“Running through the city [...] is a river. It runs slowly, stagnant and smelly [...] and you can often find things like corpses of cats rolling around down there”.

From the bold leader of Josei manga we get this masterfully crafted coming of age story.

It was written in 1993, just a year after Japan had it’s bubble burst. Economy was stagnated. And that’s the first thing we see in the manga - the rundown school, the abandoned plots and the stained river.

The art in this manga is simple, yet dirty and messy. Much like the lives of its protagonists.
They are adolescents, living their day-to-day lives which on the surface may look simple, consisting of going to school, coming back home, sometimes hanging out with friends... Albeit they aren't what they seem: These teenagers are living in an unsupportive environment while dealing with the darkest of their feelings. They’re trying to make sense of themselves first, and of the world around them, thus thrown into confusion and a whirl of emotions, all visible to us through their actions and inner dialogues.

The ‘colours’ and shades in this manga are rather dull, and that can reflect the main protagonist’s indifference to life and the people around her.
Violence, teenage sex, drugs, eating disorders, bullying and death are all heavy themes tackled in this story.
These teenagers are seeking answers, an identity they can be proud of, love, and validation from another.
Who’s to say what’s right and what’s wrong? Isn't it ironic how the manga is dyed with black, white, and very little shading, when life as we know it is the complete opposite?

From panel to panel, the transition is done wittily many times.
Not only that, but also using dual meanings for a single frame, as seen in the shower shot below. The water coming from the shower-head looks like sharp needles hailing down. This can very well speak of the feelings of the person in this scene, who - out of frustration and hopelessness - is attempting a taboo that is most likely bringing pain down with it.

In addition to critiquing the way homosexuality is looked at in Japan, and advocating for the bare minimum of respect, Okazaki stings the society with one more critique - gossip.
It is vividly visible in every chapter, those scary bubbles of gossip. Many times meaningless - a show of vanity. Lies to get boredom away. But many times more they start with a piece of truth, dealt from mouth to ear, invading the privacy of it’s ‘hero’ and getting layers and layers of paint on it, until it’s face is barely recognized. It’s not the ‘truth’ anymore, but it still affects lives and changes realities.

She then goes on to deal with this even more, as well as criticize the modern consumer-focused Japan in another work (See Helter Skelter & I would strongly recommend watching the 2012 movie version of it).

Back to river's Edge, her care for nature is shown in this work - bringing to attention animal brutality, aquariums, and water pollution.

Lastly, it is worthy to mention the following analogy: The river is a source of life. As it flows, making it's way to the ocean, it nourishes the Earth's sprouts, helping them grow well and strong.
But when it's muddy, poisonous and stagnated, then the amount of support it can give plummets.
And the same goes for society. As we all go through our lives, if we stick to bad habits and toxicity, be it ignoring the troubled, focusing on overwhelming gossip and rejecting whoever does not fit our pre-set social norms, then what type of life are we 'dumping' on our next generation?

This sentence sums up the story very well: