Manga & Anime

For week three, we were to read Cigarette Girls. After reading one of the short stories, it was really hard to continue reading. For some reason the style of artwork really bothered me and I just couldn't do it haha. The way their lips were drawn was the most unnerving aspect of it all. Although, the storylines were a bit funky and at times hard for me to follow, it was overall a cute book of stories.

For our first reading, we read Ayako by Osamu Tezuka. The story follows the Tenge clan and their downfall over a span of twenty-three years. Filled with dark secrets, murder, and so much more, this manga is one of the most twisted stories I've ever read. There was this underlying issue with patriarchy and the traditional expectations of respect that came with it. As we discussed in class, this seems to be the root of why this family is so dysfunctional. First of all, let me start by saying this: every single goddamn person in this story is awful with a capital A. The entire Tenge clan is fucked. The story starts out with Jiro Tenge returning home after being held POW by Americans. It's revealed that while he was imprisoned, he became a double agent for the Americans and betrayed his country for survival. After returning home, he is still employed by the Americans and it made to kill and dispose of corpses by the "GHQ" – which is American run. Shortly after hi...

This four-panel manga strip tells the story of the moon and the sun, and how the moon was once in love with the sun.