Do you have a favorite manga author? I hardly read manga anymore these days, but I wouldn’t say no to a work by Hagio Moto I haven’t read. Ms. Hagio is often affectionately referred to as “the godmother” of shoujo manga (comics for girls and young women), and for good reason. She was one of the pioneering female authors who reshaped the genre in the 1970s, and remains the most ciritically acclaimed to date. Her stories brilliantly embodied complex emotions, psychological depth, literary sensibility and humanity, at a time when shoujo manga was still very simple both in theme and approach. One of her most memorable works for me is Iguana’s Daughter, a short story following a girl who believes she’s an iguana because that’s how her mother sees her. Through this surreal premise, the story invites you to a world where reality and fantasy intertwine, weaving into a modern fairytale about childhood trauma and the struggle to break free from its curse. If you want to read something that truly encapsulates her genius, many people would recommend ‘After Us the Savage God’ (warning: sensitive subject matter), and I agree. But her short stories, like ‘Iguana’s Daughter’, ‘Halfgod’, ‘Drunken Dream’ or ‘A, A Prime’, which are more compact and accessible, might be a better introduction to her world. * Written with the help of ChatGPT for grammar correction, word choice and connection of ideas.