Keiko Takemiya
Contemporary Japanese homoerotic romance manga originated in the 1970s as a subgenre of "shōjo" manga. The decade saw the arrival of a new generation of "shōjo" manga artists, most notable among them the Year 24 Group. The Year 24 Group contributed significantly to the development of the "shōjo" manga, introducing a greater diversity of themes and subject material to the genre that drew inspiration from by Japanese and European literature, cinema, and history. Members of the group, including Keiko Takemiya and Moto Hagio, created works that depicted male homosexuality: "In The Sunroom" (1970) by Takemiya and "The November Gymnasium" (1971) by Hagio are considered the first works of the genre that would become known as "shōnen-ai".