In the tradition of Maus I & II: A Survivor's Story, My Father Bleeds
History (by Art Spiegelman, 1986) comes Apocalypse Meow (by
Kobayashi Motofumi, 1998) - a manga about the Vietnamese war from the
perspective of a small group of American soldiers portrayed as rabbits.
At first, I just wanted to read something with as great a name as Apocalypse
Meow. After getting into the first 8 chapters, however, I would
recommend this manga to teachers of American or World History. Anyone
interested in wartime history might also enjoy it. I do have some issues
with the characters - I think some more depth could be added to the three main
bunnies. I also believe the storyline lacks intensity at some crucial
moments. The art, however, is absolutely incredible.
Most strikingly similar to Spiegelman's "tail" (forgive my pun) is
the use of animals to portray various values such as religion, politics,
ethnicity, and country affiliation. To get a feel of the manga, take Kobayashi Motofumi's character set:
Rabbits = American troops
Cats = Vietnamese
Bears = Soviets
Pandas = Chinese
Chimps = JapanesePigs = French
I'll start by explaining the cats. They vary in their coats and
shading. Unless there is something one would otherwise notice in the
colored version, they are all similar. Those who have learned
anything about the Vietnamese War (hereby termed "the war" for
simplification) might recall that the Americans had difficulties distinguishing
between friends and foes. So long as one side or the other doesn't have
collars with little bells so we can tell who's who, this is a brilliantly
exemplifies the problems U.S.
troops had in trying to face the enemy.
The rabbits are actually quite a good choice for the Americans. During
the Cold War (scratch that... during most of the 20th century and beyond) the
United States has focused on certain objectives in global policy - stopping
"undesirable" ideas that don't have to do with democracy and
capitalism and spreading these "values" as far and as fast as rabbits
procreate. (I'm not saying it's wrong, but I'm not saying it's
right, either.) In chapter 8, one rabbit (Bova, I think?) echoes the
sentiments of many Americans by saying (paraphrased): "Why do they attack
us? Don't they realize we're here to help them?" Perhaps they
feel they are there to help, and perhaps that was the original intention.
But the road to Hell is often paved with good intentions, and sometimes
American intentions are as helpful as rabbits in the World's garden.
The U.S.S.R. and China
are represented by animals that work well with their homeland. In addition to pandas representing the Chinese military, one also can take note of various defectors from the People's Republic as well as prospectors and semi-legitimate businessmen.Chimps as
Japanese businessmen and scouts might be confusing to many, but I feel that Kobayashi Motofumi is
putting Japan
at the top of the evolutionary chain. In the 1950s-60s, Japan, in
accordance with the strictures placed upon them following WWII, turned the majority of their
attention to business and industry. They went from making the worst products on the
market (pre-war) to the best. Finally, the French in this case are equated to pigs, or rather, colonial "slobs" who did little but live off the work off the work of the native people. Essentially, they are quite Orwellian/Animal Farm in their presentation.
Others-Dogs = KoreansKangaroos/Koalas= AustraliansMice=British
Well, I'm definitely going to finish this manga...not now since it's 3 am,
but later today or tomorrow. While it may not be the greatest, it has plenty
of detail, lots of explanations, and loads of hidden meaning.
