Reviews in Brief: Tsuta Suzuki's A Strange and Mystifying Story

I really am trying to get back on schedule with RiB. I do have some new manga and anime coming in, so there's hope.

Tsuta Suzuki's A Strange and Mystifying Story certainly counts as strange, but I wasn't really mystified. It was a fun read, though.

Akio's family -- at least the maternal line -- is cursed: they all died early from a devastating disease. Except for Grandfather, who somehow managed to hold on until he died of old age. On his deathbed, Grandfather tells Akio that there is something in the family shrine that will save him from the curse. Sure enough, soon Aki is suffering from a dreadful sickness. Frantically rummaging through the shrine, he happens upon what looks like a fossilized animal fang. The fang wastes little time in turning into a tall, handsome, wild-looking man with wolf's ears and tail -- who also happens to be totally naked. He demands that Aki name him before he can get to work; Aki names him Setsu, and Setsu starts sucking the sickness out of Aki. He engages in a couple of other activities as well, which sort of freak Aki out. Eventually, though, nature takes it course.

The fun here is watching the personalities as they are revealed. Aki is sort of a nebbish, young, not too sure of himself, and fairly uptight about most things. Setsu is not human, although he can pass, and tends to adopt a fairly breezy manner. And, he likes to drink. Volume 1 serves to establish the basics of the relationship, as well as containing two side stories that are just as weird and engaging as the main one. Volume 2 gives us a good view of Setsu's past, as well as some of his friends that Aki doesn't know about, and more or less cements the relationship. It's not easy going, at least on Aki's side, and we learn that Setsu, in spite of his gruff manner, also has his own set of hesitancies and vulnerabilities. It's really pretty rewarding reading -- a lot is left to subtext, and you need to pay attention.

The drawing is not really remarkable -- clean, spare, good layouts that keep the narrative flow moving clearly, and apt character renderings. Setsu really is gorgeous, and Aki has his own appeal, particularly as he starts to actually think about Setsu as an individual -- you can see his growing attachment in his face.

From Juné.