Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Ayako, by Osamu Tezuka


Ayako, by Osamu Tezuka, 704 pages

Every now and then, I read a book that has been translated into English, and while the words make perfect sense, I get the feeling that something has been lost in translation.  Ayako is considered to be a thinly veiled recounting of post-war Japanese politics, which doesn’t always put the Japanese government in a positive light.  To me, though, the story was about a sleazy family that locks a young girl in their basement in order to prevent her from telling anyone that she witnessed the murder of her best friend. Ayako grows up knowing only the confined space of the basement and the subverted love of her brother.  Like most Tezuka works, this is definitely for adults, and adults who aren't squeamish about sexuality and violence.   Not my favorite.

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