OTOGI ZOSHI (VOLUME 1)
December 9th 2011 04:44
Category: Manga
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Story & Art by: Narumi Seto
Translation by: Adrienne Beck
Adaptation by: Jim O Alexander
Retouch & Lettering by: Jennifer Carbajal
Production Art by: Fawn Lau
Cover Design by: John Lo
Cost: AU$2.00/US$9.99
My first encounter with this particular series was the opening episode of the anime series of the same name; it came as part of one of the many goodies on a computer gamer magazine cover disc. Once I’d managed to pick up this particular volume up from my local technical college’s library I pondered about trying to track down the disc and watch the episode. Sadly I couldn’t find the disc to watch said episode…no doubt it’ll turn up at some stage down the track, but I had this volume to read and get into. Apparently this manga is actually a prequel to the events that take place in the anime and from what I can gather after doing some searching on the internet there are only two volumes.
In terms of setting and background that’s all very fine and well no doubt but just what is going on? Who are the characters? What kind of events compels them to do what they’re doing? Or in a nutshell what is the narrative and drama that unfolds in the pages of this volume? This unfortunately is where this particular work does fall down – as I mentioned earlier this particular manga duology is a telling of events that take place prior to the events in the anime, it’s a prequel much like Phantom Menace and subsequent movies were prequels to the original Star Wars films. So it’s hard to get a grasp of what exactly is occurring and why.
Hikaru has lead a closeted life due to her being a girl, thus she knows very little about the world outside of her family compound and probably of the world even outside of the general area of where her family live. The rest of the islands of Japan are a completely foreign country, as are the events transpiring within the land. In this regard Hikaru is much like Siddhartha Gautama, the man who later became Buddha, in his early days. He too lead a sheltered existence initially, being kept from the world by his parents and completely oblivious to the trials, tribulations and sufferings of the common folk dwelling in the world outside of his palatial home.
On top of this there is a rather mysterious character roaming around wearing a Noh mask and leading a small child who has intense eyes and doesn’t say much. This character is known to several other characters, namely a group of ‘bandits’ whom Hikaru’s brother attacked in a raid on their village. This ‘faceless’ figure seems to have more than just a hand in the events that are unfolding, although precisely what his involvement is is not really touched on in this particular volume. He’s almost like the puppeteer who sits behind the screen making sure that the puppets are all doing their part that they have been assigned and not deviating from the script. Although one then has to ask themselves just who has written the script? And could not the mysterious enigmatic ‘puppeteer’ be as much of a puppet as everyone else? Certainly this possibility does exist although in posing this question we can easily find ourselves wandering off into the realms of metaphysics and existential philosophy.
Suffice it to say the capital and surround are suffering; things are not as they should be yet it seems that everyone from commoner to noble alike is resigned to this particular status. They cannot change the world, for they do not know how to change it, and thus the suffering prevails, disease is rampant, along with starvation and strife between bandits and samurai. Dare I say it this in itself seems to be indicative of Buddhist teaching which from what little I know tells us that the world is full of suffering and that without the right kind of guidance or enlightenment we can in turn cause more suffering or simply change the kind of suffering in seeking to effect some change on our world.
This probably goes to some way to explaining why Buddhism caught on so well with the emerging samurai class, as warriors constantly striving on the field of battle and often for those that had little or no respect for their skills or deeds such a philosophy seems eminently suited to Bushido and its adherents. But all this pondering goes nowhere in explaining just what is taking place in Otogi Zoshi…other than to say dark deeds are afoot and our spunky heroine has no idea that she is possibly the pivotal player in events that are unfolding.
Despite having any firm grasp on the story I did enjoy reading this manga, it was well drawn and its narrative compelling in a minimalist engaging way. I was drawn into it and frankly couldn’t put it down until I’d reached the last page. And I also like the heroine Hikaru, she is a character that one is attracted to and can connect with, she also has a face that is extremely expressive and soulful, making her come alive a lot more than some of the other characters. Otogi Zoshi is a masterpiece of a manga with superb artwork and an engaging story…though if you really want to appreciate it more I’d suggest seeing the anime as well. It would probably enhance the appreciation and understanding of this work.
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