Rhythmic Gymnastics and Manga Culture

Manga is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons. In Japan, manga are widely need by people of all ages, so that a broad range of subjects and topics occur in manga, including action-adventure, romance, sports, games etc.

Since the emergent of Rhythmic Gymnastics, rhythmic gymnasts have developed into the major characters of some manga series.

In the manga "Hikari no Densetsu" the story focuses on the main character, Hikari Kamijou, a young, naive, care-free, young woman who dreams of becoming an Olympic Champion in the sport of Rhythmic Gymnastics ever since she witnessed a performance of the young Diliana Gueoguiva (a champion rhythmic gymnast).

"Hiraki no Densetsu" is one of the few sports anime and manga to have dealt mainly with rhythmic gymnastics as the main subject matter.

In the manga "Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne" the main character, Maron Kusakabe and her friend Miyako are both rhythmic gymnasts. At night, Maron fights evil by transforming into Jeanne with the help of an angel. One of Jeanne's weapon is the gymnastic ribbon.

Maron Kusakabe

Miyako

In the manga "Ranma1/2" the story involves "Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics". One of the characters, Kotachi, known as "Black Rose" uses the gymnastic ribbon as a weapon. A special episode (Episode 12) entitled "The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge" pays special attention to the gymnastics elements in particular, even though a lot of mishandling of the apparatus happen.

In the manga series "Negima!: Magister Negi Magi" the fictional character Makie Sasaki is an energetic rhythmic gymnast and one of the more prominent of the Sports Girls in the class.

Makie's greatest strength in ability is her athletics, particularly her abilities as a rhythmic gymnast. She is particularly skillful with the use of the ribbon.

Makie Sasaki

I am sure there are many more gymnast characters in other manga series. They are just waiting for us to explore. We can always join force to recruit more characters to join "our family".

Don't you think this is one way to promote Rhythmic Gymnastics so that more people will admire and enjoy the fun and beauty of this sport. As I always say: Gym is fun!