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Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 1

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Sweet Blue Flowers, Omnibus 1Creator: Takako Shimura
Translator: John Werry
U.S. publisher: Viz Media
ISBN: 9781421592985
Released: September 2017
Original release: 2005-2006

Takako Shimura is probably best known for two manga series. The first, and my introduction to her work, is Wandering Son, a series which sympathetically explores some of the challenges faced by transgender and gender non-conforming youth. (Wandering Son is an incredibly important manga to me personally and I will forever lament the fact that it will likely never be released in English in its entirety.) The second manga is Sweet Blue Flowers, another series with queer themes, this time focusing on bisexual young woman and lesbian teenagers. While the anime adaptation of Sweet Blue Flowers has been readily available in English for years, the publication history of Shimura’s original manga has been more fraught. Originally translated in 2012 as part of the failed JManga digital initiative, the first volume was subsequently released by Digital Manga in a less than stellar ebook version after which the series languished unfinished. Surprisingly, Sweet Blue Flowers would be rescued by Viz Media, making it one of the first yuri manga to ever be released by the publisher. The first print omnibus of the Viz Signature edition of Sweet Blue Flowers, collecting the first and second volumes of the series originally published in Japan in 2005 and 2006, was easily one of my most anticipated debuts of 2017.

Fumi Manjome and Akira Okudaira were very close as children but the two girls fell out of touch after Fumi’s family moved away. Many years later they meet again by chance while commuting by train on the way to their first day of high school. They don’t actually realize who the other one is at first, but soon Fumi and Akira’s friendship is rekindled and their relationship blossoms once more. Since they attend different all-girls schools they don’t get a chance to see each other as much as they might like, though. Even so, both Akira and Fumi are faced with some similar trials which bring them together–making friends at their new schools and finding an extracurricular club to join that interests them among other things–but not everything is the same for them. Although complimentary, the two young women have strikingly different personalities, resulting in drastically different experiences and interactions. And while Akira doesn’t seem to have put much thought into romance, Fumi has recently had her heart broken. But now Fumi has fallen for an older student at her school, Yasuko Sugimoto, a young woman who is interested in Fumi but who is also dealing with an unrequited love of her own.

Sweet Blue Flowers, Omnibus 1, page 92Shimura’s artwork in Sweet Blue Flowers is simple and refined, but is still able to carry the emotional weight and expressiveness of the story. The focus of the manga’s illustrations is almost entirely on the characters themselves. Except for when the actual setting is intended to make an impact, such as the hallowed halls of a prestigious school or the imposing home of a distinguished family, backgrounds are minimalistic and sometimes even non-existent. Just enough is implied to give readers an impression of place and location. This technique, along with Shimura’s use of light and shadow, is reminiscent of intentionally minimal set design used in some theatrical performances which in turn nicely echoes the high school stage production of Wuthering Heights featured prominently in the first omnibus of Sweet Blue Flowers. The characters’ involvement with the play is an important part of the series both aesthetically and thematically. The connections to theater and creative performance arts present in Sweet Blue Flowers can also be found in Shimura’s other work, including but not limited to Wandering Son.

Sweet Blue Flowers is a wonderful series. The manga is emotionally resonate, with a realistic portrayal of the experiences of young women who love other young women. The characterizations and character development in Sweet Blue Flowers in particular are marvelous. Shimura effectively captures the nuances of a multitude of personalities and how they interact with one another, showing both individuals and their relationships as believably layered and convincingly complex. Sweet Blue Flowers is a relatively quiet story, but the emotional drama is powerful and the manga conveys a compelling sense of authenticity and honesty. I am loving the series and find that I am completely invested in the lives and well-being of Fumi, Akira, and the other characters as they navigate their adolescence. Life and relationships can be challenging and messy, something that Shimura does not shy away from in the manga. The young women in Sweet Blue Flowers grow and change, gaining maturity through their mistakes and missteps as well as personal clarity as they slowly discover their own identities. Sweet Blue Flowers is a worthwhile and lovely work; I’m so glad that it’s finally receiving a proper release in English.

