I am surprised this manga is not more often in conversations for the greatest of all time. Of course this isn't to say Shotaro Ishinomori is an underrated or overlooked author. He is behind countless monumental series such as Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Cyborg 009, and Android Kikaider. He is a direct influence on some of the most beloved figures in manga history. He worked with Osamu Tezuka, who went on to state that Ishinomori is one of two cartoonists that he was ever felt truly jealous towards. The other was Katsuhiro Otomo, the author of Akira, who himself has cited Ishinomori as an influence. And yet, it feels as if Ishinomori is not nearly as well known in western circles as his contemporaries and people he influenced. Perhaps it's because a great deal of his work is contained to the tokusatsu genre of television, which a lot of western animanga fans still ignore and disconnect from the history of their favorite media. I only watched Ultra Q this year, and I'm still yet to make my way to any of Ishinomori's television work. Although this manga certainly makes me want to delve deeper into everything that was spawned from this man's mind, as this manga proves he is simply a genius.
It was published in COM, a magazine founded by Tezuka to publish more provocative and avant-garde work after the rising success of Garo magazine. And if it's not clear already, I love Garo. Please read Comics Underground Japan for a more cohesive look at alternative manga and Garo. Com is an interesting artefact itself. It housed the work of Tezuka's posse, the artists he mentored that resided along him in Tokiwa-so. Although it wasn't just a platform for Tezuka and his apostles, as some other great minds such as Leiji Matsumoto contributed to the magazine. Interestingly, the submission of amateur manga was also encouraged, which fits in nicely with Ishinomori stated sentiment of desiring to see more people take manga creation and experimentation into their own hands.
The manga itself is difficult to discuss, and that's fully intentional. At the end of the collection I read Ishinomori states that he desired to create something more akin to a poem, something that would force young people to intellectually and emotionally engage with art. The story follows Jun, a reflection of Ishinomori himself. Jun is a young manga artist who struggles with material issues such as his father's lack of support, and a great deal of more metaphorical and existential difficulties. The infinite journeys and possibilities that are housed within the subconscious of a person are dragged into the forefront, embedded in some of the most striking imagery I've ever seen in a manga, and an incredibly creative use of paneling.
A recurring motif of the manga is a mysterious girl that Jun runs into, their initial meeting keeps echoing across the entire work. It's simple to interpret her as a representation of inspiration itself. For him to love her is to learn to love life and death itself, the infinite wonder of stories and all that is both possible and impossible. Not unlike the titular character of the Tezuka comic Barbara, she is a modern representation of the ancient idea of a muse. It brings to mind the polish word wena, which is rooted in the latin word vena. The word refers to inspiration, ease of artistry, and even luck. However, it also means vein, in the sense of the one that carries blood in your body and the large deposits of ore found in the ground. The Latin root carries even more meanings and connotations, and the word is present even in English as a medical way of describing veins in one's body. This word, this idea really, kept echoing in my head as I made my way through this manga. Most chapters begin with a small idea or theme and proceed to expand and accelerate into grand statements on the nature of everything. Small threads carry meaning and expand not unlike your vena. Letting yourself get lost in echoes of a seashell will reveal the countless stories hidden in every aspect of your life, keep digging into this vena and your journey will unravel.
The unnamed girl is as formless and ever shifting as the meaning found within this work. On one hand, this meta dissection of the manga as a statement on storytelling feels satisfying. However, the manga simply says too much about too many things for me to be able to succinctly dissect it or even fully understand it. Imagery of Western and Eastern paintings are contrasted with speculations on the future. Detailed art feels like it's pulling you towards reality, while the building layers of manga within manga accentuate the cartoonish representational nature of the medium. You see the origin of the universe and life itself, which is represented with the same magnitude of the summer ending from the point of view of the young protagonist. A vision of an American flag appears as a man is hit by a car, it pushes you into watercolour snowy landscapes of rural Japan, until snapshots of the years of history bring you back to the decaying state of the modern metropolis. This manga will give you a lot to think about, as it feels like the perfect representation of what it feels like to let your mind wonder. The manga states so much itself, every kind of journey is dissected and presented to you, and yet it feels like you still are only beginning to scratch away at all the meaning you can find enclosed within the pages of this comic.