Travel

Before I read this story, I've read other works from different mangaka where the art style doesn't go by the conventions of the usual modern Japanese manga. One example of this is Mohican-zoku no Saigo, a 1953 manga adaptation of an old French novel.

With Mohican-zoku no Saigo being a product of its time, the art style is crude in most places, and a bit of an eyesore in others. It was mostly due to there not being much conventions of what manga looked like to begin with, because I can assure you it was not due to the artist's capabilities. It was apparent that in some places, such as certain characters that expressed more of a DC hero-styled art style, that the influential mangaka at the time had genuine talent. What that manga taught me was that despite a book's questionable art style, it shouldn't deter from what could be an thoughtful, inspiring work.

Then I read Travel. And while I turn the pages of this book, constantly reminding myself of the lesson I learnt and genuinely trying to enjoy the book unfolding, I come to an important realization. That being that, while the manga I had previously read relied more on its story, this relied more on its imagery. This is a manga about travelling, about riding different modes of transportation, about observing the scenery and the people around you, about the experiences you go through like buying food and cigarettes on the go. Nobody in this manga says anything, so their actions and body language had to do the characterization for them, and what was happening had to be interpreted by the reader since no one talks about what's going on.

I'll say it again, the single point of this manga is solely to simulate what travelling is like. So with the very little story this book provides, it's safe to assume the art style alone is your only aid to visualize what the book wants you to visualize. And what of the art style itself?

Well, I can say the mangaka's drawings of architecture and animals aren't half bad. Not any level I would consider professional but I was okay with the views outside the windows of the various modes of transport I witnessed. Unfortunately, this is where my praise turns to utter disgust.

I genuinely cannot find a term to describe just how horribly ugly everyone looks. Aliens? Monsters? Abominations? No, cause using those terms would be offensive to all three of those groups. It'd feel like I'd be saying the alien/monster/abomination equivalent of the n-word. My little cousins who only know how to color can draw better eyes than whatever the heck this artist decided to deem human eyeballs. Everyone has the same face, and I found myself constantly flipping back pages cause I was lost to which character did which action. I'd previously praised the architecture but in some shots it also looks badly thought out, and even the good shots were overshadowed by the creatures this manga calls people. I thought the Fresco Of Jesus restoration was a mistake, what made the artist decide to pick it up as an art style?!

Artistic choice? Miss me with that. I may not be Picasso and I always feel bad when I criticize art that tries to do something new, but for the love of Miyazaki, this is not a painting or a mural, it's a freaking manga! A bad painting with this art style you're only supposed to see once and interpret what you see, you don't have to stick around and see these ugly shmucks almost every damn panel.

I can't imagine the delusion someone may have that this unconventional art style could be considered good. For a book that relies entirely on its art, you're sure bombarded with shots of crudely drawn freaks. Never think that unconventional always means passable, cause this is definitely not one of those cases.

From what has been published in the US, it is hard to get a grasp on the Japanese art comic scene due to the very small amount. Hell, it so small that I’m not even sure whether there is anyone else beside Yuichi Yokoyama in it. There probably are more people in it, but its just that he raises the bar so high that the others are often not associated with him because their work is inferior.

For those that do not know what art comics are, the name is mostly self-explanatory. The focus of them is mainly on the art style or the usage of that style in the radical/experimental storytelling/literary techniques in comics. So much is one or two aspects emphasized that the other neglected parts are completely negligible and almost never even surface in the reader’s mind. For those looking for a great story or characters, then don’t even bother with this genre because those are the two most neglected parts.

Unlike New Engineering, Travel is one “story”—if it even really has one. There is no real plot to it. Just three guys getting on train and taking a journey somewhere, where they get off. Practically once when they get off, it goes for 5 more pages and then stops. The plot is one of the negligible aspects of the book since it doesn’t matter where they are going or even why. The reader’s view of the characters never change throughout the entire story and it completely lacks character development—another aspect that doesn’t matter. For the majority of the story, all they do is sit and look out the window or smoke. Probably one of the main reasons why the characters don’t matter is the utter lack of words and, unlike Eisner, the alienating character designs (which is basically a black and white version of the faces on the cover seen above). All of the faces have the same look on them, with the variation kept to the external appearances such as hair, clothes, glasses, you get the idea.

