Chiisakobee

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Chiisakobee by Mochizuki is an adaptation of an Edo era novel of the same name, but from what I can gather, Mochizuki has changed the primary conflict and a lot of the characters. The 1964 movie adaptation's synopsis, if it's the more faithful adaptation, suggests a plot revolving around a scrooge-type ML being shown the meaning of life by the FL and her dozen orphans she's taken under her wing. In Mochizuki's version, the focus is on persevering with dignity against what life throws at you despite feelings of inadequacy.

I have only read his earlier work Tokyo Kaido, but not his even earlier Dragon ... Head. According to the author, Chiisakobee marks his full commitment to writing manga the way he wants to, as opposed to what he thinks readers will like, with Tokyo Kaido being like a declarative meta-commentary. Some have described the new style as Wes Anderson-esque, but I disagree. If some artsy framing/paneling is all it takes, one could also compare Chiisakobee to Napoleon Dynamite's opening.

Instead, what Mochizuki seems to be doing, with his flat, clean art, bold lines with almost no shading, dialogue panels that often exclude the face of the speakers, and frequent camera cuts to various body parts, household objects, and the surroundings, is telling us to not be distracted by the unimportant details, and think about the macro. It's not just a pleasant distraction or for showing off. It forces you to be mindful, read between the lines, interpret his symbolism, and the panels saved by not obliging to draw the talking heads over and over is well spent fleshing out the material world of Chiisakobee despite its simple conflict and short length. The style keeps you on your toes and rewards re-reads. On some reads I find some developments too punctuated, but tasteful on other occasions. The dialogue is intelligent and edited to only include the meaningful conversations, so it's an interesting, almost ceremonial, manga all around and has a timeless quality to it.

I decided to read this manga by just looking at the cover and I was not disappointed. It easily stands out from other generic trash with It's style. Surely there are manga with better art but the way this manga frames things is just extraordinary.

The original story is apparently based on a book and it is quite short yet enjoyable. we get to see the story of the next heir of a carpentery. he struggles with life as he lost many things dear to him in a fire and he wants to rebuild his life. The whole story is extremely relatable and endearing.

Overall this ... is probably not a good review but just take my word for it and read it. It is quite short, has character and you will definitely not regret it.

ORIGINAL REVIEW IN FRENCH BELOW

Chiisakobé is the adaptation of an age-old Japanese novel, transposed into a contemporary bled where the hero, who has been given the panoply of total vintage hipster, is a carpenter responsible for taking over the family business following a fire that led to the death of his parents. Without knowing the original work, it seems quite obvious that this is a transposition as various events seem anachronistic, even in a society sometimes as patriarchal and traditional as Japan. Thus, a few slaps or spankings appear as relics from another age, and even when these gestures are questioned, they end -problematically- by ... being dubbed by history (by extrapolating and amplifying: we find the old adage "beat your wife, if you don't know why, she will know"). For the somewhat critical and alert reader, it seems precisely that the discrepancy between modernized decorum and archaic behavior produces a dissonance that is not without mental fruitfulness, through the art of contrast (these gestures potentially appear all the more shocking that they are located in a modern setting, supposedly more sanitized, comprehensive and benevolent).

The story itself deals with timeless subjects: mourning, education, work, love... Which may explain the ease of transposition, moreover. But as such, Chiisakobé, despite some incongruous elements (the carpenter's home becomes a refuge for several colorful orphans, which is easier to imagine in a post-war or crisis period than in the 21st century), is often content to unfold well-known patterns: debt problems to overcome (and they will be... by ellipse), mourning to digest and, mainly, a love triangle, which places us much more side of the young Ritsu, a kind of adoptive mother of the children of the household, a woman devoted to maintenance and domestic chores, rather than that of the beautiful Yuko, a more dynamic woman who clearly has a crush on our head Hipster. Here again, everything follows without taking a big risk, with a vision that is still quite backward-looking (in the end, the choice falls on the housewife rather than her more independent counterpart). Despite everything, by its delicate line, quite sensual in its way of anchoring (inking?) the slender bodies, and by light touches of humor, far too timid, we end this short saga without suffering too much either. With all the same a feeling of relative emptiness, but good.


_________________________________________________________________


Chiisakobé est l'adaptation d'un roman japonais séculaire, transposé dans un bled contemporain où le héros, à qui on a donné la panoplie du totale hipster vintage, est un menuisier chargé de reprendre l'affaire familiale suite à un incendie ayant entraîné la mort de ses parents. Sans connaître l’œuvre originale, il apparaît assez évident qu'il s'agit ici d'une transposition tant divers évènements semblent anachroniques, même dans une société parfois aussi patriarcale et traditionnelle que le Japon. Ainsi, quelques claques ou fessées apparaissent comme des reliquats d'un autre âge, et quand bien même ces geste sont-ils questionnés, ils finissent -problématiquement- par être adoubé par l'histoire (en extrapolant et amplifiant : on retrouve le vieil adage "bats ta femme, si toi, tu ne sais pas pourquoi, elle le saura"). Pour le lecteur un tant soit peu critique et alerte, il semble justement que le décalage entre le décorum modernisé et les comportements archaïque produit une dissonance qui n'est pas sans fécondité mentale, par art du contraste (ces gestes apparaissent potentiellement d'autant plus choquants qu'ils se situent dans un cadre moderne, supposé plus aseptisé, compréhensif et bienveillant).

L'histoire en elle-même traite de sujet intemporels : deuil, éducation, travail, amour... Ce qui peut expliquer la facilité de transposition, d'ailleurs. Mais à ce titre, Chiisakobé, malgré quelques éléments incongrus (le domicile du charpentier devient un refuge pour plusieurs orphelins hauts en couleurs, ce qu'on imagine plus aisément dans une période d'après-guerre, ou de crises, qu'au XXIème siècle), se contente de souvent de déplier des schémas bien connus : problèmes de dettes à surmonter (et ils le seront... par ellipse), deuil à digérer et, principalement, un triangle amoureux, qui nous place bien d'avantage du côté de la jeune Ritsu, sorte de mère d'adoption des enfants du foyer, femme dévouée à l'entretien et aux tâches domestiques, plutôt que de celui de la belle Yuko, femme plus dynamique ayant clairement le béguin pour notre Hipster en chef. Là encore, le tout se suit sans prendre de gros risque, avec une vision encore assez passéiste (in fine, le choix se porte sur la femme au foyer plutôt que sur son pendant plus indépendant). Malgré tout, par son trait délicat, assez sensuel dans sa manière d'ancrer (encrer?) les corps grâciles, et par de légères touches d'humour, bien trop timides, on finit cette courte saga sans non plus trop souffrir. Avec tout de même un sentiment de vacuité relative, mais bon.