Noe’s Comics Nook: My Broken Mariko

Review

Full disclosure: I knew going in that My Broken Mariko is a story of grief in the wake of a loved one’s suicide, but I still wasn’t prepared for how overwhelming this manga would be. I found reason to cry in every chapter – but just as much reason to genuinely laugh.

Creator Waka Hirako strikes a perfect balance between respect for the seriousness of the story and creating space for the reader to breathe before the next painful revelation. (This hardcover edition also includes an unrelated short titled Yiska.)

My Broken Mariko opens with Tomoyo Shiino hearing about the death of her best friend, Mariko Ikagawa, from a television while eating out. After a brief bout of disbelief and dealing with an unkind (to put it mildly) employer, Shiino decides to “free” Mariko’s ashes from her (as we’ll soon learn) abusive father, and takes her on one final journey to the beach, like they’d always dreamed. Unfortunately, along the way, Shiino has her belongings stolen, nearly loses Mariko’s ashes, and survives a night sleeping alone on the street. All of this combined with her overwhelming grief leads her to a dark place, the kindness of an unnamed stranger, and after events I won’t spoil here, one final letter from her best friend.

This isn’t a manga that everyone will be able to handle – there is brutal honesty about the abuse Mariko suffered – and it’s okay if you can’t. We shouldn’t shy away from hard stories or truths, but if you’ve already experienced your own, there is no reason to reopen those wounds. Whether you find yourself reading Mariko or you don’t, you should remember this quote from our unnamed kind stranger: “Maybe to reunite with someone who’s gone… all you can do is keep on living yourself… take care of the one you loved in your memories… and take care of yourself too.”

Elements of Story

Plot: When Tomoyo Shiino is blindsided by her best friend Mariko’s death, she sets out to have one last (albeit, grief-stricken) journey with her friend – beginning with liberating Mariko’s ashes from her father and the abuse of the past.

Characters: Tomoyo Shiino, Mariko Ikagawa, Mariko’s Father, Kyouko Tamura, Bag Snatcher, Unnamed Good Citizen, Bar Owner, Unnamed Drinkers

Major Settings: Shiino’s apartment, Mariko’s apartment(s), Childhood memories, Marigaoka Cape

Themes: Suicide, grief, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional), depression, kindness, friendship

Lesson Plan Idea Using Common Core Standards (CCS)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.E – Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
Directions: Throughout My Broken Mariko we are privy to many of the letters written to Shiino by Mariko over the course of their friendship – from childhood all the way though to adulthood. One of the hardest things for loved ones left behind after someone dies by suicide is the wondering of “why” and “what could I have done” – feelings amplified if no note or letter of explanation is left behind. While at first it seems Shiino will be left with these feelings, we see at the story’s end that Mariko did leave her one last letter – but we aren’t shown what it says.

For this assignment, students will use what they’ve learned about Mariko and Shiino’s relationship throughout the manga – particularly through their written communication – to write a possible example of Mariko’s final letter to Shiino. Students should work in pairs to complete this, as this assignment – as with the text – is emotionally challenging and having someone to talk through things with should help in processing the difficulty of these themes. Students should be reassured that there is no “right” answer in this assignment, rather, there are only well-informed by the text possibilities.