is a Japanese
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
''
josei
, also known as and its abbreviation , is an editorial category of Japanese comics that emerged in the 1980s. In a strict sense, ''josei'' refers to manga marketed to an audience of adult women, contrasting ''shōjo'' manga, which is marke ...
''
manga written and illustrated by
Moyoco Anno
is a Japanese manga artist and fashion writer, with numerous books published in both categories. Her work ''Sugar Sugar Rune'' won the Kodansha manga award for children in 2005. Anno is married to director Hideaki Anno of '' Neon Genesis Evan ...
and serialized on Shufu-to-Seikatsu Sha's ''Weekly Josei'' magazine.
A compilation volume was released on November 15, 1997.
[ It was published in English by ]Vertical
Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
* Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down
* Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...
and in French by Kana
The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most p ...
.
Characters
*Noko Hanazawa (花沢 のこ ''Hanazawa Noko'') - An overweight office lady
An office lady ( ja, オフィスレディー, Ofisuredī), often abbreviated OL (, ), is a female office worker in Japan who performs generally pink-collar
A pink-collar worker is someone working in the care-oriented career field or in field ...
resorts to eating to alleviate stress. After suffering repeated abuses at work and the revelation that her long-time boyfriend is cheating on her with Mayumi, Noko begins dieting out of the belief that becoming thin will make her prettier and happier. She winds up developing bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eaten ...
.
*Mayumi Tachibana (橘 マユミ ''Tachibana Mayumi'') - One of Noko's co-workers, a sadistic woman who enjoys hurting people she considers ugly, especially Noko and Tabata. She begins an affair with Saito just to make Noko suffer more. When Noko is transferred to another department after Mayumi sets her up, Mayumi becomes irritable with not being able to bully Noko and begins bullying her other co-workers with less satisfaction.
*Toshihiko Saito (斉藤 利彦 ''Saitō Toshihiko'') - Noko's boyfriend since high school, who has only stayed with Noko because she's fat and her weak will is comforting to him. He fears strong-willed and confident women like his mother, so he begins pushing Noko away when she tries to lose weight. They eventually break-up and he marries a fat woman with a mild personality.
Reception
It was nominated for the Angoulême Essential Awards at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after ...
. The series was nominated for an Eisner Award for the " Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia" in 2015. On Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman gave it an overall grade of B+, calling it "a grim yet fascinating look into the life of someone suffering from a disorder and never really getting the help she needs". On manga-news.com, the staff gave it a grade of 15 out of 20.[ On Manga Sanctuary, the staff gave it a grade of 7 out of 10.]
References
Further reading
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External links
*
Bungeishunjū manga
Drama anime and manga
Josei manga
Moyoco Anno
Shodensha manga
Vertical (publisher) titles
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