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Bookshelf Overload: January 2017

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Looking at the much more reasonable Bookshelf Overload for January after the absurdity that was December’s is kind of strange. I feel like I must have missed something, but no, the list below is all of the media that made its way onto my shelves (or at least into the house) in January. Granted, this does not include everything that was actually purchased in January–some of that is still in the mail. Even some of my most anticipated January release have yet to arrive for one reason or another (I’m looking at you The Girl on the Other Side). On the other hand, some of February’s releases made their way into my hands early. 2017 is apparently off to an appropriately chaotic start. Anyway. Two of the manga released in January that I was most looking forward to that actually managed to arrive on time were Kore Yamazaki’s The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 6 and Junji Ito’s Dissolving Classroom. Another cool thing that I discovered in January but which was actually published in October was the USCA English Edition anthology. USCA is an independent manga magazine in Japan so anyone interested in alternative manga in translation will likely want to track the anthology down. (I found my copy through Seite Books’ online store.) I was also happy that Chan-wook Park’s film The Handmaiden (which is inspired by Sarah Water’s novel Fingersmith) received a physical release in North America. I never did get around to writing a quick take, but I saw the film in the theaters and it was excellent. Sadly, the DVD seems to be a pretty bare-bones release.

Manga!
The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 6 by Kore Yamazaki
Black Clover, Volume 1 by Yūki Tabata
Bloom into You, Volume 1 by Nakatani Nio
The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 7 by Aya Shouoto
Dissolving Classroom by Junji Ito
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Volumes 14-15 written by Yuto Tsukuda, illustrated by Shun Saeki
Franken Fran, Omnibus 4 by Katsuhisa Kigitsu
Haikyu!!, Volume 8 by Haruichi Furudate
Love Com, Volumes 1-3 by Aya Nakahara
My Love Story!!, Volume 11 written by Kazune Kawahara, illustrated by Aruko
Yona of the Dawn, Volume 4 by Mizuho Kusanagi
USCA English Edition by Various

Comics!
Angel Catbird, Volume 1 written by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas and Tamra Bonvillain
Devil’s Candy, Chapters 1-2 by Rem and Bikkuri
Gorgeous by Cathy G. Johnson
Kim & Kim, Volume 1 written by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Eva Cabrera and Claudia Aguirre
NewsPrints by Ru Xu
O Infante by Daniela Viçoso
The Perks of Being a Monster by Cathy Nguyen Le and Siobhan Noel Keenan
Root Bound by Cathy Nguyen Le and Siobhan Noel Keenan
#SeniorYear by Cathy Nguyen Le and Siobhan Noel Keenan
Samurai, Son of Death written by Sharman Divono, illustrated by Hiroshi Hirata
Siegfried, Volumes 1-2 by Alex Alice
Yours by Sarah Ferrick

Artbooks!
Undone by Kori Michele Handwerker
Zodiac! edited by Binglin Hu

Nonfiction!
Critical Chips: 10 Contemporary Comics Essays edited by Zainab Akhtar
Now with Kung Fu Grip! by Jared Miracle

Anime!
Chi’s New Address directed by Mitsuyuki Masuhara
Harmony directed by Michael Arias and Takashi Nakamura
Paranoia Agent directed by Satoshi Kon

Film!
The Handmaiden directed by Chan-wook Park

Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension: The Hero of the Unlimited Bath

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By Nagaharu Hibihana and Masakage Hagiya. Released in Japan as “Isekai Konyoku Monogatari” by Overlap. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Dan Luffey.

One of the benefits of rock-bottom expectations is the numerous ways you can be pleasantly surprised. Light novels in general, particularly those licensed in North America, tend to cater to the older teen/younger adult male reader. “Isekai” books, where our hero is transported to another world, are already a hoary cliche. And let’s face it, this was advertised as a harem novel which features the hero bathing with any number of girls. It had the potential to be bad on a monumental scale. Luckily, it isn’t. Now, don’t get me wrong. The plot is still as traditional as heck, it applies that weird harem logic whereupon our hero is deeply in love with a girl till she vanishes from his sight and the next one comes along, and there is endless talk of butts, boobs, and naked flesh. That said, let me tell you why I actually enjoyed this.

First of all, there is the twist in the premise. Yes, this is a standard “Japanese kids brought over to fantasy world to save the kingdom from invasion by demons” plot. Each of the five summoned (though we only really deal with two, our hero and first heroine) get a power that is supposed to help then become a hero and destroy evil. The snag is that Touya’s power is the ability to open a door to a standard Japanese bathroom wherever he is, with unlimited supplies of water, shampoo, etc. The fun here is seeing not only how he uses this in the ways you’d expect (he’s in medieval fantasy land, so the idea of shampoo is amazing to them), but also in ways that would never occur to you (the final boss battle in the book, which is so hilarious I don’t want to spoil it). Touya is a clever kid, and I like how he keeps thinking of both the strengths and weaknesses on his useless power. (Note this isn’t a hot spring or public bath – it’s a bath you’d find in a home, and seats two if they’re very friendly.)

