Shuzo Oshimi (押見修造, Oshimi Shūzō) is a Japanese manga creator. Drawn in a realistic art style, his comics tend to be psychological dramas exploring the difficulties in human relationships and often touching on disturbing situations and perversions. Oshimi debuted in 2001 with the manga series Avant-Garde Yumeko, appeared in Kodansha's 'Monthly Shōnen Magazine.' Most of his works since then have been published by Kodansha and Futabasha. Among his first successes the single volume manga Sweet Poolside (2004), later adapted into a live-action film, and the series Drifting Net Café (2008–2011), also adapted for TV. Oshimi reached international acclaims with The Flowers of Evil (2009–2014) and Inside Mari (2012–2016), both adapted into successful anime. Other notable works are Blood on the Tracks (2017–2023) and Welcome Back, Alice (2020-2023) .
I was surprised to see this manga, which the author announces in an afterword is essentially auto-fiction, about a girl, Shino Oshima (see what he did there, making a change from Shuzo Oshimi? Sly!) who grows up unable to say her name or much of anything else without a serious stutter. So most of her classmates make fun of her, though one reaches out to her and befriends her. That friend can play guitar but can't sing, and they discover Shino can sing without stuttering (there was an American country western singer named Mel Tillis who stuttered when he talked but he sang without a stutter; this may be common among stutterers, I don't know).
Another kid who has some problems communicating (he can't seem to stop talking, and is pretty goofy). Initially he mocks Shino about her stuttering, but later apologizes and wants to join them in music-making, hey, a(n unlikely!) band!
This book is maybe the least complicated or edgy of a number of social communication manga books I have read lately: Oshimi's own Blood on the Tracks (where Seiichi has seen something traumatic and is mostly silenced, and stuttering, which makes me worry about what the manga-ka may have faced growing up); A Silent Voice (a deaf girl and a bully), and Komi Can't Communicate, but it is still very good. It's a little darker than Komi Can't Communicate, but not as dark (so far) as (shudder) Blood on the Tracks.
Me ha gustado la historia. Trata muy bien lo que supone tener un problema que te distingue del resto de la gente como es la tartamudez y cómo la gente, una vez más, juzga a una persona por algo de lo que realmente no tiene la culpa. Sin embargo creo que le faltan bastantes páginas al tomo. Es más, considero que tenía argumento suficiente como para crear una serie y no quedarse en un tomo único. Dato curioso: Shuzo Oshimi utilizó su propia experiencia como tartamudo y los recuerdos de su adolescencia para crear esta historia.
Mi-a plăcut cartea, pe care am citit-o cu mare repeziciune într-o singură ședere. Îmi plac astfel de lecturi ușoare, ce te captivează instant de la primele pagini, și care îți livrează o poveste interesantă fără să necesite multe ore de citit. Shino este un personaj în care mulți tineri se pot regăsi, cu toții știm cât de greu este să te integrezi printre colegi noi, iar dacă mai ai și ceva dificultăți de comunicare, încrederea îți scade drastic. https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2023/...
I couldn't help but feel emotional on the course of reading this manga. It's just so raw and relatable and, everything about it. It's not that easy to express oneself and let people see your entire being and what's inside, but Shuzo Oshimi did it expertly with his powerful hands. Like always.
I think, this is going to be my favorite Oshimi book. I mean, I love his psychological horror series, but I feel intimately connected to him with this one. And the afterword just made me cry. I understand Oshimi, and thank you for baring yourself to let us know we're not alone. Thank you for breathing.
Thank you.
Note: By the way, now I'm super anxious. Did she get married to Kikuchi? Lol, I mean, I dunno but I ship them!!
Eè solo il secondo manga che leggo ( io scelgo quelli auto conclusivi, non mi piacciono molto quelli a volumi).La tematica è importante e affrontata con delicatezza e riflessione.
As far as I'm aware, this marks the final Oshimi's work in print available to me in the Western market. While I may delve into his digitally exclusive titles in the future, for now, this is the culmination.
Crafted during the era of "The Flowers of Evil," this piece surprises with its quality.
