For a while now, I’ve been a big fan of manga. One of the biggest appeals of manga (Japanese
comics) is how many different genres and demographics there are for it. However, just because the genres and
demographics exist doesn’t mean they’re easy to find. Here in the United States, the largest amount
of imported manga is either shonen or shojo.
That is, manga intended for and starring teenage booys or teenage girls. Seinen (men’s) or josei (women’s) manga is
harder to find. That means it’s harder to
find manga starring grown-ups in grown-up situations. I have managed to find a few though and I
thought I’d share them with you. There
is one thing, though . . .
RAISE THE COLORS, MEN!
That’s right! Today
we’re dealing with material that I found because it’s been pirated! I know this sort of thing bothers some people
and I totally get why. Creative types
should certainly be compensated for their work.
Creative works shouldn’t be free as a matter of course. However, when it comes to scanlations (scans+translations)
of manga and fansubs of anime and tokusatsu, the people who pirate this stuff
are usually just trying to create exposure for things that they love. So, a few ground rules. One, I’m not going to tell you where I found
these things. Finding them yourself is
up to you. Two, if an official release
does come out, please support it with your money. But, if you still don’t want to go forward,
stop now. That’s why I put up the
flag. It’s a warning. You might see it more in the future. Also, I might spotlight some officially
licensed manga at the end to make up for it.
Anyway, our theme for this post is: marriage and married
life
Okusan
Okusan (the Japanese word for “wife”) is a seinen series by
Ooi Masakazu. It’s a slice-of-life
romance series about a 32-year old housewife who moves to a new town. The manga is about the unnamed wife adjusting
to her situation and dealing with the quirks of her neighbors as well as her
own. I should note that series is also
an ecchi (read as: “sexy”) series owing partly to the main character’s rather
audacious figure and partly to just being rather frank about the subject of sex. However, that’s one of the virtues of reading
a manga for and about adults. When manga
starring adolescent characters is so explicit, it can feel a bit squicky for
some people. This manga-ka also produced
a similiarly ecchi married life series that can be loosely translated as The
Life of the Ashitba Family’s Husband.
Marry Me!
Marry Me! by Yuuki Miko is a slice of life romance with its
origins in some of Japans current social issues. In an undisclosed time in the future in order
to stave off the declining birth rate, Japan passes the NEET Protection
Law. The basic idea is to pair
government employees with NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) for
the purpose of marriage. The idea is
that it would reintroduce the NEETs to society while also boosting the number
of people getting married and having families.
The initial test subject for this new law is a civil servant named
Akiyasu Shin and a young woman named Sawamoto Himari. Things naturally get off to a rocky start,
seeing as Himari was registered without her permission. Ultimately, the two get married. While they initially get hitched so that Shin
won’t lose his job and that Himari won’t be alone anymore after losing her
grandparents, ensuing chapters show the two do start to become closer and do
form a functioning if unconventional little family. It really is a rather sweet manga and you
should give it a look.
What I Get for Marrying a Demon Bride
Of the ones I’m focusing on here, this one is probably my
favorite. Partially because of my love
for Japanese fairy tales and the creatures in them and partially because it’s
just a charming little comedy manga. The
manga is about a man named Tomoyuki who is married to an oni named
Mitsuki. While Tomoyuki is a rather
mild-mannered salaryman, Mitsuki is crude, hot-tempered, a bit insecure and a
literal monster. However, the two really
do love each other and are completely devoted to one another. The manga really just is the ins and outs of
their life together. One of my favorites
is one in which Mitsuki informs her husband that she can’t eat peaches for
religious reasons (apparently “Momotaro” was based on a real story in their
world.
I said before that I’d also recommend some legit licensed
manga if I could, didn’t I? Well, I have
two. One is The Way of the Househusband by
Kousuke Oono. The other is The
Yamada Wife by Richi Okada. The Way of the Househusband is a comedy
about a yakuza (Japanese gangster) who quits his life of crime in order to become
a househusband to his normal (if maybe a little geeky) wife. The funny thing about it is that he still
dresses, talks and acts like a gangster.
This leads to normal domestic situations having a ridiculous crime-thriller
level of intensity.
The Yamada Wife is about a city woman who suddenly has to move to
the country to live with her husband’s very traditional, old-fashioned Japanese
family. She’s then put through her paces
by her very strict grandmother-in-law.
The Way of the
Househusband has just released its first volume in the U.S. and can be
purchased either in book stores or digitally on the official Viz website. Many volumes of The Yamada Wife are available and can be purchased digitally either
on Comixology or Book Walker.
If you seek these out, keep in mind that there might be a
little bit of culture clash between the Japanese way of doing things and your
own (for example, the wives in these manga often tend toward being housewives
because of a combination of old gender roles and the rather intense Japanese
work culture demanding someone always be home to get domestic tasks done because the other spouse is always at work). Also, be mindful of
official releases and support them even if you read these elsewhere first.
Until next time.
