Danica Davidson
October 17, 2024 
There is sad news as we learn of the passing of author and lyricist Rieko Nakagawa. Her children’s books have sold millions of copies, and she’s been involved with Hayao Miyazaki.
Nakagawa was 89 years old when she passed away on October 14. A cause of death was not given publicly.
In 1962, she self-published her children’s book No-No Nursery School (or Iya Iya En in Japanese) with art from her younger sister, Yuriko Yamawaki. The very next year the sisters again teamed up for their children’s book Guri and Gura (or Guri to Gura in the original Japanese). Guri and Gura turned into a whole series, and it has approximately 21.5 million copies out in circulation. It was published in English by Tuttle Books, but is now out of print in America.
The next year, in 1964, the women came out with the book The Sky-Blue Seed (or Sora Iro no Tane in Japanese). Studio Ghibli would later adapt the book into anime shorts. The anime shorts “The Whale Hunt” and “Treasure Hunting” that play at the Ghibli Museum are based on stories by Nakagawa and Yamawaki as well.
But Miyazaki didn’t only adapt their work. Nakagawa also got involved with Miyazaki’s work, and she wrote lyrics for his famous movie My Neighbor Totoro.
Yamawaki passed away in 2022. Both women were given the prestigious Kikuchi Kan Prize for Japanese literature.
GKIDS licensed My Neighbor Totoro and gave this description for the movie:
My Neighbor Totoro Plot
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family.
When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in early roles.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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