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Showa, 1953-1989 : a history of Japan / Shigeru Mizuki ; translation by Zack Davisson.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextLanguage: English Original language: Japanese Publisher: [Montreal] : Drawn & Quarterly, 2015Edition: First paperback editionDescription: 533 pages, 64 pages of plates : illustrations chiefly (some color) ; 23 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781770462014
  • 1770462015
Uniform titles:
  • Komikku Shōwa-shi. English
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: "The last half of Japan's Showa era, on which this volume concentrates, was as different from the first half as day is from night. It was an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity, despite being rife with internal contradictions. Because it is recent history, it is less analyzed, messier, and harder to summarize, yet Mizuki is more than up to the challenge. At the end of this series, we see Shigeru Mizuki coming to terms, not only with his own history, but with that of the entire Showa period and its turbulent highs and lows, even with the emperor who presided over it all"--Back flap.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Graphic Novel Mizuki, Shigeru Available 33111008488690
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The final volume in the Eisner-nominated history of Japan; one of NPR's Best Books of 2014!

Showa 1953-1989: A History of Japan concludes Shigeru Mizuki's dazzling autobiographical and historical account of Showa-period Japan, a portrait both intimate and ranging of a defining epoch. The final volume picks up in the wake of Japan's defeat in World War II, as a country reduced to rubble struggles to rise again. The Korean War brings new opportunities to a nation searching for an identity.

A former enemy becomes their greatest ally as the United States funnels money, jobs, and opportunity into Japan, hoping to establish the country as a bulwark against Soviet Communist expansion. Japan reinvents itself, emerging as an economic powerhouse. Events like the Tokyo Olympiad and the World's Fair introduce a friendlier Japan to the world, but this period of peace and plenty conceals a populace still struggling to come to terms with the devastation of World War II.

During this period of recovery and reconciliation, Mizuki's struggles mirror those of the nation. He fights his way back from poverty, becoming a celebrity who is beloved by millions of manga-reading children. However, prosperity cannot bring the happiness Mizuki craves, as he struggles to find meaning in the sacrifices made during the war.

The original Japanese edition of the Showa: A History of Japan series won Mizuki the prestigious Kodansha Manga Award; the English translation was nominated for an Eisner Award.

Translation of: Komikku Shōwa-shi.

Presented in the traditional Japanese manner and meant to be read from right to left, starting at the "back" of the book.

"The last half of Japan's Showa era, on which this volume concentrates, was as different from the first half as day is from night. It was an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity, despite being rife with internal contradictions. Because it is recent history, it is less analyzed, messier, and harder to summarize, yet Mizuki is more than up to the challenge. At the end of this series, we see Shigeru Mizuki coming to terms, not only with his own history, but with that of the entire Showa period and its turbulent highs and lows, even with the emperor who presided over it all"--Back flap.

Translated from the Japanese.

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