Dr. M: Day Five--A manga you would recommend to everyone

I am officially adding my voice to the I Love Fumi Yoshinaga Fanclub by requesting that everyone go out and read a copy of Flower of Life.

A High-school Story 

In a lot of ways the series is "just" a high-school story, but it's a high-school story that only Fumi Yoshinaga could have written.

It centers on two unlikely best friends, Haru and Shota, as they try to navigate their way through high-school and into adulthood. Their goal is to write/draw manga...but they aren't sure how to go about getting it published.

Haru has Leukemia and a crazy sister              Shota is chubby and adorable

There is also a cast of other characters. In a lot of ways the four-volume series is an ensemble piece with entwined and resonant story lines.

It's funny. Honest to a fault. Sad. Nostalgic. A little naughty at points. Poignant. Introspective. Ridiculous. Heart-warming. Troubling. It's a LOT, in a little space, yet so perfectly balanced and expressive that it never feels indulgent, or overwritten. I think this is my favorite of her works, and  I can't really imagine a single person who couldn't find their way into this slice-of-life series. I think even those, GASP!, manga haters would find something to love about this series.

Also, Shota is adorable.