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Short Cuts #1
Short Cuts, Vol. 1
In this debut series, Usamaru Furuya takes on the ko-gal, that highly evolved teenage girl created by Japans consumer culture. In this irreverent romp for fans of challenging comic art, Mariko becomes a strange bunny in the classroom. Zero Boy has an unhealthy obsession with Maria (who doesnt know hes alive), and Muku, an adorable Bigfoot, is the object of everyones dreams.
136 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 1998
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87 people want to read
About the author
Usamaru Furuya
101 books176 followersUsamaru Furuya (古屋兎丸) is a Japanese manga creator from Tokyo. His production covers a variety of art styles and genres, such as horror, humour, slice-of-life, erotica, sci-fi, always with a personal surrealistic touch. Society oppression and the human condition are common themes in his body of work.
Furuya showed an interest in comics making since elementary school. He graduated from Tama Art University, where he had studied sculpture and oil painting.
His manga career started in the alternative magazine 'Garo', in which he published a series of one-page comics called Palepoli (1994-1995). He then worked on Short Cuts (1996-1999), a gag manga serialised in the mainstream magazine 'Weekly Young Sunday'. Other short stories from the same period were collected in the books Garden (2000) and Plastic Girl (2000).
Over the years Furuya has created work for a number of manga magazines, underground and mainstream. Among his series available in one or more Western languages are: the dystopian The Music of Marie (2000-2001); the surreal horror Lychee Light Club (2005-2006), loosely based on a play by Norimizu Ameya; the post-apocalyptic 51 Ways to Save Her (2006-2007); Genkaku Picasso (2008-2010); No Longer Human (2009-2011), adaptation of a novel by Osamu Dazai; Amane Gymnasium (2017-2020).
Furuya showed an interest in comics making since elementary school. He graduated from Tama Art University, where he had studied sculpture and oil painting.
His manga career started in the alternative magazine 'Garo', in which he published a series of one-page comics called Palepoli (1994-1995). He then worked on Short Cuts (1996-1999), a gag manga serialised in the mainstream magazine 'Weekly Young Sunday'. Other short stories from the same period were collected in the books Garden (2000) and Plastic Girl (2000).
Over the years Furuya has created work for a number of manga magazines, underground and mainstream. Among his series available in one or more Western languages are: the dystopian The Music of Marie (2000-2001); the surreal horror Lychee Light Club (2005-2006), loosely based on a play by Norimizu Ameya; the post-apocalyptic 51 Ways to Save Her (2006-2007); Genkaku Picasso (2008-2010); No Longer Human (2009-2011), adaptation of a novel by Osamu Dazai; Amane Gymnasium (2017-2020).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 24, 2014
Each of Furuya's "Cuts" is one or two pages long and focuses mostly on the ko-gal culture of Japan. For those who don't know - superficial teenage school girls. Furuya has such a pension for mocking this that you can see both the love and hatred directed at his own country. Some of the cuts feature young girls being worshiped as large, stone carvings in Buddhist temples; another places an advertisement for a drink that will turn anyone into a ko-gal within three months. The following strips are VERY funny. Furuya's strips are an omnibus of pop culture covering everything from Miyazaki films, Yamataka Eye, perverted Oyaji, Aphex Twin, Makoto-chan, and many others. Naming them all would take away some of the magic and the magic is spun in different ways; some of the strips are very grotesque, and adult-only while others (though they are few), such as the story of Zero Boy, that are actually touching. This guy has the ability to gross you out, make you laugh at your own optic illusions and have your heart swelter with emotion all within a few one-page comic strips.
Some of the strips have a subtitle and plot of their own, such as the ABC's of S&M, a kinky little show hosted by one of Furuya's own imaginary bunnies, which appear quite frequently and are the equivalent to Tezuka's Hyoutan-Tsugi (in a way). And let's not forget detective Panty-Flash! Female rookie at a police station where everyone is given names based on their (expected) behavior. As you can guess, this leads to some perverted and often funny moments.
As expressed, this comic has pretty much everything I want in an underground comix. So why the four stars? Some of the strips fall COMPLETELY flat in translation as Japan's quirks and culture are very different from the West's. Yes, there is a glossary in the back, but not everything is explained and I have a feeling some would be really lost without at least a basic knowledge of Japanese manga/anime culture.
