| OPEN SOURCE CHARACTER | |
 | |
| Codename | Snowflake |
| Name | Nikki |
| Gender | Female |
| Family | Himitsu |
| Occupation | Student |
| Status | Active |
| Creator | Simon Kirby |
| First Appearance | MSN Groups, 2005 |
Himitsu Nikki no Kazahana (Snowflake's Secret Diary) is a fictional manga and anime series set within the Miho-chan universe. Created by maverick cartoonist Simon Kirby, it is chronologically the sixth of SK's retro-media pastiches and the third dealing specifically with 1960s anime. It is depicted as a spin-off of the fictitious cartoon series Kagaya Hime Miho-Chan, featuring a detailed faux history and a large cast of supporting characters.
Faux History[]
Created in 1966 by cartoonist Kawana Mimiko, Himitsu Nikki was published in the "underground" shojo manga Tejina Yuujin from 1967-1970. Ostensibly targeting a female demographic, the strip employed comedy, romance and mild fanservice to collar the emerging ecchi market of the mid-sixties.
The manga was adapted into animated format by Fujimura Doga between 1969 and 1971, running a total of 52 episodes. While remaining consistent with Kawana's manga, a number of changes were made for the animated adaptation, most notably changing the setting to Miyamae-ku and adding crossover characters from Ikusa no Yukai and Kagaya Hime Miho-Chan.
Although Fujimura Doga planned to produce a third season, a storeroom fire in 1972 destroyed most of the original footage, and the project was abandoned in favor of Majokko Megumi-Hime, a late entry into the "teen witch" genre. Himitsu Nikki faded into obscurity for over thirty years until a grainy Chinese dub was discovered in 2002. Twenty episodes were digitally restored and colorized for the Lost Anime Collection released by Fujimura in 2005. Unfortunately, only ten thousand disks were actually burned, making it one of the most obscure cartoons in the history of Japanese animation. The Boxed Set remains unavailable in the West, although pirated copies are rumored to turn up on the black market.