Confidential Confessions
Encyclopedia
is a manga
by Reiko Momochi. The individual volumes of the series were originally published by Kodansha
in Japan
as Memai (Dizzy), Namida (Tears), and Tobira (The Door). The three were published in 2000, 2001, and 2002, respectively. The series was published in English under the title Confidential Confessions in North America by Tokyopop
; the Tokyopop version of the manga is out of print as of August 31, 2009.
The series contains a collection of plots and characters about the hard-hitting issues that real life teenagers faced during the manga's publication. Each volume tackles such topics as teen prostitution
, rape
, HIV
, stalkers
, suicide
, and sexual harassment
. There are a total of 6 volumes of the series.
A sequel entitled was released around May 2006. It detailed the situation of Rika, a young teen in need of a job, and her group Peace when they become involved in the deai-kei
industry.
. Manatsu enjoys her time with Asparagus and begins feel alive again, as well as take an interest in death and the fragility of life. They raise money and order cyanide
pills off the internet, but Manatsu starts to feel uncertain about dying. After confronting Asparagus on a rooftop, planning to take the pills, Manatsu accidentally falls and grabs onto a ledge. She begs Asparagus to save her, realizing she does not want to die, but instead Asparagus decides that she will jump. The girls are saved at the last moment by civilians, and Manatsu rekindles her relationship with her mother and begins to see life differently. She later learns that Asparagus committed suicide and at the funeral the bullies refuse to achknowledge their fault. Manatsu concludes that suicide is not brave or wondrous, and realizes the pain it leaves on those alive.
Confidential Confessions: Deai received mixed reception from critics as well. Connie Zhang of Mania graded the first volume with a B, criticizing that the story did not "connect to the reader on a fundamental level" and that there is "no emotional bond to the characters." However, Zhang did praise the story concept, noting that it was "interesting" with "an unusual premise". In her review of the second volume, Zhang graded Confidential Confessions: Deai with a B-, with complaints that "everything that worked well in the first volume - the good pacing, the sweetness of Rika and Kiichi's relationship, the heroine's business savvy personality and the sense of risk on every date - [had] been thoughtlessly discarded for the illusion of a thriller." The art, Zhang noted, "managed to stay relatively consistent throughout" and was "pleasant to look at", but there wasn't anything "remarkable about it."
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by Reiko Momochi. The individual volumes of the series were originally published by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as Memai (Dizzy), Namida (Tears), and Tobira (The Door). The three were published in 2000, 2001, and 2002, respectively. The series was published in English under the title Confidential Confessions in North America by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
; the Tokyopop version of the manga is out of print as of August 31, 2009.
The series contains a collection of plots and characters about the hard-hitting issues that real life teenagers faced during the manga's publication. Each volume tackles such topics as teen prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, stalkers
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
, suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, and sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
. There are a total of 6 volumes of the series.
A sequel entitled was released around May 2006. It detailed the situation of Rika, a young teen in need of a job, and her group Peace when they become involved in the deai-kei
Deai-kei
Deaikei means something "for an encounter" in Japanese.Deai kissa are coffee shops where men look at girls through a one way mirror and try to start the date if they like the girl.Deaikei saito refers to online dating websites....
industry.
Plot
In "The Door", a high school girl named Manatsu feels that her life is boring and meaningless. Her father left and her mother seemed to care more about school and studying than Manatsu's feelings and needs. While at school, Manatsu meets a bullied girl nicknamed Asparagus who cuts to relieve her pain. With Asparagus, Manatsu develops and friendship and they begin create a suicide pactSuicide pact
A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to commit suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction.Suicide pacts are generally...
. Manatsu enjoys her time with Asparagus and begins feel alive again, as well as take an interest in death and the fragility of life. They raise money and order cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
pills off the internet, but Manatsu starts to feel uncertain about dying. After confronting Asparagus on a rooftop, planning to take the pills, Manatsu accidentally falls and grabs onto a ledge. She begs Asparagus to save her, realizing she does not want to die, but instead Asparagus decides that she will jump. The girls are saved at the last moment by civilians, and Manatsu rekindles her relationship with her mother and begins to see life differently. She later learns that Asparagus committed suicide and at the funeral the bullies refuse to achknowledge their fault. Manatsu concludes that suicide is not brave or wondrous, and realizes the pain it leaves on those alive.
Reception
Confidential Confessions has received mixed reviews from Western audiences. Manga Lifes Miguel Douglas praised the first volume for its "absolute realistic depictions" of the characters and commending it for "tackl[ing] such serious issues" that are "relevant" to no specific place, but "throughout the world." Writing for Comics Worth Reading, Johanna Carlson and noted that "it's likely that many readers will pick it up because of the shocking content", but that "treatment doesn't appeal simply to prurient interest". In Carlson's review of volume 4 of Confidential Confessions, she writes that "it's billed as an honest exploration of "the harsh realities of today's youth", but for me, it's more like an old Cecil B. DeMille epic — 80 minutes of glorified sinning, and 10 minutes of redemption to make it the audience feel virtuous instead of embarrassed for watching."Confidential Confessions: Deai received mixed reception from critics as well. Connie Zhang of Mania graded the first volume with a B, criticizing that the story did not "connect to the reader on a fundamental level" and that there is "no emotional bond to the characters." However, Zhang did praise the story concept, noting that it was "interesting" with "an unusual premise". In her review of the second volume, Zhang graded Confidential Confessions: Deai with a B-, with complaints that "everything that worked well in the first volume - the good pacing, the sweetness of Rika and Kiichi's relationship, the heroine's business savvy personality and the sense of risk on every date - [had] been thoughtlessly discarded for the illusion of a thriller." The art, Zhang noted, "managed to stay relatively consistent throughout" and was "pleasant to look at", but there wasn't anything "remarkable about it."
Sales
Volume 5 of Confidential Confessions placed as number 84 on ICv2's Top 100 Graphic Novels list, which indexes estimated sales from the Diamond comic distributor to comic stores, for September 2004. Volume 1 of Confidential Confessions: Deai reached 77 on the Top 100 Graphic Novels for April 2006.Volumes
- Volume 1: released July 8, 2003 (208 pages)
- Volume 2: released September 9, 2003 (208 pages)
- Volume 3: released November 4, 2003 (216 pages)
- Volume 4: released April 6, 2004 (232 pages)
- Volume 5: released September 14, 2004 (224 pages)
- Volume 6: released February 8, 2005 (224 pages)
External links
- Confidential Confessions at Tokyopop
- Confidential Confessions: Deai at Tokyopop