Manga the Week of 11/1/17

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SEAN: (stares brokenly)

We’ll start off with the titles that are already out but were announced too late to be in last week’s column, which is unfortunately becoming a weekly occurrence. First off, Bookwalker debuts a new digital light novel, The Ryuo’s Work Is Never Done! This is a very popular series in Japan about a teenage shogi master who takes an elementary school girl as his apprentice. The prologue is jaw-droppingly appalling, but I am hoping for the best? Maybe?

MICHELLE: I thought I might check this out for a moment before I read some of the preview.

SEAN: Kodansha also has its digital horror debut, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die. Despite the title, not based on a light novel. It runs in Afternoon.

MICHELLE: I find this kind of intriguing, actually. It doesn’t appear gory, at least.

SEAN: Now on to next week, and it’s a killer week even based on the experience of previous killer weeks. Dark Horse gives us yet another Hatsune Miku manga spinoff with Future Delivery.

Drawn & Quarterly delights us with another Kitaro volume, Kitaro’s Strange Adventures.

ASH: Yes! I’m always looking forward to more Kitaro.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has *five* novels debuting next week, which I think may be a record for them. We have Clockwork Planet 2, Demon King Daimaou 3, Infinite Dendrogram 3, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 7.5 (no, you’re reading that right, there’s a reason for the .5), and Paying to Win in a VRMMO 5. Phew!

Kodansha also has a GIANT PILE of digital coming out. In addition to whatever new horror title they debut next week, we have All Out!! 2 (more rugby!), Beauty Bunny 2, Black Panther and Sweet 16 3, DAYS 6, DEATHTOPIA 5, Drowning Love 3, Love’s Reach 4, and Peach Heaven 8. More titles to get behind on!

MICHELLE: Dang! I’m definitely keen on several of those.

ASH: It’s great that so much digital is being released these days, but it’s so easy to loose track of what is being released (and when, apparently).

SEAN: In print, the big release next week is the Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set. If you want a new, huge, handsome version of Akira, this is the title for you. Do Millennials remember Akira?

MICHELLE: Random note: years before it became a fandom word, there was a panel of a rat in Akira who had the dialogue, “Squee.”

MJ: That rat was ahead of its time.

SEAN: Animal Land has its 2nd to last volume (13)! The last one is not yet scheduled because, well, y’know, Animal Land. But yay anyway!

ASH: I will be glad if we can actually make it to the end! The series ended up really growing on me.

SEAN: Fairy Tail has a 5th volume of its Master’s Edition, which tries to impress next to Akira’s box set but sadly comes in second. Which, well, Fairy Tail should be used to.

ASH: Ha! This probably is the edition to get for anyone starting to collect the series, though.

SEAN: Kigurumi Guardians gets a 2nd volume. The first was very… strange. I wonder what direction it will go.

MICHELLE: I need to read these!

SEAN: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime also has a 2nd manga volume, as we wait for December to see the light novel.

ASH: I found the first volume surprisingly entertaining.

SEAN: The big debut from Kodansha is To Your Eternity, the new series from the author of A Silent Voice. I’m hoping for big things! It runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine, and is far more supernatural than her prior series.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ASH: I am definitely looking forward to this one. The artwork is beautiful and the story devastating, from what I’ve heard.

MJ: Well, that sounds pretty interesting.

SEAN: Seven Seas has the first of its releases in the Devilman franchise with Devilman Grimoire. This remake of Devilman ran in Champion Red Ichigo, and all I can tell you is try not to get too attached to the characters.

ASH: That seems to be fair advice.

SEAN: There’s another omnibus of Freezing, containing Vols. 17-18..

The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil A Run has a 3rd volume of vaguely heartwarming, vaguely disquieting beauty.

MICHELLE: I am looking forward to this very, very much.

ASH: Same. The Girl from the Other Side is a tremendous series.

SEAN: Seven Seas’ big release next week (sorry, Devilman) is In This Corner of the World which is coming out as one big omnibus. Old-timers may recall that J-Manga released some of this series digitally, but here it is in print. It ran in Futabasha’s Manga Action, and is from the creator of Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms.

ASH: I’m planning on picking this one up. I actually still need to see the anime adaptation, too.

SEAN: Speaking of omnibuses, Vertical Comics has the first in their omnibus re-release of The Flowers of Evil.

