- Keiko Suenobu
Keiko Suenobu is the creator and author/artist, or
mangaka , of theshōjo manga sLIFE (manga) (2002-?),Vitamin (manga) (2001-2001), andHappy Tomorrow (?-?).LIFE
Brief Description
Defiantly the most well-known and successful of Suenobu's manga about a teenage girl,
Ayumu Shiiba , that is struggling with teenage life and starts cutting, badly, after she loses her friendYūko "Shii-chan" Shinozuka because Shiiba got into Nishidate High School and not Shinozuka. The main focuses of the manga are self-mutilation/cutting, bullying, and rape. But in thetelevision drama series produced byFuji TV , the focus is all on bullying and, slightly, rape.More in Depth
Ayumu Shiiba is studying for the all-important high school entrance exams. She is struggling to get by, but thankfully has help from her best friend Shii-chan, who is at the top of their class. Test results come back and their friendship falls apart when Ayumu surpasses Shii-chan's scores and gets into her high school of choice while Shii-chan doesn't. Losing Shii-chan is so painful for Ayumu that she starts cutting her wrists for comfort. Hoping for a fresh start, Ayumu arrives at her new high school and finally opens up to a new friend, Manami. Unfortunately, Manami isn't the best role-model, and Ayumu starts to spiral downwards. [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=5096]
Characters
*Ayumu Shiiba
**the protagonist
*Manami Anzai
**the antagonist
*Yūko "Shii-chan" Shinozuka
**Ayumu's ex-best friend
*Miki Hatori
**Ayumu's current best friend
*Katsumi Sako
**Manami's boyfriend
*Wakae Toda
**a teacher at Nishidate High School
*Yūki Sonoda
**one of Ayumu's friendsVitamin
Description
High school student Sawako is caught in a compromising situation. As a result, the other students in her school bully and ostracize her to the point she looks to suicide and drops out of school. She starts drawing manga and the hobby becomes her "vitamin." [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=6110]
Characters
*Sawako Yarimizu
*KotaMiscellaneous Facts
Only one volume was made in the year 2001. (not much else is known)
References/External Links
*TOKYOPOP (LIFE) [http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1434]
*Anime News Network (LIFE) [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=5096]
*Anime News Network (Vitamin) [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=6110]
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