It diverges greatly from Oshimi's typical style. His narratives often carry a somber undertone, yet this one stands in stark contrast.
Here, we're treated to a delightful tale of friendship. Our central character, a charming young lady, grapples with a speech impediment that we gradually uncover as the story unfolds.
In sum, it's a thoroughly enjoyable read, offering a breath of fresh air from Oshimi's usual oeuvre.
Shino no es capaz de decir su nombre, ni otras palabras, se abarrunta y las palabras precisas que aparecen en su mente quedan atrapadas y tan solo pueden salir de sus labios balbuceos nerviosos. Es algo que la cohibe y hace que su relación con sus compañeros y con el mundo fuera de si misma sea arduo complicado. Sobre todo en el instituto donde. Sin embargo, eso no impide para no conozca la amistad, aunque sea siempre a partir del esfuerzo y algo de sufrimiento. Este manga es fino y delicado, pues aborda una realidad que padecen muchísimas personas de un grado u otro, la tartamudez o la dificultad para expresarse oralmente con los demás. Somos lenguaje y nuestra relación con los demás está basada a menudo a través de este. Es más, en ocasiones, la forma en la que nos comunicamos, tanto las palabras que elegimos como las frases que construimos, nos representan, aunque para ciertas personas sea un espejo desajustado que nada más que enturbian la belleza que hay en su interior. La historia es extremadamente sensible pues su autora sufrió y sufre el mismo signo que su protagonista. Sin embargo, para mí y por ahora, la historia y los personajes y podrían dar más de sí.
“Shino nu își poate spune numele” este o manga tare drăguță, în care chiar m-am regăsit și care mi-a reamintit că și eu am fost bâlbâită când eram mai mică, din ce mi-au spus părinții mei, dar m-am vindecat, să spun așa, și pot spune că sunt bucuroasă că nu mai am probleme în a mă exprima ☺️, deși mă mai lupt cu timiditatea chiar și la această vârstă 🤣.
Revenind la Shino, chiar am înțeles-o și îmi doream să o împing de la spate în a rupe cuvintele, chiar dacă știu că mi-ar fi fost imposibil să fac acest lucru. Situația ei este una care poate fi lejer a oricui, iar pe lângă bâlbâială, mai apare și stânjeneala, frustrarea și închiderea în sine. Așa cum zice și autorul, nu este ușor să trăiești cu balbism și, uneori, poate fi enervant, îți pierzi răbdarea și socializarea devine ceva imposibil de realizat.
“Shino nu își poate spune numele” nu este o poveste doar despre un personaj bâlbâit, ci este o poveste despre neîncredere, tensiune, teamă, singurătate, anxietate, emoții negative le-aș putea numi, dar este vorba și despre empatie, prietenie, și cum am putea să ajutăm pe cineva în situația lui Shino. Este o poveste frumoasă și vi-o recomand cu drag ☺️.
Who knew that Oshimi could write such a wholesome story? This was a quick and endearing read about social anxiety and how it can keep us from being ourselves. 4.5 rounded up to 5, in part because of relatability, and in part because it's easily one of the best one-volume manga I've read. It's hard to be brief and impactful, and Oshimi managed it seamlessly.
Shino is a high school student with a stammer. Given creator Shuzo Oshimi's other manga titles about vampires and suicide pacts, I thought this might take a dark or macabre turn at some point, but it is an optimistic YA story about anxieties and friendship inspired by Oshimi's own speech difficulties.
Shino Oshima has just started high school. She has a bad stutter, especially in anxiety-inducing situations or with words that begin with vowels (like, for example, her surname, Oshima). Unfortunately, starting high school means introducing herself in class, and she gets made fun of when she turns into an anxious, stuttering mess.
Shino eventually befriends a girl named Kayo. Kayo plays guitar, but when she tries to sing and sounds terrible, Shino accidentally laughs...and learns that her new friend has previously been made fun of for being tone deaf. The two of them form a band, with Shino realizing that she is able to sing without stuttering, and try to practice getting out of their comfort zone by performing on the street. This, however, leads to another shake-up in their budding friendship.
