Now, I can't imagine another art style for this manga, since the grotesque features and lack of rendering adds to the storytelling, in my opinion. Ugly and disturbing as it is, what the desperate Liliko reflects is our own desperation to be perceived as beautiful, as well as our fears of aging. Approaching an unread book and believing it to be anything other than an undiscovered experience is an unhappy arrogance common to too many of us. Helter Skelter tells a tale reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard (and even straight-up references the Billy Wilder film) and prescient of Moyocco Anno’s Sakuran. Her deteriorating mental and physical state because of this leads her manipulative personality, controlling and using those around her.

She attacks rivals in love and beauty, takes her hatred of herself out on others in the most twisted fashions, and in general seems the kind of unsavory character one would strive to avoid. Helter Skelter is an older work, but smart enough that it will likely feel contemporary even forty years from now. I can’t back any of this up with published sources, please take it with a grain of salt, but it is my understanding of the situation.Kyoko Okazaki, born December 13, 1963, is considered by many as one of the mothers of josei (women's) comics. EditSynopsis Japanese supermodel and fashion icon Liliko leads a posh life, wearing and promoting the biggest brands in the country. Imagine: when the monster moves inside your head, into the very cranium of your being, and unleashes its destruction from within, the psychological toll and weight it brings can be nothing but devastating.

The latest addition to Vertical's new women's comic line is the woman who lead the way for the current generation of Japanese josei (women's) comickers, Kyoko Okazaki. Both are truly masters of portraying various facets of the human condition and the world that shapes it. In general the ending does paint quite a tried and true picture of the media and idol industry and overall contemporary mentality in general.In this context, I see liberation as a physical and mental act of breaking through what has been long established as our ‘rightful’ place as women, breaking into domains from which we have been rejected for millennia, domains which have been traditionally ruled by the male voice, the male body. This makes Chiharu uncomfortable about it and makes her realize that the Liliko she once remembered is gone.