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南くんは恋人 (ぶんか社コミックス)
高校生のちよみは恋人の南くんと一緒に暮らしている。
普通の恋人たちと違うのは、南くんが制服のブレザーのポケットに入るほど小さくなり、世間では失踪したことになっていること。
南くんはちよみの胸でぽかぽかあたたまったり、ミニサイズの今だから味わえる幸福を満喫している。
でも南くんはちよみに好意を寄せる同級生、りくに嫉妬したり、疑心暗鬼になり拗ねてあたりちらし、ふたりの気持ちがすれ違ってしまうこともあり…。
何度も映像化された内田春菊の不朽の名作「南くんの恋人」スピンオフ作品。
普通の恋人たちと違うのは、南くんが制服のブレザーのポケットに入るほど小さくなり、世間では失踪したことになっていること。
南くんはちよみの胸でぽかぽかあたたまったり、ミニサイズの今だから味わえる幸福を満喫している。
でも南くんはちよみに好意を寄せる同級生、りくに嫉妬したり、疑心暗鬼になり拗ねてあたりちらし、ふたりの気持ちがすれ違ってしまうこともあり…。
何度も映像化された内田春菊の不朽の名作「南くんの恋人」スピンオフ作品。
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1987
2 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Shungiku Uchida
60 books6 followersShigeko Uchida (内田 滋子 Uchida Shigeko), known by the pen name Shungiku Uchida (内田春菊 Uchida Shungiku), is a Japanese cartoonist, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, actress and singer.
She rose to fame in the 80's and early 90's, through her manga, drawn in a simplistic style and blending humour, sex and various social themes.
Her semi-autobiographical novel 'Fatherfucker', among other things depicting the abuses she received as a teenager from her step father, became a best-seller.
Besides some original screenplays, many of her books have been adapted into movies and tv. Uchida herself has starred as an actress in a number of these productions.
She rose to fame in the 80's and early 90's, through her manga, drawn in a simplistic style and blending humour, sex and various social themes.
Her semi-autobiographical novel 'Fatherfucker', among other things depicting the abuses she received as a teenager from her step father, became a best-seller.
Besides some original screenplays, many of her books have been adapted into movies and tv. Uchida herself has starred as an actress in a number of these productions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 4, 2024
6.5/10
I don't know exactly how I feel about this book. It was mostly a pleasant read. But also, I would lie if I'd say that it left me completely satisfied. But also also, I am not sure what else I would want from it.
The emotional frankness of the book certainly impresses me. The dynamics between the two protagonists are made of simple rough emotions. In tone with the simple rough art style of Uchida. Seriously, the line work here is 'rough' ever for alternative manga standards, we are almost at the level of pure doodling, with just a veil of screentone make-up.
Chiyomi and Minami are 16 years old. They are girlfriend and boyfriend. They have experienced sex and all. Only, right before the beginning of the book, and for reasons never explained therein, the girl has shrunk to around four or five inches of height. Just when she starts to feel like a woman, she becomes as small and defenseless as a doll. She refuses to see doctors. Even more categorically, she refuses to go back to her parents. (Plot convenience or a deeper meaning here? Let's not forget that the author used to be raped by her step father at age 14/15, with the consent of her own mother, no less...on second though, maybe better forget...) So, her boyfriend Minami has to hide the mini-girl in his room and, from now on, take care of her.
If the premise of the tale is whimsical, the execution is quite realistic. In a sequence of short episodes, Uchida explores the consequences of being a few inches tall: overall, a sad, boring life of complete dependence on another person. Chiyomi needs Minami for everything, from cloths to bathing, from her period to drinking a glass of water. The love between the two kids seems sincere and offers sweet moments throughout the book, yet Chiyomi's condition clearly affects both of them negatively.
The book is also openly sexual, without never becoming actually pornographic. The two teens are troubled by not being able to have sex anymore. They talk about it, in a surprisingly healthy way. (This is an 80's comic, by the way.) Nonetheless, the two are depicted having some kind of erotic interactions, or trying.
