Japanese Literature discussion

Forum members have had a number of Manga discussions in the GR group and in our discord channel.
Here is a folder for discussion threads to group these going forward.

An introductory article from the British Museum, By Nicole Rousmaniere, IFAC Handa Curator of Japanese Arts
Publication date: 28 January 2019
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/in...
and
Is Hokusai the father of Manga?
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/ho...
and
8 manga genres you need to know:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/8-...
and
Manga: a brief history in 12 works
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/ma...

We have occasionally had a group read of a manga, for example:
Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
And
A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 And Vol2, by Kaoru Mori
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


Also, many classics have manga versions or manga that reference the story. We had a buddy read on The Changelings: A Classical Japanese Court Tale and there is a form of the story that appears in the 19th! Volume of the manga series Maria-sama ga Miteru. 8 by Oyuki Konno.

Sorry to say, but the manga version of the Maria-sama novels didn't run long enough to get to where The Changelings appears. I guess the manga version didn't sell well enough and got canceled.

It occurs off-screen in the 18th novel tokubetsu de nai tada no ichinichi . Since it's being done as a play at a Catholic girls' high school, they had to cut out all the scandalous bits.

Here is the Wikipedia link for description of the Maria-sama series:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria...
Light novels, manga, Audio CDs, live action. It has been credited with being a big motivator of the yuri modern literature trend.

I am taking a break from the serious stuff and am reading:
My Special One, Vol. 1 by Momoko Koda. Ahhhh

No excuses, I really liked My Special One, Vol. 1 by Momoko Koda. It was sweet, a little cringy (and wouldn’t happen) but I liked how the two main characters interacted with each other.
A nice break from other reading. I probably will read more of the series.

Also, I am continuing with the works of Makato Shinkai. I read She and Her Cat for j-lit cat reads week 2024.

I love the original story in the short movie Voices of a Distant Star. The manga derived from the story is The Voices of a Distant Star, illustrated by Mizu Sahara, English translation by Melissa Tanaka.
Mizu Sahara’s excellent and sensitive drawings in this manga and the story adaptation added another layer of depth.

Much recommended for anyone that likes Makato Shinkai stories.

If you like his works, other movies of his that I also recommend:

The Garden of Words
5 Centimeters per Second
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Children Who Chase Lost Voices

I am reading I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History, Vol. 1 by Akari Hoshi. This is an excellent series with real character development, introspection and interior dialogue. There is a significant interplay between the _considered concepts_ leading to societal improvement and the _ideals_ of improvement without substance. There is an anime series for Fall 2024 which is worth watching also.
I am hoping that there will be an official English of the Vol 2 manga in 2025 now that there is an English publisher for the series. The light novel version should also be available in English translation February 2025. The series is a solid 4*s and maybe higher if this story line resonates with the reader.

Isaac Meyer in “The History of Japan” podcast had an early episode on the history of Manga. His show is always interesting with a lot of episodes, over 550 as of this posting.

https://sites.libsyn.com/43266/episod...

I don’t know what genre it is but our 07/2021 group read for Lonely Castle in the Mirror has a 5 volume manga version, Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Vol. 1. The 5th volume will be available in English translation in Feb 2025.

There was also an anime movie. The film premiered in Japan on December 23, 2022. GKIDS acquired the rights to the film in North America, and screened it in Japanese and English-language formats on June 21–22, 2023. The film premiered on television for the first time on Nippon TV's Kin'yō Road Show programming block on February 9, 2024.

Is it ok if I leave you guys some manga recommendations in here also? 🥺 These are some of the titles I've really enjoyed and thought they were suitable for a share in this group:

Vikings:
Vinland Saga Omnibus, Vol. 1, story and art by Makoto Yukimura

Horror, excellent for fans of Hideshi Hino:
School Zone, vol. 1, story and art by Kanako Inuki
Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! (less scary, perfect as an introduction to this artist)

Classic horror manga:
Devilman: The Classic Collection Vol. 1, story and art by Go Nagai (a mangaka MUST for any horror manga fan!)

More works by women artists:
Dolis, story and art by Maki Kusumoto
Mitsukazu Mihara: IC in a Sunflower, story and art by Mitsukazu Mihara
Helter Skelter, story and art by Kyōko Okazaki (a critique on plastic surgeries, fame and standards of beauty)
In Clothes Called Fat, story and art by Moyoco Anno
(also by Moyoco Anno: Sakuran)
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 1: To Till, story and art by Chiho Saito

Hideshi Hino horror:
Panorama of Hell
Gallery Of Horrors

More classic horror:
Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1, story and art by Kazuo Umezz / Kazuo Umezu

Usamaru Furuya:
The Music of Marie
No Longer Human Complete Edition (highly recommend this over Ito's mainly because Furuya's interpretation of the story is deeply emotional and heartbreaking 💔)
(also maybe Lychee Light Club too? for fans of grand guignol theatre and drama)

Mystery/thriller/psychological:
Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 1, story and art by Naoki Urasawa (and I might even add anything and everything you can find by this artist at this point, I highly recommend him, including his own youtube channel where he draws his characters and talks about his manga work and drawing and creating manga (the title of his channel is "浦沢チャンネル -URASAWA CHANNEL-"). it's very informative. everything is English subtitled so foreigners can understand also.)
The Decagon House Murders, Volume 1, story by Yukito Ayatsuji, art by Hiro Kiyohara

Other recommendations:
Search and Destroy Vol. 1, story and art by Atsushi Kaneko, original story by Osamu Tezuka ("Dororo")
Strange Tale of Panorama Island, story by Edogawa Rampo, art by Suehiro Maruo
Ghost in the Shell, story and art by Masamune Shirow
Lady Snowblood, Vol 1: The Deep-Seated Grudge, Part 1, story by Kazuo Koike, art by Kazuo Kamimura
Kafka: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, stories by Franz Kafka, art by Nishioka Kyoudai

Vicky wrote: "Is it ok if I leave you guys some manga recommendations in here also? 🥺 These are some of the titles I've really enjoyed and thought they were suitable for a share in this group:

Vikings:
[book:Vi..."

