Yoshinozuikara

After the successful, 18-volume run of "Barakamon", Satsuki Yoshino presents a spiritual sequel which flips the script and tells its story from the opposite perspective.

STORY

I call it a "spiritual sequel" because there is zero plot overlap and no knowledge of "Barakamon" is necessary to understand the manga. While "Barakamon" told the story of a privileged young man from Tokyo's high art scene adjusting to the simple life in Japan's rustic Goto Islands, "Yoshi No Zuikara" (The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean) takes a different approach and tells the story of a Goto Island native leaving his shell and learning to interact with the wider world. This different viewpoint makes what could have been a simple rehash of Yoshino's previous work feel distinct. And that different viewpoint is critical, because "Zuikara" heavily relies on slice-of-country-life elements and the actual plot is quite straightforward. You won't stay here for the twists and turns, it even calls itself "The story of the uneventful days of an unremarkable manga creator", but if you're up for another relaxing trip back to Nagasaki prefecture, this story will fit the bill.

ART

Solidly drawn. The manga can have its occasional "talking head" segments, where most attention is given to medium-shots or closer images of characters simply speaking, but good attention is given to backgrounds. This focus on backgrounds typically comes in when the manga is focusing on something suitably "rustic" such as a mochi drying rack or fishing boat dock. Characters are also distinct, although you can occasionally notice traces of "Barakamon"characters in their designs. Kudos to Satsuki Yoshino for varying his usual style a bit for his manga-inside-a-manga scenes, where we see the slice-of-life manga our main character is himself creating.

CHARACTER

A slice-of-life story lives or dies by its characters (a revolutionary, unheard-of statement, I know) and "Yoshino No Zuikara" delivers and entertaining cast. This series' subtitle of "The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean" is telling, as our MC, Naruhiko Tohno, fits that bill. The "Frog in the Well" is an old Japanese proverb to the effect of "A person with limited experience has a limited perspective", and Tohno's life experience is quite limited. Since he's able to earn enough money to pay his own way and is capable of (limited) social interactions he may not qualify as a full-blown hikkikomori shut-in, but he's not a whole lot better either. As the story progresses, he finds himself having to grow as a man and being drawn out into a greater connection with people in the wider world- ironically due to his manga about a naive, insular boyhood. The first two volumes have focused primarily on main character Tohno himself, but I imagine that as this manga's run continues, more development and characterization will be given to the supporting cast- although Tohno's energetic-but-tactless assistant and a 10 year old girl obsessed with one of his characters is already quite entertaining.

ENJOYMENT

You need to go into this one expecting a relaxed slice-of-life story. S-O-L tends to be a "love it or hate it" kind of genre in my experience, and I haven't seen anything here which would truly change the mind of the "hate it" crowd. But if you liked "Barakamon" you'll like this one too.

OVERALL

In the final analysis, "Yoshi No Zuikara" fits neatly into its genre and the mould of its spiritual predecessor, but it has enough uniqueness and positive attributes to make it a worthwhile read.