Starting in the 1970s, manga featuring same sex or queer relationships began to see mainstream, commercial success within shojo manga. Internal conflicts take precedence over big action, so the struggles faced by queer characters over their own gender and sexual identities fit perfectly into this setup. Moto Hagio's The Heart of Thomas is an excellent example of this as it features lush artwork, lyrical prose, and primarily focuses on the relationships between young male students. With its heavy focus on romance and drama, shōjo manga focus more on interpersonal relationships, drama, and emotions. (For more information, check out our 'A Beginner's Guide to Manga').
Shōjo refers to manga developed specifically for female readers. Her work was very popular and directly influenced the development of both shōjo and yuri manga in the decades that followed. Japanese author Yoshiya Nobuko wrote novels about female same-sex love and relationships during the 1920s. However, this has not stopped queer writers and artists from producing queer works of art, nor has it stopped readers from consuming it. Although homosexuality in Japan was never criminalized to the extent it was in countries such as the USA or the United Kingdom, members of the LGBTQ+ community still face discrimination on a cultural and social level with very limited legal protection.
