 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | DEL REY | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | CLAMP / TAKASHI OBATA /
UEDA HAJIME / NISIOSIN /
YUN KOUGA / TAKE /
KOUHEI KADONO | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | ENGLISH / B&W / COLOR | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 430 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 08/019/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 08/03/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Faust is a collection of the very best of manga and literature offered in Japan. The US edition here isn’t a strict publication of the original Faust collection, but instead has carefully chosen from the material the very best of Faust to offer a unique US volume that has truly the best of the best of manga and novel talent in Japan. Holding a variety of manga, illustrations, short stories and interviews, it is a truly unique compilation. To adhere to Japanese format, the manga is offered from right-to-left, but the prose (lite novel excerpts et al) are offered on the other side of the book from the regular left-to-right. Therefore all the prose is on one end and the manga on the other to make reading easier for us Westerners. To say that the talent in Faust is diverse and the cream of Japanese talent is an understatement. In the manga collection there is an illustrative story by take about love and mermaids and with no dialogue. Taiwanese artist VOFAN offers a unique illustrative story in “Nikko Dance Party”. Meanwhile Moheji Yamasaki gives a visually stunning rendition of a vampire story Noh drama style. For fans of Loveless, Yun Kouga illustrates the involving tale about genius and the end of the world written by the special talents of NISIOISIN (Zaregoto). As a very special bonus, almost all of the manga stories are offered in full vivid color. The prose section turned out to be just as riveting and varied. It begins with “Outerholic” by NISIOISIN who has written CLAMP’s incredible universe about a boy who can see spirits and the dimensional witch he serves into an upcoming novel “xxxHolic Anotherholic. This excerpt involves a girl who seems cursed to never be fully happy, but could something more sinister and yet mundane be at work? NISIOISIN perfectly captures the characters of CLAMP’s sensational supernatural series and adds an interesting introspective quality to it that explores the nature and pursuit of happiness. Meanwhile in “Outlandos D’Amour”, Kouhei Kadono (Boogiepop novels) offers a curious mystery and the plight of a man with an unusual ability as he tries to solve a murder as well as falling in love. The story holds illustrations by Ueda Hajime, the artist of FLCL. Later in “Drill Hole in My Brain”, Otaro Maijo defines the word and feeling ‘disturbing’ in this unsettling tale about a boy with a hole in his head and girl with a horn and the shocking and surrealistic and graphic journey it entails. As an interesting counterpoint to the extremes in that story, “F-sensei’s Pocket” by Otsuichi and illustrated by renowned artist of Death Note, Takeshi Obata, offers a lighter tale. Meanwhile Kinoku Nasu gives an enthralling excerpt in “The Garden of Sinners” of his upcoming novel about investigators of the supernatural. This story will thrill fans of xxxHolic and along with “OuterHolic” was a personal favorite out of the many stories which made it so hard to choose. There are more than just short stories and manga here. Kozy Watanabe offers insight into the social phenomenon of ‘hikikomori’ (social withdrawal). Tatsuhiko Takinoto (Welcome to the N.H.K.) compliments that piece with his own look at the acute social phenomenon. There is also an essay exploring the evolution of the definition of ‘otaku’, and interview with ‘Garden of Sinners’ artist Takashi Takeuchi and writer Kinoku Nasu, and an intriguing essay “From Japan to the World, From the World to Japan” by Yukari Shiina which gives an in depth and informative discussion on the introduction and continuation of foreign comics and literature into Japan and vice versa. Obviously to say this is jam packed is an understatement to the plethora of tales, artistry and explorations offered in the collection of Faust.
IN SUMMARY:
Faust is a collection of the best of the best of literature, essays and manga from the top talent in Japan. It holds diversity, enthralling subject matter and striking visuals. |
