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Yumiko moonlights as a call girl because her day job doesn't pay enough to feed her pet Croc. Haru an aspiring writer who has nothing to say, sleeps with a woman his mother's age not just for the money but to work on his "powers of observation". So when Yumi's step-mom turns out to be Haru's sugar-mommy, it is time for shenanigans. A little bit of drinking, a little bit of blackmail and a visit with Croc is enough to change lives and maybe add some color to a comfortable but bland life.
Daddy kept Keiko's mom as a pet; she keeps Haru as a pet; I keep Croc as a pet...Is Yumiko someone else's pet?? Is she willing to let someone care for her like that?
Daddy kept Keiko's mom as a pet; she keeps Haru as a pet; I keep Croc as a pet...Is Yumiko someone else's pet?? Is she willing to let someone care for her like that?
315 pages, Comic
First published January 1, 1989
35 people are currently reading
2034 people want to read
About the author
Kyōko Okazaki
38 books206 followersKyōko Okazaki (岡崎京子) is a Japanese cartoonist. In a relatively short career, spanning from 1983 to 1996, Okazaki established herself as a leading figure in josei manga, i.e. comics primarily targeting women. In particular, she was a major contributor to gyaru manga, a trend reclaiming 'girliness' into adult graphic novels.
Okazaki is known for her unorthodox visual style and her bluntness in tackling topics such as sex, prostitution, bourgeois decadence and body dismorphia, against the backdrop of the opulent life in 80s and 90s Tokyo. Her most famous works are Pink (1989), River's Edge (1993-1994) and Helter Skelter (1995-1996), the latter also adapted into a live-action film.
In 1996 Okazaki was hit by a car. The accident, from which she is still re-habilitating, put an end to her comic book career.
Okazaki is known for her unorthodox visual style and her bluntness in tackling topics such as sex, prostitution, bourgeois decadence and body dismorphia, against the backdrop of the opulent life in 80s and 90s Tokyo. Her most famous works are Pink (1989), River's Edge (1993-1994) and Helter Skelter (1995-1996), the latter also adapted into a live-action film.
In 1996 Okazaki was hit by a car. The accident, from which she is still re-habilitating, put an end to her comic book career.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
March 16, 2020
This is a book of philosophy.
Yumi is a philosophy.
Being Yumi is a philosophy.
If you read this manga entirely without realizing this, you need to read it again.
Every single line in the art is serviceable to Yumi-philosophy.
Yumi philosophy encompasses a lot of things. It encompasses the fact that you can own a bloody crocodile. It encompasses the fact that enjoying apple pie with your kid sister is nice. It encompasses the fact that when you get tied up or fucked over or screamed at, sometimes, you can enjoy it, and even make a living off it. It encompasses the fact that even when you're a completely useless college student, you can win literary prizes. It encompasses the fact that within the small empty bubble that happens to be your life, and within its tragedies, and within its horrors, there is a never-ending array of lightness that you can dance on.
Which is why the ending is the most beautiful ending in the world, because it holds the end of the dream, and yet it never ends. That beautiful lie exists as the essence of Yumi-philosophy. That beautiful lie is something that many people in the world, in their various systems and situations, can ever hope to have, by the end of it, because they know not any other way of subsistence.
Recognizing the horror of that fact, and existing in a bubble world softened by the lightness of Okazaki's drawings and lines, is the essence of the contemporary dream. It's the essence of Okazaki's entire oeuvre.
And, what else can be said, but, it gets you by. That's all you need, to get by.
Yumi is a philosophy.
Being Yumi is a philosophy.
If you read this manga entirely without realizing this, you need to read it again.
Every single line in the art is serviceable to Yumi-philosophy.
Yumi philosophy encompasses a lot of things. It encompasses the fact that you can own a bloody crocodile. It encompasses the fact that enjoying apple pie with your kid sister is nice. It encompasses the fact that when you get tied up or fucked over or screamed at, sometimes, you can enjoy it, and even make a living off it. It encompasses the fact that even when you're a completely useless college student, you can win literary prizes. It encompasses the fact that within the small empty bubble that happens to be your life, and within its tragedies, and within its horrors, there is a never-ending array of lightness that you can dance on.
Which is why the ending is the most beautiful ending in the world, because it holds the end of the dream, and yet it never ends. That beautiful lie exists as the essence of Yumi-philosophy. That beautiful lie is something that many people in the world, in their various systems and situations, can ever hope to have, by the end of it, because they know not any other way of subsistence.
Recognizing the horror of that fact, and existing in a bubble world softened by the lightness of Okazaki's drawings and lines, is the essence of the contemporary dream. It's the essence of Okazaki's entire oeuvre.
And, what else can be said, but, it gets you by. That's all you need, to get by.
July 20, 2018
Pink by Kyoko Okazaki
Long-Winded Review #6 (crocodiles are cute fuck you edition)
Pink is a manga that just doesn't give a fuck. Pink is both anarchic and capitalist. Pink is both punk rock and pop. Pink is both sour and sweet. Pink is pink.
On a surface level, this might come across as a simple humorous slice-of-life story with no plot. And really, it's not much more than that, and that is exactly the point. Pink's philosophy is "fuck assumptions, fuck how you're supposed to feel, fuck all that" This philosophy is perfectly embodied by Yumi owning a fucking crocodile that just hangs out in her apartment, because why the fuck not? This line of thinking permeates the entire manga and it might not be obvious at a first glance, but that's exactly the point. You don't need to be deep and stuffy to send a message to your readers, you can embrace the ridiculous shit life throws at you and laugh it of. Get yourself some sweets, have some casual sex, buy some cool stuff, and move on.
You can be an office worker with a side-gig as a call girl, own a cute ass crocodile, enjoy fucking old men, enjoy eating sweets and hanging out with your bratty little sister, fuck and befriend your step-mom's young boyfriend, embrace capitalism because buying things is fun, enjoy sex with a rude and verbally abusive man that robbed you because fuck it the sex was amazing. Had a bad day? Fuck that, do something fun right now. Life goes on, and why dwell on the negative? Buy some cute clothes and move on.
