Sean Gaffney

By Q Hayashida. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Ikki. Released in North America by Viz.

I’ll be honest, it can be pretty easy when you’re reading Dorohedoro to simply forget about the plot and characters and just let yourself be led along. Not that the plot and characters aren’t terrific – they are, even if 3 volumes a year means that ti can be hard to recall who is what much of the time. No, it’s just that Dorohedoro is possibly the most sensory manga being released over here now that Children of the Sea (also an Ikki title, you’ll note) has finished. Chapter 63 in particular would be hilarious or terrifying if it weren’t just so fascinating, watching these partial corpses go about their day inside the fractal dreams of Caiman and Nikaido – well, perhaps Caiman. We’re *really* not sure about him anymore.

See, that’s Caiman on the cover – only it isn’t. He has a regular head, and is calling himself Aikawa. In fact, the similarities to Ai from flashbacks are unmistakable. And he seems to have some memories from before – he certainly wants to avoid Nikaido, and after she forcibly makes him show his face, promptly runs off again. As for whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy, let’s remember that this is Dorohedoro. There are no good guys here. I assume he will continue to be a major plot point.

As for other heroes, they’re not having the best volume either. Nikaido is back in En’s clutches, but seems determined to not help even if it means her death – her memory of her childhood past is still holding her back. It looks as if En is going to force the issue… but then comes the end of the volume. Remember last time when I said it showed off how overpowered En was? Well, he’s just run into Curse, and may be firmly dead now. Yikes. Fujita fares slightly better, managing to restore Ebisu to something resembling life… sadly, she has a lucky hairpin stuck in her brain, and so her mind is somewhat broken. Of course, that’s not really a big change from before.

In a series where no one is quite what they seem, and identities change from day to day (oh look, there’s Risu – whoops), that may be why I keep getting drawn back to the art. It seems more sinister and horror-movie than usual this time around, and even the gratuitous fanservice comes in the middle of a big action sequence. The artist recently revealed that she’s trying to end the series with Volume 20 (one volume more than planned by her publisher), so we’ve just passed the halfway mark. As such, if everything is accelerating downward, it should be no surprise.

There’s not even a lot of humor here, beyond the dark as pitch kind. As I said, the images of all the head and torsoless bodies wandering around the city, doing their daily business is sort of creepy-amusing in a Shintaro Kago sort of way. And there’s the thought process of Judas’ Ear, one of the few characters, along with Natsuki of the Cross-Eyed gang, who can still be described as innocent. (You could throw Fujita in there as well, but I find it hard to do so in a volume he spends trying to resurrect his dead crush.)

In short, reading Dorohedoro remains a head trip, and you have little choice but to let it drag you along. Even if it’s headed to hell, as is becoming increasingly apparent.

By Shiwo Komeyama. Released in Japan by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the magazine Shonen Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press.

I was interested in what this title would be like the moment I saw it licensed. Shonen Gangan has a fairly high success rate for me – I am a big fan of Soul Eater, and of course Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the finest manga out there. And yes, it also had two things that made it almost inevitable that North America would license it: vampires, and religious imagery recoded in a fantasy world. (It does amuse me that a story where heaven is engaged in a bloody war of succession is absolutely fine, but Jesus and Buddha living in an apartment as best buds is something we are unlikely to ever see. Oh, North America, when will you learn…?) So after reading the first volume, I’m a bit disappointed that I wasn’t quite blown away.

Not to say that this is bad, and indeed it shows great promise. It’s worth noting that unlike most shonen manga you see these days, this one is totally fine with every protagonist, antagonist, and mook/minion being a self-serving, backstabbing, distrusting person. Our hero and heroine meet trying to kill each other, occasionally make a show of continuing to do this as the volume goes on, and while there is attraction between them it seems to be based on lust and desire more than the purer emotions. Which makes sense given that Tsukimiya is half-vampire, and she promptly infects Hinata with her cursed blood. That said, the angels we see in this book are, if anything, worse. I’d say it has an Angel Sanctuary vibe, except that had actual innocents in it. There’s nothing like that here.

There’s also quite a lot of action in this volume, which helps to pass the time between trying to build up the plot. Our protagonists start out looking for demon blood, then have to find a sacred book, then we move on to a sacred key, and finally can use the key and the book to try to break the blood curse. If it sounds a bit like a video game, well, the author’s only other major work was a Star Ocean spinoff manga, so she has that sort of feel to her writing already. The action flows pretty well, with a bit more gore than I’m used to from fantasy titles, but then this isn’t meant to be a fun or pleasant world. Everyone suffers fatal wounds here, except being combinations of angel, demon and vampire, these woulds are rarely genuinely deadly.

