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Kaze to Ki no Uta info dump.

Citations listed first; Japanese quotes with English machine translations listed second.

Details about the manga's conception in 1970

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  • 竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ [Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha. September 16, 2016. p. 12. ISBN 978-4-10-602269-2.

少女マンガ界に革命を起した不朽の名作「風と木の 詩」。少年たちの同性愛、近親相姦、人種差別、虐待など衝撃的なテーマを扱い、あらゆるタブーを破ったこの作品は、1976年「週刊少女コミック」で連載が開始されるや、少女たちから熱狂的に支持された。しかし、少女マンガの常識を根底から覆す作品であるがゆえ、発表」にこぎつけるまでの道は、厳しく、険しかった。 [Kaze to Ki no Uta is a timeless masterpiece that revolutionized the world of shōjo manga. This work, which dealt with shocking themes such as boys' homosexuality, incest, racism, and abuse, and broke all kinds of taboos, was enthusiastically supported by girls when it was first serialized in Shūkan Shōjo Comic in 1976. However, because this work radically overturned the common sense shōjo manga, the road to publication was difficult and arduous.]

構想を得たのは1970年。竹宮は「風と木の詩 '70.12.7〜」と記した大学ノートに作品のストーリー展開を文章でびっしりと綴り、「'71.1.21」の最初のクロッキーノートには、すでに冒頭50ページをコマ割りまで描ききっていた。「 '71.5.31〜」の2冊目には、作品の舞台となる19世紀末フランスの建築物や生活道具等を 研究したスケッチを念入りに行なった。「男の子同士の微妙な友情っていったい何だ?」「理解できない」「ダメだ」･････編集者たちに拒まれ続けても、超弩級のスランプに陥っても、竹宮は「風と木の詩」を諦めなかった。少女たちは絶対にこの作品をわかってくれる。そして、 少女マンガは変わるのだ、と信じて。 [The idea was conceived in 1970. Takemiya wrote the series' storyline in meticulous detail in a college notebook she titled "Kaze to Ki no Uta, December 7, 1970," and had already drawn the first 50 pages, down to the frame layout, in her first croquis notebook dated January 21, 1971. In her second notebook, "May 31, 1971," she carefully sketched the architecture and tools of life in late 19th-century France, the setting of the work. "What is this delicate friendship between the boys?" "I don't understand it." "No way." .....Even though the editors kept rejecting her work and she fell into a super slump, Takemiya never gave up on Kaze to Ki no Uta. [She believed that] girls would definitely understand this work. And she believed that shōjo manga would change.]

  • 竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ [Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha. September 16, 2016. p. 160. ISBN 978-4-10-602269-2.

1970年（昭和45年）20歳：[...] 以前からその作品に惹かれていた萩尾望都と編集者を通じて知り合い、その知人の増山法恵とも出会う。この頃「風と木の詩」を構想し、増山に夜通し8時間電話で語る。秋から、増山の実家前のアパート（東京都練馬区大泉）で萩尾と共同生活を開始。この「大泉サロン」は、後に「花の24年組」と呼ばれる少女マンガ家たちが集い、マンガ論を戦わせ切磋琢磨する場となった。12月、「風と木の詩」の布石でもある「雪と星と天使と…」（改題 「サンルームにて」）を発表。 [1970 (Shōwa 45), age 20: [...] Around this time, she conceived the idea of Kaze to Ki no Uta and talked to Masuyama [about it] on the phone for eight hours through the night. In autumn, [Takemiya] and Hagio began living together in an apartment in front of Masuyama's parents' house (Ōizumi, Nerima, Tokyo). This "Ōizumi Salon" became a place where many shōjo manga artists, later known as the "Year 24 Group of Flowers," gathered to discuss manga and engage in friendly competition. In December, [Takemiya] published Yuki to Hoshi to Tenshi to... (renamed Sunroom nite), which is the precursor to Kaze to Ki no Uta.]

