Insufficient Direction: Hideaki Anno X Moyoco Anno

Moyoco Anno is one of the most significant female manga-ka out there today, delivering hit after hit for an older female demographic, as well as a significant hit state-side for younger audiences in "Sugar Sugar Rune." She is married to Hideaki Anno, who is arguably the most important living anime director, having crafted not only the classics "GunBuster" and "Nadia," but the monolithic piece which redefined anime as we know it, "Neon Genesis Evangelion." As Moyoco was not an otaku before marrying Hideaki in 2002, she slowly found herself being sucked into his lifestyle, just as he found himself becoming more accustomed to "normal" life. Drawn in a very loose, silly style, "Insufficient Direction" tells their story in a very intimate, entertaining way, even if some of the humor is lost in translation."Rompers" (Moyoco's baby-esque caricature of herself) is a successful manga-ka who finds herself getting married to "Director-kun" (a pot-bellied version of Hideaki,) and in the process gets thrown into a culture clash of sorts. Her husband's introverted, obsessive nature becomes painfully aware as he plans living spaces around his figurine collection, or forgets to bathe for days at a time while continuing to wear the same clothes. On the same token, she gets reminded of her past passion for tokusatsu and old-school mech anime. Both of them go through their day to day life, taking care of each other when they get sick, looking for houses, going on vacation, and other things.That description doesn't belay how downright inaccessible to a mainstream Western audience "Insufficient Direction" is at its very core, though. Every page is chock full of oblique anime references, and the assumption that the reader is versed not only in Japanese language and culture, but in otaku culture as well. But the term "otaku" doesn't apply to just anime and manga here; true to its meaning, the word is applied to Director-kun's enthusiasm for tokusatsu and even different types of trains. Vertical was very, very wise in including an extensive glossary with this release, as even though I was able to catch on to a healthy amount of references here, most will need some context for what takes place here.On top of the core manga, which is very sincere and sweet, not to mention funny, there's a fascinating short essay by Hideaki Anno himself, musing on the book, his wife, and otaku culture as a whole. It is this essay that's almost worth the entire asking price of the book for "Evangelion" fans, as it is deeply informative and intriguing. His love for his wife, as well as his past struggles with depression and addictive tendencies, not to mention his no-holds-barred opinion on the problematic otaku culture, comes through clearly here. For a man that helped shape the industry as we know it today, Anno rarely makes a lot of public proclamations, and to hear his thoughts straight from the horse's mouth is something very special."Insufficient Direction" can be confusing at times, but ultimately, it's well worth reading. Very few manga of this nature get translated, let alone published by a major company like Vertical. Moyoco Anno's love for her husband and for her life in general comes through in this very intimate work, and for any "Evangelion" fan, or those interested in Japanese pop culture, it's a must-read. If you don't know much or don't care about those two things, well, this may not be the book for you. But then, it wasn't made for you, anyway.Grade: B

I’m amazed that Insufficient Direction made it into the translated English market, because it is SO geeky. Sure, lots of readers will identify with the idea of a nerd couple sharing their passions, but the specific references will be unknown to all but the most devout anime fans. (Although I was quite surprised by an early mention of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp — that 1970 TV show for kids featuring dubbed monkeys indicates the level of obscurity prized here.)There are plenty of endnotes, though, explaining the references. At times, I was overwhelmed; I found it difficult to focus on the universalities, like arguing over how much space to dedicate to statues of cartoon characters, because of all the specifics I’d never heard of. An argument can be made that the details are unnecessary, but I got the impression that they were such fans that the references were carefully chosen, so I did feel a bit left out, not understanding the subtleties of their enthusiasms. The lesson, I suppose, is that there are always people geekier than you are. And that plays into the specific relationship on display here.The chapters are short, six-page episodes in which Rompers (the woman, a 30-year-old manga artist, drawn as a baby, an odd choice) shows how she and her husband, an anime director (drawn as an adult man), conduct their activities, which range from shopping for wedding attire to taking care of each other when they’re sick. They go outside to get some needed fresh air and try to lose weight and debate how often one should bathe (a particularly nerdy stereotype). Their couple-dom is the attractive part of the book, as most people in relationships can relate to the everyday squabbles and concerns.I was a little put off by how throughout Rompers is insecure about whether she’s enough of a nerd to be a good otaku wife. She clearly knows a ton about this stuff, so his early statement that he wants “to spend the rest of my life educating you as an otaku” plays into all those horrible stereotypes of how geek girls aren’t really geeky enough. It seems to me that this series may have been sold on his fame, as director of Neon Genesis Evangelion, so perhaps that’s why he’s treated as the star and she’s portrayed as more of an acolyte or apprentice to his geekiness. She also, at one point, talks about trying to pretend to be “normal”, while he seems to have embraced his otaku-ness more wholeheartedly.The art is simpler than in Anno’s other books, Happy Mania and Sakuran, as suits what’s more of a gag manga. The characters, particularly Rompers, who has line spirals instead of eyes, are caricatures, which helps emphasize that this is an exaggeration of their lives played for comedy and fan entertainment. The book also includes a bio for Hideaki Anno, as well as 30 (!) pages of annotations and a charming essay by him on his thoughts on his wife’s manga. (Review originally posted at ComicsWorthReading.com.)

