Forum - View topicTown of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms
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smoochy
 Posts: 367 Location: Texas |
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I haven't really seen much talk about this manga, so I was wondering if anyone has here has read it, and if so, is it good?
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jgreen
 Posts: 1325 Location: St. Louis, MO |
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It was mentioned a bit in the Best One-Shot Manga thread, and though a couple people said they liked it, no one got very in depth.
I own it, and while I haven't read it yet, it sure *looks* nice. I'm going to try to read it during the long weekend ahead, so I'll pop back in and let you know what I thought. |
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Asako
 Posts: 751 Location: Hawaii |
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I've been trying to find this title in my local bookstores but failed to find it
 I might have to order it from rightstuf...
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Not a Jellyfish
 Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
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Most bookstores can order books in for you as well, for no extra charge. I have to order it from my local B&N. Although, it may be cheaper at rightstuf, but just letting you know. |
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CloverKuroba
 Posts: 506 |
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I bought it from Amazon and I really like it.
It's a beautifully weaved family saga, though the family part is cleverly hidden until you see spoiler[Nanami standing by the Hirano family grave and her father's history is revealed.] The first story, Town of Evening Calm, is a love story taking place in a Hiroshima village a little after the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima. The main character, though kind and seemingly carefree on the outside, is ridden with guilt and pain. Her father and sister died in the attack and she feels responsible. Her mother and the townspeople don't even talk about what happened which makes the protagonist upset. She is in love with her coworker and then she gets sick from the radiation. The protagonist soon becomes sicker and sicker and spoiler[dies, which relieves her from her guilt.] The second, two-part story, Counry of Cherry Blossoms, tells the story of a tomboy girl named Nanami and her friend Toko. Her brother Nagio is sick apparently from the radiation. The first part deals with Nanami's history and her relationship with Toko, while the second part deals with her father's history and again her relationship with Toko and Toko's growing love for Nagio. The art is simple, a bit childish even. But this doesn't detract from the story, which is an emotionally powerful tale that bears tender reflections of the horror of the atomic bomb. Some of the imagery is absolutely brilliant, especially in Town of evening calm. I highly reccomend picking Town of Evening Calm, Counry of Cherry Blossoms up, you won't regret it. |
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chrisb
 Subscriber Posts: 664 Location: USA |
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A movie version is coming out very soon. Apparently it won a lot of awards when it was screened and even the manga is a very famous award winning book in Japan.
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Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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ToEC/CoCB is easily the best manga released so far this year, and will probably be one of the best books of 2007 when everything is said and done. While it appears to be a collection of two distinct yet similar stories, it really works best as a singular graphic novel, as the themes of the first story develop perfectly throughout the second narrative. Even with the heavy themes and often disturbing subject matter the author fuses the story with plenty of melodrama and slice-of-life sensibilities, making it far more accessible to casual/younger readers than one might think. The art is beautiful as well. Last Gasp did a fine job with the production, though it's too bad they probably won't get it attention it deserves, as ToEC/CoCB could really cross-over to an adult audience who typically don't read comics with the right exposer.
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HellKorn
Posts: 1669 Location: Columbus, OH |
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Really think so? Personally I feel that volume one of Hiroki Endo's Tanpenshu is a better candidate for that honor so far as new titles this year go (admittedly it's not for the second story, but rather the first and third, both excellent, particularly the latter), but that's just me. Anyway, haven't much to add of what's already been said by CloverKuroba and Kagemusha. The ending of the first story I felt was very nicely done and somewhat spoiler[heart-braking], in a way (the way it's handled is slow and subtle). In spite of that, the second story came and went more naturally to me, and I favor it over the first. Overall it's a very good read that any manga fan worth their salt should pick up.
Not joke on the production quality. I hadn't read up much on it beforehand, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how far Last Gasp went. It's something that I'd expect from Ponent Mon/Fanfare... minus the tricky binding. 
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_NightShade_
Posts: 21 |
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Yes the quality is very high in my opinion, and is one of the best I've experienced so far.
I feel the same way about Tanpenshu, the 2nd story I didn't enjoy so much. If it wasn't for Kagemusha and others I would have never ever found out about Town of Evening Calm, so thanks to Kagemusha and to everyone else who shares these quality titles with others like me who otherwise wouldn't know about them. |
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smoochy
Posts: 367 Location: Texas |
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Speaking of Tanpenshu, is that the only volume, or is there more to come? |
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_NightShade_
Posts: 21 |
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One more to go, and it's out in June if it doesn't get delayed. Edit: actually on darkhorse.com says May 30th. |
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smoochy
Posts: 367 Location: Texas |
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I finally got my copy in yesterday, and read it last night. Wow. I've never been disappointed with Last Gasp, especially Barefoot Gen, but this is perhaps their best work on a manga. They should really try and market this to the underground comix fans, it has an appeal outside of the normal manga-buying demographic.
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Not a Jellyfish
Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
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I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I'm so glad it was recommended in the Best One-Shot Manga thread. I wouldn't have found it otherwise, either.
The first part, actually brought me to tears. I was so appalled at what really happened in Hiroshima. It was so long ago, and it's not something that's ever really covered in history classes. And it's also something that I don't think America is exactly proud of, and would rather forget, so we don't talk about it much. But to hear the story of those who lived on after the bomb from the perspective of a young girl, was a beautiful thing. The whole time, I just could help but think, "I can't believe we did this to them..." I to, was very impressed with the quality of the release. Although it was relatively thin, I still bought it because of the high quality. It has the pretty silky pages, and a beautiful cover, and the first few pages in color. Excellent release. And I'm very glad to see more unique works finally getting published here. So good on Last Gasp. And anyone else who hasn't read this yet, GO BUY IT!!! 
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