1971年（昭和46年）20歳：1月、「風と木の詩」の冒頭50ページを最初のクロッキー ノートに描き上げる。3月から詐欺師の少年を主人公にし た 「空がすき！」を連載。9月、少年マモルを主人公とした「ガラスの迷路」を発表。その後、3年ほど続く長期のスランプに陥る。 [1971 (Shōwa 46), age 20: In January, she drew the first 50 pages of Kaze to Ki no Uta in her first croquis notebook. In March, she began serializing Sora ga Suki!, featuring a boy con-artist as the main character. In September, she published Glass no Meiro featuring a boy named Mamoru. After that, she fell into a prolonged slump that lasted for about three years.]

掲載に至るまでの道のりは長く険しかった。竹宮さんは冒頭50ページをクロッキー帳に描き、さまざまな編集者に見せて掲載を打診したが、反応は冷たかった。特に冒頭のベッドシーンへの反発が強く、「別の穏当なもので話を始め、ベッドシーンは中盤に入れたらどうか」と言われることが多かった。しかし竹宮さんはこだわった。「この物語を最も反映しているページを最初に持ってきたい。その形で始められないのだったら、意味がない」 [The road to publication was long and difficult. Takemiya drew the first 50 pages of the book in a croquis notebook and showed it to various editors to ask them to publish it, but the response was cold. In particular, there was strong opposition to the bed scene at the beginning of the story, and she was often told, "Why don't you start the story with something else that is more appropriate, and put the bed scene in the middle of the story?" However, Takemiya insisted. She said, "I want to put the page that best reflects the story at the beginning. If I can't start the story that way, then there is no point."]

Prototype one-shot published in 1970

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一方、「別冊少女コミック」1970年12月号には『雪と星と天使と……』を描いた。後に『サンルームにて』と改題される作品で、竹宮によれば〈初めて世に出た「少年愛マンガ」〉だった。もっとも、当時から「少年愛」と謳われていたわけではない。少女雑誌にしては珍しい「美少年を主人公」にしたマンガだった。『風と木の詩』の原型となった作品だ。 [Meanwhile, Yuki to Hoshi to Tenshi to... was published in the December 1970 issue of Bessatsu Shōjo Comic. This work was later renamed Sunroom nite, and according to Takemiya, it was the first shōnen-ai manga to appear in the world. However, it was not touted as shōnen-ai at the time. It was a manga with "bishōnen as the main characters," which was rare for a shōjo magazine. This was the prototype for Kaze to Ki no Uta.]

竹宮はもともと少年マンガで育っているので、女の子ではなく少年を主人公にした作品が描きたい。そしていつしか、少年同士の「友情」を描きたいと思うようになる。まだ「ボーイズラブ」という言葉などまったく存在しない時代に、この世にない新しいマンガを描きたいと考えていた。それを増山法惠はけしかけていた。革命を起こすのだ、と。しかし、そんなものを描きたいと言っても却下されるのは目に見えていた。竹宮はあえて、締め切りギリギリになって、少年同士の「微妙な友情」の話を描いて渡した。二人の美少年が主人公だが、ひとりには妹がいて、三角関係の一種となる。まだ「少年と少年」だけの物語にはできず、女の子をひとり入れることで、少女マンガとしての体裁をギリギリ保つ。それでも、「少女コミック」編集部の山本は、打ち合わせの時の内容と違うと怒ったが、もう描き直す時間はない。そのまま掲載された。竹宮の作戦勝ちだった。 [Takemiya had grown up with shōnen manga, so she wanted to draw a work that had a boy as the main character, not a girl. And eventually she wanted to draw a "friendship" between boys. At a time when the term "boys' love" did not yet exist, she wanted to draw a new manga that did not exist in this world. Norie Masuyama encouraged her to do so. She wanted to start a revolution. However, it was obvious that even if she had said she wanted to draw such a manga, it would have been rejected. Takemiya dared to draw a story about a "delicate friendship" between boys and hand it in just before the deadline. Two beautiful boys are the main characters [of Yuki to Hoshi to Tenshi to...], but one of them has a younger sister, and it becomes a kind of love triangle. The story could not yet be just "boy and boy," and by including a girl, it just barely maintained the appearance of a shōjo manga. Still, Yamamoto, the editor of Shōjo Comic, was angry that the content was different from that of their meeting, but there was no more time to redraw it. The story was published as it was. Takemiya's strategy won out.]

