[1] She is best known for her manga series Mari to Shingo [ja], serialized from 1977 to 1984 in LaLa, which follows a romance between two young men at the start of the Shōwa era.
[4][5] Several of her manga series have inspired musicals performed by the all-female Takarazuka Revue, including Angélique, an adaptation of the novels by Anne Golon;[6][7] Torikaebaya Ibun, an adaptation of the Heian era tale Torikaebaya Monogatari;[8] and Ōeyama Kaden.
[8] In 1985, Kihara won the 30th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōjo (girls') category for Yume no Ishibumi [ja], a multi-volume collection of short stories with shōnen-ai (male-male romance) themes.
[1][9] In 2017, to commemorate Kihara's 48th anniversary as a manga artist, Kawade Shobo Shinsha published a book containing a chronological list of all of her works; a lengthy interview with Kihara about her career; a round-table discussion between Kihara and her fellow Year 24 Group members, Moto Hagio and Yasuko Aoike; and contributions from other celebrated manga artists, such as Riyoko Ikeda and Yasuko Sakata.
[11] Another exhibition dedicated solely to Mari to Shingo was held at the Span Art Gallery in two parts: first, from April 26 to May 8, 2019, and second, from June 22 to July 9, 2019.