Moyoco Anno

I have this faint memory of reading the first volume of Flowers & Bees by Moyoco Anno a couple of years ago. It did not make much of an impression, not because it was bad but probably because I only had the one volume and I tend to forget about a series if I don't read more of it. Sakuran therefore became my official introduction to the work of Moyoco Anno and it has me asking: where are the rest of her work in English? Because this woman, clearly, has skills in art and storytelling and deserves to be widely read. No wonder she's the focus of the latest Manga Moveable Feast.

You can read my complete review of SAKURAN at my manga review blog, Nagareboshi Reviews: http://nagareboshi-reviews.blogspot.com/… (more)

Picked this up at the library on a visit. It is my first (and probably my last) manga. The heroine is overweight and works in an office where one gorgeous girl makes her life miserable. She eats more to feel better and gains weight. Then the gorgeous girl sleeps with the heroine's boyfriend. The heroine thinks if she loses weight she will win her boyfriend's love but she doesn't know that the boyfriend likes her fat because he can feel superior. She loses weight by bingeing and purging but she is no happier. I wasn't clear at the end if she had decided to accept herself as she was (which would be desirable) or if she was still wanting to be skinny. I also didn't like the artwork because the females looked much more like Caucasian models than Japanese beauties.… (more)