Title: Nijigahara Holograph
Author: Asano Inio
Release: Monthly
Status: Finished
Genre: Seinen, Psychological, Mystery, Fantasy
Art: A
Originality: S+
Story: S+
Characters: S
Humor: B
Action: A
Impression: This story is set around a field in a small town, several characters who knew each other in the past and the mysterious incidents that connect them all. To put that into perspective, this is “Lost” in manga format sans the island, the polar bears, the magnificent bastard Ben and the sudden genre shifts. That being said, it’s just as confusing as “Lost” if not even more confusing than that TV series. There lies a discrepancy in the confusion however. By that I mean the delivery as the mind screwiness only really hits you right at the end of this manga guaranteeing at least another re-read. The story is told in anarchic order so we get to see how the much the characters have changed over time and it is this unique storytelling method that makes what would have been a straightforward and dull story a unique and intricate tale instead. There isn't even really proper conclusion for the events in the story but all the plot points involving the various characters and their connections are resolved by the end of the book. No doubt his best story to date and given the guy’s track record, that’s not an easy feat. Believe me when I say these following words:
This stands nowhere near good nor has it landed anywhere great but this story, however tragically short it may be, has not only reached the realms of storytelling mastery but sits there comfortably on its throne. This is Asano Inio's Masterpiece!
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Hey, you read it! Total mindfck, is it not? The feeling I got at the end was a mix of "...whoa" and "...wtf." I haven't read it again after the first time, because...well, something just makes me want to sink deep into my chair, haha, but I really should.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is indeed a masterpiece! If only I own a copy of it, I'm pretty sure I'll read it again and again, just the way I did with Solanin and What A Wonderful World. Asano Inio's works just has that certain quality, you know.
Same here but I read the second half of the volume a couple days after I read the first so I had to reread it again to remember which characters were which. There were also lots of small details I missed the first time through and finding them knowing what they meant was real treat. Give a reread when you've got the free time to appreciate it.
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