James and Steven talk about Inio Asano's Downfall, a manga about a manga artist who is miserable with how their life has turned out. Can you be happy making a hit manga? Or is their a wrong way to do it? Throughout the episode we speak of mindfulness, sex work, artist block and depression, listener discretion is advised. Skip synopsis @ 6:00 Email: 078: Downfall By Inio Asano Translation by Jocelyne Allen Lettering by Joanna Estep Synopsis: Ten years after breaking off a relationship, the Mangaka Kaoru Fukuzawa experiences his series coming to an end. On the night of celebration his wife and fellow manga editor Nozomi Machida, messages him that their home is occupied by a drunken friend. She advises him to kill time elsewhere so Kaoru spends the night crying into the lap of a sex worker. He is disenfranchised with his work; he dislikes manga that sells well, even if it is his own, and is saddened that his wife spends more time with what he deems to be inferior mangaka than himself. Struggling to find meaning in creating manga that sells well. Soon he meets another sex worker, one with cat like eyes similar to his first love, ten years ago. She calls herself Chifuyu but when she is off the clock, he finds out that her name is really Yui. And Yui finds out that Kaoru is a Mangaka. On his way back home after spending the night as a legitimate couple he has a vision of being a family man, having a kid with Yui. But that night would end up being the last time He would see Yui. She doesn’t respond to his messages and it’s not long that he sees her listed as a sex worker again, trying to make some money. Kaoru is basically ghosted! Battling loneliness by messaging fans on social media and paying for women’s time is when tensions reach boiling point. Nozomi’s cat gets cancer, Kaoru’s ex-assistant, the young lady Tomita, confronts kaoru on his behaviour and Kaoru forces himself on Nozomi. Months go by when the divorced Kaoru is at his new book signing, he meets a young woman called Akari who confesses her gratitude for his manga and admits that it saved her life. The story ends with the lonely Kaoru still haunted by memories of that cat eyed girl. Topics: How Kaoru’s beliefs are formed? E.g. the superiority complex as a mangaka Inio Asano's depiction of women and his commendable nature of not sticking to the usual moe inspired glamour. Kaoru’s sexuality, what is he doing wrong in his relationships? Depression and the love of Manga (How we relate to it, our thoughts and the idea of artist's block being a form of depression) Other references: Golden Week is a set of Japanese public holidays that run through the first week of May. It is considered the peak of travel season for the Japanese. Hence why Yui spends it by visiting Italy. You maybe mistaken in believing that Kaoru is attending brothels but in reality, this is not possible. As with most places around the world, selling your body for sex is illegal. The legal loophole in Japan is that you can pay for an escort, which is a contract for the time spent with someone, sex is done consensually between two adults as a by-product of escort services. Japan does have the very common practice of “Love Hotels”. Rooms that are rented out for “rest” between one-to-three-hour time periods. These rooms are specially designed for lovers, one nights stands and sadly extra-marital affairs. Privacy is also a thing that Love Hotels sell, so you may never see the staff at such places or you may only see one member of staff through your time there. Facebook - Instagram – Twitter - Website – Email –
Aug 6, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
Downfall
Downfall, adapted from the Inio Asano manga of the same name, is a film that uses one man's midlife crisis to explore the hypocritical nature of both man…
Downfall
Downfall is the story of Karou Fukazawa, a deeply flawed, forty-something manga artist whose career has stalled, marriage has soured, and self-esteem has curdled into a toxic form of…
Downfall Film Review
My review of Downfall is now up over on Anime News Network. Check it out!
[Analysis] Reiraku – Downfall
Reiraku (零落) is a manga written and illustrated by Inio Asano (浅 野 い に お; Namegata, 22 September 1980). Published in chapters between 10 March 2017 and…
Ristorante Paradiso and Downfall
Going out is hard now, not just because it is relatively anxiety inducing, but because the masks...
Ristorante Paradiso and Downfall
Going out is hard now, not just because it is relatively anxiety inducing, but because the masks fog up my glasses and the bandanas keep falling off, so…
Your Interests Are Your Downfall??
I believe in their are books for the right time, Inio Asano is one for that mood.
Reiraku / Downfall by Inio Asano
Having reviewed Solanin for the manga club I joined, I went back and read my review of Asano-sensei’s previous work, Dead Dead Demon’s Dedededestruction. In the review I’d…
436 – One Shot 56 – Downfall
Morgana is out this week so we take a look at Inio Asano’s Downfall! What do we think about this tale about a washed out manga artist who’s…
The unfortunate downfall of Blue Exorcist
In this video I discuss what I feel prevented Blue Exorcist from becoming a mainstream anime. #anime #blueexorcist #rinokumura #filler
Spiraken Manga Review Ep 395: Downfall
In this episode, Xan reviews a depressing manga that might be biographical. So enjoy as Xan reviews the character study manga Downfall by Inio Asano. As our host rants about…
The Unfortunate Downfall of Tokyo Ghoul
The Tokyo Ghoul anime is known to have fallen off for its weak adaptation, but is it still a respectable stand alone anime. Watch today's video to find…
S3E06 - Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Downfall
In this episode of Screentone Club Elliot and Andy get down and dirty with some good old Shonen action action in Demon Slayer and then get even more…
Manga Talk: Self Reflection in Downfall & Solanin
I read 2 series from Inio Asano. Downfall & Solanin were both very heavy reads and they complemented each other well. Downfall is a look at a person…
The unfortunate downfall of Seven Deadly Sins
I just wanted to highlight what I personally lead to the decline of the anime and overall fan base
The Ultimate Downfall of Card Games: Power Creep
Discussing power-creep, a phenomenon that affects many gaming genres, but card games in particular.
441 Years Since Honnō-ji: The Downfall of Oda Nobunaga
What happened on the fateful night of June 21st, 1582, that caused one of Oda Nobunaga's faithful retainers to turn on him?
Historical drama film review, pt 3 of ?: Der Untergang (Downfall)
Now here’s a heavy subject, just about the heaviest featured on the site in a while. I couldn’t pass by this historical drama review series without bringing up…
Responding to "The Downfall of One Piece" in 35 Minutes
I summarise and respond to "Downfall of One Piece (Part 1)", a 6 hour long video by Drizzt as efficiently as I can. I won't talk about each…
How a sumo tournament led to the downfall of the yakuza
The yakuza, Japan’s infamous organised crime syndicates, have gone into a death spiral in recent years and Jake Adelstein says it is partly due to an incident at…
A boy, his pet rock and Makoto Isshiki’s Operation Downfall in RahXephon
If you asked me who my favorite character was in RahXephon, I would be torn between two choices. The first one is pretty obvious — Jin Kunigi. I…
Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon – Episode 4 – Millicent’s Resentment, Her Downfall, and Komari’s Secret Power
Episode impressions of Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon Episode 4 as Millicent has kidnapped Vill, Komari realizes she needs to rescue her after discovering her feelings and clues about…
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III (Episode 9) – Stigma | Downfall
The inhabitants of Orario are quickly turning on Bell after the mess he made of Daedalus streets, however, they don’t appear to have realised just what Bell was…
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III