Super Vicky! Thank you much. I have read only a few of these so It is a great list to work from to check out new (to me) manga.

I have been reading Loner Life in Another World, (Manga) Vol 01 by Bibi, English translation by Andrew Hodgson. This has been pretty funny. Maybe more so 'cause I kinda feel like the MC???
There is a Fall 2024 anime session (Hitoribocchi no Isekai Kouryaku, subtitled) for the story and a/o 14 Nov they are up to Vol 4 of the manga. There are ~ 10 volumes in English translation now so you can read along with the anime or, like me, I read the manga before the season started so I am watching and rereading it again. It is a super stress relief activity.

I caught up with the manga version of the series The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 1 by Tsunehiko Watanabe through volume 17. I find the story itself pretty engaging but what make the storyline really interesting is the multi-country political machinations in the plot. The GR average of reviews is ~4.5.

I found that Tuttle Publishing has a new series of j-lit classic in manga and I have started reading through the series.
The first one was:
Kenji Miyazawa's Restaurant of Many Orders and Other Stories: The Manga Edition by Kenji Miyazawa

I was delighted to rereaded the three stories in the book: The Restaurant of Many Orders, The Wildcat and the Acorns, and The Twin Stars. The manga illustrations were crisp and provided another view into each story. I have bought a second copy for a holiday present for a little friend.

Second was:
Soseki Natsume's I Am A Cat: The Manga Edition by Natsume Sōseki, a nicely illustrated version of Sōseki’s famous story. This was a hit with holiday visitors looking through my new manga stacks… :)
“ Beautifully illustrated by Japanese artist Chiroru Kobato, this edition provides a visual, entertaining look at a unique period in Japan's history—filled with cultural and societal changes, rapid modernization and a feeling of limitless possibility—through the eyes of an unlikely narrator.”

End of year, 2024, I am finishing up what I have of the Wistoria: Wand and Sword, Vol. 1 series through vol 8. I like it, 3*s, and it doesn’t take many brain cells to enjoy.

Oh, and I bought Suzume T01 by Makoto Shinkai for our library. I will read that when it is logged in and labeled. I like all of Makoto Shinkai’s works in every media.

I'm just finishing We still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day , which I would call literature. And it's got very nice art.

One of a tight group of grade school friends dies in an accident, and the others drift apart. A few years later when the others are in high school, the dead girl's ghost appears. The others have to overcome their differences and face their trauma to send her on her way.

But I have no idea why it's titled that.

Bill wrote: "I'm just finishing We still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day , which I would call literature. And it's got very nice art.

One of a tight group of grade school fri..."

Bill, I think the title is a reference to reincarnation. Jintan's mother tells Menma about how a person can be reincarnated as another living thing, like a flower or a cat, after they die, and this becomes Menma's goal after she remembers her original wish. She wants to be reincarnated so she can be in the same world where her friends are.

Just finished Eating & Sleeping Together, Living Together about a couple that's been living together for eight years and still isn't married.

People around them find it a bit odd, with the common (but non-judgemental) question: "Why aren't you married?" as in, if you're going to stay together permanently, wouldn't it make more sense to do it officially?

The art is decent. But the author's choice to repeat every chapter from a his and a hers point of view makes the story tedious. As a result, there aren't really very many chapters, and they seldom tie into one another. I liked the ending better than the rest of the chapters. Still deciding whether to keep this or give it away...

A Tale of the Secret Saint (Manga) Vol. 8 By Touya. The manga visually captures the light novel story well. It helps me rediscover the tale in another form. I continue to enjoy them both.
“The story of a young woman’s quest to become a knight while hiding her saintly power.”

I notice that the more serious our group reads are, the amount of light novels and manga I read on the side goes up…

There's nothing wrong with varying your reading! When you finish one book, look at the waiting pile and pick what most suits your mood right now. Often that means something light after something heavy.

Almost done with Dragon Knight by Yamaguchi Miyuki.

In a land increasingly barren, a few women are born with the magical ability to revitalize crops. This is the story of one of them, Rin, and the Dragon Knights who failed to prevent her predecessor from being killed. She slowly learns the dark story behind it all.

The author packs a lot of story into this one-volume manga. Normally I find such dense manga tedious to read, but it works here because of how well crafted the narrative is. One could make quite a nice action / adventure movie out of just this one volume.

GR has two listings for this book, one in Japanese and the other in Indonesian. Nothing in English as far as I can tell.

Not actually manga but might be worth looking out for later this year Andrea Horbinski's Manga's First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905–1989

Currently reading Chitose, etc , and I'm somewhat disappointed. The art is nice, but the story pacing is a mess, and I feel the author didn't know what she wanted to do with this series outside of her starting premise.

Yoshizumi has better series, including her latest Caramel Cinnamon Popcorn (what an awful title!). I hope she's doing okay. She stopped writing CCP part way through, and hasn't written anything since.