Stupid Guy Goes To India

Stupid Guy Goes To India #1

by Yukichi Yamamatsu, Kumar Sivasubramanian (Translator)

Literary Nonfiction. Autobiography. Asian & Asian American Studies. Graphic Novel. Translated from the Japanese by Kumar Sivasubramanian. In 2004, having never before left Japan, 56-year-old manga author Yukichi Yamamatsu travelled to India, armed with little money, less English, no sigmoid colon, and absolutely no idea of what to expect. He did, however, bring with him his formidable art skills, a missionary zeal for spreading Japanese comics culture, and a keen pair of eyes—through which we are treated to a hilarious, brutally honest look at India as it presents itself to the foreign visitor. This is the true story of Yukichi's adventures—playing marbles, searching for bathrooms, betting on horses, visiting a brothel—and his madcap mission to sell Hindi translations of samurai manga on the mean streets of the nation's capital.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Manga, Comics, Nonfiction, Humor, Japan, Travel

232 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Gita Madhu]

is my first manga. While my desire to read manga grew in direct proportion to my increasing engagement with Japanese doramas and films, most of which are based on manga, I did not know where to begin. By this time, I had even forgotten my excitement at seeing this book at a Comic Con in Delhi, some years back.
So, I was justifiably thrilled to see it at my library. With my new strategy for catching up on reading, including a self-imposed challenge, I finished this graphic account yesterday.
It is hard to say if I would have enjoyed it as much had I not been such a fan of J doramas and films. Perhaps I would still be enchanted with it as my recent search is for books from other voices.
Even today, most people, the world over, read "White". Most best-sellers, most books which get some exposure, are either by authors of European origin or have been endorsed by bodies in lands with European origin population majorities.
Of late, I'm on the lookout for authors outside this circle and for accounts by non-White authors which explore other non-White cultures. One reason for this is that we have been brainwashed to think that we, the victims of racism, are the most racist. It is pointed out that we behave most intolerantly to the other. This is not so well borne out by traveler accounts from among our many nations which pre-date colonialism.
Published by Blaft Publications Private Limited in association with Tranquebar, this 230 page book reads from right to left and from back to front. That, in itself, made this a gourmet experience.
Author Yukichi Yamamatsu, was already a recognized name in the world of Japanese manga when he first came to India. The result of this visit is his autobiographical account, first published in Japanese in 2008.
Translator Kumar Sivasubramanian, an Indian-born Canadian, who has translated over sixty volumes of manga to English, has done justice to the incredible task at hand.
The cover, it seems, has been changed to avoid the usual from Hindu fanatic uproar.
In 2004, 56 year-old mangaka, Yukichi Yamamatsu, who, very uncharacteristically for a person from Japan, cannot even use a cell phone, comes to India to introduce us to mangas by getting them translated into Hindi and selling them. This book is about the trials and tribulations that he faces in this Herculean task. He has scant funds and an even scanter knowledge of either English or Hindi. He has diabetes and some terrible bowel condition.
Called Indo e Baka ga Yattekita, the outcome of that visit was translated into English three years later by Blaft Publication, in Chennai, as Stupid Guy Goes to India.
His irreverent humour which does not even spare himself peppers the book. Delhi and its denizens are described most mercilessly, yet with incredible affection. Right from the word go, he is swindled, but he learns to bargain fiercely, travels in all forms of public transport, gets lost and meets many bizarre adventures in his quest.
The graphic narrative follows his search for a place to live, food to eat as our food is too spicy for him, locating a clean latrine when his bowel condition needs attention or buying sandals and many other mundane pursuits which turn out to be almost phantasmagorical.
And then he has to locate a translator. From landlords to auto drivers, cops to shoe sellers, he meets all kinds of typical Delhi "namoonas". It's an education in itself to go through his struggles to find a translator, paper, to get the manga printed and to find out how and where to sell it.
Reading the many Indian reviews on this book, I smile. The slightly shocked tone shows me that they have not cut their teeth of Japanese humour.
I can imagine an Indian fuming at his representation of our typical head shakes, his "graphic is right" description of our toilets and even getting apoplectic at his depiction of his visit to a brothel.
The remarkable contrast between Japan and India comes through as he finds that Indian cello tape is not easy to peel off and otherwise handle for his purposes and other instances where perfection is not a priority in India. Obviously, he invents a cheap solution but no one will buy it just as he can find no takers for the manga.
It's soon apparent that he has done no homework for this visit, but with all the dreadful misunderstandings, he finds time to play marbles with urchins and even bet on horses.
Mostly, it's an account of all that goes wrong: a bewildering time at the airport on arrival, frustrating interactions at the first hotel he had booked into, cow dung on the streets, greedy guides and auto drivers.
The manga he's trying to get translated into Hindi and sell here is Hiroshi Hirata's Chi Daruma Kenpo (“Bloody Swordplay”), which seems fairly obscure even by world manga standards.
All he has is a Hindi phrase- book and, for some time, a kind of guardian angel to bolster him against all sorts of mishaps in putting the translated Hindi words into the speech balloons, and delays, publishing goof-ups, the cost of paper, trouble with fonts, missing colours and oily smudges. The Samurai confronts the mighty Indian Chalta Hai.
I could not put better this fine balance between his outrage and the real bonding that happens between us, the "others", than these lines from Rrishi Raote
"Indians in these drawings often look angry and appear to be shouting. The mangaka illustrates his incomprehension by showing Hindi words as little geometric symbols. But the settings, whether streetside, indoors, in a marketplace or a small businessman’s office-workshop, are closely observed and credible. One doesn’t feel the sting of an outsider’s summary judgement. Except in one instance, of which more below."
I wonder why we get hurt at his view of us. After all don't we feel about the Japanese sort of like he does about us? “Aren’t Indian people interested in anything? What’s going through their minds?”
And I wonder why he did not head for the arty farty sections of Delhi but all my admiration goes out to him for finding the real people and coping there.
Convulsively hilarious are his attempts to make money -a manga drawing classes, producing, or trying to sell little tin things to tear cellotape at Rs 10 each).
We have to admire his persistence and perseverance though he achieves nothing on this trip. Well, his six months here were not entirely fruitless as his manga did well in Japan and we now have a sequel.

