Showa, 1953-1989 : a history of Japan / Shigeru Mizuki ; translation by Zack Davisson.
Language: English Original language: Japanese Publisher: [Montreal] : Drawn & Quarterly, 2015Edition: First paperback editionDescription: 533 pages, 64 pages of plates : illustrations chiefly (some color) ; 23 cmContent type:- still image
- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781770462014 (pbk.)
- Komikku Shōwa-shi. English
- 952.03/3 23
- DS888.5 .M59413 2015
| Item type | Current library | Home library | Collection | Shelving location | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Book
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Cherry Hill Public Library | Cherry Hill Public Library | Fiction | Adult Manga Collection | MANGA FICTION MIZ (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 33407004196281 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
The final volume in the Eisner-nominated history of Japan; one of NPR's Best Books of 2014!
Showa 1953-1989: A History of Japan concludes Shigeru Mizuki's dazzling autobiographical and historical account of Showa-period Japan, a portrait both intimate and ranging of a defining epoch. The final volume picks up in the wake of Japan's defeat in World War II, as a country reduced to rubble struggles to rise again. The Korean War brings new opportunities to a nation searching for an identity.
A former enemy becomes their greatest ally as the United States funnels money, jobs, and opportunity into Japan, hoping to establish the country as a bulwark against Soviet Communist expansion. Japan reinvents itself, emerging as an economic powerhouse. Events like the Tokyo Olympiad and the World's Fair introduce a friendlier Japan to the world, but this period of peace and plenty conceals a populace still struggling to come to terms with the devastation of World War II.
During this period of recovery and reconciliation, Mizuki's struggles mirror those of the nation. He fights his way back from poverty, becoming a celebrity who is beloved by millions of manga-reading children. However, prosperity cannot bring the happiness Mizuki craves, as he struggles to find meaning in the sacrifices made during the war.
The original Japanese edition of the Showa: A History of Japan series won Mizuki the prestigious Kodansha Manga Award; the English translation was nominated for an Eisner Award.
Presented in the traditional Japanese manner and meant to br read from right ot left, starting at the "back" of the book.
Translation of: Komikku Shōwa-shi.
"The last half of Japan's Showa era, on which this volume concentrates, was as different from the first half as day is from night. It was an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity, despite being rife with internal contradictions. Because it is recent history, it is less analyzed, messier, and harder to summarize, yet Mizuki is more than up to the challenge. At the end of this series, we see Shigeru Mizuki coming to terms, not only with his own history, but with that of the entire Showa period and its turbulent highs and lows, even with the emperor who presided over it all."--Back flap.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Booklist Review
In this, the final volume of master manga-maker Mizuki's history of Japan's Showa period, the author examines Japan in the modern era. The book begins as the Allied occupation of Japan ends and the country furiously starts to rebuild after the devastation left in the wake of WWII. Mizuki, too, is struggling to rebuild after the collapse of the Kamishibai trade. Following Japan's trajectory from war-torn ruin to economic powerhouse, Mizuki's luck turns when he is introduced to a manga publisher, and he slowly ascends from abject poverty to best-selling manga creator. There is more interweaving of Mizuki's life and ruminations in this volume than in the previous three, enriching a historic time line full of political scandals and pop-culture fads and emphasizing Mizuki's study of the yokai, or monsters. Closing out the series are glorious full-color illustrations reprinted from the original Japanese editions that both remind readers of important details from previous volumes and illustrate why Mizuki is recognized in Japan as a Person of Cultural Merit. --Volin, Eva Copyright 2015 BooklistThere are no comments on this title.