A Drunken Dream and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Moto Hagio (Author), Matt Thorn (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2010

A decades-spanning collection from the “founding mother” of modern shōjo manga.

Fantagraphics Books’ first volume of manga is a collection of short stories by one of Japan’s most influential and critically lauded comics innovators.

Moto Hagio has been reinventing shōjo manga (Japanese comics marketed at 10-18 year-old girls) since 1969. Unconstrained by boundaries of genre, she has sculpted a career characterized by intellectual curiosity, psychological authenticity, and an aesthetic sense that has often been at odds with a shōjo manga mainstream littered with Sailor Moon knockoffs and sub-Harlequin-romance clichés. Now, for the first time in English, we offer a Hagio primer, a selection of short stories spanning four decades of groundbreaking work — 1971-2007 — by an artist who is working at the peak of her creative powers. In “Autumn Journey” (1971), a boy’s pilgrimage to the home of his favorite author has more meaning than either the author or his daughter can imagine. In “Marié, Ten Years Later” (1977), two estranged friends learn too late how their actions had destroyed the balance of a perfect triad of intimacy. In “A Drunken Dream” (1980), two scientists—one a hermaphrodite, the other a tribal priest—meet on a space station orbiting Io; but they have met before and are destined to meet again. In “Iguana Girl” (1991), a girl who appears to her mother and herself to be a hideous anthropoid iguana struggles to overcome her mother’s rejection and find happiness ... but her mother has a secret.

Learn for yourself why the creator of There Were Eleven! (adapted into an anime) and A, A’ has influenced the careers of countless other creators, both within and outside the manga industry, and continues to garner international critical praise and appeal to readers across ages and generations. Illustrated throughout; including 16 pages of full color; 16 pages of two-color

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Along with manga giants Keiko Takemiya and Riyoko Ikeda, and other notable female creators known as the Fabulous '49ers who pioneered the shojo revolution, Hagio forever changed the landscape of comics for girls and started a creative industry for women outside of the domicile. A decade after Sailor Moon, American audiences finally have the chance to read Hagio's work and see the genesis of a genre in this anthology. Unlike current shojo manga, Hagio's sentiment is more restrained, recounting a calmer account of destructive sibling rivalry, a quieter portrayal of a romance destined for failure, a subtle unraveling of a young woman in mourning. Her craftsmanship reflects wisdom and exercises the creative strength necessary to unravel and tie together the range of narrative threads that make up the tragedies and slow recoveries of life. In "Angel Mimic," Hagio turns the deflated student-teacher romance on its head, bringing it new life. In "Willow Tree" the story is so subtle, it takes place on the periphery of the page. A Drunken Dream collects stories by Hagio from her beginning, middle, and current career. The consistency of her work is evidence of why she's finally being translated into English and why that was long overdue.
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Once the folks at Fantagraphics decided to dip their toes in the manga pool, they didn’t mess around, choosing to launch their new manga line with this collection of short stories from one of the most influential creators of manga for women. Not a retrospective of a waning master, the book instead showcases a career four decades in the making that remains vibrant and relevant today. Hagio’s stories are infused with dark emotions—longing, jealousy, remorse—that are instantly identifiable and, hence, often uncomfortable to confront. The stories are collected in chronological order, affording a glimpse of how Hagio’s storytelling abilities have matured, from the melancholic shojo romances of the 1970s (“Autumn Journey”) to the gender-bending sci-fi from the 1980s (“A Drunken Dream”) to the powerhouse introspective character studies from recent years (“Iguana Girl,” “The Willow Tree”). Two articles written by manga scholar Matt Thorn are also included: an overview of Hagio’s career and place among “The Magnificent Forty-Niners” and an interview with Hagio in which she discusses her work, her life, and how the two intersect. It isn’t often that a book’s back matter is as fascinating as the stories it supports, but Hagio’s openness illuminates the stories in a way mere commentary never could. Although many of the stories included in this volume were ostensibly written for young adults, and may indeed be enjoyed by teens interested in literary manga, this topflight collection will likely resonate most with adult readers. --Eva Volin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (September 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606993771
• ISBN-13: 978-1606993774
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hagio's Drunken Dream is Beautiful, September 18, 2010

By 

PanBear - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Drunken Dream and Other Stories (Hardcover)

Let me start off by saying that if you haven't picked up a Hagio Moto manga yet, this one is a GREAT one to start.
Unfortunately, Moto Hagio has not had much exposure to America - which is really surprising because she is one of the most thought-provoking mangakas that I know.
However, Hagio is one of the most well known authors of all time in Japan because she, and a few other brilliant artists, revolutionized the shoujo (girl's comics) genre. If that doesn't say anything, I don't know what does.

So enough about how famous the author is - how is "A Drunken Dream?"
I picked up the book knowing that it was a compilation of short stories (usually, short stories aren't my taste).
Some of short stories in this book are truly wonderful and I can go back just to reread them.
I would be lying if I said that I LOVED each and every one of them but I CAN say that they each gave me a lasting, if not a great, impression.
Hagio's themes are deep, tragic, and sometimes very dark; it plays our mind and makes us think.
Besides the actual content of the book, I'd like to add that this is one beautiful hardcover book to add to anyone's collection. Fantagraphics really went all out for this one and I can say that the quality is impeccable.
The translation is very smooth and doesn't take away from the story either.
There is even bonus content included; an interview with THE Hagio Moto herself!

So if you care more for the plot of the stories and the quality of the book rather than the art style (personally, I think it's very beautiful and detailed), I would truly recommend purchasing a copy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece in any language, September 24, 2010

By 

Erica Friedman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Drunken Dream and Other Stories (Hardcover)

This might well be the most important manga published to date. Not only does it have some magnificent work by a master of the craft, it's got some pretty candid insights into the mind of that master. And how often can you say you want to HUG a member of the "Magnificent 49ers?" (The nickname for the women who were largely responsible for the creation of shoujo, josei and Boys' Love genres.)

I'll be buying a second copy - for my local library. :-)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dream to Get Drunk On, December 12, 2010

By 

Elias L. Blondeau "Atlanta Fried Otaku and Ha... (The Big ATL (Atlanta)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Drunken Dream and Other Stories (Hardcover)

I was first introduced to Moto Hagio's works last year, at the age of 15, by picking up the
entire out-of-print Viz Comics run of They Were Eleven in my local comic shop. Within the
first few pages, I was ensnared by the manga master's artistic prowess, as well as her storytelling
ability. After that chance run-in with the artist, I longed for more of her work, which was a
wish sadly unfulfilled. But leave it to Fantagraphics, publishers of the fantastic Complete Peanuts
series, among others, to pick up a collection of Miss Hagio's phenomenal short manga and compile
them into what could very well be in the top 5 manga released this year.

I suppose it's obvious by now, but I loved this collection of simultaniously heart-wrenching and
heartwarming tales. The titular story is very interesting, but in my opinion, the rest of the
stories this collection is comprised are really what makes this book shine. Choice cuts include
the beautifully simplistic tale of a mother's loss in "The Willow Tree", a confusing yet distressing
story of the consequences of being "different" in "Girl on Porch With Puppy", and a story that
plays out like "Honey and Clover" written by Edgar Allen Poe in "Marie, Ten Years Later."

Every story in this collection is wonderful, though, and each of them will stick with you for
days, if not weeks, after reading them. As a writer, I felt inspired to hit my word processor
after seeing the beautiful potential such seemingly simple stories can have.

But, this being a manga, it wouldn't be the same without the absolutely gorgeous art within
the two covers of this hardback (which are both stunning as well.) Hagio's art is like a more
teary-eyed version of Osamu Tezuka's simplistic, cartoon-y designs, and that lends itself to
the stories more splendidly than one could imagine. There are no overly-complicated lines to
examine while reading the story, nor do there need to be; Hagio is one of the greatest living
comic artists, and even the smallest objects on the page (a cup, for example) ooze flawed perfection
and damaged beauty. This is a great example of how an manga-ka's art can match the tone of the
plot PERFECTLY.

There are no boundaries to who will enjoy this book. Art lovers, otaku, comic aficionado... all
will love this collection. Add in an in-depth interview with Moto Hagio herself, and this book
becomes a steal at a mere 25 dollars. This book will be one that forever stands out among
your collection, whether that collection be of manga or of novels or of art books. Hagio, like
Tezuka, breaks down the barriers between novels and comics, giving us something we can all love
and cherish.

And isn't that what art is all about?

Stories: A+

Art:A+

Overall: A+