Sunday July 5, 2009
Gloomy girl
By MAX LOH
ORANGE
Story and art: Benjamin
Publisher: Tokyopop; 143 pages
(ISBN: 978-1427814630)
For ages 16+
LONG before picking up this graphic novel for review, I’ve read Chinese publications singing the praises of Benjamin. One look at the cover art of Orange, which features a cute schoolgirl seemingly imploring one to buy the book, and you may agree that Benjamin is one of China’s best illustrators currently.
Orange is the protagonist, a high school student who feels her life is so painfully ordinary that she has nothing worth living for. She’s fed up with her routine of going to school and mingling with girls her age whom she reckons are airheads. And she tries to escape her “banal” life by getting involved with less-than-savoury men in pubs and pool clubs.
Furthermore, she harbours a secret desire to remain a virgin forever (insert eye roll here). After a botched suicide attempt (prevented by Dashu, an apartment tenant whom she has a crush on), she continues living her life unhappily. Her despair threatens to push her over the edge for the second time.
Now, if this isn’t a gloomy enough premise, how’s this for the first few pages of Orange: a fateful meeting on the roof is followed by one of the characters plummeting to his certain doom. As cheesy as the whole story sounds, I have a feeling that the essence of some poetic verses in Chinese may have been lost in translation.
Orange indicates the work of a tortured artist. Apparently, the story is based on a person Benjamin once loved, and in a postscript the author speaks about his own depression and suicidal thoughts. His acrylic-like art style adds just enough detail to the subjects and everything else is left to the reader’s imagination.
Although there isn’t officially an age rating for Orange, which is unusual for Tokyopop titles, I’d say this story would appeal more to those aged 16 and above. If I had known then what I knew now about Orange, I wouldn’t have picked it up for review (not my cup of tea), but for all you emo-kids out there, this book is right up your alley.
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