The Funeral Procession of K

The Funeral Procession of K, or K no Sōretsu, was serialized by Maki Kusumoto in the late 1980s and early 1990s, emerging as a quintessential work of the era’s alternative manga scene. Kusumoto, celebrated for her distinctively elegant and moody aesthetic, crafted this narrative to explore themes of transience and stylized melancholy. It belongs to a period in Japanese manga where creators began to distance themselves from traditional commercial tropes, favoring atmospheric storytelling and a focus on gothic romanticism.

The visual design of the work is noted for its high-contrast, delicate linework and an intentional sense of artifice that reflects the influence of post-punk sensibilities and the fashion-forward artistic climate of Tokyo at the time. Received by critics as a bridge between high-art illustration and narrative manga, the work secured Kusumoto’s reputation as an influential figure for those drawn to a darker, more introspective style of sequential art.