Danza

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Danza is a collection of short stories that is bound to follow a familiar road, for the reader, in at least one of these. I was able to connect with multiple moments between chapters in Danza and take away portions of my own life from them. I think most of those who take the time to read this will think so too about themselves and their loved ones.

I’ll give a brief thought or two or so for each story written to allow proper context for each take:

Rubber Boots: A solid first impression for Danza’s assortment of stories. It’s a very quite chapter with fragrant ... visuals. The shot compositions were nice and I love the atmosphere of much of the settings. It’s a cute story between family members, boots, and wine. For sure my 2nd most favorite.

Memories of the Lake: I think this one is the longest of the chapters. Time travel is a component of this one but it’s not super significant in the fact that it distracts the overall message, unlike most time travel shows/films which give it such an overly inflated amount of screen time and just complicate the concept in general. This one is as tragic as it is wholesome and makes me want to go fishing again with my grandpa. Human relationships, particularly focusing on father and son (and grandson), is again a key ingredient in the plot as was the last one but this one comes off more so as an urgency in the delicate of ways. I think the fact the story chooses to focus on the portion of the moments shared with the characters and then jumps straight forward to the present and conclusion of everyone involved was well handled and makes me feel evermore present in the moments that were shared in the past, like as our characters were experiencing together then, which is the whole point. Easily my favorite of the bunch.

Diorama: Another cute-ish take on father and son relationships. Ono doesn’t let up on her international interests in culture and representation, making sure to give German-Americans some love too. It’s a more cynical take at first, with a stubborn, traditional dad making the center figure of this chapter but is still as wholesome as the rest. It’s resolution is thankfully a lot happier than the last too. It gets a solid 3rd place.

The Gelateria and the Carabineri: This one is the shortest, and was a chapter that left very little of an impression on me, personally. It’s more visually interesting with the crowds and sugary treats in people’s hands, but not still that interesting, if that makes sense. It’s not the worst chapter either, It’s just too short and ended so suddenly. With that said, It’s the 2nd to least favorite chapter.

Smoke: This was the least interesting. It felt like I should have been more invested in the characters here. Despite having two characters trapped in a small space together, after an earthquake collapses a building they’re in, and exchange dialogue back and forth, I couldn’t find the time to actually care about what was going on between them as I was with the other characters in Danza, up to that point. It is probably to do with the lack of good setting and the comical angst emitting off of both characters. The fact we see one of the characters with their back turned and walking away from the shot with their cigarette’s smoke fogging the scene as it fumes is an admittedly corny shot to end on. Least favorite of the bunch. Nothing offensive and laughable but just OK.

Partners: Unfortunately the two chapters before this final one were underwhelming, and ultimately this bottom half of the collection is the weaker of the two, Partners is the best of the three. I appreciate the nervousness and sudden fixations of our main character, especially seeing that they are working with people who work in criminal cases for a living. I feel like I can pick this one a part of I took more time to study each of the individual panels. It’s a fine chapter to end on and thankfully one of the more dense ones at that. It’s my 4th favorite.

To be honest, much of the praise and criticism I have for this manga can be stretched from some of my thoughts for Not Simple, another manga created by the genius Natsume Ono. The art is overall a lot fuller with thicker lines, bolder illustrations in general, and more scenic spreads that add to the natural and international flair to her work. Where Not Simple had a story within a story and anti-chronological structuring, Danza keeps things simple and wholesome in their panels’ organic progressions. A character’s point of view leads naturally into each following frame, similarly to the rule of thumb great directors like George Lucas incorporates in his story telling in Star Wars. You will notice the thought-stricken expressions of each member in their respective tale and react alongside them. There’s not too many moments of taking the audience by surprise, given the reader plenty of sound and body to conclude the actions at place. It’s simply a nice, (not) simple read.