Con in San Francisco in 2001 (Yaoi-Con 2001, 3). She is known especially for her drawings of beautiful fantasy men in romantic storylines set in historical Europe, such as "Gorgeous Carat" in early 20th-century France and Cantarella during the Italian Renaissance.

She is an only child. Her professional debut was in 1993 (FanimeCon, 7).

Comic art influences include Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, and the Showa 24 generation of women manga artists lead by Moto Hagio who created girls' comics in the 1970s (Yaoi-Con 2001, 3; Higuri Q & A, 2004). She has also found inspiration in Franco-Belgian comics or "bandes dessinées" (Higuri Q & A, 2004).

Higuri currently lives in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, near Osaka (FanimeCon, 7).

Published works

(This list does not include her "doujinshi" or self-published comics.)
* "Azel Seimaden," 1994 - prequel to "Seimaden"
* "Sento no Hishin," 1994
* "Seimaden," 1994-1999
* "Lost Angel," 1996
* "Ludwig II," 1996-1998
* "Kamen no Romanesque (Mask of Romance)," 1997 - Not written by artist; based on a Takarazuka Revue play.
* "Zoku: Cutlass," 1997-1998
* "Zeus," 1997-1998
* "Ramen Ikaga!?" 1995 (original) & 1997
* "Shinkyoku (Divine Comedy)," 1998
* "Gorgeous Carat: Virtue of Darkness," 1999-2002 - A young French nobleman finds himself caught up in the maneuvers of the famous jewel thief Noir.
* "Tenshi no Hitsugi: Ave Maria (Angel's Coffin: Ave Maria)," 2000
* "Tenshi ni Bara no Hanataba o (Rose Bouquet for an Angel)," 2000-2001 (also called: L'alleluja des Anges) - Sei turns into a girl when he is around white roses. Only a kiss will change him back.
* "Cutlass: Shounen tachi no toki (Cutlass: A Time for Boys)," 2000 - pirate manga
* "Poison" artbook, 2000 - Color and monochrome illustrations from "Seimaden," "Ludwig II," "Gorgeous Carat," and other manga.
* "Flower," 2001
* "Cantarella", 2001-present
* "My Little Lover," 2002
* "Gorgeous Carat Galaxy," 2004 - One-shot sequel to "Gorgeous Carat."
* "Gakuen Heaven (School Heaven)," 2004 - A scenario from SPRAY's "Boy's Love Scramble!" game.
* "Taisho Era Chronicles," 2005
* "Crown," 2005-present - Art only; writer Shinji Wada.
* "Nighthead Genesis" anime, 2006 - Did character design.
* "Jewel" artbook, 2006

References

*"Yaoi-Con 2001 Convention Guide" (Biseinen-ya, 2001): 3-7.
*"FanimeCon 2004" guide (Anime Resource Group, Inc., 2004): 7.
*Guests of Honor press conference, FanimeCon 2004, San Jose, California, May 29, 2004.
*You Higuri Q & A panel, FanimeCon 2004, San Jose, California, May 30, 2004.
*"Yaoi-Con No. 5" (2005): 2.
* [http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/679 AnimeCons.com Convention Information] , "Anime Central" guests (accessed September 2, 2007).
*Kinokuniya BookWeb in-house catalog (accessed 2004).

External links

* [http://www.diana.dti.ne.jp/~higuri/ Tiara: You Higuri Official Site] (Japanese)
* [http://www.youhiguri.com/ Tiara: You Higuri Official Site] (English translation, maintained by U.S. global manga publisher Go! Comi)
* [http://www.aestheticism.com/visitors/editor/interviews/higuriyuu/anketo2.htm You Higuri interview] , translation by Jeanne, "Aestheticism.com," 2001; also published in "Yaoi-Con 2001 Convention Guide."
* [http://www.geocities.com/gedojudea/workyou.html Team Bonet Presents: A You Higuri Shrine] , fan site with manga and character summaries, last updated 2002.
* [http://www.asgard.gen.nz/artbooks/you_higuri/poison.html Artbook Collection Database] review of "Poison" artbook, by Zeb, June 16, 2004.
* [http://www.katavila.com/articles/stpages/youhigurifanime04.pdf You Higuri at FanimeCon 2004] , by Kat Avila, "Sequential Tart," July 2004
* [http://www.katavila.com/articles/stpages/youhigurigorgeouscarat.pdf A (In-Depth) Review of You Higuri's "Gorgeous Carat"] manga, by Kat Avila, "Sequential Tart," October 2004
* [http://www.fansview.com/2005/animecentral/051405a.htm Anime Central - You Higuri] , by Kevin Lillard, "A Fan's View," 2005.