The Moon Over the Mountain, by Atsushi Nakajima, illustrated by Nekosuke (Vertical, 56 pages)
The Moon Over the Mountain is the second entry in publisher Kodansha’s “Maiden’s Bookshelf” collection, which presents acclaimed short stories from Japanese literature in illustrated collectible volumes.
First published in 1942, “The Moon Over the Mountain” is the most well-known work by writer Atsushi Nakajima. The story is set in 8th-century China where a ferocious man-eating tiger stalks the roads at night. When a government official decides to take a perilous nighttime journey, he discovers there is more to this mad beast than meets the eye. The story is more introspective than action-packed, delving into emotions and ambitions people would rather keep buried.
The physical book is small, but the cover will draw a potential reader in. There is thoughtful design with some beautiful typography and a good preview of illustrator Nekosuke’s art style. The illustrations have a distinct mood to them with deep reds and blacks, reminiscent of journeys along unlighted roads in the dead of night. When there is contrast, it is in the vibrant hues of nighttime feline eyes. The stark contrast of red and white is a subtle representation of the story’s themes with red as the character’s animal nature versus white as human reason and morality. The human character designs themselves are androgynously delicate with large doll eyes and long flowing hair, and many of the pieces explore the melding of man and beast. They circle around each other like an ouroboros, never fully accepting or rejecting their opposing nature.
Some readers may find themselves confused when reading, thinking the art is an exact representation of the story, trying to match the words and the images together, but it becomes the artist’s interpretation of the themes of the story which may not mesh with what the reader has in mind. In that light, while the tiger is the heart of The Moon Over the Mountain, illustrator Nekosuke seems to have a penchant for cats as many illustrations feature all varieties of domestic cats. As the narrative progresses, it becomes important how the man-eating tiger came to be. The meaning would be different if it were only a common house cat yowling into the night, so having them featured almost feels like a distraction. Also hindering the presentation of the story is the porcelain beauty of the artwork, so detailed and unblemished it almost feels sterile. As the story progresses and the reader learns more about why the tiger prowls the roads at night, the perfection is unable to carry the weight of the character’s anguish.
There is also a layout aspect of the book that divides the writing from the illustrations. Some page spreads are completely devoid of art, and for a book of little more than 50 pages this is noticeable. The pages are not left plain white but are instead in bold colors of black and gold fitting with the tiger theme. This design choice keeps the text impactful, but it still feels like something is missing. The detailed illustrations using different patterns thematically repeat throughout the story, so it would not seem too far off to have some of those patterns run across the empty spreads, tying the text and art together.
Issues aside, what pushes the book into the worth-reading category is the story itself. The closest piece of writing to compare it to would be Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.” The Moon Over the Mountain does not have the grotesque imagery of “The Metamorphosis,” but the human condition presented is equal in ugliness. Both have the existential theme of what it means to fall short of society’s and one’s own expectations of living a meaningful good life. A man-eating tiger is no hero, but in The Moon Over the Mountain he is no villain either.
Scanning through different book marketplaces there does not seem to be a lot of Atsushi Nakajima’s writings circulated in the United States, and rarely does such an out-of-the-way story get such a thoughtful presentation, making this version of The Moon Over the Mountain unique and worth delving into. B
— Bethany Fuss