You Will Relate to This Quirky “Houme-Houme” Manga and Learn the Power of Compliments!

“Her eyes look like an elephant.

She works fast and lean, like a sushi shop that doesn’t rotate.

She looks like a very skillful grandmother, so cool!

She’s like a charismatic school lunchroom keeper.”

Are these really compliments?

The “praise” language of the character Bando-san, who appears in the manga “Hommage Hito, Hommage Narukeru Hito,” is amazing.

The main character, Eiko Ichikawa, 25 years old, is a clerk who is praised. One day at work, she says, “I want to be praised,” and expresses her true feelings. When her boss, Mr. Bando, hears this, she begins her days of rage, receiving “amazing” compliments like the one at the beginning of the text.

The film is full of all kinds of compliments that will make the reader ask, “Why did he use that kind of metaphor?”

Why do you think that such a “peculiar” compliment manga was created? Is the author of “Houme Houme”, Takeshi Nozomu, a person who does such compliments or a person who wants to be praised?

 

“I don’t have the desire to be praised that much. Then why did I decide to draw a manga with the theme of “praise”? I want to be praised more!

I was shocked and thought, “Is that how everyone is?” I was shocked, but on the other hand, I thought it was interesting that he said it so honestly. He said, “When you become a member of society, you don’t have many opportunities to receive compliments. Especially when it comes to work, people take it for granted that you are good at what you do. That’s true, but sometimes it’s hard. So, I want to be praised more properly.

I had no desire to be praised, but I was convinced that such feelings of wanting to be rewarded and to have my efforts recognized made sense to me, and since I had worked as an office worker, I could relate to it when I looked back on those days and thought, “Indeed!”

From there, I came up with a story that depicts the interaction between two people, one who praises and one who is praised.”

The story was published on the web manga app “Palcy” and was well received, and the story was serialized without a hitch. The response after reading the series was great, with comments such as, “It’s funny and kind of healing,” and “I was depressed at work, but after reading it, I feel better.”

Mr. Bakeda, who originally specializes in comedy and whose sense of gag is so great that even his editor fell in love with him, wonders how he comes up with the words of praise that Mr. Bando uses in his works.

“I usually think of them and collect them, but my editor has also created a “Compliment Words Book,” which has been a great help to me. The “Sasane, Nebuta Festival!” that appeared in the work. It’s like the worldview of Basho’s haiku. Whenever he comes up with such apt metaphors, he writes them down and shares them with me.

What I also pay attention to is the way Mr. Bando “praises” Ms. Ichikawa. I work very hard with the person in charge to make sure that the praise is phrased in a way that is funny and a little off, but in no way disrespectful to Ms. Ichikawa, and that it is 100% sincere.”

Mr. Bando’s way of giving compliments is certainly peculiar, but he is able to say this because he is always observing Ms. Ichikawa’s attentiveness and politeness in his work. In addition to the quirky compliments, he also says “Thank you for all your hard work” and “You’ve been very helpful.

Even if you are not a working person, you can relate to Ichikawa’s feelings of “I am glad that someone sees my efforts,” “I feel positive,” and “I can try my best again tomorrow.”

 

“I think it is difficult to convey feelings, as is the case with praising others.

Even if I have noticed the ‘good points’ of a person and thought ‘that’s good’ or ‘that’s great,’ I sometimes feel a little shy about saying it out loud. When should I say it? What if they take it the wrong way?” Like Ms. Ichikawa and Mr. Yoshida in the manga, I think we sometimes worry about this.

But I want to be honest and say out loud what I want to say, such as “Thank you” or “You are always really helpful. I have come to think that way more than ever while drawing this manga.

I feel that the people around me have always helped me and that I have made it this far, so I put that kind of gratitude into my work as well.”

In “Hommage Hito, Hommage Narukeru Hito“, unique compliments fly about. What is depicted in the work is a straightforward and sincere desire to express gratitude to others.

If there is someone close to you who says, “I feel a sense of security as if I am being watched over by a strong lifesaver,” it will be the first place you would look. This work is full of “true compliments,” not flattery, and is a must-see.

Eiko Ichikawa, a clerk who works at a toy company, wants to be praised. She was asked by her boss, Mr. Bando, about her soliloquy, which led to the start of her days receiving a lot of compliments. Her boss has a strong habit of giving compliments!　Odd but soothing. A heartwarming workplace comedy!

Click here to purchase volumes 1-2 of “Hommage Hito, Hommage Narukeru Hito” (hereafter referred to as “Hommage Hito, Hommage Narukeru Hito“).

To read the serialization on “palcy”, click here.