Opus (manga)
Opus | |
Action, metacomic | |
Manga | |
Written by | Seinen |
---|---|
Original run | October 1995 – June 1996 |
Volumes | 2 |
Opus is a Japanese
Plot
Manga artist Chikara Nagai is in the process of ending his current serial, Resonance, by having the heroine, investigator and
When they go back, they find that the manga's world is disintegrating and the Masque and Hanamura try to kill them again. The world disappears, save for Nagai. He finds Lin's sister Mei, who gives him his lost pen, and he redraws Satoko. They travel back to the first volume of Resonance, where Satoko was the target of a serial killer, but was saved by the police detective and telepath Sawamura, who died in the process and was reincarnated as Lin. Nagai suggests that they avoid interfering with the story, but when they interact with characters from the world, cracks start forming. Lin finds the killer, the precursor to the Masque, and tries to kill him, but is stopped by Nagai and Satoko. After the younger Satoko is kidnapped, the group and a wounded Sawamura try to save her. The killer finds a copy of Resonance and foresees an ambush by Sawamura, killing him. Lin is shot while trying to stop him but kills the serial killer, releasing the older Masque who had hidden inside his body. The freed Masque takes control of the world and the party falls into the world of the second volume.
Unable to do anything, the group continues falling as Nagai declares that it is "the end." Satoshi Kon, the artist of Opus, is informed of the cancellation of "Comic Guard" magazine and laments the fact that he could have finished the story in three chapters. Later, he calls his editor and tells him about a final chapter he is working on for an abrupt ending, but can't draw it because he is busy with Perfect Blue. Nagai appears out of the chapter and admonishes him for not completing his story, offering ideas for getting it published.[2] Kon's wife arrives home and screams at the sight of Nagai.
Release
The manga was serialized in
At Japan Expo 2017, producer Masao Maruyama of Studio M2 expressed an unofficial wish to produce an anime adaptation of the manga with his studio.[14] Susumu Hirasawa, a composer who frequently worked on Kon's films, stated on Twitter in October 2017 that he was asked to work on a theme song for the series. However, it was not clear whether he was referring to Maruyama's desired project, as no announcements have been made for an anime adaptation of Opus.[15]
Reception
MangaBlog's Brigid Alverson found the action hard to follow which pulled her out of the story, while Katherine Dacey said that she "normally find[s] these kind of meta-exercises tedious, but Kon infuses the story with a sense of playful urgency that thwarts the urge to deconstruct every page."[16] The Fandom Post complimented Kon's use of metafiction as part of a story "rife with questions of existentialism and predestination".[17] Paul Gravett listed it number one on his top ten manga of 2014 and called Opus a "mind-blowing meta-manga" that is "overflowing with ideas and imagination", adding that it shares much in common with Kon's films and would have made a good anime adaption.[18] The Comics Journal said that the plot is "as 'Satoshi Kon' a scenario as can possibly be imagined" and noted the goal of the title in "reaching for the stars".[19]
The French edition of the manga won the 2013 Asia Critics Prize from the Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée[20] and was part of the Sélection Officiele at the 2014 Angoulême International Comics Festival.[21] It was also on the 2016 Young Adult Library Services Association's Great Graphic Novels for Teens List.[22]
References
- ^ Horn, Carl (November 24, 2014). "Manga Monday: Satoshi Kon's Opus". Dark Horse. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Yegulalp, Serdar (January 1, 2015). "'Opus': Satoshi Kon's Unfinished Symphony". Ganriki. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-63008-158-4.
- ISBN 978-1-933330-74-7.
- ^ Loo, Egan (December 7, 2010). "Satoshi Kon's Seraphim, Opus Manga Reprinted". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (April 19, 2014). "Dark Horse Adds Legal Drug, Drug & Drop, Oreimo: Kuroneko". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Ressler, Karen (December 9, 2014). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, December 7–13". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Loo, Egan (May 1, 2012). "Satoshi Kon's Manga Translated Into French, Italian, Korean". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "Opus T.1". Éditions IMHO (in French). Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "Opus 1". Panini Comics (in Italian). Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ 오푸스 OPUS (상). Interpark. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ^ "Opus, Band 1". Carlsen (in German). January 27, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ OPUS nº 01 (in Spanish). Retrieved September 15, 2015.
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ignored (help) - ^ Ressler, Karen (July 10, 2017). "Producer Masao Maruyama Teases Desire to Animate Satoshi Kon's OPUS Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 29, 2017). "Susumu Hirasawa Confirms He's Working on Theme Song for Satoshi Kon's Opus". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ^ Dacey, Katherine (December 3, 2014). "Bookmarked: Satoshi Kon-a-thon". MangaBlog. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Thompson, Gary (August 24, 2015). "Satoshi Kon – A Master in Memoriam". The Fandom Post. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Gravett, Paul (December 28, 2014). "My Best Comics & Manga of 2014: Year in Review". Paul Gravett. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ McCulloch, Joe (November 25, 2014). "This Week in Comics! (11/26/14 – Who, above all, is to blame?)". The Comics Journal. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Turpin, Laurent (November 20, 2013). "Prix Asie de la Critique ACBD 2013". Association des Critiques et journalistes de Bande Dessinée (in French). Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Spurgeon, Tom (November 26, 2013). "Your Sélection Officielle (And Other Lists) For Angouleme 2014". The Comics Reporter. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Beveridge, Chris (January 29, 2016). "Satoshi Kon's 'Opus' Nabs Spot on 2016 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens List". The Fandom Post. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
External links
- Opus at Anime News Network's encyclopedia