The Complete Sanrio Publications: Liberal Arts, Marchen, and SF Paperbacks

2024/05/28

When I, a literary researcher, mention that I am researching Sanrio, I often encounter the reaction, "Why?" Sanrio is a company famous for its character business, such as Hello Kitty, but in the past, primarily during the 1970s and 80s, it released many publications. These included the reader-submission magazine Shi to Marchen (Poetry and Marchen) edited by Takashi Yanase, translations of foreign literature including SF paperbacks, the full-color manga magazine Lyrica, and the Silhouette Romance label for popular women's fiction. They also produced and even distributed films such as The Fox of the North.

Each of these has its own passionate fans, yet there are others of the same generation who lived through that time knowing almost nothing about them. This compartmentalization could be called a precursor to the subcultural forms later known as otaku culture. However, these originally stemmed from the literary tastes of the founder, Shintaro Tsuji, which were linked to pre-war liberal arts ideals. What kind of era was the 1970s for publishing, a time when such dramatic transformations occurred? This book attempts to consider that question from the perspective of a single company, Sanrio. Thirteen contributors approached the subject from their respective viewpoints, and we also interviewed people involved at the time.

For example, Shi to Marchen was a unique magazine where professional illustrators like Takashi Yanase provided drawings for poems submitted by amateurs. How did readers, rather than literary figures, participate in and reshape literature? There is much that can be re-evaluated today—not just for the sake of enjoying nostalgia—now that social media has spread and research values have advanced. We also focus on female poets and contributors who cannot be categorized simply within the "kawaii" culture associated with characters.

During my research, thanks to a connection with Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press), I had the opportunity to interview the current president, Tomokuni Tsuji, who is a Keio University alumni (June 2023 issue). I visited a drawing room featuring a sofa shaped like Hello Kitty, where many original illustrations from the Shi to Marchen era were displayed, giving me a real sense of history. Sanrio likely does not publish an official company history because they are always looking toward the future, but researchers look back at the past. I put my hope into this book that we can reconfirm the feelings of the people who participated and the various forms that literature took.

The Complete Sanrio Publications: Liberal Arts, Marchen, and SF Paperbacks

Maiko Odaira (Co-editor)

Keio University Press

444 pages, 3,960 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.