Few mangaka are as acclaimed as Naoki Urasawa. He masterfully crafts stories filled with mystery and suspense that captivate readers at every turn. As you’d expect, Viz Media’s newest Urasawa title, Mujirushi, is no exception. While it’s only a single volume story, there’s still plenty to rave about.

Kamoda owns a small manufacturing company, but after a series of unfortunate events, he is left in crippling debt and his wife abandons him and his daughter Kasumi. On their last legs, Kamoda and Kasumi encounter an eccentric man named the Director, who claims they can solve all their problems by going to France with one job: make a painting from the Louvre disappear and leave a stone with a mysterious mark.

The immediate draw of Mujirushi is Kamoda’s desperation. Kamoda’s world has crumbled before his eyes, and it has taken away his will to live. That said, the manga makes it clear that Kamoda’s poverty is a result of his bad choices. He committed tax fraud to go on a luxury cruise, and when that failed, he attempted to make his money back by investing in political merchandise. Kamoda seeks an easy solution to his problems, but he only hurts himself further in his search. The Director’s proposal preys upon the greediness that led Kamoda to his predicament, and he can’t resist its allure.

Kamoda’s dangerous habits are contrasted by his daughter Kasumi’s caution. Kasumi serves as the conscience of the story, pointing out her father’s bad choices and urging him to live a better life. Even when confronting the Director, Kasumi doesn’t hesitate from pointing out his flawed rhetoric, even if it creates hostility. Kasumi reflects the reader’s frustrations over the story’s events, making her an easily relatable character.

Mujirushi’s supporting cast is small but has several standout figures. The most prominent of them is the Director of the French Enlightenment Institute. The Director is a visually amusing character, as Urasawa depicts him as Iyami from Mr. Osomatsu, referencing both characters’ obsession with France. That said, the Director is more than just a familiar face, and it’s hard to decipher which of his claims are fiction or reality. It turns the Director into a fascinating manipulator, controlling others from the shadows to hide his own secrets. Michel is another interesting character that Kamoda and Kasumi encounter when they reach France. Michel has a connection to the marked stone in Kamoda’s possession, but he also agrees with Kasumi that Kamoda shouldn’t commit a crime. This positions him as a neutral figure within the narrative, sharing a common interest with Kamoda while acknowledging Kasumi’s concerns.

What’s most impressive about Mujirushi is Urasawa’s handling of the story. Despite the manga’s short length, it manages to carry a number of plot threads without overwhelming the reader. Urasawa plants a number of scenes that may seem like singular references or gags at first glance, but as the story progresses, they all play a role in the eventual conclusion. It’s clear that a lot of planning went into ensuring that Mujirushi is cohesive, and it proves Urasawa’s skills are not limited to long-form storytelling. Mujirushi has the substance you’d expect from Urasawa in a bite sized package.

Urasawa has an art style that is immediately identifiable, and that brings a lot of charm to his series. The characters have a wide range of expressions, and each of their designs feels varied. The environments also have their unique qualities, with the buildings and streets of Japan having a distinct contrast to the rustic architecture of France. Urasawa’s depiction of the Louvre is especially impressive, emphasizing the awe of the museum and its famous works. This conveys the difficulty of Kamoda’s mission and creates a suspenseful tone. Urasawa is a fantastic artist, and it makes his stories a pleasure to read.

Mujirushi is another reminder of Urasawa’s immense talent, providing readers plenty of excitement and intrigue. Its meticulous plotting and compelling cast of characters makes the story a worthy investment for fans of Urasawa’s work. France may be far away, but as the Director would say: Et alors?

This graphic novel follows a young Japanese girl and her debt-ridden father as they travel to Paris as part of the Director’s plan to steal a Vermeer painting and at the same time return a stolen artifact. It’s all a bit complicated and there are strange and unexpected plot twists that connect the grandmother and son characters they meet in Paris and the Director of the La France Research Institute in Tokyo. I really enjoyed experiencing the plot unfold. The drawing itself was so detailed and intricate you could spend several minutes on every page parsing out details and looking for clues to help predict what might happen.
What I didn’t enjoy was looking at the graphic of a few of the characters. For starters, the president Beverly looks like a caricature of our current president and the La France Research Institute Director is sketched much like the negative, mocking stereotypes of Asians.
Maybe I was supposed to see that the protruding front teeth of the director was the symbol for the sign of dreams, yet all I could think of were the cartoons from the seventies and eighties making fun of Asians. While I’m not one to censor materials, I think there is no value in unintentionally promoting a stereotype. If you can overlook this distraction, the story itself is very unexpected and just the right amount of mystery, angst, and entertainment.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #VIZMedia for the ARC #Mujirushi

Mujirushi is Chekhov's gun - every element, character, and lead up has a purpose and a payoff. Naoki Urasawa utilizes some of the most unusual characters and figures from both pop culture (anime, manga, French, and African art to name a few) to politics (specifically in the 21st century) and somehow weaves it into an entertaining and intellectually stimulating tapestry. It is a simple plot-oriented heist of a father and daughter getting out of debt, yet its composition and narrative heft are equally engaging as it is thought-provoking. Even after reading, I still am unpacking the various layers Urasawa has laid before me. A quality work so rare deserves to be in everyone's bookshelves.

Excellent mystery story from Naoki Urasawa with engaging characters and a love for all things France. The story is told not only from a child's viewpoint but more so her reactions to the world around her. Though the tone starts serious, the reader is taken on an adventure of hope along with her.

