The fervor and discovery of youth. The rush of a seaside crush, a big-time homerun, or even aviation invention. This is the madcap world of Marmalade Princess.
The thrumming urban slacker novella “Diamonds,” drawn in wiry black inks and filled with distinct 80s pops of bright patterns, shows the crescendo of young lovers from two different worlds.
“Marmalade Princess” takes us to the beach, where it’s all fun and flirtation until one of the girls insists on going to see the haunted mansion atop a hill.
And then there’s “Remix.” It might sound a bit audacious to remix five short stories together…and it is. But that’s the cherry on top—Ito’s moxie: a cheeky glace that reveals a universe, an underlying silliness that almost taunts us to relax, a neighbourhood tour made all the more special because it’s given by a cat. The confidence of Ito’s cartooning injects this groundbreaking collection with unrivaled zeal.
Marmalade Princess is translated by prolific literary translator David Boyd and marks manga-ka Ito Shigeo’s English-language debut.