And now it’s time for Yen. Amusingly, this list was originally larger – some titles are delayed due to shipping issues with the recent storms, and so be prepared for a pile of Yen every week for the next few weeks. This is a REALLY big pile even so, though.

Digital? We have you covered. There’s Corpse Princess 13 and Saki 12. There are also digital editions of Accel World and The Irregular at Magic High School’s light novels, being released in chunks to catch up ASAP. We get Accel World 1-4 and Mahouka 1-2.

On the light novel front, Yen On debuts a new series, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. This is somewhat unique as, like Psycome, it does not seem to have a manga or anime attached to it but was licensed anyway. It seems to involve time loops – which we know Western fans LOVE after Endless Eight.

ASH: Say that again?

SEAN: On the light novel front, Yen On debuts a new series, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. This is somewhat unique as, like Psycome, it does not seem to have a manga or anime attached to it but was licensed anyway. It seems to involve time loops – which we know Western fans LOVE after Endless Eight.

There’s also a 4th DanMachi: Sword Oratoria, 9th Log Horizon, 5th (and penultimate) Psycome, and 5th Re: Zero.

Debuts from Yen Press next week are Gabriel Dropout, a Dengeki Daioh comedy about Angels down on Earth, Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia (Masou Gakuen HxH), which is another very ecchi title set at a magical school, based on a light novel (which Yen doesn’t have). There’s also a new spinoff debuting with Danmachi: Sword Oratoria’s manga debuting.

Ending next week is The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan with its 10th volume. You can see what I said about this in my review here.

The rest we’ll divide into two: manga based on light novels and manga that is not. For the former, we have the 11th A Certain Magical Index; 2nd Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash; 4th Overlord; two Re: Zero volumes with the 3rd volume of the 2nd arc and the first volume of the 3rd arc; and the 4th in the Sword Art Online spinoff Girls’ Ops.

We also have a 12th Akame Ga KILL!, a 24th Black Butler, the 9th Horimiya, the 2nd Sekirei omnibus (in print), and the 14th Triage X.

MICHELLE: I’ll always appreciate more Horimiya!

ASH: It’s such a great series.

SEAN: And there is the 6th Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, which I love so much it gets kudos away from the group.

Lastly, there’s another Soul Eater artbook, imaginatively called Soul Eater: Soul Art 2.

I compressed this list a lot, and it still looks long. And remember, Yen delayed 9 titles to the week after! What are you getting next week?

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Vol. 10

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By Nagaru Tanigawa and Puyo. Released in Japan as “Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu” by Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in the magazine Young Ace. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Paul Starr.

And so we come to the end of the Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, and it feels thematically appropriate that Yuki doesn’t exactly disappear but she definitely takes a back seat in this final volume, entirely devoted to Ryouko’s decision to move to Canada to live with her parents and go to college there. It feels appropriate because, no offense to Puyo, but Kyon, Yuki and their relationship have been the weak part of this title. Yuki’s been OK, and I’ve enjoyed seeing her gain a certain level of confidence, but Kyon is a pale shadow of his self from the main series. They only shone in the amnesia arc, which featured what was essentially Yuki from the main series crossing over.

No, the big achievement of this series has always been Ryouko Asakura, written off as a villain in Haruhi proper (and don’t get me wrong, she made a wonderful villain), then turned into a comedy punchline by Puyo in his other Haruhi series,the gag manga Haruhi-chan (which is still running, by the way – Vol. 11 comes out here in December), but in the Nagato spinoff she became the main reason to watch it, easily having the most depth and emotional pull while also gaining an alternate characterization as Yuki’s “mother” figure who is also overly stressed and worrying to the point where, when being around her, Haruhi ends up being the deadpan straight man figure.

Ah, yes, Ryouko and Haruhi. Folks who’ve read my other reviews of this series know that I’ve shipped them almost as soon as they had significant scenes together, and the tenth volume, while not, of course, making anything canon, is written as if the author read my reviews and said “let’s see what I can do with that”. Being unable to tell Yuki straight away about her decision to move, Ryouko opens up to Haruhi, who alternates between being a sounding board and being a complete goofball (trying to stand on the exercise ball, and the goose egg punchline that follows, was amazing). Haruhi immediately says she will fly to Canada to visit Ryouko – her “free room and board” line implying she’ll just stay at Ryouko’s – and when Ryouko does eventually fly off, Haruhi’s farewell is given a full page, as is Ryouko’s response – more than Yuki!

