Manga, Ties and Bonds

Mariko, a 26-year-old woman, falls to her death from her balcony after overdosing on sleeping pills… Her friend Shiino discovers the unbearable truth while eating ramen, and she is in total disbelief. She wants to somehow be able to say goodbye to her close friend, who had a very difficult relationship with her father –a very toxic one that most probably led to her death. After realizing that Mariko will not have a proper funeral, Shiino suddenly feels the urge to take the urn with her cremated remains from the father’s house and run away with it.

Shiino’s sadness for the death of her very special friend impregnates the whole work, and the reader gets drawn into her pitiful trip while she tries to properly say goodbye to the ill-fated young woman. This striking story makes the reader reflect on the human bonds of friendship and love, but also illustrates with incredible rawness the terrible reality of domestic violence and abuse that is sadly present in thousands of households all over the world.

My Broken Mariko (1 volume, finished) is available in English from Yen Press.