An American Cage

I realized suddenly that the panels of Good-Bye weren't like those of The Mysterious Underground Men on Tuesday during class when someone brought up the topic of translation. I had previously asked myself where the reader could find the American influence in this comic. I felt that Yoshihiro  Tatsumi would have to include them(us?) due to their(our) role in the events leading up to this comic.

I realized that the left to right, western style of reading mirrors American involvement in the work. American influence acts as a background. It is both apparent and easily missed. Like our forays into earlier manga, reading left to right would feel uncomfortable, disjointed and foreign. It appears as though Tatsumi tries to communicate this as a reality for the Japanese after WWII. Their narrative was controlled by the American guidance placed over top of their society.

Through out the novel the characters are trapped. The protagonist in "Hell" is trapped in a lie, the protagonist in "Just a Man" is trapped in a marriage, Mariko is trapped in a profession. For the Japanese people, it feels as though the situation brought on by American dominance is one of stagnation.

The characters constantly pursue escape, some through sex, suicide or shedding their identities. None of the stories really have resolution, because these answers don't really solve problems.American influence seems to limit the options of characters throughout the text. At no point does a character break through the western style panels or defy the panel order in any meaningful way (page 115 illustrates football as another temporary escape). This lack of freedom might be the most uncomfortable part of these comics, a rather hypocritical twist for America.