We then get the epilogue, where Haruhi ends up being the only one who picks up Ryouko at the airport returning from college. There is a brief attempt at heterosexuality, but it’s almost laughable – Haruhi had absolutely no idea Koizumi liked her till he confessed, her “try to make me fall for you!” line implies she hasn’t yet, and Ryouko points out it sounds like she’s just trying to dodge the entire issue. Koizumi is, of course, nowhere near the finale, which is composed of the four “main” character finally meeting again after so long – Kyon and Yuki, now living together (though, despite Ryouko’s fervent imaginations, not with child) and Ryouko and Haruhi, who may not be an explicit romantic pairing but certainly are given as much canon teasing as is humanly possible.

So, in the end, is The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan worth it? It certainly was to me, but as I’m sure you noticed, I wasn’t really concentrating on the main plot. The art improved as it went on, but that does mean it starts as “very mediocre”. In the end, I recommend it to Haruhi fans who want to see a different side to Haruhi, one that is milder and more mature but still clearly her. I also recommend it to Ryouko fanatics, but honestly I’d hope they were already reading it. I enjoyed some volumes more than others, and it could have been shorter, but I adored the final volume.

Manga Giveaway: Oresama Teacher Giveaway

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The end of October is quickly approaching which means it’s time for another monthly giveaway at Experiments in Manga! For this month’s giveaway, everyone participating will have the chance to win Oresama Teacher, Volume 1 by Izumi Tsubaki as published in English by Viz Media. Oresama Teacher isn’t the newest series, but it is one that I recently started reading and quickly fell in love with. Since these giveaways are in part meant to help me spread my love of manga, it made since to me to include Oresama Teacher in the fun, too. Oh, and as usual, the giveaway is open worldwide!

Oresama Teacher, Volume 1

I’m not sure exactly why it is, but I really enjoy manga about delinquents. There’s just something about ruffians with hearts of gold that warms my own heart. Granted, not all delinquents in manga are so benevolent, and some series can be quite brutal, but I tend to enjoy those as well. Whether a manga takes a more comedic or more dramatic approach the the pervasive delinquent character type there’s usually some sort of well-deserved ass-kicking involved which, in general, is something that I can appreciate. All that being said, I’m a little uncertain why it took me so long to give Oresama Teacher a try considering the prominence of delinquents and ex-delinquents in the story, but now that I have I am completely hooked. And I am completely okay with that.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of Oresama Teacher, Volume 1?

1) In the comments below, tell me a little about your favorite manga delinquent. (If you don’t have a favorite, or haven’t encountered any, simply mention that instead.)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

It’s as easy as that. Giveaway participants can earn up to two entries and have one week to submit comments. If needed or preferred, comments can also be sent to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com which I will then post here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on November 1, 2017. Best of luck to you all!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway: Oresama Teacher Giveaway Winner

Yokai Rental Shop, Vol. 1

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By Shin Mashiba. Released in Japan as “Yokai Nii-san” by Square Enix, serialized in the magazine GFantasy. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Amanda Haley, Adapted by Julia Kinsman.

Those who are familiar with this author’s previous series, Nightmare Inspector (released by Viz, though I think Yen Press has the digital rights now), will be very familiar with the sort of series this is. There’s a mysterious shop where people come to have wishes granted that they can’t quite achieve using normal means. An eccentric shopkeeper hooks them up with a yokai monster that will theoretically give them what they want. In reality, of course, almost all the customers are selfish and warped individuals who need to get what’s coming to them instead, and karmic retribution is not all that far off. Into this fairly typical setup walks Hiiragi, a salaryman who’s just found he has a half-brother – who turns out to be the proprietor of said shop. His heartwarming meeting with his brother instead becomes a long stream of reaction takes as Hiiragi slowly realizes who that brother really is.

