Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! The English publication of Alto Yukimura’s shoujo manga Colette Decides to Die is finally here, and it’s even better than I imagined. Honestly, I thought this was just going to be a cute but not necessarily great manga before I started reading. After the first chapter, I realized there was a reason people were so excited for this translation. Originally a one-shot, the story focuses on Colette, an overworked and burned out apothecary who jumps down a well, wondering if the rumors of it being a portal to another world are true (also, because of the whole overworked thing). When she wakes up, she finds herself in the Underworld, and before she knows it, she’s asked to heal Lord Hades. This premise alone is fun, and would be enough to make a cute and entertaining manga, but it goes beyond that with dynamic, relatable characters and introspective storytelling. If you like mythic stories, fantasy, romance (with adults!), beautiful art, apothecaries, etc. then you really need to give this manga a read. I think you’ll really love it! Colette especially is such a great character. I can’t wait to see what she does next!
And, as always…
What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?
Happy Wednesday! 👹