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Kyoko  Okazaki, born December 13, 1963, is considered by many as one of  the  mothers of josei (women's) comics. Renowned for her mimimalist  designs  and tendancy to cover controversial themes, Okazaki cut her  teeth in  the world adult comics in 1980's.While studying at Atomi  University,  Okazaki made her debut in Cartoon Burikko, an experiemental  adult comic  anthology primarily aimed at men.   Okazaki would then  turn her focus to women's issues. Focusing on the  issues of  contemporary young women, Okazaki never shied away from street  culture,  high fashion and drug use in her naratives. She would then  take on her  first a long-running series called Tokyo Girls Bravo; a rare  comic to  be published a fashion magazine.  Okazaki has been in retirement since  the end of the last century as she  recovers from a life-threatening  traffic accident.Okazaki has received both the Japan Media Arts  Award and the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Award for her work on Helter Skelter  which was adapted into a motion picture in 2012 (now screening in the  US in 2013).