Red Colored Elegy is a classic work in Japanese 1970s manga, notable for its experimentation and significant shifts back and forth in terms of art styles throughout. This is one of those books that you can appreciate from that perspective, even if the storyline gets muddled along the way, and not much actually seems to happen. Protagonists Ichiro and Sachiko are a couple in their early 20s who are riddled with angst and struggling in their work, family lives and relationships. I didn't find myself particularly drawn to their story but appreciated the risks Hayashi took in telling it, and particularly the interludes of more detailed line drawing work of scenery, close-ups of hands, and more.