This is a very nicely packaged hardcover collection of manga short stories by Moto Hagio. The stories are varied but they have strong emotional themes connecting them, mainly dealing with feelings of lonliness/isolation, societal pressures, and tragedy/grief. Hagio’s beautiful art wonderfully coveys the emotions of the characters and the plots. Her art is delicate and finely detailed. The stories are uniformly very strong. My favorites are “Angel Mimic,” “Iguana Girl,” and “The Child Who Comes Home.” “Angel Mimic” deals very deftly with themes of suicide, grief, and unexpected love and attraction. “Iguana Girl” is about an abusive mother who rejects her daughter emotionally because she thinks she looks like an iguana, and the impact this has on the girl’s self-esteem and life. “The Child Who Comes Home” is about a boy coming to terms with his brother’s accidental death. All of the stories are powerful and thought-provoking, and it was so nice to read work by a master in the field. I could see why Hagio is studied, as her work has a lot of interesting layers.
My only complaint is that my collection has a warped cover (the boards bow outward), but that is probably due to how I stored it at some point. The package overall is thoughtful and striking, with gold foil embossing. I liked that they included an article about the revolutionary group of women manga artists she was part of and an interview with her, both of which were very helpful to get a sense of the historical context of her work and her influences and point of view.
Overall definitely highly recommended, especially to broaden viewpoints of what manga is and can do.