主人公は、空き家になった屋敷のサンルームを勝手に自分の城のように使っていたロマの少年・セルジュ。新たに屋敷の住人になった一家の妖精のように美しい兄妹、エトアールとエンジェルはそれぞれにセルジュに関心を示す。そして、病弱なエトアールのセルジュへの思いがふたりの運命を悲しい結末に導いていく。セルジュはBLマンガの代表作とされる竹宮の長編『風と木の詩』（1978～84）の登場人物の原型でもある。 [The protagonist [of Yuki to Hoshi to Tenshi to...] is Serge, a Roma boy who has taken the liberty of using the sunroom of an abandoned mansion as his own castle. Étoile and Angel, the fairy-like brother and sister of the mansion's new residing family, each show an interest in Serge. And the sickly Étoile's feelings for Serge lead the fate of the two to a sad ending. Serge is the prototype for the character in Takemiya's series Kaze to Ki no Uta (1978–84), which is considered to be a masterpiece of BL manga.]

  • Nekome, Yū (February 19, 2014). サンルームにて／竹宮恵子 [Sunroom nite / Keiko Takemiya]. Otakuma Keizai Shinbun (in Japanese). CST Entertainment. Retrieved March 26, 2022.

さて、収録作品だが、巻頭に収録され、単行本のタイトルともなっている『サンルームにて』は重要な作品だといえるだろう。というのも、本作が少年愛を扱ったものであること、登場するふたりの少年が、その後に描かれる『風と木の詩』の主人公たちの原型となっているといえるからだ。いや、キャラクターだけではない。この作品こそが『風と木の詩』に発展して行ったということだろう。 [By the way, it can be said that Sunroom nite, which is recorded at the beginning of the book and is also the title of the book, is an important work. This is because the story deals with the love between boys [shōnen-ai], and the two boys who appear in it [Serge and Étoile] are the prototypes for the main characters in the subsequent Kaze to Ki no Uta [Serge and Gilbert]. No, it's not just the characters. It seems that this work evolved into Kaze to Ki no Uta.]

  • 竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ [Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha. September 16, 2016. p. 70. ISBN 978-4-10-602269-2.

Image caption, describing the one-shot: 美しい少年エトアールとジプシーの子セルジュの秘めたる恋の悲しい物語。 後の「風と木の詩」の級長カールのような少年も登場する。 [It is a sad story of a secret love between a beautiful boy, Étoile, and a gypsy child, Serge. A boy similar to Carl, the class president in the later Kaze to Ki no Uta, also appears in the story.]

Takemiya's comments: 「風と木の詩」の構想が私の中で出来上がっていて、それをコンパクトにした話を描いてみた という、「風木」の布石となった作品。エンジェルという女の子は付け合せですが、女の子が いるおかげで語りやすかった。少年ふたりだけだと、「風木」のように周りにいろいろな人物がいないから、語りようがないので。この作品で少年同士が愛を語る可能性を示すことができ たのではないかと思います。読 者の少女たちからは、なぜ他の作品と違ってこんなにも反応があるのだろうというくらい、手応えがあった。男性からしたら「訳が分からん話」が「あり得る話」になるのは、やっぱり女の子だな、と思いました。 [I had the idea for Kaze to Ki no Uta in my mind, and I tried to draw a compact version of it [i.e., Sunroom nite], which became a foundation for KazeKi. The girl, Angel, was an add-on, but a girl made it easier to tell the story. If there were only two boys, there would be no way to tell the story because there are no characters around them like in KazeKi. I think I was able to show the possibility of boys talking about love with each other in this work. The girls who read it responded so well to it that I wondered why there was such a strong reaction to it, unlike other works. I thought that it is girls who can make a "story that is incomprehensible" to men into a "story that is possible."]