I suppose the main problem with Bloody Cross is that after only one volume, I don’t quite have a handle on it. I suspect this may become a series like Bleach, where it reads much better if you take in 5-6 volumes a year in one gulp rather than reading one every 3 months. It may also probably benefit from rereading. As it is, this is a Chapter One. It’s intriguing enough that I want to find out more, but it hasn’t quite grabbed me yet – possibly as there’s no one I’m quite willing to root for yet. Even Tsukimiya, who we’re clearly *meant* to be rooting for, seems like she hasn’t earned our favor yet. We shall see what happens next.

By Kyoko Okazaki. Released in Japan by Magazine House. Released in North America by Vertical.

It took me a while to get through reading Pink, and even after reading it I was somewhat confused at my basic reaction to the title. I’d enjoyed Helter Skelter, another josei work by Okazaki, but it was a walk through some very dark places, and the characters were ultimate very difficult to sympathize with. Pink is from a much earlier period in Okazaki’s career, but also deals with women who do a lot of horrible things to each other, and men who are unable to stop themselves from being drawn to said women. As for why I’m confused, well, it’s the fact that I found this title to be quite light-hearted and fun.

I’m not really sure how I came away with that impression. Our heroine, Yumi, is an office lady by day (whenever she feels like she wants to work) and a prostitute by night (as that’s where she makes most of her money). She has a poor relationship with her step-mother, but a strong one with her little sister, who is a young tween who’s far too intelligent for her own good. Yumi tracks down Haruo, who is a college student and aspiring writer who is currently sleeping with her step-mother, but soon he’s also sleeping with Yumi. Oh yes, and she also has a pet crocodile, who she feeds dead animals to (she mentions several times feeding humans to it, but there’s no real sense she’s ever done that). As for her johns, some are sweet, some are nasty, some leave her huge piles of cash, and some just rob her. It’s not especially pleasant, but it gets her what she wants; cash to buy things.

Yumi’s attitude may have a lot to do with the feel of it. She’s constantly living in the moment, and tends to let bad news just pass her by bar the odd temper tantrum. She mentions at one point the close relationship she had with her mother, and how she found her body after she hung herself. So it’s a sort of calculated attitude, one that keeps people at arm’s length while allowing her to still have the benefit of their positive emotions. Despite her self-centredness and petulant actions, you never really see her as unsympathetic per se. Certainly you side with her against the stepmother.

But I think in the end I feel Pink is fun because of the way it’s written – it feels like fun. Even the ending, which could be considered suitably tragic, will affect our heroine only a little bit in the long run, I expect. The writing, particularly the narrative, feels very much like a Bridget Jones sort of work – I particularly liked the description of Haruo’s college classmate/lover as “shockingly skilled at cooking, skiing, and fellatio”. It’s not just Yumi – the author is also doing her best to make this a light, breezy work despite the content. The dissonance that provides is what will make it a good book for a reread. But on this first read, I felt it was a hell of a lot of fun. Even if that thought confuses me a bit.

By Ume Aoki. Released in Japan as “Hidamari Sketch” by Houbunsha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat. Released in North America by Yen Press.

When I last reviewed this cute 4-koma series, I noted that this volume might be the last as clearly Sae and Hiro were close to graduating. Well, by the end of this volume, they’re definitely closer, but haven’t quite gotten there yet, and it seems that it will be Volume 8 where we find out how the series can keep going without two of its big players. That said, attention is paid to all six of the main cast here, along with a few of the bit players we’ve seen sprinkled throughout, so maybe it doesn’t need to end quite yet, despite the loss of its main not-yuri couple.

Sae and Hiro haven’t left yet, though this volume gives them a bit less attention on the grounds that they’re studying for finals and applying to art colleges. We see some nice interaction with the first-years, as Hiro tries to teach Nazuna to cook (which doesn’t go as well as she hoped) and Sae discusses the nature of nightmares and the value of a printed book vs. an online one with Nori. We also get the most character development we’re ever likely to see for Natsume, the tsundere who loves Sae but can only express her affection through harsh words. Luckily, things thaw a bit as Natsume is invited to be part of a Christmas Party thrown by the gang, and cuteness ensues rather than frustration. Still no confession, though.

