Long-Winded Review #8 (Thicc edition)
Intro:
In Clothes Called Fat, by Hideaki Anno's wife Moyoco Anno, is a very solid josei manga about the insecurities we face every day, whether that has to do with our personal appearance or our psychological hangups.
Plot:
For the most part, we follow an overweight girl, Noko Hanazawa, who is the constant target of workplace bullying and social ostracization. She blames all of her problems on her weight and thinks that once she's skinny, everything will fall into place. So she seeks help to get thin, but of course things don't quite go as expected. The manga also puts some focus on a few other characters, namely Noko's boyfriend, who is intimidated by pretty, confident girls, so he encourages and even forces Noko to remain fat, despite not being attracted to her, because he feels like she won't leave him if she stays overweight. It goes into his mindset even deeper, to the point of revealing that him staying with her makes him feel like a good person, for staying with her despite her looks. It's a bit fucked up, but I have known many a relationship like that and this is the first time I've seen it explored, albeit not too deeply. Another character of focus is Noko's co-worker, who constantly bullies her and others, manipulating the workplace to like her, while stepping on "ugly people" because she hates "hideous things", all for an ego boost. So when she runs out of people to step on, she finds a deep dissatisfaction with her life, much like Noko and her boyfriend, who think changing singular things about themselves will make them fulfilled and content. That is the central theme of the story - a pervasive dissatisfaction with life that most of us have, that we think will go away if we fix a few things. But of course, it's never that simple.
Themes:
Anno does a great job exploring the psychology of an addict, in this case a food addict, but it feels a lot more universal that that. The ups and downs Noko goes through are highly relatable, whether you're addicted to food, drugs, shopping, or whatever else. For the most part, these themes have been endlessly explored in media, and Anno doesn't really stray from the beaten path, but sometimes she'll hit a subtle note of insight that elevates this manga above other similar works. Anno never really leans one way or another with her commentary, touching on several aspects of the issue. She acknowledges how part of of the problem is society for shunning outcasts, but also criticizes the blame-shifting some people will make for their problems. I honestly don't know how someone with Noko's problems would react to this manga; they might find it very insightful and encouraging, or they might find it critical and discouraging. At the root of it, the main motif of the manga is contentedness. Fat, skinny, pretty, ugly, confident, shy, strong, weak; none of those qualities are inherent sources of happiness or sorrow. The main message of this manga is that contentedness comes from within, and unless you get to the root of the problem, you will always be dissatisfied with life.
Art:
The art is pretty solid. Nothing amazing at the surface level, just your usual josei art style. It's fairly minimalist, but with a slightly messy flair about it. It's very similar to Kyoko Okazaki's style, which makes a lot of sense considering Anno used to work for Okazaki. I do find Anno's style more appealing personally. Where I think Anno shines is in her portrayal of Noko's face and body over the course of her weight loss and weight gain. She really captures that dead, weak, look that anorexic people often have, where they might be smiling but look like they're about to pass out any moment. Her portrayal of Noko's overweight body is equally as good, and very realistic. Anno doesn't shy away from nudity at all, and I think it really helps drive home the themes of the manga. Noko's body is never drawn to look inherently repulsive. In fact, for the most part I found chubby Noko to be pretty cute. On the other side of the coin, Noko's abusive co-worker, who's supposed to be extremely beautiful, is often be drawn to look somewhat unattractive, in part due to her nasty personality, and in part due to the subtle expressions Anno is able to convey.
Conclusion:
All in all, I liked this manga a lot. I couldn't help but compare it to Okazaki's Helter Skelter as that deals with plastic surgery addiction and touches on similar themes. I think that this manga is more coherent and solid overall, but Helter Skelter had a bit more charm. That said, I think they're of similar quality. But I'm not here to compare, I'm here to review this book on its own virtues and flaws. I think Anno accomplishes what she set out to accomplish. She had some very good insights on the psychological profiles of archetypes of people we meet every day (or may very well ourselves be). She often hit some subtle notes, but sometimes felt a little too on-rails. I think some aspects of the manga could have been developed further, or more efficiently, but overall there is sufficient depth to be found for a one-shot volume.
Final score: 8.5
