In which I read panpanya's An Invitation from a Crab
An Invitation from a Crab is a collection of several short stories in manga format (interspersed with short essays) featuring a character who always looks like a junior high school student. I say “looks like” because while the character does go to school and have homework and all the trappings of a kid, at least one chapter involves them driving, and another where they had a job. (Details like that don’t matter in this book, which seems to function on dream logic.)
The art is surreal, and reminds me somewhat of Shaun Tan. Most of the manga is drawn in ink, without using screentones, but the main character is drawn in pencil, which makes her seem a little floaty and out of place, adding to the surreal tone.
In the first story, the main character discovers a crab in the city streets, and decides to chase after it. My favourite stories are the ones where she got off the train at the wrong station, and the one where she spent a little too much time trying to create the perfect Sunday for relaxation. They are all kind of slice-of-life, with a very otherworldly vibe, as some characters have weirdly shaped heads, or are talking animals.
This is my first manga by panpanya, but it will not be my last - I loved this so much that I plan to seek out their other works in the original (there is another book by them, Abstract Aquarium, that I hope Denpa would pick up someday though!) Whether you’re already a manga fan or more of an indie comics reader who’s looking to try out manga, this would make a great read for anyone wanting something out of the ordinary.