Kusama Sakae: Spirit of First Love

This is a very early work of Kusama’s and you can tell. Originally released in 2004, her rough-hewn, yet graceful style was only roughhewn. Great strides in refinement were made from one year to the next; the evidence of which can be seen in Irome, a title that was published the following year.

Story-wise, although her “world of two” way of writing was even apparent this early on, her ability to pull us in to quietly spectate seems to be jejune in it’s application here. This, of course, is not a negative, but rather a warning of sorts. I like to think of Spirits of First Love as an aperitif, something just to whet your whistle as you look forward to her more polished works.

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