Is this book talking about relations in general, and how teens discover the responsibilities involved in romantic partnerships? Or is it a feminist take on the limited agency of the Japanese woman in couple dynamics? Or again, is this specifically a metaphor of asymmetrical relationship, where one partner has a disability or a chronic illness? I tend towards the latter perspective, but go figure.
Some context. The comic was serialised in Garo, the iconic alternative manga magazine, between 1986 and 1987. Apparently, it became some kind of modern Japanese fable, with multiple live-action tv adaptations over the years. Uchida herself turned into an icon of Japanese culture. Not just as a taboo-breaking cartoonist but also as a novelist, essayist, screenwriter, actress, singer and dancer. This is her only manga translated in the West so far (2011 in France, 2018 in Italy, 2023 in the US and other English speaking nations). Chef-kiss to this beautiful hardcover edition by Fantagraphics, I love the colours of the cover. The other book by Uchida that crossed the national borders is Fatherfucker, a semi-autobiographical novel accounting of the incestuous abuses received as a teenager. Maybe, when life turned her into a little four inch girl?
I don't know exactly how I feel about this book. It was mostly a pleasant read. But also, I would lie if I'd say that it left me completely satisfied. But also also, I am not sure what else I would want from it.
The emotional frankness of the book certainly impresses me. The dynamics between the two protagonists are made of simple rough emotions. In tone with the simple rough art style of Uchida. Seriously, the line work here is 'rough' ever for alternative manga standards, we are almost at the level of pure doodling, with just a veil of screentone make-up.
Chiyomi and Minami are 16 years old. They are girlfriend and boyfriend. They have experienced sex and all. Only, right before the beginning of the book, and for reasons never explained therein, the girl has shrunk to around four or five inches of height. Just when she starts to feel like a woman, she becomes as small and defenseless as a doll. She refuses to see doctors. Even more categorically, she refuses to go back to her parents. (Plot convenience or a deeper meaning here? Let's not forget that the author used to be raped by her step father at age 14/15, with the consent of her own mother, no less...on second though, maybe better forget...) So, her boyfriend Minami has to hide the mini-girl in his room and, from now on, take care of her.
If the premise of the tale is whimsical, the execution is quite realistic. In a sequence of short episodes, Uchida explores the consequences of being a few inches tall: overall, a sad, boring life of complete dependence on another person. Chiyomi needs Minami for everything, from cloths to bathing, from her period to drinking a glass of water. The love between the two kids seems sincere and offers sweet moments throughout the book, yet Chiyomi's condition clearly affects both of them negatively.
The book is also openly sexual, without never becoming actually pornographic. The two teens are troubled by not being able to have sex anymore. They talk about it, in a surprisingly healthy way. (This is an 80's comic, by the way.) Nonetheless, the two are depicted having some kind of erotic interactions, or trying.
Is this book talking about relations in general, and how teens discover the responsibilities involved in romantic partnerships? Or is it a feminist take on the limited agency of the Japanese woman in couple dynamics? Or again, is this specifically a metaphor of asymmetrical relationship, where one partner has a disability or a chronic illness? I tend towards the latter perspective, but go figure.
Some context. The comic was serialised in Garo, the iconic alternative manga magazine, between 1986 and 1987. Apparently, it became some kind of modern Japanese fable, with multiple live-action tv adaptations over the years. Uchida herself turned into an icon of Japanese culture. Not just as a taboo-breaking cartoonist but also as a novelist, essayist, screenwriter, actress, singer and dancer. This is her only manga translated in the West so far (2011 in France, 2018 in Italy, 2023 in the US and other English speaking nations). Chef-kiss to this beautiful hardcover edition by Fantagraphics, I love the colours of the cover. The other book by Uchida that crossed the national borders is Fatherfucker, a semi-autobiographical novel accounting of the incestuous abuses received as a teenager. Maybe, when life turned her into a little four inch girl?
June 30, 2023
This made me very emotional. I really hope we get more of Uchida’s work in English.
