Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Double Mints by Asumiko Nakamura

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morebedsidebooks's review against another edition

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dark
Simply put Double Mints is of the adult, dark side of Asumiko Nakamura’s work. I was first intrigued by the scenario of Double Mints beginning with a seemingly normal man receiving a call out of the blue from a former classmate, the caller confessing to murdering a woman. An erotic crime drama playing with its currency of violence and sex, this story about former classmates who share a name is both captivating and disturbing. The duality of these two Mitsuo Ichikawas is nuanced, and the domination/submission feature of their bond unlike typical stereotypes. The Mitsuos are more than simply victim and perpetrator caught in violent, abusive and manipulative dynamics.

Nakamura alludes in a good part of the comic to a myth from Plato’s Symposium. There Aristophanes’ speech explains human beings were once part of a whole pair, separated by the gods because of unjust behaviour. So what we think of as Love is this yearning for completeness and such desire integral and ancient. It’s a relatively romantic notion, on the surface at odds with the brutality and carnal expression of Nakamura’s narrative. If the first ride through the story left aspects that were a bit puzzling I’ve found it beneficial to revisit. It’s also been made into a good live-action film. Double Mints should appeal to those interested in a psychological crime drama and eroticism. 

Worth noting: unfortunately the English edition of the comic, like other releases of her works in English by the same publisher, is missing two extra chapters and an afterword (one chapter is an unrelated short, but the other entitled “Rain” is a special epilogue to Double Mints.)


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