Statement published in Shōjo Comic in 1973

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From Takemiya's old website, Tra-Pro.com (short for "Tranquilizer Product," the name of her company).

1973年9月の日付が入った1ページ劇場。1ページ劇場とは､「週刊少女コミック」誌上で､ 作者の様々な雑感をエッセイ的なイラストもまじえながら紹介するページ。 [One-page theater, dated September 1973. The one-page theater is a page in Shūkan Shōjo Comic in which the author introduces various miscellaneous thoughts and impressions with essay-like illustrations.]

そこで竹宮が爆発的に発したのは､ 3年間もお蔵入りしている「風と木の詩」への想いだった。タイトルもすでに決まっており､「風と木の詩」冒頭の50ページは､ すでにクロッキーノート上ではコマの形で出来上がっていた。二人の少年のベッドシーンから始まるこの物語を掲載してもらうため､ 竹宮は多くの編集者に見せたが､ ほとんどが掲載することを恐れたという。 [There, Takemiya exploded with thoughts about Kaze to Ki no Uta, which had been in storage for three years. The title had already been decided, and the first 50 pages of Kaze to Ki no Uta were already drawn in panel-form in her croquis notebook. Takemiya showed the story, which begins with a bed scene between two boys, to many editors in order to have it published, but most of them were afraid to publish it.]

以下に1ページ劇場全文を写してみる。つまりこれは『風と木の詩』を絶対に描く､という決意表明なのである。 [The full text of the one-page theater is copied below. In other words, this is a statement of determination to absolutely draw Kaze to Ki no Uta.]

『…あーあー　ただ　まっているだけでは　何事もおこりませぬね。私の好きでたまらぬ主人公たちは　このまま　オクラいりするのでしょうか。いえいえ！　そのようなあわれなこと！思えばまるまる三年　私の胸ひとつに　納まったままなのです。　ああ！いかにして世にだすべきや！？[...] "ジルベール"の名を覚えていてください　　きっと描きます！！（執念）1973.9.15』 ["...Ah, nothing will happen if I just wait and see. Will the protagonists I love so much continue to be okra? No, no! It's such a pity! When I think about it, I have had it in my heart for three whole years now. Ah! How should I get it out into the world?! [...] Please remember the name 'Gilbert.' I'm sure I will draw it!! (Obsession) September 15, 1973."]

Preview published in Sora ga Suki! in 1974

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Takemiya published a part/preview of Kaze to Ki no Uta in the first tankōbon volume of Sora ga Suki! (空がすき！, "I Love the Sky!") in 1974. The part/preview was titled Rakuyō no Ki (落葉の記, "The Chronicle of Fallen Leaves").

  • 竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ [Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha. September 16, 2016. p. 197. ISBN 978-4-10-602269-2.

1974年：落葉の記 (風と木の詩／部分)「空がすき！1」（フラワーコミックス）描き下ろし 小学館 16ページ [1974: Rakuyō no Ki (Kaze to Ki no Uta / part), Sora ga Suki! vol. 1 (Flower Comics), newly drawn [for the volume], Shogakukan, 16 pages]

