The Last Cruise – Vol. 1 Ch. 1

New series – Saigo no Yuuransen/The Last Cruise by Sugimura Shinichi First Chapter released [17/01/2021]

Synopsis: After becoming the target of an internet witch hunt, and with a fast approaching deadline for her new script, writer Youko Kojiri flees to her hometown. But on the cruise connecting the lake’s piers, many loops and turns are awaiting her.

move all the boring details to the beginning to the story, that’s when the audience’s patience is at it’s highest

sums up the first chapter of this series. It sets up the main character’s circumstances, her reasons for running away, and the introduction of the cruise ship and it’s captain. While I’m personally not a fan of the art style, which looks “frazzled” to me, I am curious to see how the story advances and the relationships with the captain/other characters and what happens on the cruise.

While she may have ended up in the same place she started physically, she had a fateful meeting with the captain and was inspired by him to create a script set in a cruiseferry. It’s journey, not the destination that matters. 🙂

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The most surprising part to me was the english song that the author himself included in the manga, The End of the World by Skeeter Davis. Didn’t even recognise the song the first time but was pretty excited when belt pointed it out. Old, boomer adult standard music is one of my favourite genres and was surprised to think that it was famous enough that the author decided to input it in the manga. These old songs are straightforward, the singers have amazing voices and talent and never fails to make me feel melancholic and gives me moments of introspection.

Anyways, this song is a great choice for the situation, where she is attacked by the internet, she feels she lost everything, ran away to home to find out everything is the same as it was. She is free from the internet harassment and everything she wants to escape from.

Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
'Cause you don't love me any more

Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do the stars glow above?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when I lost your love

I wake-up in the morning, and I wonder
Why everything's the same as it was
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
How life goes on the way it does

Why does my heart go on beating?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said, "Good-bye"

Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
(Why do these eyes of mine cry?)
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said, "Good-bye"

While the song is about heartbreak, I’m sure the feeling of loss and sadness is relatable to most people. Most of the time when you feel like you have lost everthing! It’s the end of the world as she puts it, life simply goes on. The earth continues spinning and everyone continues their life. Just think about how insignificant your putrid, worthless little shitty life is in the grand scale of things. Think about how big, how old the universe is and then think about your worthless life in comparison. Not sure where I’m heading with this but I remember having some bleak thoughts the other day when I was listening to this song in the car while it was raining which I can’t recall and put into words. Consider yourself spared from the ramblings. Anways this song is great for introspection. What do you want to do in life?

If I may humbly suggest another boomer song, one of my favourites, so mysterious and psychedelic but yet you get drawn in by the vocals and instruments, Dolphins by Fred Neil.

This old world aint never change the way it's been
And all the ways of war can't change it back again
I've been a-searchin' for the dolphins in the sea
And sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me

I'm not the one to tell this old world how to get along
I only know that peace will come when all hate is gone
I've been a-searchin' for the dolphins in the sea
And sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me.

Oh, sometimes I think about Saturday's child

And all about the times when we were running wild
I've been a-searching for the dolphins in the sea
And sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me
Ah, this old world aint ever change
This world may never change
This world may never change

A great song but even greater is finding out that Fred Neil, despite his success, actually left the music industry to work with dolphins. I think it’s a beautiful song that illustrates his longing for the dolphins, which seemed like a metaphor at first (the dolphins certainly can be metaphors for us however). He wanted to escape to pursue his own passion for dolphins. Anyways I suggested this song since it was similar to the main character’s situation; what with her running away and escaping from everything that haunts her which honestly seems like an unattainable dream in this world. Just like the main character, I just want to run away from everything, I don’t wanna think about my future, I’m tired of school and what’s to come. I just wanna sleeep. But what can I do? I’m on a set trajectory here, study, get good grades, get into university and get a good job, work until you retire and then slowly waste your days until you die. And all the while I desperately try to distract myself with hobbies and entertainment that quickly lose their flame. I admire Fred Neil and his song. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I just want to search for the dolphins in the sea.

Back to the today’s cancel culture which haunts the main character, really reminds me of the superficiality and toxicity of the internet sometimes. People will attack you behind a screen and can destroy your life with just words and go on living their lives without a care in the world. I guess that’s why she wants to escape from everything and go back to home. Yes, home, family, truly the only people who will have your back no matter what. But, well, after celebrating an uncle’s birthday party today, in the company of my family, I felt more alone than ever and everything felt…superficial. The mask of a happy family fades when time is actually spent together, until you really realize how surface-level these relationships are. Maybe it’s just my experience but I don’t feel a single ounce of attachment to my family and I feel guilty. I remember going down to the void deck and playing with my cousin but I can’t even remember when that stopped being a thing. Everyone just staring at the television watching a movie or staring at their phones. Not that I’m saying I’m any better, this detachment from my relatives, I don’t think I can handle a proper conversation with them other than the usual surface level how are you doing, how are your results, you better work hard bullshit that I’ve been hearing since i was a child. It felt superficial, fake. Not any better than the superficiality of the internet strangers.

Soul, TL: Heyhey, I still wonder why no one bothered scanlating much of Sugimura Shinichi. His series are a bit weird and his artstyle is definitely not for everyone I assume. Still, Yuuransen is a fun read with every chapter being entertaining in its own way. It’s also fun to translate, probably the main reason why I like to work on this series.

Also, yes, for anyone wondering, he did catch my attention with his Manben Neo episode. Am I easy to influence? Yes, but also, I don’t regret it. Watch Manben, it’s an amazing series about some great mangaka. Just a shame it never gets much international attention. Maybe Hotel California will be a thing too one day. Who knows.

Thanks to Soul, Stardust, Belteshazzar and Darkfire for their work.

Smell ya next chapter