Confessions of a Bleacholohic

As part of their outreach/rehabilitation program for lapsed bloggers, the fine folks over at Robot 6 invited me to participate in their "What Are You Reading?" feature this week. Luckily, Chris and crew caught me on a good week where I'd actually read a bunch of comics. In fact, I actually left out some of the books I'd read because I didn't want to drag the column out too long (and I still ended up being the most long-winded of the bunch). So here are some quick thoughts on other stuff I've read recently:

20th Century Boys volumes 2 & 3: I'm really digging this odd series by manga master Naoki Urasawa. I honestly have no idea where the story is going to go and I love that "anything could happen" sense of uncertainty. Although I'm enjoying it primarily on a visceral level, I'm also finding the question of how our childhoods inform and influence our adult selves more thought-provoking than I would have first guessed. And is it just me or do the scenes with the Friend and his brainwashed cult give anyone else literal goosebumps?

Flower of Life 4: I probably would have gotten more out of this series finale if I'd gone back and re-read the earlier volumes first, but I still really enjoyed this volume. I couldn't remember what was going on with a lot of the side characters (or even who some of them were) but I loved the directions manga-ka Fumi Yoshinaga took the main characters in. Oh, Majima, I will always admire the purity of your otakuness. I loved seeing the expanded details of Harutaro's family, especially the introduction of the manly Mrs. Hanazono. And I loved the way Yoshinaga included coming-of-age clichés into the story ("At that moment, I knew we'd probably never create another manga together again.") only to blast them to smithereens a couple pages later ("Of course I want to do another manga...it'd be a waste to give up now!"). Great, great stuff, and the whole series is highly recommended.

Division Chief Kosaku Shima volumes 1-5: Thanks to the generosity of superstar manga blogger Deb Aoki, I was able to read the full set of all five Kodansha Bilingual Comics editions of Division Chief Kosaku Shima and, man, they are everything I ever dreamed they would be and more. These salaryman business manga are like pure manga crack for fans who enjoy vintage/classic manga such as Crying Freeman and Oishinbo. These books have everything: Sex, sex, and more sex. Business intrigue and political maneuvering. Extended (hoo-boy, do I mean extended!) sequences on the intricacies of the wine trade. All this plus bilingual text! The only bad thing about these five books is that they leave me wanting more! C'mon, Kodansha! When are you going to set up shop in the U.S. and start publishing this whole crazy series (plus sequels and prequels) from the beginning? I can't stand it! I want more Shima!!! (Eep! I just realized I'm acting like Shima's sex-starved secretary Chizuru. What is it about salaryman Shima that brings out such insatiable lust in all who meet him?)

Labels: Guest Blogging Elsewhere, Manga, Reading Diary, Salaryman

4:53 PM | |

The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Salaryman

Is it just me or does anyone else hear the song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! playing when they look at this splash page from Young Kōsaku Shima?
OK, I admit: This does kind of make Kosaku Shima look like an insufferable asshole. But it looks like this must have taken place in the eighties, and weren't all businessmen insufferably smug assholes in the eighties?

Labels: Kosaku Shima Week, Manga, Perplexing Splash Pages, Salaryman

5:01 AM | |

A 10% Cut is Even Worse in Japan

Another reason why everyone should be as excited to read Section Chief Kōsaku Shima as I am:


Image of yubitsume from Buchō Kōsaku Shima (AKA, "Manager Kōsaku Shima"); found on MangaHelpers, which also has raw files of Young Kōsaku Shima and Young Kōsaku Shima: Shuninhen.

Labels: Kosaku Shima Week, Manga, Salaryman, Typical Japanese Business Customs

8:22 AM | |

There's No Business Like Business Business

Man, Shaenon K. Garrity's Overlooked Manga Festival really is the gift that keeps on giving, isn't it? Further Googling for info on Section Chief Kōsaku Shima I ran across this link to one of Garrity's OMFs. Granted, there was only a tiny reference to Kōsaku Shima, but the rest of the entry was a goldmine. After pausing to note that Kekkaishi won the 2007 Shogakukan Manga Award for shonen manga (yay for Kekkaishi!), Garrity goes on to discuss an obscure, out-of-print book called Bringing Home the Sushi, which features samples from nine different business manga, including Kōsaku Shima. Garrity's description of Section Chief Kōsaku Shima only makes me want to read the series even more:

...the incomparable, incredibly long-running Section Chief Kosaku Shima, a sprawling white-collar epic that's partly a realistic overview of contemporary business issues, partly a naked wish-fulfillment fantasy rife with heroic boardroom deals and beautiful twenty-year-old women who can't wait to get into the pants of aging, workaholic businessmen, and partly an incredibly depressing concept of a way for a man to live his life.

Aaaaah! I have to have it!!!

Well, it's probably a long wait until someone licenses Section Chief Kōsaku Shima (and all the sequels and prequels), so I did the next best thing: I ordered a used copy of Bringing Home the Sushi from Amazon for only two bucks! (OK, six bucks with shipping, but still...) Based on the sample scans Garrity shared this book looks like it should be a great introduction to the world of business manga. If it's something that sounds intriguing, there are still a couple Amazon marketplace vendors offering the book used for $1.98.

