September 1, 2006
In a nondescript office building, on a floor that exists in no blueprint or plan, lies a secret private prison, where for a fee you can have someone locked away in a room. Old Boy spends ten years in one of those roomstraining his body and watching TVwith no idea who jailed him or why and wondering why they didn't just kill him. When Old Boy is abruptly and inexplicably ejected from the prison, he decides to discard his old identity, begin his quest to find out who imprisoned him, and exact his revenge. Unexpectedly, he finds an innocent young lady who accompanies him on his journey. This is a page-turner that keeps the reader wanting more; the black-and-white artwork carries the story and conveys much meaning and subtext. This first volume of Old Boy, in a projected eight-volume series, earns its parental advisory with one graphic sex scene and another nude scene. Recommended. [This Japanese manga inspired the 2003 Korean film Oldboy, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.Ed.]O. Jurkowski, Atlantic Cty. Lib., Galloway, NJ
Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2006
Comics and the movies more closely resemble one another in Japan than in the U.S. In adult " manga" like this 1997 hit later made into the successful movie " Oldboy" , the same scene is shown from different angles; the same focus is approached or departed from in ever closer or more distant panels that mimic moving-camera effects; and the degree and sources of light in the panels vary dramatically as well as according to setting (indoor/outdoor, day/night) and point of view (close, near, far). The obvious photographic sources of many panels further the cinematic resemblance. Only now being translated into English, this story is a revenge thriller. A man released after 10 years in a private lockup doesn't know why, by whom, or precisely where he was imprisoned, but he intends to find out. By volume's end, he's homing in on the lockup. There's a love interest (a noodle-shop waitress) and frequent cuts away to a rich guy who may be the culprit the hero seeks. Nobody looks cute; everybody looks tough. And marvelous. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)