Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 5/29

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mardock7SEAN: The rest of the world is getting Yen next week, so feel free to add their books here. The rest of the pile is fairly muted, though as always, not without interest.

Air Gear is one of those Shonen Magazine series that just runs and runs, with its combination of roller blading, conspiracy, and pretty girls. If you missed it first time around, or miss Tenjo Tenge, Kodansha has an omnibus of the first three volumes.

MICHELLE: Air Gear is just never going to be something I’m interested in, alas.

MJ: Alas, that goes for me as well.

ANNA: I actually read and enjoyed the first few volumes of Air Gear but not enough to want to read the whole thing. Also, I started to get creeped out as the series progressed.

SEAN: Fairy Tail‘s speedup is not quite as hectic as One Piece or Naruto‘s were, but it’s still coming out at a decent clip. Here’s Vol. 26, where the whole S-class exam thing continues to go straight to hell.

MICHELLE: I have fallen so far behind with Fairy Tail that catching up is daunting.

SEAN: As for Mardock Scramble 7, I’m pretty sure that’s the final volume. Which is good, as I really have run out of things to say about it. I’d try “best prostitute cyborg manga ever”, but given this is Japan, I suspect there’s 10-12 others I’m forgetting.

shonan9MJ: I really do like Mardock Scramble, and though I don’t have confidence that I can remember all the “prostitute cyborg manga,” I suspect it would be my favorite. So I’ll take the risk!

SEAN: The big release for me this week is also a final volume, and given the apparently tepid sales, may be our last glimpse of Onizuka here in North America. But GTO: 14 Days in Shonan has been a hell of a ride, and the 9th volume wraps things up.

MICHELLE: Yet another one I like but have fallen behind on. Stupid life, getting in the way of my manga reading!

MJ: This is gonna be a spoiler for Pick of the Week, but I LOVE THIS SERIES. I’m very sorry to see it end, but I’m sure it’ll be fantastic.

SEAN: And on the ‘things I forgot’ list, Yen also has the 2nd and final volume of Welcome to the Erotic Bookstore out digitally. Admittedly, I forgot about it as it’s only listed on Yen and Hachette websites. But then, the same was true of Vol. 1, which seemed unavailable till it was. In any case, cute slice-of-life sex shop antics!

This is, Erotic Bookstore aside, a fairly manly week of manga. What manga makes you feel like a MAN?

Pick of the Week: Sunny & Other Stories

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potw5-20MJ: With the slew of Yen Press titles on Sean’s list this week, along with new volumes of series like Limit and Sailor Moon, it’d normally be pretty tough for me to choose a single pick. Fortunately Viz comes to the rescue with a title I absolutely can’t refuse, and that would be Sunny, the latest from mangaka Taiyo Matsumoto, author of Tekkonkinkreet and Blue Spring. This is one of my most-anticipated manga of the year so far, and a no-brainer as my Pick of the Week. I really can’t wait to read it.

ANNA: I’ll have to go with Sunny as well. I’m most excited about reading that.

MICHELLE: I’m going to award my pick to the low-key sci-fi charmer, Saturn Apartments, which comes to a close this week in its seventh volume. I’m somewhat behind on this tale of future window-washers and how their occupation affords them glimpses of the different strata of society, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how it turns out in the end.

SEAN: I’ll go with Sailor Moon once again. Of all the manga, these last two volumes are the ones I’m least familiar and comfortable with, and I seem to recall liking them less than the rest last time around. I look forward to finding new things to love about them in this new edition, as well as another visit with my favorite Sailor Senshi—which is to say, all of them.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 5/22

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SEAN: As I try to wean this list away from just what Midtown Comics says and try to take in more alternate sources (mostly Amazon), I find myself sometimes missing books I should have mentioned. Last week was Dance in the Vampire Bund, this week it’s X, which apparently showed up today and I didn’t have on the MtWo list. So, X 3-in-1 5, which presumably has Vols. 13-15. And a picnic? Came out this week.

MJ: I’ve been really enjoying the X 3-in-1 releases. I didn’t enjoy this series much the first time I read it through, but the larger trim size is giving me a fresh appreciation for the artwork, which has really transformed my experience with the series. I’d recommend this new version to anyone who enjoys dramatic shoujo in all its glory.

SEAN: Meanwhile, in stuff coming out NEXT week, Kodansha has a trio of releases. I continue to buy and be entertained by Cage of Eden, even as it hits double digits. Honestly, its faults are the faults of almost have the titles that run in Shonen Magazine – the plot rambles on like a season of Lost without giving much info, and its female characters are all large-breasted nymphs for the males (and reader) to ogle. But – it’s fun snack food manga.

There’s also Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 4, which, I would imagine, stands alone. Robert Cormier’s Ghost in the Shell, coming soon.

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And Sailor Moon is in the home stretch, as Vol. 11 brings us the start of the final arc, Stars. Chibi Chibi is on the cover, and if you’re wondering who the hell she is, well, read on and find out!

MICHELLE: I continue to be sad that the Starlights never got a cover of their own.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a new debut in The Sacred Blacksmith, another title I vaguely recall was adapted into an anime a while back, and is no doubt based on a light novel, as that’s how Seven Seas rolls these days. It seems to feature a female swordswoman, which is a good start, and is fantasy-ish? And I hear this is another one where the anime takes great liberties with the heroine – not for the better. Let’s see if it impresses me like Zero’s Familiar did.

ANNA: This seems potentially interesting to me, but I think I’m going to wait until a few people I know read it.

MJ: I’ve become so skittish about Seven Seas. I’m with Anna on this one.

SEAN: Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar’s Game was one of the most psychological yet, and also took us closer to Alice finding out about her sister than ever before, so I really want to read Vol. 2.

ANNA: I did enjoy the first volume of this series and I plan on reading volume 2 as well. The first volume was not quite as good as Hearts, but not as bad as Clover, so I’m interested to see where this goes.

SEAN: Vertical has Vol. 5 of Limit, which features – shock and horror – a male on the cover. No doubt this is the volume where everything starts to turn around and go great. Aheh.

ANNA: I am feeling guilty that I am three volumes behind with this series! I plan to catch up though. It is always such a nice change of pace, if a Lord of the Flies type scenario featuring stranded schoolgirls could be described as “nice.”

MJ: I’ve been looking forward to this volume quite a bit!

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SEAN: Viz has a debut from the author of Tekkonkinkreet, Taiyo Matsumoto. It’s called Sunny, and is the manga to give your indie comics friends who hate manga to say “No, see? See?”

ANNA: I also feel guilt that I haven’t read anything by Taiyo Matsumoto. But this is on my to-read list, so hopefully my feelings of guilt will abate when I read it.

MJ: I’ve drooled over artwork I’ve seen from Blue Spring, and I’ve longed to read it ever since I read Kate’s article on the subject, so I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to experience some new Matsumoto along with everyone else.

SEAN: They also have the final volume of Saturn Apartments, one of the quieter Ikki series, but one that had a lot of fans who appreciated just those qualities. Every Ikki series that comes out here is worth it, IMO. Yes, even Bokurano, though I won’t read that.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to catching up on/concluding this one.

SEAN: And there is a GIANT PILE OF YEN, which I am getting in a week early, as my shop sometimes does. They will arrive just in time for me to go to Anime North. But it’s OK, as I can bring all my new manga up to Canada! And take it through customs! Hey, wait, found the flaw in my plan.

MICHELLE: Once again, you have made me snerk.

ANNA: I don’t know why, but there isn’t much that Yen puts out that’s on my radar. I need to catch up with A Bride’s Story and want to read Thermae Romae, but that’s about it. Perhaps my problem is that I’ve already read most of their graphic novel adaptations in prose form.

MJ: I’m deeply in love with several current Yen series, so a GIANT PILE OF YEN is always good news for me!

MICHELLE: Lately they’ve released several new action-ish series that I’ve found to be enjoyable, too. I look forward to volume three of Blood Lad, for example.

SEAN: Because the two bestsellers of last year were High School of the Dead and Alice in the Country of Hearts, the most obvious license ever would combine elements of the two in some way. This we have Are You Alice?, which seems to be about characters playing Wonderland ‘roles’ (like the other Alice), and murderous violence. I’m hoping this is more ‘psychological thriller’ and not ‘Saw’ with moe kids.

The 19th volume of Black God is out, and I believe that it is the final volume. It’s a manwha, so I will tag the others here.