The art reflects this perfectly as well. Most of the time, Okazaki's pencils are loose and cartoonish. Some might call it amateurish, but it's intended to be just as it is. It emphasizes Okazaki's unique sense of humor and the philosophy of the book. The comedic timing is absolutely flawless and I found myself laughing every other page. I love the exaggerated expressions, I love the ridiculous situations the characters get into, I love the fact that no fucks are given. Just enjoy a damn manga and have fun. All that matters is getting through the day in whatever way makes you happy. Enjoy the here and now.
This manga gets a 10/10 from me. Its unique charm, its humor, its shamelessness, its casual depth is unmatched. Pink is loose and free. Pink is sugary and chewy. Pink is one of a kind. It doesn't take itself seriously, and neither should you. Life is ridiculous so get yourself a cute ass crocodile.
Long-Winded Review #6 (crocodiles are cute fuck you edition)
Pink is a manga that just doesn't give a fuck. Pink is both anarchic and capitalist. Pink is both punk rock and pop. Pink is both sour and sweet. Pink is pink.
On a surface level, this might come across as a simple humorous slice-of-life story with no plot. And really, it's not much more than that, and that is exactly the point. Pink's philosophy is "fuck assumptions, fuck how you're supposed to feel, fuck all that" This philosophy is perfectly embodied by Yumi owning a fucking crocodile that just hangs out in her apartment, because why the fuck not? This line of thinking permeates the entire manga and it might not be obvious at a first glance, but that's exactly the point. You don't need to be deep and stuffy to send a message to your readers, you can embrace the ridiculous shit life throws at you and laugh it of. Get yourself some sweets, have some casual sex, buy some cool stuff, and move on.
You can be an office worker with a side-gig as a call girl, own a cute ass crocodile, enjoy fucking old men, enjoy eating sweets and hanging out with your bratty little sister, fuck and befriend your step-mom's young boyfriend, embrace capitalism because buying things is fun, enjoy sex with a rude and verbally abusive man that robbed you because fuck it the sex was amazing. Had a bad day? Fuck that, do something fun right now. Life goes on, and why dwell on the negative? Buy some cute clothes and move on.
The art reflects this perfectly as well. Most of the time, Okazaki's pencils are loose and cartoonish. Some might call it amateurish, but it's intended to be just as it is. It emphasizes Okazaki's unique sense of humor and the philosophy of the book. The comedic timing is absolutely flawless and I found myself laughing every other page. I love the exaggerated expressions, I love the ridiculous situations the characters get into, I love the fact that no fucks are given. Just enjoy a damn manga and have fun. All that matters is getting through the day in whatever way makes you happy. Enjoy the here and now.
This manga gets a 10/10 from me. Its unique charm, its humor, its shamelessness, its casual depth is unmatched. Pink is loose and free. Pink is sugary and chewy. Pink is one of a kind. It doesn't take itself seriously, and neither should you. Life is ridiculous so get yourself a cute ass crocodile.
February 25, 2018
Book blurb: Yumi moonlights as a call girl because her day job doesn't pay enough for her to feed Croc, her voracious pet. Haru, an aspiring novelist who has nothing to say, sleeps with a woman his mother's age not just for the money but to work on his "power of observation." When Yumi's step-mother turns out to be Haru's sugar mommy, it's time for new shenanigans.
I honestly am not sure how I feel about this oh so strange Japanese graphic novel. I was intrigued to read something by the author, who is a legend in the comics world, and her imagination is a bizarre land indeed. The pet Croc, is indeed a crocodile for a starters! The book comes with an Ages 18+ warning in bold letters. The sex is explict, and many of the themes would certainly not be appropriate for young readers. At no time did I feel I could relate to any of these characters, or what they were going through, but there is something about this story that sucked me in. I am sure that there are things lost in translation, but this is a story that I will think about for a while to come.
I honestly am not sure how I feel about this oh so strange Japanese graphic novel. I was intrigued to read something by the author, who is a legend in the comics world, and her imagination is a bizarre land indeed. The pet Croc, is indeed a crocodile for a starters! The book comes with an Ages 18+ warning in bold letters. The sex is explict, and many of the themes would certainly not be appropriate for young readers. At no time did I feel I could relate to any of these characters, or what they were going through, but there is something about this story that sucked me in. I am sure that there are things lost in translation, but this is a story that I will think about for a while to come.
April 15, 2018
WOW! Me ha gustado mucho, la verdad.
Lo primero que llamó mi atención para querer leer este manga fue la sinopsis. Es impactante y directa. Y lo segundo su portada en español y su color, directamente supe que esta historia tenía que leerla.
Me ha parecido interesante, dura y real. En ella se refleja muy bien el tema del capitalismo y del amor, pero no un amor ñoño, sino un amor bastante real. También se tocan temas peliagudos que ponen muchas veces la piel de gallina.
Si no le he puesto el 5 es por el final. Para mí ha quedado bastante incompleto. Un par de páginas más no hubieran estado nada mal, porque vaya manera de terminar.
Ya sabéis que no soy muy asidua a leer este tipo de libros, pero es que hay algunos, como este, que merecen ser leídos.
Lo primero que llamó mi atención para querer leer este manga fue la sinopsis. Es impactante y directa. Y lo segundo su portada en español y su color, directamente supe que esta historia tenía que leerla.
Me ha parecido interesante, dura y real. En ella se refleja muy bien el tema del capitalismo y del amor, pero no un amor ñoño, sino un amor bastante real. También se tocan temas peliagudos que ponen muchas veces la piel de gallina.
Si no le he puesto el 5 es por el final. Para mí ha quedado bastante incompleto. Un par de páginas más no hubieran estado nada mal, porque vaya manera de terminar.
