Mangas are usually known for their creative covers, some even ranging from violent themes to school girls with bodies that are too good to be true. This article covers one of its genres called Slice of Life. What is this genre all about, exactly? It's not too hard to understand, since it's simply just a representation of everyday experience in a movie, play, or book. If you're tired of the usual action-packed manga stories, here's a list of new slice of life mangas that are definitely worth your time.
1. Solanin
written and illustrated by Inio Asano
Meiko Inoue is a new college graduate working as an office lady in a job she can't stand. Her boyfriend, Naruo, is permanently crashing at her apartment because his job as a freelance illustrator doesn't pay enough for his share of their rent. Meanwhile, her parents in the countryside keep sending her boxes of veggies that just rot in her fridge. Straddling the line between her years as a student and the rest of her life, Meiko struggles with the feeling that she's just not cut out to be a part of the real world.
2. Saint Onii-san (Saint Young Men)
written and illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura
Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, the founders of Christianity and Buddhism, are living together as roommates in an apartment in Tachikawa, located in one of Tokyo's suburban neighborhoods. While taking a vacation on Earth, they attempt to hide their identities and understand modern Japanese society. Each chapter shows their lives during an average day, when they are sightseeing, drinking beer, blogging, or playing video games. The idea for this manga is admittedly out-of-the-box, but it's entertaining to watch two very important religious figures shopping in Family Mart or knitting sweaters for Christmas.
3. Nana
written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa
Nana Komatsu is a young woman who has endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll superstar. This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends.
4. Oyasumi Punpun
written and illustrated by Inio Asano
The manga follows the main character, Onodera Punpun, as he grows up; splitting the book into around 4 stages of his life: Elementary school, Middle school, High school, and his early 20s. Punpun is a normal child depicted in the form of a bird. The story follows him as he copes with his dysfunctional family and friends, his love interest, his oncoming adolescence and his hyperactive mind. Heads up though: there are some points in this manga that discuss or show mature content, so please be wary before reading this.
5. Travel
written and illustrated by Yuichi Yokoyama
Travel is a wordless journey into the contemporary Japanese psyche. It takes the not unfamiliar plot backdrop of a train ride and turns it into a psychological meditation on the vehicle's architecture and passengers (rather than focusing on the usual narrative-driven concerns such as destination, distance or landscape). This wordless graphic novel has no plot to speak of, but the point of the book is Yokoyama's outlandish, hyperstylized designs for characters, architecture and landscapes.
Login with Google