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theseventhl's review
5.0
Absolutely, utterly stunning. A wonderful collection of classic shojo from one of the masters of the genre, Moro Hagio of the famously talented Year 24 group. Can we have more of Hagio's works in English (and in print) please? I can't wait to get my hands on Heart of Thomas in the fall!
thisisstephenbetts's review
4.0
Surreal, wistful short-stories, often with fantasy/sci-fi & romance elements.
This is a really fascinating selection of work by pioneering cartoonist Moto Hagio, from the mid-70s (only a few years after her career began) to the present day. Her work was always aimed at girls, and when she started it was unusual for women to be creating comics.
The stories are refreshingly creative, and often really funny. There are some recurring themes (isolation, lost love, conflicted siblings, absent (for some reason) family members...), although the plots and setting are incredibly diverse. I believe that Hagio is more famous in Japan for her longer serials; based on the shorter stories here, I'm going to look our for them.
There's a long interview with Hagio from The Comics Journal included in this volume. In TCJ I often find these interviews a little too long, but really enjoyed this one in this context. It really added a lot to the enjoyment of the book, and had some fascinating insights into Hagio's work. Read it before, or (as I did) after - but skip it at your peril!
This is a really fascinating selection of work by pioneering cartoonist Moto Hagio, from the mid-70s (only a few years after her career began) to the present day. Her work was always aimed at girls, and when she started it was unusual for women to be creating comics.
The stories are refreshingly creative, and often really funny. There are some recurring themes (isolation, lost love, conflicted siblings, absent (for some reason) family members...), although the plots and setting are incredibly diverse. I believe that Hagio is more famous in Japan for her longer serials; based on the shorter stories here, I'm going to look our for them.
There's a long interview with Hagio from The Comics Journal included in this volume. In TCJ I often find these interviews a little too long, but really enjoyed this one in this context. It really added a lot to the enjoyment of the book, and had some fascinating insights into Hagio's work. Read it before, or (as I did) after - but skip it at your peril!
tashas_books's review
4.0
I can't believe I put off reading this for so long. It's a great collection of short stories. Each one is very different and evokes a different feeling in me.
How I came to own this book was quite an adventure. I saw it at the publisher'a booth at a convention when it first came out and almost bought it but didn't. Every time RightStuf had a Fantagraphics sale in the years since then, I almost bought it but, over and over again, didn't. Finally about 6 months ago, I bought it on eBay for a great price ($4 or something), but the book never arrived and I had to file a claim through eBay. A month or so later, I tried buying again on eBay. And this time--success! Even after finally getting the book in my hands, it sat on my bookshelf for a few months until tonight, when I decided to just read it. (And I'm very glad I finally did!)
How I came to own this book was quite an adventure. I saw it at the publisher'a booth at a convention when it first came out and almost bought it but didn't. Every time RightStuf had a Fantagraphics sale in the years since then, I almost bought it but, over and over again, didn't. Finally about 6 months ago, I bought it on eBay for a great price ($4 or something), but the book never arrived and I had to file a claim through eBay. A month or so later, I tried buying again on eBay. And this time--success! Even after finally getting the book in my hands, it sat on my bookshelf for a few months until tonight, when I decided to just read it. (And I'm very glad I finally did!)
rebeccacider's review
4.0
Moto Hagio is one of the godmothers of shojo manga, and this collection of short comics shattered many of my preconceptions about the genre.
The stories in this collection are exquisitely drawn and psychologically complex. They share a tendency toward powerful, almost melodramatic emotion that reminds me of modern YA fiction, but heck, I like that aesthetic. I would have loved Moto Hagio unreservedly when I was a teenager myself. A few of the stories just knock it out of the park in terms of craft and psychological acuteness - "Hanshin Half-God" and "Iguana Girl" are two of the best short comics I've read.
Dear Fantagraphics, please publish more shojo manga from the 70s and 80s!
The stories in this collection are exquisitely drawn and psychologically complex. They share a tendency toward powerful, almost melodramatic emotion that reminds me of modern YA fiction, but heck, I like that aesthetic. I would have loved Moto Hagio unreservedly when I was a teenager myself. A few of the stories just knock it out of the park in terms of craft and psychological acuteness - "Hanshin Half-God" and "Iguana Girl" are two of the best short comics I've read.
Dear Fantagraphics, please publish more shojo manga from the 70s and 80s!
ferzemkhan's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
everie's review
4.5
Iguana Girl and Hanshin: Half-God are standouts, but this collection of stoties from different points in Hagio's career is a must read!! And the interview at the end, ugh. Filled with love for Hagio's work and mark on the genre, really a master of shojo/sci fi
misssusan's review
4.0
really beautiful collection. it made me sad that there seems to be such an aversion to translating older classics in north america. moto hagio's work is very different from the kind of shoujo generally picked up here which is fun but often formulaic in art style. i'm not sure everyone would dig the 70s vibe to this collection but as someone who's been regularly reading manga for ten years i appreciated the change of pace.
in terms of story? i guess the words i'd use to describe this collection is melancholic complexity. hagio's stories feel very rooted in reality even when they experiment with the fantastic. for example, you have iguana girl with a girl whose mother sees her as an iguana and consequently dislikes and neglects her growing up. it does a really good job at getting at a difficult parent-child relationship and the process of growing up and growing out of it. and no, there's no reconciliation at the end which felt fitting for the story
i've been really impressed with fantagraphics' manga publishing choices so far, i hope they keep this up. i'd love to read some more work by the magnificent 49ers matt thorn discusses in the appendix to this collection
4 stars
in terms of story? i guess the words i'd use to describe this collection is melancholic complexity. hagio's stories feel very rooted in reality even when they experiment with the fantastic. for example, you have iguana girl with a girl whose mother sees her as an iguana and consequently dislikes and neglects her growing up. it does a really good job at getting at a difficult parent-child relationship and the process of growing up and growing out of it. and no, there's no reconciliation at the end which felt fitting for the story
i've been really impressed with fantagraphics' manga publishing choices so far, i hope they keep this up. i'd love to read some more work by the magnificent 49ers matt thorn discusses in the appendix to this collection
4 stars
chelseamartinez's review
5.0
I've never read manga of any kind so this may be an uninformed view but these stories are so original, and that combined with the beautiful but then comedic visual style makes for a great collection. These are my favorites, not including the random panel in the middle of Bianca where (the author presumably) draws a non sequitur about her headstrong cat.
"Girl on Porch with Puppy"
"Marié, Ten Years Later"
"Hanshin: Half God"
"Iguana Girl"
"Girl on Porch with Puppy"
"Marié, Ten Years Later"
"Hanshin: Half God"
"Iguana Girl"