In the early 90s, I read Tezuka's Message to Adolf and his Buddha, which were both great discoveries. I hadn't heard of Ayako until a French editor rereleased it in a prestige edition. For those who know Tezuka only through Astroboy, Ayako will come as a shock (as Message to Adolf would): despite the gently curved graphic style, this is a sinister story of a little girl who witnesses a family event she should not have seen and is punished accordingly. It spans 30 years from the immediate aftermath of WW2 to the early 70s. It took me a while to read, both because it's dense and because it's so heavy going. Tezuka doesn't spare his reader, and many of the darkest themes of humanity are dealt with here. It's absolutely worth reading, but don't expect something sunny.
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