Ya sabéis que no soy muy asidua a leer este tipo de libros, pero es que hay algunos, como este, que merecen ser leídos.
June 9, 2023
You can see Pink as a satirical black comedy about sex and capitalism, as a nihilistic bedroom farce about a call girl and her pet crocodile, as a manga about bubble economy Tokyo filled with ominous notes suggesting that bubble’s impermanence, or really any number of other ways. The comic shrugs off stable readings; it’s too cool and too nasty for them.
Pink feels of its era - a comics contemporary to the US Brat Pack novelists - but also timeless: there’s always a bubble inflating somewhere and young people trying to match whims and aims to its possibilities. Okazaki’s deliciously airy, loose art feels startlingly modern too - occasionally there’s some of the feathery detail you might see from her 80s contemporaries but more often characters move through the comic as barely more than sketches in a coolly minimal cityscape, then suddenly resolve into a finely caught emotion or sensual line as the characters fuck and fret their way towards their bittersweet ends.
Pink feels of its era - a comics contemporary to the US Brat Pack novelists - but also timeless: there’s always a bubble inflating somewhere and young people trying to match whims and aims to its possibilities. Okazaki’s deliciously airy, loose art feels startlingly modern too - occasionally there’s some of the feathery detail you might see from her 80s contemporaries but more often characters move through the comic as barely more than sketches in a coolly minimal cityscape, then suddenly resolve into a finely caught emotion or sensual line as the characters fuck and fret their way towards their bittersweet ends.
December 17, 2015
This book has just completely ripped out my heart. Why. How could you do this. I came out to have a good time and I am honestly feeling so attacked right now.
Edit: Just read this a second time and just, wow.... Even though I expected the ending, it was still heartbreaking. Don't read this unless you are prepared for sad times.
Edit: Just read this a second time and just, wow.... Even though I expected the ending, it was still heartbreaking. Don't read this unless you are prepared for sad times.
January 16, 2018
Helter Skelter set me up with high expectations for Okazaki but Pink blew me away—it's another fairy tale-infused story about charming, morally unhinged characters that perfectly captures the malaise and struggle of young, precarious people under capitalism.
December 20, 2018
I liked this book mostly, and the afterword really tied it together. "The everyday life and adventures, the "love" and "capitalism" of a girl who was born, raised and "normally" wrecked ..."
Critiques: Some of the scenes were pretty vulgar, and the ending is a bit abrupt.
Critiques: Some of the scenes were pretty vulgar, and the ending is a bit abrupt.
May 6, 2018
A través de capítulos muy breves, Okazaki presenta un relato romántico que da la vuelta al típico triángulo, aquí formado por una joven prostituta (Yumi), su madrastra y el joven amante de esta última. Que la primera tenga como mascota un cocodrilo ya es un aviso de cómo una cierta locura va a retorcer lo convencional en las 200 páginas restantes.
Yumi vive una vida sin complejos, alejada de los estereotipos, los miedos y los pequeños traumas que pudieran condicionar su vida. Hay en su comportamiento una celebración del hedonismo que impregna al resto de personajes e invita a leer las pequeñas estampas cotidianas con una sonrisa (y una cierta perplejidad, especialmente cuando caracteriza un par de situaciones interpretables como abuso). Ayuda un dibujo ligeramente caricaturesco que lleva la atención sobre detalles generalmente poco representados al primer plano. El desarrollo peca de una cierta ingenuidad que redondea esta divertida y absurda comedia cuyo mayor problema está en su desenlace. Da la sensación de que Okazaki no tenía ni idea de cómo terminar la historia y lo hizo... de aquella manera.
Yumi vive una vida sin complejos, alejada de los estereotipos, los miedos y los pequeños traumas que pudieran condicionar su vida. Hay en su comportamiento una celebración del hedonismo que impregna al resto de personajes e invita a leer las pequeñas estampas cotidianas con una sonrisa (y una cierta perplejidad, especialmente cuando caracteriza un par de situaciones interpretables como abuso). Ayuda un dibujo ligeramente caricaturesco que lleva la atención sobre detalles generalmente poco representados al primer plano. El desarrollo peca de una cierta ingenuidad que redondea esta divertida y absurda comedia cuyo mayor problema está en su desenlace. Da la sensación de que Okazaki no tenía ni idea de cómo terminar la historia y lo hizo... de aquella manera.
September 3, 2023
I fretted mightily, but seeing Yumi desire again made me happier than winning the award.
manga is an art form uniquely dedicated to ennui. something about the audience, the cold presentation of the black and white image—as soon as you step out of child battle magazine territory, you can expect a lot of lonesome people despising each other and themselves; all sweaty futons and sticky feelings.
kyoko okazaki's ennui is the best of them all.
seiichi hayachi's ennui makes the world feel too small. not entirely livable.
shuzo oshimi's ennui makes me feel perverse. like there's something wrong with me, something keeping me from ever quite clicking with the other people in my life.
inio asano's ennui just makes me hate myself. simple as that! each work comes with its own distinct flavor, but it all results in the same hatred.
kyoko okazaki's ennui gives me something I can love, instead.
in her work, there is life underneath the sweat that is better off embraced than despised. there's tragedy and shock and the torrent of fucking nothing that you face living in The Big City as a half-grown semi-adult sicko, but that can't hardly compare to the beauty of it all. might as well love, despite everything.
manga is an art form uniquely dedicated to ennui. something about the audience, the cold presentation of the black and white image—as soon as you step out of child battle magazine territory, you can expect a lot of lonesome people despising each other and themselves; all sweaty futons and sticky feelings.
kyoko okazaki's ennui is the best of them all.
seiichi hayachi's ennui makes the world feel too small. not entirely livable.
shuzo oshimi's ennui makes me feel perverse. like there's something wrong with me, something keeping me from ever quite clicking with the other people in my life.
inio asano's ennui just makes me hate myself. simple as that! each work comes with its own distinct flavor, but it all results in the same hatred.
kyoko okazaki's ennui gives me something I can love, instead.
in her work, there is life underneath the sweat that is better off embraced than despised. there's tragedy and shock and the torrent of fucking nothing that you face living in The Big City as a half-grown semi-adult sicko, but that can't hardly compare to the beauty of it all. might as well love, despite everything.
