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thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this is a brutal and unpleasant book - quite deliberate, but unnerving coming from Tezuka, and in his cartoony style.
The plot is set over roughly 25 years, and revolve around the Tenge family, who are coping with the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Every member of the family is culpable for some crime - legal or moral, and of differing severities. Every member that is, except Ayako, who is only 4 when the story begins. She becomes something of a scapegoat for the family's ills - the guilty secret that haunts each of them.
It's an impressive work, with a wide emotional range. Very affecting, as even though at times unpleasant it is also compelling, and does not descend into mere prurience. In the story of one rotten family, Tezuka illustrates a swathe of Japanese history, and enriches it with a powerful allegory of sacrificed innocence. A truly multi-layered, monumental work.
One thing - I found the translation a little jarring. There was lots of mimicking of American country talk, presumably to show the provinciality of the Tenge family. It didn't really work for me.
The plot is set over roughly 25 years, and revolve around the Tenge family, who are coping with the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Every member of the family is culpable for some crime - legal or moral, and of differing severities. Every member that is, except Ayako, who is only 4 when the story begins. She becomes something of a scapegoat for the family's ills - the guilty secret that haunts each of them.
It's an impressive work, with a wide emotional range. Very affecting, as even though at times unpleasant it is also compelling, and does not descend into mere prurience. In the story of one rotten family, Tezuka illustrates a swathe of Japanese history, and enriches it with a powerful allegory of sacrificed innocence. A truly multi-layered, monumental work.
One thing - I found the translation a little jarring. There was lots of mimicking of American country talk, presumably to show the provinciality of the Tenge family. It didn't really work for me.
kaisadaughterofthevoid's review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Misogyny, Child death, Death, Incest, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Confinement, Sexism, Torture, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape
taniguchi's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There's a reason they call him the GOD of manga.
haileyedge's review against another edition
3.0
To be honest, my interest in reading Ayako came from the cover alone. The simplistic woodcut cover art had me absolutely foaming at the mouth, I did not care about the content I just knew I wanted to read this manga. After seeing a few people with taste that I trust speak positively about it I decided to pick it up for myself.
To my surprise Ayako vastly deviates from Osamu Tezuka's previous work (most notably Astro Boy) and instead takes on a far darker and more serious tone. That is not to say I expected Ayako to be similar to Tezuka's previous works, I was just surprised at how incredibly dissimilar it was. The themes of family traditions, honour, and legacy were all super interesting and tactfully illustrated. I thought Tezuka did an amazing job depicting a cold war era Japan that the characters exist in and making the world feel real without having to delve too far into Japan's complex history. Where I thought Tezuka faltered by a large margin was his inability to tastefully talk about women's experience during this time period. Although Ayako is centered around the main character, Ayako, she is offered very little agency, character development, or contribution to the plot. Supporting female characters O-Ryo and Su'E are treated as accessories to male characters and are both uniquely 'stupid' and 'crazy' in their own right. Naoko is the only female character who is written to have her own self-interest in mind, however even she is made irrelevant after a series of events which takes her male counterpart away from her. Having a novel so largely centred around women, but not allowing the characters the space to express their own interests is disturbing but unfortunately so common in media. Ayako having been written in 1973 excuses this issue slightly, as obviously the rights and wrongs of female depiction were not as clearly defined back then, however there are plenty of contemporary male Japanese writers who managed to navigate this tactfully including Haruki Murakami, Junji Ito, and Yukio Mishima.
The art in Ayako is what really holds this story together for me. At the beginning of the novel the characters are drawn rather cartoonish and are very expressive. I found a lot of the frames comical as family antics unfolded. As the story progresses the frames become more dark and filled with despair. The gradual transition is almost unnoticeable as you read through, however this really turns the tone of the story and makes each event more believable. I was really impressed by the consistency in the quality of art throughout this manga, even the most insignificant frames are articulately drawn.
Overall, I did enjoy Ayako, however I had my issues with some of its themes. I think I would give Ayako 3.5 stars if Goodreads had half stars, but I am settling on the safe side with 3 for now.
To my surprise Ayako vastly deviates from Osamu Tezuka's previous work (most notably Astro Boy) and instead takes on a far darker and more serious tone. That is not to say I expected Ayako to be similar to Tezuka's previous works, I was just surprised at how incredibly dissimilar it was. The themes of family traditions, honour, and legacy were all super interesting and tactfully illustrated. I thought Tezuka did an amazing job depicting a cold war era Japan that the characters exist in and making the world feel real without having to delve too far into Japan's complex history. Where I thought Tezuka faltered by a large margin was his inability to tastefully talk about women's experience during this time period. Although Ayako is centered around the main character, Ayako, she is offered very little agency, character development, or contribution to the plot. Supporting female characters O-Ryo and Su'E are treated as accessories to male characters and are both uniquely 'stupid' and 'crazy' in their own right. Naoko is the only female character who is written to have her own self-interest in mind, however even she is made irrelevant after a series of events which takes her male counterpart away from her. Having a novel so largely centred around women, but not allowing the characters the space to express their own interests is disturbing but unfortunately so common in media. Ayako having been written in 1973 excuses this issue slightly, as obviously the rights and wrongs of female depiction were not as clearly defined back then, however there are plenty of contemporary male Japanese writers who managed to navigate this tactfully including Haruki Murakami, Junji Ito, and Yukio Mishima.
The art in Ayako is what really holds this story together for me. At the beginning of the novel the characters are drawn rather cartoonish and are very expressive. I found a lot of the frames comical as family antics unfolded. As the story progresses the frames become more dark and filled with despair. The gradual transition is almost unnoticeable as you read through, however this really turns the tone of the story and makes each event more believable. I was really impressed by the consistency in the quality of art throughout this manga, even the most insignificant frames are articulately drawn.
Overall, I did enjoy Ayako, however I had my issues with some of its themes. I think I would give Ayako 3.5 stars if Goodreads had half stars, but I am settling on the safe side with 3 for now.
stormblessed4's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thevillainschronicles's review
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
obnorthrup's review against another edition
3.0
A complex crime drama with a despicable cast (by design). Maybe not Tezuka's best work, but a worthwhile read.
strawberryteeth's review
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0