What does it mean to be Shuzou Oshimi?

My first "meeting" with one of the greatest mangaka of our generation had been with his masterpiece "Aku no hana"; since then i devoured almost every manga he made. I discovered new point of views, a fresh and brilliant style of making art and every manga left me something inside, like a question rumbling in my mind, something like "What does it mean to be him?".
Now, if you have read some of his mangas you will surely have noticed that there is always something similiar in his protagonists. From Kusakabe Noboru (Devile Ecstasy) to Takao Kasuga (Aku no hana), from Makoto Okazaki (Happiness) to Seiichi Osabe (Chi no wadachi) and to the "newest" Youhei Kamekawa (Okaeri Alice): I could continue, the list is very very long, though. There has always been something that link up Oshimi's stories, even if topics and plots were not always so similiar to each others. Reading all of this stories I clearly understood that Shuzou Oshimi was trying to put every little side of himself in his beautiful mangas, reaching every mind's reader with the power of his art.

And then, what changed with his last work?

Well, for the first time i feel like I'm not reading a manga at all, reading his new "Mabataki no oto" sounds like having a huge and deep conversation with a long time friends, about something that you could have understood earlier about him but never really cared about it. This manga is unique for these reasons and trust me: you will never read something about this. And take a good breathe before starting it, because once you are into it will be very hard to not thinking "What is going on here?" and from that moment you are inside Oshimi's geniality: once again...

The importance of the Point of view of Mabataki no oto

What is really important in this beautiful piece of art is that there are no characters, there is no plot, there is nothing like a normal story: this is a human life covered by ink and papers A manga like "Mabataki no oto" is everything and nothing at the same time. There is only Oshimi's point of view about what he saw, what he's seeing and what he will probably see in his future is crucial to let us understand what's behind his mangas. Every other Oshimi's manga is inside this one: and that's something that blown up my mind. The best way to experience this work is probably treat it like a diary. A diary full of confessions, tears, pain, rage, apathy and the most important things for Oshimi sensei: Manga. In "Mabataki no oto" you will find traumas, ghosts, fears, depression that's why I considere it like a manga not so easy to read, but more like an experience to do at least one time in your life as a reader. Because all of us can love a Mangaka's work, but sometimes we forget there is a life behind trying to teach us something. Mangaka like Oshimi are really rare, because they talk directly to our hearts. The point of view is surely the Oshimi's one, but could be the one of every person that read and that will read this book.

The art of Mabataki no oto: the essential light of a beautiful and dark story

Since the last chapters of Chi no wadachi, Oshimi's drawing became so much darker and rawer: a unique art style full of rage. In Mabataki no oto too, the drawing is too important and I consider it like an essential part of this manga. Just with his art, the mangaka is able to speak about everything, even about the little dirty secret hided in his mind. When I spoke about a "diary" is because of the way Oshimi is treating this work: like something that normally no one would share that easily. Lines are scribbles, faces and feelings are like distant memories. And even if it's too complicated to explain how much is complicated to understand his unique drawing style, the pace is incredibly rapid and enjoyable. I have never seen some art like this. This style remebered me first Inio Asano and Usamaru Furuya's mangas, and smells like gekiga's art made by masters like Tsuge or Tatsumi (or the latest Tezuka too).

I read and know Manga, but in my opinion something like Mabataki no oto has to be treaten like a gift for every reader. Because the mangaka is giving to us every little part of himself, and this is why I'm loving it so much. Maybe it's just too early to say this: but we will hear about this manga even in the future, I'm sure of it. There's something hide in it, and every reader should understand what does it mean to be the "artist" behind the art.

Thank you all for reading until here! And a special thank you is for my girlfriend that is reading it with me and is the first viewer of my reactions after every chapter.__