Oyaji

In the current media world I always asked myself what is better simplicity or originality? Specifically what I mean with the terms "simplicity" and "originality" is the problems that arises from the way anime and manga or any other entertainment medium has when it comes to this two subjects. For example most new artists tend to come up with original ideas on various subjects like story, characterization, world setting etc but what they lack is the experience to execute such works and they result to cancellation because they cant put up the hype that for example the first chapter created, however there of course are exception of this cases that might actually archive such a feat but still put stylization over actual substance to they works aka Hiro Mashima or Oh Great. On the other hand we have simplicity that might be described in the world of anime/manga best by the so love/hated slice of life genre.
Such series tend to not use original ides but use simple archetypes of stories, characters etc but still archive a big feat by the experience their writers gained and of course the vice versa is possible like the originality case. So why do I mention this two terms? Well that is because I will review a show that combines both originality and simplicity and archives a magnificent work and that is of course Oyaji!!!
First of all don't bother looking at the cover page because it might wrongly put you off the series, actually only look at the synopsis or even better just think about this "After a few years of absence a father returns to his family only to find that his children have become terrible persons" it only needed that to get my interest and yes it was quite worth it but lets get started with the actual review.


The story revolves around the main character Oyaji (in Japanese it means father) who returns to his family after years in prison but unlike the way I thought it would go it started quite strange. What I mean with that? Well Oyaji is manly as hell, he is not talkative, he drinks like there is no day tomorrow and he has muscles I didn't even know existed, well what I mean with the strange beginning isn't the way he is portrayed but all the negatives about him that reversibly to his actual character inspired his family to change. That is the main basis of the plot that goes on trough the whole manga and surprisingly is rather thin when you think about it but manages to be quite good at the same time. Moving on to the other characters...well I would like present them more as the shadow that makes the light even more shine but besides that I wasn't really fond of their characterization precisely because they didn't portray as much as they could have (might be because of the short span of chapters) but besides the main character I really did like his wife that made the story even more heartwarming and heartbreaking than the kids or other side character could have shown, or I might even go further and say it is the stability her character has that is unlike most of the character in this manga that make her so likeable. So how should I start the art paragraph....hmmm...I can only say MANLY!!! Oyaji was written and illustrated by Tsuru Moriyama in the 90s, 80s... I would like to say but no it was published from Jun 30, 2000 to Apr 26, 2001 and uses contrary from its time a rather shonen-ish masculine character design to it that become popular because of Tetsuo Hara and Hirohiko Araki. A lot of people might not like it but it actually makes a fine contrasts between how the people look and how they really are and that is by all means a good way of showing the emotions presented from the outside (outer actions) and the inside (inner thoughts), anyway even if it is a bit unorthodox for today’s manga industry you might give it a chance.
Besides the character design everything was quite alright on the screen toning, background designs etc, although I must admit some scenes are to manly for a lot of people so you might see only black mambas around the waist region so be warned!!!

-Final Verdict-
With only 23 chapters Moriyama Tsuru made a manga worth the little time you might invest into it and by all means I would say it deserves at least to be added in your to read list.

I expected a story of a strong man set in the '90s, where he'd fight against or along the yakuza.

Instead, we are presented a tale of a father that realizes his infinite love for his family, that tries to recover 16 years of absence in one day.
This is not a sequence of pages representing brutal violence. It's a redemption of a man, the realization of a father.

He lost everything, he was abused by his old man, he faced prison. So he grew up as a scar-faced bear sized giant. But after all, we discover his human side, his will to protect the weak and the will to sacrify himself to achieve that.
It's a humane and mundane story, that makes you smile, cheer, cry in only 3 volumes.

The cover is not inviting DO NOT LOOK!

The story, Oyaji, is about a: ‘hardass oldtimer [trying] to make good with his estranged family before it's too late.
At some times completely over the top and highly violent, at others very down to earth.
At all times, manly.’ - Mangaupdates

Again, I repeat: the cover is not inviting DO NOT LOOK!

