Tante NonNon

Shigeru Mizuki has shaped modern Manga like no one else. Central to his works are memories of his childhood in rural Japan of the 1930s. Now for the first time, “Tante NonNon” appears in German. Following a prologue in color, in which fights among boys anticipate Shigeru's aversion to the war, he tells the story in realistic black and white depictions, in stark contrast to characters drawn in a practically caricature-like manner. Tante NonNon, widow of a buddhist monk, leads the dreamy boy through the worlds of Japanese mythology, spirits and monsters. The Yôkai, inhabitants of this magical world, who appear in all kinds of life situations, now accompany the boy. Shigeru Mizuki represents these sometimes helpful and sometimes disturbing spirits in most diverse ways. Fear and loss, like the death of a friend from tuberculosis, define his coming of age and portray an intense depiction of another time.