Baptism - Kazuo Umezz
A famous movie actress from the olden days, Izumi Wakakusa has retired at the height of her career, terrified that the make-up she wears will no longer be able to mask the horrible disfigurement that she bears down one side of her face. She leaves the world of cinema and becomes a mother, devoted to her daughter Sakura. In fact, she may even be a little over-protective. We soon find out why.
The only reason Izumi has become a mother is through the urging of a doctor who has proposed a way to help Izumi regain her youth and beauty. When her daughter Sakura is old enough and ready, he will perform a brain swap operation, or not so much a swap as a one-way exchange, since Sakura's brain is surplus to requirements.
That's disturbing enough, but there are other shocks to come in Book 1 alone and problems that Izumi - who we already know is not the most stable mentally - may not have foreseen when placed in the body of a 10 year old girl. The plans she has an an adult are inevitably rather more difficult to achieve when you are in the body of child. And among other young girls, there is more rivalry and plotting than even the brain of a mature woman can handle.
While she has less success convincing the children at school Izumi as Sakura is rather more successful at manipulating adults. In Book 2 Sakura sets her sights on her teacher Tanikawa. Many of the girls in her class have a crush on the handsome teacher who they believe is a bachelor, but only Sakura has the means to pursue her intentions. When she discovers that he is actually married with a child she instigates a reign of terror against Tanikawa's wife.
That much is creatively horrific, but rather more unsettling is the relationship that develops between the teacher and what to all purposes physically is a 10 year old child. There is little that is graphic other than some nudity, but Umezz is very creative in his swirling and variously patterned backgrounds that express the somewhat disturbing twisted nature of what goes on between them. I can't say I felt entirely comfortable with the ideas or the execution - and I'm not sure an English language publisher would be happy with the content - but if the intention is purely to unsettle, it very much does that.
Without wanting to give away too much about what takes place in Books 3 and 4, Izumi/Sakura's plans start to unravel when a familiar facial scarring starts to re-appear on her face, so she is going to need another host body for her brain! Book 3 also provides a little more backstory on Izumi's background as a precocious child star (even working with Yasujiro Ozu!) and her first encounter with the doctor. I won't discuss vol 3 and 4 in any greater detail other then Umezz sustains the terror and suspense without going overboard, except for shock effect.
Throughout, what is truly terrific about Baptism is that - like the initial premise of the brain swap - you keep thinking that there is no way he is going to go through with this bizarre and unsettling idea, but he does. If he didn't of course, there wouldn't be much of a horror story. But it's all about the balance, not hitting you with horror after horror - as Junji Ito might for example - but taking the time to pace the drama, build up to the next unexpected situation and then totally surprise you time after time right through to the unexpected conclusion.
Reading notes: Baptism by Kazuo Umezz (Umezu) is published across four pocket-size volumes in French language editions by Glénat.
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