Macoto Takahashi

 is a Japanese painter, illustrator, and manga artist. His works of "shōjo" manga (girls' manga) are noted for significantly influencing the aesthetic styles of that genre.
Biography.
Macoto Takahashi was born on 27 August 1934 in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, as the eldest son of a family of three boys. While pursuing art in high school, he was torn between the painting styles of "nihonga" (traditional Japanese-style painting) and "yōga" (Western-style painting). He decided to pursue "jojōga" 叙情画 (lyrical painting) after discovering the works of "jojōga" artist Jun'ichi Nakahara in the magazine "Himawari". He began his career in 1953 illustrating books aimed at the loan market ("kashi-hon"). He began to create manga in 1956 with the "shōjo" manga (girls' manga) series "Paris-Tokyo". That same year, he contributed to the nascent "gekiga" scene by adapting Sherlock Holmes stories for the "kashi-hon" manga magazine "Kage". 
In 1958, he established what would become his signature style of art influenced by both manga and "jojōga" with his manga series , published in the magazine "Shojo". This style was distinguished chiefly by its depiction of characters with traits typical of models in "jojōga" illustrations: thin bodies and large, sparkling eyes, with Takahashi having been referred to as "the king of eye sparkles." Other distinguishing traits include the superposition of panels, full-length portraits that fill the entirety of the page, backgrounds that arouse strong emotion, and non-narrative imagery. This style significantly influenced "shōjo" manga, and quickly became the standard visual conventions of that genre. Takahashi also made the theme of ballet popular in "shōjo" manga with "Norowareta Kopperia" (Cursed Coppelia).
During the 1960s, Takahashi stopped creating "shōjo" manga, because he considered himself incapable of adopting the point of view of a girl. He shifted to illustration, creating album cover artwork, stationery, and covers of "shōjo" manga magazines, and became particularly popular with the Gothic Lolita subculture. In 2018, artwork by Takahashi was featured in designs created by the fashion house Comme des Garçons.