I Saw It
Raw and unidealized, I Saw It is an autobiographical account of manga artist, Keiji Nakazawa, as he recounts his experience surviving the Hiroshima bombing as a child. Having already read this manga during the Literature of Comics class, it's interesting to revisit this piece with first impressions already out of the way and see that it still is as powerful as the first read. The haunting images of zombie-like people dragging their own skin behind them continues to be one of the most powerful realities that one could not fathom to be possible. While the manga is dedicated to Nakazawa's experience with the after effects of the bombing, the manga is perhaps even more a dedication to his mother who continued to support his dreams of being a manga artist despite their family's hardships. While the manga ends on a more positive note with him fully involved in his manga career, I Saw It remains as a reminder that the effects of the bombing last much longer than just the first flash.
Nakazawa's work serves a great educational purpose by telling the tale of the bombing from a victim's perspective. In the American education system, the Hiroshima bombing is simply taught as an act that was "necessary" to end the war quickly to save American lives, as if it was an act of heroism. The bombing lasts one line in a textbook and immediately after, the American victory is given a full paragraph. The western world continues to turn its eyes away from the calamity of the bombing while it continues to boast its victories, and it makes me think it's no wonder we are in such a nuclear predicament nowadays. It's hard for people to grasp the true gravity of a nuclear bombing when we only hear about it in news headlines. Written in an easy to understand comic format, I Saw It is an incredibly important piece that conveys the true horrors of nuclear bombing that is rarely ever spoken of.
Hillary Chute's analysis of Nakazawa's work in her book, Disaster Drawn, offers a deep look at the formation of the documentary genre within manga and comics. I was really interested by her comparison of I Saw It to Art Spiegleman's Maus, another piece I had previously read in the Literature of Comics class. While the former is a direct account illustrated by Nakazawa himself, Maus tells the tale of Spiegleman's father and his experiences during the Holocaust. I'm curious how this sort of second-hand storytelling affects the portrayal of the events in the book, especially since his father reveals himself to not be the most reliable storyteller as he chooses to omit parts of his life.
Nakazawa's work serves a great educational purpose by telling the tale of the bombing from a victim's perspective. In the American education system, the Hiroshima bombing is simply taught as an act that was "necessary" to end the war quickly to save American lives, as if it was an act of heroism. The bombing lasts one line in a textbook and immediately after, the American victory is given a full paragraph. The western world continues to turn its eyes away from the calamity of the bombing while it continues to boast its victories, and it makes me think it's no wonder we are in such a nuclear predicament nowadays. It's hard for people to grasp the true gravity of a nuclear bombing when we only hear about it in news headlines. Written in an easy to understand comic format, I Saw It is an incredibly important piece that conveys the true horrors of nuclear bombing that is rarely ever spoken of.
Disaster Drawn
Hillary Chute's analysis of Nakazawa's work in her book, Disaster Drawn, offers a deep look at the formation of the documentary genre within manga and comics. I was really interested by her comparison of I Saw It to Art Spiegleman's Maus, another piece I had previously read in the Literature of Comics class. While the former is a direct account illustrated by Nakazawa himself, Maus tells the tale of Spiegleman's father and his experiences during the Holocaust. I'm curious how this sort of second-hand storytelling affects the portrayal of the events in the book, especially since his father reveals himself to not be the most reliable storyteller as he chooses to omit parts of his life.
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