MJ: I’ve been collecting this series all along, and I have a marathon planned now that the final volume is out. Look for more on this coming up!

SEAN: Blood Lad has proven to be my big surprise hit of 2013, so I’m really looking forward to the 3rd omnibus, whose cover is also very purple.

MJ: Oh, Blood Lad, how I adore you. I kinda can’t believe I’m saying that, but it’s obviously true.

SEAN: And speaking of survival horror, we have the 2nd volume of BTOOOM!. The first didn’t grab me hard, but I didn’t dislike it, so I will give it a second volume.

MJ: I had moderate fun with the first volume, so I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.

I’ve spent 3 volumes watching The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan sort of play around with being cute and moe, knowing that Vol. 4 would hit and be FAR more interesting. This is Vol. 4. It’s FAR more interesting.

And the second volume of Durarara!! Saika arc should be interesting as well, and feature a lot of slashing.

Amano_KingdomHeartsFinalMix_V1

One of Yen’s stealth announcements was the rescue/relicensing of the Kingdom Hearts books, with two volumes titled Final Mix coming out this month. I never read the Tokyopop ones the first time around, but I really should check them out, if only for Donald and Goofy.

MJ: This will be my first experience with the series, too, but I’m ready to check it out.

SEAN: Omamori Himari has hit ten whole volumes, which makes it a shame I know next to nothing about it except it has ‘cat demon samurai girls’. (What, no vampires?)

Soul Eater 14 has one of the most minimal manga covers I’ve seen in a while. Love it. As for the plot, hope you’re enjoying Baba Yaga’s Castle, we’re still there.

Thermae Romae has its 2nd omnibus come out, which will no doubt continue to look gorgeous. I’m hoping the storyline can keep it up as well – things were getting dangerous when we left off for our bathing hero.

MJ: I’m certainly interested in seeing where the story goes. It’s difficult for me to imagine how it’s going to hold up over the long term, but it’s lovely to look at, and that’ll take me quite a ways.

SEAN: Lastly, Umineko: When They Cry (the ‘they’ in this case being Seagulls, not Cicadas) starts its second arc, which is where things really begin to get very, very meta, if I recall correctly. Plus you have to love that insane grin on the cover.

Anything that you’d risk exposing to Canadian Customs?

Pick of the Week: Blue Morning, Evangelion, 07-Ghost

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potw5-13-13MJ: The shipping list is light this week, and though I do have some interest in the latest volume of 07-Ghost, I’m going to surprise myself (and probably others) this week by choosing a SuBLime debut, Blue Morning, as my pick. I read an early copy yesterday, and though it’s provided more questions than answers in this angsty, intense first volume, I have to admit it got under my skin. Fortunately, it’s actually nothing at all like Black Butler. I’m officially intrigued.

SEAN: Given I’m only getting one thing this week, I suppose that is the pick. The re-release of Neon Genesis Evangelion as a deluxe omnibus has reminded me why I’m still fascinated by the series, and why I still prefer the manga to the anime. This third volume should introduce Kaworu, and things will go even further to hell. Good times!

MICHELLE: Blue Morning looks intriguing, and the fact that MJlikes it goes a long way. But I’m still gonna have to go with 07-Ghost. I can’t believe it’s up to four volumes already, and I can’t believe I’m already behind! Must remedy at the next opportunity!

ANNA: There aren’t a whole lot of options, so I’m going to have to agree with Michelle and cast my vote for 07-Ghost. The storylines might not always be coherent, but there’s plenty of stylish angst to distract the reader. I also find the world building aspects of the series interesting. The reincarnation elements, action scenes, fighting priests, and warring states combined with the mystery surrounding the protagonist make me still want to read the next volume.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 5/15

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SEAN: This will be a shorter post than last week, partly as there’s less manga coming out, and partly as I’m out of my brain on the 5/15.

MICHELLE: (smack)

SEAN: Ow.

bluemorningFirst of all, last week I forgot all about Dance in the Vampire Bund, which had Vol. 14 come out. I can only put that down to the fact that I just don’t read it. Does it have a Young Miss Holmes crossover yet?

A new series from SubLime, Viz’s BL imprint, Blue Morning features viscounts and butlers, and the summary sounds oddly like Black Butler with the fantasy removed and the BL actually consummated. Certainly the cover indicates this won’t be a laff riot.

MJ: I’m usually open to trying new BL. I guess we’ll see? Hm.

SEAN: As for the cover for Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love 4, I regret to say it’s not quite as laughable as Vol. 3’s cover, though we do see a return of the ever popular GIANT SEME HANDS. Now there’s a post that needs to be done for BL Bookrack: Yaoi Misproportions I Have Known.

MJ: IT SHALL BE DONE.

MICHELLE: I think there’s a tumblr dedicated to yaoi misproportions, actually.

SEAN: Reminding me they don’t just do artbooks these days, Udon has the first volume of Disgaea 3: School of Devils. I believe it’s based on a game of some sort.

The rest of our week is Viz. 07-GHOST reaches Vol. 4, and is looking angstier and bishier than ever.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to catching up with this series!

jormungand11ANNA: I think most people should have one angsty bishie series in rotation. 07-Ghost is more than sufficient to fill out that category, and I’m happy to overlook the occasional lapses of coherence for the pretty art.

MJ: Ditto on all counts!

SEAN: We’re still not done re-releasing Takahashi’s Inu Yasha into big omnibuses, though the fact that this is Vol. 15 means we’re well over halfway there.

MICHELLE: Yep! Entering the home stretch.

SEAN: Another seinen series bites the dust, as we have come to the 11th and final volume of Jormungand. Action-filled gun-running has never been so exhilarating, well, if you haven’t already read Black Lagoon. Now that the series is over, I should go back and catch up on it.

Lastly, Neon Genesis Evangelion releases its third omnibus, containing Vols. 7-9. Asuka’s on the cover, but if I recall correctly, it’s the arrival of someone else a little earlier than in the anime that causes the most fuss.

What manga makes you care more than you should?

Tess Monaghan, Books 1-4 by Laura Lippman

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In the mood for a new mystery series, I decided to check out the Tess Monaghan books by Laura Lippman. They’re compulsively readable, inspiring me to proceed to the next in the series practically immediately, but I found I hadn’t much to say about each. Therefore, a column of brief reviews was clearly called for!

baltimorebluesBaltimore Blues introduces us to 29-year-old Baltimore native Tess Monaghan, underemployed former newspaper reporter and fitness buff, who undertakes a surveillance job for a rowing buddy whose fiancée has been acting weird. There wouldn’t be much of a book if this assignment didn’t turn out to be more than she bargained for, and in due course, a famous local lawyer is dead and the rowing buddy the chief suspect.

Now retained by the buddy’s lawyer, Tess continues to snoop about. She’s just supposed to be finding enough information to achieve reasonable doubt, but is instead driven to solve the mystery. And, ultimately, she does. It was an outcome that I didn’t expect, and the various plot threads and loose ends are wrapped up reasonably tidily, though the suggestion that a second killer is still roaming free was relegated to one blink-and-you-miss-it sort of line.

Tess herself is a little bit generic at this point, but she’s likeable enough. It’s interesting that she’s an investigator who isn’t technically tied to law enforcement, so she’s not obliged to divulge full details about crimes, with the flip side that because she lacks status she probably couldn’t divulge anything anyway without irrefutable proof. Baltimore emerges as a character of its own, too, and I loved that there was a Homicide: Life on the Street shoutout. Actually, there was a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 reference, too. Does Lippman know how to woo me, or what?

charmcityCharm City is the second in the Tess Monaghan series, set about five months after the first book. Tess has both a full-time job and a full-time boyfriend for the first time in two years, but her boss encourages her to accept an offer to investigate how an inflammatory story, originally not on the printing schedule, wound up on the front page of the local newspaper. Eventually, deaths ensue. Meanwhile, some shady guys hospitalize her uncle Spike and stalk Tess and her family members.

The good things about this sophomore outing revolve around Tess and her personal relationships. She comes into sharper focus as a character, first of all, but also makes some serious changes and/or mistakes in her personal life. And yet, this doesn’t read like one of those chick lit mystery series—my mind goes immediately to Meg Cabot’s dreadful Size 12 Is Not Fat—where the protagonist seems too easily distracted by the male characters. Tess just seems… normal.

