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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
via NYPL - Mizuki's memoir of an older woman (called NonNonBa) who lived with him as a child, introducing him to the spooky Yokai of Japanese lore. The book also details several formative moments in Mizuki's childhood among his band of friends, his dreamer father's struggles with serious employment (and said father's encouragement of Mizuki's artistic talents) and the loss of a childhood friend to human trafficking. Despite that last part, it's a largely endearing, entertaining book, and definitely worth a look.
Shigeru Mizuki is fascinated by yokai (spirits/supernatural) and he excels at sharing that obsession with the rest of us. This book is a beautiful memoir of Mizuki's childhood and the origins of that interest in yokai. I absolutely adored this book on many levels. It is memoir/autobiography, history, a children's story, cultural anthroplogy, mythology, coming of age, and nostalgia all in one.
Mizuki shows us what it was like to be a child in a small Japanese village on the cusp of WWII. Surprisingly, it looks a lot like childhood everywhere. There are battles between gangs of boys, sibling rivalry, parents who don't always agree but often have wisdom to pass along, young love, heartbreak, and at the center of it all, a sensitive boy who makes his own path. And of course, there's Nonnonba, the elderly neighbor who provides the young Shigeru with an introduction into the world of yokai.
The writing is wonderfully clear and direct. The illustrations are a superb blend of cartoon, realism, and fantasy. Mizuki's drawings of the yokai themselves are magical. This may be the closest you can come to truly seeing through another's eyes, and it is a privilege. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in manga, in spirits, in pre-WWII history, or who simply enjoys a good book about a child growing up and discovering his passion and himself.
Mizuki shows us what it was like to be a child in a small Japanese village on the cusp of WWII. Surprisingly, it looks a lot like childhood everywhere. There are battles between gangs of boys, sibling rivalry, parents who don't always agree but often have wisdom to pass along, young love, heartbreak, and at the center of it all, a sensitive boy who makes his own path. And of course, there's Nonnonba, the elderly neighbor who provides the young Shigeru with an introduction into the world of yokai.
The writing is wonderfully clear and direct. The illustrations are a superb blend of cartoon, realism, and fantasy. Mizuki's drawings of the yokai themselves are magical. This may be the closest you can come to truly seeing through another's eyes, and it is a privilege. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in manga, in spirits, in pre-WWII history, or who simply enjoys a good book about a child growing up and discovering his passion and himself.
A truly fun dive into a child's coming of age story, his interactions with his grandmother, as well as culture and supernatural elements in the Japan.
I would not recommend this for one's first Mizuki book but its really great to add to one's collection.
I would not recommend this for one's first Mizuki book but its really great to add to one's collection.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
A winning combination of lovely whimsy and serious commentary about the interactions between industrial economy and supernatural belief systems, and their concurrent social dynamics. The narrative is full of cute gags and pleasant derivations, though the sturdy spine of the story is Shigeru's relationships with close family members and a cast of women who seem have direct lines with the spirit realm. Indeed, the stake in losing this connection may be the main theme of the plot, and the implication seems to be more dire for those with little or no belief in its existence.
I read this book for my class, and I really enjoyed it!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
A yōkai (妖怪, same word as used in the Japanese translation of the first sentence of the Communist Manifesto; also note the casual misogyny in the character 妖 meaning both “calamity” and “attractive”, incorporating the characters for “woman” 女 and “early death” 夭) in the form of a wart that makes young Shigeru (“Gege”) suddenly very good at school. The wart-phantom points out, pleading for its life, “This country is a pretty good place if you can pass tests.” Gege has to agree: “I guess so. Everyone treats you differently when you do well on tests. Life isn’t about your actual talent.”
This memoir–manga is absolutely awesome: I explained death to my young children using the imagery of the Hundred Thousandth World, and the universality of young death in those early days of modern medicine. It’s a really meaningful memoir of a boy’s days as a boy. Shigeru Mizuki is a national treasure.
This memoir–manga is absolutely awesome: I explained death to my young children using the imagery of the Hundred Thousandth World, and the universality of young death in those early days of modern medicine. It’s a really meaningful memoir of a boy’s days as a boy. Shigeru Mizuki is a national treasure.