I’ve been reading the first volume of Kazuo Kamimura’s When We Lived Together and am pretty into it so far (I’m on page 509, but the full series is over 2,000 pages!). These comics apparently were originally published in the early seventies and they have a great energy. The episodic story, so far, concerns a young couple living together and the ups and downs of their relationship. It’s interesting, because the story switches between the voice of the man and woman, so you get two perspectives, two different views, sometimes over the course of just a few pages. So there are two main characters, a couple... that’s not something I remember seeing too often, if at all.
I also really like the artwork. The style is raw, but sometimes very elegant too. Kazuo Kamimura isn’t afraid to switch things up and over the course of a just a few pages the surface techniques can change from cross-hatched, to zip-a-tone, to grey wash shadowing, to a more stark black and white brush style. It works. The art feels very alive.
The struggles of the young couple are captivating and the stories mostly ring true. At times, it definitely feels autobiographical. The man works as a freelance illustrator and the woman works in graphic design. Two creative people together can make for an explosive situation. When the tone occasionally becomes a little more poetic / metaphoric - those moments are somewhat less convincing. Overall though, I’m really digging it and feel sure I’ll end up reading all three volumes before the month is out.
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