Folktale-Inspired Manga Unique in Format Confronts Readers with Harsh Reality; Final Installment of Kanta on Manga

Taro to TARO (MOMOTARO STORIES: taro and TARO)
by Kogani Oshiro (Leed Publishing Co.)

Kanta Ishida / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:00 JST, February 21, 2025

Everything eventually comes to an end.

This is the final installment of this column, which began in the spring of 2015. Since last fall, I had been thinking hard, wondering what I should cover in this last installment, so it was very fortunate for me that “MOMOTARO STORIES: taro and TARO” was published in December. Personally, I found this to be the best manga that came out last year. Not only that, I believe that the work is a masterpiece quite high on my list of best manga from the past decade.

First of all, this manga is unique in terms of bookmaking and format. It is a set of two hardcovers enclosed in a box. One book is titled “taro” in kanji, and the other is “TARO” in capitalized English letters. Both are stand-alone stories, so it doesn’t matter which one you read first. “taro” is read from right to left, while “TARO” is read from left to right.

For now, let me first tell you about the story of “taro,” which takes place on a small island where red people live peacefully. One day, a blue stranger from another island arrives on the red people’s island. There’s a sudden explosion that kills the stranger and a child from the red people’s village. The child’s enraged father eats a peach that gives him power, and he attacks the island of the blue people. The blue people surrender, and the red people return triumphantly to their island with the spoils of war.

“TARO,” on the other hand, centers around the blue people. On their island, a fruit shaped like a pineapple is used for fishing. The fruit explodes when its crown is removed, so they throw it into the sea to kill fish. However, due to a decrease in fish near the island, one of their fishermen goes offshore to fish. He lands on the red people’s island and meets a local child. Seeing the fruit for the first time, the child is amused and inadvertently pulls out the crown — a kind of trigger. The blue man tries to rescue the child, but both are blown to pieces. One day after that, the blue people’s island is invaded by red people, who have demonic looks on their faces.

As you may have guessed, the manga is based on the folktale “Momotaro.” Attempts to retell the story of Momotaro from the demon’s perspective have been made by illustrious literary figures for a long time. This work, however, is novel in that it uses a two-volume manga format to depict Momotaro and the ogres as equal. The absence of any dialogue and the use of allegorical drawings are also very effective.

The reason for one of the two books to be read from the right and the other to be read from the left is revealed on the last pages of each book. The endings are shocking and inevitably remind us of the dark and depressing events currently taking place around the world.

The author, Kogani Oshiro, is an up-and-coming artist who first gained attention in 2022 with her debut short manga collection “Umibe no Stove” (A stove by the seaside). “MOMOTARO STORIES: taro and TARO” is apparently based on her graduation project for the graduate school of the University of Tsukuba, before her professional debut. Born in Okinawa Prefecture, Oshiro wanted to convey to contemporary society her grandparents’ experience during the Battle of Okinawa. I think this work, which has been refined through many revisions, has successfully deepened the theme of human beings in war as a more universal and global subject by emphasizing allegory rather than realism.

I would also like to pay tribute to the publisher, Leed Publishing Co., for pursuing this commercially difficult project and offering it at a price below ¥5,000. Regardless of how good a work is, it must be read, or it will be wasted.

No matter how much suffering there is in the world, everything eventually comes to an end, as long as human beings love peace. That much I want to believe at least. My sincere appreciation to all of you for reading my articles.

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This is the final installment of this column.

The e-books “Must Read Manga!” Volume 1 and Volume 2, presenting compilations of selected installments of this column, are currently available on various e-book platforms.