Reviews

Stumbling upon a September 2016 article on Zimmerit, after discovering the Awake opening animation for Japan S.P.F.X. CONVENTION III, I found the man who popularized, and essentially established Lolicon in the Japanese market (for better or worse... emphasis on worse), Hideo Azuma. I feel down a real rabbit hole in old-school, golden-age anime and my love for the Daicon animations and the usage of the popular, yet highly under appreciated today, Itano Circus often used in mecha anime of yester-year that was utilized as well in Awake. Although Awake itself isn’t very ambitious in its execution and it derives most of its appeal towards the absurdity of little girls dressed in kaiju-type monsters and giant mechs and then having them hundreds of them all lose their clothes in waves. But what it did have going for it was the not-so-subtle ripple effect that swam in the wake of Daincon III & IV and their otaku culture through lolicon. All thanks to Azuma. Curious on his achievements and the history of his work in the industry, I stumbled upon Disappearance Diary. A story so captivating I couldn’t put it down in the after hours past midnight.

Disappearance Diary is an autobiographical tale on the author’s life before he made it “big” as the manga artist legend that most obsessed fans in the subculture recognize today. This is not the first of its kind that I read. Junji Ito wrote a manga volume dedicated to his life with his two cats, and if you think the man famous for Uzumaki making a story about his two cats is off kilter, you’d be surprised how well he incorporates his style into the panels. Azuma is no different in this regard. He has a good way of drawing each character as round, soft, and blissfully ignorant looking as you might expect from him. Each chapter is full of little story about his life. Although the art style looks playful like a newspaper comic strip, the life he lived is depressing as hell to put it bluntly.

Azuma depicts himself starved, having to sneak through dumpsters and litter for moldy food, dirty leftovers, and items that exceed the purchase-by date. He is constantly freezing due to the cold temperatures outdoors, which seem to take place mostly during the winter season, unfortunately. He also has to schedule out his trips away from the woods near civilization to scavenge for blankets, drinks, and survival tools as well as when he can decide to make a fire without alerting the nearby townsfolk. It’s the lowest of lows and an example of how depraved someone can turn into.

Despite all this, it’s an interesting character study. His point of view on most situations is at times funny as they are concerning. Given the state he is in his life, I think it’s all fair to look past his decisions bumming’ around. The way he frames most panels gives for an optimistic viewpoint and in turn creates a comfy read through. It’s sort of like a low cost, low reward, and high questionable way of camping, living off the grid, and playing vagabond. But that’s looking at the situation with glory. It’s obviously not a way one should live and it gives a great perspective on people that struggle with homelessness every single day. It’s crazy seeing where he is now and knowing that he no longer has to struggle with the occurrences he encountered from this collection of chronicles on homelessness and begging.

This is an interesting read. It’s very insightful and helps me appreciate more my privilege and knowledge of my networks and loved ones who surround me. Give this a good read through. It’s very short, very insightful, and very different from the rest of his work. Easily a strong 8 to a light 9. Quite possibly the manga I’d recommend to someone looking for a slice of life read, but a manga that isn’t serious in nature despite its subject matter. Don’t skimp out on your own entertainment.