futanaridickriders:

Despite being a really big fan of Natsume Ono in general, Not Simple is probably the one work of hers that does something kind of ambitious but falls short. By no means does it make the novel any lesser than it actually is, but the way it is marketed prepares the reader for a very specific novel, one that perhaps wishes to systematically dismantle the way melodrama is portrayed in our popular culture and create something that is at least innovative and refreshing to read, but that never really happens. It is very non-traditional in the overall framing narrative, but one is never lead to any new questions or patterns of thought.

The narrative elements present are not, if I could borrow a linguistics term here, synecdochical of a frame story. They are non-mutable in such a way that if the framework of the story were to shift (from perspective as there is a supposed dual perspective that is supposed to be present in Not Simple. These perspectives belong to Ian and Jim), there would be no compelling reason to question their validity. Essentially, when you are reading Ian’s story (which Jim is writing about) you don’t really question whether Jim embellished anything or fucked with Ian’s life for the sake of telling a good story. Really, the only time the reader is fully present, entirely manifest in the mind of Jim is at the beginning, and you never really return to that view. Everything from that point is all about Ian’s journey. You do see different parts of Ian’s life from different characters (his sister, Jim, and others), but these perspectives are congruent, and do not spark controversy. 

Since this a graphic novel, it’s really hard to figure out exactly who’s skin you’re currently in. Often times the writer will resolve that using text boxes that indicate an arching, narrative voice. That’s not present in Not Simple, and I think the novel actually does well without it. It is just that I feel kind of desperate for some indicator that this novel is what the book jacket advertises. 

There’s a really compelling story present here and the way it’s presented is by no means traditional. It is just that the story of Ian is so intricate and full of depth that it is hard to take any of Jim’s claims of it being “unbelievable” seriously. Maybe that’s the joke and I’m just not getting it; Human life in its more memorable, or meaningful, tends to border on our expectations of what is “real” or not. Ian’s story is fantastic, and it’s one that reveals itself in a way that the cliches involved shed their predictable shell and become unconventional, yet it is often the fact that they are still cliches and are kind of forced that really hampers Not Simple. I think Ono does an excellent job with her characters, and if I had to say anything about it in terms of it being a “non-traditional” piece is that it’s kind of a post-modern character study that forces the reader to question his or her own scale of judgment, but it doesn’t seem to be too intent on specifically fulfilling this purpose as it is focused on telling a really compelling story.