On the negative side, the subplot (involving the aforementioned shady guys) was a real yawner and there were a couple of instances where twists were really obvious to the reader, making Tess appear incredibly slow on the uptake. And though the final big reveal did surprise me, in retrospect it shouldn’t have, because it was essentially the same gimmick used in the first book! Is a pattern forming? As I head into book three, I will definitely be looking for a certain type of character and setting my suspicious sights on them from the start.

Overall, Charm City was a little disappointing, but certainly not bad. Onward ho!

butchershillIn Butchers Hill, Tess has set up shop as a private investigator in a not-so-great part of town. Her first two clients are looking for children—one wants to make amends to the witnesses of a crime he committed five years ago, while another wants to know that the daughter she put up for adoption is doing alright. Neither client has been completely honest with Tess, however.

This was a really interesting installment of the series. I appreciate that Lippman was able to create multiple African-American characters who feel like full-fledged, sympathetic individuals (though I do wonder what an African-American reader would make of them). There’s commentary here on race relations in Baltimore, among other things, but it doesn’t feel too heavy-handed. I also like that Tess is not strictly a homicide investigator, though her cases have all involved murder eventually.

Speaking of murder, after Charm City, I was a little worried that it would be easy to predict the perpetrators in subsequent books, but actually, I didn’t see this one coming. And that’s a good thing, though the reason why I didn’t was that it was a rather implausible twist. Despite that (and the one aspect of the ending that I predicted), the conclusion to this one is surprisingly affecting. I hope some of these new characters stick around.

inbigtroubleIn Big Trouble takes Tess away from her hometown of Baltimore and into the unfamiliar environment of San Antonio, Texas. When she receives an anonymous letter that Crow, her former boyfriend, is in big trouble in Texas, Tess ends up contracted by his parents to track him down. She finds Crow in fairly short order, but he is greatly changed and is also involved with a crazy young woman whose influential local family is tied to a notorious murder 21 years ago.

This was a bit of a weird one. I can’t say I disliked it, or that I predicted anything about it, but Tess is so off-balance personally for the duration that it sort of feels like the story never really gets… grounded, or something. Unlike the others in the series, I was able to set this one aside for a long time—like, weeks—and didn’t feel any particular urge to get back to it. That said, I did think the San Antonio setting was portrayed well, and Lippman successfully instilled a serious hankering for some authentic Mexican food.

In the end, I’m enjoying the Tess Monaghan series quite a lot! I’m going to take a break here for a bit, but I do intend to return to the series in the near future.

Bookshelf Briefs 5/5/13

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This week, MJ, Sean, Michelle, and Anna look at recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, and Kodansha Comics.

fantaticrabbit2Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit, Vol. 2 | By QuinRose, Delico Psyche, and Owl Shinotsuki | Yen Press – As I suspected, this volume was a lot more focused on romance and not so much on the psychology and psychotics. That said, there are points of interest here. It’s odd that Elliot, who was once imprisoned for destroying the clock of his best friend, is cavalier about killing Alice’s sister. And it’s good to give him a reason to be angry at Alice being close to Julius that isn’t jealousy. That said, in the end it mostly does turn out to be jealousy, and when the book details romance it gets far more generic. There’s also some nasty dream manipulation to stop Alice from returning home – which one can argue, given what we’ve inferred about her real life, is justified, but still comes across as harsh. An ambiguously good volume, but hey, the series is short.-Sean Gaffney

devil8A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 8 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – At no point has A Devil and Her Love Song actually been bad, but the “Anna arc” of recent volumes—in which Maria attempts to achieve some level of understanding with her former best friend—just retread the same ground over and over and felt like it would never end. And so I am profoundly relieved that we’re moving on to something different, even if it’s taking the form of Shintaro Kurosu, a brash new first-year who’s interested in Maria and takes every opportunity to get close to her. We’ve seen this sort of character in shoujo manga many times before, but any catalyst that causes Shin to confront his feelings for Maria is fine by me, and because Shintaro shares some qualities with our insightful heroine, he’s quite adept at getting under others’ skin. I still recommend this series, but if we never see Anna again it’ll be too soon for me. – Michelle Smith

fairytail25Fairy Tail, Vol. 25 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Fairy Tail will probably never get away from One Piece comparisons, but one big difference it has is that Mashima does tease romance between his characters quite a bit. In this volume we not only get Elfman and Evergreen getting past Mirajane with a shocking revelation – theoretically false, but I sense a setup – but we also have Levy’s giant crush on Gajeel, which is quite cute provided you forget him crucifying her a while back. Literally. Meanwhile, the S-class exams are interrupted not only by the arrival of a dark guild, led by Ultear, but also a young sobbing man who would seem to be Zeref, the evil wizard who has been mentioned before, and definitely doesn’t seem to be possessing anyone this time. It would seem that the exam arc is going to get a lot longer and more serious before anyone wins their S-class.-Sean Gaffney

corda17La Corda d’Oro, Vol. 17 | By Yuki Kure | Viz Media – This final volume reads like a series of closing doors—at least for Kahoko’s suitors, who take turns examining their feelings, though it’s clear most don’t have a shot. Ryotaro’s epiphany is most significant, and his heartfelt confession throws oblivious Kahoko for a loop. Everyone knows that Kahoko will end up with Len, but when it gets right down to it, their final scene is oddly anticlimactic. Kahoko is predictably breathless and embarrassed, and Len is awkward and brusque, but as a romantic climax it’s surprisingly non-committal. We don’t even get a good kiss out of it. As a jaded fan of romance, I should be grateful for anything unexpected, but in a story that’s always been so conventional, it’s honestly a letdown. Though perhaps the most disheartening truth is that they’re still hung up on “Ave Maria.” What can you do? Farewell, La Corda d’Oro, I’ll miss you. – MJ

kenshirestoration1Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration, Vol. 1 | By Nobuhiro Watsuki | Viz Media – Watsuki says in the afterward that the genesis for this reworking of Rurouni Kenshin was the production of the recent live action movie. This shows in the first story of the volume which puts familiar characters into a battle arena situation with no real plot or character development. There’s a back-up prequel story that has more interest as Kenshin encounters a unique western doctor struggling to provide care for low-income patients. While it was nice to revisit the characters for a little bit, this parallel story reminded me of how much more I liked the original series. This is only for die-hard Kenshin fans, most people will be better served reading the very good first series. – Anna N.

strobe4Strobe Edge, Vol. 4 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – What’s interesting about Strobe Edge, is the way that Io Sakisaka has managed to take the most trite characteristic of her series early on—namely, her heroine’s unbelievable innocence—and turned it into a real asset. That Ninako wouldn’t realize that there are unavoidably negative consequences to unrequited love seems ridiculously naive, but it also allows Sakisaka to explore those consequences more honestly than is typical, even for romance manga. The way both Ninako and Ren begin to recognize and forced to deal with the ramifications of their ongoing friendship in the face of Ninako’s (and now, Ren’s) feelings is surprisingly fresh. I’m reminded immediately of the personal agony I suffered while watching Shoji developing feelings for someone other than his girlfriend, Nana Komatsu (NANA), but this time I’m experiencing it with “other woman” Sachiko as my heroine. It’s an emotional punch in the gut, and very well-executed. Recommended. – MJ

wewerethere16We Were There, Vol. 16 | By Yuuki Obata | Viz Media – This is the second concluding Shojo Beat series for me this week, but what a contrast! Though this series’ romantic conclusion was no less predictable than La Corda d’Oro‘s, the execution could not be more different—much like the two series themselves. There was a time when I’d given up on Nanami and Yano’s torturous romance as simply too destructive to bear, so it’s a real testament to Obata-sensei’s gifts as a writer that she’s managed to bring me back around to loving them together once more. Everyone’s story ends with dignity, even that of long-suffering Takeuchi (my personal hero of the story) but the real centerpiece is our primary couple, with whom Obata completely sweeps me off my feet. Their ending is so poignant and so well-earned, it’s a genuine pleasure to read. Thanks for everything, We Were There. You’ve been quite a ride. Highly recommended. – MJ

Pick of the Week: Dancing to the Shojo Beat

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potw5-6-13MJ: This week’s pick is an extremely tough one for me, particularly when faced with choosing between beloved series like Wandering Son, Strobe Edge, and even Bakuman,which is heading into its last couple of volumes. But in the end, I’m going to go with an end—that of Yuuki Obata’s melancholy romance, We Were There, which has charmed me all the way from its very first volume, through its soul-crushing volume four, and so on and so forth, to the last, sweet moments here in its final volume. This series has been an especially emotional ride for me—I’d recommend it to anyone—and its ending is extremely well-earned. It’s an obvious pick for me, I suppose, but for very good reasons.

