Review: Boogiepop doesn't laugh

Boogiepop doesn’t laugh
Story by Kouhei Kadono
Art by Kouji Ogata
Seven Seas $10.99

Boogiepop doesn’t laugh is manga for grownups. Based on a phenomenally popular novel, it is more literary, less linear, and more demanding of the reader than your typical manga. Basically a horror story, it unfolds as slices of everyday life, tales told by different narrators, intercut with a few startling but not particularly grisly horror scenes. It’s up to the reader to solve the puzzle and fit the scenes together into a coherent story.

The first half of the book is mostly about a young man, Takaeda, and his friendship with Boogiepop, a mysterious figure who claims to be watching out for danger at his school—but also seems to be some sort of alter ego of Takaeda’s girlfriend. Later, different narrators pick up the story. Each section makes sense by itself, but the stories often conflict, like a manga version of Rashomon. When the narrator changes, time shifts as well, so it’s worthwhile to pay attention to the time cues at the beginning of each chapter.

The plot still isn’t clear by the end of the book. Characters mention in passing that a few girls haven’t shown up to school, and we see some sort of a creature in the form of a naked woman devouring dead schoolgirls. But most of the time people are musing about relationships and school and the meaning of life, and occasionally referring to a serial killer who seems to have committed suicide five years before. And Boogiepop is either a savior or a demon, depending on who is talking.

Writer Kouhei Kadono paces the book well, so that by the end, I was hooked and wanted more. The series is only two volumes; it would be hard to maintain this structure for much longer without totally losing the reader. But for a short series, it’s very effective.

Visually, Boogiepop is moody, with lots of grays and flat areas. One thing that rings false is Boogiepop’s getup; he looks like an escapee from Willie Wonka. But otherwise the book rings true. Artist Kouji Ogata arranges and composes his panels beautifully, and when he needs to, he can set a scene: a teenager’s cluttered bedroom, early morning sun filtering into an empty classroom, turnstiles and cracked pavers at the entrance to a concrete high school. The book suffers from the usual manga problem of the main characters all having almost the same face, but Ogata is much freer with the minor characters.

Seven Seas has done a nice job with production. The book is square, a clear signal that this is not your ordinary manga. The book begins with an eight-page color section with the Japanese table of contents page. Sound effects are translated and often the original Japanese is left in the panel. Extras include a sketchbook, explanation of honorifics, author and illustrator information, and a guide to the Boogiepop phenomenon in Japan.

I found Boogiepop challenging to read, and I often did some time-shifting myself, going back and re-reading sections to piece things together. As a mystery fan, I like puzzling it out myself; the only problem is, with volume 2 not out until July, I can’t peek ahead to the end.

(Based on a review copy provided by Seven Seas.)