Pink (1989 manga)
| Pink | |
 Re-released cover of Pink featuring Yumiko | |
| ピンク (Pinku) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Kyoko Okazaki |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kyoko Okazaki |
| Published by | Magazine House |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Mag Comics |
| Magazine | New Punch Zaurus |
| Demographic | Josei |
| Published | September, 1989 |
Pink (Japanese: ピンク, Hepburn: Pinku) is a 1989 Japanese manga by Kyoko Okazaki. Originally published by Magazine House, the manga follows the relationships of the Yumiko, who works as a call girl at night, and how they change in 1980s Tokyo. It is considered one of the first josei manga.[3]
Pink was developed and published at the height of the Japanese asset price bubble, a period characterized by heavy consumerism and unchecked optimism.[4] This sudden boom in the economy fueled a surge in disposable income, leading to a desire for luxury goods. Pink, with its focus on youthful rebellion and critique of obsession with extravagance, captures the spirit of the era through its characters and setting.[5]
Pink was well received by both critics and audiences alike for its critiques of consumerism and realistic portrayal of Tokyo in the 1980s.[6] Cited as Okazaki's first major work,[7] Pink significantly influenced both josei and shojo manga as a medium. Pink was re-released on July 29, 2010, with a new cover.[8] An English translation published by Vertical Inc was released on November 15, 2013.[9]
Characters[edit]
- Yumiko (ゆみこ, Yumiko)
- A twenty-two year old woman, nicknamed Yumi (ユミ, Yumi) who moonlights as a call girl in order to buy food for her pet crocodile. She lives in an apartment alone away from her family due to her dislike of her stepmother. She harbors romantic feelings for Haruo. Yumiko is the protagonist of the story and serves as its narrator.
- Haruo Yoshino (よしの はるお, Yoshino Haruo)
- Yumiko's love interest and the story's deuteragonist. Haruo is a struggling novelist and sugar baby of Yumiko's step-mother. Haruo also has romantic feelings to Yumiko.
- Yumiko's step-mother (ゆみこ の けいぼ, Yumiko no keibo)
- Yumiko's unnamed stepmother. She has a strained relationship with Yumiko due to Yumiko's belief that she married her father for his money. Conceited and vain, she started a relationship with Haruo in order to be feed into her desires. She is the main antagonist of the story.
- Keiko (ケイコ, Keiko)
- Yumiko's step-sister. She is frequently with Yumiko, much to the dismay of her mother.
- Croc (ワニ, Wani)
- Yumiko's pet crocodile. Croc is domesticated and docile but is characterized by its voracious hunger.
References[edit]
- ^ "Pink by Kyoko Okazaki". Kodansha. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ McClain, Carrie (2022-10-04). "5 Messy but Brilliant Josei Manga Titles You Need In Your Life". Black Nerd Problems. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ "Pink by Kyoko Okazaki". www.penguin.com.au. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Lee, Andrew (2013-12-07). "Pink". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Langsdale, Samantha; Coody, Elizabeth Rae, eds. (2020). Monstrous women in comics. Horror and monstrosity studies series. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-4968-2762-3.
- ^ "Beautiful Disaster: The Artistic Legacy of Kyoko Okazaki". Hakutaku. 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ "Kyōko Okazaki, Pink". John Pistelli. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ 著, 岡崎 京子. "pink 新装版". マガジンワールド (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ "Pink by Kyoko Okazaki". www.penguin.com.au. Retrieved 2024-05-15.