Prince Shōtoku
Frederik Schodt described Yamagishi's portrayal of Prince Shōtoku as being "a scheming, cross-dressing homosexual with psychic powers". According to Schodt, Yamagishi's innovation was not in writing a manga with homosexual themes, but in taking Prince Shōtoku, a revered figure in Japan who until recently was featured on the 10,000 yen bank note, and portraying him as homosexual and cross-dressing. Schodt notes that the period is "ideal" for shōjo manga, as the relationships shown are highly complex, and the costumes are exotic.