There are two very good reasons to read this series. The first, as with the artist’s other series, is the compelling artwork, which draws the eye in and entertains you even when the story being told is predictable. I especially liked Karasu’s overdramatic dynamic entry, as he drops into his shop from the ceiling for no apparent reason other than to look cool (which honestly, given he’s almost totally covered in bandages, I think he has going for him anyway). And the yokai look scary when they need yo, also important given this is at heart a horror sort of series. The other big plus is Hiiragi, who starts off somewhat nebbish but gets better as he reacts against the supernatural events going on around him. His inner tsundere comes out when he’s dealing with his brother, who he immediately tries to force to eat healthier, and it leads to some very funny situations. He also can drive the plot due to pigheaded stubbornness, always a valued trait in a straight man protagonist.

The downside is that there’s not much in these stories that you haven’t seen done elsewhere many times before. It’s an anthology of “be careful what you wish for” stories. I’d joked that this was something of a gender-reversed xxxHOLIC, and the two do share similarities, but unfortunately Karasu just isn’t as interesting or funny as Yuko was, though he tries. And the fact that all the customers have, for the most part, unlikeable and selfish motivations makes it pretty hard to root for anyone – even the bully who wants something to help him avoid getting beaten up breaks the rules the moment he gets a chance to. You’re left only caring about our heroes, which is not what you want to see in a horror anthology manga.

Still, overall the good outweighs the bad, and the series is only four volumes long, which is about right if you’re doing a shop with the customer-of-the-week. If you like hot supernatural guys who makes bad things happen to bad people, or just like cool art, Yokai Rental Shop is worth picking up.

Also, it gets bonus points for the “Fake news!” translation/adaptation.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/23/17

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Helvetica Standard: Bold | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – This is a classic example of “not essential but fun,” and comes in three parts. The first is the Helvetica Standard 4-komas, which are essentially Nichijou without the main cast (though we get a cameo or two). They’re funny and strange, not in that order. The second part is Nichijou 4-komas that Arawi wrote for bookstores to promote the series. They’re pretty much what you’d expect, and a few were even used for anime gags (Mai eating the soap bubble). The third part is some miscellaneous stories and some artwork, including a Nichijou Hanafuda set I’d desperately love to buy. If you loved Nichijou, this is a good purchase. Only get it if you did, though. – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 15-16 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – Seirin vs. To-Oh is STILL the main thrust of this volume, and it’s STILL just as exciting as you might imagine. At least for the first half or so. After the end of the game, which features Kuroko (remember him? The title character?) coming up with a really clever reversal of his usual move and THE ZONE playing a major part, we see what you’d expect—some celebration from the winning team, and some introspection from the losers. We also get a cliched American Girl—the “Alex” that Kagami had mentioned training with earlier—who gives us some fanservice, which we apparently need every three volumes or so. On to the next game, which will be tough—the next opponent shut out their rivals, which is ludicrous but oh well. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 26 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I was right: Alibaba and Harukyu clashed horribly in this volume. Alibaba is a nice guy, and that’s not going to change—you’re never going to see him be all cynical and bitter. As a result, he’s like antimatter to Harukyu, who’s filled with so much power AND anger that he can’t remotely control it anymore. Once Alibaba tells him he’s not here to start the killings against those who have wronged them, a battle is the only answer. We also see Judar and Aladdin fight, and Aladdin gets to show off some sweet moves. But it’s all about that cliffhanger—how crippled is Harukyu now, and is Alibaba actually going to be killed off? Well, no, it’s unlikely. But it makes for a nice cliffhanger, doesn’t it? – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 26 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – I know I frequenly congratulate Magi for being more complex than your average shounen manga, but seriously… when’s the last time you heard a shounen antagonist tell the hero “You are so calculating and hypocritical that it makes me sick!” A riveting battle between former friends Hakuryu and Alibaba ensues, with the tragedy of it all being that Hakuryu isn’t entirely wrong about Koen and could have still been a valuable ally against Al-Thamen if not for the pain and anger that has led him down a seemingly irredeemable path. Alibaba doesn’t want to fight, but learning that the people of Balbadd might soon be subjected to Hakuryu’s mind-controlling tactics leaves him little choice. It’s a dramatic confrontation with a cliffhanger ending, which makes me wonder just how intense the final ten volumes of the series will be! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 3 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – Each volume of The Water Dragon’s Bride seems to flow past so quickly, thanks in particular to the clear and simple artwork, particularly in the scenes in which Asahi and the water dragon god are together. In this volume, we get glimpses of the three days per year they’ve spent together as Asahi has grown up, during which his opinion of humanity seems to have warmed. Or, at least, he’s willing to consider Asahi’s wishes when some men from another village attack, hoping to gain her supposed powers for themselves. There’s some low-key jealousy with Subaru, and the love triangle is poised to get more complicated going forward, but there’s just a special feel about this series that makes the scant plot seem more substantial. I’m optimistic they’ll be some satisfying payoff soon. – Michelle Smith