The other, even more surprising thing is how the main characters actually communicate with each other. This is a harem adventure, after all. You expect tsunderes left and right, the hero tripping and falling into boobs, lots of lecherous grins, etc. But no, Touya is a normal teenage boy. Which means that yes, he thinks of sex all the time. But it’s not taken to any pervy extremes. More importantly, he actually communicates with the women he meets! Consent is super important throughout this book, and I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to type that. Over and over again Touya tells the girls the nature of his magic bath, the fact that he has to be *in* it to have it work, and that yes, nudity will probably be involved. He asks if they’re OK with this at every single step. And they are, of course, though they’re nice girls too. In fact, Touya and Haruno falling for each other, although swifter than you’d like, is really cute and sweet. They even kiss! Halfway through Vol. 1! What kind of harem adventure is this?

A few more minuses – in addition to the basics I mentioned in the first paragraph, there’s that odd Japanese idea that thinking about sex AT ALL makes a person a ‘pervert’, which I’ve come across in more works than this. And once again we get a hero who has to emphasize over and over that he’s not gay, just in case the presence of other men in the narrative – even if they’re giant lizardmen – might cause the reader to question their sexuality. But overall, this was a lot better than I expected, especially on the romantic end. I’d still only recommend it to male readers, but if you’re wary of the ‘traditional’ harem story, you should give this one a try.

Kindred Spirits on the Roof: The Complete Collection

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By Hachi Ito, Aya Fumio and Toitentsu, based on the visual novel by Liar-Soft. Released in Japan in two separate volumes as “Okujou no Yurirei-san” by Shinshokan, serialized in the magazine Hirari. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Amy Osteraas; Adapted by David Liederman.

The success of Kindred Spirits on the Roof as a visual novel was one of the big events of 2016 – indeed, I even reviewed the game here – so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Seven Seas would pick up a manga adaptation of it. What is a surprise is that this isn’t just the usual manga adaptation of the visual novel itself; instead, you get two long stories that take place the year after the game happened, featuring new characters but with many cameos and supporting appearances from our heroines we know and love. This, of course, also allows the authors to hook up new couples, something that wasn’t likely to happen if they focused on the already resolved game pairings.

This was released in Japan as two separate volumes, “Side A” and “Side B”, by two different artist teams. As with many series that follow this path, the A side is better. Shiori is a shy student with a talent for art who is trying to recover from her best friend confessing to her the previous year. They haven’t spoken since, though it doesn’t appear to be because Shiori isn’t interested (certainly not in THIS series, at least), but because she has no idea what to say or how to react, and also she’s a giant introvert. Luckily, she’s in a class with Hina and Seina, two of the visual novel’s heroines, and they can help give her perspective and also talk about their own experiences. As this year’s cultural festival comes up, Shiori finds the courage to tell Maki how she really feels. The festival also gives us an opportunity to have everyone else cameo, even the girls who had graduated (and the ghosts, though they’re reduced to sort of smiling down on the new lesbians from heaven, as one does).

The second half isn’t quite as gripping, though it isn’t actually bad or anything. Chiharu is also a new first-year, and she’s a fan of yuri pairs (boy, did she come to the right school). When she sees two upperclassmen try to get members for the quiz club, she’s enthralled… not by quizzes, but at the thought of what a cute couple they’d make. Joining the club, she finds a kindred spirit (see what I did there?) in Tokino, who is taller and more reserved but also a yuri fan. If this manga weren’t so light and fluffy, this would be a recipe for disaster. But it is light and fluffy, and so Chiharu and Tokino turn out to be correct, and resolve to help push their two sempais together… and possibly learn something more about their own relationship. There are fewer cameos here, so things lean more heavily on the new girls.

Both stories are cute and fluffy and not too deep, and filled with cute fluffy high school yuri. I do think that anyone who wants to read them should play the game first; it adds to the experience of knowing who all these people are. If you have played the game, you’ll definitely want to buy this.

The Faraway Paladin: The Boy in the City of the Dead

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By Kanata Yanagino and Kususaga Rin. Released in Japan as “Saihate no Paladin” by Overlap. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by James Rushton.

So far J-Novel Club has about five or six titles going, and most of them are light novels that have one thing in common: they have that ‘light novel’ feel to them. There’s the obvious ones, like titles that are far too long, and Big Sisters and Little Sisters galore, but even the odder choices like Grimgar or Occultic;Nine still feel like a Japanese anime/manga franchise. The Faraway Paladin is an exception to this rule. It is technically a light novel, in that it was published in Japan and has intermittent illustrations, but there the similarities end. Instead, what The Faraway Paladin does is give you a dark fantasy, a coming-of-age story, an epic battle to save the souls of your adopted family, and easily the best book they’ve released to date.