Read
May 1, 2025Okay cute but the ending fcked me up
August 19, 2018
Cosa fareste se la vostra fidanzata si rimpicciolisse improvvisamente? La premessa del manga La fidanzata di Minami è proprio questa: Chiyomi, un giorno, rimpicciolisce diventando alta solo un paio di centimetri e si rifugia a casa del suo fidanzato, Minami. Il ragazzo la tiene nascosta in camera sua, le procura cibo, le crea vestiti adatti alla sua statura insieme ad altri oggetti indispensabili per la quotidianità, dagli attrezzi per il bagno ad una camera da letto completa di tutto. Minami è dolce e comprensivo con Chiyomi e la sua assurda situazione, accontenta ogni sua richiesta, anche quelle un po’ capricciose, e le sta accanto silenzioso e ben conscio che un futuro insieme è difficile.
Non si sa se Chiyomi tornerà mai normale e Minami deve stare molto attento a lei, non lasciarla troppo sola e prendersi cura dei suoi bisogni. Ci sono poi i forti sentimenti dei due ragazzi, in particolare il desiderio di Minami di avere una qualche intimità con Chiyomi, di poterla toccare e amare come quando era normale. Difficile, però, resistere quando gli ormoni scalpitano e le compagne di classe si avvicinano sempre più a Minami, visto che la sua fidanzata è scomparsa nel nulla. L’amore del ragazzo, però, è forte e nonostante le difficoltà e le incertezze verso il futuro, farà di tutto per la sua fidanzata, fino all’ultimo…
Innanzitutto voglio menzionare un attimo la copertina che ha un taglio e un design che non avevo mai visto prima. La prima copertina di sole immagini semi-nasconde la seconda copertina, con titolo, la trama e ideogrammi. Sicuramente attira il lettore a prendere questo volume, sfogliarlo e alla fine, forse, acquistarlo pure. Almeno questa è stata la mia esperienza trovandolo esposto nella mia fumetteria. E sfogliandolo brevemente i disegni semplici e minimali e la trama mi hanno attratto. Leggendolo poi mi sono resa conto che la storia era molto bella. E non vi preoccupate che se non siete esperti di manga: c’è una bella spiegazione su come leggerlo e anche un interessante saggio sull’autrice.
La fidanzata di Minami sembra inizialmente una storia divertente e anche banale ma che alla fine fa riflettere, mostrando le difficoltà di amare e convivere con una persona diversamente abile. La situazione in cui si trovano Minami e Chiyomi la possiamo vedere come una metafora. Si mostra la vita di chi si trova ad occuparsi quotidianamente di una persona che ama ma che non può vivere da sola a causa della sua disabilità. Una cosa che colpisce per il suo attaccamento alla realtà e per la giovane età dei due ragazzi e dei problemi, più o meno seri, davanti ai quali si trovano a dover affrontare, insieme.
Un aspetto interessante e reale, che si capisce e apprezza proseguendo la lettura del volume. Il divertimento e la spensieratezza dei primi capitoli lasciano pian piano spazio a riflessioni più profonde che mettono a dura prova non solo i protagonisti, ma anche il lettore che intanto si è affezionato ai due ragazzi e spera in un lieto fine. Un lieto fine che non c’è e il finale è alquanto amaro e triste (non posso negarlo), ma ha il suo perché. Si comprende la scelta dell’autrice di far finire così la storia e, anzi, ci si rende conto che non poteva finire diversamente, purtroppo.
Una storia piacevole e leggera, ma che racchiude riflessioni e anche qualche insegnamento. I disegni nella loro semplicità e schematicità sono comunque efficaci, rendono molto bene il movimento e le emozioni dei personaggi, la differenza di statura di Minami e Chiyomi e i loro corpi, anche nella loro nudità. Non viene nascosto nulla: sia il disegno che la storia non nascondono davvero nulla al lettore che si affeziona e si riconosce nei personaggi, simpatizzando per loro. Anche se il finale potrebbe lasciare un po’ di amaro in bocca La fidanzata di Minami è una bella lettura, per nulla pesante e che nella sua semplicità fa anche riflettere.
Recensione presente anche sul blog: http://bookmarksarereadersbestfriends...