MICHELLE: And it’s my pick, as well. “Well-earned” is right, and I could go into detail about why it’s more satisfying than your average shoujo conclusion, but that would probably be rather spoilery. Instead, you should see for yourself!

SEAN: I’ll go with the new volume of Dengeki Daisy, a shoujo manga with the plot of an action movie. It’s rather impressive how even the people normally creeped out by older guy/high school girl romance don’t seem to mind it in Dengeki Daisy – both in the story itself and in the readers. Perhaps because of the comedy that comes with it, or the way that Teru isn’t being tricked, seduced, or blackmailed into it. But probably mostly due to the writing – a lot can be forgiven in a romance if both leads are simply great people you want to see get together. Well, right after they solve this kidnapping. Yes, another one.

ANNA: Since other people have picked We Were There and Dengeki Daisy, I’ll go with Strobe Edge. The fourth volume has come a long way in terms of plot development and art. Even though some of the plot elements are a bit stereotypical, there’s plenty of emotional resonance in the developing love triangle.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Off the Shelf: Black Butler, Pepita, Gundam

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MJ: Good morning, Michelle! It’s a gorgeous morning here on Free Comic Book Day. Perfect for reading comics in the park. Do you have any comics-related plans for the day?

MICHELLE: Not in regards to Western comics, no, but I am looking forward to reading some Psyren later today!

MJ: I’ve got a nice stack of manga waiting for me as well. So I guess this is our cue to start talking about our comics-related activities earlier this week! What have you been reading?

blackbutler13MICHELLE: Well, one thing I’ve been doing lately is revisiting some of the series that I first talked about in the early days of Off the Shelf. Of course, there aren’t many that are still running—they’ve either finished or the publisher has disappeared—but there are a few, and one of them is Black Butler. Here’s my initial summary from back in January 2011:

In this series, a thirteen-year-old named Ciel Phantomhive is the head of his family after a fire claimed the lives of his parents. To assist him in his plans for revenge he has entered into a contract with a devil who is serving him in the guise of his butler, Sebastian. The Earls of Phantomhive have always served as a “watch dog” for the crown, a duty Ciel is now expected to perform for Queen Victoria.

At the time, I said that the emphasis on solving mysteries was pretty fun, but does that still hold true in volume thirteen? Well, sort of. Up until the previous arc, which involved a series of murders at Phantomhive Manor and the inspiration they provided a young Arthur Conan Doyle, the answer was yes. This current arc, though—which can pretty much be summarized as “zombies on the Titanic“—seems to be more about mass carnage than detection, even though Ciel got involved in the first place because he thought the Queen would want to know what was behind news reports of the dead being reanimated. The one bright spot is that Elizabeth, Ciel’s betrothed, turns out to be a secret badass with swords.

I was actually planning to talk about Black Butler even before you posted your 3 Things Thursday column about how you just couldn’t like it, and now your post has made me wonder why I’m still reading it. I like Sebastian, and sometimes there are amusing bits, but overall, I don’t feel connected to any of these characters or invested in their fate. Ciel could get devoured by a zombie at this point and I would not be affected in the least. So why am I reading? Unfortunately, I think the answer is… because Yen Press is still sending this to me. It’s an easy and uncomplicated read for me, and I don’t hate it, and so I read it. If I had to fork over $12 for each volume, though, I suspect I would’ve dropped it some time ago. It’s just not a satisfying enough read to justify that kind of price tag.

MJ: Discussion of Black Butler seems especially timely for me right now, not only because of that 3 Things Thursday post, but because my recent obsession with Yun Kouga’s Loveless has forced me to confront the question of why I can tolerate certain problematic fanservice in that series when I’m unwilling to stick with Black Butler. And by “forced to confront” I mean that I’ve been asked the question directly, and justifiably so! And the only answer I really have is that, well… Black Butler bored me—at least as far in as I was willing to go—well, and that I have pretty specific reasons for liking the relationships in Loveless that don’t really apply to Black Butler. But in any case, I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions about it, and pondering yet again whether I should give Black Butler another go. Given your reaction here, though, I’m thinking… no, not really.

MICHELLE: There really isn’t much fanservice of that kind in Black Butler, anyway. I mean, very occasionally there are pages where I think Toboso-sensei is throwing fans a juicy little tidbit, but on a straightforward reading, I am personally not seeing the overt, emotional subtext there like one gets in Loveless. Although… can something be simultaneously “overt” and “subtext”? Perhaps I need a better word…

MJ: I think subtext can be incredibly overt. Perhaps you could go for “generous.” Though I think there’s an argument to be made that part of the difference is that Loveless moves the subtext pretty well into the text, which means that Kouga actually forces us to deal with it instead of just giving us a nod & a wink.

MICHELLE: I think you’re right. I never take the “nod and a wink” stuff seriously.

Anyway, what have you been reading this week?

pepitaMJ: Well, on a very different note, my main solo read this week is not actually manga, though it’s of great interest to both of us (and, I expect, many of our readers). That read would be Pepita: Inoue Meets Gaudí , a sort of art book/travelogue released last month by Viz. The book combines prose, drawings, and photographs to chronicle the travels of Takahiko Inoue (Slam Dunk, Real, Vagabond) as he traces the life and work of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí.

The book opens with a heartfelt introduction in which Inoue describes his first encounter with Gaudí’s work and how his detached view of Gaudí as a tourist in Barcelona differed from what he experienced in his quest to really know the man behind the work. It’s a passionate little piece that perfectly sets the tone for the book itself, which is informational and (of course) beautiful, but above all, personal.

Through Inoue’s quest to understand Gaudí, I felt that I was also given an opportunity to understand Inoue—and in a very different way than what I’ve learned about him through his own work. There’s a sense of wisdom and confidence in a series like Real, for instance, that makes me, the reader, feel that I’m the student; I’m learning about humanity through the eyes of a master. Here, Inoue is the one seeking wisdom from a master, and that alone gives us a very different glimpse of him as an artist and a person than what we’d ever see otherwise.

Though I don’t know that Inoue gets the answers he was looking for on his quest (he gets answers, but it’s complicated, I think), the journey itself is glorious to behold. The book is filled with Inoue’s detailed, inspired scribblings alongside (and sometimes inserted into) breathtaking photographs of both Gaudí’s work and the Spanish region he grew up in. It’s a visual treat of the very best kind. It also offers a wealth of information about the life and work of Gaudí through bits of researched history, interviews with artisans and Gaudí scholars, and Inoue’s personal observations.

I’m sure very little of the information offered will be new for serious students of Gaudí, but I am kind of thrilled at the thought that it might serve as an introduction to Inoue (and perhaps manga artists in general) for lovers of architecture, just as it might open up a new world of architectural beauty for fans of Inoue. It certainly did for me.

MICHELLE: That sounds glorious. Now, I have to ask… how detailed were the pictures of Gaudí’s work? Did Inoue attempt to draw any of them? Building geek that I am, I would love that most ardently.

MJ: The pictures are plentiful, though there isn’t a particular focus on the detail, if that makes sense. And though Inoue does sketch them occasionally, I’ll admit that he spends the bulk of his time drawing Gaudí’s surroundings—the streets, people, countryside, mountains—the things that he felt must have most deeply influenced Gaudí’s work, rather than the work itself. He ponders for quite a while Gaudí’s relationship with nature and how some of his buildings were designed to become part of the natural landscape—it’s fascinating, really. I think you’d enjoy it quite a lot.

So, to take a fairly drastic turn once again, would you like to introduce our mutual read for the week?

gundam1MICHELLE: Sure! This week, MJand I decided to venture out of our comfort zone and into the realm of… mecha.

Back in late March, Vertical, Inc. released a deluxe hardcover edition of the first volume of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. Vertical has licensed the aizouban edition of the series, rather than the 23-volume tankouban version, so this first release (subtitled “Activation”) is quite substantial and contains some bonus essays. Mobile Suit Gundam is a relatively recent manga adaptation of the first Gundam anime, and was originally serialized in a magazine called Gundam A, which sounds like it’s for hardcore Gundam enthusiasts. I’d never actually read or seen anything Gundam-related before, so I wasn’t sure how I’d make out, but it turned out to be newcomer-friendly.

