Kushami: Urasawa Naoki Tanpenshuu
Sneeze: Naoki Urasawa Story Collection

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Mod Edit: This review was originally posted for DAMiYAN! (102432) and has subsequently been merged into Kushami: Urasawa Naoki Tanpenshuu (128620).


I'm a huge fan of Naoki Urasawa. This one was a quick one shot and his most recent work. It has some supernatural elements, some gangster elements, and... well, it was pretty short. That said, I love Urasawa's art, and the storytelling really won out despite how short it was. I'd have preferred it if it was a full volume, though.

Some people have speculated that he might expand this into a full series, but Urasawa isn't normally one to do pilot chapters, so I have ... a feeling this will remain as a standalone.

The characters were solid, although as with many one shots they didn't get enough screen time each, and the character art was pretty impressive.

1.Damiyan!
Interesting story about a telepathic with some sort of ability to do....something? It's not clear, but the power makes for an interesting plot device. A Yakuza/Mafia story about a father who gets caught up in his mobs wider plot. There really isn't that much to this story, but it's a decent read.
8/10

2.Tsuki ni Mukatte Nagero!/Throw Toward The Moon!
Slightly predictable story that reads a lot like Urasawa's mysteries. An ejoyable read, but seems a bit pointless, and too contrived.
6/10

3.Oyaji Shuu/The Old Guys
Funny and well drawn stories narrating a few musical experiences by Urasawa, specifically old guy music. I found the story almost like a ... future version of what us kpop idol fans will look like when we are 60, so i enjoyed it a decent bit.
7/10

4.Henry to/and Charles
Surprisingly this is a Tom and Jerry-like tale about a couple of rats trying to get a piece of cake. I actually think I really enjoy Urasawa writing animals, it's kind of quirky, and something in this story is extremely charming. Since this is a full color work, now is also the perfect opportunity to say that i really enjoy Urasawa's usage of color in general, throughout his stories.
9/10

5.It's a Beautiful Day
Unlike Urasawa's previous musical anecdote as a fan, I find this a little harder to relate to having no background in these musicians. The info dump at the start does little to help the story, as it feels kind of pointless and like a personal anecdote from a musician's life. I will say, the art is very well done.
4/10

6.Musica Nostra
Yet another collection of niche music stories, surrounding Urasawa's journey to LA. Almost like a travel vlog, there is little for someone who doesn't care/understand Urasawa's generation of rock music.
5/10


7.Kaijuu Oukoku/Kaiju Kingdom
My absolute favorite story, and I enjoyed this more than I did Monster, frankly. Right out of the gate, the usage of color is fantastic. Really love the muted tones Urasawa uses, it matches his storytelling for some reason. Possibly because the west is starved for Kaiji related content, this struck a very interesting chord with me, and the ending is one of the more insane, surprising, and interesting endings I've read in a story. I couldn't say anything but good words for this story, it's incredibly enjoyable.
10/10

8.Tanshin Funin/Solo Mission
Moebius, Moebius, Moebius. This is like Pluto if it was Moebius instead of Tezuka or something. This is one of the shortest stories, with the rare gag payoff in an Urasawa work. It doesn't really take itself serious, and is a call back to the Ultraman/monster fighting superheroes of Urasawa's childhood.
6/10