I can't give this one a rating simply because I have no way of judging it. This was a brand new format for me. Sure, I've read plenty of Archie comics, but this is a different beast. Reading it was a bit unsettling in a way. I knew to read from the back to the front, but not to read from right to left, so the first reading of the first pages left me jumbled and confused. Eventually, I figured it out, but even as I turned the last page, it did not feel natural.

But, the story contained in this little graphic novel was beautiful and sad. It is amazing how much can be expressed in art.

Le pays des cerisiers est trois histoires en un manga. La première histoire raconte la vie d’une jeune femme qui tente de comprendre pourquoi elle n’a pas été tuée lors du bombardement de Hiroshima. Puis, les deux autres histoires démontrent que, même après 10 ans et plus, tout n’est toujours pas rétabli. C’est en racontant l’histoire du frère (de la jeune femme) et de ses enfants que l’auteur nous exprime l’impact important qu’a eu la bombe sur cette société. Les illustrations de Fumiyo Kouno sont expressives tout en restant simples ce qui fait contraste avec la dureté du sujet.

Having just completed the Barefoot Gen series, I thought to myself, “the one thing I need now is a graphic novel about Hiroshima.” Lo and behold, Fumiyo Kouno's Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms.

Essentially two stories, loosely connected, that take place years after the bombing. It's not obvious how these stories are connected initially, but it becomes clear by the end. The first story, “Town of Evening Calm,” is gorgeous. I was nearly moved to tears. In a very short space, the author creates a beautiful portrait of a person and makes a story that is heartbreaking. The way she uses illustrations (and sometimes the lack of illustrations) effectively tugs at the heart and really paints a void that becomes real once the story is over. I was truly moved.

“Country of Cherry Blossoms” didn't have the same effect on me. It is a bit confusing, and I often had to turn back and forth to follow its logic. Ultimately, it ties together nicely with the first, but it does not have the same impact.

In both stories, the art is fairly minimal, but effective. When the artist needs more detail, she is certainly capable, but the focus seems to be on conveying a message of hope within the emptiness. She succeeded. ( )

I have a shelf full of manga which I bought when I wanted to learn how to read it, but I've only leafed through a couple. This one (like many of the others) was recommended to me by Maili, an online friend. She told me it was brilliant but painful, and that is exactly right.

The story (there are two in the volume and they are separate but linked) is about survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, ten years later. Minami is a young woman in her 20s, who lives with her mother, one of the only two other family members who survived the blast (her brother was adopted by relatives and lives elsewhere). Minami and a co-worker in her office become friendly and then attracted to each other, but Minami cannot forget the people who perished. I don't want to spoil the story but it is heart-wrenching.

The artwork is understated, beautiful, and shattering. The words and the art are put together in a way that makes each more powerful. I'm still a novice at reading, but I tried to read slowly and pay careful attention, and the more you look and think, the more poignant it is. I had to stop and put the book down when I finished the first story. I'll read the second one soon, and I'll reread the first more than one, I have a feeling.

Highly recommended. ( )

Atrocement dur, mais très beau ( )