year: 2019
author: hirako waka
genre: josei, tragedy, drama

shiino goes on a small journey after she finds out her friend, mariko, passed away. her adventure partner? mariko's stolen ashes.

i remember seeing this manga panel at pinterest that looked pretty nicely drawn, and with my best abilities tried to investigate the source. it's then that i stumbled with my broken mariko, a sad story about grief— about a girl comitting suicide and someone dear to her trying to make her happy even when she wasn't there anymore. A short manga with four chapters staring at two friends trying to escape the cruel life of Mariko.

the artstyle is lovely. it looks drawn with a sketch pen, and sometimes it looks all over the place, as if someone was trying to convey an idea before starting to really do it, if that makes sense? the expressions are on point, and i love when, as it got comedic, the faces transformed into a more goofy expression. it is pretty unique, and i could feel the desperation in shiino as hiraka drew her with such expressions and sudden/erratic movements. i loved shiino's reactions.

then there's the story-- a journey for grief and a resolution. we see shiino doing the only thing she can after her dear friend is dead: tries to fulfill a desire she wanted when she was younger-- go to the sea with shiino. our protagonist is very impulsive, and shouts a lot and i love that actually. she's expressive, and she says what she wants whenever she wants. in their trip together, she cries, get's robbed, yells at her friend, gets drunk, all while recollecting her life with her broken friend. we are shown mariko didn't have the best life— even after leaving her abusive father, she never encountered truly happiness, and no one that made her happy as much as shiino did. shiino was a pillar who did what she could even if she didn't understand mariko fully, and that is beautiful.

all of the cruel things her father did to her made mariko a more broken, unstable adult who's only affection she could find was abuse. we get to see this as she sees an ex-boyfriend who was abusive, and her even saying she would endure anything if any man loved her as the way she was. it looked like shiino was one, if not the few things of why mariko stayed alive as long as she did-- the only person who protected her even in the most difficult times. and perhaps mariko already had her mind set about her future time ago. shiino believes she didn't do enough for her friend, and we can see how heartbroken she is. what if i did more? what if i talked to her more? what if i said this or that? are questions that plagues someone's mind after such events, but shiino picks up the pieces because drowning in that void is useless, so she tries to do something both of them wanted to conclude what needed to be finished.

even if the manga's main theme is about suicide, there is some comedy relief in it that is nicely done and doesn't seem forced. some mangas i've read about the same topic often get too dark in a way that forces the 'intellectually deep' narrative, but my broken mariko does a good job at doing a simple yet painful tale about a friend trying to do her best; and, i believe media doesn't have to be 100% realistic to be good, but mariko, both the character and the story, feel too close in such a way that feels comforting. you know a shiino or a mariko, you may be a shiino or a mariko--you can be both sides of the same coin.

the only perspective we get is from shiino, and the trip has a lot memories that adds to the backstory. it would have been nice to see mariko's perspective in a chapter, but i understand why her last moments, past days remained a mistery. you truly don't know what that person thought before that day when they aren't here anymore... and also, it's not really needed.

for me, this manga was enjoyable. it made me tear up a little, but is because im sensitive af sometimes LOL. i loved the art and the characters, and seeing how abuse shapes someone's idea of love or comfort is truly heartbreaking. mariko is such a real character, who's environment influenced her wants in life that aren't clearly the best options and ended in tragedy.

i believe my broken mariko did leave an impact with me. it was different, and even if some people say this is a 'fetishization' of suicide, i don't believe so. shiino has her reasons to do the things she does, yes, she yells because why she shouldn't? her best friend is dead, and she thinks she wasn't good enough to help her. she can't try and help mariko anymore, she can't protect her, she can't hug her. shiino is hurting, so i think she has the right to be hysterical if she wants lol.