Suehiro Maruo - Rose Colored Monster

Most of FT readers should already be aware that when it comes to Maruo works I turn into a teen giggling schoolgirl that just got a pink cellphone which means that I'll drool a lot in this post.

Rose Colored Monster was Maruos debut work. He was 26 when he released it and if you compare it to his newer work you can notice the amateurism and high motivation in this work. Since it was his first official book he was free to do anything he wants and so he did. Stories vary from sad romances to outright scat drawings and then switches to a class abuse story. The opening story is called "Das Kabinett Des Dr. Caligari" or in English "The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari". It's worthwhile to mention that this is actually an tribute to a German silent expressionist film from the late 20s that went by the same way. There's a torrent circulating around for it so you can download it from isohunt if you'd like to see it (I did and I liked it; you might not if you are not into silent films). Other works also have various tributes and references which actually (to me at least) lets you discover with what things the author is fascinated by and thus peek a bit into his own life.

There's also a prototype/prequel of Midori here. The story is called "The Secret And Sad Story Of The Camelia Girl". While he didn't directly use this plot in the "Amazing Freakshow" he did use it in the animated version of Midori. There are also some really perverted stories in this one that I found really funny. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be funny but then again I have a weird sense of humor.


The art of the manga is still in a bit boy~ish stage so it's not as much detailed as his later works but there are some great but simple drawings like this one below:

Which is yet another reference to silent films (a film that most of you should recognize I think D:)

He also tends to experiment with coloration. I really like the use of red color mixed with black. It gives me this elegant yet fashionable style to the characters with a bit gothic touch. Some though are just inverted colors and some are just plain simple and boring.

Oh well, I won't bother you anymore.

The Moon is looking at us!