I like Moyocco Anno's work. When I was starting college, her manga Happy Mania and Flowers and Bees spoke to me as a young person with increasing responsibility and autonomy. They are stories of imperfect people searching for their own path in life.Now I am in my late 20's and married to a gamer, and her work speaks to me again. It is a series of vignettes, almost like a diary covering the minutiae of cohabiting with another person. I can say that this probably would not have interested me at the time I was reading Happy Mania, but I enjoy it now.Also, this book includes a set of notes in the back explaining the assorted anime/manga references, This was a good move, as the book would be somewhat tough to read without a detailed knowledge of anime/manga/television as far back as the 1970s.

If you are a fan of Moyoko Anno, then you'll probably enjoy this.If you are a fan of Hideaki Anno, then you'll probably enjoy this.Considered in isolation, without prior knowledge of either its author (Moyoko) or its subject (Hideaki), this book might be entirely worthless, lol.In my opinion, tho', that's a good thing. I love how hyper-specific this book is, and if you are a [fill in the blank] as above, then you probably will too.In Japan, I think both Annos are towering figures of popular culture, but they are not necessarily so well known here in the US.I am so grateful to Vertical for translating and publishing this. It's a spectacular oddity.

Very comical retelling of the early married life of Moyoco and Hideaki Anno as Moyoco comes to terms with the reality of lying with her new Otaku husband. Recommended for anyone interested in Hideaki Anno and his work.

I have to be honest I wasn't really sure what I was getting in to and I might not exactly be the audience for this one. I'm a huge fan of Hideaki Anno but I had never read any of his wife's works so I'll tell you this right now : if you wanted to read any accounts about the production histories of Hideaki Anno's works (kind of like Gundam Ryusei) this manga features absolutely none of that. Instead it's a comedy manga about fictionalized versions of Moyoco Anno and Hideaki Anno and their marital life. While I do think this manga is funny the humor is very Japanese in that it's very absurdist and non-sequetorial and full of pop culture references that require somewhat large knowledge of anime and tokusatsu, especially from the 80s, in fact this release has a section in the back that's several pages worth of culture notes explaining the references. I don't mind this work but I wouldn't be surprised if some people stumbled upon it and ended up baffled by it and didn't enjoy it. This is a very niche title but it's intended audience would probably enjoy it.

I enjoyed this insight into the daily lives of anime director Hideaki Anno and manga artist Moyoco Anno. The drawing is raw and not overly-affected, making it a nice antidote to all the polished manga that I can't tell the difference between. There are helpful explanations of otaku culture references that, even though I didn't read, I appreciated.

If you're a fan of Hideaki Anno, this is perhaps the greatest English language resource to the man as a person. Written and illustrated by his wife, it chronicles her journey in becoming the wife of "Japan's biggest otaku." It gives a lot of insight into what kind of person he is beyond his own works.If you're not too familiar with some classic anime or even Hideaki Anno, then this book is pretty much useless. It's riddled with references to shows that would go over the head of your average modern anime fan. However, if you're a well-read anime & Anno fan, this is the ultimate book for you.

Ce manga suit le célèbre couple Anno. Moyco Anno voudrait être une parfaite "Ota-wife" tout en gardant un semblant de dignité. Son époux réussira-t-il à la faire basculer du côté obscur de la force? Un manga qui offre un regard tendre et à se tordre de rire sur la vie de couple.