Rachel Thorn Explained

Birth Name:	Matt Thorn
Birth Date:	12 May 1965
Occupation:	Cultural anthropologist, associate professor, translator
Known For:	Manga translation

Rachel Thorn^[1] (formerly Matt Thorn; born May 12, 1965) is a cultural anthropologist and a faculty member at the Kyoto Seika University's Faculty of Global Culture (in the Japanese Culture Course) in Japan.^{[2] [3] [4]}

She^[5] is best known in North America for her work dealing with manga (Japanese comics for girls). She has appeared at multiple anime conventions, including Otakon 2004.^[6] She chose to translate manga into English after reading The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio in the mid-1980s.^[7]

In March 2010, it was announced that Thorn would edit a line of manga co-published by Shogakukan and Fantagraphics.^[8]

Bibliography

The following credits are for translation unless otherwise noted. Most of the translation credits are as "Matt Thorn":

• 2001 Nights, by Yukinobu Hoshino
• A, A', by Moto Hagio
• AD Police, by Tony Takezaki
• Banana Fish, by Akimi Yoshida (1–4, translated with Yuji Oniki)^[9]
• Battle Angel Alita, by Yukito Kishiro
• Dance Till Tomorrow, by Naoki Yamamoto
• A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, by Moto Hagio (translator and editor)^[10]
• Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan, edited by William W. Kelly (anthology, one chapter by Thorn)
• Four Shōjo Stories, an anthology of manga by Keiko Nishi, Moto Hagio, and Shio Satō^[11]
• The Heart of Thomas, by Moto Hagio (translator and editor)^[12]
• The Legend of Kamui, by Sanpei Shirato
• Love Song, an anthology of short stories by Keiko Nishi
• Maison Ikkoku, by Rumiko Takahashi
• Mermaid Saga, by Rumiko Takahashi^[13]
• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, by Hayao Miyazaki
• Otherworld Barbara, by Moto Hagio^[14]
• The Poe Clan, by Moto Hagio^[15]
• Project A-ko
• Red Blinds the Foolish, by Est Em^[16]
• Sanctuary, by Sho Fumimura and Ryoichi Ikegami
• Silent Möbius, by Kia Asamiya
• Striker: The Armored Warrior, by Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa
• Seduce Me After the Show, by Est Em (supervising translator)
• Fujimoto. Yukari. Yukari Fujimoto. Takahashi Macoto: The Origin of Shōjo Manga Style. Mechademia. 2012. 7. 1. 24–55. 10.5749/minnesota/9780816680498.003.0002. 9780816680498.
• Wandering Son, by Takako Shimura^[17]

Notes and References

1. Thorn . Rachel . rachel_thorn_en . 903572582812631040 . 1 September 2017 . So I've decided to take the name my mother planned to give me had I been assigned female at birth: Rachel. . https://web.archive.org/web/20210404113746/https://twitter.com/rachel_thorn_en/status/903572582812631040 . April 4, 2021.
2. Web site: Faculty Members Kyoto Seika University . 2023-01-12 . www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp . en.
3. Web site: Alverson . Brigid . Matt Thorn Returns to Translation . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090426225403/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6637895.html . April 26, 2009 . February 17, 2009 . dead.
4. Web site: Macdonald . Christopher . Matt Thorn to Teach Manga in Japan . . 2007-01-29 . 2005-07-09.
5. Thorn has publicly stated that her pronouns are female. Thorn . Rachel. Being misgendered a lot today. I suppose I need to come out a little more loudly. My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers, thank you. . March 9, 2015 . matt_a_thorn . 574948175305289729 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305130254/https://twitter.com/matt_a_thorn/status/574948175305289729 . March 5, 2016 . dead . March 20, 2020.
6. Web site: Otakon 2004 - Opening Ceremonies. George. Phillips. 2004-08-24. Anime News Network. 2007-01-29.
7. Web site: Matt Thorn Talks About Publishing Manga . Cha. Kai Ming. 2010-04-05. Publishers Weekly. April 9, 2010.
8. Web site: Deppey . Dirk . March 8, 2010 . Journalista reputation-destroying extra: Four years' work . https://web.archive.org/web/20100312002537/http://www.tcj.com/manga/journalista-reputation-destroying-extra-four-years-work . March 12, 2010 . dead . ¡Journalista! (blog) . . March 20, 2020.
9. Web site: Macdonald . Christopher . New Otakon Guests . . August 13, 2020 . July 8, 2004.
10. Web site: Loo . Egan . Fantagraphics Adds Moto Hagio's A Drunken Dream (Updated) . . August 13, 2020 . March 8, 2010.
11. Web site: Garrity . Shaenon K. . Shaenon K. Garrity . Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga Special Guest Edition: Love Song and Four Shojo Stories . . August 13, 2020 . April 11, 2013.
12. Web site: Hodgkins . Crystalyn . Fantagraphics Posts Preview of Moto Hagio's Heart of Thomas Manga . . August 13, 2020 . October 4, 2012.
13. Web site: Moore . Caitlin . Review: Mermaid Saga Collector's Edition Vol. 1 . . March 7, 2021 . December 7, 2020.
14. Web site: Ressler . Karen . Moto Hagio's Otherworld Barbara Manga Listed From Fantagraphics . . August 13, 2020 . October 27, 2015.
15. Web site: Sherman . Jennifer . Fantagraphics Adds Moto Hagio's The Poe Clan Manga . . August 13, 2020 . July 20, 2018.
16. Web site: Cha . Kai-Ming . Fantagraphics Steps into Manga Publishing . . May 24, 2010 . March 15, 2010.
17. Web site: Thorn . Rachel . Moto Hagio collection, Takako Shimura's Wandering Son . Matt-Thorn.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222045016/https://www.matt-thorn.com/wordpress?p=415 . February 22, 2014 . March 9, 2010 . dead.