01 May / Ode to Kirihito by Osamu Tezuka, translated by Camellia Nieh [in Bloomsbury Review]
From the “godfather of manga” – who also had a medical degree! – comes the first English translation of the mysterious story of a dedicated young doctor, Kirihito Osanai, who is initially sent to a remote Japanese village to study the effects of “Monmow disease” which allegedly turns human beings into dog-like beasts. Kirihito inevitably contracts the disease and becomes the unwitting victim of a corrupt medical establishment. Page-turning thriller – with lots of elegant allegory even more relevant today – that should not be missed! A big nod of thanks goes to the fabulous folks at Vertical who also brought you Tezuka’s award-winning eight-volume Buddha series.
Review: “In Celebration of Asian Pacific American Month: New & Notable Books,” The Bloomsbury Review, May/June 2007
Readers: Adult
Published: 2006