03 Oct / I’ll Give It My All … Tomorrow (vol. 1) by Shunju Aono, English adaptation by Akemi Wegmüller
At 40, Shizuo Oguro lives with his cranky father, his helpful teenage daughter, and has had the same job for 15 years. He couldn’t exactly say “what was wrong with [his] life.” But his sudden need to “find [him]self” means quitting his job, starting up Playstation first thing in the morning, fighting with his father, and getting fed breakfast by Suzuko before she leaves for high school. A month into his new slacker-hood, Oguro announces he’s going to be a manga artist. His father cries.
But declaring his new path is much harder than he imagined. His … uhmm … shall we say … meandering artistic journey leads him to some strange places and wrenching revelations (especially about his young daughter!). He gets a day job at a local fast-food joint, makes some odd new friends, and declares (repeatedly) his undying determination to someday get published …!
Creator Shunju Aono’s plain line drawings perfectly mimic Oguro’s near-talentless but desperate state. But slacker wannabe Oguro does have his charm … and in spite of a recurring desire to give him a teeth-chattering shake or two (his poor daughter just breaks my heart!), he does begin to show regular signs of moving beyond his self-absorption. Just might be his evolving new life will provide the inspiration to finally make that breakthrough manga … stay tuned.
Having discovered manga late in middle-age, I find myself (almost) empathizing with Oguro’s life-altering decision to drop out in the name of manga. Sneaking into a manga store for a year and reading everything definitely has its appeal … but then, I’d miss my kids way too much (maybe I could sneak them in with me!).
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2010 (United States)
OREWAMADA HONKIDASHITENAIDAKE © Shunju Aono
Original Japanese edition published by Shogakukan Inc.