Josei Manga

The theme for my annotated bibliography is Josei Manga.  Josei manga is defined as “comics for women, pronounced dʑosei, also known as ‘ladies’ ,or ‘ladies' comics.’”  This type of manga is created mostly by women for late teenage and adult female audiences. Readers tend to range from 15-44.  This manga genre began to appear in the 1980’s when girls who had read Shojo during the 1950’s and 1960’s grew up and still wanted manga that appealed to them.  There does seem to be a blurring of the lines between Shojo and Josei manga on occasion.

I searched google quite a bit to find distinctively Josei titles.  The best list I found was located at goodreads.com.  This list contains 142 of the most popular Josei manga titles.  I also used goodreads to check on the customer ratings of each book.  I wanted to read the books that had the most votes and the highest rating. 

There seems to be plenty of Josei manga written and available.  However, what I did find was that about half of the books I wanted to read were not available at my local public library.  So although these books are being written and translated into English they are still barely beginning to be collected within public libraries, at least here in Utah.  I also discovered that even more difficult than finding a copy of the book was finding reviews on the books.  Usually goodreads and amazon contained customer reviews of the books but quite of a few of the books did not have professional reviews.  I used Academic Search Premium to check for professional book reviews of each book I read.

I greatly enjoyed this assignment and learning about a format that I previously knew nothing about.  As I read these ten titles I started to notice themes and characteristics they had in common.  For example, all of the books I read had a romantic plot or subplot.  Actually many of the books I read took place in high schools.  There were also similarities within the artwork.  One of my favorite characteristics of the artwork is when a character gets angry or excited they are drawn completely different from when they are just feeling normal.  It is actually quite funny.  I have included an example below.  In this picture Teru is feeling many different emotions.  It is an interesting art technique that I saw repeated throughout all 10 manga titles.

I hope you enjoy browsing through these Josei manga titles.

A Bride's Story

A Bride's Story

by Kaoru Mori
Yen Press, 2011
ISBN 9780316180993
192 pages

3.5 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori (Emma, Shirley) brings the nineteenth-century Silk Road to lavish life, chronicling the story of Amir Halgal, a young woman from a nomadic tribe betrothed to a twelve-year-old boy eight years her junior. Coping with cultural differences, blossoming feelings for her new husband, and expectations from both her adoptive and birth families, Amir strives to find her role as she settles into a new life and a new home in a society quick to define that role for her.  (www.goodreads.com)

Evaluation

The Bride’s Story takes place during the nineteenth-century Silk Road time period.  This book is listed on goodreads best Josei Manga list but it is quite different from the other nine manga books that I have read for this assignment.  The main character, Amir, has depth and strength that many of the other Josei manga main characters lack.  There is a nice little love story that all Josei mangas seem to have.      

It is beautifully illustrated.  Although it is in black and white the design of the period costume and the lavish house decorations are detailed and interesting.  The above picture is depicted amazing wood cravings that the elderly man created.  Usually I am somewhat indifferent to color in a graphic novel but this is actually one graphic novel that I would like to see done in color.

Review

Wildsmith, S. (2011). A Bride's Story, v.1. Booklist, 107(19/20), 51.

Another good review can be found here.

Toradora

Toradora

by Yuyuko Takemiya
Seven Seas, 2011
ISBN 9781934876947
192 pages

3.5 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Ryuji Takasu has learned the hard way that appearances can be deceiving. Despite his inwardly sweet personality, his unintentionally sharp gaze and aggressive features give him the air of a delinquent thug, putting his chances at making friends, let alone a girlfriend, next to zero.

It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and, more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her onto his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?! (www.goodreads.com)

Evaluation

Tora Dora fits the typical Josei manga style.  The setting is in a high school and there is convoluted romance situations occurring.  So although this manga definitely fits a pattern and there were not any surprises, it is still an enjoyable read.  I really enjoyed the interactions between Takasu and Aisaka.  Both believe they like someone else but I am imagining in future volumes they will discover they actually like each other.  I do enjoy the romantic interplay typically found in Josei manga.    

The artwork is also normal manga style black and white drawings.  Although I have read 10 Josei mangas for this assignment I am still unable to tell a big different from one author to another.  I recognize Manga artwork when I see it but cannot distinguish between different author’s artwork.  I think more exposure to this type of artwork will better hone my ability to divergent between artists.  There was one significant different in this book that could only be portrayed from the artwork.  The main character, Takasu’s mother works nights at a bar/lounge.  This information by itself is significant, but what I found to be significant is the manner in which Takasu’s mother is artistically portrayed.  She is drawn very sexy even in her home with her son.  It seems very odd to me.  I have included one such picture though I chose the least suggestive picture of Takasu’s mother in the novel. 

