Review: Genkaku Picasso Volume 1

Sublimation, a defense mechanism that turns a negative feeling into an acceptable form. Most artist (painters, musicians, writers and other creative people) have this defense mechanism as they tend to express their anger, happiness, sadness and every other emotions humans have. I have this but I don't think I've needed it for so long. What does this have to do with the review? Well, you're about to find out!

From the outside, it looks like a manga about an artist who dreams to become a big hit. I took this title at it's face value. I love art, so why don't I read a manga about art. If you thought the same thing I did, well, we're both wrong.

Genkaku Picasso Volume 1: (by Usamaru Furuya) The story of a high school boy named Hikaru Hamura—popularly known as Picasso, for spelling his name wrong and for his passion, art—and his drawings. Due to an untimely death, he gained the power to draw people's hearts but the power is to be used for helping people or he rots to death.

How does drawing people's hearts help people? Picasso's drawings accurately describe someone's problem and vaguely gives an answer as to what those people in need, need. Picasso draws surreal art and his drawings vaguely show what's missing or what's needed.

Art: The art is phenomenal. It is detailed, beautiful and worthy of big praise. Though the art sometimes gives you the feeling that it's trying to be a regular manga with cheap shots, it still can't compare to anything popular.

Yeah, I know I'm praising it too much. But just look at the art:

I know these are just doodles made by a wannabe artist but I understand the surrealism and sublimation here. I love it! I was especially touched by "the baby and the rabbit" and "The goth idol and wonderland." (I made those names up.)

These were drawn by Picasso seeing both their hearts and then the story takes place, it's like reading a detective story, without a crime scene.

Story: This is more of a psychological piece than an artwork. It knows how to play the therapist role. The story is divided into chapters where people discover what they need; attention, love, care and the release of tension.

Continuing from the art, the two mentioned above are from two people, they are sisters. The baby and the rabbit's story is based on conditioning. Something happened (I don't want to spoil anything) that caused the baby to grow up and hate something specific. She made the conclusion that the event was caused by the specific something and if she replicated that specific something, she would die too.

You can tell that I'm really into it but I think that's enough to prove a point.

Bottomline: If you are a fan of interpretation of art, then this is for you. I recommend that you read it. Fangirling aside, I genuinely loved the story. Yeah, interpretation doesn't have a right answer and it's fun to come up with your own even if it's somehow the opposite. Give the first chapter a read and then decide if you want to continue.

If you are studying Freud, you need to read this manga. This is the subconscious simplified into art. I love this manga. It's a literary master piece drawn as an art form.