Menstru, tu amiga fiel

生理ちゃん [Seiri-chan] #1

by Ken Koyama, Ana María Caro (Translator)

Te puede ir mal en el trabajo, los estudios o el amor, pero hay alguien que jamás te fallará: ¡tu fiel amiga, la menstruación! Serie cerrada de 4 tomos.

Ya está aquí otra vez… ¡Menstru nunca falta a su visita mensual! Y, aunque sea una bruta que te machaque a base de apetito, ansiedad y dolores, sabes que nadie te querrá como ella. Desde oficinistas hasta superheroínas, pasando por personajes históricos como Ooi Katsushika, la afamada pintora de la era Edo, o Yoshiko Sakai, la empresaria que introdujo las compresas desechables en Japón, todas han aprendido a convivir con Menstru y comprobar que ¡estar con la regla no tiene por qué ser tan malo! Así que a cércate a conocer mejor a esta febril defensora de multitud de chicas, a los chicos que han tenido la suerte de cruzarse con ella y a sus excéntricos compañeros: don Libido, Chico Virginidad y SPMcita.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Humor, Comics, Fiction, Womens, Graphic Novels Comics

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2018

About the author

Name (in native language): 小山 健

Blog: mangaonsen
Instagram: koyapu

Reviews

[Selena Pigoni]

Well this was... different. And weird. And I can't decide if I liked it or not...?

This is the story of various women dealing with a personified version of their period, Miss P. Miss P shows up, punches them in the gut, steals their blood, injects them with an increased appetite or what have you, and then acts as a shoulder to cry on. Or rushes them to the hospital when they suffer from anemia. Or gives them a pep talk. Or beats the snot out of sexist men around them.

Why can't real periods deal with my problems for me like this one?

If I had one complaint, it's the portrayal of "Mr. Libido" as being a) a men's only issue and b) made equivalent to the debilitating pain these women have to pretend doesn't exist while they go through their day-to-day.

[Rebecca]

This was...weird. That may seem like an obvious statement, given that it's about periods personified, but what struck me the most was how its attempt to de-stigmatize menstruation felt, to a North American reader, a little...too little. I suspect major cultural differences in treatment of women's health at play, and I'm going to have to do some serious research before I write this up as a full-length review for ANN.

Also not sure how I feel about "Anne Napkins," Japan's first sanitary napkin, being named after a line in the Diary of Anne Frank. Yep, cultural differences...

[Miss_Cultura]

Me ha gustado mucho. Me he sentido identificada en muchas de las escenas que se representa en este libro. Narrado con respeto y con unos diálogos realistas. Con capítulos cortos y autoconclusivos me ha hecho pasar un buen rato dentro de lo que sufro con la endometriosis (que padezco) y he sentido que está retratada de algún modo en algunos diálogos e incluso escenas sin texto.

[Karolina Góras]

AAAAAAA!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[hannonle]

Creo que hacia falta que se dijeran en voz alta algunas cosas sobre la menstruación y este libro lo hace. Me ha gustado el aire informal a la par que educativo que tiene. El dibujo es feúcho pero expresivo, me recuerda al estilo de algunas tiras cómicas antiguas. También quiero decir que empecé a leer este manga por curiosidad, quería saber si es una buena lectura para mujeres jóvenes que aún no menstrúan y no lo veo muy claro. Me da la impresión que está enfocado a mujeres que ya han experimentado lo que es. Es más facil captar el humor al identificarse con alguna de las situaciones reflejadas en el manga. Pero tampoco lo descarto porque no sé cómo evolucionará la historia de Menstru en los siguientes volúmenes.

[Ghia Vitale]

when I purchased Little Miss P by Ken Koyama, I knew I was going to like it. However, I didn't realize it would be one of the best manga I've ever read.

I love everything from the simplistic art style to the anthropomorphization of bodily functions. It actually made me think of my period in a different way. It took my imagination to strange places and I appreciate that. I appreciate how Little Miss P clearly cares about the women she bestows cramps upon. Not only does this manga do a good job at destigmatizing menstruation, but it reframes one's period as a faithful visitor rather than something that's gross.

Overall, I love this manga and I highly recommend reading it if you're curious about it.

[Curious Madra]

The reason I found out about this manga is through watching Akidearest’s video last year and as someone who unfortunately experiences this period hinderence, I thought this manga was wayyyyy too lighthearted. I guess this manga could possibly be targeted to young as well as older teens since it basically shows the obvious of what a period involves. I mean some of the characters are adults themselves but still, the manga is like a preparation for teens who havent experienced a period yet.

