Afterword (+Literature)

References

Zizek, S. (2009). The sublime object of ideology. Verso Books.

Chesterton, G. K. (1904). The Napoleon of Notting Hill. John Lane: The Bodley Head.

Bibliography

Ikegami Yoshimasa. (1999). Research of Folk Religion and Beliefs. Miraisha.

Yamaori Tetsuo. (1999). Learning about Folk Religion. Sekaisousha.

Afterword

A long time ago, most probably in a zine, I read a 4-koma manga that went like so.

A woman, saddened by her boyfriend’s death, wails in grief on top of his dead body. That’s the first panel.

In the second panel, the people around her tell her that he needs to be buried, but she refuses saying she couldn’t bear to part.

Third panel: the people around her have disappeared for some reason, perhaps because they thought it best to leave her alone for now. Replacing their presence, there are flies flying around near the corpse; a sign that the corpse is rotting. The woman stays bent over the corpse, but stops crying.

The woman stands up and looks to the sides, she cries out “I change my mind. Bury him!”, and that’s the fourth panel.

The whole time I was working on this book, the thought of this 4-koma manga was stuck in my head. Though nobody dies in this story.

On the topic of citations and the like:

Romain Rolland is quoted to have said: It is the artist’s business to create sunshine when the sun fails.  Goethe is quoted to have said: Truth is a torch but a tremendous one. That is why we hurry past it, shielding our eyes, indeed, in fear of getting burned. As you can see, the protagonist’s father wasn’t saying anything too original.

Mana’s answer to the question, “Why is it wrong to kill people?” was inspired by the answer movie director, Hara Kazuo gave (Bungei (magazine). 1998. Spring issue).

The next volume (if there is one) will have the sub title “What do you like about me?”. When you’re asked this by your lover, how would you answer?