『ファラオの墓』が始まったばかりのころ、萩尾さんの『ポーの一族』に遅れること半年、ようやく『空がすき!』の単行本化が決まった。その巻末に『落葉の記』という短編を載せている。それは『風と木の詩』の一部分をどうしても露出したくて載せ たものだった。読者がこんな話にどういう反応を寄せるものか、どうしても知りたかった。何の予告もなく載せられたそれには前後の設定説明もなかったのに、読者は受け入れてくれて、感想を寄せてくれた。本当に読者とはありがたい存在である。道も見えていないころから、こんなマンガ家を支え続けてくれたのだから。 [Around the time Pharaoh no Haka had just begun, half a year after Hagio-san's The Poe Clan, it was finally decided to publish Sora ga Suki! in book form. A short story titled Rakuyō no Ki was included at the end of the volume. I really wanted to expose a part of Kaze to Ki no Uta. I really wanted to know how readers would react to such a story. It was published without any notice and without any explanation of the setting, but the readers accepted it and sent me their impressions. I am truly grateful to my readers. They have continued to support a manga artist like me since I had no idea where I was going.]

全2巻で、第1巻の巻末には『落葉の記』という描き下ろしの短編が収録されている。ジルベール、カール、パスカルなど、『風と木の詩』のキャラクターが登場し、さらに2ページ目には「風と木の詩」というネームが、ポツンと置かれている。大長編の構想があるのに描く機会がないため、試験的に描いてみたのだろう。『風と木の詩』の連載開始は76年2月である。 [There are two volumes [of Sora ga Suki!] in total, and at the end of the first volume is a newly drawn short story titled Rakuyō no Ki. Characters from Kaze to Ki no Uta such as Gilbert, Carl, and Pascal appear in the story, and the title "Kaze to Ki no Uta" is placed pensively on the second page. It is likely that this was done on a trial basis, as there was no opportunity to draw it, even though there was an idea for a large, full-length story. The serialization of Kaze to Ki no Uta began in February 1976.]

Note: A fansite (linked to on Takemiya's official website) says this preview was later integrated into the tankōbon release of the series, in vol. 1, pp. 59–75. (Source: K.T. Library)

Sequel side story published in 1991

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また、番外編『幸福の鳩』が、1991年11月、角川書店より刊行されたイラスト集『海の天使』に、描き下ろしで収録された。 [In addition, the side story Kōfuku no Hato ("The Dove of Happiness") was newly drawn for [Takemiya's] illustration collection Umi no Tenshi ("Angel of the Sea"), published by Kadokawa Shoten in November 1991.]

番外編：1888年のパリで、ピアニストとして活躍するセルジュ。その演奏会で、セルジュやジルベールと学院時代にかかわった、ジュール・ド・フェリィとアリオーナ・ロスマリネが再会する。少年時代から歪んだ関係にあった二人だが、彼らはセルジュの現在の姿を見て、未来に踏み出していく。 [Side story: Serge is a pianist in Paris in 1888. At his concert, Jules de Féri and Aryon Rosemarine, who were involved with Serge and Gilbert during their academy days, meet again. They have had a distorted relationship since their boyhood, but they see Serge's present and step forward into the future.]

"Thus, the manga closes with both a closure and an open ending—a 48-page epilogue, set three years after Gilbert's death (in 1886), completes vol. 10 of the book [bunkoban] edition."

Note: Mangapedia made a mistake. As Berndt says, the side story takes place in 1886 (一八八六年). (Sources: Manga page, fan translation)

European art influences in KazeKi

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From an interview with Japanese writer Maha Harada.

  • 竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ [Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha. September 16, 2016. p. 49. ISBN 978-4-10-602269-2.

原田：それまでの少女マンガのなかには 登場しなかった装飾的なものが、「風と木の詩」のコマ割にはいろいろ出てきま す。それがひじょうに美しくて、新鮮でした。19世紀の耽美な感じをよく伝えて いる｡ [Harada: There are many decorative elements in the panel layouts of Kaze to Ki no Uta that had not appeared in shōjo manga up to that point. It was very beautiful and fresh, and conveyed the aesthetic feeling of the 19th century.]

