Scratch 'n' Sniff

Thus, of the more than 2 billion manga produced each year, the vast majority have a dreamlike quality. They speak to people’s hopes and fears. They are where stressed-out modern urbanites daily work out their neuroses and their frustrations. Viewed in their totality, the phenomenal number of stories produced is like the constant chatter of the collective unconscious—an articulation of the dream world. Reading manga is like peering into the unvarnished, unretouched reality of the Japanese mind.

From Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga by Frederick L. Schodt

 

 

Reviews

Sanctuary: Volume 4

Sho Fumimura/Ryoichi Ikegami

“The erotically charged saga of political corruption, the yakuza crime syndicate and two handsome, ruthless young men continues! Akira Hojo and Chiaki Asami vow to transform the destiny of Japan, by any means. Together as children, they survived the horrors of Cambodian killing fields together. This is their quest to topple the leaders of both Japanese Parliament and the Yakuza. Sanctuary is drawn by the renowned manga artist Ryoichi Ikegami, whose gritty, realistic, and erotic artwork graces the pages of Crying Freeman, Samurai Crusader, and Mai, the Psychic Girl.” English-language text.

Publisher: Viz
Paperback: 314 pages
Illustrated

Sanctuary: Volume 5

Sho Fumimura/Ryoichi Ikegami

“The erotically charged saga of political corruption, the yakuza crime syndicate and two handsome, ruthless young men continues! Akira Hojo and Chiaki Asami vow to transform the destiny of Japan, by any means. Together as children, they survived the horrors of Cambodian killing fields together. This is their quest to topple the leaders of both Japanese Parliament and the Yakuza. Sanctuary is drawn by the renowned manga artist Ryoichi Ikegami, whose gritty, realistic, and erotic artwork graces the pages of Crying Freeman, Samurai Crusader, and Mai, the Psychic Girl.” English-language text.

Publisher: Viz
Paperback: 296 pages
Illustrated