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Utsubora - The Story Of A Novelist (2013)

by Asumiko Nakamura(Favorite Author)

3.96 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1935654764 (ISBN13: 9781935654766)

languge

English

genre

Graphic Novels & Comics

publisher

Vertical

review 1: To an author, to write is to live. What happens if you can no longer write? What then, is life? When I first came across this book, I knew nothing about it nor its author, Asumiko Nakamura. The cover art alone intrigued me enough to want to pick it up, and I’m glad I did. The art on the inside was off-putting to me at first because because the characters, especially the male ones, looked like typical Yaoi or Shonen Ai character designs. Which means that they may be shown to sometimes have unusual, broad shoulders, be incredibly handsome in the face, or suffer from Yaoi basketball hands. The male characters may have some visual tropes from those more erotic comics but the women are also drawn very beautifully. With that said, it would be really unfair to judge this... more book by character design preferences because there are a lot of good things going for this book. As the title of the book implies, Utsubora is the story of a novelist. The main focus of the story is about an author and what happens to him when he succumbs to the lows of plagiarism. Filled with mystery, drama, and sensuality, Utsubora is a fun read. In the end, Utsubora is also a smart book that will have you guessing what exactly is going on with the cast of characters in the book. At the end of the book, there are some extras. Including an Illustration Story and Translator Notes. I really appreciated the translator’s notes segment because it included interesting, informative cultural facts of things seen in the story and its the closest you can get for having commentary for a book. I feel this really adds to the cultural understanding of modern Japan. Utsubora is Asumiko Nakamura’s first book published in English, and I enjoyed the book enough that I would definitely pick up another book by her if it were ever published. Recently released in North America in a single, thick volume by Vertical Inc, Utsubora is definitely worth checking out.
review 2: Why is it that lame T&A series like Mayo Chiki and Kanokan get licensed by the dozen while artistic and literary manga like this rarely ever make it stateside, and usually go out of print before you even know they're on store shelves? Seriously, the characters in this are more complex, and the story more mature than most novels.The story centers on Shun Mizorogi, an author once lauded as a literary genius but who's been coasting on his reputation for many years now. But his newest work, Utsubora, promises to be a return to form, both critically and in sales. The only catch is, he didn't write it -- he actually stole a manuscript that was submitted to a literary contest he was judging. His plan begins falling apart when he gets a call from the police to come identify a corpse, which turns out to be the body of the actual author, who committed suicide. While at the morgue, he encounters the author's twin sister and they soon begin a twisted, lie-fueled affair. As he gets more and more caught up in his deception, he has to allay the suspicions of the police, his editor, and a fellow author who lives down the street from him. less

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