Beautiful People (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a drama josei manga by Mitsukazu Mihara
. It is a collection of six short stories and was published by Shodensha
on October 20, 2001.
, a format Mitsukazu Mihara
frequently uses for her narrative.
In , a man finds an abandoned snow maiden. He brings her back to his apartment, but despite his efforts to keep her alive she dissolves into water after the air conditonioning is turned off. He uses the water to help grow a flower, something she had always wanted.
focuses on the two survivors of a biochemical weapon: a spoiled lesbian and a male homosexual. Both live together but most of the time are annoyed by each other presence, at one point the tension rises to unbearable levels for both and she forces him to leave, only to later realize that she needs him.
The third story, , features a bullied teenage boy who discovers that his online friend might be his mother, who left him with his father when he was young.
In , a woman who believes she is stalked by a co-worker is later revealed to be delusional since the co-worker is in fact stalking her friend.
The protagonist of has plastic surgery done in the hope that she may become beautiful and loved, but after meeting a girl stitched from corpses, realizes that it was the girl who was truly beautiful since she gave love.
The last story, , focuses on the lifelong relationship between an abandoned girl and a vampire.
's A.E. Sparrow considered the theme of Beautiful People to be the meaning of beauty, and Mihara argues that beauty is found in one's character. Mikhail Koulikov of Anime News Network
classified "Princess White Snow", "Blue Sky", and "beautiful people" as urban fantasy
. Eries categorized "World's End" as post-apocalyptic fiction, while Koulikov considered it a modernized version of "Time Enough at Last
", a Twilight Zone
episode. Koulikov wrote that "Electric Angel" and "The Lady Stalker" examines a darker side of the Japanese society not typicially presented in manga.
, the six short stories of Beautiful People were published in a tankōbon
volume by Shodensha
on October 20, 2001.
Tokyopop licensed the manga for an English-language release in North America along with four of her other works: The Embalmer
, IC in a Sunflower
, Haunted House
and R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrian
. Translated by Haruko Furukawa and adapted for an English-language audience by Nathan Johnson, Beautiful People was published it on February 7, 2006 (ISBN 978-1598162431). However, Tokyopop's North American branch stopped publishing on May 31, 2011.
Mitsukazu Mihara
is an influential Japanese illustrator who helped to influence the Gothic Lolita look through her illustrations, particularly as the cover illustrator for the first eight volumes of the Gothic & Lolita Bible...
. It is a collection of six short stories and was published by Shodensha
Shodensha
is a Japanese publisher of mostly non-fiction magazines and books, though it has recently begun publishing light novels and manga, including magazines which contain both...
on October 20, 2001.
Plot
Beautiful People consists of six unrelated short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, a format Mitsukazu Mihara
Mitsukazu Mihara
is an influential Japanese illustrator who helped to influence the Gothic Lolita look through her illustrations, particularly as the cover illustrator for the first eight volumes of the Gothic & Lolita Bible...
frequently uses for her narrative.
In , a man finds an abandoned snow maiden. He brings her back to his apartment, but despite his efforts to keep her alive she dissolves into water after the air conditonioning is turned off. He uses the water to help grow a flower, something she had always wanted.
focuses on the two survivors of a biochemical weapon: a spoiled lesbian and a male homosexual. Both live together but most of the time are annoyed by each other presence, at one point the tension rises to unbearable levels for both and she forces him to leave, only to later realize that she needs him.
The third story, , features a bullied teenage boy who discovers that his online friend might be his mother, who left him with his father when he was young.
In , a woman who believes she is stalked by a co-worker is later revealed to be delusional since the co-worker is in fact stalking her friend.
The protagonist of has plastic surgery done in the hope that she may become beautiful and loved, but after meeting a girl stitched from corpses, realizes that it was the girl who was truly beautiful since she gave love.
The last story, , focuses on the lifelong relationship between an abandoned girl and a vampire.
Style and themes
Reviewers have identified multiple themes and literary elements in the manga. Mania Entertainment's Sakura Eries wrote that while the collection lacked "an overt theme," the effect of a person on another is the focus of the six stories. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's A.E. Sparrow considered the theme of Beautiful People to be the meaning of beauty, and Mihara argues that beauty is found in one's character. Mikhail Koulikov of Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
classified "Princess White Snow", "Blue Sky", and "beautiful people" as urban fantasy
Urban fantasy
Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods...
. Eries categorized "World's End" as post-apocalyptic fiction, while Koulikov considered it a modernized version of "Time Enough at Last
Time Enough at Last
"Time Enough at Last" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It was adapted from a short story by Lyn Venable , which had been published in the January 1953 edition of the science fiction magazine If: Worlds of Science Fiction...
", a Twilight Zone
Twilight zone
-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
episode. Koulikov wrote that "Electric Angel" and "The Lady Stalker" examines a darker side of the Japanese society not typicially presented in manga.
Release
Written and illustrated by Mitsukazu MiharaMitsukazu Mihara
is an influential Japanese illustrator who helped to influence the Gothic Lolita look through her illustrations, particularly as the cover illustrator for the first eight volumes of the Gothic & Lolita Bible...
, the six short stories of Beautiful People were published in a tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volume by Shodensha
Shodensha
is a Japanese publisher of mostly non-fiction magazines and books, though it has recently begun publishing light novels and manga, including magazines which contain both...
on October 20, 2001.
Tokyopop licensed the manga for an English-language release in North America along with four of her other works: The Embalmer
The Embalmer
is a manga series written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara. It is serialized within the magazine magazine Feel Young, and currently has been collected into 6 volumes by Shodensha. The Embalmer was previously licensed for English release by Tokyopop, and four volumes have been released. The...
, IC in a Sunflower
IC in a Sunflower
is a science fiction josei manga written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara. It is a collection of seven, unrelated short stories which appeared in the Japanese manga magazine Feel Young from 1994 to 1997. The stories were then published in Japan by Shodensha on October 18, 1997...
, Haunted House
Haunted House (manga)
is a comedy horror manga written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara. Known for her short stories and characters dressed in the Gothic Lolita fashion, Mihara continued her use of death-themed material in Haunted House, a volume of one-shot chapters focusing on the teenage protagonist's attempts to...
and R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrian
R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrian
R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrian is a manga written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara.-Release:Written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara, the chapters of R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrian were collected into one tankōbon volume and published in November 2000.Tokyopop licensed the manga for an...
. Translated by Haruko Furukawa and adapted for an English-language audience by Nathan Johnson, Beautiful People was published it on February 7, 2006 (ISBN 978-1598162431). However, Tokyopop's North American branch stopped publishing on May 31, 2011.
Reception
Beautiful People was positively received by English-language reviewers and readers. It reached the 98th place in the list of 100 best-selling graphic novels for January 2006 with an estimated 823 copies sold. Reviewers praised Mihara's short stories and the ideas examined. Koulikov described it as "one of the finest examples of literary manga currently available in English." Sparrow wrote that some of the stories would have a lasting appeal, and ranked it 4th in the list of the top ten manga of 2006. Eries enjoyed the design of the English-language cover, and recommended that high school students read it.External links
- Beautiful People at Tokyopop's website