Mangaka and feminist considered the mother of the Josei (demographic of manga aimed at an adult female audience 18+)
KyÅko was born on December 13, 1963 in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. When she was little, her father had a hairdressing salon and a total of 15 people lived in her house, including her uncles, cousins āāand her father's apprentices. Despite being so many people in a house, Okazaki said that everything was quite calm and that she had a good childhood, but that she never felt comfortable.
While studying art at Atomi Junior College (a Japanese college for women only) Okazaki debuted in Cartoon Burikko, an erotic manga magazine geared towards men. Although officially her first manga was Virgin (1985) published in Byakuyashobo magazine.
KyÅko was the most relevant author of Josei between the 80s and 90s, the latter being her golden decade. Her works with a minimalist but profound style deal with delicate and very taboo subjects such as prostitution, depression or drug addiction (without romanticizing any of these) and are also full of elements such as sex or fashion and beauty and the problems that it brings the obsession with these. In addition to the adult plots, another thing that separates it from shÅjo is her female characters. Her mangas are full of unconventional girls, they are bold and their concerns are those of modern women and they don't think so much about getting married and starting a family, they leave aside the innocence of shÅjo girls.
In 1996, at the age of 33, Okazaki was hit by a drunk driver, leaving her unconscious and unable to breathe on her own. She had to relearn how to speak and is currently in rehab, in 2014 she was seen in a wheelchair. Due to all the sequels Okazaki was forced to leave the manga.
Her works are a reflection of the society of the 80s and 90s. A cynical, selfish and capitalist society, which projects the vast majority of problems and insecurities onto women, making us compete with each other (well, it is also a reflection of the present).
ā” HELTER SKELTER 1995-1996
- genres: psychological horror
- Awards: Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize 2004, and Excellence Award from the Japan Media Arts Festival 2004.
- english | spanish
It is a criticism of the toxic society that makes women have to worry much more about their appearance and what others say.
Liliko (Ririko) is an increasingly popular model. She lives and depends on her physical image, which makes her obsession with her youth and her beauty lead her to make a series of not very good decisions. Illegal plastic surgeries, drugs, lack of sleep, her rivalry with other models and the people around her gradually destroy the protagonist.
ā It has a live action from 2012.
ā” PINK 1989
- genre: slice of life
- english | spanish
It is a critique of capitalism that makes us believe that we have to fill our pockets with material goods. It deals with serious topics with a dash of humor, but it's still a drama. It also represents the relationships between women from the same family nucleus.
Yumiko is the main protagonist, she is presented as a carefree girl who is unable to see beyond her nose. She is a secretary by day and a prostitute by night, since her secretary's salary is not enough to feed her peculiar pet, a crocodile. She always listens to her co-workers complain about money and they wait for a prince charming to save them, but Yumiko thinks that with a series of tricks in her life they wouldn't have to worry about it. On the other hand we have Haruo, a university student who puts the masculine gaze on history, has sex with Yumiko's stepmother for money, is much more serious and wants to be a writer although the only readers of his are Yumiko and her stepsister.
It contains an epilogue that is a brief reflection that Okazaki makes of love, work and prostitution.
ā” RIVER'S EDGE 1993
- Genre: drama, slice of life
It represents with a more serious and objective look the problems of adolescents and how horrible adolescence can be for many people. Shows us bullying, sex, queer characters, double-edged relationships and eating disorders for what they are.
Haruma is the protagonist and is the girlfriend of the school bully, although she is less and less clear about what she saw in him. She usually defends Yamada, a gay boy who has a girlfriend just for show, from the harassment of his partner. Yamada confesses to Haruma that he has found a body and that she should tell the police, but he is unable to do. The river's edge hides many secrets.
ā It has a live action from 2018 winner of the Japanese Academy Award for New Value of the Year.
ā” OTHERS MANGAS
ā CHIWAWA-CHAN 1996
Chiwawa is a popular girl, but one day she turns up dead. Her friends gather to commemorate her and realize that they don't know anything about her, not even her real name or what kind of people she hung out with.
It has a live action from 2019
ā TOKYO GIRLS BRAVO 1993
The protagonist has grown up in a family full of problems. When she decides to move to Tokyo she falls in love with its music and nightlife. She finally makes a big change that surprises even the most modern people out there.
KyÅko is heir to the change made by the women of the Year 24 Group in the manga, but now it is her turn to give voice to women whose concerns go beyond being good wives and mothers.
"I am a real Tokyo Girl" KyÅko Okazaki, Pink 1989
I was going to wait a few days to do this in case I read another manga but actually Iām not going to read more, this year is closed and my mind is made up so here:
As always Iām doing a separate list for manga that I read bu were not released this year. I finally managed to catch up completely on my backlog of english manga and not let it pile up again allowing more dedicated time to my Japanese backlog!! Had lots of unexpected and entertaining reading experiences so narrowing it down was hard but this is round 1 of the undisputed stand outs! (If I already wrote about them in the roundup comments will be skipped)
Kageki Shojo!!: The Curtain Rises by Kumiko Saiki (Seven Seas)
Kagen no Tsuki by Ai Yazawa (Shueisha)
Iāve already talked endlessly about Yazawa so I will just say; this was a really cool detour in her bibliography and the perfect graduation from Ribon. What do little girls love more than tragic ghost stories/mysteries that are a cautionary tale about giving up your entire self in the name of love?? Nothing!!
Ohana Holoholo by Shino Torino (Shodensha)
TheĀ āAnywhere But Hereā series (compiled as bunkos under Yama e Iku and Sphinx) by Moto Hagio (Shogakukan)Ā
I only wrote a short summary of this since its mostly untranslated last time I checked. If Iāve learned anything this year itās that I think Moto Hagio is one of the best there is at short form manga and the ones from the 00ā²s, like the ones in this series, remain some of my favoritesĀ
Wata no Kuni Hoshi by Yumiko Oshima (Hakusensha)
I didnāt really think about how to describe Oshima manga, much less the adventures of Chibi nekoā¦.. Have you every imagined your pet cat as a tiny little cat sized human guy who goes on all kinds of adventures, some of which are coated in an air of magical realism? Depicted with delicate dreamlike art decorated with tons of effects? Either way you should read Wata no Kuni Hoshi hand have a delightful time.Ā
Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara (Kodansha)
Otanko Nurse by Noriko Sasaki and Mitsue Kobayashi (Shogakukan)
While the hospital life and practice it depicted may already be a bit dated now, however its sense of humor and the lessons that the young Nitatori goes through on keeping her cool and be a good nurse even to patients that give her a hard time (or ones that are simply quirky) and all her misadventures I would say holds up, and serves as a fascinating time capsule. Not to mention it was a fun time!
Joshi Judo-bu Monogatari by Yuko Emoto and Makoto Kobayashi (Kodansha)
Next part is going to be some the single volume manga i enjoyed, and some of the comics I read that werenāt manga at all. See you then!
yousharknotpass
titsay
origamiaround
stormborns
dailybridgerton
areudirty
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
2087
pixelskylines
