Cigarette Girl

The first time I read Cigarette Girl I was confused; “I don’t get it,” as well as “Was that it?” came out of my mouth. And yes, I said the first time because, after sleeping on it, I decided to try reading it again to see if I missed something. I’m glad I did, since there were a few things that I didn’t catch the first time around. I definitively feel as though this manga is best read slowly. A lot of the charm comes from the images and silence in the stories, and most of the time it’s what isn’t said that is more important than what is said. I’ve realized that the short vignette-style stories aren’t meant to be read back to back, but rather on their own. Reading it a second time I began to fall in to that time in history that was Japan in the 70’s that Matsumoto portrays. Different lives and encounters of men and women constrained by societal convections, worrying about finding a husband or wife before their time is up, or otherwise having difficulties to express their feelings and emotions. The door to door condom saleswoman “Happy-chan” chapters were especially weirdly funny.

I liked the comical art style, but it had a fatal issue in which the characters looked very similar. This was to the point where I would get constantly confused as to which character it was, taking me out of the immersion at times. Each of the characters feels, to some extent, unfulfilled. They wander through life, and sometimes they are given glimpses of a brighter future, but often, when they pursue these hopes, they fall short of realizing their dreams, and they regress to how they once were - perhaps how they will always be. Not much happens in the stories, not much gets resolved. Sometimes, as in life itself, things just end. It’s definitively a different narrative that leaves much to be desired, yet leaves me wanting more (I felt a similar way after watching the Miss Hokusai movie.) It may just be that I am used to being entertained in a certain way and this is unfamiliar storytelling why I couldn’t fully love the manga. I do appreciate the work in its own right as a Gekiga style manga and I sensed that there was a wistfulness and subtlety to these stories that was enjoyable.

Ayako

My experience with this manga was definitely not one I expected. My initial impression of it was that it was going to be one of those books that kind of dragged on, but it was completely the opposite. As soon as I started reading I could not put it down! It was as though it had some sort of spell on me. I ended up reading it completely in one sitting. As far as the story itself goes, I was surprised at how dark and realistic it was. Prior to reading it, I did not know that much about Ozamu Tezuka other than him being the creator of Astro Boy and an influential person in the industry. So, you can imagine my surprise when comparing his earlier work to this one.

Ayako is a crude story that presents the dysfunctionality of one family and how they live their lives altered by a post war Japan. Their individual choices intertwine with each other’s lives, and ultimately the one member of the family whose life is the most affected is Ayako’s. Interestingly enough, towards the end of the book we see that it was not Ayako who was suffering the most, but instead the family members themselves. Perhaps karma had a hand in them getting a taste of their own medicine. Most of the characters were not likeable in nature, but I believe that was part of the charm, as they ended up being very complex characters. They truly felt like real people. I also enjoyed the fact that the story was told in chronological order of events and through the point of view of many different family members. It really made me feel more immersed in the scenes as though I was also part of the family, watching as everything unfolds. Overall, it’s kind of a sad story, but it left me feeling satisfied in the end so I’m glad to have read it.

Potential Presentation Topic

Week Nine March 21: Shojo and Josei

Talking about the impact of "Banana Fish" (Manga published in 1985; Anime recently aired in 2018.)
While published and marketed as a  shoujo (girls') manga, Banana Fish's dense plot, heavy dialogue, and extensive action sequences led it to attract a sizeable male and adult female fanbase. It reaches a wide variety of audiences, which begs the question of what are the blurred lines between genres? Just because something is geared towards a specific audience, does it have to follow specific parameters? 

Might cover other shojo/josei works as well, or point out how there are also shonen works that contain normally female-centric topics such as romance.

4-koma Manga