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人間失格 / Ningen Shikkaku
人間失格 / Ningen Shikkaku
Series · 4 books · 2009-2020
By
Osamu Dazai
,
古屋兎丸
,
Usamaru Furuya
Books in series
#1
No Longer Human, Vol. 1
2009
In honor of the 100th birthday of Osamu Dazai, Usamaru Furuya retells Dazai's most important work
No Longer Human
in modern day Tokyo where modern vices can bring ruin to the self-loathing. Furuya's adaptation of No Longer Human takes place nearly seventy years after Dazai's original. Set in modern day Tokyo, Dazai's tale details the life of a young man originally from a well-off family from Japan's far north. Yozo Oba is a troubled soul incapable of revealing his true self to others. A weak constitution and the lingering trauma from some abuse administered by a relative forces him to uphold a facade of hollow jocularity since high school. The series is composed of three parts, referred to in the novel as "memorandums," which chronicle the life of Oba from his teens to late twenties. The comic is narrated by the artist, Furuya himself, making appearances at the start of each volume. In many ways, it could be said that Furuya has traveled a path that may be similar to Dazai's. Maybe that is what led these two together after 100 years. In this first of three parts, alternative comic artist Usamaru Furuya appears to be overcome with deadlines. While he has been published by some of the biggest names in the comics industry, his star still shines brightest as a cult favorite, an underground artist whose emo comics are the voice of a new generation. To escape the duldrums of work, he loses himself in the internet and comes across the journal of a man whose life sounds very familiar—Oba Yozo. In Oba's First Memorandum the teen is overcome by an intense feeling of alienation. This pressure is so strong he cannot cope with others making it impossible to socialize with those who surround him, even his own family. To counter this Oba plays the role of the fool in order to establish interpersonal relationships.
#2
No Longer Human, Vol. 2
2010
Furuya's adaptation of
No Longer Human
takes place nearly seventy years after Dazai's original. Set in modern day Tokyo, Dazai's tale details the life of a young man originally from a well-off family from Japan's far north. Yozo Oba is a troubled soul incapable of revealing his true self to others. A weak constitution and the lingering trauma from some abuse administered by a relative forces him to uphold a facade of hollow jocularity since high school. The series is composed of three parts, referred to in the novel as "memorandums," which chronicle the life of Oba from his teens to late twenties. The comic is narrated by the artist, Furuya himself playing the role originally held by the author Dazai, who makes appearances at the start of each volume. In many ways, it could be said that Furuya has traveled a path that may be similar to Dazai's. Maybe that is what led these two together after 100 years. In the second volume, comic artist Usamaru Furuya has become obsessed over Oba's behavior. Noticing how tormented this young man must have been, he begins to question whether he should continue reading these memoirs. He fears he may see his own future going down the same path. But, despite his fears he reads on now smitten with Oba and the cast of fre-nemies around him. Oba's Second Memorandum focuses on his college days. Increasingly paranoid about keeping up appearances he begins to neglect his studies and his ambitions of becoming an artist are now a thing of the past. He is spending money left and right. And soon finds himself in a destructive cycle of drinking and self-loathing. Spurred on by a fellow aspiring artist, he begins to take advantage of his family spending money like water to maintain his bad habits. So when the money well dries up, he tries to escape life entirely; fearing that his family and in turn the world has abandoned him. But his charms continue to linger. From here he begins to take advantage of his unique personality to live off the one-sided love of the women around him. Whether it be the experienced bar owner or the or the single-parent comics editor, Oba's heart never truly opens up but if these women give him another chance on life, he is willing to take it as long as their own personal expectations do not overwhelm him.
#3
No Longer Human, Vol. 3
2009
In this final volume of No Longer Human, Yozo has been lulled into a sense of comfort with his new life and young wife. All that he holds dear is completely destroyed when he finds out that the person he loves is even potentially worse off than he. After his wife is sexually assualted by a business acquaintence, Yozo can no longer invision her as the beautiful pure woman that tamed his soul many months before. Now his wife is little more than a doll for charming men, and instead of confronting her or even devising a threat for divorse, Yozo simply moves on. But moving forward towards nothingness is not progess. It can only be seen as the end. From here on out Yozo's life is sub-human and when comic artist Usamaru Furuya realizes that, he is glad he has the opportunity to work and live his life as he pleases (even with the pressures of work constantly lurking).
#1-3
No Longer Human Complete Edition
2020
Osamu Dazai's classic tale retold by Usamaru Furuya is now in a complete omnibus edition!
Set in modern-day Tokyo, Dazai's tale details the life of a young man originally from a well-off family from Japan's far north. Yozo Oba is a troubled soul incapable of revealing his true self to others. A weak constitution and the lingering trauma from some abuse administered by a relative forces him to uphold a facade of hollow jocularity since high school. The series is composed of three parts, referred to in the novel as memorandums, which chronicle the life of Oba from his teens to late twenties. The comic is narrated by the artist, Furuya himself, making appearances at the start of each volume.
Authors
Osamu Dazai
Author · 119 books
古屋兎丸
Author · 28 books
Usamaru Furuya
Author · 28 books