August 20, 2018
Reseña con pensamientos inconexos y random:
Manga publicado en 1989, en todo el boom de autoras como lo fue Ai Yazawa y Naoko Takeuchi.
Esta es una historia del vacío que se llena con lo superficial, y de cómo las mujeres deben adaptarse a un mundo laboral caótico donde el escape es el sexo o casarse y tener hijos.
Cuando leía el manga a veces me sentía viendo una película noventera occidental. El cómo aborda el tema es muy liberal, y así lo sentirá cualquiera que ya sepa qué es un manga.
Hay un mensaje en cada personaje, incluido el Cocodrilo. Es trabajo del que lee el manga dárselo si.
Quiero leer más mangas de esta autora.
Manga publicado en 1989, en todo el boom de autoras como lo fue Ai Yazawa y Naoko Takeuchi.
Esta es una historia del vacío que se llena con lo superficial, y de cómo las mujeres deben adaptarse a un mundo laboral caótico donde el escape es el sexo o casarse y tener hijos.
Cuando leía el manga a veces me sentía viendo una película noventera occidental. El cómo aborda el tema es muy liberal, y así lo sentirá cualquiera que ya sepa qué es un manga.
Hay un mensaje en cada personaje, incluido el Cocodrilo. Es trabajo del que lee el manga dárselo si.
Quiero leer más mangas de esta autora.
September 29, 2024
Her Love & Capitalism measures up to Los Bros Hernandez and it's akin to sharp and fun Jamie-type antics not an overbearing Beto shade of black/mindbender. That's not to say it isn't completely her own- I'm just giving high praise comparison.
Just because it's for "mature" readers, doesn't mean it relies on sex: every breast could have been taken out and it would have been just as good- not that I would of course.
Fully realized characters in complex relationships within complex situations full of humor, satire and fairy tale teasing/blending without (Bill) Willinghamming it!
Just because it's for "mature" readers, doesn't mean it relies on sex: every breast could have been taken out and it would have been just as good- not that I would of course.
Fully realized characters in complex relationships within complex situations full of humor, satire and fairy tale teasing/blending without (Bill) Willinghamming it!
July 18, 2025
i understand what this manga stands for and that it is laced in a lot of irony and absurdism in a way, and while i appreciate yumi's philosophy as a 'girl living in capitalism' (shown most beautifully in the ending; and remarked by the author herself) and feel it is something we should all practice to an extent, i simply couldn't get past some of the premises here. some explicit scenes (yes ik the others have a certain function but i am speaking of a specific one; and in other cases as well at times it feels overdone as if swapping 'rawness' for objectification) too, like the one where her bf wants to get 'revenge' on her (i will not describe how bc what) for being a callgirl even if he is literally messing w her step mom... call me too sensitive and ik this work is lighthearted but still. the art style was beautiful though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2024
7.5/10
First major work by Kyōko Okazaki, influential cartoonist who sang the beauty and decay of Tokyo life in the late 80's and early 90's. A time and a place of opulence, especially before the 1992 Japanese bubble burst and the consequent economic crisis - accidentally, the same period in which the young author had to give up her comic book career, after a car hit left her (permanently?) disable.
The author herself provides the perfect description for this book in the postface, where she defines Pink as a story of love and capitalism. Two things that Okazaki considers sometimes beautiful sometimes ugly, but in any case inevitable.
The protagonist is Yumiko, a 21 years old call girl. You know, a whore, who works for one of those Japanese 'agencies'. (Prostitution in Japan is in the hands of the yakuza through a system of 'agencies'/'girl shops', trying to work independently can be dangerous.) Yumiko does not sell her sexual savoir faire for strict necessity. She already has a full time day job, plus her dad is rich and sends her rent money every month. Yumiko sells her body because she likes expensive things. To buy clothes and stuff. Yumiko has this positive, optimistic view on life: if you want something that you can afford, just take it. And a young attractive woman can afford most of what she wants by selling her body. (That's her point of view that I am describing here, not mine.) To spice the manga with a bit of surreal tone, the author provides Yumiko with a full-grown crocodile pet, which of course can be relatively expensive to feed. Over the book the crocodile becomes an ambiguous symbol of both freedom and childish material desire. In a way, the underlying philosophical thesis of the book, if there is any, is that fulfilment of freedom and fulfilment of childish material desire are one of the same. The ambiguity lies in the core of the main character herself: Yumiko is a candid beautiful soul and a greedy 'Valley girl' bitch at the same time, with no solution of continuity. It's a sort of ultra-feminine feminism.
The plot itself is a love story between Yumiko and her evil step-mother's toy boy. It's Snow White with a less pro-active charming prince.
A bit in contrast with the themes of fashionable life and girly love, Okazaki's art style is simplistic, gritty, almost punkish. I was impressed by her use of screen tone, which is actually the reason why the book picked my attention. Okazaki does not use grey scales to colour, nor to represent shadows - the two common uses of screen tone. Rather, she uses it to 'give volume' to her doodly-super- bidimensional characters. I may have never seen screen tone used like that, pretty cool.
First major work by Kyōko Okazaki, influential cartoonist who sang the beauty and decay of Tokyo life in the late 80's and early 90's. A time and a place of opulence, especially before the 1992 Japanese bubble burst and the consequent economic crisis - accidentally, the same period in which the young author had to give up her comic book career, after a car hit left her (permanently?) disable.
The author herself provides the perfect description for this book in the postface, where she defines Pink as a story of love and capitalism. Two things that Okazaki considers sometimes beautiful sometimes ugly, but in any case inevitable.
