If you are in the mood for a warm, slice-of-life manga that perfectly captures the quiet moments of friendship and daily life, I have excellent news. Fumiko Takano's beloved 1980s manga Miss Ruki was finally released in English translation today.
The story follows Miss Ruki, a woman who leads a simple life working from home as a medical insurance claims processor. While she occasionally ventures out to ride her bicycle to the post office for stamp-collecting purposes or visits the library, she generally prefers staying home. Her constant companion is her friend Ecchan, who is more anxious but also more frugal than Ruki. Through warm, quick-witted vignettes, we follow their friendship as they shop, eat, and navigate the small comedies and troubles of their everyday lives.
What makes this manga special is how it quietly rejects the consumer excesses of Japan's 1980s bubble economy, instead focusing on small pleasures and meaningful friendship. As the publisher notes, it's "a moving portrait of friendship and the quotidian, Miss Ruki is a perfect microcosm of its era."
Takano employs an "economy of line and an acute sense of detail" that brings these characters to life with remarkable warmth and clarity. The translation by Alexa Frank captures the sly humor of the original text, and her afterword helpfully places Takano's work in context.
The manga has been influential among Japanese readers and creators alike. Contemporary manga artist Keigo Shinzo praised it by saying, "To read it is to grasp something of the essence of Japan…. This is the kind of manga I want to draw."
Here's a sample. (For Western readers unfamiliar with traditional manga formatting, note that Miss Ruki is meant to be read from right to left, maintaining the original Japanese orientation.)
Previously:
• The inhuman schedule of manga creators
• How exactly did manga dethrone American comics?
