Page 45 Review by Jonathan
Seems forever since TONOHARU PART ONE came out but, dear reader, do take that as a measure of just how long I've been looking forward to part two! Dan Wells, teaching assistant on a Japanese placement programme in the rural village of Tonoharu is well, totally bored, quite frankly. Given that he doesn't actually speak Japanese particularly well, he finds himself living a rather lonely existence, as his Japanese colleagues have, in his eyes at least, all but given up trying to communicate with him. His main social interactions are provided by a couple of ex-pats he's made acquaintances with, and the rather odd older foreigners who inhabit the converted Buddhist temple, throwing the occasional arty party. In reality though he's probably the one that's given up trying to interact with the locals and even life itself as well somewhat, judging from the shoddy, unclean state of his flat, and just how long it even takes him to get around to changing a light bulb - i.e. not at all.
Part Two opens with Dan continuing his sporadic attempts to pursue his unrequited crush on American ex-pat Constance, who seems far more interested in the hard-drinking artist John Darley. Mr. Darley already has a Japanese girlfriend, although he does appear to be interested in Constance, in fact there might something going on between the two of them, Dan isn't really sure. But who it is that Constance is planning a vacation to India with, if it's not John? All Dan knows is, he feels like the third wheel whenever the three of them go out together.
Meanwhile there's also Steve, the rather annoying chap who only seems interested in one thing to the point of bordering on obsession: Japanese girls. He's absolutely the last person Dan should be getting advice on his social life from, not that Dan has a lot of choice as Steve seems particularly keen on imparting his own particular brand of wisdom over a drink or two, usually at Dan's expense. This unsolicited advice leads Dan into a rather unexpected relationship with one of his Japanese teaching colleagues who, it turns out in no great surprise, are actually quite sociable once he actually starts making an effort. But is she just a sensitive girl, or a potential emotional basketcase he's going to wish he hadn't got involved with?
The motivations of the mysterious older foreigners for being in Tonoharu are also becoming clearer... they've just got more money than sense, given the way they're handing out grants for chancers like John Darley to make art, and generally swanning around the village acting like slightly snobbish if extremely polite patrons.
TONOHARU is extremely well crafted storytelling, with engaging characters, plus the precise parallel and occasionally hatched, black-lined, pale blue-toned art has a real depth and weighty feel to it, frequently making you pause to take in the intricately simple detailing. My favourite panel probably being the bizarre parade float the well-to-do foreigners have sponsored the creation of, which I think is probably one of only the two or three times the equally regimented format of four boundless panels per page is broken in the entire book. Great stuff and once again, as soon as I'd finished this volume I wanted more! I don't know how long it's going to take Lars Martinson to get out the concluding volume, but I'm eagerly anticipating it already.
