ボドニとあかいユーロセル by 平均律 / HEIKINRITSU

In the latest batch of dōjinshi arrivals, which you can see here (I know, not the most impressive haul ever but I'm afraid it's going to be like that for a while), I also managed to grab a copy of Heikinritsu's most recent product, the mysteriously titled ボドニとあかいユーロセル, aka Bodoni and the Red Eurocel. What could possibily bring together these two Italian (just like me!) inventions, an elegant font and a red (actually more of a neon pink) masking tape? It's Heikinritsu, so there can only be one answer... yes, high concept too. But I meant the shōjo. The shōjo!

Fifteen pages, stapled, fairly solid matte paper, of course full color - which is to say, b&w and red Eurocel. The format, an A5, is actually fairly small compared to other dōjinshi by Heikiritsu, usually a ful A4. This is not particularly bothersome, since his sparse and somewhat abstract style doesn't really suffer from the reduced magnification of the smaller format. Another interesting thing is that, compared again to the rest of his oeuvre, Eurocel has really toned down the verbal aspect: gone are the long blurbs of most of his previous works, and aside from a short afterword, it's all illustrations from top to bottom.

This dōjinshi could be easily seen as a pendant to Parametric as the two have a lot of things in common: they both present a graphical idea, or concept, that remains constant throughout the work; they both completely forsake backgrounds, in favor of an abstract and essential approach that fully focuses on the girl and the concept; and, in both cases, the girls are pretty damn moe. 

Unlike the mathemathically thick processes of Parametric, Bodoni's concept is fairly simple: girls interacting with an array of items, structures and situations created by simply piling up layers of Eurocel on the page. A girl peers through a hole in the tape; a runner bends down on the Eurocel starting line; there is even a girl having to deal with the distressing situation of having her bag explode with pink tape.

The concept, while of course not completely unheard of, is endearing and is carried on consistently thoughout the book: one might not be a sucker for Heikinritsu's style, unlike me, but the man's inventiveness cannot be denied. As already noted in the preceeding Parametric, the drawing skills have also vastly improved: the tract is less sketchy and is now cleaner, anatomy is more consistent, and finally feet are drawn as they should be.

This might not be my favorite Heikiritsu (that honor goes to Alexander Calder's Sweetheart), but pretty damn close. I'm really digging the direction his work is going, and I'm looking forward to what's to come next. Sadly, until he comes out with something new this is also going to be my last Heikinritsu purchase, as everything else by him seems to be unavailable everywhere...