Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show

Rating:
Summary: Mister Arashi's Amazing Freak Show
Review: Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show falls within the "grotesque manga" genere of modern Japanese comics, and should not be read by those of weak heart, stomach, or wit. The story follows the main character, Midori, on her unfortunate side-show life, filled with laborous days, dangerous nights, and dark twists of reality. Maruo's compelling, complex imagery is unparalelled by satyrical and ironic storytelling mixed with poetic nuances.

I was very impressed by the story presentation and layout of this book. True to its Japanese content, the publishers have refrained from flopping pages and attempting to erase large page portions to hide katakana sound effects and kanji banners. Almost every minute detail is translated for the Engish reading eye; and though this book does read "backwards" by Engilsh standards, to preserve the original art masterpieces, this is by no means an obstacle to overcome. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in Japanese subculture; it gives true insight into the hidden layers of Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Mister Arashi's Amazing Freak Show
Review: Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show falls within the "grotesque manga" genere of modern Japanese comics, and should not be read by those of weak heart, stomach, or wit. The story follows the main character, Midori, on her unfortunate side-show life, filled with laborous days, dangerous nights, and dark twists of reality. Maruo's compelling, complex imagery is unparalelled by satyrical and ironic storytelling mixed with poetic nuances.

I was very impressed by the story presentation and layout of this book. True to its Japanese content, the publishers have refrained from flopping pages and attempting to erase large page portions to hide katakana sound effects and kanji banners. Almost every minute detail is translated for the Engish reading eye; and though this book does read "backwards" by Engilsh standards, to preserve the original art masterpieces, this is by no means an obstacle to overcome. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in Japanese subculture; it gives true insight into the hidden layers of Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Surreal and lovely.
Review: Suehiro Maruo, Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show (Blast, 1992)

Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show was the first of Suehiro Maruo's manga to be translated into English, and it's pretty easy to see why he developed a cult following among extreme horror fans almost overnight. From the opening panels of this twisted, disturbing graphic novel, Maruo is going to go for the gut. You're probably going to like it for the images alone. Which is good, because the story is told in impressionist form, to the point of losing a good deal of the story (an old folk tale about a girl tricked into becoming the slave of a sideshow) in the process. Granted, some of that could be happening in the translation, but I doubt it; pages of panels would have to be intercut for a truly faithful retelling of the folk tale.

Still, it's a very pretty thing, as long as extreme gore fits your definition of pretty. *** ½

Rating:
Summary: Whoa...
Review: The freak show in this manga is really, really, REALLY freaky. I kind of feel for the protagonist's suffering even though she really isn't a "freak" per se. The story and art rather disturbed me, yet I did, somehow, enjoy it. I recommend this to folks who have a strong stomach and a twistedly open mind...