Memories [manga]

Really glad to have gotten a hold of this - though it's not what I expected. Otomo is eclectic to say the least. It's quite a strange collection, with the quality ranging from good to bad to just plain distasteful.

Despite Otomo's film adaptation being of the same name as this collection, there is little relation as far as I can gather. Otomo released many short story/manga collections, and Memories is the only one currently available in the West. Magnetic Rose is collected here under the title "Memories", but the other two parts (Stink Bomb, Cannon Fodder) are not. I'd love to read them someday, but sadly they aren't currently available in English.

Each story has been individually rated below:


Sand - 3.5

Short, simple sci-fi horror.


Hair - show more 3

Amusing at points, but rather silly. A self-spoof on Otomos story "Fireball". If you'd prefer to read Fireball first then you can find it towards the back of the collection.


Electric Bird Land - 3.5

An amusing little episode, inspired by the jazz classic "birdland" by Charlie Parker. Short and sweet.


Minor Swing - 2.5

Strange and preachy.


That's Amazing World - 3

Amusing, but unoriginal.


That's Amazing World: Part 2 - 4

Funny parody of Noahs Ark.


Memories (Magnetic Rose) - 4

The title story and basis for Otomo's first memories segment, "Magnetic Rose". It's a good story, but Satoshi Kon's screenplay improved on this tenfold.


Flower - 3

Bizarre, but interesting. Written as a tribute to French artist, Moebius. The Art conjures up images of Dahli, Geiger and Barlowe.


Farewell To Arms - 4

Quite good. There's a mix of art, some of which comes from the westernised version, and then a few pages part way through that were Otomos own doing - the colour is particularly gorgeous on these.

Story-wise, it would have been nice to have developed the characters a bit more before kicking things off, especially as it gets hard to discern who's who in certain shots. Its quite engaging though,especially considering that the reader is given little to no context.
The ending is excellent.


Chronicle of the Planet Tako - 2

Fairly poor. If you're reading Memories in chronological order, then it's worth bearing in mind that part 2 of this precedes part 1 in the collection.


Chronicle of the Planet Tako (Part 2) - 2.5

A bit naff.


Fireball - 4

This was a rushed work - which shows - but despite that, it's pretty good. Unfortunately, due to deadline issues, it doesn't really have much of an ending (just an epic shot from space).
It reads like an early version of Akira, but it stands well on its own and despite its flaws, makes for a very enjoyable read.


That's Amazing World: Part 3

In this breif, strange, episode, a man beats and rapes a reverse mermaid (top half fish, bottom half woman).


That's Amazing World: Part 4 - 2.5

A "humorous" take on the knights of the round table.

NELI (Not Even Laughing Inwardly)



Overall - 3.5 show less

Recull d'historietes d'Otomo publicades des de 1979 a 1981. Són històries fantàstiques i de ciència-ficció, amb tocs d'humor o lirisme, i arguments de qualitat desigual, alguns prou originals. Dibuix de línia clara, amb aires innovadors. Al final d'aquesta edició el propi autor fa un breu comentari de cada historieta.