Faust
is the Stateside release of a McSweeney's
-style Japanese literary journal of short fantastical fiction by young authors for an anime and manga audience. The manga included in the back of the book is flashy and exquisitely drawn but painfully short; this volume is primary a work of prose. An excerpt from an xxxHOLiC
“light novel” (a short genre novel aimed at young adult readers) opens the book; unfortunately, the interesting part of CLAMP's manga is the artwork, and in prose form the story is lacking. The highlight of the book is Otaro Maijo's “Drill Hole in My Brain,” a piece of pop culture–filled, avant-garde pornography written in the style of William S. Burroughs or Mark Leyner. A boy with a screwdriver stuck in his brain narrates a brilliant psychedelic stream-of-consciousness sexual fantasy that takes place inside his head. “F-Sensei's Pocket” is a surprising and delightful story of what happens when the two most hated girls in class come into the possession of several magical items from Doraemon
. The many amusing self-referential nods to the publisher Kodansha and copyright infringement add to the fresh, contemporary feel of the piece. “The Garden of Sinners” excerpt is hindered by a hard-to-follow shifting perspective and a particularly nonsensical philosophy of flying. (Aug.)
