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dame_samara's review
4.0
This book was interesting in the sense that this is a piece of history I had never heard about. I know that situations like this are/were far from uncommon, but it's a part of history that is skimmed over.
Some parts of this book can be incredibly upsetting with depictions of Miamata Disease both in humans and in cats.
This book at it's core is a call to action, that if we let it, these types of things will be brushed under the rug. That corporations like Chisso, do not really care about the impact they have on the enviroment or people. That it is up to us in the end to speak up and hold them accountable.
Some parts of this book can be incredibly upsetting with depictions of Miamata Disease both in humans and in cats.
This book at it's core is a call to action, that if we let it, these types of things will be brushed under the rug. That corporations like Chisso, do not really care about the impact they have on the enviroment or people. That it is up to us in the end to speak up and hold them accountable.
toodlebean's review
4.0
I didn't expect to connect with this material the way I did. I very rarely read non fiction and I knew nothing of Minamata disease before picking this up. Being presented as manga was a smart choice; it's the reason I decided to read The Minamata Story and it's a very Japanese way to present important history.
Tomi, a British Japanese student misses out on his chance to present an assignment on the Fukushima Disaster and is instead assigned Minamata Disease, to his disappointment. Once Tomi learns that his family is much closer to the disease than he knew he becomes heavily invested in researching and producing the best paper he can.
The experience leads Tomi to connect with his family in new ways and to question the passive nature of the Japanese culture. Countries around the world are protesting the harm being done to the people and the environment eg. The Flint Water Crisis and Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The Japanese don't and Tomi begins to question his responsibility as a young man living in Japan. I didn't know that Japan is planning to release Fukushima waste into the ocean and I wonder how the horrors of Minamata have been so easily forgotten or ignored.
Thank you to the author for a history lesson I needed and thank you for presenting it in such an engaging and memorable way.
Tomi, a British Japanese student misses out on his chance to present an assignment on the Fukushima Disaster and is instead assigned Minamata Disease, to his disappointment. Once Tomi learns that his family is much closer to the disease than he knew he becomes heavily invested in researching and producing the best paper he can.
The experience leads Tomi to connect with his family in new ways and to question the passive nature of the Japanese culture. Countries around the world are protesting the harm being done to the people and the environment eg. The Flint Water Crisis and Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The Japanese don't and Tomi begins to question his responsibility as a young man living in Japan. I didn't know that Japan is planning to release Fukushima waste into the ocean and I wonder how the horrors of Minamata have been so easily forgotten or ignored.
Thank you to the author for a history lesson I needed and thank you for presenting it in such an engaging and memorable way.
thenthomwaslike's review
4.0
Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.com.
"Enjoy" is not the right word, but I am glad that I read this. I had no idea about the Minamata disaster, and this briskly tells the tale, provides context of the time, and shows the personal long-term effects of those caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wish that I got to know the main character a little better, because I do think this could have been expanded out into a more fleshed out A and B plot, whereas the way it is set up, the protagonist doesn't have much of an arc or that extensive of a life going on around him. He is essentially a framing device with the research about Minamata being the main plot. Despite this, I still love what I read.
"Enjoy" is not the right word, but I am glad that I read this. I had no idea about the Minamata disaster, and this briskly tells the tale, provides context of the time, and shows the personal long-term effects of those caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wish that I got to know the main character a little better, because I do think this could have been expanded out into a more fleshed out A and B plot, whereas the way it is set up, the protagonist doesn't have much of an arc or that extensive of a life going on around him. He is essentially a framing device with the research about Minamata being the main plot. Despite this, I still love what I read.
mystiquereader's review
4.0
An emotional read about how environmental disasters have lasting consequences on those that it affects. The Minamata Story: An EcoTragedy provides an insightful look at the devastating effect of mercury poisoning and Minamata disease in coastal communities of Japan in the 1950s. The illustrations are easy to read and add a lot of depth.
graypeape's review
5.0
This was an interesting read, heartbreaking and horrifying. Not a fun read, but necessary. The main story is about Minamata disease, named after Minamata, Japan, where it was first discovered. It was caused by the Chisso Corporation releasing methylmercury in industrial wastewater for 34 years, poisoning the sea and all living things within it during that time, causing countless deaths and illnesses in the citizens and animals that ate the fish and shellfish from the sea there. The disease can kill within weeks, or leave its victims with lifelong neurological disorders, including poor muscle control, inability to speak, convulsions, etc. Even though the cause of the illness was discovered within a few years of appearing, neither Chisso or the prefectural government did much to prevent or deal with the contamination. The sick were treated as scapegoats, blamed for getting sick instead of blaming those who caused the problem. It was an ugly situation, and exactly the sort of thing people should know about, as we are repeating this sort of problem in places like Flint, Michigan now.
