Mushi to Uta (2009)

[虫と歌]

Author/Artist: Haruko Ichikawa
Publisher: Afternoon KC

Synopsis:
A young man goes to stay with his botanist uncle, and other stories.

Story/Characters:
This is an anthology of four short stories with a magical realism vibe. Because each story operates on its own rules, there's a period of disorientation as you try to figure out what's going on. For some readers, it may be frustrating, but alternatively, you may appreciate how it enhances the sense of disconnect from our reality. The stories are all poignant and use their respective premises cleverly. I was actually surprised that I ended up liking "Kusaka Kyoudai" the best because I'm not into sports (though admittedly the baseball thing is just the starting point). This book was lent to me by a friend who said that this would make a good movie and I could definitely see it as a feature-length anthology film or as an OAV miniseries.

Art:
The art style is fairly simplistic but it suits the tone of the stories. There's a lot of surreal imagery that is sure to leave an impression.

Other:
We have a two-page bonus comic made for this release. It's neat how the same sort of tone can be delivered in such a short space.

Conclusion:
This is a really interesting set of stories. The way each bends reality in its own way makes it fun to explore and the poignancy of the character drama is sure to tug on the heartstrings. I strongly recommend this one. This is one for the collection.

Rating:
Own It