Kemuri & Mitsu (One-shot)
by Hiroko Nagakura
I was intrigued by the art on the cover, so I grabbed this volume out of my collection of Harta magazines. The art gave me a Meiji era vibe. The women are still very traditionally dressed, as is something that continues even today in some formal events in Japan, while the men tended to adopt a more Western fashion. That's our setup. Despite Japan having issues even today with gender equality, it was much worse at this time. Men could get away with quite a lot, and that's a theme that carries through Kemuri & Mitsu (or Smoke & Nectar -shutter-).
Not a lot is concrete in this manga, but one can assume from the interactions between the two characters that the girl is the daughter of a well-to-do family, while the man is somehow in their service or connected to the father. It is a fairly generic setup in terms of the girl being young and naive, while the man is more experienced and romantic. Neither character really has much depth.
The art is obviously the standout part of Kemuri & Mitsu. The two page spread is the best (and worst, but we'll get to that) moment, really exemplifying how talented this artist is. The detail in the clothing, the way the backgrounds show so much about the home and time period, and the many flowers. Unfortunately, the art is not enough to carry this one.
Spoiler time, I guess. What really bothered me most about this manga was the relationship itself, and as that's completely integral to the story, it cannot be brushed off. The man strikes me as a pedophile. This is a romance to be hidden, as one can surmise from the title and its final page. The introduction refers to him as an adult man, and to her as a girl (which has the connotation of also potentially being a virgin, which is only compounded by the final panel of the story). "But Mr. Aizo-man, there are legitimately fantastic works that depict objectionable content—like Lolita!" Yes yes, quiet down. The way the relationship is shown in something like Lolita is the important part; unlike Humbert, the man in this story is not really shown to be doing anything wrong. It's shown to be romantic and dangerous (in a sexy kind of way, rather than a—ahem—predatory way). The two page spread, showing the kiss is beautiful in that the art is very well done, but the actual event filled me with such conflict. Seeing something uncomfortable and pretty at the same time is an odd feeling.
The flowers throughout the piece present a consistent and obvious theme: this girl is becoming a woman. She isn't, though. She is very obviously still quite young. The blooming flower in the final panel does little to dissuade me from the revulsion I felt. The manga can be summed up similarly. Despite its pretty shell, within is a dark message glorifying depredation of a girl's naivety and trust.