In Earth’s distant future, a large chunk of the population is living in gigantic, orbiting colonies. War breaks out when some of the colonies declare themselves the independent Republic of Zeon. A nicely ominous color introduction informs us that the resulting battles wiped out half of the population. “All men grew to fear their own deeds. The war entered a stalemate, and eight months went by…” Fighting resumes when a Zeon mecha force infiltrates a Federation colony where a new mobile suit is being developed.

Long story short… the civilian colonists end up escaping on a rather unwieldy ship, fleeing from their enemy who fight with red-eyed metallic soldier things, and… anyone else here getting some serious Battlestar Galactica flashbacks?

MJ: Heh, well I’d say yes and no. I mean, yes, of course I see where you’re going with that. And I’d say that the plight of the civilians on the ship is the thing that interests me most in Gundam so far. Several of the civilians find themselves sort of spontaneously becoming part of the military operation—in particular Amuro, a civilian teen who accidentally finds himself the pilot of a new mechanical suit prototype, Gundam, and Sayla, who begins as part of the volunteer medical team. The conflict among the military command over the assimilation of the civilians is compelling, but as I struggle to describe any of it here, I think I’m actually hitting upon the thing that least reminds me of something like BSG and is also the source of my own difficulties with the book as a reader. The thing is, unlike BSG or even most of the other Japanese mecha-based series I’ve been able to get into (Evangelion, of course, or more recently, Knights of Sidonia), Gundam is for me, at least so far, a bit too much about the mecha.

As I say this, I’m aware that I’ll probably be criticized for it—and perhaps justly. As one of the two or three manga fans left in the world who has never seen even a second of this very famous anime series, I’m a total novice. I think my nervousness in approaching a series as iconic as this one is pretty similar to Phillip’s trepidation when he decided to read and talk publicly about Sailor Moon. I’m out of my depth and I know it. But as I read through this volume, gorgeous as it is (and it really, really is—seriously, it’s visually epic), I found that I had difficulty remembering characters’ names or really identifying with their story. And I felt pretty detached from the suit itself, which really seemed like the thing I was supposed to be appreciating the most. Is it just me?

MICHELLE: It is not just you at all. As you say, the manga is visually epic, and the overall atmosphere carries the story along even more than the plot does. (There were things about the plot that confused me, for example. Like why is civilian teen Amuro suddenly the pilot of the mecha, when there was an officer slated for that role? Did I miss his demise or something?) But the characterization is where things really fall flat. I don’t feel like we know Amuro even a little teensy bit, other than he seems to have some natural aptitude for piloting a big fighting suit. And where this might put him in direct comparison to Nagate of Knights of Sidonia, at least I have a sense with the latter that it’s Tsutomu Nihei’s intent that his lead be inscrutable. That’s just his style. With Mobile Suit Gundam it feels more like characterization was deemed unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

MJ: I’m grateful to hear you say this, because I really feared that my reaction was a case of reader failure more than anything else, which is to say that it quite surprised me—and saddened me, actually. Not because I feel like loving Gundam a grave necessity in my life, but because the book is so, so stunning to look at, and so obviously created out of a deep love for the source material. One doesn’t even need to read any of the heartfelt essays in the back of the book to feel the sense of reverence and devoted fandom that went into the making of this manga. And Vertical takes that fandom seriously in their production of the book as well. From the bright semi-gloss paper to the gorgeous color pages, Vertical made sure that this labor of love was presented in the most reverent light possible. If I was a fan of the franchise, I’d feel that this was a tremendous gift, I’m sure. And honestly, I could look at the artwork all day long.

MICHELLE: The artwork really sells it for me, and I was especially impressed that the space battles are drawn with such clarity. True, I did weary of the space battles by the end, but at least they weren’t incomprehensible, as could easily have been the case. Too, I never got the sense with this that I was reading an adaptation. I wonder how it reads to those who have actually seen the anime.

Ultimately, though I get the sense that you’re not planning to continue with the series, I think I will. While I might not care about the characters much—though several of the female ones seem to have potential for awesomeness—I still like the story and the sheer scope of what mankind is facing.

MJ: I can see how you’d draw that conclusion, but actually I suspect I will continue with it. Despite my feelings of detachment at this point, the artwork alone is enough to carry me on, at least long enough to see if the characters might begin to really grab me. I like to give any series at least three volumes or so to pull me in, and Gundam surely merits that much. Who knows what might happen?

Note: MJ & Michelle will be taking a break from this column for the next two weeks, in order to prepare for the upcoming Yumi Tamura Manga Moveable Feast. Can you guess what they’ll be reading?

Manga the Week of 5/8

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SEAN: This week gives us a variety of titles to choose from. Let’s delve right into them.

Midtown’s list said that they’re getting in Fantagraphics’ Wandering Son Vol. 4 right as Fantagraphics solicited 5 (for August) noting that 4 was running a bit late. I’ve no idea who is correct, but I’ll lean towards Midtown, as Fantagraphics tends to ship to comic shops long before Amazon and other related stores. It’s a must buy whenever it comes out.

MICHELLE: Yeah, it’s too bad releases of this one aren’t more reliable. I’ve fallen somewhat behind because of that.

MJ: I’ve had this volume on preorder for a very long time, so I’ll be very happy when it finally turns up. I’ll believe it when I actually see it, though.

SEAN: For those who enjoyed Negima from Kodansha Comics but felt that it would be even better if all the girls were 5 years old and Negi was their preschool teacher, well, Negiho! is the title for you! For the rest of us, I’m hoping it comes across as amusing and cute rather than, as I fear, creepy and vaguely illegal.

MICHELLE: Ugh.

MJ: What she said.

zeros1

SEAN: Seven Seas has another huge omnibus, this one containing the first three volumes of Zero’s Familiar. All I know about this series is that the lead girl is worse than Shana, Taiga and Nagi combined, and there’s a lot of ‘comedic violence’. If you write ‘xxxxx gets a spine’ fics, then, this may be your kryptonite.

MICHELLE: See above re: ugh.

MJ: Indeed.

SEAN: Viz, naturally, has a giant pile of stuff. Bakuman is almost done, which means that he must be close to hooking up with that girl, right? At least that was the plot back when I was still reading Bakuman… In any case, Vol. 19 is filled with Jump goodness.

MICHELLE: At this point, I’m just stockpiling Bakuman until the final volume comes out, then I’m gonna marathon it. I think that might be fun.

MJ: I’ve been keeping up so my anticipation is high!

SEAN: I fear that I’m sounding cranky all of a sudden in these descriptions, and unfortunately Black Bird 16 will not change that. Man, it sells great, though. I like to think its sales help pay for all the poor-selling stuff I like.

MICHELLE: That’s a good way of looking at it.

MJ: If one must look at it.

SEAN: Bleach has its 5th omnibus, which is right in the middle of its strongest arc. Anyone who wonders why everyone is still paying attention to (and complaining about) such a slow-paced behemoth needs to check out these pacey, funny and heartwarming volumes.

MJ: You’re really making me want to go back and re-read Bleach!

SEAN: Claymore has gotten much praise from friends I trust, and I keep meaning to go back and grab it. Till then, here’s Vol. 22 for said friends.

MJ: I’m looking forward to this, too! I have a couple of volumes to catch up on, so I plan to read them all together.

SEAN: Dengeki Daisy has gotten much praise from me, and I can’t wait to see Vol. 12. This is the anti-Black Bird, being a shoujo thriller that respects its female characters and kicks eight kinds of ass. May I note that it and Black Bird run in the SAME DAMN MAGAZINE? Now that’s variety.

MICHELLE: I’m behind on this one, too, but intend to catch up in the coming weeks.

SEAN: How did Hunter x Hunter get to 30 volumes? Does that mean it’s also had 30 hiatuses? Still, its ability to return from long breaks over and over again must mean it’s a damn fine series, and so here we are, Vol. 30.

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Ah, the final volume of La Corda D’oro! Sadly, it fell victim to “the sales suck, but we’re not allowed to cancel it, so let’s put it out as slow as possible instead.” A quiet, sometimes overly frustrating reverse harem about a girl and her violin, this LaLa series already has a sequel in Japan. Don’t expect that. Enjoy this, though.

MICHELLE: Someday I will read this. I own practically the whole thing.

MJ: I’ve enjoyed this series consistently, despite its flaws, so you can count me in here.

SEAN: Naruto also has Vol. 5 of its omnibuses releases, and I think it’s towards the end – at last – of the exam stories. This is also Naruto towards the height of its powers, I believe, so definitely recommended.

