Taiyō Matsumoto

fiction, manga series translated into English (vol. 1) - a reknowned manga editor decides to retire from the business but has trouble letting go of the artform that has consumed his whole life.

Ok, I picked this up without paying much attention to the description because of the bird on the cover, and because I thought there'd be lovely pictures of Tokyo in it. The bird does figure into the story (the main character talks to his pet bird, and at least in his imagination, the bird talks back), and there are some great cityscape illustrations, though the main story actually has a lot to do with the behind-the-scenes of making manga--trying to get moody (and frequently not very nice) artists to work with editors, etc. Could be really interesting to serious manga fans (with lots of manga titles featured in the artwork) but totally not what I was expecting. It does provide an interesting portrait of "the rhythm of life" after Shiozawa's retirement and all that - a more contemplative, more serious book.

Three stars because it was a quality read despite all the characters being not very likeable; it is a very male-centric story (characteristic of the old manga business), though we are introduced to former artist Kiso's life in the last episode of the volume. I'm kind of interested to read more, but likely won't get around to it.… (meer)

Despite a slow start and the occasional depiction of cats as half human that triggered a shuddering flashback to the appalling movie version of the Cats musical, I warmed to this fantasy of a night watchmen who looks after stray cats in the Louvre's attic and then spends the rest of his night seeking traces of his sister who went missing in the museum fifty years prior. He shares his cat care-taking chores with and confesses his suspicion that his sister must have gone into a painting to a new watchmen and a sympathetic museum tour guide. Meanwhile, the cats traipse around in their shifting forms, fighting frequently amongst themselves and sometimes with a passing dog.

It's weird, but builds steadily toward an emotional climax.… (meer)