Warning : The following post contains nudity/adult content.

Drawn during his youthful days of around 20-22 years old from the period of 1974-1976, Boogie Woogie Waltz is a tankobon collection of Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo’s 15 short manga pieces, first published in 1982. The first and older edition that I reviewed a few years back has only 10 stories; this new Otomo Complete Works edition is an expanded collection.

Browsing through the preview images on this page fans of Otomo will quickly notice the markedly different look of the drawings as compared to later masterpieces like Domu and Akira. Just like many other celebrated manga artists such as Toriyama Akira ( Dragonball ) and Takehiko Inoue ( SlamDunk, Vagabond ), Otomo’s art style has evolved over the course of his career.

It would be a mistake to assume that his earliest works were in anyway inferior or even amateurish; – any artist who has attempted to draw comics will tell you it is quite the monumental task to create engaging panels; and Otomo’s work even in his early days already display amazing competence and technical excellence.

That said, looking at the panels, and despite the aforementioned technical competence, these earlier works are largely missing the impactful, cinematic compositions that we’ve come associate with Otomo’s later manga masterpieces like Domu and thereafter Akira.

It is nonetheless a most fascinating look at the earliest published works of the artist, and this new Otomo Complete Works edition boasts much better, crispier prints as compared to the older edition, and the paper stock used is thicker and of higher quality as well ( less pulpy ).

Apparently Boogie Woogie Waltz as well as Good Weather were mostly sold through mail order service only back in the day, so it was very difficult to find a copy in bookstores. The release of this improved Complete Works edition is much welcomed and allows Otomo fans a renewed opportunity to enjoy and appreciate his early day works. Recommended.

Availability : At the time of writing this review this title is only for sale from Amazon Japan; hopefully Marketplace stores from other Amazon countries will eventually carry it too. In the meantime, Amazon Japan ships internationally; use my How To Order From Amazon Japan post for a step-by-step guide.

“Boogie Woogie Waltz ( Otomo The Complete Works Edition ) 大友克洋全集” art book details :

Dimensions – 17.5 x 2.8 x 25 cm
Softcover with dust jacket, 364 pages
B&W, In Japanese language

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