Usually when people think of manga, they think about stories about epic sci-fi, sweet shojo manga romances or adrenaline-charged action. But as there's more to Japan than geisha, samurai and sushi, there are also several manga artists who take a more thoughtful, sensual and personal approach to their storytelling. One such artist is Susumu Katsumata, the creator of Red Snow , a new collection of gekiga short stories published by Drawn and Quarterly.
Katsumata-sensei, like Yoshihiro Tatsumi, is known for being part of the gekiga, or "dramatic pictures" movement that was known for depicting stories that are both more gritty, personal and realistic than fantasy-driven manga, and also for its artistic innovation. But unlike Tatsumi-sensei's gritty, urban tales (A Drifting Life , Abandon the Old in Tokyo ), Katsumata's Red Snow is set in rural Japan, where life was somewhat simpler, but also had its share of hardships and drama.
While the gekiga of Yoshihiro Tatsumi focuses on a relentlessly grim vision of urban Japan, Katsumata's Red Snow depicts sex, scandals and depravity in the Japanese countryside but also moments of nostalgia, magic, slice-of-life humor and uncommon beauty.
Check out my review of Red Snow by Susumu Katsumata from Drawn and Quarterly, and get a glimpse of a Japan that is rapidly becoming just a memory. Also, for a limited time, D and Q is offering Red Snow at 30% off the cover price at DrawnandQuarterly.com, making this gift-worthy hardcover well worth picking up!
Red Snow is one of the 50 New and Notable Manga for Fall 2009. See the rest of the list and see what's coming soon to a book or comic store near you.
Image credit: © Susumu Katsumata
Comments