To be honest, I never thought that a manga like Princess Jellyfish will be licensed in English. Maybe it’s because I always assume that people aren’t that interested in josei manga as much as shoujo manga.

Sure, we do have quite many josei manga that receive an English release such as NANA and Paradise Kiss.

So, it won’t be long before Princess Jellyfish is getting an English release as well.

And the fact that many people enjoy watching the anime makes it a no-brainer for Kodansha to license the manga in English too.

As much as I always encourage people to go straight to the original source, I highly recommend you give the anime version a try as well.

After all, that’s how I got to know Princess Jellyfish to the point that I want to read the manga. I just want to know how the story will eventually end.

For those who are curious, Princess Jellyfish is also known as Kurage Hime in Japanese.

What Princess Jellyfish is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from Bookwalker.

Tsukimi Kurashita has a strange fascination with jellyfish. She’s loved them from a young age and has carried that love with her to her new life in the big city of Tokyo. There, she resides in Amamizukan, a safe-haven for girl geeks who regularly gush over a range of things from trains to Japanese dolls. However, a chance meeting at a pet shop has Tsukimi crossing paths with one of the things that the residents of Amamizukan have been desperately trying to avoid?a beautiful and fashionable woman! But there’s much more to this woman than her trendy clothes! This odd encounter is only the beginning of a new and unexpected path for Tsukimi and her friends.

What got me to read this manga

I’m not sure if I ever mentioned anything about it on my blog post right here, but I also have a penchant for any story that talks about the otaku culture.

It’s because of this reason that draws me to watch Princess Jellyfish anime in the first place.

And the fact that the first book from the series was on sale at that time is also another reason that got me to get this manga too.

What makes Princess Jellyfish worth reading

I love the strong message that the manga is trying to portray here which is everyone can be pretty even if they don’t fit the beauty standard.

With the right makeup, hairstyle, and outfit, you can transform yourself from being meh to fabulous.

Yes, the manga does make it clear that even an otaku can transform into something magnificent.

Of course, these people need a helping hand when it comes to transforming themselves. But the point is you can become your best self if you put a lot of efforts into it.

Yes, we all need someone like Kuranosuke in our life. And fortunately, we have many of these people online thanks to YouTube.

Okay, I don’t mean that we need a cross-dresser guy to help with improving ourselves. What I mean by that is we do need someone who can help us with becoming our best self.

There are plenty of tutorials on how to do makeup, hairstyle, and even how to dress up according to your body type online. So, you can get more or less the same advice as to the one that Kuranosuke gave to these ladies.

What I didn’t expect when I read this manga

While the manga does give us a glimpse of the otaku culture, the manga also touches upon the social hierarchy in general.

Sure, we do have people who come from the typical middle-class background like those girls in Amamizukan.

But we also have a handful of people who are coming from a reputable family with a strong political background. Just imagine having these types of people crossing path with those girls in Amamizukan.

Sure, these girls tend to get a jeer from people like them because of the way they look. And even worse, their strange obsession about something and how socially awkward they can be sometimes.

But the moment those girls are transforming themselves, these people can’t keep their eyes off from them anymore.

That’s the power of physical appearance. It can change other people’s perceptions of you.

And then we have Kuranosuke who is an illegitimate child of a Japanese politician. It’s great to know that his father and his brother accepted him into the family. But the downside is he had to be separated from his mother. And it’s even worse that he had no idea where his mother was.

I will say that the manga goes so much deeper than the otaku culture since it also touches upon the lesser-known part of Japanese society.

Well, at least for someone like me who doesn’t know much about the Japanese culture other than what I experienced myself and also through reading about this subject.

Who should read the manga

If you’re like me who has a keen interest in the otaku culture and the lesser-known part of the Japanese culture, then you will certainly find the manga to be fascinating.

Love a story that has an empowering message? Then you’ll enjoy this manga too.

Just to let you know that the manga does have many hilarious scenes. But I won’t bet on it to be a frequent occurrence, though.

You can expect to get a few chuckles here and there. But certainly not throughout the whole book. If comedy is what you’re seeking for, then you won’t get that much from this manga.

Where to buy Princess Jellyfish manga

As always, you can get the manga in digital or in print on Amazon. That’s where I got mine. If you’re interested in getting the manga in whichever format you prefer, you can get it right here:

Buy Princess Jellyfish manga on Amazon

In the mood of binge-reading? You can also buy the manga box set on Amazon too. You can buy the manga box set right here:

Buy Princess jellyfish manga box set on Amazon

Can’t buy the manga on Amazon? You can also buy the manga on Bookwalker too. For some reason, the manga is a lot more expensive than the one on Amazon due to its larger size.

If you don’t mind with paying extra for the larger size, you can get the manga right here on Bookwalker:

Buy Princess Jellyfish manga on Bookwalker

Prefer to read the manga in print? You can also get the manga on Wordery too. I highly recommend Wordery because they offer free shipping worldwide.

If you’d like to get the manga on Wordery, you can get it right here:

Buy Princess Jellyfish manga on Wordery

And yes, you can buy the manga box set on Wordery too. Here’s the link if you’re interested:

Buy Princess Jellyfish manga box set on Wordery

Prefer to read the manga in Japanese? You can buy the manga at CDJapan right here:

Buy Princess Jellyfish manga on CDJapan

Over to you

What do you think about Princess Jellyfish? Are you interested in reading the manga after you read about it on my blog? Let me know in the comment below.

P.S If you enjoy reading thriller and suspense seinen light novel with a female protagonist in it, take a look at my novel, The Diary of Modern Cinderella and also Trigger Locked: The Mind Control Assassins.

Curious about these novels? You can buy the ebook version right here through Payhip:

Buy The Diary of Modern Cinderella ebook

Buy Trigger Locked: The Mind Control Assassins ebook