Munakata Kyouju Denkikou
Folklore Studies of Professor Munakata

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This manga series was about a scholar who traveled the islands of Japan researching the origins of folklore and tales of gods. Sometimes, his adventures reflected these tales, showing how stories were told and retold.

This manga was about stories about stories. The cyclical nature of these stories meant that the best and most interesting stories get retold again and again.

If it’s a manga that has middle-aged protagonist, I’m there! As a manga reader who’s approaching that age, Professor Munakata was a relatable character. He was an academician too, another tick on the list of things in common I have with the professor.

Researching ... these folk tales gave the professor an image as a folklore detective and his musings on the stories served as the climax for each chapter. The professor has this Sherlockian quality and both being idiosyncratic characters sell the vibe.

The professor’s pet research theme was iron and the human migration that resulted from groups of people chasing iron deposits. This was established early in the first chapter and formed the motivations of the character.

The stories were mostly episodic with a two-parter or three in the mix. The chapters have enough pages to tell a one in done story. Each chapter would have a legendary musing by the professor and have that tone of finality. These meant that the main character had little impetus for development. As a Sherlockian character without a Watson, it made it challenging for the professor to work shop the chapter’s theme and it often climaxed with a soliloquy.

As the number of chapters build up, the stories got recurring characters who sometimes act as the foil for the professor. Subsequent chapters also revealed a bit of his backstory to flesh out the character.

This series is a great read for mature readers. Especially readers who enjoy stories about stories in a modern setting with a sprinkling of some magical realism. Only a sprinkling, it definitely grounds itself in reality.

This series was certainly received well. It was originally seven volumes, but a remastered edition with added content and story bumped it up to eight volumes. It also has a sequel series that revisits several of the themes in the original series.

For a manga that was recognized by the British Musem with an exhibit, it certainly lacks a definitive English translation. I wish it did, because the series lends itself well with a rereading.

This manga is a refreshing read and a deviation of sorts for those who constantly read all the shonens that release weekly. The connections between the history of the land and the implications it has on the fairy tales are extremely intriguing. It is a breath of fresh air if all you read are the typical genres and want some diversity. For those who like mythology and ancient history, this manga provides quite a beautiful insight.

NOTE: This manga progresses in an episodic manner and it does not provide any connections between chapters although, 2 or 3 characters make an appearance in more than 2 ... or 3 chapters. Also, it is just pointless to look for character development and action sequences as this manga is mostly all talk about history and various myths around the world and how the anthropologist connects the other countries' myths with Japan's.

PROS:
1. The myths surrounding some famous Japan folklore are well explained.
2. The manga is intriguing to say the least and is interesting too.
3. Highly educational and provides us with some nice knowledgeable facts about the history of many countries that we might not be aware of.
4. Explanations regarding the myths were very well rendered and at no point you will feel any boredom creeping into you while reading this.
5. The 3rd volume is the best of the lot with nice explanations put forth.
6. The backgrounds were very well done and the amount of research that the author has made is truly evident in the content of the manga and each chapters.

CONS:
1. Art might have been better but it suited the entire premise of the manga.
2. No particular ingenious deductions were made and the mysteries were not that much good.
3. The 2nd volume was the poorest of the 3 volumes that have been released till now. Wonder where the mind of the author was wavering while he crafted the 2nd volume. So, prepare your mind for what is ahead of you while reading the 2nd volume.
4. The characters often seem to 'suddenly' discover subsidence in the earth. Hope that stops in the future chapters.
5. The chapters needed more pages for thorough explanation and the amount of Japanese names in each chapter will confuse the shit outta you.


Story: 9
Art: 7
Character: 6
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 7/10