Overall I thought the art was plain and the different characters backgrounds are simple enough for a easy enough read. Personally not over the moon by it but I understand it definitely benefit teens more…

[Mayara Lista]

Eu amei????????????
Como não amar um mangá em que Menstruação, Libído, Virgindade são personificados?
São várias historinhas sobre mulheres de perfis e idades diferentes lidando com a tal da Miss P., a menstruação.
Eu tenho um fraco por esse tipo de desenho "tosquinho" e só por ele já vale a leitura.
Muito bom! Leve, engraçadinho e divertido! <3

[Ainhoa Palou]

qué horror lo del libido

[Elena Coorie]

Una muy buena aproximación a como la menstruación aparece mes a mes en la vida de muchas personas para ponerles la vida patas arriba. Sin embargo, a lo largo de la vida, aunque suele golpear fuerte, tanto física como emocionalmente, se le acaba cogiendo un gran cariño.

Muy recomendado para todas las personas, aunque trata algunos temas sexuales de forma que requieren de cierta madurez para ser procesados de forma correcta y que según la edad del lector pueden llega a resultar algo incómodos y ser malentendidos.

[SpookyBoogie]

Funny but not appropriate for young girls

I bought this manga to see if it would be a good resource for young girls. When Mr. Libido, a walking penis showed up talking about porn types, I got my answer. I really hate this art style but, as someone who has had difficult periods for decades , this manga made me laugh. I think it's really relatable and would better suit older teens and women who have a relationship with Miss P.

[Leticia Adames]

This book is weird. While I am glad to have read it I'm not sure I would ever reach for it again. It shows life in Japan at different time periods in history and all different women. The personified periods and and other hormone based characters are an interesting and funny concept. It is good to see and discuss periods without any taboos.

[Miss Ryoko]

When I saw there was a manga about a period personified, I just had to read it! It was enjoyable! It was pretty relatable and most of the stories had good, positive messages... but of course the best parts were when the period was punching everyone. Lol

[Musical_literature_of_vannah]

En français "Ragnagna et moi". Ce manga qui nous parle d'anecdotes en lien avec les règles. À la fois drôle et tendre, on se laisse facilement bercer. Les dessins sont très simples mais cela convient bien à ce thème qui finalement, est bien moins complexe que l'on puisse imaginer.

[Jillian -always aspiring-]

Big ‘ol MEH. I wish I had more to say, but a punching period monster is not enough for me.

[Skye Richardson]

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions)]

This is a collection of multiple stories about women and girls dealing with "Little Miss P" - aka, their period. She always seems to arrive at the most inconvenient times, bringing fatigue and her cramp-inducing "Period Punch."

The first story stars a housewife who's been trying to get pregnant. The second story stars a young writer and her kinda sleazy editor (he's a married man who's slept with the writer at least once and who probably would have done so again that evening if it weren't for the arrival of Little Miss P). The third story is focused on a convenience store clerk who's convinced that she's ugly and will always be single. The fourth story stars a pair of Sailor Moon-like magical girls. The fifth story goes back in time to the Edo era, when women on their period had to stay in menstruation huts. The sixth story stars a pair of rival Drama Club script writers, a girl and a guy, who suddenly swap bodies and are forced to go through the experiences of the opposite gender (Little Miss P for the guy, and Mr. Virginity and Mr. Libido for the girl). The seventh story stars a woman who's been proposed to by a single father of an 11-year-old daughter. The eighth story stars a cafe worker with an unrequited crush on one of her coworkers. The ninth story focuses on Yoshiko Sakai, the creator of Anne napkins, disposable pads designed to fit Japanese women's bodies better than Western pads. The volume wraps up with a bonus story about dealing with Little Miss PMS.

So, the artwork was very loose, like a quick sketch, and not really to my taste, but the humor helped make up for it. When Little Miss P first arrived at the housewife's home, she was like a friend checking in to see how things were going. The switch from "supportive friend" to "matter-of-fact bully," with a not-very-apologetic "sorry" at the end, was so sudden it startled a laugh out of me. Same when Little Miss P whipped out her Period Punch when the housewife's husband had the gall to complain about what she'd made for dinner and commented on her mood.

My favorite story of the bunch was probably the seventh one, with the woman who's considering marrying a single dad. It was wholesome without being cloyingly so, and I liked the slightly unexpected aspects of how it wrapped up.

The story about Yoshiko Sakai and her efforts to get Anne napkins on the market in Japan and destigmatize periods was interesting, although the bit with Hajime Watabe in the bathroom was kind of weird. (WTF did he do?? Dip the cotton in the toilet before putting it on? Dude.)

While Mr. Libido and Mr. Virginity were amusing and I could see what the author was going for, it was somewhat annoying that they were presented as primarily male problems/concerns. Still, despite some odd and kind of off-putting bits, I liked this overall.

Extras:

Three pages of translator's notes, a page devoted to explaining how to draw Little Miss P, and a truly horrific Little Miss P anatomical chart.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Kaitlin Klak]

finally finished this cute little series! i really enjoyed this one. each volume features a collection of short stories that focus on a different topic or aspect of menstration, all through the “little miss p” period monster. little miss p is less of a terrible thing and more of a companion (except when she period punches the shit out of them) in this series, but she also means something different to all of the people that are covered in this series. sometimes she’s a hinderance to life events and sex, sometimes she is sick herself, sometimes she is nowhere to be found, sometimes the person is scared of what she represents or if she’s coming to hang out or not. no matter what the situation, i liked how this series was not only creative and funny, but also relatable. there are also little “period tips” from little miss p to add some education to the mix.

i do think the last volume was a little rushed and i do wish this series was slightly more diverse (mostly in the sense of the LGBTQ+ experience with periods being represented a little more, this was an extremely heterosexual perspective lol). however i still think if you’re looking for a quick read and you are all too familiar with periods and how much they suck, i would recommend it!

