The manga of Kouji Mori (Holyland, Suicide Island) and beyond

[guuuuuuuuts]

Holyland (2000 - 2008)
Suicide Island (2008 - 2016)
Destroy and Revolution (2011 - 2016)
Taiga of Genesis (2017 - Present)
Muhoutou (2019 - Present)
Supervision of the Berserk continuation

If I'm missing any manga please do mention them. I'm very curious on others who have read these works and have thoughts to share. The availability of these in English through legal purchase is a problem, but please respect the forum rules. Since Mori now works on Berserk it would be nice to also discuss his past manga.

 

[Aazealh]

Having glanced at it throughout the years, I have no particular interest in anything Mori's done, although I am very much looking forward to Mori-chan Ken-chan when he gets to it. That aside, the Suicide Island prequel has concluded, just so you know.

 

[guuuuuuuuts]

Holyland and Suicide Island are both stories built around finding your true self. My understanding from reading these so far is that seeking external validation stems from internal weakness, which corrupts the spirit and drives us to despair. Both manga feel firmly rooted at all times in reality, which is that we are our own worst nemesis. Being happy is simply being focused in the now, calm and collected.

Something else that jumps out at me about Mori is his obsession with physics and mechanics. I find it interesting that he regular interjects his detailed notes and sketches into the work so you can understand exactly what is happening. If you've read Moby Dick, you'll recall a massive section of the book focused on whales. Mori's notes go well beyond simply how to layout your own Bow from scratch or how to hold a sword... Mori also reflects heavily on common mistakes from both amateurs and seasoned professionals. I'm reminded of The Book of Five Rings, because it is very clear that the author has done these things himself.

 

[Imperivm97]

I'm genuinely amazed to see that Mori has been publishing two mangas at the same time since finishing Holyland, it takes quite a lot of energy to do something like this. I'm somewhat interested in his works, but I haven't gotten around any of them yet. Hopefully one day I'll start with one of them, maybe with Holyland since I heard that the protagonist was influenced by Kentaro Miura himself as a person (I'm not sure how accurate or if there's any truth in this statement at all).

 

[guuuuuuuuts]

protagonist was influenced by Kentaro Miura himself as a person

Throughout Holyland, Mori actually references himself within margin notes or even panels. Intense self hatred and suicidal depression, which is balanced by the need to "purify himself through combat". The phrase was something like that. In one margin he describes having disarmed an assailant attacking him with a knife. If his margin notes are to be taken literal the author has been in some serious street brawls. I believe Miura included magazine release notes where he reminisced on being in a restaurant when the idea for Holyland was born...

I've noticed the protagonists of Suicide Island, Holyland, Lawless Island, and Taiga are all people who strongly doubt themselves... until they find themselves in a sink or swim situation. They still might doubt, but none of them have any trouble working so hard that their progress quickly surpasses everyone around them with more natural talents.