Forum - View topicFemale Author / Feminist Gekiga-like manga
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GekigaGurl
Posts: 5 |
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Okay, so I used to be a huge, huge fan of anime and manga, but then I kind of got bored with it. I still watch a series or film now and then, and I keep up on a few long running mangas, although I kind of don't like any of them that much. Or, I enjoy them, but they're just light entertainment to distract me from my week (also I've been reading them since they came out and kind of feel committed to the narratives [like, I've been reading them since the early 2000s]).
But, lately, I've become a bit obsessed with Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Adult-oriented Tezuka, and the alternative manga anthologies (AX, Japanese comics, etc.), but I realized that I was reading/enjoying mostly men. There were some women in the anthologies, but nothing quite as striking as Tatsumi (especially) in terms of subtext and narrative/conceptual depth (nor anything with the heavy handed attempts at "literary swagger" one finds in the Tezuka). I know vertical has some Josei manga out, and I ordered a couple, but they seem more topical (eating disorders, etc.) ...I'm excited to read them, but they aren't exactly what I'm looking for. Are there any manga by female authors, or manga with feminist themes (or queer, or racial/postcolonial themes, even, to open up the possibilities!) that reach toward the literary in the way that Tatsumi and Tezuka do? Does Manga have a Virginia Wolf? A Gertrude Stein? A Toni Morrison? A Sylvia Plath? I would love to know! Are they translated? Non-Japanese comics are welcome too! Thanks in advance for the help! |
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Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
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I dunno if mods'll lock this in favor of the Official Recommendations Thread, but I'd recommend ElfQuest to you. It's not manga, but it's by a husband/wife duo (Wendy is an amazing artist), and it's pretty similar in themes to manga (DC published it in manga/GN format, and Dark Horse has it currently). You can also read all of it (other than the newest installations that Dark Horse has put out) on Elfquest.com for free.
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GekigaGurl
Posts: 5 |
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Dessa, thanks for the quick response--I'll definitely check it out!
I hope the thread doesn't get disabled! Well, I guess it is a recommendation thing, but I also think it extends beyond that a bit, and seemed hefty enough (to me anyway) to warrant a new/singular thread. I'm hoping this forum's collective knowledge can build a bit of a database of works for me/others to look into. |
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Andritsu!
 Posts: 2 Location: Sweden |
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I'm not too well-versed in Josei manga. But I'm also very much interested in manga with more serious and rare topics.
That's what got me reading Wandering Son and Double House, both of which deal with the life of being transgender in Japan. The former on childhood/growing up and the latter being a single volume manga with more "adult" (SFW) themes. Both are these are by female authors, Takako Shimura and Haruno Nanae specifically. So if you're looking for very mature looks at the "queer" side of manga, I'd at least recommend those and perhaps other books by the same authors. Hopefully some other recommendations roll in regarding other subjects though as I really only know about the transgender stuff since it's what I've been looking for. |
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st_owly
 Posts: 5234 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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Tokyopop released quite a bit of josei stuff in their early days. Anything by Mitsukazu Mihara is worth picking up, even her short story collections. They also released quite a bit by an author called Erica Sakurazawa, although her stuff isn't super feminist. Worth picking up though.
Sakuran by Moyoco Anno seems like the sort of thing you'd enjoy. It's the story of a courtesan and she's very feisty and causes a lot of trouble. Most of Moyoco Anno's stuff is worth picking up, really. |
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GekigaGurl
Posts: 5 |
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I'll check those out!
I actually just ordered a copy of Sakuran (because it was something I'd stumbled across myself while googling, and because it was cheap to pick up a copy to check out). I'll definitely check out the transgender narratives. I think I might have looked at one of those before briefly, too. There is also an intersex manga. I read part of it, but it was kind of boring and straitforward. It was interesting because it was topical, but the manga itself was ho hum at best. It's kind of sad that none of the above is out in print form. Vertical has a realist series about a middle age gay couple (aka not yaoi) that looks interesting too. It might be good, given that the other books they put out tend to be more adult oriented. I found out about Murasaki Yamada by googling, but none of her work seems to be translated. It sounds like it might be really interesting though given that she was published in Garo (and is also a feminist activist and poet).  I wish it was translated.
