Gloom Party

(Digital Manga, 2006)
™ and © 1996 Yoshio Kawashima

Super-titled “How to ‘Read’ Manga,” Gloom Party is different and utterly enjoyable.

The text is presented in the original Japanese. Translations by G. Genki are provided alongside the vertically run comic strips, with additional commentary below the strips. Sometimes, the commentary is unnecessary. Readers of such manga series as Short Cuts will have no problem understanding many of the strips. Others presuppose knowledge of Japanese culture or pop icons, so the commentary is indispensable for Western audiences.

The strips are “gag-a-day,” and many stand alone, but there are recurring characters. There’s a literal “child bride.” There’s the “see-through teacher” whose transparent clothes keep her students interested. There’s the trio of perverts who travel the countryside sneaking peeks at young girls until they’re old and gray (the trio, not the girls). Yes, there are plenty of moments that make this volume unsuitable for children, but it’s all done in a sly, naughty manner.

Gloom Party’s “How to ‘Read’ Manga” function provides a new way do so, enabling the book to be enjoyed on two levels.

— Jack Abramowitz

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#1

January, 2006
Cover Price: $14.95
1 copy available for $27.00

Yoshio Kawashima