River's Edge (manga)
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) | |
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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 currently publishes the manga in English.[4]
Characters
Haruna 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
River's Edge was originally published on May 27, 1994, by Takarajimasha[1] in the CUTiE magazine. Since then, the manga has been reprinted 3 times; once in 2000, 2008 and 2015.[5][6] In 2023, an English translation published by Kodansha USA was released.[7]
References
- "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 2023-07-17.
- 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.
- ""LIFE" Exhibition". Contemporary Art Gallery. Translated by Paul T. Narum. Archived from the original on 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
{{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 2023-07-17.
- "Live-Action River's Edge Film's Trailer Previews Kenji Ozawa Theme Song". Anime News Network. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
- Noble, Barnes &. "River's Edge|Paperback". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
External links
- River's Edge (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia