![[MANGA REVIEWS]](images/section_manga.gif)
 |


by Eric "Scanner" Luce
Are you after a nice dose of humor in your stories? Tired of the stories
which are either too serious, or too slapstick, or a too painful
combination of the both? If that is the case, and even if it is not, you
should check out DAKARA PAPA NIWA KANAWANAI by
Endo Toshiko. This single
volume of mostly episodic stories is quite entertaining, with a good mix of
humor, relationships, and a touch of mystery.
The
setting for these stories is quite simple: you have a girl, Uemura Touko, sukeban by nature;
you have her step-father Raymond; and,
last but not least, you have her grandmother. Touko's mother died one week
after she married Raymond. Raymond is an American, which presents quite the
social dilemma for both Touko and her grandmother. They all live together
in the same house, and Ray-san supports them as owner and master chef of a
French cuisine restaurant.
The first story, "Papa to Odorou" (Dancing with Father), starts off with
Touko on her way home. She gives a narration of her basic situation: she is
stuck with a weirdo stepfather. Her mother died one week after she had
married her new father, who was 8 years younger than her mother. At this
point her reverie is interrupted by one of the girls from her school being
bothered by some random male. The girl appeals to Touko as she passes by,
saying that this guy will not leave her alone. The bothersome male student
tries to brush off Touko, but ends up insulting her. She promptly beats him up.
After telling her classmate to be more careful about strangers, she starts
on her way home again. Almost immediately she comes upon another student
(this one not from her school) being assaulted by several men who look very
much like members of the yakuza. The boy calls out for her help. Touko
responds that it is hardly interesting saving boys. One of the men tells
Touko "get lost, ni-chan." Calling Touko a "little boy" causes her to lose
her temper and take out the two yakuza. The boy she saves insists on giving
her something for her trouble. Despite Touko protesting she does not want
any such reward, he manages to put a coin locker key in her hand and runs
away before she can do anything. Touko shrugs and heads home.
She enters her house with a resigned expression, saying "Tadaima."
Immediately, a robed and pumpkin-headed apparition leaps out and hugs her,
saying "Welcome home, my sweet!" This is her step-father. "Give me a
welcome-home kiss, darling!" Touko does not like her extremely affectionate
step-father and promptly bops him one. Ray-san responds with "What?! Touko,
don't you love your father?!" in a most hurt tone. Touko shouts back "Every
time, every time..." Ray-san responds with "But... I am an American!"
(Apparently, this is how Americans act...) Ray-san continues saying that
today is Halloween, hence his costume. There is a party at his restaurant
this evening and he wants Touko to come along. Touko has no interest in
attending such an event. Touko's grandmother comes along and wonders just
what is going on. Ray-san, always calling her "okaasama," offers her some
pumpkin pie. She acts put out, saying that she could not eat such
cholesterol-laden food. She then begins to browbeat Ray-san about his
cooking technique. We come to understand from Touko's reaction that this is
a common scene at her house.
Over the next couple of days, Touko gets into several fights. Hiding from
the police after one such fight, she realizes that all these fights have
been with people who are not students. She stops by her step-fathers's
restaurant and expects the usual treatment. Already swinging in for a punch
to forestall his inevitable hug, Ray-san catches her fist and notes calmly
that she has been fighting. Dragging her into the house, he bandages her
hand. Touko is a bit surprised, in that he does not seem to at all care
about why she was fighting, just that she was hurt. Suddenly, they notice
someone in the backyard, who throws a rock through their living room
window. Both of them quickly duck down. Ray-san asks Touko if she is okay.
Touko says that she is and asks if he is all right. Ray-san responds that he
is fine and is actually used to avoiding things like this from when he grew
up. He ends by saying that he figures Touko will take a part-time job to
pay for the broken glass, so it is not a problem. Touko retorts, why does
he think that it is her fault this happened? She suddenly remembers the
coin locker key as her grandmother appears and starts making a fuss about
the broken window.
Touko realizes that she has been having more fights with strange people
ever since she got this coin locker key. She resolves to find out what is
in this coin locker, but of course she has to find the coin locker first.
After searching several public locker areas in vain, she runs into the guy
who gave her the key in the first place. When she finally corners him,
Ray-san shows up and interrupts. During the brief exchange between American
step-father and Japanese-sukeban-daughter, the guy manages to escape
Touko's grasp. Her father is not fazed at all (of course, since he does not
seem to understand the situation), and in reaction to Touko becoming angry,
he just tries to make her smile. He then pulls out a present he has for
her, a dress for a Christmas party that is still a ways off. She stomps
off, resuming her search for either the coin locker that the key fits, or
the boy who gave her the key.
Touko finally heads home, her mind full of how difficult it is living with
an airhead American father. She finds a crowd of people in front of her
home. When she asks her grandmother what is going on, she is told that
someone had run out of their storage shed as if they were up to something
suspicious. The phone inside their house rings and the grandmother has
Touko go in and answer it. It is the yakuza folks telling her to meet them
at a warehouse, to bring the coin locker key, and to not tell the police.
Touko retorts that is not likely she would go to such a place. It turns
out, though, that the yakuza have her father, and he cries to her over the
phone: "Touko! Papa da yo! Help me!" Touko agrees to bring the key. When
her grandmother asks her if she is going out, Touko responds that she will
be late and to not wait on dinner for her. Her grandmother responds "Oh,
Ray-san will be okay. He is not a child." Touko is shocked: "Grandmother!
How did you know?!" She responds that before Touko had come home, she had
gotten a number of phone calls which she hung up rudely on (typical
demon-mother-in-law). As Touko leaves, she's told to keep one thing in
mind: women in her family have always had bad luck with guys, so be careful.
At the warehouse, Ray-san and Nakatani (we learn the boy's name over the
phone) are being held by the yakuza. Touko hands over a key. As the yakuza
look at the key, Ray-san chips in that his child would not try to give them
a fake key. Touko blurts out angrily that the number of the key is
different and she gave them the wrong one. The yakuza threaten to blow off
Ray-san's head if Touko does not give them the real key. Suddenly though,
taking advantage of the gun being in reach, Ray-san grabs it from the
surprised yakuza and begins blasting away. Touko is totally dumbfounded.
When did he learn how to use a gun? Ray-san responds matter-of-factly that
he grew up in America; he knows how to use a gun, at least. Back home, they
would practice shooting a gun once every three months. Touko finally
responds, asking what they are going to do now. Here her step-father pulls out
a cell phone and calls the police, giving an anonymous report of gunfire
from the warehouses. Touko is totally at a loss for how to explain her
step-father. When the yakuza hear the sirens of the police, they flee.
Ray-san calmly wipes the fingerprints from the gun and suggests they
quietly slip out the back alley.
At the coin locker into which fits the key, Nakatani explains how he came
to be involved in the mess. They open up the locker and find a bag with
white powder in it. Ray-san says that it is cocaine. Touko is again
shocked; how would her step-father know what this is? Her father says that
in junior high school he knew a classmate that was a drug dealer. He
reassures Touko that of course, he never bought any drugs! With that they
toss the key away. Ray-san explains that it is best to avoid any publicity
and news; however, if Touko really wants to appear in the newspapers he can
make some phone calls and arrange it with the talent agents. Touko replies
curtly that that will not be necessary. With that they hurry home, for if
they delay, Okaasama will get angry because she will not have eaten,
waiting for them to return.
Touko says a bit despondently "You probably have a lot of things to say,
don't you?" Ray-san replies "Yes, but I will not say any of them." He
figures that she wants to be treated as a grown-up and takes responsibility
for her own actions. He continues, though, that even when Touko is 90 years
old, she will still be his daughter. As long as she does not forget that,
it is okay. With that out of the way, he again tries to get Touko to try on
the Christmas party dress and asks if she will dance with him at the party.
Touko relents and says just a little bit.
This synopsis covers the basics of the first story, but it really leaves
out most of the little comments that make it so priceless. That is how it
works with Endo Toshiko's stories. The tales themselves are interesting and
fun enough to read, but it is the embellishments that make them priceless.
Usually these take the form of contrasting behaviours of people in
different situations. Here we have Touko and her father in their "ordinary"
home life, versus when her father is put in what would normally be a very
difficult situation. They end up coming out with a better understanding and
a happier relationship. Touko begins to think it probably is not so bad to
have a father like Ray-san.
Although the humor and quirks of the story are engaging, the rest of the
work ends up feeling a bit rough. The art style is very simplistic. We tend
to have sparse renditions of the chracters with mostly plain or
non-existent backgrounds. In Ray-san's case, Endo Toshiko tends to
over-exaggerate his expressions to get across how much more emotional he
may be. The frame layouts of the page are very easy to follow and have
several neat twists that keep them from being boring.
The story does tend to rely upon a knowledge of certain stereotypes. There
are at least three main ones in this story: Toukothe loner sukeban
tomboy, very tough and independent on the outside, seeking some assurance
on the inside; Ray-santhe American, very emotional on the outside, prone
to embarassing shows of affection (he can be extremely effective and full
of surprises, though); and Obaasamathe stereotypical mother-in-law
having to deal with a difficult son-in-law. These stereotypes probably have
more impact if you have lived near them all your life, but it does not take
much to understand what they are and what makes them so amusing when thrown
all together like they are in this story. There is a liberal use of
furigana, so although it can be a touch challenging for those who are new
to Japanese, it remains easy to read without much effort.
All in all a very enjoyable story, this reviewer's only wish being that it
really should have been at least three volumes long, not just one.
|
DAKARA PAPA NIWA KANAWANAI
Copyright © 1993 Endo Toshiko
Presented by Hana to Yume Comics / Hakusensha
¥390
ISBN-4-592-12635-1
1 Volume
|
|
 |