The plot follows a linear timeline of the day Oyaji comes back to his family, and while we experience what is happening in the present, the plot is peppered with memories of Kumada, Takeshi’s (aka. Oyaji) past and unlike some other rather badly written Manga that uses the same technique: cough, cough, Nijigahara Holograph: you can easily keep up with the fluid and flexible timeline. I’ve got to say that the plot is very realistic; in its prose, in the characters’ emotions and the plot’s development. We see a gradual change of atmosphere surrounding the fearsome character of Oyaji, and the horrific terror that envelopes the man in the beginning of the Manga tones down and mellows by the end of the plot.

The illustrations were very detailed, like hand-cramping, pencil-sharpening, eraser-destroying detailed, I can’t imagine the pain of having to draw Oyaji’s hand let alone his face. Aside from that, the scenery surrounding the characters wasn’t the usual mainstream blank-space-with-random-lines-and-squiggles, you don’t have to guess what you’re ‘supposed’ to be seeing; the illustrator painstaking shows you.

Good job illustrator, it was a pleasure to read the Manga.
Coupled with the illustrations, the characters were nothing but touching in their rude and obnoxious ways (I’m talking about the kids here) but the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the entire cast were obviously extensively thought out and constant. Like you won’t see a character, for example, loving bunnies in one chapter and hating them viciously the next (THAT was a pretty random example): I hope you get what I mean: and because they have such solid personalities, it is so effortless to understand and connect with the family that it just makes the Reader’s experience of reading that much better.

I’m happy to say that although I had my severe doubts about Oyaji (the Manga), I mean I put it off for something like a year! But when I encouraged myself to finally turn that first page (metaphorically speaking) I couldn’t put the book down until the entire series was over and I faced the last page. I’d definitely recommend it to readers who are definitely NOT into mainstream because I can already here the complaints: ‘ohh, what kind of drawings are those?’, ‘Why is Oyaji so scary looking?’, ‘Why are the eyes drawn so realistically? I want them to SPARKLE dammit, this is distasteful!’ and so on and so forth. So if you are willing to IMAGINE and FEEL the plot develop, then hands down this is a must-read but if you want some mindless action and romance: sorry, not for you.

"You will not understand until you are a parent yourself." -Every parent on Earth

That phrase has been around since the dawn of parenting. If you are not a parent or guardian, then it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE for you to fully appreciate the man known as Oyaji (No, having a pet doesn't count. Seriously.) At first glance, you would think, "Oh, this is just another family drama. Nothing new." or "Oh, this is about a badass, manly man." You are very, VERY wrong. This is NOT about how badass you can be. It is NOT a soap opera. This is an artistic portrayal of EVERY loving parent in the world. This is the feeling we all share towards our kids. Oyaji is the embodiment of sacrifice. You will never understand parenting until you have learn to sacrifice for your child, whether it be time, energy or even blood.

This manga utilizes two ways to portray parenthood: The art and the story.
The art is the surface of what people will see and experience day by day. It represents the difficulties, the roughness, the ugliness of raising a child. I once saw countless people berating the author's art style, but perhaps it was the author's intention. Oyaji isn't presented to charm you with flowery art, but lay down bare the reality of life. Both the actions and emotions are exposed. You will see everything. The scrunched up face of a crying mother, the terror of a young man, the joy of a united family, the pride of a father. Hopefully the art doesn't deter you from reading this masterpiece. (Yeah, I said it. It's a masterpiece.) You would regret not reading this, especially if you're a parent or guardian.

Secondly, the story. The story is what we want in the long run. It's moving. It's powerful. It's inspiring. The author doesn't allow the father to be invincible, all knowing nor flawless. Every parent is just like Oyaji. We have flaws and fears. Our worries makes us vulnerable. We hide it and harden ourselves to ease the minds of our children. We all hope that someday, when our kids are old enough to face the world, maybe they can sit down at the table and listen to everything that we've suppressed to not only guide them, but to restore our sanity.

