Flower of Life (Japanese: フラワー·オブ·ライフ, Hepburn: Furawa obu Raifu) is a comic book series created by Fumi Yoshinaga. It follows a group of high school friends and focuses on their everyday lives and humorous experiences. The series is published in parts in Shinshokan's Wings magazine. In 2008, it was considered for the Manga Taishō Award and listed as one of the Great Graphic Novels by the Young Adult Library Services Association. The comic is published in North America by Digital Manga Publishing.
Plot
Harutaro Hanazono, a happy and talkative boy, begins school at his new high school one month later because he has been recovering from a bone marrow transplant to help treat his leukemia. He makes friends with Shota Mikuni, who is also friends with Kai Majima, an otaku. Harutaro finds Kai annoying. The story shows Harutaro's life at school.
Manga
Four books were published in Japan by Shinshokan from April 2004 to March 2007. Digital Manga Publishing published the manga's four tankōbon (printed books) from January 17, 2007, to May 20, 2009.
Reception
Comics Worth Reading's Johanna Draper Carlson points out problems with the first volume of the manga, saying the plot "jumps around a good deal." In a later review, she discusses the variety of characters in the second volume. She also notes that Fumi Yoshinaga treats the manga like an anthology, similar to her earlier work, Antique Bakery.
About.com's Deb Aoki praises the manga for combining "slice of life comedy and high school romance" in a friendly way. However, she criticizes the author for assuming readers already know manga culture and otaku slang. She also mentions the manga has too much dialogue. Erin Finnegan from Pop Shock Culture expresses uncertainty about the manga's target audience. Patricia Beard from Mania.com highlights the manga's realistic portrayal of small moments in school life. Jason Thompson, writing in the appendix of Manga: The Complete Guide, describes Flower of Life as Yoshinaga's version of the high school comedy genre. While the plot uses familiar elements, Thompson says the characters are completely new and help carry the story.
The fourth volume of Flower of Life was ranked 8th on the Tohan charts from May 29 to June 4, 2007. In 2008, Yoshinaga was nominated for the Eisner Award for her work on The Moon and the Sandals and Flower of Life. Flower of Life was also nominated by the Young Adult Library Services Association for its 2008 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens. Additionally, Flower of Life was nominated for the first Manga Taishō award in 2008.