Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nouvelle Manga, 30 Dec 2008
I'd never heard of Taniguchi until seeing a panel from this book in the beautiful 1000 Years of Manga. Originally published in 1992 in Japan, this book has only recently become available in European languages thanks to a Franco-Spanish publishing collaboration to foster something they are calling "nouvelle manga." The idea is to rescue some of the more thoughtful "slice of everyday life" Japanese comics from the manga ghetto, presumably so they can reach a more sophisticated adult audience. The eighteen stories collected here embrace a quiet sensibility along with a realistic European art style.
Like Herge's famous Tintin series, the people are somewhat cartoony but all the other elements, from clothing, nature, and cityscape are richly detailed and precise. However, unlike most comics, there's no real story being told -- it's all about time. The salaryman who navigates the mostly wordless pieces is intent on savoring his surroundings, taking the time to notice the miracles of nature that unfold all around us all the time, and the brief encounters with strangers that can connect us to the larger spirit of humanity -- if we take the time to engage.
However, it would be an oversimplification to say the book is a celebration of "stopping to smell the roses," because the salaryman is both observative and curious. He goes for long walks, often alone, sometimes with his dog Snowy (perhaps a direct reference to Tintin?), and ever so often, with his wife. On these walks, he exhibits an almost spiritual communion with nature -- he's always running his hands through leaves, admiring gardens, letting the rain fall on him, floating in water. Although never made explicit, the connections with Shintoism appear to be quite direct. One thing is for sure, after you read this -- or rather absorb the art within the crisply controlled panels -- you won't walk anywhere the same way for a while.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning book, inside and out., 16 Jul 2009
I can't rate this book highly enough. The stories within are slow paced and focus on one man living in a peaceful town with his wife/partner. They may not be intriguing or exciting, but they are calming and a joy to look through. The detail of this manga artist of surrounding buildings, landscapes and cityscapes are astronomical. I would recommend this comic to any of my manga-loving friends.
I think anyone who appreciates art and graphics will also find this book to be a treasure on their bookshelf. I'm glad I bought it based on the other review, because they were right. ^-^
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh at the wonder of the world: a love letter to the everyday, 12 Jul 2009
There are two reviews to be written about this quiet masterpiece. The first and perhaps most important should applaud the calm clarity and beauty of Taniguchi-sensei's art. It takes a rare talent to step back and simply show the reader the small wonders that flit across our vision every time we take to the street. In this the work succeeds admirably.
The second review concerns publishers and their arrogance in treating great art (for that's what this is) with cavalier disregard and in condescending to their prospective audience in deciding what will suit 'a western audience' (whatever the hell that is). This is a Japanese work, drawn right to left to be read right to left. Adapting this to western formatting involves 'flipping' the artwork so the reader is presented with a mirror image, with all the distortion and misrepresentation that entails.
All the talk of 'nouvelle manga' rescuing work like this from the 'manga ghetto' and finding a mature, sophisticated audience is nothing more than elitist snobbery. In the hands of a truly conscientious publisher like Digital Manga Press or Viz Media this would have been presented in it's original format and accompanied by translator's and cultural footnotes to compliment the richness of the experience. In short it and its audience would have been given due respect. Even the translation of the title, wherein the elegant 'The Man Who Walks' is given a lumpen makeover, reeks of disinterest in reflecting the true experience of the work and its creator's intent.
That said I wouldn't want to dissuade anyone from treating themselves to a magical experience, even in this compromised form. I'm currently searching high and low for an original Japanese copy and advise you to do the same. In the meantime, as make-dos go this is edition better than most.
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by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
by Taiyo Matsumoto
by Jiro Taniguchi
by Jiro Taniguchi
by Moyoko Anno
