Manga in the Mail: 21

This is a 2013 release by Vertical. Have you guessed it? Okay, the mangaka's other work came out earlier than this one. Guessed it yet? No? Dammit! It's a color! That's it! No more guessing!

It's PINK! IT'S PINK! PINK! It's by Kyoko Okazaki who is a well known josei mangaka. I'm hoping it's funny with dark tones to enhance the "Oooh! It's controversial!" reading theme I'll have when I read this. (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

Reason: Well, first off, it's a josei manga. I don't have much josei titles as I'd like to have. It's the genre where very few titles are published. Second, a lot of people really like Okazaki's work. I always hear of recommendations for this series so I picked it up.

Synopsis: Yumiko moonlights as a call girl because her day job doesn't pay enough to feed her pet Croc. Haru an aspiring writer who has nothing to say, sleeps with a woman his mother's age not just for the money but to work on his "powers of observation". So when Yumi's step-mom turns out to be Haru's sugar-mommy, it is time for shenanigans. A little bit of drinking, a little bit of blackmail and a visit with Croc is enough to change lives and maybe add some color to a comfortable but bland life.

Daddy kept Keiko's mom as a pet; she keeps Haru as a pet; I keep Croc as a pet... I Yumiko someone else's pet?? Is she willing to let someone care for her like that?

Lacoste.

First Impressions: The art is not impressive but I can definitely see how Okazaki's art style affected the shoujo-josei standard. It also reminds me of Erica Sakurazawa's art style. It's really not my cup of tea because of the emphasized lips and eyes. I get why girls would love that or why its somehow pleasing to the eyes of women. Anyway, a story about a call girl? Yes! Unique stories like this really pique my interest.

Hopes: I'm hoping it's kinda funny but still dark. The dark tones will bring this controversial theme ablaze and the humor parts are just to cleanse the palette. I'll try to be forgiving about the art as the story is more important than the art for this title.

This kind of funny but dark. Yep.

So that's it! When I get to reading this, I will quickly make a review post and you'll know whether or not I'll recommend this title (I probably will but you never know when a manga turns sour.) Til, next time! Mata ashita ne?!