竹宮：当時、新しく紹介されるようになったヨーロッパの美術を、私を含めたマンガ家たちがどんどん取り入れていました。たとえば、山岸涼子さんがミュシャのデザイン的な色づかいをしたり。 互いに影響しあい、真似しあっていた。私はモノクロで描くときの耽美的なイメージという意味でビアズリーをすごく参考にしました。 [Takemiya: At that time, manga artists, including myself, were rapidly adopting the newly introduced European art. For example, Ryoko Yamagishi used Mucha's design-like coloring. We influenced and imitated each other. I referred to Beardsley a lot in terms of aesthetic images when drawing in black and white.]

原田：ビアズリーは、とても図案的なところがありますよね。それから、バルビゾン派の影響もありますか? 最初に見られたのはコローの作品だったとか｡ [Harada: Beardsley's work has a very graphic quality, doesn't it? Also, was there any influence from the Barbizon school? I heard that it was Corot's work that you first saw.]

竹宮：はい境界線を描かない風景画の描き方がすごく好きで、「風と木の詩」にも取り込んでいます。バルビゾン派以外にも、あの時代の人々が旅行したときの風景として絵葉書代わりに残っている 絵がたくさんあるんですよね。今のように簡単に写真が撮れる時代じゃないです から、銅版画が多い。ペン画を描くときの参考になるということもあって､たくさん集めていました。 [Takemiya: Yes, I really like the way he/they painted landscapes with no boundaries, and I incorporated it into Kaze to Ki no Uta. In addition to the Barbizon school, there are many other paintings that remain as postcards of the landscapes that people traveled to in that era. In an age when it was not as easy to take photographs as it is today, many of them are copperplate engravings. I collected many of them, partly because they were useful as references for pen drawings.]

How Gilbert was initially unpopular

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From Takemiya's old website, Tra-Pro.com (short for "Tranquilizer Product," the name of her company).

連載を始めた当初､ 主人公として設定されたのがセルジュであるため､ 読者はジルベールに批判的で好かれる見込みが全くなかった。それでは困るということで､彼の誕生からこれまでを語ることで､読者に少しでもこの変わった人物を理解してもらおうと考え､当初は予定していなかった「ジルベールの章」が生まれた。 [At the beginning of the series, readers were critical of Gilbert and had no hope of liking him, since it was Serge who was set up as the protagonist. I decided to tell the story of Gilbert's life from his birth to the present in order to help readers understand this unusual character as much as possible.]

この章ではジルベールという少年の性質がどのようにして生まれ､ どのように彼のプライドが形作られたかが語られる。それは意外にも長いページ数を必要としたが､その章が終わる頃には､ 確実に彼を理解する読者が増え､ 逆境にあったとはいえ両親に愛されて育ったセルジュに比べ､圧倒的な数の差でファン層を獲得した。ジルベール派かセルジュ派かで､今もファンのあいだでは論争が起きる。 [This chapter/arc tells the story of how Gilbert's nature as a boy came about and how his pride took shape. It took a surprisingly long time to write, but by the end of the chapter/arc, the number of readers who understood Gilbert had grown by leaps and bounds, and he gained a fan base by an overwhelming margin compared to Serge, who, despite his adversities, had been raised by parents who loved him. The debate between Gilbert and Serge still rages among fans today.]

June provided "covering fire" for KazeKi

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"JB: How did you manage to work for the magazine JUNE, in addition to your busy schedule?

"TK: I did it for The Poem of Wind and Trees, which I wanted to provide with covering fire, so to speak. But JUNE was also attractive to me since it allowed for experiments. To draw a title illustration for the cover of JUNE, for example, was something completely different from work for a conventional shōjo-manga magazine."

Chiho Saito's essay about KazeKi and Utena

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  • Saito, Chiho (September 16, 2016). 私にとっての竹宮惠子 [Keiko Takemiya, for me]. 竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ [Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-4-10-602269-2.

