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What A Wonderful World!, Volume 1 (2009)

by Inio Asano(Favorite Author)

3.97 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1421532212 (ISBN13: 9781421532219)

languge

English

genre

Graphic Novels & Comics

publisher

VIZ Media LLC

series

What a Wonderful World!

review 1: I can understand why a lot of people don't "get" this graphic novel. The book doesn't exactly draw you in, the plot doesn't flow seamlessly from one vignette to the next, and it's not easy to see how the vignettes are connected. Actually, Asano's "What a Wonderful World" is rather mundane, and I mean that in the best possible way. It somehow captures the realities of life... that is, life for the younger generations.The vignettes, or tracks, as they are called in the book, are connected to each other by the reappearance of characters in different stages of their life. Where a character is a lead in one story, they later become a supporting or background character. This is a perfect example of the "show, don't tell" rule of writing. In this first volume, Asano shows u... mores nine of the stories to be told in a small city.The characters are a group of disaffected youth in the grips of an existential crisis. Each one is trying to figure out their place in the world, weighing the cost of following their dreams against conforming to societal pressures and "selling out." It's a beautifully realistic portrayal of the mediocrity of life. More authors should aspire to write like this.The art in this novel is stunning. Asano focuses not only on his characters and their surroundings but also on the subtitles: facial reactions, a blood stained collar, power lines, broken windows on dilapidated cars. The panels seem to be playing up the negative space around the characters. Sometimes he accomplishes this by including the characters' inner thoughts in white text on black panels. Mostly, though, he does it with scenes that are so still and lifeless that you can feel the gaping void in the characters' lives. If I could compare this book to a movie, it would be "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing" because the style is very much in the same vein. "American Beauty" also comes to mind, in terms of theme. What was most often brought to my remembrance, though, was the poem, "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes. The theme, tone, and style is so similar to Asano's book. This is perfectly captured by a discussion between Tamotsu and Endo, who decides to join the family business instead of pursuing his ambition to become a pro-skater: "So you’ve given up your dream and decided to settle? Ha ha. How pathetic. / Yeah, but … I feel lighter now that I don’t have to carry around the weight of that dream." Yes, the book is rather melancholy, but you don't feel bad about it because, in every vignette, Asano give us a little glimmer of hope.
review 2: This manga only has one thing wrong with it- that it is in danger of getting passed over because it isn't as slick or flashy as the other stuff out there right now. While readers of Asano's other works such as 'Solanin' will be used to his understated yet powerful manga, those who haven't yet discovered his work might not notice it because it doesn't have a ninja or busty young woman on the cover.The stories in this first volume are varied, yet all interact in some format. The same picture might be seen by two different people in different places. A location frequented by one character may be visited by another. Very few of the characters actually meet one another but the stories are all entwined in their own special ways. The first story of the volume features a young tomboyish woman who wishes her life was a shojo manga as she aimlessly wanders through her life. Other stories include a schoolgirl who is bullied not only by her peers but also by a mysterious black bird & a tale about a trio of teen boys who each wonder if they'll ever get the chance to realize their dreams.I really enjoyed this manga, but then I knew I would. Asano's work is incredibly powerful. His artwork isn't the typical "big eyes, small mouth & panty shots" style that is so prevalent in today's manga, which is why most of his stories work so well. The art is pretty lifelike & as a result the characters are all more believable for it.I also liked how his characters interact with each other. There's no huge moral, no super character that saves the day & no happy go lucky girl who succeeds without really trying. People hurt & get hurt in these stories. Not every story has a gung-ho happy ending. But every story is satisfying, even when the stories may not end as you hoped that they would.If you like good quality manga, buy this series right now. Luckily for us, both volumes of this series have been released at the same time, so you can snap them both up right now- no waiting for the next volume to be released. This guy is the real deal- Asano is going to be one of the names that people will be touting years later as "one of the best". less

Download links for: What a Wonderful World!, Volume 1

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