My Broken Mariko is a one shot manga created by Waka Hiroako. The manga deals with subjects such as abuse and suicide. Most readers won't know what they are in for before cracking opening this manga but you sure will remember the reasons you kept reading.
A women travels around with the ashes of her best friend after her passing due to suicide......
You really want to pray for some kind of positive resolution as you read the first few opening pages of Broken Mariko. The story is so bleak that you wonder how the idea of friendship exist in the realm. Mariko as a character in herself is the post child of a messed up life that she didn't ask for but was born into. Then the toxic nature of her upbringing follows her into adulthood, causing her to make reckless decisions in her love life and with her life in general. All the while, her friend stays be her side as support. Sometimes support still doesn't make the person with a history of abuse fell any less alone even if you try your best be by that person side. The choice to take their life is their own over all. Plot lines explaining Mariko's background lead the reader to this conclusion but her friend left behind has an emotional break down struggling around the questions of she did enough for Mariko. Especially since her death seemed to come out of nowhere suddenly. My thoughts are that all the signs led to the conclusion that Mariko would eventually take her own life. You could tell from the way she reacted to certain situations, Her thought process she often voiced out loud to her beloved friend, and her strong will to live only for her friend. She was lucky to have such a great friend who stood up for her in the most awkward times. What happened to Mariko wasn't her fault as it was nothing she could do to stop someone who made up in her mind that she was too broken to live on anymore. Most of the story deals more with inner regret and memories than the trip itself. Don't get me wrong, the lead up to how the trip began was great story telling however, what happens on the trip doesn't give anymore depth to that of Mariko the character in my opinion. We get emotional value from her friend's point of view instead. Readers mostly end up with a sad realization to conclude Broken Mariko's whirlwind emotional experience. I enjoyed this read though, this content isn't for people who are easily triggered by suicide. My Broken Mariko is beauty in sadness if I must say so myself..
Much of the art has different feels depending on what's happening in the panels like most manga. However, My Broken Mariko takes on this amatureish look when it comes to comedic scenes or scenes that might depress the reader. A lot of the drawing are done with a sharp pen that give these scenes a sketch feel. Sort of similar to storyboard sketches only more final looking. The art on the cover is very eye catching too. You experience the same level inside the book when characters are drawn full out in all their detail.
I would recommend My Broken Mariko to people who want a front row seat to real life loss. This ride might depress some readers. Life can just be depressing sometimes which makes great manga come alive.
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