Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki

The Manga Review, 10/7/22

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Bust out that Sailor Moon costume–New York Comic Con is in full swing! If you’re looking for a good manga panel, I highly recommend This Manga Is Awesome! Manga Must-Reads and Underrated Gems, which is happening today at 3:30 pm. Deb Aoki leads an all-star crew of librarians, industry professionals, podcasters, and critics in a lively discussion about their favorite series. Also of note is Comics in the Post Pandemic World, which is scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 pm. Publishers Weekly is the sponsor; the conversation will focus on the explosive growth of the comics industry during lockdown, and will consider some of the challenges facing publishers as supply chain issues increase and inflation rises.

NEWS AND VIEWS

Jamila Rowser, founder of Black Josei Press, posted an update on the forthcoming Gladiolus Magazine, which “will feature comics, essays, short stories, and more created by people of color from marginalized genders and sexualities.” Rowser shared a list of contributors whose work will appear in the inaugural issue, as well as the magazine’s expected publication date: spring 2023. [Black Josei Press]

Bill Curtis compiles a list of October’s new manga and light novel releases. [Yatta-Tachi]

To kick off LGBTQ History Month, the librarians at No Flying No Tights recommend nine queer-friendly comics for teen readers, including The Bride Was a Boy and Be Gay, Do Comics. [No Flying No Tights]

Yuu Watase is resuming work on Fushigi Yugi Byakko Senki. [Otaku USA]

It’s a hit: Chainsaw Man now has 16 million volumes in print. [Otaku USA]

Dog lovers rejoice: Seven Seas has licensed Shibanban: Super Cute Doggies which is pretty much what it sounds like: a parade of adorable Shiba Inus doing adorable things. Volume one is slated for a May 2023 release. [Seven Seas]

If you’ve been on the fence about Taiyo Matsumoto‘s work, let Jocelyne Allen’s generously illustrated review of Tokyo Higoro persuade you to give him a second chance. “Pretty much every page is filled with such thoughtful detail to make even minor characters seem fully fleshed out,” she notes. “It’s one of those books that I kept flipping back and forth in, just to drink in the details, the art, and the many, many perfect pages.” [Brain vs. Book]

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

I’m not a big MangaTuber, but I make an exception for BakaBoysClub, a new-ish YouTube channel featuring lively, thoughtful reviews of manga, old and new. In particular, I thought that host GrunWho did an exceptional job of explaining why The Girl from the Other Side: Siúl, A Rún is such an engrossing story, making great use of the video format to highlight Nagabe’s beautiful artwork:

Check out the BakaBoys’ other videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnmtMpN3E2LGnz_Mef4zCCw.

REVIEWS

Thinking about starting your own manga blog or podcast? One great way to build an audience for your work is to contribute to an established site like The Fandom Post, which is currently looking for reviewers. Site founder Chris Beveridge notes that “we get a good range of books from publishers and have a bit of a backlog we’re looking to clear out… There’s a good mix of one-offs and ongoing series that we’re looking for people to take on and new series starting up all the time.” For information on how to apply, click here.

New and Noteworthy

Complete and Ongoing Series

Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki vol 1

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Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki Volume 1 by Yuu Watase

The Fushigi Yugi universe is one I’ve been following for a long time. Many of my earliest volumes are from the initial Viz release back in the early 2000s, so I felt very nostalgic reading the first volume of the last Fushigi Yugi story 20 years later. While there have been glimpses of Suzuno before in previous series and the anime, seeing an entire series devoted to her seems like a fitting way to finish out the Universe of the Four Gods.

This first volume is structured as a prequel within a prequel, giving the reader insight into Suzuno’s character as both a child and a young adult and setting up an intriguing conflict that I expect to see explored more in future volumes. As Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki opens, a young Suzuno is spending time with her parents. Her father has the volume of The Universe of the Four Gods, burdened with the tragic legacy of Takiko Okuda and her professor father. As the Great Kanto earthquake strikes, Suzuno is trapped in her burning house and her father sends her into the book in order to save her life. In the Universe of the Four Gods, Suzuno is clearly unable to fend for herself, but she meets up with some people who are surely going to be pivotal figures in her life – Neiran, a psychologically damaged woman who can turn into a tiger, and the brothers Kasal and Karm. After narrowly escaping being kidnapped, Suzuno travels for a little bit with her new companions who begin to suspect that she might be the fabled priestess of Byakko.

Suzuno travels back to her own world in the aftermath of the earthquake, and the story line shifts to show her as a young woman, quiet and artistic and plagued by enduring visions and memories of what she’s lost. A shy, retiring heroine forced to adapt to a mystical new world isn’t exactly a novel plot point, but the overtones of impending tragedy and Suzuno’s resilience in difficult situations immediately make her an engaging heroine. Watase’s art is always clear and engaging, and I’m looking forward to seeing her portrayal of Suzuno’s mystical warriors and the unique world of the Universe of the Four Gods. This first volume mainly established Suzuno as a fully-fledged protagonist and I’m fairly happy with that pacing even though I put it down feeling a little impatient waiting to get started on the rest of the story. While I think is possible to enjoy this series without reading other Fushigi Yugi stories, I think at minimum someone reading Byakko Senki should be familiar with Genbu Kaiden, and hopefully the main series that started off this 20 year old saga.