The end of Tatsumi’s “Hell” reminded me of some of the
stories we read in Crime Suspenstories. As we read for class today, the
photographer discovers the truth about the mother and son in the photo that
made him famous. In order to keep his secret and his fame, he murders the real
son who could expose the truth. I could see a version of this story in a Crime
Suspenstories book—man who keeps secret eventually commits murder. This is
nothing we haven’t seen before. Perhaps it’s different in this case because we
are given historical context. The blast at Hiroshima is obviously a very real
and emotional event, and Tatsumi was able to capture the effects of the tragedy
in his short stories. He effectively uses the elements of storytelling to
depict dark, raw emotion and evoke feelings for the characters. On the other
hand, we feel no attachment toward Crime Suspenstories characters. If anything,
at least for me, I simply disliked most of them for their recklessness or
stupidity. So while “Hell” (maybe others too but this one in particular) and
Crime Suspenstories were reminiscent in plot, “Hell” is a lot more emotional
and likable.
I would agree. I enjoyed Crime Suspenstories but definitely did not feel the same emotional pull as in Good-bye. I agree the the invocation of Japan's tragic history is definitely partly responsible for the increased emotionality. It gives a backstory and context to the characters even before we know anything about them. Tatsumi's ability in storytelling is incredible.
ReplyDeleteI would also include the art style though. There was something so overdone and grotesque about the Crime Suspenstories that it evoked disgust or discomfort rather than deeper emotions. Tatsumi chose black and white, which I think also contributes to the somber, emotional nature.