dnjs May 15, 2012
Honest, intelligent news and reviews for manga romantics
Coming up this Sunday in the United States is Mother’s Day. It’s a holiday where we recognize all that mothers do for their children and show our appreciation in some way, usually with a gift and a meal out.
As I pondered the role of moms, I came up with several good and bad examples of mothers in shoujo manga. Every character is affected by the role of their parents, and moms especially make a big difference when it comes to character development. Whether by her life examples, or her complete absence, a mom can change the life of her child forever.
In no particular order, these are the best examples of moms I’ve read in shoujo manga:
One of the best portrayed moms in josei manga that we get an intimate understanding of is Sachiko Azuma from With the Light. Her struggle to provide for the needs of her autistic child touched many moms and readers.
The worst mom I’ve read in a josei manga would be Rin’s mother, Masako, from Usagi Drop. She doesn’t care about what happens to her child and wants no responsibility for it.
In no particular order , these are the worst examples of moms I’ve read in shoujo manga:
Manga moms tend to be on the extremes. They are either admirable women, or your worst nightmare. If you have some others in mind for this list, feel free to share in the comments below. Arigatou!
Best mother has to be Mrs. Irie in Itazura na Kiss – she’s such a fun character and really supportive of Kotoko and Naoki. As for worst mother, I agree with your choice of Kyoko’s mother, as well as Nana Osaki’s mother in Nana because she abandoned her daughter for some guy.
Nice! I was really hoping to see Kyoko from FB up on the Best Moms list and you didn’t disappoint. Watching her story (I picked up the anime first) and knowing what a kickass mom she was to Tohru made me LOVE her fiercely even though she wasn’t there anymore. She was such a presence in Tohru’s life and a fantastic contrast to the terrible mothers in the Sohma family.
At first I was happy because I didn’t know the worst moms on this list, but then I suddenly remembered the parents from Fruits Basket. Yeah, they can be a handful.
Fun article! Also really reminded me of how much I loathe Yukari Shirai from Honey Hunt.
You should do the Best and Worst Grandparents in Shoujo too – I am sure there is plenty of material there as well. 🙂
Great list! I haven’t read most of the manga yet, but I definitely agree with Yukari Shirai from Honey Hunt… I just started reading this manga yesterday and I really despise her character, lol. I also totally forgot about Soichiro Arima’s mom in Kare, Kano since I read the series a couple years ago. Wow, she sounds horrible!