Sep 26, 2024
- Sunroom ni te (In the Sunroom, 1970)
Beautiful short story, one of the first ever manga stories considered shounen ai/BL, so even historically this is so interesting to read. I also recently read Takemiya's biography and this was part of her one shots where she was trying to explore the theme and what the magazine would allow her to publish.
8/10
- Hohoemu Shounen (The Laughing Boy, 1972)
This was also pretty good. The story follows a painter and his beloved as they accept to live with a young beautiful man who is suffering of a terminal illness. The one shot deals with acceptance of one self,
...
I think, with the painter accepting his love and the young man accepting his own nature.
7/10
- 20 no Hiru to Yoru (20 Days and Nights, 1973)
Don't ask me what this was please, I was so confused.
2/10
- Star! (1974)
A classic over dramatic story of jealousy and love. The full on tragedy of a singer who takes an ambitious man under his wing.
6/10
- Mister no Kotori (The Mr.'s Baby Bird, 1975)
This was my absolute favorite and it even broke my heart a little. It follows the story of an old man who often is angry and annoyed with the people around him. One day he sees a beautiful boy, a bird as he calls him, and this boy starts following him like a ghost. I think you can definitely tell this was a bit of an older story. When I read the biography Takemiya says that after/during writing Pharaoh no Haka (1974) she started to find confidence in her ability to draw and write again and she started to enjoy making manga once more.
This one shot looks much more cohesive than the previous one, the story feels like has been organized from start to finish to deliver the maximum emotional punch. I would definitely recommend even just reading this one (and maybe the first one shot given its historical importance).
10/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all