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A review by mhah
From Truant to Anime Screenwriter: My Path to “Anohana” and “The Anthem of the Heart” by Mari Okada, Kim Morrissy, Masayoshi Tanaka
5.0
The last time I read an autobiography, I was disappointed.
The premise was this Indonesian artist who went to prison because of a scandal. The first part was interesting, Indonesian jail from a first-person perspective is something that for some reason I haven't seen before. But then, it shifted away from this in only 20 pages or so. I quickly became disinterested because I don't really care for this person.
Well, this autobiography is different.
The story doesn't talk about the struggle to go from truancy to being one of the more prominent anime screenwriters out there. No, there's almost none of that. Instead, we get to see a first-person perspective on truancy and anime screenwriting, why and how, and the feelings behind it.
The concept of truancy is relevant to my surroundings. I have gotten a few classmates during my time that were truants. I wanted to know the psychology of "why" and "how". But this book related further than just that. The feelings described in the book felt very (dare I say it) relatable. I loved each and every small interaction, each story, each feeling described by the author.
Half of the book is about truancy, something that I didn't expect. I was expecting only a fraction of the book to be about truancy and the rest of the book about the struggle to be an anime screenwriter. Hah, nah man. The struggle IS the truancy. And the path to be an anime screenwriter? I find it to be reality that sometimes we just arrive at a destination or goal. I wasn't looking to be inspired at their pure hard work or say "wow they worked hard for this" while reading this. I was looking to read their feelings, thoughts, and happenings, just because it's fun to read. It's raw, personal, and intense.
I had no idea I was looking for a book like this, but suddenly I became entranced with this book.
I recommend this book even to non-anime fans.
P.S. The translator did an amazing job, this is a smooth read guaranteed.
The premise was this Indonesian artist who went to prison because of a scandal. The first part was interesting, Indonesian jail from a first-person perspective is something that for some reason I haven't seen before. But then, it shifted away from this in only 20 pages or so. I quickly became disinterested because I don't really care for this person.
Well, this autobiography is different.
The story doesn't talk about the struggle to go from truancy to being one of the more prominent anime screenwriters out there. No, there's almost none of that. Instead, we get to see a first-person perspective on truancy and anime screenwriting, why and how, and the feelings behind it.
The concept of truancy is relevant to my surroundings. I have gotten a few classmates during my time that were truants. I wanted to know the psychology of "why" and "how". But this book related further than just that. The feelings described in the book felt very (dare I say it) relatable. I loved each and every small interaction, each story, each feeling described by the author.
Half of the book is about truancy, something that I didn't expect. I was expecting only a fraction of the book to be about truancy and the rest of the book about the struggle to be an anime screenwriter. Hah, nah man. The struggle IS the truancy. And the path to be an anime screenwriter? I find it to be reality that sometimes we just arrive at a destination or goal. I wasn't looking to be inspired at their pure hard work or say "wow they worked hard for this" while reading this. I was looking to read their feelings, thoughts, and happenings, just because it's fun to read. It's raw, personal, and intense.
I had no idea I was looking for a book like this, but suddenly I became entranced with this book.
I recommend this book even to non-anime fans.
P.S. The translator did an amazing job, this is a smooth read guaranteed.