igotthegoods
July 18, 2010, 10:26 PM
Welcome to the Yazawa Ai discussion thread! :amuse Yazawa is a popular shoujo/josei mangaka who has penned one of the highest-selling shoujo manga series worldwide (NANA). In my opinion, her manga strike a nice balance between mature and innocent content. And she also creates characters that you just can't help but love (even though some of them can be selfish, annoying, etc. at times :p). The fact that she briefly attended fashion school is quite evident in her character designs, as they always look very trendy and fashionable. Her works are listed below in chronological order:
Marine Blue no Kaze ni Dakarete
http://i27.tinypic.com/28r2qzr.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1990)
Genre: Drama, Romance, Shoujo
Japanese Status: 4 volumes (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: 7 chapters (incomplete)
Age Ranking: Teen
Tachibana works in a beachside cafe and roams the beach sands with her dog, Dolphin. Then her cousin Ippei loses a surfing challenge to a newcomer. With a shock Tachibana recognizes Arikawa, her first love--her first heartbreak. After four years he's back from the U.S. and he thinks Tachibana doesn't like him. But before they get a chance to talk Ippei challenges Arikawa to another surfing match--in the face of an on-coming hurricane!
Usubeni no Arashi
http://i32.tinypic.com/258pibm.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1992)
Genre: Shoujo
Japanese Status: 1 volume (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: Untranslated
Age Ranking: Teen
It contains the short stories Storm of Light Pink Color, The Flowers That Look At The Sun, and The Last Unrequited Love.
The title story is a slice-of-life school sports manga about a pair of brothers who both play baseball. While the eldest is a pitcher for a top-tier team with chances at winning the prestigious Koshien tournament, the youngest is a mediocre player with an attitude who has never gotten over the death of their father several years prior.
Tenshi Nanka ja Nai
http://i26.tinypic.com/25a6gbl.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1992)
Genre: Shoujo
Japanese Status: 8 volumes (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: 8 volumes (complete)
Age Ranking: Teen
In a rainy spring day, first year high schooler Midori Saezima saw a tall, handsome fellow student take care of a stray kitten. Without knowing the boy's name, she fell in love with him at the first sight. Due to sickness, Midori returned to school three days after summer vacation -- only to find out that she was "volunteered" as a candidate for student council. After a series of embarrassing accidents, both she and the mysterious boy she had a crush on, Akira Sudo, were elected as members of the student council. Being the first student council of this newly established high school, they are about to create "new traditions" for their school and a bittersweet love story for themselves.
Gokinjo Monogatari
http://i30.tinypic.com/sdhbgm.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1995)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Japanese Status: 7 volumes (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: 7 volumes (complete)
Age Ranking: Teen
Ever since he was small, all the girls in the neighborhood have fawned over Tsutomu Yamaguchi, whose name came from a song and whose adorable face closely resembles the monkey character Monchichi's. Even back then, it was enough to make his friend and neighbor Mikako sick. Now that he's a little more grown, Tsutomu looks like the lead vocalist of Manbou, Ken Nakagawa (Midori friend/boyfriend from Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai; we meet main characters from Tenshi on market/fest), and that makes him even more popular with the ladies. But Mikako--now a trendy teen with modern sensibilities--couldn't care less. Or could she...? Gokinjo
Monogatari is a sharp-witted and stylish slice-of-life story!
Continuation (after years) in Paradise Kiss.
Paradise Kiss
http://i28.tinypic.com/e9apnk.jpg
Serialized In: Zipper (1999)
Genre: Drama, Josei, Mature, Romance, School Life
Japanese Status: 5 volumes (complete)
International Release: Tokyopop, 5 volumes (complete)
Online Status: 5 volumes (complete)
Age Ranking: Teen
Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-styled fashion-obsessed artists who call themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself flung into the roller-coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends own exclusive clothing model.
In this manga we meet characters from Gokinjo Monogatari like Mikako (and her little sister, Miwako - she's in "ParaKiss" group) and Arashi's father (only poster, but still) and new like Isabella.
NANA
http://i27.tinypic.com/1zoby2p.jpg
Serialized In: Cookie (2000)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mature, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life, Tragedy
Japanese Status: 21 volumes (hiatus)
International Release: Viz, 20 volumes (ongoing)
Online Status: 84 chapters (hiatus)
Age Ranking: Teen
Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of rock 'n' roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties!