The story is told from a modern point of view, as a university student writing a report on the Minamata story finds that his mother was born in Minamata and his grandparents had lived there during the events, which began in 1956. Tomi and his granny go to visit the area, talking to survivors, visiting the memorial, and seeing how the area is getting along now. This approach toward telling the story gives it a more personal feel, and several people featured in the book are real people, who are introduced in the afterword. A compelling read.
#TheMinamataStory #NetGalley
The story is told from a modern point of view, as a university student writing a report on the Minamata story finds that his mother was born in Minamata and his grandparents had lived there during the events, which began in 1956. Tomi and his granny go to visit the area, talking to survivors, visiting the memorial, and seeing how the area is getting along now. This approach toward telling the story gives it a more personal feel, and several people featured in the book are real people, who are introduced in the afterword. A compelling read.
#TheMinamataStory #NetGalley
ashleyreadstoomuch's review
3.0
**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of The Minamata Story: An Ecotragedy by Sean Michael Wilson through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for this opportunity.
The Minamata Story: An Ecotragedy by Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima is a graphic novel that helps to bring light to real events. It switches back and forth between the modern timeline and looking back on events that happened in the past. It was published on June 15th, 2021. I rated it three stars on Goodreads.
Here's the summary from Goodreads:
A powerful graphic novel/manga that tells the story of Minamata disease, a debilitating and sometimes fatal condition caused by the Chisso chemical factory's careless release of methylmercury into the waters of the coastal community of Minamata in southern Japan. First identified in 1956, it became a hot topic in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, growing into an iconic struggle between people versus corporations and government agencies.
The event is also the subject of the 2020 Andrew Levitas directed Johnny Depp film, Minamata.
This struggle is relevant today, not simply because many people are still living with the disease but also because, in this time of growing concern over the safety of our environment--viz. Flint, Michigan--Minamata gives us as a very moving example of such human-caused environmental disasters and what we can do about them.
The Minamata Story: An Ecotragedy was a short but very moving graphic novel. I hadn’t really heard about what happened in Minamata so it was an educational story.
The art was well done, but it easily represented what the story was trying to get across. The fact that it was in black and white emphasized certain details. The characters were expressive, and felt unique.
I liked that they used Tomi’s university assignment as a vessel to help us learn about what happened. Tomi didn’t know enough and so as he learned, we learned. I also really enjoyed how he went to visit real people who were living with the disease.
I also really liked how at the end it detailed about the real people who inspired the characters in the story. It's good to pay tribute to the people you drew inspiration from.
However, I will admit that it did feel a little rushed and I would have liked to see more development and expansion on the story to learn even more about it.
It was well done and was really interesting. I highly recommend that you check out the story!
The Minamata Story: An Ecotragedy by Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima is a graphic novel that helps to bring light to real events. It switches back and forth between the modern timeline and looking back on events that happened in the past. It was published on June 15th, 2021. I rated it three stars on Goodreads.
Here's the summary from Goodreads:
A powerful graphic novel/manga that tells the story of Minamata disease, a debilitating and sometimes fatal condition caused by the Chisso chemical factory's careless release of methylmercury into the waters of the coastal community of Minamata in southern Japan. First identified in 1956, it became a hot topic in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, growing into an iconic struggle between people versus corporations and government agencies.
The event is also the subject of the 2020 Andrew Levitas directed Johnny Depp film, Minamata.
This struggle is relevant today, not simply because many people are still living with the disease but also because, in this time of growing concern over the safety of our environment--viz. Flint, Michigan--Minamata gives us as a very moving example of such human-caused environmental disasters and what we can do about them.
