Reviews in Brief: Jazz by Tamotsu Takamure and Sakae Maeda

The manga version of Jazz is an adaptation by Tamotsu Takamure of the original story by Sakae Maeda.

Dr. Koichi Narasawa is a young internist with a specialty in respiratory diseases. He is generally well-liked because of his even disposition and winning smile, but this is only a surface effect: he feels empty inside, as though he doesn't really exist. He is a doctor because his parents wanted him to be a doctor. Late one night a new patient is brought in with an acute attack of asthma. Naoki Segawa is a high-school student, a tall strking boy from a wealthy family whose life has been circumscribed by his illness, but probably more than necessary: even though he is about seventeen, he still is under the care of a pediatrician. Naoki is immediately drawn to "Doc," and when he graduates from high school, invites the Narasawa to dinner, where he proceeds to drug his drink and rape him. Thus begins a relationship marked by misunderstandings, crossed signals, and crisis after crisis. This being a romance, they do work it out, but it takes four volumes

It can take some determination to get into this story: neither Doc nor Naoki come across as particularly admirable characters, and it takes a while to build sympathy for them. Doc is spineless, withdrawn, and secretive, while Naoki is impulsive, spoiled, obsessie, and neurotically insecure, which in his case expresses itself as jealousy. The transformations are subtle and it's easy to miss the cues. It's not until the fourth volume that the two begin to open up to each other and develop a real relationship, and it's only in retrospect that we realize how strong their attachment has been.

Graphically, Takamure works in a strongly shoujo style: page layouts are fluid and abstract, although the narrative flow is generally clear, and frames are marked by the spareness that is one of the things I most like about manga. Characterizations are deft: I've noticed more and more the admirable ability of many mangaka to portray character in their visuals, and Takamure manages to make her portrayals marvelously expressive. Body types are somewhat unusual: figures tend to be blocky, with broad shoulders and hips, but she retains a sketchy quality that lightens the whole feeling.

I've been somewhat ambivalent about recommending this one, but on re-reading, I think it's pretty good.

This is another one from Juné, an imprint of Digital Manga Publishing.