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Reviewed by Michael Aronson The problems with the production values of the previous volume still hold true for this one (the cover’s even worse), but it’s not worth beating in this point again and holding it against each new book, especially since the initial disappointment subsides after the first (or in my case, second) volume. Moving on. This is a far more complex volume compared to the last one, specializing in the moral quandaries of right and wrong, life and death, and power struggles Tezuka excels at. The main focus is on Adolf Kaufman, a Hitler Youth trainee and half-Japanese gains very unique experience due to a series of questionable choices. Through sheer coincidence, Kauffman comes across the Jewish father of his childhood friend from Japan and has to make a fateful decision concerning the man’s fate. Later, Kaufman appears before the Furher himself for a second time and bears witness to (in Tezuka’s eyes) a man of abundant imagination and crippling paranoia. The story also focuses on the third Adolf, Adolf Kamil, a Jew living in Japan and childhood friend of Adolf Kaufman. Kamil comes into possession of the secret of Hitler’s parentage and has to bear the burden of such crucial knowledge. The most innocent of all the characters, he has to suffer for the secrets and crimes of all the others simply by virtue of close association. As each of the three characters’ storylines is well under way, it’s interesting to note how each one differs. Kaufman – half-German, half-Japanese – is accepted by German society as they corrupt his morals. Toge – a Japanese reporter fluent in German – is ostracized by his home country and bears the guilt and punishment for the documents he holds. Kamil – a Jewish German living in Japan – lives in reasonable comfort until coming across the documents, which burden him and lead to his social ostracization. On their own, each storyline is very strong, but juxtaposed, the tapestry stands even stronger. It’s worth noting that Tezuka’s art in Adolf doesn’t lose any of the clear and dynamic storytelling he’s known for, but does take a modest approach to rendering, uninterested in mapping every detail of every trees as in the backgrounds to Buddha and Phoenix. While these details might be missed, it’s probable that they were omitted in order to focus on the immediacy of the storylines and danger the characters face. Their own moral standings are as blurred as the world they now inhabit, and a lack of such background details puts the characters on murkier, less firm ground. Tezuka’s take on World War II is as magnificent and complex as one could have hoped for. Comment on this review of Adolf v3: The Half-Aryan on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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