Akai Hana (Shogakukan Bunko)

[Machine Translation] This is a collection of short stories that summarizes over 20 years of Yoshiharu Tsuge's creative activities. From the heartwarming "The Old Book and the Girl" in his early days to "A View of the Neighborhood" in the 1980s, his kaleidoscopic world is here. There is a teahouse on a mountain pass where a girl is the sole keeper of the house. One day, a man stopped by the teahouse on a fishing trip. While he is resting for a while, Masaji, a classmate of the girl, comes there. Guided by Masaji, the man heads for a hole for landlocked salmon, but along the way he sees a strange red flower growing in clusters. In the meantime, they arrive at the hole, and Masaji leaves the man and heads back along the mountain road. Masaji sees the girl at the teahouse squatting in the shallow end of the river. In front of Masaji's eyes, a stream of fresh blood from the girl's buttocks flows down, swallowing many falling red flowers... ( Episode 1 ). A beautiful woman lies down beside a man sunbathing. He likes her, but is unable to speak to her, and is only jealous of the man who seems to be her companion. However, when the man comes back to the sea at sunset, he finds her alone on her knees. When he asks her about the man she met during the day, she tells him that he is not her companion and that she only met him at the inn. With this, they continue to talk in an indifferent manner about things that don't mean much, and part, promising to meet again. The next day, as he waits in the pouring rain, she comes running to him, gasping for breath. She tells him that she will return to Tokyo the next day, and he goes into the sea to finish his swimming, and he goes swimming with her. She compliments him on his swimming, and he continues swimming forever and ever ( ep. 4 ). Other DATA/Commentary by Shigesato Itoi

20年以上に渡るつげ義春の創作活動をまとめた短篇集。初期の心暖まる作品「古本と少女」から、80年代の「近所の景色」に至るまでの、万華鏡にも似た彼の世界がここにある。 あらすじ 少女がたった1人で番を務める峠の茶屋がある。ある日、釣にやってきた男がそこに立ち寄った。彼がしばらく休んでいると、そこに少女の同級生のマサジがやってくる。マサジに案内されて、男はヤマメの穴場へと向かうが、その道中で彼は見知らぬ紅い花が群生しているのを見る。そうこうしているうちに彼らは穴場に到着し、男と別れたマサジは山道を戻ってゆく。そのときふとマサジは、茶屋の少女が川の浅瀬に入ってしゃがみ込む姿を目撃する。マサジの目の前で、少女の臀部から出る鮮血の流れが、落ちてくるたくさんの紅い花を飲み込んで流れてゆく…(第1話)。▼日光浴をする男の脇に、美女が寝転がる。彼はその女性に好意を抱くが、声をかけることもできず、連れらしき男に嫉妬するばかり。ところが、日が暮れた海に男が再びやって来ると、そこにはたった1人で彼女が膝を抱えていた。昼間の男について彼が尋ねると、その男は彼女の連れではなく、宿で知り合っただけだという。これをしおに、彼らは大した意味もないことを淡々と話し続け、再会を約束して別れる。その翌日、雨が降りしきる中を待ち続ける彼のもとに、息せききって彼女が走ってきた。彼女は彼に、翌日東京へ戻ることを打ち明け、泳ぎ納めと言って海に入ってゆき、彼もそれに付き合って泳ぎ始める。彼女に泳ぎを褒められ、彼はいつまでもいつまでも泳ぎ続ける(第4話)。その他DATA/解説・糸井重里