400 – Manga in Motion 56 – Doukyusei -Classmates-
Welcome to our very special 400th episode! To celebrate, we’ve recorded a video version! Watch us show off our physical media! Also, we continue our Pride and Panels celebration of Pride Month by reviewing the Doukyusei -Classmates- BL anime film!
The Strange Tale of Panorama Island
A manga about a struggling novelist who steals successfully steals identify of a recently deceased friend and uses his wealth to build an extravagant island amusement park.
I really liked this book. Since this is an adaptation of Edogawa Ranpo novella, you get all of Suehiro Maruo‘s elegant artwork without any of the extreme content he’s known for. Maruo does a fantastic job creating the beautiful and almost otherworldly scenery within the island paradise. His take on the aquatic tunnel is especially impressive.
I recommend The Strange Tale of Panorama Island to readers who want an easy entry point into Suehiro Maruo‘s work. It’s available in English from Last Gasp.
~dakazu
The Strange Tale of Panorama Island
A manga adaptation of the novel Panorama Toukidan drawn by ero-guro master Suehiro Maruo. Unlike Maruo’s other more extreme works, there is very little gore and violence in this adaptation. Instead he focuses on using his elaborate backgrounds and elegant designs to tell the story of a man who assumes the identity of his deceased look-alike friend to steal his fortune and build an hedonistic island paradise. An excellent manga and I’m glad I got to see another side of Maruo.
~dakazu