Yoru no Taiko

Table of contents


Front Page


Manga Journal Archive


Game Journal Archive


Film Journal Archive


Book Journal Archive


Music Journal Archive


Dream Journal Archive


Blog Archive
This is one of the most underrated manga on this entire list, and I believe it's in need of more publicity. One of the cutest art styles in any manga I've ever seen. It lies somewhere between the abstract experimentation of the collection of Maki Sasaki short works “Umibe no Machi”, the delightful blend of morbid with cuteness found in works of nekojiru, as well as the angular thick lines of Jhonen Vasque found in “Invader Zim” and even more so in “Johnny the Homicidal Maniac”. I can see myself getting a tattoo of the protagonist of the first short story, it's just that nice of a design.
As per the stories themselves, each one could not be more different from the last. First follows a young girl who desires to become a psychic, next is about a strange man hired as a copier in Victorian England, and lastly we have the shortest story about a man and woman who find each other in a bar. Every protagonist fundamentally has something missing in their lives, and are in active pursuit of it. There is a running theme of dissatisfaction with one’s life and an undercurrent of morbidity when it comes to solving that. However, it is far from graphic or inappropriate, much more strongly resembling the Edgar Allan Poe form of Gothic writing than anything actually related to horror. Yet, you'll always feel like something is wrong. Inexplicable parts of reality that do not fit with your understanding, which keep drawing you in closer and closer as you await the grand finish. But, it always ends up stranger than you expect. Rather than a confrontation with the strange, the abnormality becomes mundane, although in very creative ways.
I hope that this vague description exited your imagination as I am sure the stories will intrigue you regardless. And even if that doesn't attract you I am sure that the wonderfully busy panels yet easily distinguishable shapes and characters will make flipping through this manga a delight.
This is the footer