examiner.com

Scanlations & Shipping News

June 9, 2010 by MJ 12 Comments

Happy Humpday everyone! To start the day off, here’s a quick round-up of what’s been going on over the past few days at Examiner.com.

First, a link to my weekly report on what’s shipping to the Boston area this week: What’s new at Comicopia, June 9, 2010. The list includes a number of my favorites, for instance, Very! Very! Sweet, an adorable girls’ manhwa title from Yen Press featuring a teen who’s willing to pose as another teen’s girlfriend (typical romance plot) in exchange for a really nice cat tower (not so typical). Yes, I am that easily pleased. But c’mon. A cat tower. So adorable.

On the more serious side, this week’s haul includes the latest volume of Viz’s Children of the Sea, one of my favorite titles of 2009. To quote from my review:

“Igarashi’s art is absolutely stunning. With an ethereal, …

I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow, Vol. 1

June 3, 2010 by MJ Leave a Comment

I’ll Give it My All… Tomorrow
By Shunju Aono
Published by Viz Media.
Rated T+ (older teen).

Shizuo Ogura is a single dad and low-level salaryman who, at the age of forty, drops out of the workforce to find himself. In actuality, where he “finds” himself is lost, unmotivated, and paralyzed by guilt and an increasing sense of panic. When inspiration finally hits and he announces to his family–his elderly father and teenaged daughter–that he’s decided to become a mangaka, the news is not terribly well-received.

Determined to prove himself, Shizuo digs in enthusiastically, despite a lack of any previous ambition or experience in the field. Unfortunately, his resolve fades quickly under the pressures of everyday life, eventually becoming part of an endless pattern of grand declarations, chronic procrastination, and unfulfilled promises, both to himself and to his family.

This series is technically a comedy, but it has a firm grasp on several unpleasant truths that are just too real to laugh at for anyone who has experienced this kind of profound loss of confidence at an age many would consider to be too late for a fresh start. Furthermore, Shizuo’s life lends itself to a series of humiliations, beginning just pages in when he runs into his teenaged daughter at a massage parlor (she’s working, he’s just finished being, uh, serviced) and going downhill from there. Though he’s moderately likable, Shizuo’s persistent inability to improve his circumstances is painful to watch, and it’s difficult to imagine how the series will remain readable if something doesn’t change pretty shortly into its next volume.

That said, volume one is genuinely funny and often insightful, especially when portraying Shizuo’s strained relationship with his daughter, who finally lets out some of her frustration with him near the end. “What would you do if I got published?” Shizuo asks her, after a volume’s worth of progressively pathetic starts and stops. “I really don’t know,” she responds. “So get published and we’ll find out.”

Aono draws Shizuo in a style that should feel cartoonish and exaggerated, but doesn’t. Shizuo’s hunched shoulders, awkward posture, and oversized head ably represent the epic torpidity of his character in both sickening and sympathetic terms, stopping just short of caricature. As a result, Shizuo exists in a sort of amplified reality that is both uncomfortable to accept and too real to ignore.

Whether providing a cynical chuckle or hitting just a bit too close to home, I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow is a surprisingly compelling read.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Examiner.com.

Manga: who’s buying?

May 27, 2010 by MJ Leave a Comment

That’s the question I ask today at Examiner.com. In the midst of the manga blogosphere’s recent (understandable) doom and gloom, it seems like everyone’s talking about who’s not buying manga, but few are talking about who is.

Watch as I muse on current events, treat anecdotal evidence as scientific theory, and misspell the name of Boston’s only serious manga seller! Whee?

In all seriousness, though, I do think there’s some truth in my (tentative) assertion that adults are buying manga. From Viz’s new commitment to its SigIKKI line to Vertical’s wealth of new licenses, what’s clear to me is that though publishers are staying cautious, they’re not backing off. My “to be reviewed” stack has more seinen (and even josei) in it than I would have imagined just a year ago. So what does this mean? Check out my post and let me know what you think!

New at Examiner.com

May 24, 2010 by MJ Leave a Comment

Here’s a quick post to let you know what’s new so far this week from your Boston Manga Examiner.

On Monday, I posted my (now) weekly rundown on weekend manga talk from local bloggers, Latest links from local manga critics, featuring items such as Kate Dacey’s intro to To Terra for this month’s Manga Moveable Feast, the Good Comics for Kids smackdown of DC Comics, and Katherine Hanson’s new review of unlicensed yuri series, Otsu Hiyori’s Mizu-iro Cinema.

Look for my contribution to the To Terra celebration here at Manga Bookshelf sometime over the next couple of days.

Next, a short commentary on the current state of classic shojo from North American publishers, The plight of classic shojo, inspired both by disappointing losses via the shutdown of CMX and exciting recent licenses from DMP and Fantagraphics. …

This week at Examiner.com

May 19, 2010 by MJ Leave a Comment

Though we’ve barely cleared hump day, it’s been an eventful week already for my new gig at Examiner.com.

