It was way back in 2016 when Nexo Digital (with the collaboration of (Dynit) distributed in Italy the famous animated filmset on horseback Second World Warentitled precisely In this Corner of the World. Today instead it is Panini Comics which offers us this award-winning work in a new paper format, after the first Italian printing in 2019. In short, a title that seems to have stood the test of time, but is that really the case? Find out as always by following our review of In This Corner of the World New Edition!
- Original title: この世界の片隅に (Kono Sekai no Katasumini)
- Italian title: In This Corner of the World – New Edition
- Italian release: May 9, 2024
- Japanese release: 2009
- Number of volumes: 1
- Publishing house: Panini Comics
- Type: Historical, Drama, Slice of Life
- Drawings: Fumiyo Kono
- History: Fumiyo Kono
- Format: Paperback, 15.2 x 21 cm
- Number of pages: 432 pages, B/W (some in color)
We reviewed In questo Angolo di Mondo New Edition via the press volume provided to us free of charge by Panini Comics.
The family during the war
If we consider that the first release of the title dates back to 2006, when it was published in the Japanese magazine Weekly Manga Actionwe can only consider this manga as something dated; but it is the story that appears even more distant, something archaic, forgotten, as much as a terrible war that we were lucky enough not to experience first-hand. The volume begins in January 1934, framing the life of Suzu, here she is still a child, but who despite this already finds herself having to live with the difficulties of a world made of poverty, dangers, dramas and customs that today we would find impossible to accept.
Despite this, the girl is curious and kind, and following her we will have the opportunity to see a whole series of bittersweet events narrated which are part of the difficult historical period and of his life: the school, where he will show his talent for drawing, his first love (Mizuhara), his marriage to Shusuke, relationships with family and neighbors and household chores. Last but not least, the fact that forms the backdrop to the entire work, namely the advent of war; a long journey, which will accompany us up to the Hiroshima bomb (August 1945) and its consequences, narrated up to the chapter of January 1946. Will succeed Suzu to build a family and live a dignified life despite the tragedies that surround her? Find out by reading this wonderful work.
How far away is Hiroshima
What you can immediately understand is how hard it is to read a title like this, imagining what the protagonists and their families will face. Suzu is in fact originally from the unfortunate city, and if even we were shocked by that tragic event, so far away, imagine how difficult it would be for a Japanese person to talk about and read this work. The twelve years pass in a flash, but before reaching the ending (which I won’t spoil, but will surprise you) what remains imprinted are all those historical references scattered throughout the pages: warships (such as the famous Yamato), the buildings dismantled to make shelters against anti-aircraft attacks, the military service, the problems related to the rising cost of living, accompanied by malnutrition and deprivation, the neighborhood organizations, with the solidarity that comes from having to live with bombs and the uncertainty of the future, and much more!
The scenes where Suzu she watches with her beloved the warships leave the port or when she exclaims “I miss the days when I thought those were the biggest problems” referring to the time when he was toiling in the fields. Yet, all this sufferingunlike other tragic titles of the past (see the film Grave of the Fireflies by Isao Takahata) is incredibly softened by equally comic or everyday life sketchesalways realistic (with one exception): the kitchen vignettes, where Suzu struggles to follow the instructions to make the nankomeshi, attempts to make do, as in the creation of coal-like balls, or the accusation of espionage for a too realistic drawing. Everywhere there is the feeling of impending tragedy, but this smell of death is covered by a delicate scent of worldliness and cherry blossoms.
Normal as the weather
If the atrocities of war are generally sweetened, or rather obfuscated, the topics covered are clear and evident: to begin with, the impotence of the citizen in the face of something as enormous as a war between world powers, culminating in an atomic bomb; an event that is enough in itself to shock and silence the reader. Alien situations, which are perceived even more when contrasted with the carefree nature of children, in a world made of people who also have to think about surviving: activities such as bamboo harvesting, drying nori seaweed on the characteristic grates, school, the market, continue with apparent normality.