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 8 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Manga – While I could quibble with the anticlimactic arrival of the Yellow Dragon, it does lead to a really important question—what does Yona intend to do now that all of her dragon warriors have been assembled? Will she attempt to retake the throne? As Jaeha points out, she may see Su-Won as a traitor, but the rest of the nation might see things differently. And, indeed, after she decides that she won’t be able to help the people from within the walls of a palace, we get a story about Su-Won not only earning the loyalty of the Earth Tribe’s general but he also finding a couple of ways to boost the economy of the region. I like the idea that Su-Won might not really be an enemy, and that maybe Yona’s dad was a pretty lousy king after all! Looking forward to more, as always. – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Sports vs. Supernatural

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SEAN: As regular readers know, I’m a sucker for NISIOISIN titles, and therefore my pick of the week is Vertical’s release of Imperfect Girl, which will no doubt be twisted yet fun.

MICHELLE: And I am a sucker for sports manga, so it’s the second volume of Shojo FIGHT! for me.

KATE: I’m torn between the second volume of Toppu GP and the second volume of Shojo FIGHT!, both of which I enjoyed immensely. I’m also looking forward to Yokai Rental Shop, if only because it seems like a seasonally appropriate debut.

ANNA: The first volume of Shojo FIGHT! had a unique art style and managed to pack an entire season’s soap opera plots into just one volume. It also served as more of a prequel, setting up the characters and plot areas as everyone moves on to high school at the end. I’m looking forward to the second volume.

ASH: The debut of Yokai Rental Shop is where it’s at for me! Although the basic premise of the manga isn’t especially novel, my love of yokai knows no bounds and I was rather fond Nightmare Inspector, one of the creator’s earlier series.

My Week in Manga: October 16-October 22, 2017

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My News and Reviews

Well, it was a very quiet week at Experiments in Manga last week. I was hoping to post my review of the first omnibus of Takako Shimura’s Sweet Blue Flowers, but a variety of things came up–little dude’s preschool open house, helping family members with their cross-country move, spending most of a day on the road for an out-of-state taiko performance, to name just a few. But never fear! I’ll almost certainly be posting the review later this week instead. I haven’t been online much recently either, but I did catch a couple of thing of interest last week. The first was an announcement from Dark Horse, which will be releasing Kentaro Miura’s official Berserk guidebook in March of next year. The second was Brigid Alverson’s discussion with Akira Himekawa, the two-person creative team behind most of the manga adaptations of The Legend of Zelda.

Quick Takes

Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 6Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 6-7 (equivalent to Volumes 11-13) by Inio Asano. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve read the fifth omnibus of Goodnight Punpun, but in reality it’s only been a few months. Perhaps it seems so long since Goodnight Punpun can be such a hard-hitting, exhausting experience which requires time to fully recover between volumes. (At least, that tends to be the case for me.) Goodnight Punpun is a surreal and extremely dark coming-of-age story. The series is intense, easily earning its explicit content warning with the manga’s portrayal of emotional, psychological, and physical violence. But while much of Goodnight Punpun is incredibly bleak, there are also moments of hope. Granted, that hope can also be extremely painful. Goodnight Punpun worked best for me when it was exploring the inner turmoil of its titular protagonist. I was actually frequently reminded of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human as the series approached its conclusion. The manga’s second major plot involving the cult wasn’t nearly as compelling or convincing, coming across as superfluous and tangential to me. But having now reached the end of Goodnight Punpun, I find that I want to read it again. The manga has multiple layers to it and I’m fairly certain there are elements that I either missed entirely or didn’t fully appreciate my first time through the series.

