I started reading Kakukaku Shikajika as a challenge. I didn't do too much of a search; I just found the plot interesting and went right into it. I expected something at least enjoyable, as it was an award-winning manga. I didn't expect something SO good.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Story ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ At the beginning of the story, you meet the "main characters," who are Akiko (the author) and Hidaka (the teacher). Akiko has a lot of ego and expects the world to accept her drawings as masterpieces. Instead of someone that would praise her, she gets someone that points out all of her flaws and wants her to work hard to achieve her goals (getting into an art school). I think that one of the things that I loved the most about this work is that it is an autobiography and it goes back and forth through time, showing her insights as a 40-year old woman. She shows her mistakes and wrongdoings and talks about life. Sometimes you get lines like "I was so dumb," "I regret doing this," or "That wasn't the right choice." It gives you the philosophical view that if you look correctly, you can take lessons out of this work.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Art ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The art style is simple at times, yet very good. I was actually able to spot a few errors in the drawing because of the author's work, as she explains her troubles with certain aspects of it. But generally, it's a pretty good drawing. She uses a lot of tones, like having a black and white panel to show her thoughts, or sometimes even when things get darker, she starts shading the background gradually, leaving you with text on a dark spot. Those techniques help you get into the mindset of the author. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Characters ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ While it's an autobiography, the characters are people from her life; there's no character made specifically for this work. They're either really big friendships or acquaintances. I think they're well developed and you can get a grasp of the mentality and style of each one. I have no complaints in that matter. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Conclusion ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ If you're like me, you skip everything and read only the conclusion because you don't want to get spoiled with other themes. So I will try to be brief on this point. Just read it. Kakukaku Shikajika is a masterpiece, and I can't stress enough how good this work is. Especially for young people (like myself), you get the eyes of someone experienced analyzing their past mistakes. Mistakes that you yourself could make.
I always rate my personal top 5 with work that I was able to get something from. Either a life lesson, really good laughs, or a very good connection with the story. I doubt that Kakukaku Shikajika will ever be out of my top 5 because one of the big things I took out of it is this: Just do it. Don't overthink it. Just keep doing and doing. You will eventually get good at it.
