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Kounodori: The Stork #1
コウノドリ 1
出産は病気ではない。だから通常の出産に保険はきかない。産科医療は怪我や病気を治す訳ではない。なので通常の出産に産科医は必要ない。だが、何かが起こりうるから産科医は必要なのだ──。年間約100万人の新しい命が誕生する現場の人間ドラマ、開幕！モーニングで大好評だった「未受診妊婦」「切迫流産」「淋病」「オンコール」を収録。
200 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 2, 2018
I dislike over emotional and pedantic storytelling. The author assumes in such cases that they have the ultimate wisdom and everyone must accept the gravity of what they’re saying. This apparently works for this manga in Japan because it’s quite famous. But I am not one of them. Especially the way he doctor dons the cap of the neighbourhood granny who tsks at you and tell you what a giant crime you’re doing instead being an objective doctor.
January 15, 2021
A manga about childbirth, piano playing, and more. Sadly, I had mixed responses to the manga.
This is the third manga I bought the first volume of during the sale on Kodansha manga. I saved this one for last as I just wasn’t sure I would truly like it. I normally like books about pregnancy and read quite a few books about midwifes and delivery staff, but would it work in manga? Wouldn’t it get too graphic? Well after reading it, I can say that it didn’t get too graphic. Most of the things aren’t visible. So thank lord for that.
Meet our eccentric doctor. I wasn’t always a fan of him. Sometimes he did show emotions (though generally when he was with his colleagues) but at other times I found him distant and emotionless and wondered if he actually cared about the people under his care or not. I definitely know that if I was pregnant I wouldn’t want him as my doctor. It sounds harsh, but I would want someone who doesn’t just state facts and sounds like a book. I want someone human. Someone who can make me laugh and make me feel at ease. I found it hilarious though that no one knew he was the pianist, or at least it didn’t seem anyone knows. I always think it is hilarious how in manga/anime you can just wear a wig and no one knows who you are. 😛
I did love the various stories. The first one was a bit hard to read especially given how everyone just ganged on the poor girl. YES, we get that she was doing things wrongly, yes she should have done all those things, we get it. She understood you the first time. No need to keep on going on and on and on about it. Thanks. But the other stories? They were very well done, and they even made me cry at times (either in sadness or in happiness). I was rooting for the characters, hoping that their pregnancies would go well, or that they could be helped. I do think one thing was odd, when that high school girl told her boyfriend about her pregnancy and then we never see them in the rest of the volume.
I just found it weird how he was also a piano player and how everyone apparently accepted that he would play full or just a few minutes or nothing at all. Why is this dude on call during his concerts? Why can’t his fellow doctors help out? Then again, one of his doctors seriously needs to step up her game.
I mean, I would definitely not be happy if I went to a concert and it would be over in 10 minutes or even not happen. And that it wouldn’t be the first time…
The art… not my cup of tea, it was very distracting and at times had me startled or laughing at the wrong moments. It is also the reason why I am kind of doubting on reading this one further.
But all in all, I am still happy I got the chance to read this one.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
July 3, 2021
Exciting scenes, with good (if mostly thin) characters. This was my first time reading a comic in Japanese all about the medical profession, and there were a lot of nice ‘thousand yen words’ in there to knock me on my ass. I had a hard time reconciling one scene with the main character’s motivation, but maybe I misread it. It just seemed really out of character. (Without saying too much, it was when he got the phone call right before his performance.) Overall I really enjoyed the comic though, and I feel like I learned a lot about a branch of Japanese speech I never really get exposed to otherwise. I’ll definitely keep going with these volumes.
As with all works I read entirely in Japanese, I will now recount the entire plot as I remember it, in order to check my work later:
========== SPOILERS FOLLOW (maybe) ==========
Our guy Kounodori is a doctor at a special baby hospital. I guess it was a hospital you go to specifically to have a baby? Or maybe it was just a wing of a hospital where all the baby stuff happens. I wasn’t entirely sure about that. Anyway, he definitely only does baby-related stuff throughout, so that’s certainly what he focuses on. We begin by seeing him in disguise, playing piano furiously to an enraptured crowd. It turns out that he has an alter ego, going out after work hours to do these jazz piano performances, which have become the talk of the town. His pianist persona “Baby” has become a pretty big celebrity.
In the first volume, we meet a woman who has her baby and then has some sort of postpartum depression. She tries to run away from the hospital immediately after giving birth, but is then confronted by our guy. I can’t remember how this one turns out though.