Waiting for Spring, Volume 1Waiting for Spring, Volume 1 by Anashin. Although the basic premise of Waiting for Spring makes it seem like the manga’s setup could easily slip into a reverse harem territory, after reading the first volume I don’t think that’s the direction Anashin will be taking with the series. However, it does still look like there will be at least some romantic rivalry involved. If there’s one thing that Mitsuki wants from high school, it’s to finally make some friends. She’s having a difficult time of it, though. The other young women in her class aren’t really hostile towards her, but she hasn’t been able to really connect with them, either. But things start to change when she gets mixed up with and is unexpectedly befriended by the four stars of the men’s basketball team. In general, most of the relationships in Waiting for Spring are very well done. The blossoming romance between Mitsuki and one of the basketball players is very sweet, but I’m particularly enjoying the friendships in the first volume. Mitsuki treats all of the guys like they’re real people. She isn’t blinded by their good looks and athletic talent (though she can still appreciate them) and doesn’t hesitate to give them what for when needed. This is actually something of a novelty for them, but it’s what allows their friendships with her to naturally develop. The already well-established relationships between the four young men are also very entertaining.

Attack on Titan Adventure: Year 850: Last Stand at Wall RoseAttack on Titan Adventure: Year 850: Last Stand at Wall Rose written by Tomoyuki Fujinami and illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji and Toru Yoshii. Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Choose Your Own Adventure series and other types of gamebooks. (I’ve even held onto a few particularly well-loved volumes from my youth.) And so I was very curious about Last Stand at Wall Rose, an interactive novel set during the Battle of Trost which takes place early on in Hajime Isayama’s original Attack on Titan manga. The mechanics of Last Stand at Wall Rose are interesting, incorporating elements of roleplaying games. Since I’m used to standard branching-plot stories, the book wasn’t as linear as I was expecting and in some ways was even more interactive than I thought it would be. Keeping pencil and paper nearby while reading can be very useful. Last Stand at Wall Rose was fun, but I did find some of the formatting and gameplay to be annoying. The most egregious issue was the amount of unnecessary flipping of pages which made the narrative more disjointed than it otherwise would have been. I also almost wish that page numbers hadn’t been included since the novel’s navigation is based on a system of independently numbered story sections rather than pages. (Also of note: Readers of the first printing of Last Stand at Wall Rose will want to refer to the errata posted online.)

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Vol. 4

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By Dojyomaru and Fuyuyuki. Released in Japan by Overlap, Inc. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

Realist Hero continues to keep my interest even as my teeth grind more and more at the mindset of the author and his characters, which is to its credit. Certainly there are similar isekais that did not hold my attention and have since been dropped (hi, Death March). It’s even more impressive given that, for the second volume in a row, this feels like a setup book, putting various things in place, introducing new technology that will no doubt be needed down the road, and (at last) finally answering one of the lingering questions of the series: why on Earth did the former King abdicate to Souma after merely having one conversation with him? And for fans of the romances, you not only get a new queen added to the mix, but Souma finally comes to terms with the fact that he is in this world for good, and that he is worthy of being loved, and is able to take that next step.

The girl on the cover is Roroa, who we’ve seen crop up in cameos before this book, here to save the day (despite Souma completely ruining her planned overdramatic entrance). Roroa is, in many ways, an Osaka stereotype transferred to the fantasy world: she not only has the sort-of-Southern accent, but is also far more of a merchant than she ever is a Princess. Yes, she’s the Princess in Amadonia, which is now fully incorporated into Elfrieden (which means the new name of the country is Friedonia, which I refuse to believe is by accident) and has presented herself as a prospective bride, Like other prospective brides we’ve seen in these sorts of series, she runs rings around Souma till he gives in. That said, she does look like a good addition, and it will be nice to see Souma try not to juggle economics quite as much. Oh yes, we also get a mad scientist girl, though she won’t be part of the harem. She is very much in the “ditzy teen genius” mode.

