AN INVITATION FROM A CRAB (Kani wo Sasowarete), by panpanya. First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2018.
PLOT:
Sometimes wandering will lead you to wondrous things. Maybe it'll be a crab that leads to you its fishmonger. Maybe it's a question of where pineapples come from. Maybe it's wondering just how cracking coconuts produces energy, or what happens when your soul gets off at the wrong station. This book is a collection of those wanderings, and the stories that result from them.
STORY:
This is definitely not like any other josei manga I've covered previously. This has a sensibility that's way more in line with the indie comic scene than it does with mainstream josei (although parts of this did run in a mainstream josei magazine). That means surrealism and awkwardness are the name of the game here.
This is structured more like a short story fiction anthology than a normal manga tankoban, right down to the index in the back, chapter listing in the front, and the occasional introductory blurbs before some of the chapters. Meanwhile, the stories themselves often feel like rough sketches; half of the time, they simply stop instead of ending. That being said, if there's anything that ties them all together, it's the theme of disconnection: disconnection from nature, from work, from the spiritual realm, from childhood, and so on. At its best, this theme is married with delightfully surreal imagery like dolphin-powered calculators or souls slipping on their bodies like pajamas to create an experience that is whimsical without being twee and off-kilter without being off-putting.
ART:
panpanya's art is a similarly surreal experience. Her characters are only a level or two removed from stick figures, but the backgrounds are heavily rotoscoped and just as heavily modified, be it with dense hatching or smearing paint. It gives the settings a dark, dank atmosphere that at times seems to be at odds with the tone of the story, but I suspect that disconnect is simply part of the point.
RATING:
An Invitation From A Crab is a unique experience that's hard to sum up in words. It's proof that Denpa is willing to take risks and dive deep for licenses, and it's a solid recommendation for those who enjoy the stranger, artier, indie-influenced side of manga.
This book is published by Denpa. This book is currently in print.
Want a chance to win a $25 RightStuf gift certificate? Then check out our Holiday Review Giveaway to learn how to enter!
STORY:
This is definitely not like any other josei manga I've covered previously. This has a sensibility that's way more in line with the indie comic scene than it does with mainstream josei (although parts of this did run in a mainstream josei magazine). That means surrealism and awkwardness are the name of the game here.
This is structured more like a short story fiction anthology than a normal manga tankoban, right down to the index in the back, chapter listing in the front, and the occasional introductory blurbs before some of the chapters. Meanwhile, the stories themselves often feel like rough sketches; half of the time, they simply stop instead of ending. That being said, if there's anything that ties them all together, it's the theme of disconnection: disconnection from nature, from work, from the spiritual realm, from childhood, and so on. At its best, this theme is married with delightfully surreal imagery like dolphin-powered calculators or souls slipping on their bodies like pajamas to create an experience that is whimsical without being twee and off-kilter without being off-putting.
ART:
panpanya's art is a similarly surreal experience. Her characters are only a level or two removed from stick figures, but the backgrounds are heavily rotoscoped and just as heavily modified, be it with dense hatching or smearing paint. It gives the settings a dark, dank atmosphere that at times seems to be at odds with the tone of the story, but I suspect that disconnect is simply part of the point.
RATING:
An Invitation From A Crab is a unique experience that's hard to sum up in words. It's proof that Denpa is willing to take risks and dive deep for licenses, and it's a solid recommendation for those who enjoy the stranger, artier, indie-influenced side of manga.
This book is published by Denpa. This book is currently in print.
Want a chance to win a $25 RightStuf gift certificate? Then check out our Holiday Review Giveaway to learn how to enter!
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