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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

May 3, 2009 by MJ 19 Comments

Off*Beat, Volumes 1 & 2

Off*Beat, Vols. 1 & 2 | By Jen Lee Quick | Published by Tokyopop

offbeat
Buy This Book

Christopher “Tory” Blake is a genius teenager in Queens, unchallenged in school, damaged by his absent father’s failures, and living with his well-meaning mom who worries that she gives her son too much freedom for his own good. After his parents’ break-up, Tory began keeping meticulous diaries of every detail in his life, minute-to-minute, including everyone and everything around him, which he keeps in file boxes in his closet. It is this extreme attention to detail that causes him to notice and latch on to new kid on the block, Colin, who very obviously (to Tory) is more than he seems.

As Tory’s attention becomes fixed on Colin, he goes as far as getting his mom to let him transfer to Colin’s school in order to record as much information on him as possible, and while he does discover evidence that Colin and his guardian are involved in a top-secret scientific project, more importantly, it is clear that he is falling in love. Tory eventually manipulates a teacher at school into setting it up so that he can tutor Colin in physics and the two begin to form a friendship, but Tory’s secret is soon discovered, dooming their relationship before it can even get started.

I was inspired to pick up OEL manga Off*Beat by Isaac Hale’s post at Manga Recon, Please Save Off*Beat, and now that I’ve read it I’m ready to join his campaign. The story is both fascinating and sweet, the characters likewise, and coming to the end of the second volume to face the reality that there may very well be no more is like a dagger to the heart.

Tory is a fantastic character, so vulnerable under all his genius, and just on the brink of coming to terms with his sexuality and the real reason he has become so obsessed with Colin. His meticulous record-keeping is honestly heartbreaking when put together with the reasons behind it, and his loneliness is palpable. Despite his keen powers of observation, there are truths about himself that everyone can see but him. He’s poignant, likable, and easily earns the title of Cutest Stalker Ever.

Much less transparent, Colin is equally as intriguing as Tory and far more self-aware. With the series stalled where it is, it’s hard to know what his true feelings are, and his choices and actions are often unexpected. There is so much to this kid and just like Tory, we’re so close to discovering it. He says to Tory late in volume two, “I guess I was just disappointed in how little you really found out.” That goes double for us!

There are other great characters in this comic as well, including Tory’s neighbor, Paul, who hangs around their apartment mooching meals and reluctantly helping Tory on his quest for information about Colin; Tory’s mom, who tries so hard and realizes that her son’s brilliance doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a kid; and classmate Mandy who finds she enjoys the company of two nerdy boys despite her friends’ disapproval and who notices more about them than they do about themselves.

The story’s art is nicely original, obviously influenced by manga but with a strong sense of the artist’s own sensibility as well which really works for its setting. Off*Beat‘s Queens really feels like Queens, down to the small neighborhood details and Tory’s awkward commute to school. The characters feel nicely in-place as well, and the artist captures her emotionally guarded teens and their layered expression perfectly.

Everything about this comic is a winner–the intriguing plot line, the wonderfully rich characters, the unique, expressive artwork, the subtle treatment of a gay teen’s sexual awakening that is refreshingly not played up or made “sexy” to please its female audience–and the fact that it languishes in cancellation limbo is honestly heartbreaking. This is a comic I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone. It truly deserves to be read.

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Filed Under: MANGA REVIEWS Tagged With: manga, off*beat

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Grace says

    May 3, 2009 at 7:56 pm

    Wow, yeah, that’s really too bad. It sounds like something I might actually enjoy, but I don’t want to read it if it’s unfinished and likely to stay that way. :-/

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      May 3, 2009 at 7:58 pm

      What’s incredibly tragic is, if wikipedia can be believed, there was only meant to be one more volume. Just one more! *snif*

      Reply
      • NarwhalTortellini says

        May 4, 2009 at 4:41 am

        Yes, one more! T_T And you know what’s worse? I was following Jen’s DA account, and if I remember right, she’d finished the last volume (script and art and all) before the hiatus. It was all just there, waiting to be printed and released. I wish they could at lest put it online like they said they would with some of the other OEL… At first I was much more hoping to wait it out for a hard copy, but after a while one starts wondering how long an “indefinite hiatus” can last…

        Nonetheless. YAY for more Off*Beat love on the internets!! <3

        Reply
  2. Grace says

    May 3, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    Gah! Yeah, that’s really frustrating. :-/

    And probably Tokyo Pop’s contracts mean the author could never release the final volume on her own (on the web, etc.) even if she wanted to.

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      May 3, 2009 at 8:42 pm

      I’m not sure what the situation is, or even if it has been officially canceled (I think not) but I bet you are right about the contract.

      Reply
  3. Danielle Leigh says

    May 3, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    how nice, I loved this series but will always long for the thoughtful conclusion I always knew the creator was capable of writing. *sigh*

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      May 3, 2009 at 8:42 pm

      I feel sort of bad recommending it when I know I’m just putting others in the same position, but it’s *so* good!

      Reply
  4. Zoey says

    May 4, 2009 at 2:16 pm

    Aaaah I love this series. I was completely heartbroken when I heard the final volume was as good as cancelled. It’s one of the very best of Tokyopop’s OEL projects, I sincerely hope she at least gets the chance to publish it elsewhere.

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      May 4, 2009 at 2:25 pm

      I’m hearing that there’s *some* chance the final volume could get posted on TP’s website, since it was completed before the hiatus? I’m hopeful we’ll at least get that!

      Reply
      • Zoey says

        May 4, 2009 at 2:33 pm

        I don’t know that they’d ever get around to it as they seem to not being doing well… There is that little flicker of hope but they said they would do that years and years ago.

        Reply
        • Melinda Beasi says

          May 4, 2009 at 2:35 pm

          Yes, I suppose it might be too much to keep hoping now… I really want to hope, though. :)

          Reply
  5. Zoey says

    May 4, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    Haha me too, I guess I just think it’s more likely she’ll find some way to publish it elsewhere.

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      June 1, 2009 at 11:50 am

      I don’t know how much right she has to that, but I hope so!

      Reply
  6. Isaac Hale says

    May 31, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Thanks for the reference Melinda! Nice review! Great series, no? Nice observation on Colin’s volume 2 line. God I want this series to come back!

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      June 1, 2009 at 11:50 am

      Yes, wonderful series! I can’t decide if I love you or hate you for getting me into something that probably won’t be finished! :D

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Manga Bookshelf | 3 Things Thursday: TOKYOPOP says:
    March 3, 2011 at 8:37 pm

    […] my review: “Everything about this comic is a winner–the intriguing plot line, the wonderfully rich […]

    Reply
  2. Manga Bookshelf | 3 Things Thursday: Miracle Comics says:
    November 8, 2012 at 4:58 pm

    […] thanks to a plea from my former PopCultureShock colleague, Isaac Hale, and followed that up with a plea of my own. Though contractual issues hung up many of the Tokyopop writers from carrying on with their series […]

    Reply
  3. Manga Bookshelf | 3 Things Thursday: Newsworthy says:
    April 4, 2013 at 8:36 am

    […] you’re wondering what I’m raving about, check out my review of the first two volumes here at Manga […]

    Reply
  4. Manga Bookshelf | Off the Shelf: Cats, Rats, & First Love says:
    July 27, 2013 at 1:57 pm

    […] read the first two volumes of Off*Beat late, in 2009, and immediately fell in love, but as the years flew by, it seemed less and less likely that we’d ever get to see its final […]

    Reply


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