California Monogatari

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Prostitution, infidelity, drug abuse, poverty, discrimination, suicide, heaps and heaps of tragedy. This one can get pretty depressing which will be nothing new for readers familiar with the author's most renowned series Banana Fish. Set primarily in 1970's New York. A period in which the chaotic metropolis was facing financial crisis, full of all manners of corruption, decaying and desolate with criminal activity rampant and the population destitute. A time where women were advised against wearing jewelry in the street. Akimi Yoshida gives an unfiltered depiction of various atrocities that went on in this era centered around the life of protagonist Heath Swanson. Focusing primarily ... on unpacking the psychological impact of his past and present traumas. The story explores a plethora of complex topics including the ones mentioned in the opening line as well as LGBT themes which are prominent in this narrative despite the main character being heterosexual.

18 years old at the start of the manga, we're taken on a journey through the struggles and adversity that Heath and those around him have to confront in both his youth and adulthood. Despite the challenges they're forced to overcome the characters aren't always necessarily portrayed as victims with bad choices bearing responsibility for many of the calamities which befall them. Interestingly despite all the hardship Heath faces the more relatable interpersonal emotional dilemmas take larger tolls on his mental well-being. There's a heavy focus on a variety of different relationships, the common ground between most of them being toxicity. But they're all compelling and well thought out. The manga perhaps succeeds most when delving into the characters psychological circumstances. How they deal with the problems of the environment they're in and their relationships with others. It truly does an excellent job of illustrating characters emotional states. There is although one moment where things get ridiculously dramatic; perhaps excessively so.

Honestly I can't necessarily say that I enjoyed California Monogatari which is somewhat typical for a tragedy. It wasn't fun seeing the characters beset by catastrophe, making poor decisions and hurting themselves or those around them. By the end there weren't many characters left that I still liked. That being said, I can't deny how well written it was. From start to finish almost every little detail or brief flashback became relevant. Incremental psychological struggles of certain characters built up over time. Traits of characters family members eventually showed up within themselves. Most problems that were brought up saw some sort of resolution whether good or bad. Motivations and habits stayed consistent even as characters developed and changed with age. All around it felt like the story was mapped out from start to finish which is rarer than it should be in this medium and something I can always appreciate.

It's an engaging thought-provoking piece of fiction with so many takeaways. The characters have several interesting throwaway takes on other issues or literary works they've read which help expand their characters while potentially giving the readers a rogue perspective on those topics. Even little things like those probably accumulated to making this series worth reading for myself. All in all it was well put together and a good read. This was Akimi Yoshida's first longer running publication which she released while only 21! Currently it's only been completed by 86 MAL users so give it a go if you like her other works or found anything in this review intriguing.