bluepigeon 's review for:

Nonnonba by Shigeru Mizuki

5.0

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A great memoir, NonNonBa has the perfect blend of the supernatural creatures of Japanese folk tales and a very tangible childhood in rural 20th-century Japan. Our unlikely hero prefers to indulge in stories of goblins and monsters and spirits from the grandma figure in his life and draw manga than to go to middle school. You can imagine his mother's worries. There is a certain sadness that runs through the cheerful and carefree childhood days, where boy gangs declare daily war against each other. There is extreme poverty, child labor, crime, disease, death, and even child trade. But like many lives, there is humor, cheer, victory, and friendship, and there is family. Almost everything that happens, even the stains on the ceiling, can be explained by the mysterious and scary spirits that lurk around everywhere, from bathtubs to untraveled roads at nights. Mizuki's memoir documents how the undesirable or horrible things in life can be and have been explained by superstitious or religious beliefs for centuries. The art and the panels are exquisitely drawn. Some panels have such great detail that one can spend a good amount of time admiring the story in slow motion.
All in all, in terms of story and art work, NonNonBa is a masterpiece. As a memoir, it shines in depth and humor.