Princess Knight
Takarazuka has had a profound influence on the history of anime and manga, especially manga. Osamu Tezuka, a highly influential manga creator, grew up in the town of Takarazuka. His mother knew many of the Takarazuka actresses, and as a child he knew them and watched many of their performances. Based on their stories of noble princes played by female actresses, Tezuka created "Princess Knight", the first manga aimed at a female audience, which tells the story of Princess Sapphire, a girl born with both a male and female heart who struggles between the desire to fight as a noble prince and to be a tender, gentle princess. The great success of "Princess Knight" and other Tezuka stories began the tradition of manga written for a female audience, especially the very influential "Rose of Versailles" and "Revolutionary Girl Utena" series, both of which borrow directly from "Princess Knight" by including specific Tezuka images, character designs and names. "Rose of Versailles" is one of Takarazuka's best-known musicals. Women in masculine roles continue to be a central theme in manga and anime, as well as in some (boys') series, and Tezuka himself explored the theme in many of his later works, including , "Phoenix", and "Black Jack".