As the series about raising an autistic child continues, With the Light volume 4 tackles the question of work. Hikaru’s parents worry about what he will be able to do to be self-sufficient as he ages, plus Dad is facing business problems of his own. There aren’t enough translated manga that give a relatively realistic portrayal of the Japanese businessman’s situation and expectations, so I really enjoyed that part of this book. Hikaru’s parents have a routine of what works […]

Most people, when they think of manga, think of fantasy adventures starring teenagers. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child is perhaps the most different kind of story possible… which makes it even more powerful. It focuses on the struggles faced by a mother with a special child. As indicated by its subtitle, With the Light is a well-researched portrayal of the challenges faced by a family when their baby boy is determined to be autistic. First, there’s the problem […]

Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro can be a bit clueless. She wears a large hat and black overcoat while carrying her own coffin, filled with bats, on her back. (She resembles a Pilgrim mortician.) Then she wonders why the locals in the village she passes through mistake her for a vampire. She doesn’t bother to explain herself, a trait that extends to the book itself. Everything’s vague — her intent, her motivations, how some situations are resolved — perhaps because of the format. […]