There really aren’t very many jokes here that we haven’t really seen variations on before, just with fresh settings and slightly redone. Yuno is short, Miyako is eccentric, Hiro constantly binge eats and then binge diets, and Sae frets (this is especially clear when her sister comes for a visit, annoyed that Sae may make her college choice based on what others want rather than what she wants.) Aside from Sae and Hiro’s college stress, the one sense that time is actually passing comes when Yuno runs into Arisawa, the sempai she’d met a few books back who’s now in college.

If there’s a theme to this book, it’s “even though life moves on, you should always treasure your friends no matter what”. I suspect Sae and Hiro leaving hasn’t quite hit Yuno yet (that may be in Volume 8), but when it does, it’s going to be tough. It will be less tough for Sae and Hiro themselves, as they’ve managed to find colleges that not only have the program they need but are also right next to each other! Yuri continues to tease but be mostly absent – in fact, there’s not even a lot of teasing here, beyond their beaming faces when they note their colleges. They really need to find an apartment to share once they get to college. With a big pluffy bed.

The art school aspect, as always, isn’t pushed as much as it is in GA Art Design Class, the other 4-koma art student manga. But in the end, even if it doesn’t really knock it out of the park, Sunshine Sketch inspires smiles and “awww, cute” remarks, and the occasional giggle. It’s an excellent comfort manga – provided, as ever, you don’t mind the characters being squished like pancakes sometimes.

By Hajime Isayama. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.

(Note: this review is based on a copy provided by the publisher. Also, this review spoils this volume even more than my reviews normally do. I recommend reading it first. Also, don’t discuss post-Vol. 10 spoilers in comments.)

This is not exactly a relaxing, peaceful volume of Attack on Titan. Not that we’ve seen any of those to date, but this one in particular is pretty much wall-to-wall action, with only a few flashbacks to distract us from what’s going on. We get a few more Survey Corps deaths, as the Titans show that when they’re led by a clever bastard (the Beast Titan), they can be nastily effective. Luckily, so can our heroes, as even without gear on, they manage to take on a couple of Titans and survive, though not without injury.

This does lead to one of my favorite funny bits in the series, where Krista tears her skirt to make Reiner a sling/bandage and Ymir, watching silently from the sidelines, says “Hey, Krista, my hand got skinned.” Those of us watching Ymir from the start, however little attention has been paid to her until the previous volume, know that whenever she’s seen she’s looking at Krista, or protecting Krista, or otherwise does not have context without being next to Krista. After this volume, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Ymir is in love with Krista. (Indeed, the author’s website notes it is a romantic attraction.) Of course, this being Attack on Titan, that doesn’t mean it’s a healthy or pure love. Ymir and Krista both have issues beyond simply fighting Titans.

I must admit, I’m not really sure how well Krista’s martyr complex has actually been telegraphed in the story besides Ymir simply stating it. We do get a flashback after the fact to try to explain it, where we see more of what I’ve taken to be their usual relationship – Ymir being cutting and nasty, Krista being stubbornly nice to the point of near-death – as they try to rescue a wounded colleague in the middle of nowhere during the winter. Of course, the other characters are just as surprised by Ymir’s words as we are – they’ve never really seen much of Krista beyond “beautiful, angel, goddess”, etc.

As for Ymir’s secret, well, she’s a Titan Shifter. Not particularly a surprise given the hints and buildup we got leading up to it, though her being the Titan who destroyed Reiner and Bertolt’s hometown was a bit of a shocker. Needless to say, the reason this gets revealed is that they are at the very bring of death – or rather Krista is, I’m not sure that Ymir would really do this for any of the others, though she does show them affection. Ymir’s battle is pretty badass, even if she ends up seriously wounded – she clearly has experience doing this sort of thing. Also, given Krista’s reaction to Ymir’s fighting, I think it’s safe to say that Ymir’s feelings are not simply one-sided. Though in this series, a happy ending is almost impossible.