And common for the time are also traditions and concepts: the whole wedding part seems absurd these dayseven if various titles have accustomed us to this culture (as in the recent My happy marriagealbeit in a fictionalized way); then there is that timeless idea of to die with honor fighting in battlewhich persists among the soldiers, the duty to have a male heir and the possibility of selling one’s children, the contradictions inherent in the red-light districts and much more. Although death appears through the worldliness, passing from the description of bombs to scenes of mourning, the volume floats on this stormy sea until the final chapters, where you suddenly find yourself facing the result of human atrocities: the description of those moments, with the awareness of how it will end (at least for the country) combined with the presence of the dates at the beginning of each chapter, is capable of taking your breath away, until the emotional conclusion that once again shows us a cross-section of the Japanese peopleaccustomed to tragedies and therefore able to start again from the rubble.
An artfully sewn patchwork
But if the manga is so well structured it is also thanks to its “script”, with a passage of time that is not made up of a few forced passages, but of a series of delicate stepswhich, like a calendar full of notes, can convey the feelings of those who have gone through the stories narrated. Surely you will have noticed the similarities with Gen of Hiroshima, manga written by Keiji Nakazawa with which it shares the drama of the Second World War (although in a less painful way) but also with the recent Fish Society (here is our review), with which the author seems to share the narrative and at times even graphic style: just think of the introductory story linked to the kidnapper, full of surrealism, which doesn’t even seem to belong to the rest of the work.
The structure of the vignettes, between 4-koma and modern style, alternating with a whole series of graphic experiments (like the series of patriotic cards or the hidden parts in the adventures of the demon brother) that capture attention, continuously fueling curiosity. Instead the line is not so easy to frame: at first glance it certainly appears sketchy, like that of quick drawings made with charcoal (some of which are really touching), but The level of finishing varies throughout the story. In fact, we are faced with clear, essential vignettes, thanks to which Fumiyo Kouno However, it manages to convey everything that is needed, with a language that clearly explains concepts and emotions even without reading the dialogues.
In a single hardcover and large-format volume, the manga from which the award-winning animated film of the same name was based. Life in Hiroshima flows serenely for Suzu, a young dreamer who interprets reality by drawing it with a pencil. When Shusuke asks her to marry him, she must move to Kure: it is the first of a series of traumas that will put her tenacity to the test in the dramatic days of the Second World War.
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Who do we recommend In questo Angolo di Mondo New Edition to?
Certainly not for the faint of spirit! It is not a light read, dealing with incredibly tragic themes and facts, but nevertheless In this Corner of the World It is one of those volumes that are pleasant to read even a little at a time, and that do not oppress to the point of having to retreat to cry in a corner. The facts do make you think, but they are sweetened enough to make it a suitable read for a wide audience. The format is also pleasant (a bit brick but easy to read) and if you have not yet had to deal with this title, it is a good opportunity to recover it.
- Complex and never boring narration
- Delicate topics that make you think
- Protagonist with incredible charisma and attractiveness
- Graphic trait not always digestible
In This Corner of the World New Edition
A race that doesn’t stop
In This Corner of the World is a historical title, fictionalized certainly, but which follows the events of one of the darkest chapters of humanity, and as such Once started it cannot be stopped. A tidal wave of memories and traditions will overwhelm you from the first page, but just like the waves of rabbits drawn by Suzu even the events narrated through her innocent eyes are transfigured, becoming sweeter. Whether they are the joys of family life or funny misunderstandings, there is always a barrier to the incessant push of memorygiven by the desire of the girl and the people she represents to live a normal life. The author’s style, rough and delicate at the same time, accentuates these contradictions, cradling us through this incessant swinging between tragedy and joy. For every fall corresponds a leap towards the future, and for every lost fragment something that one tries to reconstruct, for every tragedy a moment of lightheartedness, for the hatred generated by the world conflict the desire to start a family. And deep down, you know, love and war are always a winning combination.
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