Furuya's satire seems to come directly from his heart; he knows right where to attack these ko-gals and goes from many different angles in pursuing and mocking a culture you can tell he has indigestible feelings for. But unlike most ennui-struck Otaku-lovers, Furuya's fans will find an abundance of Swiftian jokes and will also find an artist who is as good in allegory as he is in panty shots.
Volume 2 is more of the same and I have nothing but more good things to say about its continuing ability to make me gut laugh, and even tear up occasionally. Some of these "Cuts" are strangely emotional and really open a window on bunny-lover Furuya himself! There are even a few two-page single drawings (that take up to a week to draw) that are to die-for. If only there was more Furuya to go around.
Highly recommended. [xposted from zon]
Some of the strips have a subtitle and plot of their own, such as the ABC's of S&M, a kinky little show hosted by one of Furuya's own imaginary bunnies, which appear quite frequently and are the equivalent to Tezuka's Hyoutan-Tsugi (in a way). And let's not forget detective Panty-Flash! Female rookie at a police station where everyone is given names based on their (expected) behavior. As you can guess, this leads to some perverted and often funny moments.
As expressed, this comic has pretty much everything I want in an underground comix. So why the four stars? Some of the strips fall COMPLETELY flat in translation as Japan's quirks and culture are very different from the West's. Yes, there is a glossary in the back, but not everything is explained and I have a feeling some would be really lost without at least a basic knowledge of Japanese manga/anime culture.
Furuya's satire seems to come directly from his heart; he knows right where to attack these ko-gals and goes from many different angles in pursuing and mocking a culture you can tell he has indigestible feelings for. But unlike most ennui-struck Otaku-lovers, Furuya's fans will find an abundance of Swiftian jokes and will also find an artist who is as good in allegory as he is in panty shots.
Volume 2 is more of the same and I have nothing but more good things to say about its continuing ability to make me gut laugh, and even tear up occasionally. Some of these "Cuts" are strangely emotional and really open a window on bunny-lover Furuya himself! There are even a few two-page single drawings (that take up to a week to draw) that are to die-for. If only there was more Furuya to go around.
Highly recommended. [xposted from zon]
October 31, 2019
Volumes 1 and 2 are really funny satire making fun of the weirder parts of Japanese culture, especially the obsession with kogals (flippant high school girls in uniform), variety television, and sappy romance. Mixed in with these obsessions are the ignored or downplayed darker sides of popular culture, such as bullying, sexual repression, and middle-aged men interested in young women.
May 8, 2020
2020 Read #394
I think this is the first “alternative” manga I’ve ever read. While I didn’t particularly care for this collection, despite its incisive social commentary about men and women in Japan, I do recognize its value on a grander scheme. It’s just not my cup of tea personally.
I think this is the first “alternative” manga I’ve ever read. While I didn’t particularly care for this collection, despite its incisive social commentary about men and women in Japan, I do recognize its value on a grander scheme. It’s just not my cup of tea personally.
January 14, 2021
I really like the surrealism in the art, but I can see why some won't like it. I couldn't laugh, but it was still funny.
August 16, 2014
Short Cuts is, as described, short pieces in manga style, primarily focusing on the so-called "ko-gal"--Japanese teenage girls. Vapidity, fashion, shallowness from people of all walks of society, and sometimes straight-out bizarre stories pepper this hilarious volume of manga shorts. Not every joke makes sense to Western readers, but the extra notes can sometimes help those of us without in-depth understanding of the culture Furuya is satirizing here. It's laugh out loud funny even if you think it won't be, with internally contained jokes that don't have a specific plot. Oh, and they're usually kind of dirty. Read with caution.
August 31, 2007
This is pretty funny stuff... This artist has a bit of a disturbing obsession with Japanese school girls (kogals) and they make up the main characters in this novel along with their arch-nemesis, the dirty businessmen (oyagi). It's called 'short cuts' because each comic is a short featurette only one or two pages. It's funny if not a little raunchy at times and makes for a great bathroom reader for those moments when you don't have a lot of time or brain power to devote.
January 21, 2009
Well illustrated and wryly humored look at Japan's cultural obsession with ko-gals and other schoolgirls. Doesn't come across as preachy at all, which I appreciated, because my take on the "Japanese schoolgirl" phenomenon is basically the same as every other (honest) persons: namely, that such obsessions are rather odd, combined with more than an inkling of "but they sure are pretty."
October 25, 2011
ode to jap ko gals... hilarious, irreverent n highly imaginative.
August 26, 2008
Ko-gal fun!
September 10, 2016
I didn't know that there are such many ways to look at ko-gals... Super cool.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews