Running through the city ... is a river. It runs slowly stagnant and smelly ... and you can often find things like corpses of cats rolling around down there. From the bold leader of Josei manga we get this masterfully crafted coming of age story. It was written in 1993 just a year after Japan had its bubble burst. Economy was stagnated. And thats the first thing we see in the manga the rundown school the abandoned plots and the stained river. https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/736330082917810236/736967999235424366/unknown.png The art in this manga is simple yet dirty and messy. Much like the lives of its protagonists. They are adolescents living their daytoday lives which on the surface may look simple consisting of going to school coming back home sometimes hanging out with friends... Albeit they arent what they seem: These teenagers are living in an unsupportive environment while dealing with the darkest of their feelings. Theyre trying to make sense of themselves first and of the world around them thus thrown into confusion and a whirl of emotions all visible to us through their actions and inner dialogues. https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/736330082917810236/736617399826120734/unknown.png The colours and shades in this manga are rather dull and that can reflect the main protagonists indifference to life and the people around her. Violence teenage sex drugs eating disorders bullying and death are all heavy themes tackled in this story. These teenagers are seeking answers an identity they can be proud of love and validation from another. Whos to say whats right and whats wrong? Isnt it ironic how the manga is dyed with black white and very little shading when life as we know it is the complete opposite? https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/736330082917810236/736684657403494492/unknown.png https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/736330082917810236/737002650326925413/unknown.png From panel to panel the transition is done wittily many times. Not only that but also using dual meanings for a single frame as seen in the shower shot below. The water coming from the showerhead looks like sharp needles hailing down. This can very well speak of the feelings of the person in this scene who out of frustration and hopelessness is attempting a taboo that is most likely bringing pain down with it. https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/736330082917810236/736617949057777704/unknown.png In addition to critiquing the way homosexuality is looked at in Japan and advocating for the bare minimum of respect Okazaki stings the society with one more critique gossip. It is vividly visible in every chapter those scary bubbles of gossip. Many times meaningless a show of vanity. Lies to get boredom away. But many times more they start with a piece of truth dealt from mouth to ear invading the privacy of its hero and getting layers and layers of paint on it until its face is barely recognized. Its not the truth anymore but it still affects lives and changes realities. She then goes on to deal with this even more as well as criticize the modern consumerfocused Japan in another work See Helter Skelterhttps://anilist.co/manga/33104/HelterSkelter/ I would strongly recommend watching the 2012 movie version of it. Back to rivers Edge her care for nature is shown in this work bringing to attention animal brutality aquariums and water pollution. https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/736330082917810236/737003246513684580/unknown.png Lastly it is worthy to mention the following analogy: The river is a source of life. As it flows making its way to the ocean it nourishes the Earths sprouts helping them grow well and strong. But when its muddy poisonous and stagnated then the amount of support it can give plummets. And the same goes for society. As we all go through our lives if we stick to bad habits and toxicity be it ignoring the troubled focusing on overwhelming gossip and rejecting whoever does not fit our preset social norms then what type of life are we dumping on our next generation? This sentence sums up the story very well: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/736330082917810236/736677890426404975/unknown.png
90 /100
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