Monday began with a round-up of weekend posts from Boston-area critics. I’m thinking of continuing this each week as sort of a bleary-eyed, Monday-morning treat. I’m still not sure exactly who my audience is at Examiner.com, but for the moment I’m operating on the assumption that it may not be the usual manga crowd who could just get all those links at MangaBlog. The fact that my posts stand alongside everything in the Arts & Entertainment section, from concert reviews to celebrity gossip, suggests the possibility of a very different readership.

On Tuesday, I posted a bite-sized version of my review of Twin Spica, Vol. 1, in my continued effort to make sure recent titles are covered on the site. All happy manga thoughts were crushed later that night, however, by news of the CMX shutdown. …

New at Examiner.com

May 13, 2010 by MJ 3 Comments

It’s been a busy week so far for my new gig at Examiner.com!

On Monday, I rounded up recent links from local manga critics, including Kate Dacey’s fabulous article, On Criticism: The Seven Deadly Sins of Reviewing (all seven of which I believe I’ve committed just this week). This is a must-read for all manga reviewers.

Tuesday brought news of trouble at Go!Comi and and later on at Viz.

Wednesday I continued my weekly look at what’s new at Comicopia–a localized take on new releases to let Boston-area fans know what’s actually shipped to their local comic shop each week. Local fans would do well to keep tabs on owner Matt Lehman’s Twitter account as well, @comicopia….

Is Go!Comi gone?

May 11, 2010 by MJ 5 Comments

Like most of the manga blogosphere, I’m mourning the likely demise of Go!Comi, as reported by Kate O’Neil, Gia Manry, and many others. Today’s Examiner.com contribution is a short summary of the reports from around cyberspace, with a focus on reactions from Boston-area bloggers.

I also included a few links to reviews of Go!Comi manga, which mainly reminded me just how important it is that I get my own copies of my favorite series of theirs, After School Nightmare.

Many have written much more eloquently on the topic than I. Be sure to check out Brigid Alverson’s write-up in particular, which I’ve linked to from my post. Also of note is Johanna Draper Carlson’s detailed post over at Comics Worth Reading.

That’s the news for today! As my new apartment slowly comes together …

Linkblogging local critics

May 10, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

In today’s update at Examiner.com, I take a look at what area manga critics have been posting over the past few days. Critics whose posts I’m stalking today include Kate Dacey, Brigid Alverson, Kate O’Neil, and Robin Brenner.

I must admit it’s a challenge keeping things “local” in cyberspace, where a sense of place is largely irrelevant. Is localized coverage of a topic like manga even useful? I do wonder. I’d be interested in feedback on this issue so far should anyone have some to give.

In the meantime, here’s the usual spiel: Check out my post and my page! Subscribe to e-mail updates or my RSS feed by clicking the appropriate buttons! Comment! Share! Generally spread this Boston-centric manga news around! And Bostonians: if you’ve got news you’d like me to report on, please let me know. ‘Til tomorrow!

Guide to Boston Manga Bloggers

May 5, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

Today’s contribution to Examiner.com is a brief guide to the Boston manga blogging community online, featuring bloggers like Brigid Alverson, Kate Dacey, and the whole Boston-area crew. I’ve also included links to Twitter pages, with even Comicopia thrown into the mix.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone, so please let me know in comments or via e-mail!

Don’t forget to check out yesterday’s entry, detailing all the many ways to share and interact with my posts at Examiner.com. All links, mentions, subscriptions, and other means of generating traffic are greatly appreciated!

Check out the new article here and be sure to express appreciation for all the fantastic manga bloggers in the Boston area! I know I appreciate them every day.

New at Examiner.com

May 4, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

I’m deep in the middle of the Big Move, but I thought I’d take a moment just to share this little link. Yesterday saw the first of a new weekly report I’ll be posting over at the Boston edition of Examiner.com, What’s new at Comicopia.

Each week I’ll post a summary of new manga arrivals at Boston’s Comicopia to let local manga fans know what’s actually hit the shelves. Yesterday was tardy for new comic book day, but better late than never?

Check out my post for this week’s arrivals, including new Shojo Beat series, Flower in a Storm.

Get e-mail updates for new manga-centric posts by clicking “Subscribe” on my Examiner.com page or on any individual entry. You can also subscribe to my RSS feed or add me as a Favorite!

See you on the weekend, when I’ll be posting from my new digs!

The Boston Examiner Experiment!

May 4, 2010 by MJ 9 Comments

Today marks my debut as the Manga Examiner with the Boston edition of Examiner.com. This will be a great experiment for both me and the Examiner, as it’s my first time working with their system and the Boston edition’s first stab at manga coverage (as far as I know).

Please take a look at my first article for the site, in which I discuss upcoming releases for May with a highlight on Boston-area critics. Writing for the Boston edition, I’ll be hoping to spotlight the local manga scene as much as possible, so any tips on news or events will be greatly appreciated! I’ll also be posting manga reviews, industry news, convention coverage, and anything else that seems timely.

Examiner.com offers several features for sharing and keeping up with new posts. First off, you can receive e-mail updates each time I make a new post by clicking the “Subscribe” button either on my main page or on any individual post. …