Next, we get into what I thought was the most interesting storyline. A couple deals with the potential that their baby might not survive upon entering the world. I think there also might have been some threat to the mother’s life as well. This is where the really strange scene came in. Another doctor, a perpetually nervous woman, calls Kounodori on the phone because the patient needs to have the baby immediately, but he’s about to go on stage and says he can’t come in. I feel like he would have dropped his performance and just gone, but maybe I misread the situation. Anyway, there’s another strange part where the doctor woman has some sort of breakdown, telling the couple that she can’t help them (I feel like they wouldn’t tell that to the patients), but it all works out because Kounodori finishes his performance sans-encore and somehow makes it there in time. Still doesn’t really make sense to me, because his performances are 2 hours long. Even without an encore, and factoring in traffic, it seems like he’d never make it in time. But whatever. The baby is successfully born (though very small) and the couple is really freaking out. But the father sees it in the natal intensive care area, and the baby (inside its little bubble thing) grabs his finger. He breaks down and all his doubts are removed. The mother does the same. They decide on a name and thank the doctors.
There’s another story about a woman who needs a C-Section but doesn’t want one because of her job as a stripper. When it’s made clear to her that the baby will possibly die without one, she signs the required procedure form, and upon meeting the baby decides that she doesn’t want to be a stripper anymore anyway. All’s well that ends well I guess.
There’s also a nice bonus section about the comic creator’s early life, which featured a really fun section showing him watching The Rolling Stones on TV. A very amusing few panels actually show Mick Jagger singing Jumpin’ Jack Flash, with all the lyrics spelled out in katakana. Loved that!
There were definitely a LOT of medical words I didn’t fully understand in this one. But ironically, despite there being so many things I missed, I didn’t consider that too different from how I would have understood the equivalent comic in English. It’s not like when I watch a medical drama in English that I understand even half the stuff they’re talking about anyway. At least in Japanese, I can get the meaning of what they’re talking about from the kanji, without necessarily knowing the full word. So I count this one as a pretty big success. I’d also say this one taught me the most out of any of these comics I’ve read. Not necessarily by looking words up, but from being exposed to all the lingo they’d use, and piecing things together for myself. Excited to read more.
As with all works I read entirely in Japanese, I will now recount the entire plot as I remember it, in order to check my work later:
========== SPOILERS FOLLOW (maybe) ==========
Our guy Kounodori is a doctor at a special baby hospital. I guess it was a hospital you go to specifically to have a baby? Or maybe it was just a wing of a hospital where all the baby stuff happens. I wasn’t entirely sure about that. Anyway, he definitely only does baby-related stuff throughout, so that’s certainly what he focuses on. We begin by seeing him in disguise, playing piano furiously to an enraptured crowd. It turns out that he has an alter ego, going out after work hours to do these jazz piano performances, which have become the talk of the town. His pianist persona “Baby” has become a pretty big celebrity.
In the first volume, we meet a woman who has her baby and then has some sort of postpartum depression. She tries to run away from the hospital immediately after giving birth, but is then confronted by our guy. I can’t remember how this one turns out though.
Next, we get into what I thought was the most interesting storyline. A couple deals with the potential that their baby might not survive upon entering the world. I think there also might have been some threat to the mother’s life as well. This is where the really strange scene came in. Another doctor, a perpetually nervous woman, calls Kounodori on the phone because the patient needs to have the baby immediately, but he’s about to go on stage and says he can’t come in. I feel like he would have dropped his performance and just gone, but maybe I misread the situation. Anyway, there’s another strange part where the doctor woman has some sort of breakdown, telling the couple that she can’t help them (I feel like they wouldn’t tell that to the patients), but it all works out because Kounodori finishes his performance sans-encore and somehow makes it there in time. Still doesn’t really make sense to me, because his performances are 2 hours long. Even without an encore, and factoring in traffic, it seems like he’d never make it in time. But whatever. The baby is successfully born (though very small) and the couple is really freaking out. But the father sees it in the natal intensive care area, and the baby (inside its little bubble thing) grabs his finger. He breaks down and all his doubts are removed. The mother does the same. They decide on a name and thank the doctors.
There’s another story about a woman who needs a C-Section but doesn’t want one because of her job as a stripper. When it’s made clear to her that the baby will possibly die without one, she signs the required procedure form, and upon meeting the baby decides that she doesn’t want to be a stripper anymore anyway. All’s well that ends well I guess.
There’s also a nice bonus section about the comic creator’s early life, which featured a really fun section showing him watching The Rolling Stones on TV. A very amusing few panels actually show Mick Jagger singing Jumpin’ Jack Flash, with all the lyrics spelled out in katakana. Loved that!
There were definitely a LOT of medical words I didn’t fully understand in this one. But ironically, despite there being so many things I missed, I didn’t consider that too different from how I would have understood the equivalent comic in English. It’s not like when I watch a medical drama in English that I understand even half the stuff they’re talking about anyway. At least in Japanese, I can get the meaning of what they’re talking about from the kanji, without necessarily knowing the full word. So I count this one as a pretty big success. I’d also say this one taught me the most out of any of these comics I’ve read. Not necessarily by looking words up, but from being exposed to all the lingo they’d use, and piecing things together for myself. Excited to read more.
December 6, 2023
"Not all of the childern at this hospital... were born because their parents wanted them."
Komik ini bercerita tentang seorang dokter bernama Kounodori yang mana bisa dibilang dia berfokus pada persalinan, atau mungkin dokter reproduksi? Jadi tentu saja di sini kita akan mengikuti kisah dokter Kounodori beserta pasien-pasiennya dari berbagai macam latar belakang dengan satu kesamaan, yaitu hendak melahirkan.
Lewat komik ini aku jadi tahu sedikit banyak mengenai pemahaman di dunia kedokteran, khususnya pada topik persalinan. Dan di sini kita akan menemukan berbagai macam pasien sehingga ceritanya bisa dibilang cukup bervariatif juga. Ada seorang wanita yang melahirkan seorang diri, ada juga pasangan suami-istri yang mengharap kelahiran setelah 10 tahun menunggu, dan yang lainnya.
Di komik ini juga ada tokoh dokter lain yang mana sering kali terbawa perasaan karena tidak tega melihat bagaimana prosedur-prosedur yang harus dilakukan oleh rumah sakit, terutama jika bayi yang hendak dilahirkan bukan dalam waktu normal atau kondisi prematur.
Selain itu di komik ini juga akan disediakan narasi berupa seorang pianis yang terkenal yang mana karyanya sudah mendunia. Tapi pianis ini nggak pernah menampakkan identitas dan tidak ada yang tahu bagaimanakah latar belakangnya. Mungkin kamu berpikir ya apa hubungannya sama dokter Kounodori? Kamu bisa baca sendiri di komiknya.
So far komiknya seru dan menambah pengalaman baru. Cuman mohon maaf menurut aku art di komik ini bukan style aku banget yang mana cenderung menggunakan art berupa karikatur. Selebihnya cerita ini oke untuk menambah pengetahuan dan pemahaman di dunia kedokteran...
3,5 stars.
Komik ini bercerita tentang seorang dokter bernama Kounodori yang mana bisa dibilang dia berfokus pada persalinan, atau mungkin dokter reproduksi? Jadi tentu saja di sini kita akan mengikuti kisah dokter Kounodori beserta pasien-pasiennya dari berbagai macam latar belakang dengan satu kesamaan, yaitu hendak melahirkan.
Lewat komik ini aku jadi tahu sedikit banyak mengenai pemahaman di dunia kedokteran, khususnya pada topik persalinan. Dan di sini kita akan menemukan berbagai macam pasien sehingga ceritanya bisa dibilang cukup bervariatif juga. Ada seorang wanita yang melahirkan seorang diri, ada juga pasangan suami-istri yang mengharap kelahiran setelah 10 tahun menunggu, dan yang lainnya.
Di komik ini juga ada tokoh dokter lain yang mana sering kali terbawa perasaan karena tidak tega melihat bagaimana prosedur-prosedur yang harus dilakukan oleh rumah sakit, terutama jika bayi yang hendak dilahirkan bukan dalam waktu normal atau kondisi prematur.
Selain itu di komik ini juga akan disediakan narasi berupa seorang pianis yang terkenal yang mana karyanya sudah mendunia. Tapi pianis ini nggak pernah menampakkan identitas dan tidak ada yang tahu bagaimanakah latar belakangnya. Mungkin kamu berpikir ya apa hubungannya sama dokter Kounodori? Kamu bisa baca sendiri di komiknya.
So far komiknya seru dan menambah pengalaman baru. Cuman mohon maaf menurut aku art di komik ini bukan style aku banget yang mana cenderung menggunakan art berupa karikatur. Selebihnya cerita ini oke untuk menambah pengetahuan dan pemahaman di dunia kedokteran...
3,5 stars.
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May 27, 2023Mehhhh.
First, the doctor with a secret identity as a pianist felt so unnecessary. Being a baby doctor brings enough drama. But my bigger problem was that it felt condescending towards some of the mothers. Like, the first mother didn't go to doctors before her birth because she had no money and wasn't aware of social programs to help. Not great, but neither was the level of judgement from doctors. She did what she could and it's not like scolding her while birthing and recovering will give her the power to go back in time and change things.
It was interesting to see different potential medical conditions. Of course, that had to be broken up with dumb piano stuff.
I didn't like the art style, but other people might.
I wouldn't recommend it but I wouldn't necessarily warn people away from it either. Definitely dropping the series though.
First, the doctor with a secret identity as a pianist felt so unnecessary. Being a baby doctor brings enough drama. But my bigger problem was that it felt condescending towards some of the mothers. Like, the first mother didn't go to doctors before her birth because she had no money and wasn't aware of social programs to help. Not great, but neither was the level of judgement from doctors. She did what she could and it's not like scolding her while birthing and recovering will give her the power to go back in time and change things.
It was interesting to see different potential medical conditions. Of course, that had to be broken up with dumb piano stuff.
I didn't like the art style, but other people might.
I wouldn't recommend it but I wouldn't necessarily warn people away from it either. Definitely dropping the series though.
January 23, 2021
He's an obstetrician with an interesting past (abandoned/grew up in an orphanage) and a surprising alter ego (famed pianist known as "Baby"). Episodic chapters give readers a glimpse into the lives of the unique circumstances surrounding the pregnancies & deliveries he handles.
I wavered between three and four stars. I *do* like this, even though it's not the kind of story I usually gravitate toward. Too much reality, perhaps? Little lives hanging in the balance. And (fascinating for me) underlying social expectations and moralities that don't necessarily mesh with those of my own culture.
Planning to continue this series whenever I'm in the mood for a bit of hospital drama. I look forward to getting to know the cast as the story proceeds.
I wavered between three and four stars. I *do* like this, even though it's not the kind of story I usually gravitate toward. Too much reality, perhaps? Little lives hanging in the balance. And (fascinating for me) underlying social expectations and moralities that don't necessarily mesh with those of my own culture.
Planning to continue this series whenever I'm in the mood for a bit of hospital drama. I look forward to getting to know the cast as the story proceeds.
March 30, 2023
For the most part, it is a very educational read into the work of gynaecology in Japan. But after a while, I get the feeling of condescension from the author. The majority of the doctors are male and tend to talk down to or about their pregnant female patients. There is also an idealised version of motherhood that constantly feels like it is being shoved into readers' faces in this comic. I would have enjoyed it more if it had kept on being educational, but unfortunately, the author's very clear bias towards women and certain topics kept getting in the way. I do not recommend it.
May 8, 2021
Me gusta que cada capítulo de aborda una situación distinta. Hay mucho para debatir sobre la visión del embarazo en Japón. Lo único que no tiene mucho sentido para mí es que el protagonista tenga su faceta oculta de pianista.
November 1, 2017
"Giving birth is not a sickness , most patients and family members think this is perfectly safe. In this hospital, there are around 2000 births every year and within that number there are around 300 cases where the life is in danger. There are cases when these small lives can be saved and can not be saved. There is no 100% certainty of safety. That is giving birth. " translated from the blurb
This manga talks about the life in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of a hospital and our central character is Sakura Kounodori who is a OB/GYN as well as a pianist.
I always find medical manga to be very difficult because of the terminology. The drawing here didn't attract me at first but I find the stories very compelling.
This manga talks about the life in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of a hospital and our central character is Sakura Kounodori who is a OB/GYN as well as a pianist.
I always find medical manga to be very difficult because of the terminology. The drawing here didn't attract me at first but I find the stories very compelling.
August 25, 2016
So good... stories about pregnant women, about women who did not want a baby, women who wanted a baby more than anything in the world. The art is funny, original, unpleasant to the eyes at first, but it gets unnoticed as the story progress because you get involved with what is going to happen with the mother, what is going to happen with the premature baby... I loved it. To think I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for the dorama (I was looking for what to watch next, and the plot looked nice. I decided to read the manga first, so glad I did!).
I also loved the little drawings the author posted that his son did when he was a little boy, so cute XD
I also loved the little drawings the author posted that his son did when he was a little boy, so cute XD
January 7, 2025
แนะนำเรื่องนี้ มีเป็นซีรีส์คนแสดงด้วยนะคะ แคสต์ดีมากกกกก มังงะเดินเรื่องเร็ว แต่มีประเด็นที่น่าสนใจและบทพูดดีมากๆ เป็นมังงะที่ raise awareness เรื่องการตั้งครรภ์ได้ดีมากๆ น้ำตาไหลทุกตอนเลย 55555
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