Shino's stuttering moments were almost physically painful to read. In the author's afterword, Oshimi mentioned that the manga was based on some of his own experiences growing up with a stutter, and you could feel it in every horrible panel in which Shino, flushed and sweating with anxiety, tried desperately to force words out.
The finale, at the cultural festival, was kind of predictable, but I loved what Kayo did for Shino (and snort-laughed at Kikuchi's - the guy did his best to show his support while keeping his mouth shut for once).
She has a horrible stutter and it gets worse and worse the more nervous she gets. When she tries her best to say her name in front of the kids in her class she fumbles and feels embarrassed. She decides not to talk to anyone since they seem to snicker or make fun of her when she does. That is till she meets a girl who is all about being alone and not wanting friends. Together they try to make music together since Shino can sing really well when she can't speak.
This is a pretty well-done tale about a girl who just doesn't want to be viewed as weird or different anymore. I personally loved the chemistry between the two leads and the boy who comes in later is great as well. Kids are assholes, but they also have their own issues, and this series tells each one's story really well.
I wish wasn't so short but I really did enjoy it a lot and the ending was perfect. A 4 out of 5.
Un manga che tratta argomenti comuni e che capitano a tutti, per esempio l'inizio delle superiori, considerati la normalità e che nessuno si sofferma a pensarci più di tanto, e anche se proseguendo con la lettura vengono messe in ballo nuove tematiche come la balbuzia della protagonista e la sua incapacità a pronunciare correttamente il suo nome oppure la sua difficoltà nel legare con i compagni di classe, lei stessa troverà comunque il suo modo di andare avanti anche se ci metterà un bel po' di tempo. L'unica cosa che non mi è piaciuta in questo manga è il fatto che sia autoconclusivo e per questo la storia è molte veloce e tralascia un sacco di punti che secondo me sarebbe stato meglio approfondire. Per il resto una storia abbastanza piacevole per passare il tempo.
High School Girl Oshima Shino has difficulties pronouncing words that start with vowels in front of people. Due to her speech impediment, she has a lack of friends and suffers from general awkwardness. Her classmate Kayo is tone-deaf despite her love for music. They decide to form a band which changes them both.
Shino Can't Say Her Name is a somewhat autobiographical work. This manga is based on Shūzō Oshimi's own experience. His tonal dysphemia (stuttering) started in the second year of middle school. We finally got an official English translation after a decade, but I feel like the film adaption from 2018 called 志乃ちゃんは自分の名前が言えない, Shino-chan wa Jibun no Namae ga Ienai is much more popular and well-known than the manga. But either way it's a beautiful story that will make you feel for Oshima Shino.
Este manga llegó a mis manos por dos razones: en primer lugar, porque soy el perro fiel de Milky Way Ediciones y me leo casi cualquier cosa que sacan; en segundo lugar, porque me interesaba leer una historia relativamente autobiográfica y, por tanto, íntima. Para respetar a Oshimi, no utilizaré ninguna palabra sinónima o equivalente a aquello que quiere tratar el autor porque, como bien dice él, no quiere que se asocie el tomo a un solo elemento concreto. Lo importante, por tanto, de esta historia, es que trata a una persona con dificultades en el habla oral sin quedar muy claro si es una enfermedad, introversión o alguna obstrucción en el sistema de la lengua.
Debo admitir que, hasta el último tercio, la historia funciona más que bien. Presentan correctamente a Shino y sus dificultades orales, además de mostrar las consecuencias para con el resto de gente. Es una situación injusta con la que es fácil que cualquiera se sienta identificado, tenga las mismas dificultades u otras. Algo que hace bien el autor, tal y como pretende, es crear un conflicto no limitado únicamente al problema de la protagonista, sino fácilmente aplicable a cualquier otra característica no normativa. Por desgracia, la situación es similar ante un grupo de niños que han recibido una enseñanza tan arraigada en la tradición. También es bastante inteligente por parte de Oshimi juntar a la protagonista con una persona que, sin padecer ninguna enfermedad o presentar una característica no normativa, sufre de igual manera ante la humillación de sus compañeros de clase. Ideas como el cuaderno de notas, la progresiva cercanía de Kayo y Shino, la música como terapia (bendita sea Kayo, la fan de The Flaming Lips y Bob Dylan) o los conflictos surgidos entre Shino y el chaval que se ríe de ella son también muy interesantes para llevar el argumento a donde pretende el autor.