In 2003 Nana won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo.
Ano Natsu (1985)
15 Nen Me (1986)
Escape (1988)
Ballad Made Soba ni Ite (1989)
NANA fanbook (2003)
Princess Ai (art) (2004)
Marine Blue no Kaze ni Dakarete
http://i27.tinypic.com/28r2qzr.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1990)
Genre: Drama, Romance, Shoujo
Japanese Status: 4 volumes (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: 7 chapters (incomplete)
Age Ranking: Teen
Tachibana works in a beachside cafe and roams the beach sands with her dog, Dolphin. Then her cousin Ippei loses a surfing challenge to a newcomer. With a shock Tachibana recognizes Arikawa, her first love--her first heartbreak. After four years he's back from the U.S. and he thinks Tachibana doesn't like him. But before they get a chance to talk Ippei challenges Arikawa to another surfing match--in the face of an on-coming hurricane!
Usubeni no Arashi
http://i32.tinypic.com/258pibm.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1992)
Genre: Shoujo
Japanese Status: 1 volume (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: Untranslated
Age Ranking: Teen
It contains the short stories Storm of Light Pink Color, The Flowers That Look At The Sun, and The Last Unrequited Love.
The title story is a slice-of-life school sports manga about a pair of brothers who both play baseball. While the eldest is a pitcher for a top-tier team with chances at winning the prestigious Koshien tournament, the youngest is a mediocre player with an attitude who has never gotten over the death of their father several years prior.
Tenshi Nanka ja Nai
http://i26.tinypic.com/25a6gbl.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1992)
Genre: Shoujo
Japanese Status: 8 volumes (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: 8 volumes (complete)
Age Ranking: Teen
In a rainy spring day, first year high schooler Midori Saezima saw a tall, handsome fellow student take care of a stray kitten. Without knowing the boy's name, she fell in love with him at the first sight. Due to sickness, Midori returned to school three days after summer vacation -- only to find out that she was "volunteered" as a candidate for student council. After a series of embarrassing accidents, both she and the mysterious boy she had a crush on, Akira Sudo, were elected as members of the student council. Being the first student council of this newly established high school, they are about to create "new traditions" for their school and a bittersweet love story for themselves.
Gokinjo Monogatari
http://i30.tinypic.com/sdhbgm.jpg
Serialized In: Ribon (1995)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Japanese Status: 7 volumes (complete)
International Release: Unlicensed
Online Status: 7 volumes (complete)
Age Ranking: Teen
Ever since he was small, all the girls in the neighborhood have fawned over Tsutomu Yamaguchi, whose name came from a song and whose adorable face closely resembles the monkey character Monchichi's. Even back then, it was enough to make his friend and neighbor Mikako sick. Now that he's a little more grown, Tsutomu looks like the lead vocalist of Manbou, Ken Nakagawa (Midori friend/boyfriend from Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai; we meet main characters from Tenshi on market/fest), and that makes him even more popular with the ladies. But Mikako--now a trendy teen with modern sensibilities--couldn't care less. Or could she...? Gokinjo
Monogatari is a sharp-witted and stylish slice-of-life story!
Continuation (after years) in Paradise Kiss.
Paradise Kiss
http://i28.tinypic.com/e9apnk.jpg
Serialized In: Zipper (1999)
Genre: Drama, Josei, Mature, Romance, School Life
Japanese Status: 5 volumes (complete)
International Release: Tokyopop, 5 volumes (complete)
Online Status: 5 volumes (complete)
Age Ranking: Teen
Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-styled fashion-obsessed artists who call themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself flung into the roller-coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends own exclusive clothing model.
In this manga we meet characters from Gokinjo Monogatari like Mikako (and her little sister, Miwako - she's in "ParaKiss" group) and Arashi's father (only poster, but still) and new like Isabella.
NANA
http://i27.tinypic.com/1zoby2p.jpg
Serialized In: Cookie (2000)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mature, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life, Tragedy
Japanese Status: 21 volumes (hiatus)
International Release: Viz, 20 volumes (ongoing)
Online Status: 84 chapters (hiatus)
Age Ranking: Teen
Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of rock 'n' roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties!
In 2003 Nana won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo.
Ano Natsu (1985)
15 Nen Me (1986)
Escape (1988)
Ballad Made Soba ni Ite (1989)
NANA fanbook (2003)
Princess Ai (art) (2004)