48. Genkaku Picasso Vol. 2 by Usamaru Furuya

Genkaku Picasso Vol. 2 by Usamaru Furuya (Canada) - (US)
Genkaku Picasso, Vol. 2

Pages: 291
Ages: 18+
Finished: Feb. 25, 2011
First Published: Feb. 1, 2011
Publisher: Viz Media
Genre: Manga, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Rating: 4/5



First sentence:

Ants...are good.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon and Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: next in the series.

The first book in the series intrigued me but at that time I didn't know this was only a trilogy. I was trying volume two to see if I would continue on with the series. Obviously since there is one book left, , I will finish the trilogy to see how it all ends. However, had this been a sampling of a larger, longer series I would not have continued on.

Picasso's character has developed some. He is no longer whiny and childlike when called upon to help someone through his drawing. He knows it is a necessary thing he must do, as he does not want to rot, but he considers it a nuisance in his life which he would just prefer everyone to leave him alone so he can draw. Now that he's helped several people in his class they are drawn to him and he actually has friends though he doesn't appreciate this at all until he gets invited to join a few of them to an amusement park and we see Picasso enjoy himself for the first time.

Two of the stories this time around deal with very mature subjects and that is why I disagree with the publishers recommended age of 16+ and would myself recommend to 18+. There is a very graphic image in the Bonus extra cartoons section at the back even though "censored" has been written over the part where you would see something. The first story deals with the competitive nature between two boys who've known each other since elementary and one now has a girlfriend who he tells every little detail about their relationship but won't introduce her to his friend. The next two stories deal with very s*xual topics which I could have done without and wish the publishers had mentioned briefly in the copy that this type of topic was in the book, so I could have made a wiser choice in choosing this series to read in the first place. The last story is about a girl whose life revolves around one certain dream coming true and when she hits disappointment her sense of worth is shattered. I'm glad the book ended with a good story. All the main characters are interesting, the stories I didn't like don't affect the overall dynamics of the main group and I am interested to see how the story wraps up. The promo at the back suggests Picasso will have to face some of his own demons.

One thing that keeps this trilogy fresh, is the artwork which is amazing. In this volume Picasso spends time sketching ants and human muscles with fine detail and of course his pictures he draws when he finds the darkness in someone's heart are incredibly detailed and beautiful. Though I do have to say, volume one's art impressed me more. I have a little trepidation as to what vol. 3 will have in store for me story wise but having invested this much I must see the trilogy to conclusion and find out what happens with Picasso and his main group of friends, a boy, a girl, and his fairy/angel (?) helper.