Hyouka:Volume 3 Chapter 3-1
3-1 The Morning Landscape
023 - ♦05
Ashes at Dusk was a 30-page manga containing three short stories in it. Despite its morbid-sounding title, it actually came from Rennyo's well-known verse: "We may have radiant faces in the morning, but by evening we may turn into white ashes".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennyo http://www12.canvas.ne.jp/horai/white%20ashes.htm
The overarching theme across these short stories is its emphasis on the abstract impermanence of life. Taking place in a classically dim Showa-style backdrop, the story describes a rather sad story. That said, the manga doesn't indulge itself in the retro-feel, but actually focuses on the platonic love of high school girls as well, so it was also rich in entertainment.
As a Third Year Junior High student, I was lost for words when I saw and bought this on a whim while visiting the Kamiyama High School Cultural Festival. Though there was nothing special about the theme, it just felt earnestly vivid to me.
A unique story that develops alongside its rich dialogue, it is supported by a sensitive-looking artwork, which looked like something right out of a kabuki theatre. In certain pivotal points of the plot, the art would give a surreal effect. If I have to list a work, regardless of whether it is commercial or not, that leaves an impression on me, then it has to be Ashes at Dusk.
And thus, this was a manga that possesses a certain charm which words alone cannot describe. If I have to make a criticism, then I would say the background art looked a bit amateurish, but even that is not enough to make it bad.
There were only two doujinshis that have taken my breath away completely, one was Ashes at Dusk, the other was Body Talk, a title I found in another doujinshi event unrelated to Kami High. I cherish these two works as my treasure. But if I have to pick one out of these two, I would have to go for Ashes at Dusk.
In order to counter Kouchi-sempai's argument that a work can be great to begin with, regardless of what the readers think, I would have to show her a glimpse of this title. Such was my faith in its ability to charm.
I was very glad when I found out I got enrolled into Kamiyama High School. Besides being glad that I've entered high school, I was even more glad that I had entered a school where you could sell any sort of manga freely as though its a soft drink vending machine. Thus I entered its Manga Studies Club upon starting school.
Yet I found myself a but disappointed afterwards.
There was no one within the club that knew anything about the author of Ashes at Dusk.
But as I still had fun with people discussing stuff that we like, I thought that my decision to join the Manga Club was correct.
...... That's what I thought anyway.
