River's Edge (Japanese: リバーズ・エッジ, Hepburn: Ribāzu Ejji) is a Japanese slice of life manga written and illustrated by Kyoko Okazaki. River's Edge was first published in the women's fashion magazine Monthly Cutie between 1993 and 1994.[1][2]: 195 River's Edge follows Haruna, a high school girl in a suburb of Tokyo, and her friends as they traverse the ups and downs of high-school life in the 90s.[3][2]: 195–196
| River's Edge | |
 Cover to the 2023 release of River's Edge as published by Kodansha USA | |
| リバーズ・エッジ (Ribāzu Ejji) | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Kyoko Okazaki |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kyoko Okazaki |
| Published by | Takarajimasha |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | CUTiE |
| Demographic | Josei |
| Published | 1994 |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Live-action film | |
| |
Themes of bullying, homosexuality, drug-use and teenage pregnancy are explored through the lens of a coming of age story. The manga was highly influential in Japanese literature.[3]
A film adaptation of the manga was released in 2018. Kodansha USA publishes the manga in English.[4]
Characters
editHaruna Wakakusa (若草ハルナ, Wakakusa Haruna) - The first protagonist of the novel. Haruna is a straightforward and unrelenting teenage girl who saves Ichiro from the bullying of her boyfriend, Kannonzaki.
Ichiro Yamada (山田一郎, Yamada Ichirō) - The second protagonist of the novel. Ichiro is bullied by the other boys at school due to his popularity with girls at school. Quiet and non-chalant, Ichiro is closeted although he dates Kanna to appear straight.
Kozue Yoshikawa (吉川こずえ, Yoshikawa Kozue) - Kozue is one of the most popular girls at the high school. She is a child model and one of Ichiro's only friends aside from Haruna.
Kannonzaki (観音崎, Kanōnzaki) - Hotheaded and rash, Kannonzaki is Haruna's boyfriend. He relentlessly bullies Ichiro due to his popularity with girls at school.
Kanna Tajima (田島カンナ, Tajima Kanna) - Ichiro's girlfriend. She is unaware of his homosexuality and is overprotective of Ichiro.
Lumi (ルミ, Rumi) - One of Haruna's friends. She dates older men for gifts.
Publications
editRiver's Edge was originally published on May 27, 1994, by Takarajimasha[1] in the CUTiE magazine. Since then, the manga has been reprinted three times: in 2000, 2008, and 2015.[5][6] In 2023, an English translation published by Kodansha USA was released.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "リバーズ・エッジ│宝島社の公式WEBサイト 宝島チャンネル". 宝島社の公式WEBサイト 宝島チャンネル. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Chen, Novia Shih-Shan; Ogawa, Sho (2020). "On the Edge of 1990s Japan: Kyoko Okazaki and the Horror of Adolescence". In Langsdale, Samantha; Coody, Elizabeth Rae (eds.). Monstrous Women in Comics. University Press of Mississippi. doi:10.2307/j.ctv11sn67h.15. ISBN 9781496827623. JSTOR j.ctv11sn67h.15.
- ^ a b ""LIFE" Exhibition". Contemporary Art Gallery. Translated by Paul T. Narum. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 23, 2022). "Kodansha USA Licenses Kyoko Okazaki's River's Edge Manga, The Dawn of the Witch Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Rivers Edge Original Reprint". www.suruga-ya.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ "Live-Action River's Edge Film's Trailer Previews Kenji Ozawa Theme Song". Anime News Network. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ Noble, Barnes &. "River's Edge|Paperback". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
External links
edit- River's Edge (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia