Showa 1944-1953 [Paperback]

A sweeping yet intimate portrait of World War IIs legacy in Japan

Showa 1944-1953: A History of Japan continues Eisner award-winning author Shigeru Mizuki's historical and autobiographical account of Japanese life in the twentieth century. In this volume, the tail-end of the Pacific War and its devastating consequences upon the author and his compatriots loom large. Two rival navies engage in a deadly game of feint and thrust, waging a series of ruthless military campaigns across the Pacific islands. From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, Japan slowly loses ground. When the United States unleashes the atomic bombthen still a new and now enduringly terrible weaponit is the ultimate, definitive blow. The catastrophic fallout from both explosions surpasses the limits of popular imagination.

Mizuki's own life is irrevocably changed in the shadow of history. After losing an arm during his time in service, the author struggles to forge a path into the future. Should he remain on the island of Rabaul as an honored friend of the local Tolai? Or should he return to the rubble of Japan and return to his earliest artistic inclinations? This penultimate installment of a landmark series is a searing condemnation of war, told with the deft hand of Japan's most celebrated cartoonist.

Translated by Zack Davisson.Utterly compelling . . . [Showa] shows once again why Mizuki is one of the best creators in all of Japan. Highly recommended. Manga BookshelfShigeru Mizuki (19222015) was one of Japans most respected artists. A creative prodigy, he lost an arm in World War II. After the war, Mizuki became one of the founders of Japans latest crazemanga. He invented the yokai genre with GeGeGe no Kitaro, his most famous character, who has been adapted for the screen several times, as anime, live action, and video games. In lCT