I take that back, there is one other common Japanese light novel trope: our hero, Will, is actually a reincarnation of a Japanese boy, a loser shut-in who seemingly never tried to achieve anything, never mourned the death of his parents, and died alone and unfulfilled. Now he’s reincarnated as a baby… but with his old memories. That said, except for one point towards the end of the book, this is pretty irrelevant. It’s there to allow him to narrate the story from infancy without worrying about tone, and to show off why he has such heroic resolve to grow and learn as fast as possible: he regrets his old life, and wants to do better. Helping him are the three who are raising him: a skeleton, a mummy and a ghost. They teach him magic, teach him fighting, teach him basic daily life skills, and turn him into a strapping young lad ready to set out into the world. Then their past catches up…

I’ll be honest, I was expecting ‘raise the boy to be a warrior’ to take up maybe the first quarter of this book, but no, the entire first volume is devoted to his upbringing. This is a good thing, as it lets the plot breathe, and gives you time to get to know each of these characters. The cast is deliberately small, and each person gets a good amount of development, angst, and overcoming said angst. In the second half, things get a lot more action packed, as well as darker in tone, and the pace picks up in an appropriate way. The resolution is somewhat telegraphed, but not in a way that makes it predictable, more in an “ah, I knew it!” sort of way. Most of all, the book is simply well-written, and everyone is likeable and fun to read about. Even the ghost, who can be a grumpy old cuss. (Terrific translation, as well – probably the best of the company’s to date.)

Basically, this is a good novel to give to people who don’t like all the tropes associated with light novels – they’re absent here. And it’s simply a good fantasy in general. (You can tell I really like it as I’m holding myself back from giving everything away in the review.) Highly recommended, and I look forward to seeing the direction the series takes.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 4

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Yona of the Dawn Volume 4 by Mizuho Kusanagi

Yona of the Dawn is firmly in the “get the team together” quest story line that is so common in fantasy manga, but even though the plot is predictable, I’m enjoying it greatly just due ot the character interactions along the way and the interesting world building. It wouldn’t be a team without plenty of bickering, and the first chapter of this volume shows Gija and Hak constantly going at it as they both want the role of Yona’s main protector. Gija’s sheltered upbringing in his remote village doesn’t exactly prepare him for life on the open road, as it turns out he is terrified by bugs. The bickering continues and provides some much needed humor before the rest of the volume settles in with a much more serious story line.

It turns out that not every dragon guardian was raised with as much privelege and love as Gija, and as the Yona and her band go to find the Blue Dragon, they find a mysterious village with masked tribes people, and the Blue Dragon has been treated as a pariah, not celebrated due to his unique powers like Gija. The feeling in the village is unsettling, and provides Yona a real challenge to work through as she attempts to discover the identity of the Blue Dragon. One of the reasons why I like this series so much is that while Yona is obviously blessed by being a princes and having some fabled mystical guardians, she isn’t going to stop trying to improve herself. She still spends hours practicing her archery alone because she wants to be able to help the people who are fighting for her. Getting through to the Blue Dragon is a product of her insight into human nature and her genuine interest in other people as opposed to relying on her title or position in the world.

Kusanagi’s art continues to be clear and easy to read, and she’s great at conveying different moods and emotions like Gija’s over exaggerated reactions to the horrors of nature, Yona’s determination, and the unsettling masks of the Blue Dragon’s tribe.

My Week in Manga: January 30-February 5, 2017

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My News and Reviews

Last week at Experiments in Manga the winner of the Please Tell! Me Galko-chan manga giveaway was announced. The post also includes a fairly comprehensive list of the full-color manga and manhwa that have been released in print in English. (However, I just now realized that I neglected to include manga like Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira and Buronson and Tetsuo Hara’s Fist of the North Star which, while not originally illustrated in full-color, had some full-color editions released in English.) Otherwise it was fairly quiet week, but I am well on my way to completing an in-depth review for February. Happily, my goal to write at least one long-form feature every month so far seems achievable.

I wasn’t actually online much at all last week (things were pretty hectic at work and there are always a fair number of taiko and lion dance performances I’m involved in around Chinese New Year) but there were still a few things that caught my attention: Vic James wrote an essay for Tor.com about Yukio Mishima and Forbidden Colors–The One Book That Made Me Move to Japan. (Mishima fascinates me and was actually my introduction to Japanese literature; I’ve reviewed quite a few books by and about him.) The most recent issue of Words without Borders is devoted to international graphic novels. Also, Digital Manga’s Juné imprint announced two new print licenses (Psyche Delico’s Even a Dog Won’t Eat It and Choco Strawberry Vanilla) as well as its upcoming Kickstarter project to publish the first volume of Velvet Toucher’s Eden’s Mercy.

