This trope page describes a Manga series. For the TV show of the same name, see Life.
After her best friend breaks off their friendship, Ayumu Shiiba begins to seek comfort through cutting her wrists. As she begins high school she hopes for a fresh start, and even makes friends with a girl named Manami Anzai. As she goes through high school however, she finds herself spiraling into more trouble.
Life is a
Shoujo manga written by Keiko Suenobu that deals with harsh issues such as bullying, manipulation, and suicide. It's had a
Dorama adaptation that ran in 2007, ran for 20 volumes , and has won a Kodansha Manga Award.
It was dropped by its licensor Tokyopop at volume 9
* or actually the Japanese publishers of the manga discontinued its license with Tokyopop
, but
scanlators have began to try and finish it.
This series contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Katsumi's, mostly his dad.
- Art Evolution: The art style starts off being somewhat rough but smooths out later.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Katsumi, and later Manami.
- Compressed Adaptation: Many changes were made for the Drama adaptation, including changing what Ayumu's Self Harm habits to something less graphic and focusing more on the bullying.
- Driven to Suicide: Attempts are made by various characters, leading to both Interrupted Suicide's and Bungled Suicide's.
- Extreme Doormat: Ayumu, though she gets better.
- Gender Blender Name: Ayumu's name is masculine, and she doesn't think it fits her.
- Hime Cut: Hirose.
- Important Haircut: Ayumu has one twice.
- Japanese Delinquents: Miki Hatori, though she's actually quite nice.
- Live-Action Adaptation
- Mind Rape: Katsumi does this to Ayumu. Manami does this to everyone.
- Nightmare Face: Manami
breathes this trope. - Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Ayumu and Hatori have a very deep friendship.
- Self Harm: The series revolves around this. In the Live-Action Adaptation Ayumu cuts her hair, in the manga she cuts her arms and legs.
- Shoujo (Demographic)
- Spiritual Successor: It's this to an earlier manga by the mangaka, "Vitamin". Both focus on a sensitive girl who gets bullied, a Bastard Boyfriend who forces himself onto girls, teachers who don't want to acknowledge the issues, parents who don't get their child's problems due to them not talking about it, suicide attempts, Important Haircuts. The main difference is how both protagonists react to their bullying for most of the manga, and the fact that Vitamin takes place in junior high.
- Tall, Dark and Bishōjo: Hatori.
- Teens Are Monsters
- The Bully: Several characters, later including Manami, in a rather twisted but realistic way.
- Third-Person Person: Manami.
- This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: One of the translations has Ayumi saying "It's karma, bitch", at Manami.
- Yandere: Manami.
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