In Tanpenshu volume two, Hiroki Endo passionately explores the many problems and social difficulties that people face, while growing up and while seeking to find their roles in a violent, precarious world. In 'Hang,' a short and steamy science fiction romp, two lovers try to look beyond a twisted, dysfunctional family life to strengthen the ties that bind them together. In other stories, a struggling art student tries to survive an early midlife crisis and his feelings towards high school girls and androids, a young painter with yakuza connections and sick fantasies struggles to balance his personal passions with his family's honor, and the two teenagers in Endo's delightfully perverted 'Boys Don't Cry' vignette lament their shortcomings. Deep, compelling, and brilliantly illustrated, these shocking tales are unflinching glimpses at desperate attempts to find companionship and meaning, and they are delivered with the same detailed illustrations and surprising plot twists found in all of Hiroki Endo's works.