Despite the lack of the story elements mentioned above, Travel is still a highly enjoyable read. What makes it so fun is how highly unique the art is. Dan Nadel, one of the editors are PictureBox Inc. (the North American publisher), describes his style much better then I ever could:

“Yuichi Yokoyama is a designer and cartoonist whose style and concerns represent a break with tradition in his emphasis on geometrical forms and immersive, fantastical geographies and characters [concerning their design rather then their personalities]. His two favorite artists are William Blake and Sol LeWitt.” (Dan Nadel, The Ganzfeld 5: Japanada! pg. 86)

On of the most notable things that must be mentioned is the lack of subjection motion (blurring of the background so the reader can focus on the character/object and create an speed up the illusion of time by breaking off a point of reference). Instead Travel takes up the American technique of motion lines that streak across the page. What is most impressive is that it is still able to maintain the fast pacing of the manga that uses subjective motion while able to keep the background static. There still are streaks across the pages that cover up some of the landscape, it reverses what moves and accurately depicts what it feels like to be in a train. You don’t move, the scenery does. Being a fan of art comics, I still haven’t come across anything this radical in motion. Though what is also very interesting is the depiction of time during the first part when the three guys are trying to find seats. In order to keep the same fast pace throughout the entire book, practically every couple of steps they take is shown, as is everything they see. Of what they see, close ups of people they pass are used to cover up the inconsistencies of time (that means the speed of which the guys are moving at (in the reader’s perspective) is inconsistent with the position they are at when they are in focus again, hope that is a good explanation).

I don’t know where to start for the art. As Dan Nadel said, it concentrates on geometric forms rather then photo-realistic details. One of the most enjoyable things is looking at the patterns in the landscapes. I don’t really know how to describe the feeling and the subtly of the patterns. They are patterns, but not in the sense that immediately come to mind. Its not like Fibanocci’s sequence where things it is set, rather these “patterns” are the repetition of the same thing over and over in a linear manner; they do not add one by one to become something different but rather are many small parts exactly the same that only change as a collective whole (yeah I know that was confusing, but the technique is so subtle that it is almost indescribable). Due to the usage of geometry, it is a very cerebral read.

My only complaint would be the lack of any literary depth. Besides the techniques used, there is no depth at all to it. How his patterns work is proof that there is potential as are the character designs. Of the designs in particular, since all of them have a similar feel, all of them seem equal and there is no one that draws more attention then the others (compare them to the character designs of, lets say Death Note, where every one is unique and thus practically compete for the reader’s attention visually). When the designs are put into the patterns (using the city scens are the example), it can emphasize how insignificant a person is. But Yuichi Yokoyama doesn’t take this route, but there is potential to. Since I haven’t read New Engineering, I wouldn’t know if he ever attempts this or any other themes. Though if he does, it would be in a very unique way though the actual message would not be very original. But as Travel says, it isn’t about the destination but the journey.

Availability: It is highly doubtable that there are any scans accessible to non-Japanese speakers due to its extreme obscurity. There might be some on Japanese websites, but getting there is the problem. PictureBox Inc. published it recently, but they only printed so many in order to break even. Amazon is running low on copies, so now would be the best time to buy it. If you are checking bookstores, completely ignore the manga/graphic novel section and go straight to the art and/or design section(s). It is still doubtable that it would be there. Plus, the cover of the book below the slipcover is one of his drawings colored. Which to say is visually staggering, bold, and worth the money. You could stare at it all day and still be impressed.

On a completely different note, I actually had the chance to meet him in person, but due to the lack of a translator we couldn’t communicate very well. Like He signed my book by sketching a symbol. What surprised me most was how old he was since he had a son about my age.

Short List:
+: Groundbreaking techniques, highly abstract and unique art style; it isn’t about the destination, but the journey
— : Lack of a proper story and characters is a major turnoff for many, as are the alienating character designs and very cerebral art style

-Pierre Bezukhov
P.S.: Feedback is encouraged. This is only my third review and I am still trying to figure out how the reviews should be formatted and the relationship between enjoyment and art. Specifically if I’m going to analyze it as art, I’m still not sure whether I should score on an arithmetic way using predetermined aspects (such as art, story, characters, etc), concentrate on the aspects that actually matter, or focus on how it fulfills its potential.