In the meantime, what other business manga is already available in English? The only ones I can think of are the "Project X" one-shots from DMP. I've read Cup Noodle and 240Z but I just realized that I've never read Seven Eleven. It looks like it's out of print, although Buy.com offers it new for just $8.99. I placed an order for it but it's listed as "Temporarily Sold Out," so who knows if I'll ever actually see it. Any other good (and readily available) business manga I should be checking out to satisfy my salaryman jonesing? (Wait, that came out wrong...)

Labels: Comic Book Cravings, Kosaku Shima Week, Manga, Salaryman, Used Books

9:55 AM | |

A Completely Different Kind of Corporate Comic

Yesterday's post was inspired by a recent revelation I experienced while reading With the Light vol. 4: I totally want to read some good salaryman manga, darn it!

I've enjoyed With the Light ever since I read the first volume, but I noticed that I was really getting into the latest volume as I was reading it. Then it hit me: My interest spiked whenever the focus shifted to the dad's work-related ordeals. It wasn't that I didn't find the rest of the book interesting (far from it: the fact that the book appeals to me on so many levels — parent, worker, spouse, former staff in a group home for autistic children — is one of the main reasons I'm so fond of the series), but I was especially captivated by the scenes of the dad struggling to succeed at work.

I think a big part of this is being able to relate with many of the things Masato deals with at his workplace. Not that my job is anywhere near as stressful as his, but the conflicts with coworkers and office politics are details that resonate as similar even if they're not exactly the same. I never thought I'd reach the point in my entertainment consumption where I was seeking out material that mirrors my own experiences, but this incident gives me greater appreciation for fans who desire to see their own interests reflected in fiction: There's something fulfilling about recognizing your experiences in the works you read.

It also reminded me of Eric Reynolds' commentary on the state of the American periodical comics industry. When did comics drift away from their audience? Why isn't there more material for adults? Why aren't there more options for types of story that have the potential to resonate with readers from diverse demographics?

All of which is my roundabout way of saying I suddenly realized I'm very interested in reading some salaryman manga and disappointed that there isn't any readily available. I realize it's probably a long shot for any publisher to license anything like Section Chief Kōsaku Shima but I'd love to see someone take a chance on something like this. (Maybe if Kodansha ever makes their move in the U.S. we'll get to see more offbeat titles like this?) Plus, look at how popular series set in the workplace have been in other media. If the public can accept and enjoy Dilbert and The Office, why not salaryman manga? (OK, granted those are comedies and they're rooted in American culture, but still...) And if manga creators can make series about board games and cooking exciting, is it really a stretch to imagine that a manga chronicling a worker's hard-fought rise through the corporate ranks is probably THE MOST GRIPPING TALE EVER?!?

Labels: Manga, Salaryman, Things I Want That Will Probably Never Happen, Wish Lists

12:00 AM | |

The Trials and Tribulations of A Salaryman


Apologies for not updating the blog more frequently, but, as you can guess, work has been brutal lately. I know I've complained about the office politics before, but things are getting even more cutthroat recently. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just being paranoid, but I swear some of the older workers have it in for me, and mainly as a means of protecting their own fragile positions. It's disheartening. I don't mind getting rough and dirty and fighting to prove my worth, but the politics is so petty. It would be one thing if people were fighting to protect their pet projects but many of the worst offenders don't even seem to produce anything of value for the company. How can these people get up and look at themselves in the mirror each morning? Don't they understand what it means to be a true SALARYMAN?

I remember when I first started working as a salaryman. I was so optimistic, so energetic, so naive. I truly thought I would rise to the top on talent alone and that my brilliant ideas would change the world while making my company a handsome profit. That was before the long nights, the endless weekends, the soul-crushing status reports. Now I'm happy if I can just make it through the day without being humiliated by a cruel co-worker, ending up crying in the farthest men's room stall once again.

Of course, the economy isn't making things any easier. Everyone seems to be working under a state of anxious panic, fearing that they will be the next to be let go. It's made some even more ruthless than I would have previously thought possible. I don't think anyone here will soon forget the tragic conference room 2B incident of February 3rd, nor will anyone be able to forgive the perpetrator (even though he not only got off scot-free but also received a promotion and "revulsion" bonus).

I'm trying to keep my spirits up, mainly by working on my side projects in my spare time. I doubt now is the proper time to reveal any of my daring ideas to upper management, but I'm biding my time. I know any one of these projects could be real money-makers for the company but I also know that no one's willing to take any risks on any crazy ideas from a mid-level employee in this financial environment. But some day... some day my poor, suffering wife and neglected children will understand all the sacrifices I made, all the time and energy I poured into this company. Some day everyone will witness my triumph and all then all the pain and suffering will have been worth it.

I have to remind myself that things haven't always been this bad. I have to think back on the things that I originally loved about this job -- the challenges, the camaraderie of coworkers, the chance to improve the lives of our customers. It's all still possible -- I just need to work past the distractions that have accumulated over the years, scrape off the bilious barnacles of negativity and resentment that poison my work attitude. I need to rediscover the passion I had for this job, this career, this vocation.

I need to remind myself why I became... a SALARYMAN.

Labels: Abbreviated Functional Description, Grievances, Salaryman, Upbeat Endings

12:00 AM | |