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A review by misssusan
A Drunken Dream and Other Stories by Moto Hagio
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