[P]

Enjoyable precisely because most of Yamamatsu's encounters with Indians are beyond the usual elite circuit. His chutzpah is not stupid at all--one wishes for more encounters like these between Japanese and Indians, struggling to understand each other away from the mediating force exerted by the West. Living in Delhi, I found reading about his daily struggles to rent an apartment, move around the city, find places to eat and relieve himself kind of cathartic. Plus, his portraits of North Indian masculinity are quite accurate. Look forward to the sequel!

[Vinayak Hegde]

A somewhat hilarious (and sad) story of a Japanese Mangaka (Manga illustrator) who comes to India to translate a Japanese Manga comic into Hindi. The story follows him as he comes to India and his struggle understanding the local culture and the cultural faux pas he commits.

The book also paints India and Indians (quite rightly IMO) in poor light as timelines as missed, the author is conned and shabby work executed while printing his book. The book looks at India from the viewpoint of a naive foreigner who comes to India to do business. The cultural nuances and the culture shock are both captured well from a Japanese viewpoint. The story and the premise of the book sounded quite simple but it does get intense at many places in the book.

The artwork is quite decent but I have seen better. This is more about the story and the narrative as much as the artwork. The author is definitely brave if not stupid to try an adventure of trying to publish a book in India without even knowing anything about Indian culture, market or language. The story is written in a very candid and fresh way. Definitely an unusual story in an unusual medium.

[Sakshi Shrivastava]

This is the first Manga I read, I'm impressed! Yukichi is humorous and his account of India is oh-so-real! I can totally imagine all these incidents happening to foreigners in India.
Although, one has to keep in mind that this was written quiet some time back.

The behavior and attitudes of Indians are still the same (I'm an India, I verify this) but India has become more organized and cleaner.
I'm sure if he visits now, he wouldn't feel so stupid (hopefully).

I'd recommend this one.; do it read it, won't take more than a few hours.