Sin embargo, el último tercio del manga me hace perder el interés y ver el conflicto bruscamente resuelto. Me alegro de que el clímax sea realista y no tire por sensiblerías o manipulaciones emocionales del lector, pero creo que llega demasiado pronto y de forma inesperada. La situación de Shino no se resuelve, algo que no sería problemático si no fuese porque apenas se trata el futuro del personaje. Es natural que una dificultad del habla no tenga solución, y por eso me habría gustado que Oshimi hubiera tratado en profundidad el tema tras el paso de Shino por el instituto. Las páginas finales parecen un cierre brusco antes que un desenlace merecido y plantea una solución al problema algo facilona: si no puedes hablar bien, ten una hija que pueda. Comprendo que la idea es no hacerlo todo sola y apoyarse en gente que te quiera para salir de algunas situaciones, pero preferiría que la historia se hubiera atrevido un poco más mostrando escenas en que eso resulta imposible (vamos, eventos públicos o relativos a algún trabajo individual).
Dicho esto, el tomo no está nada mal. Adoro que Oshimi haya encontrado en el manga, en el arte, una forma de lidiar con este problema y darlo a conocer al mundo (además de que su dibujo funciona la mar de bien a pesar de su sencillez). Más aún adoro que haya mostrado una situación aplicable a mucha gente sin cerrar el círculo. Como ocurre con muchos tomos únicos, su mayor contra es el acelerón del final, que no cierra correctamente al personaje y tira por la vía fácil en algo que podría haber sido especialmente verosímil. Pero bueno, los dos primeros tercios merecen bastante la pena. Habrá que investigar más al autor, que tengo Las flores del mal y Rastros de sangre muy pendientes desde hace demasiado tiempo.
Shuzo Oshimi, at least to my knowledge, is known for uncomfortable books. His series Happiness and then The Flowers of Evil are amongst some of the most twisted I've ever read, and the fact I enjoyed them maybe says more about me than I'm willing to delve into right now. When I saw this book, as it is just a oneshot, I wondered what it would be like.
Shino Oshimi is a high school student with a speech impediment. Despite being able to speak, she finds herself freezing up and unable to even introduce herself to her class on the first day. She is mocked by her classmates and when she becomes uneasy friends with the unfriendly and abrupt Kayo, Kayo wants to help Shino by asking her to sing when Kayo plays guitar. Shino accepts and despite her nerves, soon finds she is actually pretty good, however, her progress is thrown off when another one of their classmates join their duo, one of the boys who previously mocked Shino for her inability to speak clearly. He struggles with knowing when to stop talking and by the end of the book, genuinely apologises for bullying Shino. Shino and Kayo overcome their struggles together, with the help of their third new friend.
This book was incredibly wholesome and impactful. Short and sweet. It appears to be loosely based on Shuzo Oshimi's own struggles with speech as a teenager and how music has been proven to help many across the globe with stutters and other impediments. This story was just such a nice respite after The Flowers of Evil.
⚜️ Probabil ma asteptam eu la altceva, dar nu pot spune ca m a dat neaparat pe spate povestea 😅 cunosc si eu persoane in situatia lui Shino, si cumva imi pare rau pentru ei. Ma gandesc ca e tare greu sa vrei sa zici ceva, orice, dar din cauza bâlbâielilor sa nu iasa nimic. Povestea a fost ok, desi pe la final Shino m-a enervat. 😅
Me ha parecido muy flojo, realmente. Una lástima porque tenía ganas de leerlo. No llegas a empatizar especialmente con ningún personaje, y el final intenta ser emotivo pero no me acabó de llenar.
This is a thoughtful, one-shot about a high school girl—Shino Oshima—who has a pronounced stutter and experiences severe anxiety because of it. Her anxiety is so severe that it largely prevents from communicating with others—she becomes so nervous that she physically cannot speak.
