Josei Anonymous 02/25/21 (Thu) 07:04:32 AM 17969 [Reply]
I remember seeing a post about a josei recommendation, iirc it was about a 30 yo/late 20s virgin and the story of her life, her troubled relationships and how she navigates the world. Does anyone know what I’m talking about? I want to read more josei manga, i’ve enjoyed Nana and ‘My lesbian experience with loneliness’ i'd really like some recommendations to similar titles, or series you felt you could really relate to. I couldn’t find an existing josei thread but if there is one, please direct me. Thanks!
1 post omitted. Click reply to view. Anonymous 02/27/21 (Sat) 05:25:42 AM 17974
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I absolutely adore Kyoko Okazaki's works. Her artstyle is really different to the norm (and also pretty divisive), but personally I love the messy expressiveness of it. I love the way that Okazaki portrays the female experience, particularly in River's Edge, which is a gritty look at teenage cliques and relationships. The way she portrays relationship dynamics, particularly the one between her main character and her boyfriend, really resonated with me in a way that's difficult to find in other media. It's a bit hard to explain without reading it yourself, but I just felt like all of the characters were eerily realistically portrayed. The image attached to this post is from Helter Skelter, which is a bit more well known than River's Edge. Here's a summary of the basic plot: "Through round after round of extensive plastic surgery and vigorous maintenance, Ririko has become the absolute manifestation of beauty, and becomes a wildly successful model, actress and singer. However, soon her body, unable to withstand the burdens of surgery, begins to crumble, and along with it so does her mind, as she plummets towards a frightening and inevitable end." It borders on psychological horror at times, but I thought it was a really raw commentary on not only the fashion industry, but also on the difficulty of finding one's purpose and identity. Also not by Okazaki, but I also liked Moyoco Anno's "In Clothes Called Fat", which deals a lot with eating disorders.
Anonymous 02/28/21 (Sun) 01:03:34 AM 17978
>>17973 I’m watching parakiss rn, I plan on reading manga after to see any details that weren’t included in the anime. I’m so sad it’s only 5 volumes. I really love the characters and how it’s an extension of gokinjo monogatari! Seeing the familiar characters makes me feel all warm and fuzzy
Anonymous 02/28/21 (Sun) 04:25:04 AM 17979
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>>17974 Ooo thanks for the recs, I will definitely check out Rivers Edge. Your description sounds exactly like the kind of thing I was looking for. I love authors who aren’t afraid to portray their characters’ flaws in an honest way, I tend to like them more that way. I’ve been dying to find a manga I can relate to and obsess over.
As for the art style, I like it! It feels like a heavily stylized mix between Japanese and Western character designs. I can see how it wouldn’t be popular with everyone though.
An old friend of mine recommended ‘In Clothes Called Fat’ to me, I had my reservations about it at first but I think I’m ready to read it now. Tysm for the detailed answer anon <3
Anonymous 03/03/21 (Wed) 12:32:04 AM 17987
>>17974 nta but i just finished river’s edge.
all i have to say is that haruna and tajima deserved better