だがそれ以上に、私が読み進めるたびに驚いたのは、私が原作者として関わったアニメ作品「少女革命ウテナ」に構造 が 極めて近かったことだ。というより「風と木の詩」をリスペク「トして「ウテナ」が出来たといっても過 言ではないのではと思い始めた。少なくとも少女漫画そのものを総括テ一マとして持っていた監督や脚本家は、バイブルの一つにしたのではないかと思う。竹宮先生が親交を持たれていた寺山修司氏の劇団「天井棧敷」のJ・A・シーザ一氏を音楽に起用したことも象徴的だ。 [But more than that, what surprised me as I read through [Kaze to Ki no Uta] was that the structure was extremely close to that of the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena, which I was involved in as an original author. I began to think that it would not be an exaggeration to say Utena was created by respecting Kaze to Ki no Uta. At the very least, the director and scriptwriters who had shōjo manga as their main theme must have used it as one of their bibles. The use of J. A. Seazer from Shūji Terayama's theater company Tenjō Sajiki, with whom Takemiya had a close friendship, for the musical score is also symbolic of this.]

学園という世界に閉じ込められた生徒た ち。力で支配しようとする者、される者。裏で行われる花嫁（ジルベール）を争い所有するゲーム。彼らは己のプライドをかけて、命がけで自分の強さを証明しようとするが、真っ直ぐすぎる主人公（ウテナ＝セルジュ）に負けてしまう。花嫁（ジルベール）はその役目に囚われつつも残酷に扱われることを楽しんで いさえする。 [Students trapped in the world of the school. Those who try to rule by force, and those who are ruled by force. The game of competing for and possessing the bride (Gilbert) is played behind the scenes. They put their pride on the line and risk their lives to prove their strength, but they are defeated by the too-straight protagonist (Utena, Serge). The bride (Gilbert) is trapped in their role and even enjoys being treated cruelly.]

夜6時の地上波では暗喩的に表現せざるを得なかった、思いっきり性的で残酷で甘美な物語が、既に竹宮先生の華麗な筆致で、くっきりと描かれていたのだ。「作品が少女漫画のパロディになることを恐れて、王道少女漫画家を中心に据えた」とスタッフが語っていたが、少女漫画の礎となった巨匠に憧れて漫画家にな竹宮チルドレンの一人である私が、その役目を担った事を実感した瞬間だった。 [This sexual, cruel, and sweet story, which had to be expressed metaphorically for a terrestrial television broadcast at 6 p.m., was already clearly depicted with Takemiya's brilliant brushstrokes. The [anime] staff said, "We were afraid that the work [Utena] would become a parody of shōjo manga, so we placed a royal shōjo manga artist at the center of it." It was that moment when I – one of Takemiya's children who became a manga artist because of my admiration for the master who laid the foundation of shōjo manga – realized I had played that role.]

Note: A Tumblr user who is fluent in Japanese read this essay and described it as follows: "Saito Chiho said that when she read Kaze to ki no uta, she realized that Revolutionary Girl Utena was basically entirely based on it, just repackaged for the afternoon anime audience. A boarding school closed off from the rest of the world. A person who gets cruelly passed around among the powerful elite of the school – and secretly seems to enjoy this on some level. Another person coming in from the outside to break this status quo and 'save' the victim. But was this 'saving' what the victim wanted, or asked for, or needed? My mind: blown. [Saito] also says that the predominately male anime staff hired her on as an artist because they were afraid they'd otherwise end up making a parody of shojo manga, which wasn't their intention." (Source: Tumblr)

Japanese playwright, psychologist praise the series

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Japanese poet and playwright Shūji Terayama wrote an essay titled Banzai! Jirubēru (万歳！ジルベール, "Hooray! Gilbert"), published in the series' first tankōbon volume in 1977. It was later reprinted in the series' first Hakusensha bunkoban volume in 1995.

