.
I think I've read it at least 20 times.
.
.
Muu-tachi. It's a two-volume series by Enomoto Shunji. (I really wanted him to make it more like 5 volumes.)
.
The story mostly revolves around two characters: the father Minoru, and his middle-school-age son Muu.
.
.
Mmm...i wonder if you could call this manga "metaphysical."
.
.
There's a weird art museum...
.
.
A sort of joyful sense of wandering through a creepy, surreal dreamscape...
.
If you stop paying attention
.
.
The art sneaks up behind you.
.
For me, it's the same sort of pleasure I get from the work of De Chirico, Dali, or Escher.
.
The first time I read it...
.
I kept thinking "what do I call this feeling...?"
.
And then...
.
I felt "nostalgic" for a manga artist for the first time...
.
I thought, "yeah, that's it!"
.
A weird, sort of helpless homesickness....
.
It's present throughout the whole manga.
.
I love the feeling it gives me.
.
.
.
.
It's wonderful the way the father Minoru just interacts with his son Muu in his own strange, unique way, without ever denying or scolding.
.
Also, you can recognize Minoru immediately after seeing even one panel.
.
.
It's a great manga for those long autumn nights that will be coming soon.
.
(I wonder, will he ever write a sequel?)
.
IMAI 09:00
Dear sweet Imai. All that rock star leg kicking and pouting could never hide the fact that you are so very sensitive and articulate, as illustrated here in your blog. The manga looks interesting indeed. I wish I could read it. Thanks for the translation, Cayce!!
ReplyDeleteYe, the art definitely looks unique. The art itself is very simple (unlike the art of a artist like Obata), but the impact it has on its readers might be bigger, because of its uniqueness.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will ever translate it to English, and distribute it to my place (Holland).
Although i don think that wil ever happen ; (
Oh Imai.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the translation!