Il cammino dei ciliegi. Le donne nel manga

Manga, which originated in Japan but is now immensely popular worldwide, often features hypersexualized portrayals of girls and women with exaggerated physical attributes. Today, however, it is increasingly showcasing strong, independent, resolute and defiant female characters. Beatrice Lorenzi’s Under the Cherry Tree recounts the long history and evolution of the genre through a feminist lens, investigating the influence it has had on generations of readers and broader contemporary culture, from Ribon no Kishi (Princess Knight), the ground-breaking female character created by Osamu Tezuka, “the Father of Manga”, in 1953, to the 1970s and ‘80s heroines who helped overturn gender stereotypes and break down barriers, on through Sailor Moon, Candy Candy, Evangelion and today’s modern, multifaceted female characters.