James and Steven talk about Inio Asano's Downfall, a manga about a manga artist who is miserable with how their life has turned out. Can you be happy making a hit manga? Or is their a wrong way to do it? Throughout the episode we speak of mindfulness, sex work, artist block and depression, listener discretion is advised.
Skip synopsis @ 6:00
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078: Downfall
By Inio Asano
Translation by Jocelyne Allen
Lettering by Joanna Estep
Synopsis:
Ten years after breaking off a relationship, the Mangaka Kaoru Fukuzawa experiences his series coming to an end. On the night of celebration his wife and fellow manga editor Nozomi Machida, messages him that their home is occupied by a drunken friend. She advises him to kill time elsewhere so Kaoru spends the night crying into the lap of a sex worker. He is disenfranchised with his work; he dislikes manga that sells well, even if it is his own, and is saddened that his wife spends more time with what he deems to be inferior mangaka than himself. Struggling to find meaning in creating manga that sells well.
Soon he meets another sex worker, one with cat like eyes similar to his first love, ten years ago. She calls herself Chifuyu but when she is off the clock, he finds out that her name is really Yui. And Yui finds out that Kaoru is a Mangaka. On his way back home after spending the night as a legitimate couple he has a vision of being a family man, having a kid with Yui. But that night would end up being the last time He would see Yui. She doesn't respond to his messages and it's not long that he sees her listed as a sex worker again, trying to make some money. Kaoru is basically ghosted!
Battling loneliness by messaging fans on social media and paying for women's time is when tensions reach boiling point. Nozomi's cat gets cancer, Kaoru's ex-assistant, the young lady Tomita, confronts kaoru on his behaviour and Kaoru forces himself on Nozomi. Months go by when the divorced Kaoru is at his new book signing, he meets a young woman called Akari who confesses her gratitude for his manga and admits that it saved her life. The story ends with the lonely Kaoru still haunted by memories of that cat eyed girl.
Topics:
- How Kaoru's beliefs are formed? E.g. the superiority complex as a mangaka
- Inio Asano's depiction of women and his commendable nature of not sticking to the usual moe inspired glamour.
- Kaoru's sexuality, what is he doing wrong in his relationships?
- Depression and the love of Manga (How we relate to it, our thoughts and the idea of artist's block being a form of depression)
Other references:
- Golden Week is a set of Japanese public holidays that run through the first week of May. It is considered the peak of travel season for the Japanese. Hence why Yui spends it by visiting Italy.
- You maybe mistaken in believing that Kaoru is attending brothels but in reality, this is not possible. As with most places around the world, selling your body for sex is illegal. The legal loophole in Japan is that you can pay for an escort, which is a contract for the time spent with someone, sex is done consensually between two adults as a by-product of escort services. Japan does have the very common practice of "Love Hotels". Rooms that are rented out for "rest" between one-to-three-hour time periods. These rooms are specially designed for lovers, one nights stands and sadly extra-marital affairs. Privacy is also a thing that Love Hotels sell, so you may never see the staff at such places or you may only see one member of staff through your time there.
- How Japan's Secretive 'Soapland' Brothels Operate (vice.com)
- Guide to Stay Safe in Tokyo's Red Light District- Shinjuku Kabukicho | Japan Info (jpninfo.com)
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