XPost: rec.arts.anime.misc   
   From: bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com   
      
   On Sunday, November 23, 2014  I finished reading.   
   Showa 1939 to 1944 A History of Japan by Mizuki, Shigeru ranks with   
   Gen of Hiroshima as a record of the horror of War.   
      
   [bliss notes:   
        I thought I had posted this earlier but could find no copy of it in   
   my archives so went to my log and found this entry which I have   
   cleaned up a bit.]   
      
        Like that work (Gen of Hiroshima) the author is the central character   
   aided by a caricature called Rat-Man who provides commentary to clarify   
   the activities of the representations of the people at that time.   
        To make it clear this is about the Japanese-American War, part of   
   the terrible World War II.  Called the Pacific War in Japan most often   
   it is seldom so definitively exposed in Japan as the horrendous   
   error it was.  As a matter of fact the Japanese leadership seems inclined   
   to ignore the horrible actions of the Japanese Imperial Army and their   
   mistreatment if not outright murder of many hundreds of thousands   
   if not millions of people.   
      
        Mizuki's sensei work as a mangaka is wonderful! We are fortunate   
   that this man survived the war and learned to draw again so that the   
   people of Japan have access to the truth of Showa.  He lost an arm   
   but learned to draw again.  This is partly biographical material and   
   his parents and brothers had him down as a complete slacker.   
   Artistic people frequently have to endure such slights from the short-   
   sighted but loved people close to them.   
        I feel fortunate that I get to read this book and his other books,   
      
        I have seen comments that the problems during WW II in Japan   
   were caused by the loss but in truth they were caused by the resources   
   which the civilian population depended on being diverted to support the   
   military.  The top office of Prime Minister in the Wartime government   
   were eventually held by the Army Minister and President of the Army   
   General Staff. a certain General Hideki Tojo.   In other words he ran   
   the whole show.   As an example of the shortages look at Grave of   
   the Fireflies or re-read Gen of Hiroshima.   
      
       Showa, in case the reader is unaware. is the name of the  period of time   
   when the Emperor of Japan was the late Hirohito now properly referred to   
   as the Showa Emperor.   
        This is a heavy book in more ways than one at 540 pages of art and   
   text plus 8 pages of cultural notes in a paperback cover so that you kids   
   who did not live through the WW II period and us gaijin in general will   
   have an idea of what the characters are talking about.   
      
        I had been aware of this book and the first volume of Showa 1926-1938   
   and learned of the forthcoming next volume which will cover the early   
   post War period.  This history of Showa may have a 4th volume to   
   round out Showa.   
        These books are published by Drawn & Quarterly at about $25 per   
   volume.  I had held off buying them as I was spending what money   
   I had mostly on old debt. rent and food.  Last Friday I got lucky at   
   the San Francisco Public Library while looking for a book I had read   
     but ironically failed to document.  I found this quite by surprise.   
        The numbers on this are 952.033   
        M6996sh ISBn 938-1-770646-151-2   
      
        I hope before the end of 2014 that I will be able to review the first   
   volume in the series.   Which notes were submitted to the ram. raam,   
   I have put a reserve on the first volume which could be back early   
   next month.  Well I got that and have a reserve on volume 3 which   
   is already on the rack at Kinokuniya in Nihon Machi, San Francisco.   
      
        bliss   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)