Panorama Toukitan
The Strange Tale of Panorama Island

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The Strange Tale of Panorama Island was originally written by Edogawa Rampo, the godfather of Japanese detective stories, and is here adapted into a comic by autuer of jigoku manga, Suehiro Maruo. The story, set in 1920’s Japan, is about a man who steals the fortune and identity from a recently deceased, incredibly wealthy industrialist and the events that unfold afterwards.

With 8 chapters worth of this book, The Strange Tale of Panorama Island is a short read. I spent more time taking in the visuals more than I did reading speech bubbles. With ... that said, compared to other novels that have gotten the comics treatment, this is definitely one of the better ones that I have ever come across. The story is pulpy but enjoyable, its pretty standard fare for what is expected for pulp fiction. The art by Suehiro Maruo is incredible, the details in his work are breathtaking. The real selling point of this book is definitely the stunning illustrations.

The Strange Tale of Panorama Island is a dazzling, perverse work of art.

-Disclaimer-
First of all, as a non-native English speaker, I don’t guarantee my writing accuracy in this review, and I early apologize for the mistakes you might find in it.


I didn’t read much manga in my life, but it appears that my father had bought Panorama Toukitan and it teased my curiosity when I saw the book. I read it, and I wanted to share my thoughts about it, because there was only one other review. So here it is!


STORY: 8/10
The story was interesting! It’s adapted from a novella of the same name by Edogawa Ranpo. It tells the story of an unknown author, who will ... usurp the identity of one of his successful colleagues in order to fulfil his dream. Unfortunately, many obstacles will hinder him until the end of the narration. Dreamlike, even symbolic, this rather short and finally rather simple story raises questions about the perversity of the human being. It deserves an 8.

ART: 8/10
I enjoyed the drawing style. It was quite realistic, but the images of the nature, and the different animals (like the fishes or the plants) were very lyrical. I found the visuals very pleasant, especially from the 6th chapter to the last chapter. I really liked the use of colour in the front and back covers. They are vivid, but still in pastel tones, which reinforces the dreamlike side of the whole work. He has a very interesting style, and has brought his touch to Ranpo’s work, which gives a very interesting result. 8 seems a fair score to me.

CHARACTER: 7/10
Since Panorama Toukitan is eight-chapters-long, we obviously don’t have the time to discover each character, but the main one is still very interesting. We can quickly understand his frustration, his aspirations, and his dream. Chiyoko, the dead author’s woman, seems mysterious and seems to have an almost evil personality. In short, the characters are not overly developed but that’s not so useful, and more importantly, the story is too short to be able to do that. Therefore, I don’t find it a problem. That’s why I’ll put a 7.


OVERALL: 8/10
Panorama Toukitan was very good. It reads very quickly, and I think it’s a shame that so few people have discovered it. With very good art and a mystical story, you get caught up in the narrative. I recommend it to you if you like the Seinen and Psychological genres.

It's hard to make me impressed to the point of leaving me speechless. This jaw-dropping manga, however, is one of works of art that managed to do it. I will try to explain why in this short review.

How to describe it in short, yet imaginative way? Let's try doing it this way: an interesting story with a dose of suspense and intrigue coated by very detailed and utterly beautiful art. Most of its panels could be easily treated as something rather meant to be displayed in an art exhibition. After all, they were inspired by the finest examples of the world's art, which were drawn ... and put together in thoughtful and creatively planned way, ending up with bringing complex looking landscapes enriched by a spectacle of details. It makes reading "The Strange Tale of Panorama Island" feel more like an original experience rather than just picking up another manga to read.

I had no expectations prior to reading this manga, but I can easily say that I was totally bewitched by its beauty and uniqueness. I highly recommend it. The story alone is great, especially for such short manga, and the art is - as I have mentioned earlier - simply breathtaking. It is definitely a gem that shines bright among many other available short mangas.