The Minamata Story: An Ecotragedy was a short but very moving graphic novel. I hadn’t really heard about what happened in Minamata so it was an educational story.
The art was well done, but it easily represented what the story was trying to get across. The fact that it was in black and white emphasized certain details. The characters were expressive, and felt unique.
I liked that they used Tomi’s university assignment as a vessel to help us learn about what happened. Tomi didn’t know enough and so as he learned, we learned. I also really enjoyed how he went to visit real people who were living with the disease.
I also really liked how at the end it detailed about the real people who inspired the characters in the story. It's good to pay tribute to the people you drew inspiration from.
However, I will admit that it did feel a little rushed and I would have liked to see more development and expansion on the story to learn even more about it.
It was well done and was really interesting. I highly recommend that you check out the story!
toastx2's review
4.0
Sad topic.
Wonderful graphic novel.
‘The Minamata Story, an eco tragedy’ - Amazing Stone Bridge Press release from June of this year. Author Sean Michael Wilson and artist
Akiko Shimojima put together an insightful and informative Graphic Novel telling the story of Minamata Japan. Minamata unfortunately is known for the ecological disaster caused by the Chisso Corporation dumping Methyl-mercury into river and bay water, giving the entire coastal community(s) mercury poisoning and creating multi generational congenital illness. It’s fucking horrible.
The comic takes a unique approach of having college student Tomi researching the region for a school project. Tomi learns that his grandmother lived in Minamata, mother was born there, and they abandoned it when social stigma for the region started creating complications. Tomi visits, learns about the neurological disease, and learns about himself in the process.
The story focuses directly on the coastal town of Minamata and its people, but doesn’t talk much about the surrounding prefectures which were equally destroyed.
Good timing for a graphic novel release considering the 2020 movie release on the topic, told through the lens of W. Eugene Smith who was a longtime advocate for bringing info to light.
Wonderful graphic novel.
‘The Minamata Story, an eco tragedy’ - Amazing Stone Bridge Press release from June of this year. Author Sean Michael Wilson and artist
Akiko Shimojima put together an insightful and informative Graphic Novel telling the story of Minamata Japan. Minamata unfortunately is known for the ecological disaster caused by the Chisso Corporation dumping Methyl-mercury into river and bay water, giving the entire coastal community(s) mercury poisoning and creating multi generational congenital illness. It’s fucking horrible.
The comic takes a unique approach of having college student Tomi researching the region for a school project. Tomi learns that his grandmother lived in Minamata, mother was born there, and they abandoned it when social stigma for the region started creating complications. Tomi visits, learns about the neurological disease, and learns about himself in the process.
The story focuses directly on the coastal town of Minamata and its people, but doesn’t talk much about the surrounding prefectures which were equally destroyed.
Good timing for a graphic novel release considering the 2020 movie release on the topic, told through the lens of W. Eugene Smith who was a longtime advocate for bringing info to light.
curiousmadra's review
4.0
Well good golly...that was quite extremely educational like before I read this book and of course, knowing the Japanese government planning to dump the Fukushima waste in the ocean, I thought Japan were sensible enough in keeping their waters clean. Turns out it wasn’t the case at all.. Of course we have to thank Chisso Corporation who made the fishermen and their families (including animals) lose their livelihoods from the disease (not everyone from the company is to blame but mostly the particular people who have caused this mess).
I really liked how the author added people’s real life stories into the university guys (sorry don’t know the name) journey along with his grandmother who experienced this awful situation as a young girl. It’s honestly so heartbreaking to see what people went through like I can’t imagine how challenging it was to lose their speech a bit and being bullied for it!
Again I’ve learned quite a lot on the Minamata disease, it’s something everyone should take a look at! Big thanks to Netgalley and Stone Bridge Press for allowing easy access to this novel!
I really liked how the author added people’s real life stories into the university guys (sorry don’t know the name) journey along with his grandmother who experienced this awful situation as a young girl. It’s honestly so heartbreaking to see what people went through like I can’t imagine how challenging it was to lose their speech a bit and being bullied for it!
Again I’ve learned quite a lot on the Minamata disease, it’s something everyone should take a look at! Big thanks to Netgalley and Stone Bridge Press for allowing easy access to this novel!
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