Tamashii Ippai (Lots of Life)

A collection of short stories, developed by a consistently unique yet diverse style, spans from fantastical to everyday dramas. The stories are unified by observations of a world filled with kindness and sadness. Shirikodama rhapsody (Anus ball rhapsody) is a nonsense series saturated with fantasy and humor. Oscar wa kenami no iiuma (Oscar is a horse of high birth) is a sad yet warming original fairy-tale about indigent young brothers selling their beloved horse on a market. Sannenme (Third year) is a manga rendition of a classical Japanese sit-down comedy from an original perspective.
A compilation of short stories since the artist’s debut five years ago, after experiencing various occupations after college, this is surely to invite readers to a mysterious world shaped by her unwavering freshness and individuality.

These short stories are depicted as if peeking into various mysterious worlds, similar to SUGIURA Shigeru, a pre-war manga artist who is still immensely influential. Particularly, Shirikodama rhapsody (Anus ball rhapsody) is strangely enjoyable for its ambiguous state between lies and truths, akin to images accompanying the first-hand accounts of UFOs and mythical creatures. Our spirits are lifted as we realize that to live and to die are the same to our souls. The aborted fetus in Kyo no obento wa (Today’s bento) can be imagined to exist happily in another world, playing with cats, water sprites, and aliens. I hope to see more unexpected and surprising works.
(MATSUDA Hiroko)