Thirty years after its conclusion it is back on the shelves Yawara!the maestro’s slice-of-life comedy Naoki Urasawa. We at MegaNerd had the first volume in our hands Ultimate Deluxe Edition and we’re here to tell you about this story in a format perfect for collectors.
To some, more than the title Yawara!he will say something Jenny – the judo girl, because this is how the anime based on this manga arrived in Italy. The 1989 series consists of 124 episodes, but the dubbing was abruptly interrupted here. The comic was not yet finished at that time: the master Naoki Urasawa in fact, he worked there from 1986 to 1993. Thanks to Planet Manga, now we have the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful new edition in 20 volumes. This is an Ultimate Deluxe Edition with a laminated overcover with a glossy effect on the character on the cover, to make it stand out even more compared to the single-color backgrounds.
The first volume, as well as the others, feature the protagonist who gives the manga its name in various outfits. This is no coincidence: the Japanese title is real Yawara! a fashionable judo girl! Urasawa completely indulged himself in choosing the most fashionable clothes for her to wear, making this new edition even more attractive and refined.
“Got it, Yawara?! You must dedicate your youth to judo! And you will receive the Order of Merit from the Japanese government!”
Yawara Inokuma she is apparently a high school student like many others who, however, hides a great talent in judo. Trained since she was a child since grampa, a former discipline champion and strict teacher, has become a real ace but for her being so skilled is almost a burden. One day she witnesses a woman pickpocketing and she can’t help but intervene to stop the thief. At that moment, on site, there are also a sports journalist with his photographer, who immortalizes the scene. Yawara immediately runs away so as not to be known, but the two want to find her at all costs and publish an article.
The girl’s grandfather sees it and is very dissatisfied because his granddaughter’s talents must remain secret until women’s judo becomes Olympic discipline (a first step will take place in 1988, with the first medal being awarded in 1992) and she will thus also be able to obtain recognition from the Japanese government. Yawara, however, doesn’t care about all these things at all, she wants to be a girl like the others, find a boyfriend and make herself beautiful. Her authoritarian grandfather, on the other hand, doesn’t want any distractions for her and will even go so far as to rummage in her room to figure out who the boy she has a crush on is. What a nightmare!
Let’s get to know master Naoki Urasawa better
For many, master Urasawa is simply the author of Monster e Pluto, but his career includes a huge list of wonderful works. Born in Fuchu (Tokyo) in 1960, in 1983 he made his debut in both the world of music and comics. Yep, sensei is a singer and a guitarist of a rock band, and is known in the musical world under the pseudonym of Bob Lennon. He combined his two great passions with 20th Century Boysa manga released since 1999, for which he wrote and performed the song Kenji no Uta (Kenji’s Song), present on a CD included in the first edition of the eleventh volume of the series.
One of the very first publications is precisely Yawara! (1986), followed by Happy! (1993), Jigoro! (1994), Kushami – Etciù! Monster (1995), Master Keaton (1998), Pluto (2003), 21st Century Boys (2006), Billy Bat (2008), Mujirushi – The Sign of Dreams (2017), Grill! (2018). In addition to pointing out the sensei’s passion for exclamation points after titles consisting of a single word (you’re laughing, I love it), we can see how much he has experimented with completely different genres over the years. Because if Yawara! is one spoke (sports) slice of life, steeped in comedy, Monster is a thriller in full norm, Pluto combines the same gender with the science fiction and mystery, while Asadora! It’s a drama manga historical.
What distinguishes, however, every Urasawa comic is its own unmistakable style, which mixes classic manga with portraits, creating an absolutely unique trait. And to think that the master, at the beginning, was very hesitant about his talent as a designer! In fact, he preferred to take an economics course at university, until his tables attracted the attention of the publishing house Shogakukan. From there, his life as a mangaka will really begin and take the right turn thanks to the manga I’m telling you about today!
Final comment
As you understood, Urasawa he is an author who I have respected and followed for a long time, who I admire for the quality of the stories and the particular drawings. I am very happy that, in recent years, he has received even more attention in Italy, also thanks to the appearances at festivals and the new editions of some of his works (as well as the adaptation of Pluto available on Netflix). In the case of Yawara! was completely nailed by Planet Manga but I, as always, know how to find the nit in the Ultimate Deluxe Edition.
The first volume is really very beautiful, yet something could have been studied better: on the back of the cover we have two lines written completely in white on a yellow background and, as you can well imagine, it is very difficult to read. Honestly, I wasn’t able to decipher the small part, even though I admit I don’t have very good eyesight. Having said that, I recommend you purchase this work and anything created by the sensei because, my word, it will never disappoint you. Let me know in the comments and on social media what you think. Until next time!
Yawara! – The secret ace of judo
Autore: Naoki Urasawa
Format: 15×21 cm; paperback + cover; 314 black and white pages + color inserts
Publisher: Planet Manga
Where to find it: Comic shop, bookshop and online store
2024-05-06 15:37:18
#Yawara #secret #ace #judo