Anyway, thanks for all of the help/suggestions. Keep it coming! It's all very helpful! 
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st_owly
Posts: 5234 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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The title of the series about the gay couple published by Vertical is "What Did You Eat Yesterday?" and I'd definitely recommend that. Heck, just get everything Fumi Yoshinaga has written because she's amazing. WDYEY is a slice of life series which just happens to feature a gay couple; it doesn't make a big deal of them being gay, although by many more knowledgeable accounts than I, it's pretty realistic about depicting gay life in Japan.
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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Though I am not a fan of gothic stuff, I too would recommend Mitsukazu Mihara. I find a lot of gothic stuff is all show, no substance, but her stuff really is good, I'd get whatever you can, her short stories are a good place to start.
Basara by Yumi Tamura is a simply fantastic manga, no doubt about it. It has both strong female characters but realistic ones. Some version of feminism seem to be to preach that men are evil, but that doesn't happen here either. It helps that the story is a fantasy epic with loads and loads of characters too and the woman can draw freakin' anything. If you want a more seinen-like manga, I'd check out Banana Fish. It would fail the Bechdel Test immediately (because there's all of 3 named female characters who are never in the same room), but the two main guys do clearly fall for each other, but they never have graphic sex or anything, but they were definitely more than just friends. The main plot is about the Corsican mafia and this fantasy drug and gang vs mafia wars and stuff, but it spends quality time on fantastic character development of its main character. It also has gunfights and bazookas too so... something for everyone! And it really reads like it's one 19 volume story with no breaks, I don't know how she planned it so well, but it's like not a single plot thread got dropped, it' almost hard to believe it wasn't all made in one sitting. Yes, anything by Fumi Yoshinaga is going to be awesome. My personal favorite is Flower of Life, but it's hard to find anything actually bad. Just buy them all, save yourself the hunt later. In fact, she and Osamu Tezuka are the only two people whom I will automatically buy their manga without even reading the plot synopsis or anything, I don't need convincing, I already know I'm going to fork over my money. I would suggest checking out some of the Year 24 group stuff. These including things like To Terra, Rose of Versailles, Swan[b], and [b] The Heart of Thomas. Moto Hagio and Keiko Takemiya have both had manga published over here, Rose of Versailles and Dear, Brother are both anime from Riyoko Ikeda works to be made available in English (and online even). Swan never finished its english run due to CMX being axed off by evil villain group DC, but yeah, get some anyway. For manga, there's the ones mentioned above, and also Andromeda Stories, A Drunken Dream and other stories, Four Shojo Stories, A A' and hopefully more. These are 70s shojo manga and they're very different from today's shojo and very very awesome. A lot of these women pioneered modern shojo, taking it way away from Tezuka's attempts and making something truly special, they just don't make shojo manga like that today it seems. Heart of Thomas also has the gay themes you're looking for. To Terra has a fantastic anime TV series, the movie is "meh", but the series is really awesome. If I had to pick just one for your rec though, Heart of Thomas is a must. |
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GekigaGurl
Posts: 5 |
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Huge thanks for all those suggestions. I'll definitely have to check some of those out! Heart of Thomas sounds especially fantastic!
I actually found this collection video on Youtube that I think is super helpful!: http://youtu.be/oxsahkL5iDs (whoops put the wrong link, fixed now) The guy has a lot of good stuff! I found at least like 6-7 things I want to read by watching it! It is kind of long, but it's worth listening too (and you can skim past the parts that have less interesting manga). I didn't watch the whole thing, but I definitely found some volumes that I want to get. |
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GekigaGurl
Posts: 5 |
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Okay, just grabbed a copy of "What Did You Eat Yesterday?" and the first volume of "Bannana Fish" too. Also, Tezuka's Ayako (which I hadn't read but that video says is one of his best)! Very excited to read all of these.
"The Heart of Thomas" and a few others are saved in my cart for a paycheck or two from now. Will also be coming back to this thread to find new things! I hope more suggestions come too! So awesome!
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