The protagonist is Yumiko, a 21 years old call girl. You know, a whore, who works for one of those Japanese 'agencies'. (Prostitution in Japan is in the hands of the yakuza through a system of 'agencies'/'girl shops', trying to work independently can be dangerous.) Yumiko does not sell her sexual savoir faire for strict necessity. She already has a full time day job, plus her dad is rich and sends her rent money every month. Yumiko sells her body because she likes expensive things. To buy clothes and stuff. Yumiko has this positive, optimistic view on life: if you want something that you can afford, just take it. And a young attractive woman can afford most of what she wants by selling her body. (That's her point of view that I am describing here, not mine.) To spice the manga with a bit of surreal tone, the author provides Yumiko with a full-grown crocodile pet, which of course can be relatively expensive to feed. Over the book the crocodile becomes an ambiguous symbol of both freedom and childish material desire. In a way, the underlying philosophical thesis of the book, if there is any, is that fulfilment of freedom and fulfilment of childish material desire are one of the same. The ambiguity lies in the core of the main character herself: Yumiko is a candid beautiful soul and a greedy 'Valley girl' bitch at the same time, with no solution of continuity. It's a sort of ultra-feminine feminism.
The plot itself is a love story between Yumiko and her evil step-mother's toy boy. It's Snow White with a less pro-active charming prince.
A bit in contrast with the themes of fashionable life and girly love, Okazaki's art style is simplistic, gritty, almost punkish. I was impressed by her use of screen tone, which is actually the reason why the book picked my attention. Okazaki does not use grey scales to colour, nor to represent shadows - the two common uses of screen tone. Rather, she uses it to 'give volume' to her doodly-super- bidimensional characters. I may have never seen screen tone used like that, pretty cool.
August 7, 2021
Office worker by day, call girl by night, in Tokyo bubble economy. Ennui and covetousness; the senselessness and emptiness in living day by day prostitution through work, relations, and oneself.
A grime premise hat hides a sweet pink core.
The relationships of the cats is genuine and very profound. The spineless writer to be, the grotesque step wife, the strong headed daughter and our layback lead.
The chemistry amongst them is what keeps the story flowing.
Which is what keeps us going in our real life outside the pages.
A very tender book in a very grime time and space that’s no different than ours; especially given the pandemic and the fallen economy.
Nonetheless, I devoured it greedily.
A grime premise hat hides a sweet pink core.
The relationships of the cats is genuine and very profound. The spineless writer to be, the grotesque step wife, the strong headed daughter and our layback lead.
The chemistry amongst them is what keeps the story flowing.
Which is what keeps us going in our real life outside the pages.
A very tender book in a very grime time and space that’s no different than ours; especially given the pandemic and the fallen economy.
Nonetheless, I devoured it greedily.
May 21, 2015
This should have been right up my alley but I really didn't like it. My favorite thing about it is the cover.
May 8, 2022
This one-shot Josei manga is rated 18+
Content notes for nudity, sex, sex work, abusive language, and a plot point about an animal's skin being used to make a purse.
My second read through, I first read and reviewed Pink back in 2015. I also re-read and re-reviewed her other title Helter Skelter back in March. So definitely check that one out for more of a biography/profile. Although I would like to highlight a comment left by Sucre's Library on that Helter Skelter video (read it into the record as it were) as it pointed to some of the interesting relationships between mangaka that I didn't know "I think I mentioned this before but from what I could dig up Okazaki was injured so severely from the accident that she is not physically able to make manga :( I find her career fascinating and wish more of her work was licensed. Moyocco Anno was her former assistant, and Erica Sakurazawa worked alongside Okazaki for a while. The three were close friends, which you can def tell by their styles and the themes in their josei work." Which I hardily agree with.
What kinds of keywords came to mind reading this manga? Capitalism, city living, rat race, sexuality, survival, escape, unsexy, coming of age, and family.
The description over on goodreads is " Yumiko moonlights as a call girl because her day job doesn't pay enough to feed her pet Croc. Haru an aspiring writer who has nothing to say, sleeps with a woman his mother's age not just for the money but to work on his "powers of observation". So when Yumi's step-mom turns out to be Haru's sugar-mommy, it is time for shenanigans. A little bit of drinking, a little bit of blackmail and a visit with Croc is enough to change lives and maybe add some color to a comfortable but bland life.
Daddy kept Keiko's mom as a pet; she keeps Haru as a pet; I keep Croc as a pet... am I Yumiko someone else's pet?? Is she willing to let someone care for her like that?"
To start off, I was extremely excited by how much I enjoyed this re-read as that is certainly not always the case.
A very unique manga. Everything from the language, the art style, the framing and the plot line is unlike almost anything else I have ever read. Although if you have any recommendations for similar reads, please do share in the comments!
The story of a woman trying to be herself and support herself under the grinding forces of capitalism. Obviously coming from a very specific time and place that I'm not terribly knowledge about. That did not hinder my interest or enjoyment of Pink in the least, and returning to Pink seven years later, it only feels more relatable.
Looking at the representation of gender and sexuality in Pink, it is unsurprisingly pretty straight and binary. That said, I do think there's some very interesting things going on that pushes on the edges of standard cis women hetero representation.
First off, we have the way that bodies, nudity and sex are represented on the page. TLDR extremely de-sexualized. Okazaki lets Yumi just be on the page. And while this is a very sexual story, there is no need to make it sexy. Which seems to reflect how Yumi experiences her life. This is of course not to say that all sexualization in media is bad. For me, one of my main considerations is consent. Which may sound a bit odd at first, but I certainly appreciate it more when characters who clearly are comfortable with looking sexy look sexy. In contrast, we often find that creators make space for characters who generally don't dress sexy to be seen by the reader in scenes (like private bedroom scenes) and frame them in ways that are meant to sexually arouse readers. The more one reflects on how common the latter is, I hope the more disgusted you join me in becoming.
