, is a Japanese
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series by
Moyoco Anno. The manga is about a girl who goes through different names throughout the story and becomes a , or high ranking (courtesan).
North American publisher
Vertical Inc
Vertical is a Japanese novel and manga imprint of Kodansha USA Publishing. Founded in 2001 by Hiroki Sakai, in February 2011, the company was bought by Kodansha (46.7%) and Dai Nippon Printing (46.0%). The company was consolidated into Kodansh ...
published it in English in July 2012.
Plot
A young (maid in a brothel) is sold into the red-light district of and is put under the care of the of the house, , who names her . The girl is very rebellious, leading to the heads of the household considering her potential future as a successful , as a high-ranking courtesan needs not only beauty and talent but also the tenacity to maintain their position in order to be successful.
later takes the name as a (or courtesan-in-training), and later takes the name , and is considered the most beautiful girl in the household. Her popularity threatens the position of the household's other , , which creates great tension between the two. 's rivalry with is not the only challenge she faces, as the appearance of a young man named faces her with the impossibility of finding love in her position.
Film
A live-action film adaptation was released in Japan on February 24, 2007. The film stars
Anna Tsuchiya and marks the directorial debut of photographer
Mika Ninagawa.
Ringo Sheena's album ''
Heisei Fūzoku'' acts as the
soundtrack.
Cast
*
Anna Tsuchiya as Kiyoha
*
Ayame Koike as Young Kiyoha
*
Asuka Saito
Asuka may refer to:
People
* Asuka (name), a list of people
* Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler
* Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan
Places In Japan
* , an area in Yamato Province (now N ...
as Tomeki
*
Kippei Shiina as Kuranosuke
*
Yoshino Kimura as Takao
*
Hiroki Narimiya as Sojiro
*
Miho Kanno
is a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is ''Kanchan'' (菅ちゃん). She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan.
Career
In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called ''Sakurakko Club'' after passing the orientation f ...
as Shohi
*
Masatoshi Nagase as Mitsunobu
*
Masanobu Andō as Seiji
*
Renji Ishibashi as Owner
*
Kyōko Koizumi as Oran
References
External links
Official website for the film
IMDb entry
Kodansha manga
Manga adapted into films
Moyoco Anno
Seinen manga
Vertical (publisher) titles
{{Manga-stub