Moresukine: Uploaded Weekly from Tokyo

http://www.nonfictioncomics.net/2010/09/dispatches-from-tokyo/

"Each story is short but sweet; few overstay their welcome, while some, like the entry on religion, might not be long enough. He plays with the passage of time on a few assignments; the rooftop roller coaster entry tells the story of riding the roller coaster while simultaneously recounting the events leading up to that ride. The gender entry is actually a fold-out page; a series of random, yet interconnected thoughts are spread across a sheet two pages wide and two pages tall. It can be confusing, but greatly satisfying once all the pieces fall into place.

[...]

Moresukine is a quick read that can be confusing at times, but it provides an interesting and non-judgmental look at the culture of Japan through the eyes of a foreigner, all while not being afraid to experiment with the layout of a traditional comic." ( )

This book was a gift from my sweetie, apparently as a way for him to let me know he wasn't going to be mad if I dumped him to go to work in Japan for a year. Not that I would dump him to do that...no way! He's much too sweet. I'd fly him out and we could do some of the stuff outlined in this book together.

During a stay in Tokyo, Dirk Schweiger kept a blog and invited readers to suggest things for him to do there. No matter what it was, he would do it, and then make a cartoon about the experience. This book is the collection of those.

The suggestions were varied: it might be someplace to visit, something to eat, or just to tell about his neighborhood or a memorable experience he had. He visited a weird sex hotel, stayed in a "pod hotel," went to a couple of really neat museums, met a local band, ate some weird things, and talked about making a mess in the bathroom with their weird space-age toilets.

It was a great concept and very intriguing book. I'm definitely interested in visiting some of these places when I do visit Japan. I'd recommend this to anyone who is interested in visiting Tokyo, learning more about it, or just reading about weirdness. ( )