This week's manga
Futari Solo Camp
By Yudai Debata (Kodansha)
Camping has the image of being a social activity typically done with friends, but recently a new trend of "solo camping" has taken off, and an increasing number of these solo campers are female.
Solo camping requires a certain level of knowledge and experience -- doing everything alone can be quite a challenge for the uninitiated. It seems natural then that there has been demand for manga titles containing information for solo campers.
The protagonist of "Futari Solo Camp" is Gen Kinokura, a 34-year-old, out-and-out solo camper. While camping alone one night, Kinokura's cherished solitude is suddenly disrupted by Shizuku Kusano, a 20-year-old junior college student who arrives at the campsite unprepared after almost getting lost and with minimal equipment. Saved by Gen, she decides to make him her mentor and proposes, despite the contradiction, that the two of them solo camp together until she is able to manage on her own. Gen isn't thrilled about the idea, but Shizuku's cooking skills soon persuade him.
A voluptuous young woman following a not-so-young man around sounds like a run-of-the-mill setup often seen in manga for men. Mangaka Yudai Debata, however, seems to have a true love of camping. His illustrations of the natural surroundings are exquisite, and his depiction of the two characters' experiences perfectly encapsulates the joy of camping.
For "indoor" people like me, the idea of camping alone is completely alien. Even so, I was riveted by Gen's explanation of how to build a fire -- which verged on philosophy. Camping in this manga is depicted as a minimal-impact recreation in which people can enjoy nature without damaging it -- a view that has apparently existed in the United States since the 1980s. Perhaps now is an appropriate time to reembrace that thinking.
Interestingly, internet reviews of this manga written by experienced campers are largely split. This is especially true in opinions of the aggressive personality of Shizuku, who almost forces Gen to help her. While some are amused by her behavior, others found the situation to be totally unbelievable. Solitude-loving solo campers, however, are almost always willing to share their tales with whoever is prepared to listen.
The manga includes information about how to choose and use the latest camping gear and also lists easy-to-cook camping recipes. "Futari Solo Camp," which doubles as an excellent manga for novice campers, is a hard-to-beat bargain that may well be the perfect companion for your own solo camping adventure.
For those thinking that the illustrations in the manga are too crude, or who prefer protagonists without grizzly stubble, try the popular solo camping manga about a female camper, "Yurucan △" (Laid-Back Camp) by Afuro, which preceded "Futari Solo Camp."
Ishida is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior writer whose areas of expertise include manga and anime.
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