Japan on steroids – review of the comic “9 hours”

In 2016, my husband and friends went on a long-awaited trip to Japan. We talked about the trip for a long time, and we planned the trip for months. Everything that we saw there was fascinating for us – from vending machines with strange drinks crammed into practically every street in Tokyo, to hundreds of Kyoto temples, even located between shops or various types of pop-culture merch that is permanently intertwined with everyday life. I will not mention the wonderful, surprising food. We were pulled into a completely different, fantastic world (with the difference that we were not kidnapped by a demon). I have the impression that the creator of the comic book 9 Hours felt similar – his fascination with Japan can be seen on each page of this unusual volume.

Unusual journey

The story begins as many like hers. The two main characters, here a pair of cartoonists referred to as “K” and “M”, fly to their desired destination – Tokyo. However, not everything is going according to plan. K forgets to make a reservation at the capsule hotel, the title 9 hours . However, he and M can take a shower here before setting off to explore the city. However, strange things start to happen already at this point in the journey. K finds tamagotchi(virtual pet that needs to be looked after) with Astroboy and a dedication, and after a while they both get the impression that someone or something is watching them. During the transfer from the airport, it turns out that their hunches do not mislead them. A malicious and cunning spirit draws them into a different reality, a kind of alternative Tokyo. There, they transform into anime-inspired warriors – they have their own armor and face various opponents in endless skirmishes, of course, with breaks for cooling down and repairing their strength for nine hours in … a capsule hotel.

A large dose of originality

The plot of the comic book is not complicated. We are drawn into the “game world”, fight with opponents and a bad boss, and moments of doubt. However, what distinguishes this comic from others is the implementation and the multitude of references to pop culture, including Japanese everyday life. There are various creatures and people known from myths and manga, but also from movies, such as Bill Murray (which is an obvious reference to Lost in Translation ) on the streets . On the individual pages, more mundane things also catch your eye: ubiquitous vending machines, gachapons(toys drawn in vending machines), polite queues for trains, Japanese shops full of products. It makes me feel kind of nostalgic, but I have one big complaint. It would be much more interesting if all these references were deepened, not just hinted at. It doesn’t bother me that much, the references that I know are just fun to come up with, but I feel some shortcomings. This may discourage other readers.

Crazy dash

Magenta has a highly sketchy style. Already in the preface, the artist writes about the fact that he wanted to create a comic in his own way, strongly improvising and not planning. Thanks to this, the frames are extremely dynamic, and the black and white line itself is wild, but at the same time pleasing to the eye. It is also a nice bonus to discuss the materials used when creating the illustrations.

The edition by Mandioci also deserves a plus – rich in footnotes, printed on nice, thin paper. Thanks to this, we hold a very light volume in our hands, which is easy to read.

Surreal game

Has the roller coaster ride paid off? Yes and no. From the visual side, this item is very nice. My reception is strongly influenced by the nostalgia for Japan for 9 hours , but the narrative is lame. If the author only developed the plots a bit and complicated the plot, and not just throw in further references, it would be much better. Nevertheless, the comic reads well.