Non si sa se Chiyomi tornerà mai normale e Minami deve stare molto attento a lei, non lasciarla troppo sola e prendersi cura dei suoi bisogni. Ci sono poi i forti sentimenti dei due ragazzi, in particolare il desiderio di Minami di avere una qualche intimità con Chiyomi, di poterla toccare e amare come quando era normale. Difficile, però, resistere quando gli ormoni scalpitano e le compagne di classe si avvicinano sempre più a Minami, visto che la sua fidanzata è scomparsa nel nulla. L’amore del ragazzo, però, è forte e nonostante le difficoltà e le incertezze verso il futuro, farà di tutto per la sua fidanzata, fino all’ultimo…
Innanzitutto voglio menzionare un attimo la copertina che ha un taglio e un design che non avevo mai visto prima. La prima copertina di sole immagini semi-nasconde la seconda copertina, con titolo, la trama e ideogrammi. Sicuramente attira il lettore a prendere questo volume, sfogliarlo e alla fine, forse, acquistarlo pure. Almeno questa è stata la mia esperienza trovandolo esposto nella mia fumetteria. E sfogliandolo brevemente i disegni semplici e minimali e la trama mi hanno attratto. Leggendolo poi mi sono resa conto che la storia era molto bella. E non vi preoccupate che se non siete esperti di manga: c’è una bella spiegazione su come leggerlo e anche un interessante saggio sull’autrice.
La fidanzata di Minami sembra inizialmente una storia divertente e anche banale ma che alla fine fa riflettere, mostrando le difficoltà di amare e convivere con una persona diversamente abile. La situazione in cui si trovano Minami e Chiyomi la possiamo vedere come una metafora. Si mostra la vita di chi si trova ad occuparsi quotidianamente di una persona che ama ma che non può vivere da sola a causa della sua disabilità. Una cosa che colpisce per il suo attaccamento alla realtà e per la giovane età dei due ragazzi e dei problemi, più o meno seri, davanti ai quali si trovano a dover affrontare, insieme.
Un aspetto interessante e reale, che si capisce e apprezza proseguendo la lettura del volume. Il divertimento e la spensieratezza dei primi capitoli lasciano pian piano spazio a riflessioni più profonde che mettono a dura prova non solo i protagonisti, ma anche il lettore che intanto si è affezionato ai due ragazzi e spera in un lieto fine. Un lieto fine che non c’è e il finale è alquanto amaro e triste (non posso negarlo), ma ha il suo perché. Si comprende la scelta dell’autrice di far finire così la storia e, anzi, ci si rende conto che non poteva finire diversamente, purtroppo.
Una storia piacevole e leggera, ma che racchiude riflessioni e anche qualche insegnamento. I disegni nella loro semplicità e schematicità sono comunque efficaci, rendono molto bene il movimento e le emozioni dei personaggi, la differenza di statura di Minami e Chiyomi e i loro corpi, anche nella loro nudità. Non viene nascosto nulla: sia il disegno che la storia non nascondono davvero nulla al lettore che si affeziona e si riconosce nei personaggi, simpatizzando per loro. Anche se il finale potrebbe lasciare un po’ di amaro in bocca La fidanzata di Minami è una bella lettura, per nulla pesante e che nella sua semplicità fa anche riflettere.
Recensione presente anche sul blog: http://bookmarksarereadersbestfriends...
February 13, 2023
I knew whether I loved or hated this would come down to tone, and overall I was pleasantly surprised. The absurd concept is treated with sincerity and I did not find the story super exploitative or, for lack of a better term, "fan service-y." I was a little disappointed in the sudden ending, but then again the resolution options were somewhat limited.
August 10, 2024
My heart is broken…
August 15, 2023
Odd one, didn't know what I was getting into but found it weirdly sweet at times. Certainly don't read much manga (only got this because it was published by Fantagraphics this summer) but overall, nice to be exposed to a new-to-me artist (Shungiku Uchida) who's been doing this for decades.
January 23, 2025
shoutout char #treatyoubetter #shaunmendez
November 4, 2023
Strange, charming, pervy, cute?
Uchida’s line is so endearing. I really liked the art. The wobbly, uniform lines and chibi style look fantastic and compliment the offbeat story. Not amazing, but it was good. I’ll read more of her work if it’s available in English.
Uchida’s line is so endearing. I really liked the art. The wobbly, uniform lines and chibi style look fantastic and compliment the offbeat story. Not amazing, but it was good. I’ll read more of her work if it’s available in English.
