"Warabimo"- Izmon's award winning manga comic book 「ワラビモ」ー賞をもらったイズモンの漫画

Izumi Mikami or Izumon as she is called by many won a 'Zokon Award' in a new、 major manga comic book contest last year. 　As a part of award, her manga comic, "Warabimo" was printed by a major publisher and is being sold in bookstores in Japan.

昨年、道都大学の卒業生で同大学で客員教師している三上いずみが第一回「このマンガすごい」大賞、編集長ゾッコン賞をとった。それにより、彼女の作品、「わらびも」が一般むけに印刷され、本屋などで販売されている。宣伝、有名人の審査員や賞金額などからみるとこの大会はメジャーな漫画コンテストのようだ。

「ワラビモ」は実際、前からいくつかのシリーズとして個人で印刷されていた。１０年以上も前私は、三上さんの個展で彼女の美術作品のほか、テーブルに置いてあった、「ワラビモ」に紹介され、それ以来私はこの漫画のファンになった。

Cover of new manga print

The Japanese national comic contest in which she received a "Zokon Award" was "First Konomanga ga Sugoi ( This Comic is Great) Contest" . Judging by the size of the contest, prize money, distinguish judges, and all the hoopla surrounding it, this looks like a very ambitious, major new contest. From what I have read on article on this contest, three major awards were given, and 'Zokon prize' is the third. Overall, judges seem to praise unique originality and humor of "Warabimo".

Actually, Izumon has first written and published this manga in a series form independently more than ten years ago. I have first seen them display along with Mikami's other artworks in her one person exhibition in Sapporo, Japan shortly after she graduated from Dohto University.

title page of "Warabimo"

"Warabimo" is a story of unique relationship between young lady, Yomogi-chan, with her unusual pet, Warabimo. This manga comic is not a long continuous story, but a collection of short stories which describe various engagements of Warabimo with Yomogi-chan as well as with other secondary characters. With exception of introductory story which is about 12pages long, most of other stories are only few pages long.

What makes this comic attractive is uniqueness of main characters, Warabimo and Yomogi-chan. Warabimo is a lovable, hardworking creature that is made of gelatinous substance. He? is a 'pet' that can converse with humans and enjoy doing housework- including shopping grocery and cooking dinners. Warabimo takes care of home while his slave driving, self centered, temperamental owner, Yomogichan goes to work.

若い大人の女性、よもぎちゃんと彼女のちょっと変ったペット、ワラビモの関係がこの漫画の話だ。この漫画は長い続きの話ではなく、ワラビモとよもぎちゃんや他の仲間たちの出来事を短い話のコレクションとして本に纏めた漫画だ。一つ一つの話によりわらびやヨモギちゃんたちのキャラと世界に読者はなじみ、面白さを感じるようになると思う。

ワラビモはワラビモ科ワラビモ属ワラビモでゲル状物質でできていてそれによりゼリー寒天が好きな生物で働きものだ。ペットだけれど人間と会話でき、何故か、料理、買い物、掃除など家事が得意ようだ。わがままで、意地悪のＯＬの主人のよもぎちゃんが仕事で外出しているあいだ、家の手入れしている。このようなユニックで面白いキャラたちが登場するところがこの漫画の一つの面白いところだと私は思う。、

Here Warabimo is delighted that his yukata (Japanese, casual kimono) wear has same pattern as Yomogich-chan. She on the otherhand is upset and in her anger, she tears Warabimo. Later she shows the warm side enjoying firecraker with Warabimo.

The other thing that makes this comic laughable is that its story about weird S/M relationship between the two main characters. Yomogi-chan gets rid of her anger, irritation, and stress by beating up Warabimo. Her favorite pastime it seems, as shown in above comic page, is to tear off gelatinous Warabimo. At times Warabimo thinks Yomogichan is too temperamental, however it seems he likes periodically to be torn off. Warabimo becomes smaller as he gets torn apart, but he grows rapidly when he is happy. And once in a while, Yomogichan makes Warabimo happy by giving jello like delicacies for present. Although Yomogichan seems to be selfish and temperamental about 90 percent of the time, she is not an abominable character. Her disagreeable character balances too lovable Warabimo and because she does love Warabimo in her strange way.


もう一つこの漫画の面白さはワラビモとよもぎちゃんの’へんちくりん’なＳＭ関係だ。よもぎちゃんは短期もので、ワラビモに怒りやストレスをあて自分をリラックスさせるいやな女。　かの女いじわるしたり、ぶったり、物を投げたり、ゲル状物質のワラビモをちぎったりして人生を楽しんでいる。　愛想のいいワラビモはちぎられて小さくなっても別に嫌がっていないようだ。ワラビモは嬉しいことがあればすぐ大きくなる性質をもっているようで、いじわれされ泣いたり、おこったりしてもかわいい。それによもぎちゃんいつもいじわるしても、ワラビモのことを愛しているようで、いじわるがいやになるよりへんに暖かく感じさせる不思議な魅力を持つ漫画だ。






Yomogichan also has a strange taste in man. Her hobby is collecting carve wood bear. She apparently has attraction for things big and hairy. In one episode shown above, she becomes attracted to a grizzly like, hairy new neighbor, that most normal girl would probably find very unattractive. Realizing that Yomogichan is attracted to this bear like man, Warabimo in his jealousy gets very upset. However she has upper hand as she makes Warabimo cry and delights taking photo of Warabimo's crying face.

Despite all this meanness, its hard not liking Yomogichan who has such an eccentric taste in man that it gives hope to every 'not so handsome' looking man of the world.

よもぎちゃんは普通ではない。彼女熊や熊の木彫りが大好きで、毛深い、熊ぽい男に魅力を感じる変った女性。上のイメージが近所に熊ぽい男性によもぎちゃんが引かれ、それに対し、ワラビモがジャラシを感じた時のシーンのページだ。意地悪で自己中心なよもぎちゃんだが、この男にたいしの悪趣味なところが笑え、男の私には変な魅力を感じさせる。

First private edition

As I have said earlier, "Warabimo" was published earlier in small, private editions. Several issues were printed. These are cover illustrations of some of them:

前に述べたように「ワラビモ」は前にも個人で印刷されたことがある。上と下のイメージがそれらのカバーのイラストだ。






There are some slight differences between the original and mass published "Warabimo". For one thing, the mass one is in a printed letter while the original is hand written. Also some background treatment is different. Notice the differences in pages below where the same scene is depicted.

オリジナル版と今回のとはいくつか違うところがある。オリジナルは文字が手書きで最近のはプリントだ。それと少し、せりふやバックの塗りがところどころちがう。オリジナルの漫画をもっている人たちにとってはこの違いを見つけるのも面白い。

Anyway, I recommend "Warabimo" highly to anyone who likes a bit of unusual comic or just plain odd story. Izumon is very original artist, and in her art, lots of warabimo like colorful characters roam so if you have chance to see her art exhibitions, I would encourage for you to go see them for you will be guarantee to have a fun time.

とりあえず、ちょっと変った漫画が好きな方、「ワラビモ」進める。三上はワラビモ」のほか色んな美術分野で活躍している。三上は大変オリジナルなアーチストで彼女の世界、ワラビモのような変ったキャラーがいっぱい登場するから、彼女の作品展見るチャンスがあったら楽しいからぜひ見るように進めるよ。

Photo from Izumon's exhibition from two years ago

二年ほど前の三上いずみの個展の写真