Manga

I don’t speak or read Japanese but the sheer offbeat and funny attitude of this comic is pretty clear. Two automobile obsessed guys on a quest to drive cool cars. I love how they geek out on technical details and get in all sorts of hi jinx.

What’s really impressive is the nice line work and inking as well as the really thoughtful way the comic is layed out. Notice how nice their panels flow and how blacks (the dark values) are evenly distributed around the pages. Balance equals readability when it comes to comics and these guys know it.

And if you’re a sucker for cool, highly stylized car drawings, this Manga is for you. It’s one of the more cooler things I picked up at Comic-Con this year.

What I find appealing about Manga is how it can intrinsically transcend genres of art, comedy and drama within it’s stories.  It’s this laden schizophrenia that makes Manga a unique reading experience.

Which brings me to Inio Asano‘s SOLANIN, a story about the exuberance and awkwardness of youth and the tenuous transition into adult hood.  The art is deceivingly simple and well drawn. The layouts are nicely crafted and composed.  But the story stands out even more.   Solanin centers on Meiko, a recent college graduate who lives in the bustling urban jungle of Tokyo, far from her roots in the countryside.  She works a job she dislikes and knows she must take her life a step further.  But where?  And which path?  She is surrounded by a close knit group of friends as well as her boyfriend Taneda who like her, is unsure of what lies ahead after college. In the meantime he’s quite content working a side job as a graphic designer while he plays guitar with his band.  

Meiko and Taneda are in love but soon they have to come to grips with reality and ponder the future of their relationship.  What’s nice about Solanin is that it avoids the trite and banal cliches of youthful angst typical in these kind of stories.  It’s an honest and sincerely emotional portrayal of the lives of young people who are searching for the meaning of life.  It gets a little melodramatic in parts I have to admit but not in a whiny way.  In trying to understand and process events in our lives, we as humans have to find profoundness and meaning in order to cope.  Meiko, Tanaka and their friends are no exception.

Solanin is witty, funny and brutally honest.  It’s also nominated for an Eisner Award this year.