Now it's time to take a look at a brilliant stand-alone work from SuBLime as well as one of my favorite BL mangaka ever.
TABLEAU NUMERO 20 (Sakuhin Number 20), by est em. First published in 2009 and first published in North America in 2013.
PLOT:
An art
conversator finds a lost masterpiece, a work previously only known to exist in
the form of a sketch. For years, the man
obsessed over that sketch and the haunting eyes of the man in it. Imagine his shock, then, when he brings the
painting home to work on it and finds the subject standing naked on his
balcony. The man in question, Yves,
turns out to be the key to the mystery of the artist’s works, and alongside the
conservator Yves learns to let go of his lost love. Alongside them are other stories, ones about
frustrated flamenco dancers, of a couple separated by time and the loss of
memory with age, and a man struggling with his unspoken love for an old friend.
STORY:
Yep, it’s time
for another est em anthology! I’ve long
been a fan of her works, and was thrilled to learn that Viz’s SuBLime imprint
was picking up yet another. It’s on par
with a lot of her other anthology collections (meaning that, of course, it’s
incredibly good and achingly emotional), but there are a couple of stories that
really stand out.
The first is the title story. It’s the closest est em has ever gotten to
magical realism. She makes no
explanation as to HOW Yves came to life, but that’s really not the point to the
story. It’s not about the how, but the
why, and the why is hauntingly tragic. It’s
the story of a talented young man and the troubled man he loved, and how that
talent tore them apart, and it’s a real tragedy. Their love story is so powerful that the one
between Yves and the conservator feels almost perfunctory, like it was just
something added for the sake of the fujoshi.
Est em is usually good about not simply inserting sex for the sake of
titillation alone, so it’s an odd misstep for her. There’s also a sequel chapter at the end, but
it too feels a bit perfunctory and it ends with a resounding ‘meh.’ In spite of all that, it’s a beautiful done
story and easily the best of the lot.
The other standout story is "Raselgado", starring Jesus, a
frustrated flamenco dancer. He’s tired
of dancing for a bunch of ungrateful tourists, just as much as he’s tired of
one-night stands full of blowjobs from some of those same tourists. His partner/guitarist wants him to move on to
the big city, where a dancer of Jesus’s caliber could truly shine, but Jesus is
hesitant. As pretentious as it sounds,
when he lets loose, his dancing is no less than an extension of himself, of his
heart and soul, and part of that same soul is tied to his partner’s
guitar. It’s a familiar topic for est
em, one about tortured artists and Spain and such, but the ending is peaceful
and hopeful.
The remaining stories, while not as impactful, are just as
good as the rest. "Not Just a
Merry-Go-Round" is the weakest of the lot, since it mostly just chronicles one
man’s unrequited love for his divorcee friend. "En El Parque" is soft and sweet, centering on two men who meet in a park – one old, one young. The young one is having relationship
troubles; the old one is always waiting for his lover. The conclusion is sad and sweet and hopeful
at once.
Tableau Numero 20 is yet another solid collection of stories
from the mind of est em. All of them are
good, but two of them are real gems, some of the best of her career. I’m glad that Viz is willing to take a chance
of her works, considering that everything else of hers is long out of print.
ART:
est em’s art has
only grown more refined with age, if Tableau has anything to show for it. Her linework has never been more confident
and polished. The characters are as
handsome and realistic as possible, and it goes a long way towards selling the
reader on some of the stories. You can
believe that someone could become obsessed with a drawing of Yves when she
manages to make his pale eyes so piercing and lovely, framed with their long
cherubic lashes, on the page. You can
believe that Jesus is such a brilliant dancer when you see a montage of his as
his feet fly across the page, his hair swinging in the air as his partner strums
his guitar. Backgrounds come and go,
although those present are nicely drawn.
Even the color artwork is stunning, best exemplified by the stunning
choice of cover art.
RATING:
Tableau Numero 20 is not only one of est em's best books, but easily one of the best books in SuBLime's library. It's beautiful, touching, and not to be missed.
This book is published by Viz via their SuBLime imprint. It is currently in print.
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