Tokyo These Days, Vol. 2

Tokyo These Days, Vol. 2 | Taiyo Matsumoto

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Continuing further into the tortured artist theme, less of the book focuses on former manga editor Shiozawa attempting to recruit artists for his last (?) independent manga project, though those artists he does speak to repeat the theme of being burnt out to the extent that they feel they have nothing left to contribute or don't want to work in the medium anymore. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Seemingly half the book is from the perspective of Aoki, the artist who was being chivvied into a good work ethic creating a higher quality manga by Hayashi, but he too is having what looks like both a mental health crisis and a lack of confidence in his own skill, which may be doubled by a sense of burnout as well. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Between literally chasing Aoki down for the umpteenth pep talk, and being rebuffed by Shiozawa when she tried to assist in his efforts to get the prospective manga project accepted by local bookstores, it feels like Hayashi is headed towards her own burnout from an editor's perspective - so much faith in the talent of the people around her, but having to endure their many foibles alongside struggling to get those others responsible for 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? producing the manga to back her plans.
I'm hoping that as we're continuing to get details on Chosaku's life - where not all the choices are good ones, but he's partially looking after himself, and still engaged in making manga - that in the third and final volume, we see resolution for his character, 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 5/5 as well as the younger figure in the background of the manga production office, who seems to be helping out with work on pages, and harangued about providing his own storyboards but always ready with a 'soon not now'.
Again, difficult to judge how this book stands on its own narratively because we're basically in the middle of four or five storylines. 1mo

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