It had a good premise, but in the middle of it, I had no clue what was going on. Where did the additional characters come from? Why wa the point of the story. It just made no sense.

Part caper, part musing on the nature of art, this is in some ways the manga equivalent of the epigraph to Oscar Wilde's <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i>. It's a book that doesn't truly come together until the very end, and thus is one that really benefits from a re-read or two, but if you have the patience to do that and the inclination to see how your own views of art (as pertains specifically to anime and manga) influence your initial reading of the book, this is more than worth checking out.

There's also some bonus political satire dating to the 2016 American election.

This was such a strange graphic novel! I was immediately drawn in because the majority of the story takes place in France, and I wanted a graphic novel that was only a single volume rather than part one of a series. In this story, a father and young daughter get caught up in an elaborate plot to "steal" a painting from the Louvre in order to turn a profit.

The heist plot line was entertaining, and I enjoyed all the references to Paris and the many museums there. However, the story itself bounced around a lot and contained more side stories than I had originally anticipated. While it was confusing at times, by the end everything is brought together and ties up well.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book, albeit a bit strange. If you're looking for a quick read with a quirky plot, be sure to check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher, Viz Media, for providing me with a digital copy via NetGalley. Mujirushi comes out August 19, 2020.

A down on his luck man trying to climb out of debt and take care of his daughter gets tangled up in an art heist targeting one of Vermeer's lesser known works in the Louvre. Despite some attempts at humor, mostly provided by a subplot about a very Trump-like female US president, the story mostly falls flat. The only moderately fleshed out character is the little girl, who as per usual in stories like these is the only one in the whole tale with any modicum of common sense.

Thank you Netgalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

Single-father Kamoda recently faced with tax auditing, collapsed marriage, manufacturing failure, and overwhelming debt desperately reaches out to the French Research Institute and agrees to perform an heist that will fix all of his problems.

I haven't read too much manga and nothing by Naoki Urasawa so I'm unfamiliar with his style comparative to the genre as a whole. But this one was strange. Starting with the Beverly Duncan (Hilary/Trump) masks, the director, Marie crows and the odd mix of French art history. Some how it all kind of works and is a touching story in an edgy way. Kasumi and Kamoda remind me of Penny and Inspector Gadget. Kamoda means well but needs the young girl to get him out of trouble. The creepy director, who I had to look up, is Urasawa's take on the iconic manga character Iyami, a gaudy Francophile (ahhh, makes sense now!).

The artwork is extremely nice, and there are several sections in full color. This is volume 1 of 2, so the story wraps up quite nicely, something I definitely appreciate.

It isn't as strong as his prior works. The story isn't awful, but certain aspects do cause head scratching for sure. The main character is not very likable at all, and really does things to put his young daughter's livelihood in danger. He's super selfish, whereas other lead characters in Urasawa stories of old were absolutely awesome. I'll take mediocre Urasawa over no Urasawa though. One shot story, worth a read I guess.

As a longtime fan of Naoki Urasawa, Mujirushi was a manga that I greatly anticipated being able to read in English, and all I can say is that it was well worth the wait! Urasawa's storytelling continues to amaze, and is only complimented by his gorgeous art style. The way he makes us care for and feel like we know our protagonists from the very first chapter is wonderful, and helps make up for the relatively short length (or maybe I'm just spoiled by so many of his manga being long-running series). I'd also like to add that I thought the Director was such a funny character, and seeing Kasumi point out all the little holes in his stories was very, very fun. It's hard not to give too much away as this is a short read, but there is a lot of entertainment packed into this one book! And don't worry about not being an Urasawa fan -- on top of being pretty much accessible for anyone, I think fans of the Osomatsu series will find great joy in picking this up! For sure a must read!

As for Viz Media's efforts, the lettering (which I'm certain is by Stephen Paul) is very good, with the dialogue all stacked very naturally and with fonts that compliment Urasawa's artwork very beautifully. This is one of those cases where all the SFX outside of bubbles is left intact, with the translations in a glossary at the end of the book, so don't expect any crazy good SFX retouch or anything. However, I don't think that detracts from the presentation at all, as Urasawa's SFX have a very distinct look that I understand would be incredibly difficult to replicate, so in the end leaving them as-is is definitely the way to go. As for the translation, it all ready very smoothly and wonderfully, and not once did I think to myself "Hm, I wonder what that line was in Japanese," which is a definite sign of a top tier translation! The characters all have their own distinct voice in the text, and just felt so natural. A fantastic job from all the people handling the localization!

An engaging story of down on his luck father and daughter, who meet a strange man, interested in France. He convinces them to go to Paris with an interesting not-quite-a-crime in mind. I don't want to give out the plot, but this is a fun and sweet humorous tale for all ages. And it's done in one volume!

<I>Thank you to VIZ Media for providing me with an eARC of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </I>

<U>Mujirishi</u> is a single volume story about an unfortunate man's unsuccessful attempt to get rich quick and the impact his willfully ignorant actions have on his family. (Plus there's a mysterious organization, trip to Paris, and expedition to the Louvre). I have not quite read a manga like this one before. The art style was not my favourite, but the storyline was solid and the dialogue intriguing. It wasn't a bad book, but I would not purchase it for my shelf as reading it once was enough.

Mujirushi was an entertaining read. The plot was fun and there was plenty of action and adventure as Kamoda and Kasumi attempted their heist. This is a complete, single-volume story, so no need to wait for further volumes to find out what will happen. Overall I liked the artwork, which suited the style of the piece, and reading this tale was a fun way to pass an hour.