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REVIEW: Disappearance Diary




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Kagemusha



Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 2783
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:03 am Reply with quote
The world-of-mouth that DD has been getting is suprisingly mixed, and even the positive praise is fairly restrained, so it's good to finally see an glowing review (which I was expecting from a title that won the Tezuka AND the Media Arts prize).
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Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1600
Location: Nottingham (UK)
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:48 am Reply with quote
Interesting review - and not something I expected to see reviewed at ANN. Consider me pleasantly suprised.

I'm a sucker for autobiographical manga and I really enjoyed Disappearance Diary, despite some initial scepticism given who the author is.

It's not a perfect book - Azuma's brutally frank about a lot of things but skirts around some subjects that would give the reader a better understanding of his life (like the impact that him repeatedly abandoning his family without warning had on his wife and son and on their relationship with him) - but it is a fascinating read overall and the art style works perfectly.

Azuma comes across as a self-centred prick but watching his life collapse is undeniably compelling.
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Brand



Joined: 30 Jan 2006
Posts: 1028
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:59 am Reply with quote
I looked this up on Amazon and it said it wasn't available. Is it possible I could get an isbn number for it? Or is there a store that has it where I could pick it up online? The review has piqued my interest.
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the_seventh_l



Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 108
Location: Florissant, MO
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:45 am Reply with quote
brand wrote:
I looked this up on Amazon and it said it wasn't available. Is it possible I could get an isbn number for it? Or is there a store that has it where I could pick it up online? The review has piqued my interest.


I'd like to know this as well. I really wanna add this to my Amazon wish list Very Happy
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Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1600
Location: Nottingham (UK)
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:20 pm Reply with quote
brand wrote:
I looked this up on Amazon and it said it wasn't available. Is it possible I could get an isbn number for it?


ISBN-10: 8496427420
ISBN-13: 9788496427426

brand wrote:
Or is there a store that has it where I could pick it up online? The review has piqued my interest.


None of the major retailers have it yet but Knockabout Comics have some advance copies for sale here.
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amarythia
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 14
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:53 pm Reply with quote
brand wrote:
I looked this up on Amazon and it said it wasn't available. Is it possible I could get an isbn number for it? Or is there a store that has it where I could pick it up online? The review has piqued my interest.

Casey here.

I did not include purchasing information in the review--I apologize. The publisher has been having distro issues, and I didn't want to include anything that might be incorrect. But last I heard, Disappearance Diary will be shipping from Diamond in October and will be available in the bookstore market (including Amazon) by the end of the year.

If you can't wait that long (and if you can't, I don't blame you!), you may be able to purchase copies directly from the publisher if you hit them up at a con. I believe Fanfare will be at San Diego Comic Con.
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cool3865



Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 770
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:03 pm Reply with quote
i will have to look this up on amazon, it sounds good
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Goodpenguin



Joined: 02 Jul 2007
Posts: 457
Location: Hunt Valley, MD
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:43 pm Reply with quote
Moomintroll wrote:

Azuma comes across as a self-centred prick but watching his life collapse is undeniably compelling.


I'm not sure when this book was published, but I read through an acquaintances (Japanese) copy I believe about two years ago, and my thoughts were along the same lines as yours. Especially the first part of your statement.

I know bumble-squat about manga, so I've no idea what works the author has done. The story struck me as interesting, but overall there was a larger sense of the author playing a very disingenuous game of 'Woe is Me'. It's like 'American Splendor', except with a weaselly, self-centered ass who apparently doesn't even think enough of his family to even pass in a token concern. The 'comic' style set against a depressing reality felt less like an effort to make the story accessible, and more like an effort to make an egotistical weirdo a 'lovable' character. This kind of 'Graphic Novel autobiography' form has it's own appeal, but this particular story left me with an awfully negative impression of Hideo Azuma.
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HellKorn



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 1669
Location: Columbus, OH
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:57 pm Reply with quote
Hm. Review actually makes me want to read this when it becomes widely available.

I've been very hesitant to read this title (particularly ever since Stephen Paul's lukewarm reaction in his review), but I'll probably give it a shot down the line since I haven't missed any Fanfare/Ponent Mon titles yet.

Just by reading around I already have a negative bias against Azuma, and can't imagine this manga would improve that perception. Still, it sounds more engaging than the rather dry Doing Time.
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