There is an extended plot here regarding slavery in this world, which I was less happy with. I accept that slavery in this fantasy world does not carry with it the baggage that it does in our own world, and that it seems to be more indentured servitude. But both Souma and the author seem to treat slavery as an intellectual problem to be solved, rather than as a monstrous evil. This is not unique to the isekai realm, of course, and I should be grateful that the protagonist doesn’t simply say “oh, slavery exists here” and shrug his shoulders like some others. It does add to my biggest beef with this series: it can be as dispassionate as its hero is, and as I’ve said before, seems like it’s one of those “dark/grey/independent” fics you always saw in Harry Potter written by teenagers who wondered what the world would be like if everything were more badass. (Hint: it involves hating Weasleys.) I like books to be fiction. I am less happy when they are thought experiments.

That said, when the book concentrates on its harem cliches, such as the relationship between Souma and Liscia, it may be less original, but it makes it more human. I hope we get a bit more of this going forward. I also hope the demon realm invades soon, as I really need Book 5 to not involve puttering around making new roads and discussing the Helsinki Accords. Mildly recommended to isekai fans.

Until Your Bones Rot, Vol. 1

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When Lois Duncan passed away in 2016, fans and critics alike fondly remembered her as the author of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the first great psychological thriller for teens. Duncan’s story took a tried-and-true plot and retooled it for younger readers, focusing on a quartet of teens who commit and conceal a crime, only to be stalked by an anonymous avenger. While the plot was pure potboiler, Duncan’s characterizations were remarkably realistic, convincingly depicting the confusion, uncertainty, and rashness of the teenage mind under extreme duress.

Until Your Bones Rot explores similar terrain as I Know What You Did Last Summer. Bones’ teen protagonists — Shintaro, Akira, Haruko, Ryu, and Tsubaki — are bound by a gruesome crime they committed when they were eleven years old. Artist Yae Utsumi doesn’t immediately reveal what, exactly, they did, though he plants tantalizing clues throughout volume one: a fleeting glimpse of a nighttime ritual, a nightmarish vision of a bloodied face. The plot is set in motion by an anonymous phone call threatening to expose the group unless they meet the caller’s demands. Though the five initially work together to protect their secret, fault lines soon develop within the group, particularly between Akira — the group’s alpha male — and Shintaro, the odd man out.

Utsumi handles the set-up with finesse, but his tone is less assured. Some passages feel like they’ve been ripped from Love Hina, with bikini-clad girls fawning over the nebbishy Shintaro; other passages read more like MPD Psycho, with characters doing disgusting things to dead bodies; and still other passages play out like a Very Special Episode of The OC in which one character silently copes with an abusive boyfriend. None of these scenes feel like they belong to the same story; about the only common thread that binds them is Utsumi’s fanservice, which gratuitously eroticizes a scene of sexual assault.

It’s a pity that the first volume is so uneven, as Utsumi makes a game attempt to create believable characters. Tsubaki and Shintaro, in particular, behave like real teenagers whose emotional and sexual attraction to one another is so overwhelming that they don’t know how to have a normal conversation or behave like friends; their one-on-one interactions suggest that both were deeply scarred by their participation in the murder, but lack the words — or the maturity — to say how it effected them, instead turning to each other for physical comfort. That’s a level of psychological nuance that Lois Duncan herself might have appreciated, even if Utsumi takes a few narrative shortcuts to establish the dynamic between Tsubaki and Shintaro.

And that, in a nutshell, is what makes Until Your Bones Rot so frustrating: Utsumi clearly understands the teenage mind, but can’t decide if he’s writing a finely observed psychological thriller or a junior-league Saw. The push-pull of these two different storytelling modes robs the most gory scenes of their horror and the most dramatic scenes of their poignancy, yielding a muddled stew of blood, boobs, and tears. Someone should make him read I Know What You Did Last Summer for a few pointers on how to walk the line between Grand Guignol and Afterschool Special more convincingly.

UNTIL YOUR BONES ROT, VOL. 1 • STORY AND ART BY YAE UTSUMI • TRANSLATION BY URSULA KU • KODANSHA COMICS • RATED 16+ (SEX, PARTIAL NUDITY, GRAPHIC VIOLENCE)