[mentalexotica]

Stupid Man is one of the bravest, if not Most persistent people on the planet. I enjoyed the sheer optimism and never say die attitude that Yukichi Yamamatsu brims with. His portrayal of New Delhi and its scams and well weathered charms make you come face to face with India's true colours. Often times embarrassing, shameful, and downright puzzling, this is the India he encounters. Full marks for coming, trying, and staying.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Quite an enjoyable book - witty, funny, sometimes gross, sometimes shatteringly self-deprecating, always unabashed. It comes across as a case of the author masterfully turning his woes into humour, a skill I wish were more common. And contrary to what I've heard a lot of people say, Yamamatsu's storytelling is NOT your average 'foreigner in India' trope - it is more honest and more grounded than that. You may find some parts offensive (if you're the type to take offense) - but I suspect you will not have a counter argument to those parts either.

I loved this book particularly because I had prior context of the manga he set out to publish - Chi Daruma Kenpo (Bloody Stumps Samurai) by Hirata Hiroshi. This obscure manga has now been republished in Vérité 03, which also includes a little note by Yukichi Yamamatsu. While it is not essential to know about that manga to read Stupid Guy, it does give you a much clearer idea of Yamamatsu himself, and shows you just how much more than a mere 'stupid guy' he is.

The art is another aspect I absolutely loved. Yamamatsu's very crisp, clean style is almost ligne claire like, with a very impressive degree of realistic detail accompanying the cartoonish figures and exaggerated faces. Beautiful stuff!

The only thing stopping me from giving it 5 is that some chapters are too abrupt, and the book as a whole may not flow the way some readers would expect it too.

Still, this is well worth a read. Unfortunately, it is now very hard to come by.

[Miriam Kumaradoss-Hohauser]

In which a Japanese Manga artist has a dumb idea, follows through on said dumb idea, and is remarkably dogged about it in the face of various exquisite setbacks and failures. However, his whole scheme goes exactly as you'd expect. I'm Indian so the chaos here is pretty dang familiar and I didn't see anything that I wasn't already aware of, and while I'd balk at some whitey writing this, Stupid Guy seems pretty aware of his own, ya know, stupidity. The art is super nice though, and it's made me more confident than ever that the advice I give to people visiting India is correct: do yourself a favor and visit after you (or if you already) know someone. We're a fairly wild country, y'all.

[Anand Koppar]

Yukichi, a then 56 year old manga author, who doesn't know any other language except Japanese, decides to travel to India to sell manga graphic novels since he thinks they do not sell it there. He arrives in New Delhi, only to get a culture shock in the end. With brutal honesty, he talks about life there, the pains he has to go through at each and every stage of remaking one of the manga graphic novels into Hindi language and also the things he does which even a normal Indian would think twice before getting into, like betting on horse races or visiting a brothel. In the end, the title of the book says it all, He admits his own stupidity but learns valuable lessons indeed. I will give this book 4 stars just for his valiant attempt and then making a book about his adventures.

[Devyani Saini]

This book is absolutely hilarious, but I can see how it would be difficult for people who don't know Hindi to understand most of it because there is a lot of romanised Hindi. Can't wait to read the sequel!

[Samriddha Bhattacharya]

Weird, repetitive, irritating. And not because you have to read from right to left. That is not even an issue. The plot is the issue. Like what even? Gah. There are like more than a 100 pages of him saying the God damn same thing over and over again.

[Abhishek]

Interesting concept, just a little difficult to follow. Also found the story very predictable and was very "every foreign experience. in India "

[Raj Aich]

Extremely hilarious account of journey to Delhi and an unsuccessful attempt of selling Manga in India. Nicely written and presented.

[Pallavi]

Nice graphic novel

[Prateek Parekh]

Makes you want to start with Manga!

[Namratha]

Can't imagine a foreigner selling things on the Indian streets. I wonder if it really happens ?

[Udit]

this book is the authors revenge for all his experience in India with a promise of a sequel and never coming back.

[Anurag]

This book is criminally underrated!

[Yoshita Sood]

LMAO SO GOOD

[Prabuddha Das]

Its a good books.

