In Clothes Called Fat

Diet or Die?

In Clothes Called Fat

By Moyoco Anno

Graphic Novel/Manga
Paperback, 268 pages, 5.75 x 8.25 inches

978-1-939130-43-3 Buy.
U.S.$16.95 / CAN$17.95

From the pen of Moyoco Anno comes a stunning tale of self-image and self-loathing. In Clothes Called Fat details the lives of young women earnestly revealing the struggles women may have with their bodies and sexuality.

Noko appears to be living a great life, she's got a good job and a loving boyfriend, but beneath a thin veneer is a young woman who is struggling with her self-image and self-confidence as she fights to keep her weight down. To Noko, being 5 pounds overweight means being miles away from happiness in her lovelife and in her work-place.

Originally serialized in a major weekly newsmagazine for adult women (Shukan Josei, the first of its kind to be launched in Japan), this early gem from graphic novel megastar Moyoco Anno may be her most searing work to be published in English yet, closer in spirit to some of the best stateside indie comics—ironically, given its mainstream pedigree—than to most translated manga. In Clothes Called Fat is an indispensable addition to your growing library of sequential art for mature readers.


Tokyo native Moyoco Anno was born March 26, 1971. Known as one of the major names in Japanese women’s comics, she is equally known for her iconic fashion designs and as a fashion writer. Her manga and books have attained considerable popularity among young women in Japan. Though she primarily writes manga for women, her most popular title in the west has been Sugar Sugar Rune, which was targeted at primary school-aged girls.

In a recent Japanese poll, she was voted the eighth most popular manga artist among females and thirteen in the general category. Most of her works have been adapted for film or TV, including Sakuran, Hataraki-Man, and Sugar Sugar Rune. In 2005, Anno’s Sugar Sugar Rune won the prestigious Kodansha Comics Award in the girls comics category.

Praise for Moyoco Anno's works:

“Anno’s unique style, with its huge eyes (even for manga) and fashion-influenced design, and her off-kilter female personalities are put into a Japanese period piece. Although perhaps best known here for the children’s series Sugar Sugar Rune, her josei work, Happy Mania, is closer in tone to this stand-alone volume...The demanding book rewards attention and is not for new manga readers; best for those experienced with the format seeking something a bit out of the ordinary for adults.”
Publishers Weekly