October 19, 2023
I'm kind of on the fence about this one. If you read it at face value, it's kind of wild and gross and overall 'wha...?' But if you think about it in terms of female agency, disability, and toxic/codependent relationships, there's a lot of food for thought there. It also fed my passion for miniature things- (a tiny little toothbrush made from an eyebrow brush and the like).
My biggest reflection is that Chiyomi shrinks and becomes totally dependent upon Minami. You would think she would be the far more interesting character and perspective, and yet even the title of the book is through the lens of the boy, Minami. We are as reliant upon him for the story as Chiyomi is for care. It's a lot of responsibility for a teen boy, so while it would be easy to criticize him, his character was pretty realistic. Instead of learning more about Chiyomi's hopes and fears, etc, we learn about Minami's wet dreams. Overall, the tone is more sad than anything to me, and really spoke to the way in which caretaking is really, really hard. (Which is preferable to what I was concerned it might be, given the nudity and the ages of the characters.) I'd be intrigued to read more from this author- just need to get them translated!
My biggest reflection is that Chiyomi shrinks and becomes totally dependent upon Minami. You would think she would be the far more interesting character and perspective, and yet even the title of the book is through the lens of the boy, Minami. We are as reliant upon him for the story as Chiyomi is for care. It's a lot of responsibility for a teen boy, so while it would be easy to criticize him, his character was pretty realistic. Instead of learning more about Chiyomi's hopes and fears, etc, we learn about Minami's wet dreams. Overall, the tone is more sad than anything to me, and really spoke to the way in which caretaking is really, really hard. (Which is preferable to what I was concerned it might be, given the nudity and the ages of the characters.) I'd be intrigued to read more from this author- just need to get them translated!
September 24, 2024
Like the lead female character, a small but significant story. Thanks to the might Fantagraphics for reviving/translating this to the USA 36 or so years later. Kudos to A. Paige (A Great Name) for the freelancing translation...
For me the story captures some of the nuance of a strong but troubled young relationship. How consuming and rewarding but then again really consuming a relationship can be. How it feels like it is you two against the world, and or course the word co-dependency comes to mind. Interesting to search that, romantically it was perhaps used more in the late 70's but it started out involving both amor and a substance.
Love is the drug?
Personally this book reminded me of the phrase "I feel like I'm stuck in your back pocket" from another lifetime or three ago. The tale is bittersweet and quite candid sexually (as the cover states - "For Mature Audiences") so consider that for your teen readers.
Reading about the author, I'm mildly afraid to request her other famous book. More sad that she lived through abuse herself, that she could transmute that to manga is no small triumph imho.
For me the story captures some of the nuance of a strong but troubled young relationship. How consuming and rewarding but then again really consuming a relationship can be. How it feels like it is you two against the world, and or course the word co-dependency comes to mind. Interesting to search that, romantically it was perhaps used more in the late 70's but it started out involving both amor and a substance.
Love is the drug?
Personally this book reminded me of the phrase "I feel like I'm stuck in your back pocket" from another lifetime or three ago. The tale is bittersweet and quite candid sexually (as the cover states - "For Mature Audiences") so consider that for your teen readers.
Reading about the author, I'm mildly afraid to request her other famous book. More sad that she lived through abuse herself, that she could transmute that to manga is no small triumph imho.
September 11, 2025
(4 of 5 for surprisingly deep, definitely adult, manga)
I stumbled upon this by accident, but it was short (especially for manga), and the Gulliver-ish premise about a teenage guy and his girlfriend, who shrank to the size of a doll, looked like fun. It is fun, but it is more. There are gender, sexual, intimacy, moral and death topics in this innocent drawing, which can be dismissed as "dramedy", but you can think about it seriously, and it gets heavier and real quickly. And the ending just surprised me; that was quite heavy.
And I must say I didn't read a more spot-on blurb like this for a long time. Except for the interesting information that this manga story dates back to 1980, it tells you perfectly how to approach it and what to expect without, even very broadly, revealing the actual story.