And we also get Naruto 61, which has Sasuke and Itachi’s tearful, loving reunion. D’aww…

Otomen 15 looks to focus on Tomomine, at least to start, and his being torn between what his parents want and his love of makeup. I am still basking in my love of Vol. 13, so as long as Ryo still appears once or twice, I’m fine with it.

Psyren has made it to 10 volumes, and I believe is at the point where he finally get some mysteries solved in addition to all the angst and action.

MICHELLE: Otomen and Psyren are two more I’m aiming to catch up with soon.

SEAN: Strobe Edge continues to try to work with its love polygon and make it realistic, keeping everyone sympathetic. Will that keep lasting with Vol. 4? Let’s find out…

MICHELLE: I hearts it.

SEAN: Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee delivers its 13th series of letters. Sorry, I got nothing on this series. Anyone want to chime in who reads it?

MICHELLE: I’m pretty behind on it. I like the world and the art, but sometimes the humor is very… shounen.

wewerethere16

SEAN: Speaking of final volumes, We Were There has run out of manga, therefore I assume Vol. 16 must run out of ways to make everyone as sad as possible and comes up with a happy ending. Yay!

MICHELLE: It’s a great ending!

MJ: Agreed! I plan to talk about this shortly on the site.

SEAN: Lastly, not technically manga, but Yen Press has the first New Moon Graphic Novel, which will sell well enough to let them pick up some more series similar to Thermae Romae. I hope.

MICHELLE: Me, I’m hoping for manhwa.

MJ: I’m with Michelle. I’m also steeling myself to read New Moon. I’ve never been able to get up the gumption to read the novels, but these at least move quickly.

SEAN: So what titles give you feels this week? (Is this Tumblr?)

Pick of the Week: Twin Spica goes digital!

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twinspica1SEAN: I feel bad not picking the elite, first of its kind groundbreaking gay manga, but I’m not going to be reading it, as I’m not an audience for explicit gay bondage no matter how well put together it is. So my pick of the week is the digital release of Twin Spica, which I discussed in “Manga the Week of” earlier. A sublime, subtle story about growing up, overcoming hardships and tragedies, and the allure of space. Will love to read it all over again.

MICHELLE: I’m going to have to agree with Sean on every point, this week.

ANNA: I also hope that Twin Spica gets some extra love, now that it is being released in digital format. This reminds me that I need to go back and read the print volumes I’ve been stockpiling.

MJ: Well, I guess I’ll make it unanimous. While I’m definitely planning to check out The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame, I’m unreservedly enthusiastic about Twin Spica‘s move to digital. This is a series I named as a Best of the Year upon its debut, and then again as it concluded, and I’ve been very sad that low sales have forced it out of print. I hope very much that its digital venue can give it much-deserved new life!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Bookshelf Briefs 4/29/13

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This week, MJ, Michelle, and Sean look at recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, Dark Horse Comics, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical, Inc.

bunnydrop8Bunny Drop, Vol. 8 | By Yumi Unita | Yen Press – This volume has been greatly anticipated and feared by fans—me included. And though I had faith that Unita-sensei would execute the much-feared plot twist—Rin’s developing romantic feelings for her guardian, Daikichi—in a thoughtful and inoffensive way, my reaction was mixed at best. While I’m happy to report that this volume is, indeed, inoffensive, it’s also hard to swallow—not because of any breach of propriety, but because it just doesn’t quite ring true. Rin’s inner monologue about her awakening feelings is written sensitively, and on the surface it makes some sense. For a girl who craves consistency above all else, Daikichi’s steadfast loyalty can’t be beat. But even as I read Rin’s careful dissection of her own feelings, I’m just not buying it. The words are there, but the attraction is… not. That said, I’m invested enough to stick around for more. Recommendation pending. – MJ

Bunny Drop, Vol. 8 | By Yumi Unita | Yen Press – (Look away to avoid spoilers!) My primary reaction upon completing this volume can best be summed up as a sort of grudging respect. MJalways had faith that Unita could get readers to accept the romantic pairing of Rin and her much-older guardian, Daikichi, but I had remained dubious. Still, it’s hard to maintain such a feeling when Rin is so absolutely clear about her feelings and what she wants to do with her life. It’s worth noting, too, that so far Rin is convinced that getting what she wants is impossible, and that trying to achieve it would destroy what they have now. Is this Unita’s clever ploy to actually get me to root for them as a couple? And could it actually be working?! In any case, I’m not as leery of the final volume as I once was. – Michelle Smith

sidonia2Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 2 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – This is absolutely riveting stuff, with your hands turning the pages as fast as your eyes can process. The battles are tense and visually clear, and you feel for the hero even though he, like most of the cast, tends to be fairly unemotional. Actually, that’s probably for the best – if everyone in this cast started crying when bad things happened, there would literally be nothing but 100 pages of sobs Bad things happen constantly in this story, and even when you get a happy, redeeming moment, it’s merely setup for an even more crushing blow later. And we’re still wondering what’s so special about Tanikaze that everyone is going out of their way to accommodate him. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be a really depressing backstory. That will once again make me want to turn the pages even faster. – Sean Gaffney

loveless5-6Loveless, Vol. 3: 2-in-1 | By Yun Kouga | Viz Media – Everyone should know by now that I’ve fallen in love with Loveless, so a positive review of Viz’s latest omnibus edition is surely no surprise. Despite that, I must continue to register my surprise over Kouga-sensei’s ability to portray complex emotions and moral ambiguity with a combination of thoughtfulness, humor, and razor-sharp honesty. Over and over again as I read this omnibus volume, I was struck by bits of complicated emotional truth that most writers would carefully avoid—especially in the sort of deceptively fluffy genre tale that Kouga weaves here. Kouga’s insight into the human heart seems boundless, resulting in a story that is occasionally shocking, often dark, and always brilliant. Oh, Soubi… poor Soubi. Look for further discussion of this volume as the week goes on. Highly recommended. – MJ

missions3Missions of Love, Vol. 3 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – I know that I sometimes read shoujo manga for different reasons than everyone else. This is probably why I’m still enjoying the really, really problematic Missions of Love, which is apparently trying to spice up Nakayoshi in a way I’m not used to from this company (what is this, ShoComi or something?). Yukina is horrible much of the time, which is only somewhat excused by her complete ignorance of love and the emotions of other people. Akira does indeed step up his game, as predicted, and comes across as obsessed. And we also meet Shigure’s old friend (and past love, according to everyone but him) Mami, who I am sort of desperately hoping does not become the standard evil rival bitch character or many shoujo manga but I know she will be. In short, this is a fun little trainwreck, and if the lead female were weak or whiny, I’d drop it like a stone. But she’s a horrible person too. So I like it. Go figure. -Sean Gaffney

goddess44Oh My Goddess!, Vol. 44 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Dark Horse – The most interesting part of this volume actually won’t have its real impact until Vol. 45, which is the dissolution and then reconnection of their contract. Keiichi, who goes along with this because he trusts Belldandy, immediately notices one big difference – Belldandy looks much sexier to him, and indeed he’s reacting in ways we haven’t seen in years. But the meat of this particular volume is the sisterly bond between Urd and Skuld, and how strong it has to be given the control Urd has – or doesn’t have – over her demon side. Urd loves and trusts Skuld enough to kill her if she gets out of hand, and Skuld loves and trusts Urd enough to find a way out that doesn’t involve that. So now everyone’s coming together again, including Hild, whose arrival will make Vol. 45 even more fun than you’d expect. -Sean Gaffney

wewerethere16We Were There, Vol. 16 | By Yuuki Obata | Viz Media – Now that is one satisfying and well-earned ending. Yano begins reaching out to Takahashi, but because she’s so busy at work, they play phone tag for a while, and right after they reach each other, she ends up in the hospital. In the hands of a lesser mangaka, such a plotline would be rife with melodrama, but here it’s urgent and scary and the catalyst for putting things in crystal-clear perspective. Truly, this is a splendid ending that goes beyond what one would expect, taking the time to acknowledge how important Takeuchi has been to both Yano and Takahashi and bringing the series full circle with a return to the peaceful countryside of Hokkaido. Have I gushed sufficiently? It’s wonderful. If you like shoujo manga even a little, you need to read We Were There. I’m already looking forward to rereading it, that’s how good it is. – Michelle Smith

The CMX Project: Cipher

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cipher1MICHELLE: Hello, and thanks for joining us for the second installment of The CMX Project, in which we turn our attention to Cipher! (Please kindly overlook the fact that this column was promised for February; life has a nasty habit of upending one’s plans.) This month we’ll also have a special guest, but before the big reveal, how about another of your fabulous summaries, Karen? (Since you did so well with
Land of the Blindfolded!)