A bit more important in the case of Pink I feel like the contrast of sexuality without the sexiness draws more attention to the mechanics of Yumi's life. Not that sexiness can't be smart, but I do think in this case sexiness could have overpowered every other aspect of this manga very easily. And as I already said, diversity is the spice of life.
Certainly not some kind of guide for life, I loved the space for mistakes, complication and even bad behavior that Okazaki gives Yumi. She's allowed to be a full person, doing the best she can in a complicated world. Another rare thing for women in fiction.
Similarly class is certainly laid a lot more bare in Pink then what I generally expect. An extremely hard working and smart person, Yumi still struggles to have a place to live. There's concerns about bills and dignity; very refreshing, honestly.
Race, as usual in manga, is one note and glossed over.
And perhaps I missed something, but I don't recall anything that relates in any way to ability and disability. Although I feel like it wouldn't have been that hard given everything else going on in the book.
To conclude, first time through I rated this book five out of five stars and I think I'm going to leave it there. Not a book for everyone, but certainly one that has stayed with me and will likely continue to bounce around my brain.
--2015 Review--
A very fun, poetic, irreverent, 18+, random and decidedly femanine manga! Being decidedly not Japanese I didn't get everything. But I still found myself laughing a lot.
Despite the seeming chaos, it ends up being a very well balanced story. Everything is saying something. Everything feeds into everything else. Okazaki pushes very real character's to their extremes. Modern life in all its hilarious obsurdities.
It's very obvious to me why this book is a classic. I will definitly be tracking down every Okazaki book I can get my hands on! I found this story very creatively inspiring.
Content notes for nudity, sex, sex work, abusive language, and a plot point about an animal's skin being used to make a purse.
My second read through, I first read and reviewed Pink back in 2015. I also re-read and re-reviewed her other title Helter Skelter back in March. So definitely check that one out for more of a biography/profile. Although I would like to highlight a comment left by Sucre's Library on that Helter Skelter video (read it into the record as it were) as it pointed to some of the interesting relationships between mangaka that I didn't know "I think I mentioned this before but from what I could dig up Okazaki was injured so severely from the accident that she is not physically able to make manga :( I find her career fascinating and wish more of her work was licensed. Moyocco Anno was her former assistant, and Erica Sakurazawa worked alongside Okazaki for a while. The three were close friends, which you can def tell by their styles and the themes in their josei work." Which I hardily agree with.
What kinds of keywords came to mind reading this manga? Capitalism, city living, rat race, sexuality, survival, escape, unsexy, coming of age, and family.
The description over on goodreads is " Yumiko moonlights as a call girl because her day job doesn't pay enough to feed her pet Croc. Haru an aspiring writer who has nothing to say, sleeps with a woman his mother's age not just for the money but to work on his "powers of observation". So when Yumi's step-mom turns out to be Haru's sugar-mommy, it is time for shenanigans. A little bit of drinking, a little bit of blackmail and a visit with Croc is enough to change lives and maybe add some color to a comfortable but bland life.
Daddy kept Keiko's mom as a pet; she keeps Haru as a pet; I keep Croc as a pet... am I Yumiko someone else's pet?? Is she willing to let someone care for her like that?"
To start off, I was extremely excited by how much I enjoyed this re-read as that is certainly not always the case.
A very unique manga. Everything from the language, the art style, the framing and the plot line is unlike almost anything else I have ever read. Although if you have any recommendations for similar reads, please do share in the comments!
The story of a woman trying to be herself and support herself under the grinding forces of capitalism. Obviously coming from a very specific time and place that I'm not terribly knowledge about. That did not hinder my interest or enjoyment of Pink in the least, and returning to Pink seven years later, it only feels more relatable.
Looking at the representation of gender and sexuality in Pink, it is unsurprisingly pretty straight and binary. That said, I do think there's some very interesting things going on that pushes on the edges of standard cis women hetero representation.
First off, we have the way that bodies, nudity and sex are represented on the page. TLDR extremely de-sexualized. Okazaki lets Yumi just be on the page. And while this is a very sexual story, there is no need to make it sexy. Which seems to reflect how Yumi experiences her life. This is of course not to say that all sexualization in media is bad. For me, one of my main considerations is consent. Which may sound a bit odd at first, but I certainly appreciate it more when characters who clearly are comfortable with looking sexy look sexy. In contrast, we often find that creators make space for characters who generally don't dress sexy to be seen by the reader in scenes (like private bedroom scenes) and frame them in ways that are meant to sexually arouse readers. The more one reflects on how common the latter is, I hope the more disgusted you join me in becoming.
A bit more important in the case of Pink I feel like the contrast of sexuality without the sexiness draws more attention to the mechanics of Yumi's life. Not that sexiness can't be smart, but I do think in this case sexiness could have overpowered every other aspect of this manga very easily. And as I already said, diversity is the spice of life.
Certainly not some kind of guide for life, I loved the space for mistakes, complication and even bad behavior that Okazaki gives Yumi. She's allowed to be a full person, doing the best she can in a complicated world. Another rare thing for women in fiction.
Similarly class is certainly laid a lot more bare in Pink then what I generally expect. An extremely hard working and smart person, Yumi still struggles to have a place to live. There's concerns about bills and dignity; very refreshing, honestly.
Race, as usual in manga, is one note and glossed over.
And perhaps I missed something, but I don't recall anything that relates in any way to ability and disability. Although I feel like it wouldn't have been that hard given everything else going on in the book.
To conclude, first time through I rated this book five out of five stars and I think I'm going to leave it there. Not a book for everyone, but certainly one that has stayed with me and will likely continue to bounce around my brain.
--2015 Review--
A very fun, poetic, irreverent, 18+, random and decidedly femanine manga! Being decidedly not Japanese I didn't get everything. But I still found myself laughing a lot.
Despite the seeming chaos, it ends up being a very well balanced story. Everything is saying something. Everything feeds into everything else. Okazaki pushes very real character's to their extremes. Modern life in all its hilarious obsurdities.
