Kingyo Used Books 2 [Anglais] [Broché]

The manga for people who love manga continues. Each chapter is a vignette demonstrating the importance of a particular manga in the life of a character.

In Chapter 8: His View, the seminal manga series by Osamu Tezuka: Adolf, Volume 1: A Tale of the Twentieth Century, Adolf, Volume 2: An Exile In Japan, Adolf, Vol. 3: The Half-Aryan, Adolf, Vol. 4: Days Of Infamy, Adolf, Vol. 5: 1945 And All That Remains, inspires a pussyfooting coward to stand up to a bully.

In Chapter 9: Yes or No, one of the rarest manga (only a dozen or so copies known) tempts a sedori, a person whose profession is to buy used manga cheaply and resell at a profit, to use his skill in always finding the books he's looking for to find a man who "has assimilated manga and become one with it". (There are reasons to doubt the accuracy of this retelling of how two of the regular characters met.)

In Chapter 10: The Other Side of the Window, reading manga based on the works of a famous Japanese children's literature author Kenji Miyazawa provides a window of escape for a bar hostess who reads them to a little girl separated from her mother.

In Chapter 11: A Bundle of Papers, a department store used book fair helps one of the regular characters resolve her feelings towards manga.

In Chapter 12: Dad Again, reading a volume in one of the longest running manga series is the therapy prescribed so that one of the regular characters can better understand her parents' relationship. In addition there is a final resolution to the tale begun in Chapter 7: The Sedori Business of Kingyo Used Books, Vol. 1.

In Chapter 13: One Percent Man, a tough, man among men who is a closet fan of a girly, shojo manga finds the courage to publicly admit it. Reading this almost inspired me to admit that I read romance novels....

I said ALMOST.

In Chapter 14: Star Traveler, Galaxy Express 999 inspires a couple of young boys to take a train ride, and another famous manga resolves the conflict.

In Billy and Grandpa's Curious Travelogue, Episode 2, Grandpa spins a marvelous tale to explain a mysterious mark on the spine of every manga from Shogakukan.

Finally, Kingyo Used Books Notebook gives details about the manga featured in the stories.

Thanks to the Notebook section at the end this isn't just for manga experts; even someone who never heard of any of these manga before can follow the stories and understand the passions of the characters. The overriding theme (beyond the simple love of manga) is that there is magic in this used manga store, which leads a character to find the exact manga he or she happens to be in need of, whether it is finding something brand new or rediscovering an old friend. (In that sense it reminds me a bit of the concept of "Hitsuzen": "A naturally fore-ordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible...." expounded upon in xxxHOLiC, the early issues of which contain similar unrelated vignettes.

I at least will be seeking out Kingyo Used Books, Vol. 3.

If you read Kingyo Used Books, Vol. 1, then you know the basic pattern of this series. Various individuals with various problems drift into the ream of Kingyo Used Bookstore and discover that the answer to their problems was in manga all the time.

Student Sekiguchi learns that Osamu Tezuka's Adolph can teach him as much about history as his college professor. Bar hostess Anzu learns through the works of Miyazawa Kenji that dreams can give you the hope of a better life. Tough guy Ikaruga learns that even the most manly man can have a soft spot for something as simple as "Chisaina Koi no Monogatari," and the young boy Kawai learns that sometimes you just gotta ride the rails and see where life takes you from reading Galaxy Express 999. Throughout these vignettes is the continuing story of Natsuki running the Kingyo Used Book store, and her own journey of falling in love with manga and seeing how much that fantasy world has to offer.

That sounds somewhat sentimental and self-serving, and it is a bit. Artist Seimu Yoshizaki is trying to send a message that manga is not disposable entertainment, but carries the power of youth and nostalgia, and that if adults can just hold onto a little bit of that childhood innocence then they would be happier individuals. I can get behind that. I still have boxes full of comics from when I was a kid, and few things make me happier than to dig them out and be transported back to a world of superheroes and power cosmic. I like Yoshizaki's message.

The only problem with "Kingyo Used Books" is that most of us reading it in English did not grow up with these books. In fact, we have never heard of them, and two grown men the latest issue of "Chisaina Koi no Monogatari" carries no meaning for us. There are some powerful scenes that work well without this background. One of my favorites was when the student Sekiguchi is reading "Adolph," and he passes an old man on the street and sees superimposed over his body a brave soldier in his prime. Through manga Sekiguchi has learned to see with his heart and mind as well as his eyes.

Of the manga in Volume 2, the only one I had read as a kid and had any association with was "Galaxy Express 999," which happened to be the first Japanese anime that I had ever seen. Of course, that made the last story the most personally nostalgic. But still I think anyone with a lingering attachment to something from their childhood can relate to the feelings if not the actual comic books.