NIPPOMANIA #9 : Eating Crab with a Snow Woman (Manga)

Twisted dark comedy mixed with a hint of manipulative romance, "Eating Crab with a Snow Woman" is a gripping psychological drama that deserves all of your attention.





GIN0080's illustrated story features Kita, a young man who is depressed, on the brink of poverty, and disheartened by his daily life. On a hot summer day, Kita becomes so fed up that he decides to commit suicide. As his life unfolds before his eyes, the pensive young man has a realization that will change his destiny. Throughout his life, Kita has never had the chance to savor crab, the delicious reddish crustacean that everyone loves, especially in Japan. After coming to this simple conclusion, the boy is once again filled with a stronger will to live than ever before. He sets his sights on the islands of Hokkaido for his new reason to live: a succulent, juicy crab overflowing with flavor!





That's when Kita remembers a crucial detail: as he's broke, how is he supposed to get his hands on the coveted crab? He spirals into a frenzy of debauchery and crime in order to obtain the divine dish he so desires. At one point, when he's lost all hope, he meets Ayame Yukieda, a stunningly rich housewife who's also at the end of her rope and contemplating suicide. The poor man sees this as an opportunity. In a moment of narcissistic perversion, he kidnaps the young woman and in a way forces her to be his lover so that he can take advantage of her money. More vulnerable than she's ever been, she accepts, thinking that this young man might be just what she needs to see life in a new light…





With the help of the above summary, you have probably realized that Eating Crab with a Snow Woman is a manga of intense darkness that includes highly disturbed characters with a questionable past. If you're like me and enjoy seinen that borders on politically incorrect, GIN0080's work is for you. Despite the dramatic stereotypes found in psychological publications from the Land of the Rising Sun, the main plot point concerning the depression and mental state of the two main characters is very well executed and even, to some extent, realistic. The main cliché lies in Kita's motivations, which are so absurd that they seem illusory or even chimerical. Speaking for myself, I don't know anyone who would kidnap a young woman to eat crab. If someone you know has confessed to this, please contact the authorities as soon as possible.







Enough joking around, the manga's overall feel is difficult to describe. The constant discomfort between the two characters is palpable and downright uncomfortable. Later on, the author shows a strong sense of dark humor in the dialogues, to the point where one wonders if it's really humor or just cynical criticism of Japanese society. Nevertheless, the books in the series are interesting reads, disturbed by a very pronounced bitterness arising from the situations in which the characters find themselves. Visually, the mangaka demonstrates high skills in both facial expressions and detailing of backgrounds. His style, as original as it is, reminds me of a hybrid between the dark-lined drawing of the 60s-70s à la Tezuka and the dynamic appearance of contemporary sketches seen in Ken Wakui and Kohei Horikoshi.
"Eating Crab with a Snow Woman" is currently being published in French by Noeve Grafx. The first two of nine volumes are available in stores now!