[LaPommequirougit]

https://lapommequirougit.com/2021/04/...

Je remercie les Éditions Ki-oon pour l’envoi de cette lecture. Ragnagna et moi, c’est un titre que j’avais vraiment, mais alors vraiment hâte de lire.

Nous suivons la vie de différentes jeunes femmes, chapitre après chapitre, comme des petites nouvelles. Dans leur quotidien, quand d’un coup, débarque ragnagna. Que cela soit une femme au foyer, une petite caissière qui n’a aucune confiance en elle, ou même une femme d’une époque ancienne.

Ce premier volume était réellement intéressant. J’ai aimé cette manière de parler des règles sans complexe, sans peur, de voir certains symptômes mis en avant. De plus, tout cela se fait avec une dose d’humour que j’ai bien aimé.

Le titre est aussi émouvant que véridique. J’ai vraiment aimé le découvrir et je suis déjà impatiente de voir les autres sujets et symptômes qui pourront être abordés dans les trois autres tomes.

En bref, c’est une saga qui m’a beaucoup surprise. Je n’en attendais pas grand-chose de base, mais ce titre m’a bien plu ! 🙂

[Lucille]

Vraiment trop trop drôle, dès les premières pages j'ai lâché un gros éclat de rire !

Mon seul point négatif serait que l'un des chapitres tient à comparer la /libido gênante des personnes à penis/ aux douleurs menstruelle et... BON... non.
Mais sinon un super livre qui m'a bien fait rigoler sur ce sujet qui rapproche beaucoup de monde !

[Rachel]

What a strange, adorable, and somehow moving at times manga about periods, relationships, self-esteem, etc....

[Albine Eien]

A part les comparatifs avec la libido de ces messieurs, c'est un must read absolu !

[Marisa]

This was so cute and fun! Interesting look at a different culture’s perception of periods, and there’s helpful explanations about the references too.

[abby]

:D

[Emi]

No sabía muy bien qué me encontraría y me ha gustado. A pesar de ser capítulos muy cortitos no me ha costado leerlo del tirón como me suele pasar. No es que te tronches de la risa, pero es divertido y muy gráfico! El hecho de tener dibujados como personajes a la Menstru, la lívido y otros hace que todo sea más fácil de entender (sobre todo los puñetazos en la barriga de Menstru, las mujeres sabemos lo que es ¬¬U). Me ha gustado mucho el capítulo "La abuela y Menstru" donde se explica cómo llegaron las primeras compresas a Japón. También las notas son muy interesante, sin ellas, ni me habría dado cuenta de la cantidad de referencias que hay en el cómic, pero al ser muy locales, si no vives allí es casi imposible conocerlas.

[zFer]

Menstru es efectivamente tu amiga fiel.

[Tabrizia]

I enjoyed this manga more than I thought I would. Little Miss P tackles a subject that is shockingly still taboo, even in the 21st century. Little Miss P gives the menstrual cycle a physical form, a heart shaped character, and it visits various women, young and old, and checks in on their lives. She may cause cramps and bleeding but she does provide a shoulder for the women to lean on. Whether they have issues with their family, their jobs, or their love life, Little Miss P is there to listen.

For a male author to write this, Koyama managed to capture all of the female emotion so accurately. As I was reading this, I either laughing out loud or constantly saying to myself "Yes, that has happened to me. Although short chapters, it contains stories that I think most women would relate to. There is also an interesting introspective of how both men and women think of one another. I found that to be very insightful. Koyama also threw in a little history as well, such as the fictional story inspired by the life Yoshiko Sakai, who invented Japan's first sanitary napkins and Katsushika Ōi, a Japanese Ukiyo-e artist.

This book may not be for everyone but this is one that everyone needs to read. Although the artwork is not something to jump for joy over, this manga tackles a dark subject that needs to be more in the light. We need more books like this.

[Elena Varg]

Super fun art style! The stories where somewhat relatable, some very gendered things did bother me though: why do only male characters have libido and virginity as their companions? And isn’t the mangaka a man, who doesn’t get periods himself? (Wishing for period related content from the perspective of other genders is maybe still too much to hope for)

[Sera]

Absolutely an essential read. Not only is it a good insight on what people who have periods go through, it's funny and educational on the effects it has on people around us. It touches a bit on the effects of the libido in people, and how important it is to be properly educated on menstruation.

[Eryn]

A little weird, a little funny, a little cute - that's three stars. (But it was written by a man?!?!)