Review

I found an excellent site with quite a bit of basic, concise information about Toradora.  It can be found here.  There are a few reviews at the bottom of the article.  Toradora is also anime so the majority of the reviews I found are actually for the anime not the manga.

Dengeki Daisy

Dengeki Daisy

by Kyousuke Motomi
Viz Media, 2007
ISBN 9781421537276
202 pages

4 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

One day at school, Teru accidentally breaks a window and agrees to pay for it by helping Kurosaki with chores around school. Kurosaki is an impossible taskmaster though, and he also seems to be hiding something important from Teru… (www.amazon.com)

Evaluation

Kyousuke Motomi is a female manga writer and artist, though on the chat boards I read it is a topic that is up for debate.  She does usually draws and refers to herself as male, but is actually a woman, as per, the picture above.  She was born on August 1, year unknown.  She enjoys sleeping, tea ceremonies, and reading Haruki Murakami.

 A quote I found frequently is “If my stories can touch you, make you laugh, forget unhappy things, or even give you that 'good job' feeling, then I'll be super, super happy!" - Kyousuke Motomi.  Motomi is a quite private about herself.  I was not able to find much information about her.  I did find her personal website located at http://www.betsucomi.shogakukan.co.jp/talk/motomi/, but I got a good laugh out of it because it is all in Japanese which does not help me at all.  Although I did not find any information about artistic influences what little I did find indicates that she writes for entertainment purpose and to help people feel happy, if only for a brief period of time.

I do not believe this work is significant in the field of Josei manga.  Although I do believe it is a perfect example of a typical Josei manga book.  If a patron wanted to get a feel for what Josei manga is like this would be the perfect book to recommend.

Teru is usually a happy character.  This is portrayed in the pages by having thinly sketched illustrations with lots of white and light spaces.  When Teru is worried or something critical is happening the illustrations have thicker lines and there is more dark shading of the characters and the settings. 

Motomi uses lots of sound words throughout the book; words such as ‘Vwee,’ ‘Dash,’ ‘Shak, Shak, Shak,’ and ‘Shoom.”  These words add some humor and also clues as to what is happening within the illustrations.  Motomi is great at techniques like distance and angle.  I have included 3 pictures below of some angling techniques that I particularly liked.

Dengeki Daisy typically has 3 to 5 panels per page.  When Motomi wants to emphasize something then there tend to only be 3 larger panels.  But when normal dialogue is occurring there are usually 5 panels.  The 3 large panels drawn attention to themselves and the reader engages a bit longer with each panel.  Both the arrangement and the closure of the panels help to set the mood and tone of the book. 

I wanted to evaluate on the titles that I enjoyed the most.  The Josei Manga genre does not seem to be too challenging or thought-provoking but this is a title I enjoyed more than the other manga titles that I read.  I do not think any of the manga titles I read moved me enough to want to read the next book in the series but this book definitely got the closest to inspiring me to read more.  Although the plot of many of the Josei manga books was just ok, I thought the artwork was wonderful throughout all ten titles that I read.

Review

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 1. (2010). Publishers Weekly, 257(29), 59.

Another review found at Graphic Novel Reporter.

Rasetsu

Rasetsu

by Chika Shiomi
Viz Media, 2009
ISBN 9781421527505
192 pages

3 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Rasetsu Hyuga works for an exorcist agency where she uses her special powers to banish evil spirits. There's a story behind the red flower mark on her chest though — it's a momento left by a powerful spirit who vowed to claim her on her 20th birthday. Unless Rasetsu can find true love by then, she is fated to become his.

Yako Hoshino, a young man with spiritual powers of his own, comes to the agency seeking help with a possessed book. He's seen a lot of strange phenomena in his day, but the last thing he expects to see is Rasetsu bearing a striking resemblance to his old love Yurura! (www.goodreads.com)

Evaluation

This manga is a bit different from the other Josei mangas I have read thus far, in that the main characters work for an exorcist agency.  The majority of the Josei mangas I have read have been set in school settings.  This book brought a pleasant change of scene.  Although the main characters are ghost chasers, the actual focus of the book is more on the life of Rasetsu and the possible romance which I am guessing will be expounded upon the sequels.  So the actual focus is more in line with Josei manga.  This book does have a nice twist where a ghost has claimed Rasetsu for his own if she does not find her true love by age twenty.    

The artwork is typical manga artwork which I find to be very pleasing.  It is done in black and white.  When the characters are working with the ghosts the artwork is darker with more gray shading.    

Overall, I enjoyed this book though I do not believe is has any characteristics that make it stand out any more than an average manga book.  I am not terribly interested in pursuing the remaining sequels, though I imagine other Josei manga fans would be intrigued by the unusual setting and the ghost lover.

Reviews

AnimeNewsNetwork and Graphic Novel Reporter both have reviews of Rasetsu, vol 1.

Crimson Hero

Crimson Hero

by Mitsuba Takanashi
Viz Media, 2005
ISBN 1421501406
192 pages

3 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

All that matters to 15-year-Old Nobara Sumiyoshi is volleyball, but it turns out that her mother will stoop to dirty tricks to keep her off the court and in the family's restaurant business. With assistance from her feisty Aunt Momoko, Nobara decides to start playing offense. (www.goodreads.com)

Evaluation

Although this plot is not terribly original it is still acceptable. However, I am not motivated to continue reading this series; although, I am interested in knowing a general series plot summary. I do like how the main character, Nobara, is willing to risk her safe and secure life to play volleyball. Even though Nobara does not have a great relationship with her mother it is still difficult to defy one’s parents. Nobara also does not have any marketable skills to be able to live on her own but she wants to play volleyball so badly that she agrees to cook and clean for a group of rather mean male volleyball players.

As I am reading more manga books I frequently recall what Scott McCloud explains in Understanding Comics. McCloud explains that often in Manga it is the journey that is important
which differs from western comics where it is the destination that is the focus. The plot of this volume moves rather slowly but again as Japanese manga believes what is the hurry. My basic sum-up of this book is that it is okay but certainly not amazing.

I enjoy manga artwork but Takanashi is not my favorite artist. Many of the pages have quite a bit of white space. The artwork in this book is less compact and detailed than some of the other Manga books I have read. This manga book gives the feeling of less panels and less dialogue per page. I do enjoy the less cluttered feel of this book.

Reviews

Customer/reader reviews can be found at www.amazon.com and www.goodreads.com. A librarian also reviewed this book. Another review can be found at Graphic Novel Reporter.

Absolute Boyfriend

Absolute Boyfriend

by Yuu Watase

Viz Media, 2006
ISBN 1421500167
191 pages

3.5 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Shy high school student Riko Izawa aches for a boyfriend but guys just won't look her way. Then one day she signs up for a three-day trial of a mysterious "lover figurine," and the next thing she knows, a cute naked guy is delivered to her doorstep--and he wants to be her boyfriend!Has Riko died and gone to heaven? The cute naked guy turns out to be smart, super nice, stylish and a gourmet chef. Plus, he looks like a million bucks.... Trouble is, that's about what he's going to cost Riko because she didn't return him in time! (www.goodreads.com)

Evaluation

Riiko is an interesting character. She really wants a boyfriend and orders one online. Though I don’t believe she thought a boyfriend would actually arrive. But what is so complex is that after all of Riiko’s longing for a boyfriend she keeps leaving him at home. She will keep home from school and then immediately leave. Also when Night (the name Riiko gives the absolute boyfriend) decides to enroll and attend the same school as Riiko, she tells him to pretend like they do not know each other. But then of course, Riiko gets jealous when all the girls start paying attention to Night because he is after all the absolute boyfriend.

Despite my annoyance with Riiko, I did actually enjoy this book. Absolute Boyfriend was the fifth manga book I have read for this assignment and it was definitely my favorite thus far. I enjoyed dreaming of my own absolute boyfriend. I also enjoyed the love triangle between Riiko, Night and Riiko’s neighbor Soshi. I found Night to be a very funny character. Most clients order these absolute boyfriends to be sex toys. So Night arrives naked and keeps taking his clothes off at inopportune times. This behavior makes Riiko very flustered and it is quite humorous.

I thought the art was fantastic. I have included a picture below of Riiko, Night and Soshi. Although this manga was drawn in black and white, seeing the picture in color makes me interested to read this in color. Usually I am mostly indifferent but I think I would enjoy this book in color.

Reviews

Cornog, M. (2006). Absolute Boyfriend. Library Journal, 131(15), 45.

A less positive review can be found at http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/absolute-boyfriend-gn-1.

Honey and Clover

Honey and Clover

by Chica Umino
Viz Media, 2008
ISBN 1421515040
184 pages

3.5 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Takemoto, a sophomore art student in Tokyo, thinks his greatest worries in life are finding ways to eat more meat and getting to class on time. But with friends like his, life is never going to be that uninteresting.

Evaluation

Of the four Josei Manga books I have read thus far for my annotated bibliography Honey and Clover is my favorite. It is light-hearted and funny. Although the plot summary names Takamoto as the main character, I would say all the characters receive about the same amount of attention. There are three main male roommates that are always hungry. One of the roommate’s cousin’s daughter is also attending the same university. She could be considered a “moe” character. A “moe” character tends to be female. They are usually cute, submissive and inspire platonic feelings in the reader. Many readers actually find them to be annoying. In Honey and Clover, Hagumi is eighteen but in the illustrations she never looks eighteen at all. She usually looks between eight and twelve. Below are some pictures of Hagumi.

The artwork in Honey and Clover is quite nice. The book has a very interesting feature in that when the characters get angry their facial expressions change so much it is difficult to recognize them. They do not even look like the same character at all. At first it was bit confusing to have the emotional characters change their appearance so much but after I became accustomed to this feature I really quite enjoyed it and found that it added additional humor to the story.

The front and back cover have color illustrations. The actual artwork inside the book is done in black and white. Because this is a light story most of the artwork is done using fine lines and very little dark coloring within the panels.

Reviews

I used Academic Search Premier to find two book reviews. I have cited the book reviews below.

Krygier, S. (2008). Honey and Clover. School Library Journal, 54(9), 219.

Honey and Clover, Vol. 1. (2007). Publishers Weekly, 254(51), 35.

Be With You

Be With You

Written by Takuji Ichikawa Art by Sai Kawashima Viz Media, 2008 ISBN 1421513862 216 pages

3 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

When Takumi's wife suddenly returns from the grave, he can't believe his eyes. As he starts digging deeper and deeper into the mystery of her sudden reappearance, he discovers a secret that is somehow linked to the past...and the future. Is it possible to experience first love for a second time? Without question, the answer is yes! (www.goodreads.com).

Evaluation

This manga was first a book, then a movie, then a TV series and finally adapted for manga. It is a bit of a ghost story because when the rainy season begins the wife of Takumi returns from the
dead. She can only stay through the six weeks of the rainy season and then she must return to the land of the dead. I enjoyed this book. It was sweet and tender although, of course very unrealistic. As an avid reader, I am very skilled at suspended reality when I read. However, on some level it still must be believable. Although I did not have any trouble with Mio returning for a visit from the dead, I did have trouble believing her husband and son were not emotionally traumatized. Moi had only been dead for one year which really is not a very long time to recover from losing a wife or mother and yet they seemed so at ease with Moi’s return. So I had some trouble with reality suspense with this book.

Like most mangas the front and back covers are printed in cover but the book inside is drawn in black and white. This manga actually contains a lot of illustrations on the gray scale. It is a ghost story that occurs during a cloudy, rainy season and the numerous gray panels add to the mystery of Moi’s return and the emotional ache of when she will leave again.

Reviews

I found a good review at http://www.bitsandpieces.org/blog/2011/03/31/book-review-be-with-you-by-takuji-ichikawa/. It is not a "professional" review but I liked what the reviewer had to say.

Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 1: To Till

Revolutionary Girl Utena
Vol 1: To Till

By Chiho Saito
Created by Be-Papas
Viz Media, 2003
ISBN 9781569319642
195 pages

3 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Utena Tenjou had a tragic childhood - her parents died when she was young, and she almost drowned, had it not been for her prince who came and rescued her. Because of the impact this prince had on her life, Utena strives to be just like him - to grow up to be a prince, not a princess, and to spread nobility, ultimately finding her prince and bringing revolution. (http://www.animenews.com)

Evaluation

This was an enjoyable manga read. The main character Utena has decided to grow up to be a prince, not a princess. She is still beautiful and feminine but most of her interests and activities are more active and masculine. She doesn’t want to be protected; she wants to do the protecting. I think this provides a great message to the typical female audience that reads josie manga. Utena does want to find the man that rescued her when she was a little girl and this desire does direct much of her behavior. But I like that she is not bemoaning her fate and a helpless female.

The artwork is black and white, though the cover is done in color. Utena is drawn and portrayed as delicate and this appearance often deceives others to believe she is timid. The illustrations are inked considerably more during pivotal darker sequences of the story. This helps bring out the more villainous characters. I really enjoy having illustrations within a story to add to the depth of the storyline.

Reviews

Read some reviews of the book here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14078.Revolutionary_Girl_Utena_Vol_1