[Ramakant]

Stupid guy is not so stupid after all. According to Yukichi Yamamatsu, he arrived in Delhi with absolutely no knowledge of the local culture or even the English language, lived for 6 months on a sharing basis with a family of four and published a Hindi translation of a popular Japanese manga novel.

Phew!! And I thought I wasn't finding it tough to finish my work on time.

"Stupid Guy Goes to India" is a fun read about a writers experience while trying to publish a book in Delhi. At the speed of a bullet train his life collides hopelessly with the grime and muck of Indian streets. As if on cue, this poor Japanese artist observes the overcrowded roads, pathetic hygiene conditions and incomprehensible habit of Indian's bobbing their heads for any question. While I groaned at the routine stereotypes surfacing far too quickly, the charm of the book lies in the foolish innocence of the writer's bold mission. He struggles to keep his sanity in place while dealing with real estate agents, local touts, obese cops and other sundry characters that average Indians have resigned their fates to. In the midst of this cultural upheaval, Yukichi is still determined to spread the word of Manga in the land of India.

Clearly this author is not the smartest writer from Japan. For instance, he finds it baffling that no-one at the bus station is interested in buying manga comics. I found it baffling that he would go to a bus station to sell comics! Anyone with a sense of enterprise would realise that the audience for comics belong at book stores and not at bus stations. His simple mindedness takes him to equally uncomplicated characters that are looking to earn a quick buck. As Yukichi stumbles from one challenge to another looking for the cheapest bargain, he sprinkles the stories with charming observations of everyday India.

Three out of five for a book about a Japanese fish wading in Indian waters.

[Indian]

Saw this on a self in Himalaya bookstores at Hyderabad & immediately decided to buy it from www.indiaplaza.com, as they give upto 35% discount with free shipping.
I have been a Manga fan since last 4-5 years. Jungle Book,Naruto, Doraemon, Shinchan & AstroBoy had universal appeal & installed a love for Japanese culture for me.
This book details the experiences of a Japanese Manga artist's 2004 visit to Delhi. He had observed Delhi & its lifestyle very minutely with a sense of humour & apathy towards the poverty of India & his stupidity out of knowing neither Hindi nor English.
Its a good humored satire on Indian life in Delhi & how it's different from Japan.
We must understand here that Japan is not only a developed nation but had been the second largest economy of the world for more than 50 years, second only to USA. Only recently its been overtaken by China.
No wonder then, that any Indian city & its life-style would stand very poorly against the high-capita-income Japanese standards.
However to study Delhi's culture from a Manga artist's lens is an interesting read, because he not only explains in text but also through his graphic images.
Very well captured & portrayed, however the pace slackens quite many times in between. Its unfortunate that he had visited only one city. he should have visited Mumbai,Kolkata,Madras & Bangalore to better understand the PAN Indian psyche.
Good read nevertheless, only grouse it reads from right to left like Urdu. You need to get accustomed to it for enjoying this.

[Jayan Parameswaran]

If you are an non-Indian and have experienced India, you are likely to rate this book high. Coming to India for job, Yamamatsu a Manga artist, lands up In Delhi. The next 200 pages are his attempt to find foot hold in India trying to publish Manga Books here in India. His attempt to find accommodation, translators, printing , trying to sell the book.

It's a casual read. Funny & hilarious if you are a non-Indian and a bit underwhelming if you are an Indian. It has all the ingredients you expect a foreigner to see in India; cows on the road, crowded market places, general confusion with the language, improper mannerisms, lack of ethics and professionalism, dirty lanes, pickpockets, prostitutes, cheaters , filthy slums etc etc. The art per se, is brilliant. His drawings of Indian Deities, Mahatma Gandhi and multiple Indian characters are very good. However, beyond some good drawings and his general experiences and 'conformation' of the general view about India, this book has nothing else to offer.

