Joseitenin Maki Suzue
Joseitenin Maki Suzue (Miranian: 女性店員 真貴 鈴江, "Saleslady Maki Suzue") is a Gylimanga series. Created by Chihiro Munakata, it was first published on Telecomix in 2010, and later collected in tankōbon volumes and translated into English and French.
The series updated sporadically, and was concluded in 2020, on its 10th anniversary.
Plot
The series follows the adventures of Maki Suzue (真貴 鈴江), a merchant and saleswoman who lives in Arnak.
Maki is an optimistic, charismatic, and tenacious professional woman. However, she is also clumsy and honest to the point of naïvety. The central irony of the series is that while Maki is a mediocre saleswoman at best, her openness and hypersexuality make her an extremely successful sex worker, which she nevertheless considers a secondary occupation.
Background
Joseitenin Maki Suzue was Chihiro Munakata's second work after the sleeper hit success of Kenkyūsha Ayako to joshu Himeko. He designed the series as a mirror image, trying to take elements in a different direction.
Thus, while Ayako has two sisters as protagonists, Maki has just one; Ayako is set in Maveás, on Gylias' west coast, while Maki is set in Arnak, on the east coast; Ayako's comedy drew from the tradition of the Gish sisters and Chikageki double acts, while Maki is modeled more after Edwige Ferré's Poliziotta comedies.
Maki's portrayal as misjudging her skills as a merchant versus sex work pokes fun at the Miranian Gylian stereotype of successful and industrious entrepreneurs.
Chihiro stated in an interview,
"I admire Maki's optimism, bordering on delusion. She utterly refuses to bow to reality. Innocence is her armour in a way, and there's a strength to that. I think she exists to defy this idea that as adults we must lose the best parts we had as children, or look down on our younger selves."
Reception
Initially published on Telecomix, Joseitenin Maki Suzue built on the existing success of Kenkyūsha Ayako to joshu Himeko, gaining a positive reception. Reviewers praised the series' characterisation, easygoing comedy, and graceful handling of sexuality.
It was later collected in tankōbon volumes as Chihiro gathered new chapters, and translated into English and French.