KAREN: Goodness, Michelle, all that praise is going to go to my head!

This month we have Cipher, by Minako Narita. Published by Hakusensha, it ran in Lala and Lala DX in the early/mid-’80s. Narita began working in the ’70s, with an eight-volume series (Alien Street) coming before Cipher. She would later go on to do a sequel to Cipher, Alexandrite, and her current work is Hana Yori Mo Hana No Gotoku, coming out very slowly in the bimonthly magazine Melody.

Cipher is the story of Anise, a girl in high school in New York City in the 1980s, and how she pursues a friendship with former child star Siva, breaking through his cool detachment with the force of her personality. Through Siva, she meets his twin brother Cipher, and discovers a mystery surrounding the brothers—that they’ve been changing places with each other for years. Which one is which? And why do they do this? I feel as if I’m not crafting a summary that does the story justice; instead, I hope our conversation will unfold just like the story—there’s a lot of layers to peel back, but I found the effort to do so very worth it.

But before I start going on and on, Michelle, please tell us about our special guest this month!

resized1MICHELLE: Well, I have the good fortune to be Facebook friends with none other than Asako Suzuki, who was director of manga at CMX from 2006 until its untimely death! I shared our Land of the Blindfolded column with her, and when she mentioned that her favorite CMX series was Cipher, I invited her to join us!

Welcome, Asako!

ASAKO: Hi Michelle and Karen! Thank you for having me, and thank you VERY much for this wonderful project remembering CMX! I am honored and excited to be with you today to talk about my favorite manga series, Cipher!

Cipher is a very special manga series to me, and I have lost count of how many times I read it. In fact, I have just read the entire series (of course in Japanese) not long ago.

MICHELLE: Can you tell us how Cipher came to be licensed and published by CMX?

ASAKO: Actually, I inherited Cipher with some other early acquisitions when I joined CMX. That being said, before I joined CMX, I assisted the acquisition team and made some suggestions. Cipher (and [a] few other titles that were eventually published) was one of the titles I recommended, but I didn’t know if DC Comics had acquired it or not until I started my position. When I saw it on our production schedule, I was very happy!

KAREN: Wow, Asako, that must have been a great surprise to come into CMX and see Cipher there!

resized3Now that I’m past the awesome summary-writing part, I can give my opinion—that I loved this title. I went in with preconceived notions—that this was That ’80s Manga. And while yes, it is very much set in the ’80s, it’s not done with artifice. It’s clear that Narita adored American pop culture—she even mentions doing a Thompson Twins doujinshi!—and it’s all done so lovingly. Real teens are a part of the music, movies, and current events, and it’s only in hindsight that the ’80s seem so cheesy. She also doesn’t gloss over some of the gritter aspects of the times—New York was still recovering from a terrible ’70s. Ironically, Cipher and Siva’s apartment is now in a very trendy area!

What surprised me was how the story was very much a coming of age tale—and not just for the heroine, Anise, but for the boys as well. At times, especially in the second half, she’s much more in the background, but her role seemed to be as much as a catalyst to make the bigger, darker story of the twins happen. Anise is still very childish at 16—there’s the very funny part where it’s pointed out that she really, really needs to start wearing a bra—despite her maturity and insight in some areas, she’s having a hard time seeing herself as growing up.

And then we have our former-child-star twins, Siva and Cipher (whose real names are Jake and Roy, respectively). Michelle and Asako, what’s your take on them? And do you still love the ’80s?

MICHELLE: Similar to Land of the Blindfolded, this is another case where focus drifts from the heroine and onto the two boys in her life, who each have past trauma to deal with. Anise isn’t as perpetually sunny as Kanade, but she’s still much less interesting than the twins. Or, rather, I felt like Narita-sensei was less interested in exploring her as a character. It was especially odd to me that we never learn what her focus is at the performing arts school! She narrates in volume one that “lots of people come to this school hoping to become painters, dancers, musicians, or actors.” So, which is Anise? What is her ambition for being there? As someone who actually attended a performing arts school, your “major” was vitally important.

So, that said, I feel a little grumpy that the boys got so much more love, but can’t deny that they’re pretty fascinating. I especially like when the story begins to focus more on Siva and we see events from his perspective that we later see again from Cipher’s perspective. Siva felt that Cipher’s openness made him more easy for his parents to love, while Cipher felt that Jake’s reliability made his own behavior seem childish in comparison. I also really liked how the friends they make while they’re apart affect them.

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ASAKO: I am a huge fan of Anise; she was my hero! The reason why I wanted to come to the United States was because I wanted to be like, and live like her. To me, Anise was more realistic and easy to relate to compared to other manga protagonists, thanks to Narita-sensei’s amazing psychological descriptions throughout the series.

Narita-sensei is an amazing writer; I can easily tell how much she loved her characters, and she treated each differently. The way she shifted focus from one character to another was just incredible. I actually had a deep conversation with one of the manga editors in Japan (can’t say who!) about Cipher and how talented Narita-sensei is!

See, Narita-sensei introduced Cipher and Siva to us through the eyes of Anise and once we got to know the twins better with Anise, we were able to learn more about them individually through the twins’ perspectives. If Anise stayed as the center of the story the whole time, the story would have been shallow. With appearance of Dana, the focus was subtly shifted to Jake, and we got to know the secret of the twins and why Jake was protective yet envious of Roy. Then we learn more about Roy in LA… I really enjoyed the multi-dimensional story telling.

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Speaking of details, have you noticed of the characters’ mix-and-match wardrobes? That’s amazing!

Also, there is something I have always wanted to know and never understood… can I ask you both a question? When you say “manga from the ’80s,” what does that mean? How do you distinguish the manga from the ’80s from the recent ones and why would you get less excited about manga from the era? That always puzzled me…

KAREN: Michelle—I wondered that too! I was really hoping she would have some great talent that drove her to commute all the way in from Queens!

I missed Anise during the second half of the series when the twins separated. She was still there, but the second half was really about the twins apart, and each making friends on their own, without having the other to hide behind. I don’t understand why some places categorize this as a shounen-ai title, the only love is friendship and the twin’s kissy-kissy… is anything but that.

There’s a lot of subtle tonal shifts in the story—the Dana storyline being one of them—a beautiful, talented young girl on the verge of falling in love and being loved is tragically, suddenly killed, and it has a way of breaking apart the entire premise of the story. The twins don’t just grow apart, they fly apart—Roy quite literally to the West Coast, leaving Anise behind. The ruse of one twin playing another will never work again, so they had to be apart, and make friends on their own terms, and the switching between coasts feels like two different stories but… they mirror each other, like Cipher and Siva did. Alexandra and Hal are different people, but they carry their own insecurities and pasts into their friendships—friendships they needed as badly as Jake and Roy did.

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I didn’t notice the wardrobes, except that I loved how detailed they were. Narita-sensei must have been importing magazines! It stuns me about the accuracy of the details—reading this series sent me into a flurry of research (yes, with the extensive use of Google Maps) and it’s amazing that she did this in the pre-internet era—unless she was here herself? Asako, do you know any of that background? She did three series set in the US so it really seems she had a feel for the place.

To answer your question, Asako, and “’80s manga” generally means the style of art that I think is viewed as rather old-fashioned—not as extreme as ’70s manga, but it still looks “dated.” However, Narita-sensei’s art doesn’t suffer as much in comparison, and I think the rep that this title has for being an ’80s manga has is because it’s set in the 1980s, and references to George Michael and Hall and Oates are funny to a modern reader who looks at it all through a lens of nostalgia. I personally adore older manga, and wish there was more of it, but sadly publishers have said it doesn’t sell—that’s one thing I loved about CMX was that they brought out Swan and Cipher.

Speaking of art, I found it very well done, and I really want to hunt down one of those out-of-print artbooks now!

MICHELLE: I think there’s a general sense of affectionate amusement about most things coming out of ’80s culture, really. I love ’80s manga, personally, but yes, I did find it pretty funny when a dancing Cipher is deemed to be as cool as Michael Jackson, or when Narita-sensei professes in the comments, “The source of my strength, just like always, has been The Thompson Twins.”

