A review by philibrarian
Showa 1953-1989: A History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki

5.0

And so ends the Showa period, yet still the pursuit of happiness continues on for Shigeru Mizuki. This series is truly a standout among historical series in general for the way it seamlessly blends Mizuki's life during the era with many of the headlining historical events. This final volume was probably the most engrossing one for me as it dealt with the reconstruction of Japan in the post war years and Mizuki waxed philosophical a bit more than usual. I knew little about this period of Japanese history, so I was surprised by how the protest movements of Japan seemed to mirror what was going on here, complete with violence against the protesters by the police force. A really wild part of the story was also the candy scandal where the candy companies were basically taken hostage by someone calling themselves the Man with Twenty Faces, who would put poisoned candy on shelves and announce it to the country. Something that Mizuki really contemplated throughout this volume was what happiness means. His insight to trends of the time are also pretty thought provoking, such as when he says that while Japan started to find so many more comforts to bring into the home, they began to lose the community they had existed before the war.