It's very obvious to me why this book is a classic. I will definitly be tracking down every Okazaki book I can get my hands on! I found this story very creatively inspiring.
January 21, 2024
Okazaki might one of the best cartoonists ever and I hope to god we get more of her work in English soon.
February 13, 2025
what the hell
May 4, 2021
My heart hurts
August 15, 2025
harulin :(
June 12, 2021
So...
An Office Lady owns a bespectacled pet crocodile and has to moonlight as a call girl to be able to afford to feed him. She has a half-sister and a stepmother, who doesn't like at all. The stepmother also has a relationship with a younger man, who's a university student and dream of being a writer.
Their lives intertwined and they improve for a little bit. Yumi and her half-sister have a good relationship and they like to spend time together, even if the kid seems way older that she actually is. The younger man starts living in Yumi's apartment - with the croc - and they bond. The croc lives peacefully but dreams of the tropics.
One night, thanks to a prank call, and chaos arises.
I don't like Yumi's view of life. I can understand it and I'm not judging her but I don't like what she does. But it makes her sort of happy, even if she has to lie a lot to her coworkers. The younger man doesn't have a well-developed personality but he's the key character in the ending.
Yep, the ending... Didn't really expect that. I'm very What a weird way to cope!
But the real ending... I think it was perfect!
An Office Lady owns a bespectacled pet crocodile and has to moonlight as a call girl to be able to afford to feed him. She has a half-sister and a stepmother, who doesn't like at all. The stepmother also has a relationship with a younger man, who's a university student and dream of being a writer.
Their lives intertwined and they improve for a little bit. Yumi and her half-sister have a good relationship and they like to spend time together, even if the kid seems way older that she actually is. The younger man starts living in Yumi's apartment - with the croc - and they bond. The croc lives peacefully but dreams of the tropics.
One night, thanks to a prank call, and chaos arises.
I don't like Yumi's view of life. I can understand it and I'm not judging her but I don't like what she does. But it makes her sort of happy, even if she has to lie a lot to her coworkers. The younger man doesn't have a well-developed personality but he's the key character in the ending.
Yep, the ending... Didn't really expect that. I'm very What a weird way to cope!
But the real ending... I think it was perfect!
December 26, 2015
Okay, librarians: have you ever seen a kid return a book, and you think to yourself, "Um... there's NO WAY your mother saw this and let you check it out." That was this book for me. (And I'm not judging- intellectual freedom, kids learning the facts of life, etc etc- I get it, I know...) But I saw the cover of this and thought, "Oh, that looks interesting." And then page 1- the first of many full frontal nude scenes. Which is definitely not a deterrent for me :D
But this book... I don't know- it was very uncomfortable to read. And it had nothing to do with the nudity, and everything to do with the way the main character talks about herself and the language used by others about her and women in general. Just a lot of violent language about women and sex, and women calling themselves airheads and dumb. I just couldn't find much to redeem here, but if someone wants to convince me otherwise, I'm all ears.
Note: There's also a particularly disturbing line that will haunt my nightmares about a hot dog covered in ketchup. Don't ask. :-|
But this book... I don't know- it was very uncomfortable to read. And it had nothing to do with the nudity, and everything to do with the way the main character talks about herself and the language used by others about her and women in general. Just a lot of violent language about women and sex, and women calling themselves airheads and dumb. I just couldn't find much to redeem here, but if someone wants to convince me otherwise, I'm all ears.
Note: There's also a particularly disturbing line that will haunt my nightmares about a hot dog covered in ketchup. Don't ask. :-|
July 22, 2018
Nota: 3,5
Me compré este manga tanto por su sinopsis como por su portada (la edición española es preciosa) y he de decir que la historia no defrauda.
A través de las tres mujeres protagonistas, Okazaki toca temas como el amor, el capitalismo, la búsqueda de la felicidad, el sexo sin tapujos y la prostitución.
Me he divertido mucho leyéndolo, aunque el final no me ha convencido mucho ya que ha sido muy precipitado, me han faltado unas páginas más.
Me compré este manga tanto por su sinopsis como por su portada (la edición española es preciosa) y he de decir que la historia no defrauda.
A través de las tres mujeres protagonistas, Okazaki toca temas como el amor, el capitalismo, la búsqueda de la felicidad, el sexo sin tapujos y la prostitución.
Me he divertido mucho leyéndolo, aunque el final no me ha convencido mucho ya que ha sido muy precipitado, me han faltado unas páginas más.
February 15, 2014
As other people have mentioned, feels slightly unfinished in comparison to Helter Skelter, but I have a soft spot for rough edges in fiction. It also reminds me of Coin Locker Babies, actually, and I think has a lot of overlap in how they address the bubble/all that jazz (although CLB feels like "young man's response" and pink feels like "young woman's response").
October 4, 2014
An interesting manga. I honestly can't say much more. It's hard to describe.
It's definitely worth a read.
It's definitely worth a read.
August 4, 2023
Me encanto la portada del manga, pero no podía esperar a que llegara el momento en que viera esa escena y llego ya hasta los capítulos finales. Valió la pena la lectura, no es lo que esperaba, pero la manera en que se mezcla lo absurdo con la realidad es impresionante, tener una mascota cocodrilo es algo impresionante y también el hecho de que las cosas no terminen mal con la imprudencia de los protagonistas.
Tengo cierto desagrado porque en casi todas las narraciones que hay de madrastras estas odian a la hijastra y tratan de arruinarles la vida, este manga no es la excepción, pero es curiosa la manera en que se desarrolla todo.
El final ha sido decepcionante, mas que nada las ultimas paginas, creo que con una o dos mas que usaran y evitaran el final que hay hubiera sido mejor, pero sinceramente el mundo no va como nosotros queremos así que... no me saca demasiado de la obra este final. Lo único que espero es que Yumi pueda seguir siendo tan resiliente como siempre.