Oyaji is a tragic character. He endured hardships since he was born, but through these hardships, Oyaji, both in childhood and adulthood, have given us a few valuable lessons. My advice will not be the 'be all, end all.' The times will change. The world will change. I might give the wrong advice, my kids probably won't follow my words, or maybe they will be in a situation that I'm not familiar with. But no matter what, they must face their problems with courage. Oyaji has taught me that courage is timeless.

Unconditional love isn't full of kisses, sunshines and rainbows. Sometimes love means you punch someone in the face and wake them up from their delusions, so that they can learn to stand up and face their fears. Sometimes love can be harsh truths rather than comfort lies. Sometimes love means letting yourself become transparent, even just a little, to reach a new understanding. Sometimes love means you have to let go of your children's hands, while other times you chase after them with everything you've got.
Oyaji has taught me that people express love in many ways, but love will always be love.

Years ago, I read and appreciate Oyaji as a man. Now, I've read and respect him as a father.
Please give this a read. I guarantee you that Oyaji will guide you toward a meaningful life, just like the knuckles of his fists.

You don't even have to be a fan of manly series to enjoy this heart warming story.

Oyaji covers the life of "Oyaji" whose returned to his family after several years only to find his children grown into terrible adults. To make up for lost time he reeducates his son & daughter for the family to be together again. This is the gist of the story but is delivered in a very dramatic & in a sad manner.

Throughout the few chapters we see how Oyaji grew to become the man he is today & teaches his children the importance of love & family & will do anything to preserve it.

As a whole this series is a quick read which must be experienced in one sitting. While there are few gritty scenes & explicit dick exposure, the tale contains a very intimate feel with its leading character reminiscing on his past & regrets. The reader can experience how sacred family is to him. At the end of this manga, you may learn a bit about yourself & feel like properly raising a family & cherishing every single moment.

Also if you're a man... you may get those manly tears. T_T

One word:Epic. Not too much character development aside from Oyaji, but what did you expect, its only 25 chapters. Its a great short story, realistic, telling us about the real world, the filth, the worker class people and their everyday struggle to survive. A man who deply loves his family and who would do anything for them, a kindhearted man, that looks like a bear. And with a backround not so healthy, wet, he managed to become a real family man and protector. 10 overall, if someone wants to read a heartwarming story, not romantic shit, but realistic hard life, its it worth spending 2 hours of your life reading this manga.

This manga was recommended to me. At first, I was a bit hesitant in reading this, but when I started to read the first chapter, I was dragged into reading more.

Oyaji is a story about an oyaji (old man/father), a badass oyaji that is. While the cover screams of something gruesome or uninteresting, don't be fooled.

The story is told in almost a linear format. The whole series tells a story of a single night where the oyaji came back home after 10 years of disappearance. There were some flashbacks here and there that speaks of how our characters were from before.

What makes Oyaji stand out from the rest is its drama despite of its initial impressions. We've got yakuzas, blood - lots of 'em, flying body parts, etc. and while those elements are mostly seen in dark, psychological and tragic series, what we got here is a very dramatic and touching experience - something that'll definitely change something within you.

The characters, oyaji and his family, have realistic personalities and experienced realistic events common in Japan's lower society. Each may be annoying at first, but as the pages go by, your love for them will grow. And if you may ask, oyaji is a badass. You'll love every single bit of him regardless of your hate or love for rowdy and violent archetypes.

The artwork is just like in every dark seinen out there. Weird faces and dark tones, it delivers the situation and atmosphere the author wants to. If you are reluctant on seeing those kind of artworks, please, I beg you, just give it a try.

All in all, Oyaji is a series that's very hard to drop by the very moment you read it. It is entertaining, it is emotional, it is badass.