In The Tales of Hoffmann a man named Hoffmann recalls the three tenets of a prima donna: that which captures the essence of beauty that which captures the essence of the artist and that which captures the essence of the entertainer. He tells the tale of each in the form of a woman who he once loved as a doll a singer and a courtesan. Each represents a facet of a single living woman named Stella whom he is currently in a relationship with. Hoffmanns muse who wants him all to herself can be seen as the side of his psyche which declares that he will dedicate his life to poetry. Stella sees that Hoffmann has chosen his muse over her and leaves him for another man. Please note that I have only seen the 1951 film adaptation and am unsure if other productions of the opera differ. When an author named Mikura meets Barbara in Barbara shes nothing more than a fascination a drunk homeless woman who seems rather wellread. She clearly overstays her welcome yet Mikura never kicks her out. He only snaps when she destroys the woman hes making love with who just so happens to be a mannequin. This is the story of Hoffmann again yet in a much more peculiar and vulgar form. Deep down every human being has a psychotic side Civilized society tames it while morality and the law tie it down. There are some who spend their whole lives never revealing their psychotic sides. But for an artist that would be unbearable. This is Osamu Tezuka at his most chaotic. Inspired equally by Koubou Abes unhinged The Box Mana novel about identity or lack thereof and realityas it is by Hoffmann. There are no punches being pulled here and the chronicles hand has been revealed. By the beginning of this tale Mikura has already dedicated himself to his art. He has already dedicated himself to Barbara. She always returns no matter what and he gradually falls more infatuated with her. However things start to get more absurd when Barbaras own existence comes into question... Tezukas panels are clustered and crowded more than theyve ever been. His imagery is vivid and compact unlike any other work of his. This is a story of evil just as much as it is a story about art and you can feel that black magic throughout every step of the way. His visual storytelling is the highlight of a manga with an exceptionally excellent eclectic narrative. Barbara is like nothing else Ive read or watched. Well except for Makoto Tezukas 2019 movie adaptation with cinematography by Christopher Doyle also great. And Go Nagais 2020 manga remake also also great. If you want to get into Tezuka this probably isnt the best place to start but for more experienced readers I cant recommend it enough.