Title: WaltzAuthor: Shuzo Oshimi
First Published: August 9, 2017
Publisher: DENPA BOOKS
Pages: 42
Genre: Drama, Josei, LGBTQ
Format: Web
Source: Web
Rating:
Synopsis:
In a sleepy, normal town a few hours outside of Tokyo Onaga lives a normal happy life. Her home life is normal. Her school life is normal. Even her part-time job at the pork bowl joint in the mall is pretty standard. But there is a source of light in her life and they happen to be next door. Will Kawashibara help her life have some meaning? Or will their unique dance end in tragedy?
Get the Book: AmazonReview
This little one-shot had so much to say in just one chapter, and it isn’t a cozy story about a transgender youth finding themself. A girl takes an interest in the boy next door after she witnesses him in a private, vulnerable moment. She inserts herself into his life, and appears to genuinely enjoy helping her neighbor explore their sexuality. That is, until things aren’t going her way.
The story takes aim at the fetishized M/M fiction written by women. LGBTQ youths are targets of increased physical, sexual, and verbal abuse by family and peers. The stigma of being transgender and the lack of safety even with someone you thought was a friend is a clear theme in this story. What would have been a “heartwarming ending” in any other work with this kind of relationship left me feeling chilled. Abusers are abusers no matter what mask they wear.
I really admire how Shuzo Oshimi explores the more uncomfortable realities of sexuality and gender and isn’t afraid to write characters that are deeply flawed. These characters lives are upended and boundaries are pushed, relationships become corrosive and abusive. There is something horrifyingly beautiful about his work.
Quote
“I’ll just have to make you look even cuter.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Shuzo Oshimi
Shuzo Oshimi is a Japanese manga artist who publishes works primarily for Kodansha. He made his debut with Superfly in Kodansha’s Monthly Shōnen Magazine. He is best known for his manga Drifting Net Cafe, The Flowers of Evil and Happiness. His works have been adapted into many different media including television drama, anime, and live-action film. In 2001, he won the Tetsuya Chiba Award.
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