I think there isnt all that big a difference between good art and bad art. Its more a question of personal preference that influences how one perceives a piece of art rather than any sort of definitive rules. I thought about this the other day and it brought a new question to my mind. What is it exactly that I personally value in art? What sort of subliminal unfulfilled desires drive my quest for new stories? To find my answer would be no easy task so I took a journey of discovery. I wandered the rotting Megastructures of a never ending City and walked on the banks of the Light Vein as a one eyed man warned me away from its painful brilliance. I drifted through the flooded Halls of a House with barnacle encrusted Statues as its only occupants and trekked across the continent sized corpses of tremendous Titans. I searched and searched all over Creation and then I went and searched beyond that and now I think Ive finally found my answer. I believe that what I truly seek is art that inspires a sense of wonder. Now wonder is a sensation thats very hard to pin down and is often rather conflicting. It is an uncanny and uncomfortable yet humbling and aweinspiring feeling. It is the feeling of being both extremely small and insignificant and yet at the same time unimaginably important and unique. Youve probably felt it before the dizzying terrifying awe of trying to wrap your head around the abyssal expanses and celestial bodies of outer space. We are infinitesimally small beings living in a world where trillions and trillions of other lifeforms from the smallest Archaeabacteria to the biggest of the Titanosaurs have already lived and died long before you were even born. Each one was just as crucial and expendable as you are now. Just the thought of it is enough to make you quiver. But I digress where was I? Ah yes wonder. I wonder when this introduction will end. https://i.ur.com/LPsxbkM.jpeg Wonder is the best word to describe Jun: Shotaro no Fantasy World. Its weaved into every panel every fantastic and bizarre image. The series starts out fairly abstract but still with a recognizable followable concept. Struggling young mangaka Jun fights for inspiration as a mysterious girl leads him deeper and deeper into his own mind. With the focus on a mangaka desperate to prove himself and avoid the inevitable loss of his youthful imagination it comes off as a very personal story at least at first. Its just as much a celebration of the mundane as it is of the magical. As Jun delves deeper into the depths of his imagination the imagery becomes more feverish more incomprehensible until it transforms into a grand symphony of visual poems. The vignettes flow and shift easily much more than manga usually does which is due to Ishinomoris distinctive panel arrangements. This flow makes it so that I can follow every movement and hear every single sound as crisp and clear as if it were happening right in front of me. As such Jun: Shotarou no Fantasy World is heavily tied to the comic medium and would most likely not work as anything else. As the father of sentai Ishinomori is one of the most important pioneers of Japanese entertainment. Mention of his name would most likely bring to mind insectlike cyborgs battling nebulous organizations unwilling test subjects breaking away from their masters to fight against evil and surprisingly mature commentary on the nature of warfare during the age of increasingly advanced technology. With his help the manga industry reached amazing new heights and the art of comics was inching closer and closer to being perfect. Yet as Ishinomori looked on the manga empire he created he realized something: perfection is awfully boring I know theres an answer. I know now but I have to find it by myself https://i.ur.com/xAnbJSI.jpeg In recent years manga have been progressing rapidly. Well I should say that theyre as a natural consequence of the current things coming closer to perfection. However perfection stops progress. For this very motive you need to experiment now. Shoutarou Ishinomori Attaining perfection is a bit like losing ones soul. Once youve done it youre basically stuck sitting at the pinnacle of human achievement with nothing left to strive for. Jun and its surrealism was Ishinomoris way of shedding his creative skin and rebelling against the status quo he helped to create. However he wasnt just trying to challenge himself he was trying to challenge his audience. He wanted to ignite their imaginations encourage them to read between the lines and perhaps even create their own unique manga. The next generation of readers would eventually take up his mantle and build on what he had made so he might as well leave them with the best foundation possible. I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history true or feigned with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory but the one resides in the freedom of the reader and the other in the purposed domination of the author. J. R. Tolkien Todays kids meaning you compared to the kids of the past meaning us....arent they you lacking power of imagination? If we write something a little difficult in truth its not difficult at all you say Ah its no good at all. Before saying that why dont you try to think about it one more time? Then thinking from that point why dont you try to search for the answers in your own special way? Shotarou Ishinomori J. R. Tolkien and Shotaro Ishinomori are two very different writers but both of them had basically the same idea. Tolkiens work just as Ishinomoris was inspired by his own life experiences. However both of these authors deny any sort of setinstone higher meaning in their stories. Their art was meant to have applicability so that readers could take their own life experiences and use them to find their own unique meaning. Jun contains elements that are clearly derived from his own experiences but Ishinomori refused to impose any sort of meaning on the reader therefore it is not an allegory. He delibrately wrote it to be as cryptic as possible so as to encourage interpretation. The definitive meaning of the manga is that it has no definitive meaning and this paradoxical fact gives it endless potential. What it means to me could be completely different from what you think it means and both of us would still be completely correct. I believe this point is best illustrated by Roland Barthess death of the author. The concept of death of the author states that an artists interpretation of his own work should have no impact on the way the consumer views that piece of art. I think this is true to a certain extent. After all if someone else has a completely different interpretation of a story than I do that doesnt invalidate my feelings even if that someone is the author. People draw on their own beliefs and experiences to interpret both fiction and reality and these things vary greatly from person to person. Therefore is inevitable that artist and audience will not see eye to eye which is why art and its meaning must be flexible. However as with all things moderation and balance is key. Death of the author isnt completely true as an authors viewpoints and background often provides context that can potentially change the viewers understanding of their art. Such is the case with Jun as Ishinomoris denial of deeper meaning helps to create applicability rather than allegory. Its just something to keep in mind as you read the manga. Try to realise its all within yourself no one else can make you change https://i.ur.com/TXsG2ao.jpeg If I were to rip apart Jun: Shotaro no Fantasy World tear it open and search its innards to find its true meaning then I would be completely missing the point that Ishinomori is really trying to make. The real meaning lies beyond its pages within Ishinomoris vivid imagination and the stirrings of the readers heart. Because this manga is not meant to be understood its meant to be felt. If you want to garner any meaning from it then all you must do is gaze upon its pages and look inward and think about what it means to you. Does it still your breath with wonder at the beauty of the universe? Does it make you tremble in fear at your own fragility in the face of the unrelenting passage of time? It is here where you will find your own unique answer. When a writer is not writing then he is a reader just like any of us with no more power over the art then we as the audience do. Ishinomori understood that art is not a monument to some absolute truth but simply a catalyst for human emotion and understanding. He restored the power of interpretation to the audience in an attempt to spur them to action. If the meaning wont come to them then they will have to put in the work and seek it out. Jun: Shotaro no Fantasy World is a series that will frustrate some readers. However those that are patient and put in the work to understand will be rewarded richly. The way you perceive the world is a precious gift unique to you so make sure to put it to good use. Barthes R. 1967. The Death Of The Author. Aspen no. 56 pp.142148. Tolkien J. 1954. The Fellowship Of The Ring. 2nd ed. George Allen and Unwin.