Pd. Creo que me ha dado mas tristeza el final del cocodrilo que seguía esperando ser llevado a su hábitat natural.
Tengo cierto desagrado porque en casi todas las narraciones que hay de madrastras estas odian a la hijastra y tratan de arruinarles la vida, este manga no es la excepción, pero es curiosa la manera en que se desarrolla todo.
El final ha sido decepcionante, mas que nada las ultimas paginas, creo que con una o dos mas que usaran y evitaran el final que hay hubiera sido mejor, pero sinceramente el mundo no va como nosotros queremos así que... no me saca demasiado de la obra este final. Lo único que espero es que Yumi pueda seguir siendo tan resiliente como siempre.
Pd. Creo que me ha dado mas tristeza el final del cocodrilo que seguía esperando ser llevado a su hábitat natural.
July 21, 2022
Me ha encantado. Creo que es un manga muy redondo.
Si la sinopsis me tenía loca, la historia me ha maravillado. Cada viñeta es una reflexión. Cada frase refleja perfectamente algo. Creo que le mangaka resume muy bien la esencia del manga con sus palabras al final del tomo : "<> Pero es que también es amor."
Se habla de capitalismo, de la mujer y los cambios de valores en la sociedad moderna, de los prejuicios y estereotipos, del trabajo y el amor... Es una obra muy completa que te va presentando diferentes personajes y te atrapa mientras todo se va complicando cada vez más.
Pink refleja un tipo de mujer que solo busca la felicidad, le da igual lo que espere la sociedad de ella. Si quiere algo lo tiene. Me ha encantado Yumiko. Quiero leer más obras de Kyōko Okazaki.
Si la sinopsis me tenía loca, la historia me ha maravillado. Cada viñeta es una reflexión. Cada frase refleja perfectamente algo. Creo que le mangaka resume muy bien la esencia del manga con sus palabras al final del tomo : "<> Pero es que también es amor."
Se habla de capitalismo, de la mujer y los cambios de valores en la sociedad moderna, de los prejuicios y estereotipos, del trabajo y el amor... Es una obra muy completa que te va presentando diferentes personajes y te atrapa mientras todo se va complicando cada vez más.
Pink refleja un tipo de mujer que solo busca la felicidad, le da igual lo que espere la sociedad de ella. Si quiere algo lo tiene. Me ha encantado Yumiko. Quiero leer más obras de Kyōko Okazaki.
October 4, 2024
这本书先是新奇，忍俊不禁，疲乏平淡，悲伤伴着浪漫，结尾的难受。
女主是一个乐观易满足开心的人，但是后面来看是不是强颜欢笑呢，母亲自杀跟继母处不好搬出来独居，喜欢养的鳄鱼是她自身的投射，强壮又冷酷如能吞食下一切东西的恐龙，它在等待着有人能带它到亚马逊雨林，正如女主最后想逃离的生活去南方的热带小岛，和男主一起带上鳄鱼包包。
男主作家人设我不太喜欢，一直不喜欢作家职业的主角们，男主被继母包养更像是为后面继母杀鳄鱼报复做铺垫制造戏剧冲突吧。
一个是被老女人包养的年轻小白，一个是为老男人服务的应召小姐，正如读者猜想的他们最后相爱了，但是写的很浪漫，这个世界破碎无力（现在的东京，大家都经历着～普通～幸福地生活的困难），卖淫身体沦为资本主义赚钱的工具，但性爱让人互相取暖救赎人本真纯粹的感觉（那个白天，那个房间里，弥漫着温热的血液的味道，真是美妙极了!我一边心想这个世界要是也是这个味道就好了，一边做了很多爱）
另外作者还用了辛杜瑞拉灰姑娘，继母给女主吃毒苹果的梗哈哈哈哈很妙也有点搞笑。后记还引用马克思的话(所有的工作都是卖淫）
女主是一个乐观易满足开心的人，但是后面来看是不是强颜欢笑呢，母亲自杀跟继母处不好搬出来独居，喜欢养的鳄鱼是她自身的投射，强壮又冷酷如能吞食下一切东西的恐龙，它在等待着有人能带它到亚马逊雨林，正如女主最后想逃离的生活去南方的热带小岛，和男主一起带上鳄鱼包包。
男主作家人设我不太喜欢，一直不喜欢作家职业的主角们，男主被继母包养更像是为后面继母杀鳄鱼报复做铺垫制造戏剧冲突吧。
一个是被老女人包养的年轻小白，一个是为老男人服务的应召小姐，正如读者猜想的他们最后相爱了，但是写的很浪漫，这个世界破碎无力（现在的东京，大家都经历着～普通～幸福地生活的困难），卖淫身体沦为资本主义赚钱的工具，但性爱让人互相取暖救赎人本真纯粹的感觉（那个白天，那个房间里，弥漫着温热的血液的味道，真是美妙极了!我一边心想这个世界要是也是这个味道就好了，一边做了很多爱）
另外作者还用了辛杜瑞拉灰姑娘，继母给女主吃毒苹果的梗哈哈哈哈很妙也有点搞笑。后记还引用马克思的话(所有的工作都是卖淫）
July 13, 2025
este libro es un análisis sobre el capitalismo y como una persona puede explotar su propio cuerpo (porque might as well).
croc era la representación de un sueño, la ilusión de escaparse del sistema y vivir acorde solo a sus caprichos. no puedo creer lo que pasa una vez que los mismos se ven arrollados.
advierto que este manga es muy explícitamente sexual y además hay un subplot de crueldad animal YOUVE BEEN WARNED
croc era la representación de un sueño, la ilusión de escaparse del sistema y vivir acorde solo a sus caprichos. no puedo creer lo que pasa una vez que los mismos se ven arrollados.
advierto que este manga es muy explícitamente sexual y además hay un subplot de crueldad animal YOUVE BEEN WARNED
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