And once again, staying true to the traditional manga format, as soon as you crack the cover, there is a big note saying, "This book was published in the original Japanese right-to-left format. Please flip the book over and start from the beginning!"
Inside you will find a few notes from Itto on each of the stories, here's my favorite. This is introduction to "Hamu and the Boy Who Cried Wolf":
JAPAN’S CULTURE IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, SO I’M WORRIED ABOUT HOW WELL THE STORY COMES ACROSS. ALTHOUGH PEOPLE ARE GROWING MORE UNDERSTANDING, EVEN NOW THERE’S STILL CONSIDERABLE DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE, SO JUST COMING OUT TO YOUR PARENTS OR YOUR FRIENDS TAKES QUITE A BIT OF COURAGE.
ACTUALLY, WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL, EVEN I ACTED LIKE I WAS STRAIGHT, TELLING LIES TO EVERYONE ABOUT WHAT GIRLS I LIKED. BECAUSE OF THIS, WHEN FRIENDS CAME OUT OR CONFESSED THEIR FEELINGS TO ME, I COULDN’T LET MY REAL SELF OUT, AND JUST LIKE YUUDAI, REGRETFULLY, I HURT THEM. BECAUSE THESE REAL EXPERIENCES FORMED THE BASIS OF THIS STORY, MORE THAN MY OTHER WORKS, I THOUGHT MAYBE I SHOULD LET A BIT OF REAL LIFE INTO THIS ONE. ANYWAY, THESE DAYS I’VE COME OUT TO MY PARENTS AND FRIENDS AND, WITH NOTHING TO HIDE, I HAVE A GOOD LIFE AS MY REAL SELF.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf is due out December 1st. In North America, you can pick up a copy at Amazon. The book is in traditional black and white print paperback.
*Click pic to enlarge.
*Click pic to enlarge.
