“R” is for…
Real Clothes, written and illustrated by Satoru Makimura, currently serialized in Shueisha’s You: This fashionable manga features a plain salesclerk who is transferred to the women’s clothing department of her store. Needless to say, a makeover is in order. We need more fashion manga.
Receptacle, written and illustrated by Rendou Kurosaki, currently serialized in Hakusensha’s Rakuen le Paradis. This has barely started, but it’s got a solid magazine provenance and the cover is really cute. It’s apparently about two girls who kind of crush on each other and talk about their lives as geek girls. I love chatty, woman-driven manga.
Reset, written and illustrated by Mayuri Yamamoto, serialized in Bunkasha’s Horror M, eight volumes. Josei combined with episodic horror sounds like two great tastes that taste great together! In this series, a rotating cast of protagonists are given the choice to reset their lives at a critical point. It sounds like an intriguing premise.
River’s Edge, written and illustrated by Kyoko Okazaki, serialized in Takarajimasha’s Cutie, one volume. This dramatic tale of emotionally stunted teens sounds like the perfect cross-marketing opportunity for indie comics fans. In fact, I’m pretty sure there are already seven or eight versions of this story already on the shelves.
Rouge Noir, written and illustrated by Kyoko Mizutani, serialized in Shogakukan’s Petit Comic, two volumes. An aspiring musician takes up private piano instruction, and we all know how that ends up, don’t we? We don’t? Okay, well, in this case, the teacher gets the unrequited hots for one of her students, and they meet years later at an audition for a jazz combo. And surely we all know how that ends up, right?
Josei magazines:
Rakuen le Paradis, published by Hakusensha, enticingly described by Erica (Okazu) Friedman.
What starts with “R” in your josei alphabet?
Reader recommendations and reminders:
- Real Love, written and illustrated by Mitsuki Oda, originally published by Ohzora Shuppan, published in English by Luv Luv Press, one volume.
- RIP: Requiem in Phonybrain, written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara, originally published in Index Communications’ Kera, published in English by Tokyopop, one volume.