Links, links, & Wish volume 1

First off, a few interesting links from the non-manga portion of my blogroll (yes, I do care about things other than manga):

Wil Wheaton says we should try to stop MTV from remaking The Rocky Horror Picture Show. W. T. F? I agree. Sign the petition here. AmyM has posted a list of writing contests of many kinds. Very cool, and also a strong reminder that none of us have an excuse to be sitting on our asses. Neil Gaiman is not blogging but links to the Coraline promo video-a-day. Coraline is one of my favorite books, and though I’ve been a little suspicious of the way it’s being put on the screen, I remain cautiously optimistic.

Okay, this is actually from my LJ friends-list (and *is* about manga), but ashura-sama has posted her translation of this week’s xxxHolic spoilers, and I admit I’m a bit giddy. Her cut tag jokes that “-This- should be chapter 104” and okay, yes, I ‘ship Doumeki/Watanuki, what can I say? Note: Link contains spoilers for xxxHolic chapter 163. Click at your own risk.

On other CLAMP-related subjects, I am still catching up on older series, and finally picked up volume 1 of Wish from the used shelf at my local comic shop (Modern Myths, by the way, a lovely store indeed*), and read it last evening. I had read online that the English translation assigns genders to the angels in the story (though they are genderless in the original), in order to avoid having to refer to them as “it” and I have to say I found that a little disconcerting while reading. In the first volume, at least, I feel like the story is being forced into typical heterosexual romance, and though I’m certainly not opposed to such romance, in this case, I feel that the story is cheapened by it. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out in future volumes, but at the moment I’m disappointed in that choice, not that I know how the translator should have solved the obvious pronoun issue. It would have been just as disconcerting to see the story forced into boys’ love. Perhaps I have to accept that this is simply something that is best read in the original Japanese.

Overall, however, I found volume 1 enjoyable in both story and art. I’m more fond of CLAMP’s darker settings, but the concept and setup are clever here, and the art is pretty but not obnoxiously so. The characters are intriguing and likable. The storytelling is engaging. I tend to prefer epic works, but in this case, I think I’m happy to know that the story is told in its entirety in four volumes. It’s like a sweet desert, preferable in small portions. Obviously I’m only one volume in, but that is my impression at this time.

Hopefully I’ll be able to procure more volumes of this (and Tokyo Babylon!) soon!

One thing I saw but did *not* pick up from the used shelf yesterday was volume 1 of Eric Wight’s My Dead Girlfriend. Today, I’m regretting that a bit, though I’m not sure if I should be, since I can’t remember where it stands on the not-exactly-official lists of Tokyopop’s canceled OEL series. Hmm. (Brigid Alverson talks more about the Tokyopop lists in her entry today, but I admit I’m still confused.) Edited to add: I finally remembered where I had read something about the future of this series, and having been reminded, perhaps I’m better off not having bought the volume. Sounds like My Dead Girlfriend‘s future is uncertain at best.
*****

*Additional note on Modern Myths: I’m not sure I’ll ever fully recover from the demise of Northampton’s awesome manga/anime shop, Anime Ink, which I used to visit weekly (at least) but the used manga section at Modern Myths has certainly improved since then. I guess people have to sell their old manga somewhere. Used manga is a staple for me, especially since many of the series I’m reading/collecting are difficult to find new in brick & mortar stores (and sometimes even online). MM’s used shelf used to be pretty stagnant, but now there are new (used) books to ponder every time I go in, and they are decently priced for the most part, though I am much more likely to buy the $4.99 volumes than the ones that go for $5.99, which is a bit high for used (often slightly damaged) manga, in my opinion. Still, a very nice and friendly shop, with a very decent manga selection considering its focus on western comics.