The Essence of Being a Muse, Vol. 3

ミューズの真髄 [Myūzu no Shinzui] #3

by Aya Fumino

Miyuu hopes she can turn her life around with a new look and personality—an “updated” version of herself that eerily resembles Tsukioka. But as she revisits her student days, t ackles the art school entran ce exam with a style that is not entirely her own, and runs into Tsukioka, Miyuu’s newfound confidence begins to crumble. That is, un til she receives an alarming phone call…Will Miyuu finally be able to discover her true self and get into the university of her dreams, or will her new muse lead her astray?

Genres: Manga

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[Othy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an utterly amazing piece of art. I feel privileged to be able to read it. I come to the manga as an artist myself, but also as a Christian. And while I see all things through these two lenses, I did not expect my Christianity to be so explicitly engaged. Fumino understands something very essential about creating art and Christianity, indeed one of the places where both intersect and one of the reasons I am drawn to both: the utterly true and the thrivingly alive that is found in the death of the self. The world becomes transfigured through a death here, even as life continues to draw Miyuu deeper into who she is. Her mother also comes to such a beautiful, broken grace that I, as a priest, have tried to preach on many a Good Friday - or even just a normal Sunday. I recommend this series to all artists and Christians, especially, and of course all who read manga.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miyuu has found her true self at last. Except it just looks like an off-brand version of Tsukioka, her art teacher. As she begins to transform into something wholly unlike herself, will Miyuu be able to achieve her dreams? And are they hers to begin with?

I’ve got a stigma born of experience with series that wrap up in three volumes (in order to prove my continued pop culture bonafides I will “hilariously” call it the Three Volume Problem). But last volume of this one just killed it, so can it pull off the ending?

Happily, mostly yes. The author’s note for this one makes a lot of sense of the rhythm, in that the mangaka wanted to portray the shojo ideal of attracting people of the opposite sex mixed with the shonen ideal of failing and then becoming amazing.

Which would be almost a little boring, except the real filter on that concept is to then show somebody who is almost there, but continually messes up. Miyuu is woefully, wonderfully, depressingly human and her struggles are as sad as they are hopeful.

We see a lot of the drama with Miyuu from her mother’s point of view and in ways that humanize her a lot more than the story originally did. Miyuu’s struggling with her mental health, but she really makes some unfortunate choices here that nearly cost her so, so much.

The Tsukioka impersonation she has going on is also a recipe for disaster - Miyuu starts to succeed so much, but it’s not from anything she’s creating and more from what she’s imitating. When it finally, quietly, gets called out it is a brutally cringe moment.

This is not a neat story - it has no strictly happy ending and parts of it are actually a little heartbreaking if you’ve ever struggled in a creative space. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t end well, but if you’re expecting it all to work out, you may be surprised.

But surprising is good. There’s a reason many manga have happy endings, but I like the sentiment here and I wish it hung around a bit longer to look at its themes. There’s a lot left on the table, but what we’re served is very fulfilling.

There is a possibility for stories about art to get very navel-gazy at times, honestly, and I like that this normalizes it while still keeping the peculiarities and quirks of the modern artist.

Some of the places this goes to are quite interesting and Miyuu’s childhood flashbacks are the stuff I never find interesting, but her perspective on it and the double standards she sees really brings it to life. The sentiment about the world and art she makes toward the end is one that’ll stay with me for a bit too.

Even just leaving some parts flapping in the breeze makes sense for a story about how messy life can be. There’s meaning to it and, while it doesn’t deliver like the middle volume, it comes to a close I can happily live with.

4 stars - a solid companion to something like Blue Period that deals with the struggle more than the art and makes me hopeful that the three volume format isn’t as doomed as I think.

[Dalle parole a Luly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐ una storia con temi talmente delicati e complessi che forse avrebbe richiesto almeno un altro volume. O forse dare un degno finale a questa storia sarebbe comunque stato impossibile.
Un pugno allo stomaco di emozioni, una storia originale e antica nei manga ma fin troppo vera nella realtà.
Disegni sempre più belli ed espressivi. Edizione gradevolissima della j - pop

[Nicole Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short but sweet manga. If I was to send a message to the author of this book, I'd let her know her writing skills are great and that her conveying of harsh emotions/mental instability were executed beautifully. The metaphors of life to art and vice versa were just chef's kiss. The last page made me smile! Rooting for Miyuu's happiness and success!!

[Hexellent03 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entire series was brilliant, from start to finish. It ended with a bang, with the final entry being the strongest of the trilogy. I cannot wait to see what Aya Fumino might write next--this manga moved me to tears.

[Frrni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this concept of ambiguity that came out as bitter-sweet and hopeful at the end like life full of mysteries, we grive, we yearn, we hope we misstep yet that make us human.

[nocturne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