[Swamy Atul]

This was the first time I read manga. That may be only thing I'd remember about this rather forgettable book.
Which brings me to the question that interests me. If a person from country A writes a book based on his experiences in country B, then should the book be sold in country A or country B? I think it's pointless to sell it in country B because its people are already aware of their stereotypes and what foreigners like or dislike about them. The only time country B may notice the book is when it receives international acclaim, e.g. Slumdog Millionaire. Or if the book makes effusively flattering remarks about the country. The stories of country B may be of greater interest for the people of country A if it is exotic or unique enough.
This book may be better received in Japanese reader than an Indian one.

[Poonam]

Truth be told that I appreciated the courage of author, an elderly, Japanese manga artist who comes with a dream of publishing manga in hindi/English in India and sell. To find a potupourri of Indians, often dishonest, between him and his dream. He sticks to his guns, and does manage to translate and publish few managas in Hindi, a language he himself doesn't understand.

What I couldn't understand was why he was selling books in Purani Dilli, is it the fate of all self-published books. Perhaps his manga would have seen the light of day had he got the backing of a reputed publishing house, though that would have been an ordeal of different sort, but perhaps more rewarding.

The limiting factor of this book is most of us Indians won't even bat an eyelid at his experiences in India since this is the India we know.

[Shreela Sen]

My First Manga. True, it is difficult to keep reading right to left ... & habit often kicks in - & I have read the wrong panels :D
I do not mind the stark portrayal of India - I am an Indian who can take the truth, & I like calling a spade a spade. & that's what this book does.
But I find it a bit ... bland? literal? clinical?I think an autobiographical should be bit more ... dramatic. I do not like the translation. The graphics are graphic enough, & very expressive. But the text is kind of dispassionate.
What I absolutely admire is not the book, but the author. I am personally immensely shy & intimidated by the idea of having to "sell" anything. To imagine that Yamamatsu simply takes to the roads to sell cellotape ... goosebumps! <-- But that's completely personal.

[Shri]

At one point,I was left wondering if I was reading an English or Hindi or Japanese book! I like comics but have no exposure to Manga. Not sure if that was one of the reasons why I did not particularly enjoy the book! There is no way I can contest or justify the experiences of Yukichi as I deem such bitter hospitality is very much possible in India. But I think somewhere in my head I have equated comics with feel good experience and this book does not provide that. Overall - it was a confusing experience! But I still want to know if he managed to sell any Manga in India or not! Maybe this feeling of wanting to know is an accomplishment for the author!

[Prajyoth]

This was a terribly written but the illustration is good.First of all this an insult to manga.This book seems to be written in Japanese,English and Hindi,and becomes extremely confusing when he switches between the languages.Half of the book is filled with X and O's(The author uses it when he doesn't understand what someone says).Lastly,this book shows you a real image of India,and I was pretty satisfied with the author's description of Indians,but when he tells us about his constipation(And yes,he draws them too) and his visit to a brothel,which,he says,was located next to a police station(WHAT!!).DO NOT STRICTLY read this if you are a manga fan.

[Rhea (Rufus Reads)]

Stupid Guy Goes to India is a funny manga about a Japanese man's journey of adjusting and living in India and trying to sell his manga to this alien audience. I found the book hilarious in parts and the protagonist was very endearing struggling through the chaos that New Delhi is.
✰
But a lot of the narrative was so stereotypical that it made me cringe. If you're a non-Indian, you might enjoy this more than I did. It has your typical Indian recipe - cows on every road, lack of manners, crowded slums, language barriers, tongue burning spicy food - because of course, that is what India is all about, right? 😂

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[cEro]

While I was enjoying this comic book, I kept asking question like 'did Indian people can accept all of these negativity?'
The author picturing India as a worst country to visit (in a point of view as a Japanese) which is not really good for the Indian.
But nevertheless, even the book fulls with negativity towards India, but it is not any less true.

I'll be searching the next installment; Stupid Guy Goes BACK to India, just for the fun.

[Rachna C]

This was my intro to Manga 101. I picked it up because I was looking for something different to read and this was a refreshing change.
It is about the sheer optimism and determination of the author to publish and sell manga comics in India. And it is about the hilarious trials and tribulations of trying to survive in India. Hot spicy food, haggling with autowallas and street shops vendors..it's all there. It gives an insight into a foreigner s perspective of India.