Asako, you make a great point about Narita’s layered storytelling. I didn’t think of it like that—introducing us to the twins first through Anise’s eyes, then widening the story’s scope with a purposeful sequences of events. I really loved each brother’s relationship with his newfound friend. We learn that Roy felt that he behaved childishly in his past, and so perhaps he had tried to grow up too fast and hadn’t enjoyed some of the simpler pleasures that Hal makes it his mission to introduce him to. Jake felt he always had to be the reliable one—in fact, he wanted to be needed—but then he makes friends with Levine (aka Alex, Alexandra), who is sensitive but also resilient and tough.

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When Jake first meets Levine, he can’t bear to think of Roy and Dana at all, but gradually he allows himself to think about them, and then to talk about them. When one of Dana’s relatives has a baby and names it after her, Jake instantly adores the girl, and ends up breaking down a barrier with his mother for her sake. It all seems to happen very naturally. Too, I love that when everyone meets up again at the end, Hal and Levine are completely baffled that anyone could’ve ever mistaken one twin for the other.

And I, too, appreciated the details that Narita-sensei got right. I was delighted to note that, in one scene, characters are eating an Old El Paso dinner kit of some sort.

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ASAKO: In the first volume of the Tankobon edition, Narita-sensei talks about her trip to NYC, and she shares some pictures that she took during the trip. It sounds like she toured different neighborhoods to choose the neighborhood where twins and Anise should live. I thought it [was] funny but I was impressed at the same time that Narita-sensei even took pictures of TV commercials she watched in her hotel room. (Did you notice Cipher was watching a Betty Crocker’s new cake mix commercial?!) Very detailed artist.

Ah, thank you for explaining about the ’80s manga. To be honest, I have never thought of manga [as] “dated.” Well, in retrospect, I did notice different printing/layout techniques and art style. Maybe I am more comfortable with the ’80s manga because that’s what I grew up reading. Haha.

Back to Cipher, may I ask who is your favorite character(s) and why? I’m curious.

KAREN:That’s great to know some of the background of the creation! I think we’re all so spoiled with just being able to Google everything that people forget how hard it was to do research on such mundane topics—like cake commercials—in those days.

Asako, since you’ve had the advantage of seeing the Japanese versions, I had two questions—what is volume 12 of Cipher about? I’ve seen it listed on information sites and on Amazon.jp—is it side stories or does it add something? Also, have you read the Alexandrite sequel series—how is it in relation to Cipher?

My favorite character in Anise. She’s the entry to the world, and even when she’s in the background, she plays an important role. For all of the ways that she seems a little less mature, she shows such kindness and understanding, and that’s what breaks the shell around the twins. She can tell them apart at the end of the “challenge” but chooses not to—but she’s already opened up their world. I like her spirit, and watching her mature through the course of the series. It may not be as dramatic as what happens to Roy and Jake, but she becomes an important part to helping Jake discover his new life and gives Roy the space he needs until a reconciliation can happen.

I also like Hal—he’s so goofy at first but turns out to be so endearing.

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MICHELLE: I really like Hal, too, but I’d have to say my favorite is Siva. I like his complexity in that he’s the reliable one who is secretly dependent upon being depended upon, and I like how experiencing love (for both Danas, the original and her namesake) frees him to become his own person and to begin to understand the pain of others.

ASAKO: To be honest with you, I don’t remember what was in the twelfth volume. As soon as the bunko edition came out, I gave my tanko edition to my best friend (here in the US). That was long, long time ago. I vaguely remember it was about Levine, but I am not entirely sure. I’m sorry!

Dealing with the difference between tanko edition and bunko edition was a challenge for CMX. We had to make the English edition of the original tanko edition off of the bunko edition—does that make sense?? (:D). The pagination and proportion differences required a lot of effort on our end, and what’s more, cover materials were provided in transparencies (positive films), so they had to be scanned, cleaned and color corrected before we could use on the covers. It happened many times for other CMX books, too, but some of the cover images were not available from the licensor, so we had to scan art books or whatever the resources we could find (and of course, with Licensor permission and extensive approval process) to come up with something.

KAREN: That’s great information, Asako—but I think CMX did a great job, the covers especially were very pretty. Other companies seemed to have problems reformatting the Hakusensha-style “box on the cover” design to something that works in the American market, but this was very well done. Speaking of artbooks, I’m going to have to chase down that out-of-print artbook that came out way back when.

Cipher is thankfully one of those titles that’s easy to collect—it’s all out-of-print, of course, but most volumes go for well below cover, and a couple of others are above cover but nothing crazy—it’s an easy one to collect, so that shouldn’t be a deterrent to hunting down and enjoying this title. Yeah, it’s set in the ’80s, but there’s so much more to it than that.

MICHELLE: We hope we’ve inspired you to check it out, and would also like to extend our very sincere thanks to Asako Suzuki for joining us for this conversation!

ASAKO: Thank you for having me! Looking forward to more CMX reviews in the future!

MICHELLE: You’re in luck, because Oyayubihime Infinity is up next!

Manga the Week of 5/1

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Tagame-cover-sketch-1SEAN: Given that most companies regard 5/1 as 4/31, it’s no surprise that there’s not a lot of stuff this week. Trust me, that giant pile of Viz will be waiting for you on 5/8. In the meantime, let’s turn our attention to other offerings.

It has to be said, the most anticipated book for this week is definitely not for the kids. That said, the buzz for The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: The Master of ‘Bara’ Manga is really high. This is not cute BL with pretty androgynous boys manga. This is MANLY gay manga, with lots of MANLY bondage and discipline. In fact, it’s quite violent and filled with sadism, I hear. But if you want a taste of something different, and don’t mind explicit stories, Picturebox has the collection for you.

MICHELLE: Sometimes one can be glad something exists without really wanting to check it out for themselves. This is one of those times.

MJ: I might check this out, though my threshold for sadism is relatively low.

SEAN: Vertical’s lone print offering this week is Vol. 4 of the Stan Lee penned Heroman, which is a must for manga fans who also love Stan Lee.

twinspica1MICHELLE: I do have to wonder how many such fans exist.

MJ: I wish I could like this, just for Vertical’s sake. I really do. Does that count for anything?

SEAN: The big news from Vertical is digital, though, as three of their series are available on Kindle and Nook as of April 30th. 7 Billion Needles is gripping sci-fi horror, Drops of God is a wine lover’s dream, but the big news for me is the now out-of-print series Twin Spica getting its first two volumes out. Twin Spica is the brilliant and heartwarming epic about a girl who yearns to be in space, and it never did as well here as I’d hoped. Here’s hoping that a digital release will give it new fans!

MICHELLE: That’s a hope I can share!

MJ: Now, this is something to cheer about. It makes the whole week, really!

SEAN: So what’s your kink this week?

Pick of the Week: Pandora Hearts, Doubt, Negima!

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potw-4-21MJ: The shipping list this week is formidable, and while I expect Tezuka’s Unico will get a lot of the manga blogosphere’s attention, there are also new volumes forthcoming of favorites like Bunny Drop and even an intriguing debut series, Doubt. But given my personal excitement over the latest volume of Jun Mochizuki’s epic fantasy series, Pandora Hearts, I’ve got to do the predictable thing and give that series another boost. I got a chance to read volume fifteen this weekend, and I have to say that it’s even more dramatic than I expected; Even as a consistent fan of the series, I’ll admit I’m blown away but several of the volume’s major revelations, and… yeah, wow. That’s all I can really say. Despite the fact that most of my favorite characters barely register in this volume, it’s got me firmly in its thrall. And I may have new favorite characters. This remains to be seen. Oh, Pandora Hearts, you intrigue me so!

MICHELLE: Gah, I don’t even know what my pick is this week. I’m a few volumes behind on Pandora Hearts and I’m feeling a little trepidatious about Bunny Drop these days. So I guess I’m going with Doubt, a series that I know virtually nothing about except that it involves a deadly survival game of some sort.

SEAN: Despite my many issues with its abrupt, inconclusive ending, my pick of the week is going to be the 38th and final volume of Negima!, mostly as I enjoyed the series for so long and it produced so many awesome characters to root for. A series that started as merely “Harem Potter” turned into a very emotional, action-oriented battle manga, even if it never quite abandoned what Kodansha wanted Akamatsu to write: more nude girls. I hope that someday he revisits it to answer a few of the questions the audience still has after this volume.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?