I stumbled upon this by accident, but it was short (especially for manga), and the Gulliver-ish premise about a teenage guy and his girlfriend, who shrank to the size of a doll, looked like fun. It is fun, but it is more. There are gender, sexual, intimacy, moral and death topics in this innocent drawing, which can be dismissed as "dramedy", but you can think about it seriously, and it gets heavier and real quickly. And the ending just surprised me; that was quite heavy.
And I must say I didn't read a more spot-on blurb like this for a long time. Except for the interesting information that this manga story dates back to 1980, it tells you perfectly how to approach it and what to expect without, even very broadly, revealing the actual story.
June 24, 2025
Shungiku Uchida’s teen sex tragedy hones in on the sexual dynamics of teenagers in a way that feels authentic and even more relevant than when it was serialised in the 80’s. There’s a under current of sadness to this series, a young woman whose horizons get shortened very fast. The catalyst is fantastical (and easily mapped onto a disability metaphor) and after this catalyst event. Chiyomi undergoes the usual infantilization, fetishization and objectification that female presenting people experience in cis-hetero monogamous relationships. And Uchida lets this play out to its natural and tragic conclusion.
June 23, 2024
Ce livre était étrangement bizarre et rapide. L'histoire semble hésiter entre un roman graphique pour adultes et un livre pour adolescents. Cependant, en avançant dans la lecture, on se rend compte que ce n'est pas pour les enfants !
L'histoire parle de Minimi, qui a une petite amie nommée Chiyomi, qui est en fait minuscule. Le récit tourne autour des défis qu'ils doivent relever tous les deux, étant donné que Chiyomi n'est pas de taille humaine. Mais la fin est étrangement triste ; voir la petite Chiyomi mourir est inattendu et déchirant.
L'histoire parle de Minimi, qui a une petite amie nommée Chiyomi, qui est en fait minuscule. Le récit tourne autour des défis qu'ils doivent relever tous les deux, étant donné que Chiyomi n'est pas de taille humaine. Mais la fin est étrangement triste ; voir la petite Chiyomi mourir est inattendu et déchirant.
December 3, 2025
The Japanese seem to master a kind of creepy and sinister very unique to the Japanese. This possesses that kind of creepy – now this tiny women thing could be a metaphor but you also get the uneasy impression that it would be on the wish list of far too many hikikomori.
This made for uncomfortable and confusing reading, on the one hand this can be seen as a comment on the control, sexualisation and hyper-objectification of women, but on the other hand it could also be seen as a twisted male fantasy, with lots of men thinking how they can create such a women?...
November 14, 2023
Before reading: 'Oh haha, I've seen the Netflix adaptation of this, it was pretty funny, cute and just a bit kooky'.
While reading: 'Oh haha, this is a lot more racy than the Netflix adaptation! It's surprisingly astute and glib. Also I don't think the original text used the equivalent of 'neuro-diverse', haha'.
After reading: 'Why am I crying?'
While reading: 'Oh haha, this is a lot more racy than the Netflix adaptation! It's surprisingly astute and glib. Also I don't think the original text used the equivalent of 'neuro-diverse', haha'.
After reading: 'Why am I crying?'
June 3, 2024
This was a strange but quick read - I admired the complexity of the characters, but it also felt uniquely juvenile. I was willing to be taken on an adventure, but even the ending was so bleak. I just picked this up randomly from the library so I guess they can't all be winners.
April 11, 2023
This one felt a little disjointed, and no real decent resolution.
September 15, 2023
This was so fucked up.
November 22, 2023
Polly Pocket
did-not-finish
November 22, 2023Stopped reading when I got a bad feeling, flipped to the end, and saw that she died.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2023
adorable portrayal of intimacy, and also quite sad
December 17, 2023
Hard to guess what this one all means.
December 8, 2024
That ending !!!
December 11, 2024
Couldn't help but read it as a caregiver-patient story, even though I'm pretty sure that was never the intention. Didn't make it morally better or whatever, but it does make it an interesting read.
December 13, 2024
Very tender, mostly funny, and also quite sad. Very cute artwork.
January 2, 2025
I just finished reading this all I have to say is "damn" lol
February 9, 2025
Welp. Just, yeah. 😭
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews