Ludwig B

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On the frontiers of death, Osamu Tezuka continued to write manga.
Ludwig B is one of them, and what a pity he's part of the unfinished manga gods... it's sad.

This work is inspired by the life of the famous musician Ludwig Van Beethoven. In a historical context with more or less difficult conditions, where the aristocracy reigns and wars are common, this story tells how the young composer created a path to glory and the recognition of his masters, while undergoing the repeated persecutions of the noble Franz Creustein, the main antagonist of history.

It is an unfinished work unfortunately, but that in only two volumes, there ... are many elements that deserve a shower of praise!

First of all, the transcription of the historical context is beautiful. One can feel that Tezuka has learned about the Western mores and customs of the time. In his manga, he has these elements perfectly at his disposal to create a rather particular atmosphere, which is sometimes heavy when the nobles intervene through the dialogues, and sometimes gentle when it's the lower classes that occupy the stage. This opposition between the nobles and the rich is perfectly marked in the manga, and the contrast is very good executed, which gives great power to the tragic side of the manga. Each more or less sad element of the manga comes to impact the reader. This sadness, often evoked by the disarray of the main character, enhances the fatality of the manga and the helplessness of others against the great strengths of the era.

Then, Tezuka displays all his talent and mastery by bringing a very interesting representation of the music. Most of the very good manga about music have all a personal representation of the music. It can be quite explosive like works like "Shiori Experience" or "Beck", or sometimes softer and more imaginative like "Piano no Mori" or "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso". Tezuka is rather in the in-between, and plays on the personality and the passing emotion of the main character to represent differently than the music. As a result, when he finds the inspiration, it's quite thunderous, and when on the contrary we're in listening passages, it's much more imaginative. and you can feel all the beauty of the symphonies evoked in the story. It's very smart and it shows the care taken in the storytelling.

There are also some fairly innovative layout ideas. At one point in the story, Tezuka decides to break the codes of classical comics by removing the dialogue bubbles and classical composition. I'd never seen that before and it really appealed to me. I found myself in front of a composition with a setting similar to the painting of the time, and where each box was associated with a single word, a single sentence ... It was disturbing, but it just sort of crept into the story in a very natural way. So another element of genius, and that's why we can regret that it is unfinished ... did the master still have such great ideas in his hat?

Finally, as said before, there is a particular care in the construction of the characters and in the retranscription of the historical context by Tezuka.Indeed, from the language elements, the dialogues, the scenery and the costumes, to the characters' behaviour ... Everything is successful. I found it very difficult to see the situation of the commoners, and I also grit my teeth when the nobles abused their position. An appreciable work which gives more flavour to this work...

But unfortunately I repeat, it is unfinished. I think in my humble opinion, that if the master had finished his work, Ludwig B would probably settle down as one of his best works, without any hesitation. All the elements put in place could only confirm my opinion. A goldsmith's work, to be read by anyone interested in Osamu Tezuka ...