Seizon -LifE- Omnibus – Review of the first volume

In a period of often poorly thought out reprints, here it is back in Italy, thanks to Panini Comics, Seizon -LifE-the now unobtainable work of Nobuyuki Fukumotoreleased in three volumes already in 2014. Collected in a practical version Omnibuswe can find this on the shelves today a gripping story of mysteries, investigations, and dark truthswhich has already left us breathless in the past. Is it worth recovering? Find out with our review!

• Original title: LifeE―LifE
• Italian title: Seizon -LifE- Omnibus
• Italian release: July 25, 2024
  
• Japanese release: 2009
• Number of volumes: 3
  
• Publishing house: Panini Comics
  
• Type: Detective, Psychological, Mystery
• Drawings: Kaji Kawaguchi
• History: Nobuyuki Fukumoto
• Format: paperback with dust jacket, 18 x 13 cm
• Number of pages: 608 pages, B/W

We reviewed Seizon -LifE- Omnibus via the press volume provided to us free of charge by Panini Comics.

I want to find out the truth

Seizon -LifE- follows the classic giallo/noir typical of many TV series or detective filmswhich focuses a good part of its chips on keeping curiosity high chapter after chapter, starting from a dark mystery to fuel a heart-rending race against time. The protagonist, Shintaro Takeda, he is a man from whom life has taken a lot: his wife died of liver cancer and his daughter, Sawakodisappeared without a trace almost fifteen years ago, way back in 1984. Despite this, fate once again strikes him down when he is diagnosed with the same illness as his wife, which leaves him only a few months to live.

Shintaro He then resigns and thinks of ending it all to avoid further suffering; he is about to commit suicide when a phone call interrupts his intentions: His daughter’s body has been found, and it looks like she was murdered! From this moment on, man’s mission, for the time he has left to live, becomes only one, that is, to reconstruct what happened to Sawako and hand over the culprit to the authorities. However, it will be a race against time, not only for health reasons, but also because the crime is about to become statute-barred. Will succeed Shintaro to discover the truth behind her daughter’s disappearance and get the justice she’s been longing for? Find out by reading Seizon -LifE- until the end.

Modern Dramaturgy

The fact that “Cold Cases” are interesting has been demonstrated by the many television series on the subject, but how heartbreaking they can be for the relatives of the victims it does not emerge with the same intensity which is presented to us here; the manga of Fukumotoan author experienced in dealing with mysterious, dramatic and psychological stories (such as Confession and many of his works still unpublished in Italy) focuses instead on what remains: Shintarowhile playing the role of the classic lone detective, is above all a father who has lost his daughterand who is overwhelmed by a wave of emotions ranging from desolation to hope. The centrality of the protagonist is undisputed: as in My Home Hero here too we have a man willing to do anything to protect his daughter (or in this case her memory) and who despite this always manages to maintain his humanity, without falling back into petty choices given by the “temptation of the moment”.

The man channels the classic hero of Greek tragediesalone, with difficult choices that fall solely on his shoulders, continually faced with internal conflicts and destroyed by remorse for a good part of the story. Unlike the previous work, however, there are no further dramas, because even when everything seems to collapse, in the most tense moments (such as when he convinces himself that he has found the culprit or when he thinks that there are no other ways than to take justice into his own hands) never completely loses its goodnessremaining a beacon of hope amidst violent impulses. In this sense, the psychological clash between the father and the murderer is admirable.

600 spine-chilling pages

From the first pages we are faced with a disaster, full of mixed feelingsranging from compassion for an unfortunate man, to anger for what happened to his daughter, to empathy for the (often desperate) choices he finds himself having to make, but Seizon -LifE- it’s mostly a thriller title. First of all, the author knows how to build the setting and the background of the characters in a few pages (even though everything falls on the shoulders of the protagonist), creating a perfect basis for the investigations and maintaining a clear logical thread throughout the volume. Secondly, the choices made by the protagonist are easily understandableand this helps a lot to empathize with the story.

Of course, those who are used to titles like Detective Conan you won’t be surprised by the deductions bordering on “lucky luck”, but the scheme holds up anyway, and the passages, even the fast ones, are pleasant and captivating. We are not at the level of Conan Doylebut the narrative structure is pleasant and flowing, and Fukumoto he proves to be very skilled at keeping interest in the story high from the first pages, thanks to a continuous curtain of clues, plot twists and deductions. So don’t be surprised if once you start reading you can’t put it down, because this is certainly the best quality of the work: not only does it channel the (almost morbid) curiosity typical of those who are also passionate about crimes on the news, but the script keeps expectations high, leaving everything hanging in the balance until the last pages.

Survive and Investigate

Sezon it’s not a name (as you might think at first), but in Japanese it means survivaland that is what the protagonist finds himself doing in order to obtain justice and have time to investigate the case, but above all to rebuild the lost relationship with his daughter. What the story is able to communicate through the search for clues that have survived the passage of time, such as drawings, photographs or messages, is the depth of the father/daughter bond: reconstructing the latest actions of Sawakofourteen years later, also manages to consolidate a relationship damaged by the rebellious behavior of his daughter; a device already used in many works, but here handled in a delicate and passionate way, the fruit of the sadness of a man who realizes he has wasted the best moments of his existence.

The flashbacks are heartbreakingthe clues appear with difficulty, and the gears turn with an almost real difficulty, made up of legal problems and bureaucracy, however “mitigated”: it is true that Shintaro he succeeds in what he does almost by miracle (as in the final consolation prize that we are given), but the effort is noticeable, and the weight of having neglected the relationship with the daughter accompanies him to the end. The work certainly knows how to accentuate attention to modern behaviors: if you are among those who perceive their life as something “eternal” reading this work will surely take your breath away, because it will remind you (almost in an oppressive way) how short it can be and how dedicating yourself totally to work can take away time from important things, for a success that will perhaps turn out to be useless.

A successful technique

If Fukumoto he knows his stuff when it comes to history, too Kawaguchi he knows how to build, with his own style, a perfect frame of drawings for the work: the figures are humanized, realistic, and this certainly helps to feel a greater empathy with the characters, especially with the undisputed protagonist. His expressions, from pain, to tears, to the rare moments of relief, they know how to reach the heart of the reader better than many modern manga. In this sense, one can find surprising analogies with the works of Naoki Urasawa or of Katsuhiro Otomoboth for the style and for the care of characters and settings: the faces have all the details needed to show their state of mind, the landscapes are well-finished, with glimpses of cities, offices and natural environments similar to snapshots of photographs and where necessary, as for the images of the skeleton, there are also more raw and impactful aspects.

Also commendable is the management of the vignettes, incessant, sequential, with a almost cinematic scheme. Finally, both the protagonist’s tears and the few action scenes or flashbacks are excellent, accurate and impactful, and greatly strengthen the story. A special note goes to the collection: it is certainly an excellent recovery, which could make the authors known in Italy too (as mentioned the first three volumes were irretrievable) and even if the omnibus version is not exactly the most suitable format for reading, it is still enjoyable… just don’t read it lying down, because it is not very easy to handle!

Who do we recommend Seizon -LifE- Omnibus to?

After many not very useful reprints (in the wake of the boom) here is a great piece: Seizon -LifE- is a seinen (but I would also recommend it to younger people) ideal for a one-day read, but which can also leave many lessons and sensations. For the cost of the work (14.90 €) it is absolutely worth it: a title suitable for lovers of thrillers, noir and more psychological mangaa little less for those who are used to classic shonen. Apart from that, even if it seems like a classic “brick” made to gather dust on the shelf, give it a chance and you will be happy you did.