The Strange Tale of Panorama Island

Title: The Strange Tale of Panorama Island
Author: Suehiro Maruo
Translator: Kyoko Nitta, Ryan Sands
First Published: July 1, 2013
Publisher: Last Gasp
Pages: 274
Genre: Horror, Psychological, Seinen
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating:


Synopsis:

On a remote and mysterious island, one man builds a playground of hedonistic excess ― replete with waterfalls, grand palaces, and gardens ― a backdrop for his decadent feasts, orgies, and dark secrets.
Set in 1920s Japan, The Strange Tale of Panorama Island follows the twisted path of failed novelist Hitomi, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the son of a rich industrialist family. Hitomi learns of the rich man's sudden passing and creates a desperate plan. He fakes his own death, digs up and hides the other man's body, and then washes himself up starving on a beach near the home of the dead man's family. After successfully impersonating the now-dead son, Hitomi takes over all aspects of the industrialist's life, including his company, his fortune, and eventually his wife. The failed author soon redirects the family's wealth to his own perverse aims.

A graphic novel based on the revered novella by Edogawa Rampo. Rampo was the godfather of Japanese pulp mysteries. Stunning artwork by master manga artist Suehiro Maruo deftly illustrates this Japanese pulp classic in fine detail.

Review

The Strange Tale of Panorama Island is an exquisite work of art and one of the manga that I was most excited to add to my collection. The manga is an adaptation of a short story of the same name by the legendary Edogawa Ranpo. The story takes place at the end of the Taishō era of Japan between 1912 and 1926. The time period encompassed World War I and the postwar era saw Japan recognized as a great world power, and it was a time of prosperity and great wealth. The era was also marked by an upheaval of the previous political system and a growing foreign influence from Western writers.

The story centers on a down-on-his-luck young writer named Hitomi who, deeply inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, dreams of building a veritable utopia, a lavish and hedonistic pleasure island. He finds the opportunity to make his dream a reality after the death of a businessman that he bears a striking resemblance to and he sets out to take on the deceased’s identity.

What follows is a spiral into madness as Hitomi hurries to build his masterpiece, paranoid that he will be found out before he can realize his grand plan. It is a dizzying plot that quickly turns into a horrifying nightmare of carnal excess. Panorama Island is beautifully realized by the incredible art of Suehiro Maruo, whose art is like a fever dream. The island presents a paradise made up of a wild blend of early 20th-century art with all the opulence of the roaring twenties.

I couldn’t put this book down, I was drawn in by the strange story and dazzling art and I was honestly blown away. The hardcover edition is beautiful and I’m honestly proud to have it on my bookshelf.

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