その出現は、パリの文壇に、作者不明の『O嬢の物語』やマルキ・ド・サドの『ジュスティーヌ』が出現したときのような大事件を思わせる」と述べ、さらに「これからのコミックは、たぶん『風と木の詩』以後という呼び方で、かわってゆくことだろう」と称揚している。 [The emergence of this work is reminiscent of the great events that occurred in the Parisian literary world with the appearance of Story of O by an unknown author and Justine by the Marquis de Sade, he said, and he praised it, saying, "From now on, comics will probably be called 'Kaze to Ki no Ki and thereafter' and will change."]

少女マンガといえば、星が輝く瞳の女の子がヒロインで、恋愛ものやスポ根ものがメインストリームだった時代。SF、冒険譚、ファンタジーなど、幅広い作品世界が生まれるようになったのも竹宮惠子以降のこと。連載当時、劇作家の寺山修司は《これからのコミックは、たぶん「風と木の詩」以後という呼び方で、かわってゆくことだろう》と評したというけれど、後の展開はまさに予言通り。 [Speaking of shōjo manga of the time, starry-eyed girls were the heroines and romance and sporty stories were the mainstream. It was after Keiko Takemiya that a wide range of works, such as science fiction, adventure stories, and fantasy, began to emerge. At the time of its serialization, the playwright Shūji Terayama commented, "From now on, comics will probably be called 'Kaze to Ki no Ki and thereafter' and will change," and the later developments are exactly as he predicted.]

『風と木の詩』について、京大教授や文化庁長官などを歴任した心理学者・河合隼雄さんは「思春期の少女の内的世界をここまで表現した作品は、おそらくなかったのではないか」と新聞へ寄稿した。 [ Hayao Kawai, a psychologist who has served as a professor at Kyoto University and director of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, wrote about Kaze to Ki no Uta in a newspaper article, saying, "Perhaps no other work has expressed the inner world of the adolescent girl to such an extent."]

Note: Kawai wrote about the series several times, but I believe this particular quote comes from an article published in the evening edition of The Asahi Shimbun in 1996. A fan blog posted an excerpt of the article, taken from a 2002 book of Kawai's newspaper/magazine writings. (Source: Arisia no Blog)

Sex education in the series

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"Although her editor demurred, Takemiya insisted on beginning her series with an explicitly sexual, that is, pointedly physical and therefore scandalous scene, instead of increasing the tension gradually. As she herself testifies, the intention was to confront well-protected girls with the hard facts of life: the gap between the notion of romantic love and real life, the multifacetedness of gender and sex, the intertwining of sexuality and power. Clearly, she aimed at sexual education. In the mid-1970s, Japanese girls were still raised to avoid bodily contact, as distinct from boys who were allowed to tussle, hug and squeeze each other, and even appear half-naked outdoors. For girls, such physicality was taboo, and sexuality in particular was supposed to be irrelevant. Heterosexual sex scenes could simply not be depicted in a magazine targeted at minor females. The situation was completely different with Boys' Love though."

Masculinity, femininity, and fluidity

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"By reference to this narrative of sexual abuse and to depictions of Gilbert in still images accompanied by floral ornaments, Japanese critics have been interpreting him as a stand-in for the female reader. But as Antononoka (2012) has demonstrated, attention to manga-specific renderings complicates the picture: not only does Gilbert give a completely different impression according to whether he keeps still or whether he moves; compared to the amount of speed-lines and the scope of space-consuming action characteristic of him, it is Serge who often looks more feminine. Whoever ascribes femininity or masculinity to specific characters misses the critical core of this manga, which emphasizes precisely the fluidity of such ascriptions, the possibility to combine and shift them."

Pirated Korean ed. changed boys into girls

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"[...] also indicative of the scandalous character of the setting as such is the pirated Korean edition published in 1981 which feminized almost all male characters (fig. 6)."

"6. Choi Gyeong-tan: Gyeoul namu e norae (The song of winter trees), vol. 1, Seoul: Eomoongak Co., Ltd., 1981, pp. 28–29. Pirated edition under the name of a Korean author. Not only the protagonists were feminized (Serge becoming Mary, Gilbert Anne), but even the principal (see small panel on page 29, right)."

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