This has, of course, had a profound impact on Shino’s life. She’d like to make friends—really, she’d like to just be able to introduce herself. But, she hasn’t been able to.
Starting high school has been a real challenge for her—but, somehow, she manages to meet some new people who seem more understanding of her struggles. More, she’s introduced to music—an outlet that allows Shino to express herself in ways she’s wasn’t before.
Largely, I appreciate this story.
In recent years, manga has been making a concerted effort to be more inclusive, particularly in having stories that feature main characters with disabilities. Granted, that’s an ongoing initiative in many ways. But, I do appreciate the clear effort being made to tell stories about people with a wide array of disabilities—physical, mental, and beyond. I think the mangakas making these stories are trying to do important work.
Here, I think the intention is good. This story is so visceral—as a reader, I feel Shino’s embarrassment, humiliation, and shame acutely. Both the storytelling and the art style convey those emotions in sharp relief. It was physically mortifying to go on parts of Shino’s journey with her.
My main critique is that this story feels too short. I think it would’ve been a more satisfying story with a little more detail, particularly towards the end. The conclusion in this one feels very sudden and, almost, jarring. It’s nearly incongruent with the rest of the story. [Maybe the mangaka was under a strict page limit though?]
Anyway, I’d still recommend picking up this story, especially if you’re interested in perusing the scope of inclusive manga. I’d say this story is a touchstone in the space~
Sin duda la historia más "suave" que he leído de Shuzo Oshimi, que se ha convertido ya en uno de mis autores favoritos. Me gusta cómo caracteriza y cómo da vida a sus personajes, y cómo forma relaciones entre ellos. Además, uno de los detalles que me ha gustado mucho de esta historia en concreto es cómo los personajes son capaces de disculparse por sus errores. También me ha gustado el desenlace, cómo los personajes han evolucionado a lo largo de la historia y Shino parece aceptar su tartamudez como parte de ella misma y de su vida.
Shino can’t say her name menceritakan seorang gadis bernama Shino yang tidak bisa mengucapkan namanya. Di komik ini dijelaskan bagaimana cara Shino berdamai dengan traumanya
Deuxième découverte du mangaka, changement radical de registre et de ton vs Les liens du sang. Ici, un oneshot inspiré de sa propre expérience.
Shino souffre de bégaiement. Elle n'arrive pas très bien à prononcer certains mots commençant par des consonnes, dont son propre prénom. Complexée, elle redoute énormément le premier jour dans son nouveau lycée. Elle bafouille en effet et s'attire les moqueries gratuites de ses camarades, ce qui ne rend pas simple son intégration. Mais par hasard, elle va rencontrer Kayo, une autre fille un peu en retrait de sa classe, mélomane guitariste mais très mauvaise chanteuse.
C'est donc un récit sur l'adolescence, qui va parler de la difficile acceptation de soi, surtout quand on souffre d'un problème d'élocution difficile à contrôler. Un aspect très bien traité, tant le manga n'est pas centré sur son bégaiement (jamais explicité) mais réellement sur ce que c'est d'être adolescent, de se découvrir et surtout de s'accepter.
On a donc un dessin beaucoup plus doux, apaisé, en rondeur. Il souligne à la fois les tourments de cette période de la vie et sa beauté.
Japanese manga has this thing about slapping people into realizing something important that just never sits well with me. This has a scene like that and it feels extra icky, but the rest of the story was still strong.
4,5 in realtà perché la storia è bella e significativa ma il finale è alquanto frettoloso, meritava qualche spiegazione in più. Recensione completa prossimamente sul blog
While this specific title isn't normally something I would read, it was the August manga pick for my book club, so I took a chance on it. And it was honestly pretty good. This author is most well known for their psychological thrillers, but he switches to something softer this time, a semi-autobiographical manga about a girl who struggles with stuttering so much that she can barely say her own name. This is something the author himself struggled with, and the conflicting feelings Shino has throughout felt authentic as a result. I was worried this book would focus too much on bullying, but while Shino does get teased, her struggle is more internal, and when she starts to accept herself at the end, it's quite moving. Overall this would have worked a bit better if it was longer, as it ends rather abruptly, but it's still worth a read.