Speaking of Reiner and Bertolt… if Ymir’s reveal was given lots of buildup and flashbacks with Ilse’s Notebook and such, leading to a bit dramatic fight scene, then here we have the polar opposite – a conversation so casual that you turn the page before you even realize what was just said. It’s almost comedic in its own way – “Oh, by the way, Eren, we’re the Armored and Colossal Titan.” There is at least some attempt to show how so many Titan shifters managed to make it into the same squad – Annie, Reiner and Bertolt are all from around the same place, and the records were lost or damaged so it took hem this long to figure things out. Also they were damn good soldiers. Indeed, they still seem to be – Reiner and Bertolt’s motivations are somewhat murky here, and I presume future volumes will show why they feel that thanks to Eren, they can stop destroying humanity. Also, why they need Ymir, unless it’s revenge for what she apparently did to them as kids.

With more and more Titan shifters showing themselves, the question now becomes “are all the Titans transformed humans?” And if so, how innocent are they meant to be? A few of the Titans seen in the battle act much like kids would playing around their dad, and one shudders to think whether that’s really the case. There’s a nice little cliffhanger here, with the Shifter Titans on the run – some unwillingly – from the rest of the Military. Mikasa, for one, is likely to take this badly. Assuming she’s able to move – come on, some of these near-fatal wounds must slow her down, at least? In any event, despite some awkward exposition designed to move the characters around on the board to where the author needs them to be, the series remains as addicting as even. Beware, though – the speedup is almost over.

By Hidekaz Himaruya. Released in Japan by Gentosha, originally serialized as an online webcomic, then in Comic Birz. Released in North America by Tokyopop in association with Right Stuf, Inc.

After a long wait, Tokyopop and Right Stuf bring us not one but two volumes of Hetalia just in time for the holidays. As you’d expect, there’s lots of historical in-jokes, wacky 4-koma humor, and stereotypes galore. You’d think that this would get tired eventually, but I’ve found myself enjoying the series even more, especially as the cast has widened from the main eight. Indeed, the back cover of Vol. 4 shows that Himaruya has done his best to add more female countries in order to balance things out – Hungary is a major player, of course, and Ukraine, Belarus, Belgium and Liechtenstein have had substantial roles. But in these two volumes we see Seychelles, Monaco, Vietnam, Taiwan, and even the Principality of Wy, though that last one may drive you to Wikipedia.

There seems to be a return to World War II after the previous volume, with many strips detailing the battles in Africa. These are all done with a light touch, of course, but there are historical facts sprinkled throughout – Italy’s poorly-designed tanks, Germany not realizing how hot Africa would be, and America barreling in ready to win at everything and getting his ass handed to him. There’s also examinations of prior military skirmishes, as Austria is forced to make a very dangerous decision when he’s on the verge of losing the Seven Years war and ask Russia and France to ally with him. And in the “Battle of the Ice”, a young Russia encounters Prussia and realizes that he is far too stupid to be allowed to live.

As you’d expect, there’s a lot of modern-day stuff as well. In fact, we get an alternate universe high school section in both volumes, based on the Hetalia otome game that came out in Japan a while back. Don’t worry, BL fans, Seychelles isn’t the star here. It has our three Axis Powers as the newspaper club, trying to do an article about the various school clubs and finding that almost all of them are eccentric and weird. In the 5th volume, we also get an examination of horror movies in many of the major countries, which vary greatly in mood and scare tactics.

There are two serious chapters in here, and strangely they both involve France, who is normally one of the most flamboyant of the Hetalia cast. In Volume 4 he runs into a young tourist visiting Paris, who is hinted to be a reincarnation of Jeanne D’Arc, France’s lost love. In the 5th, a construction worker meets France, and is somewhat taken aback by the fact that his grandfather had also met him, but France hasn’t aged a day. France has come to terms with it, but the man’s wife points out how sad it would be to never age while you watch your loved ones dying, and for a moment we understand the inner tragedy of what it must be like to be the personification of a country. (Himaruya has stated that Prussia lives on, by the way, first as ‘East Germany’ and now basically just as Prussia in modern times, living in Germany’s basement. I wonder how the nations face the death of a country.)

As long as there is history to be mined, there will still be Hetalia coming out, most likely. We get some development of Netherlands here as well, an amusing look at Southern Italy’s relationship with Spain, China dealing with a rebellious Hong Kong asking for more freedom, and Taiwan attempting to give Vietnam a makeover. There are character profiles which detail each nation’s flag, as well as the reasoning behind the design and colors of that flag. There are cute sidebars explaining weird laws in various countries, and a look at various foods. And we see Hungary forcing Austria to wear cat ears for Belgium’s festival, which satisfies the shipper in me. Those who find the premise rubs them the wrong way won’t want to pick this up, but fans of the series will find lots to love here. Definitely recommended.