Quick Takes

Bloom into You, Volume 1Bloom into You, Volume 1 by Nakatani Nio. I’ll have to admit, recently I’ve grown a little weary of high school romances. Even so, I was still very interested in reading Bloom into You, one of Seven Seas most recent yuri series. Specifically, I was curious about the manga’s treatment of aromanticism, something which I haven’t seen many series address. Yuu has never fallen in love and so she is glad to meet Nanami, an upperclassmen who likewise has never felt that way about anyone before. Finally Yuu has someone she feels comfortable confiding in about it except that Nanami is now falling in love with her. One of the things that I really appreciate about Bloom into You is how considerate and respectful Nanami is of Yuu’s feelings (an exception being a stolen kiss). It’s also obvious that they both care about each other, even if Yuu hasn’t yet experienced the romantic spark that Nanami has only recently found for herself. The two of them actually communicate, too, so there’s none of the silly misunderstandings that plague so many other series that would easily be solved if the characters would simply talk to each other. I would definitely like so see how Yuu and Nanami’s relationship continues to develop from here.

Franken Fran, Omnibus 3Franken Fran, Omnibus 3-4 (equivalent to Volumes 5-8) by Katsuhisa Kigitsu. Despite what the cover illustrations would seem to imply, Franken Fran isn’t particularly heavy on fanservice. Granted, there is some nudity in the series, but it’s generally more discomfiting than it is titillating. Franken Fran is a manga that delights in making its readers uncomfortable. But although it is frequently gruesome and grotesque, the quirky horror is accompanied by a great deal of humor as well. Kigitsu uses actual medical and scientific phenomenon as inspiration but takes them to such logical and illogical extremes that they become almost unrecognizable. The horror in Franken Fran works as well as it does because there are these little kernels of truth underneath it all. For the most part Franken Fran tends to be episodic although the stories can largely be categorized by recurring types, settings, and characters. For example, there are numerous chapters based in Fran’s school as well as a set of quickly escalating stories about the supposedly superheroic Senitals. More characters are introduced as the series progresses, too, including Fran’s incredibly crass, vulgar, and homicidal older sister Gavril.

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, Omnibus 5Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, Omnibus 5 (equivalent to Volumes 9-10) by Satoshi Mizukami. It’s been quite a while since the last omnibus of Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer was released. I’m not entirely sure why it took me so long to finally get around to reading it though since there was so much about the series that I enjoyed. The ending of the series was pretty great. It was immensely satisfying to see the Beast Knights pull together for the final battle against Animus as a tightly knit team, surpassing everything that they’d previously accomplished. They are a group of troubled outsiders who have established a tremendous and lasting bond with one another despite, or maybe because of, their differences. As weird a manga as Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer can be–and it can be very weird (which is admittedly something that I like about the series)–it still manages to have a surprisingly deeply resonant core. If it wasn’t already clear, the conclusion of the series’ makes its theme explicit. Underneath the psychic powers and supernatural battles is a story about growing up regardless of how old someone actually is, about survival in the face of the worst that life can throw at somebody, and about forming meaningful connections with others.

Bookshelf Briefs 2/6/17

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Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 16 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – The Moon Festival continues, as does Yukihira’s attempt to outsell Terunori Kuga, a member of the Council of Ten with a popular Chinese food booth. There are a few chapters about Yukihira’s latest concoction being amazing, and at least one day where he comes out ahead, thanks to help from half a dozen friends, and then… the whole idea just kind of fizzles. Instead, we’re introduced to Erina’s uber-controlling dad who has managed to convince six members of the Council to appoint him the new dean of the school. He’s the one who taught Erina to have such a refined palette, but his techniques were akin to brainwashing, so the now-former dean enlists Yukihira’s help to save his granddaughter. It’s not that this isn’t interesting, but it was a really awkward segue. Didn’t he have something major on the line with that challenge? – Michelle Smith

FukuFuku: Kitten Tales, Vol. 2 | By Konami Kanata | Vertical Comics – In these turbulent times, it’s nice to take a mental break and just read about a kitten doing kittenish things. In this volume, FukuFuku opens doors with her face, gets brushed, tries to avoid getting wet, goes outside on a windy day, chases bugs, drinks from a drippy faucet, jumps on the counter, and gets irritated at her owner on a regular basis, particularly when she’s thwarted from attacking things that, frankly, the owner should’ve known better than to wave in her face. In fact, that’s the one frustrating thing about this series—owner, if you have a cat, why on earth do you expected the sliced fish you leave on your kotatsu to still be there after you leave the room?! But FukuFuku’s expressive reactions are definitely amusing enough to compensate, and an unexpected event at the end of the volume is welcome, too. I’m on board for volume three! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 8 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – The third set of the match against Aoba Johsai continues, and it’s a real nail-biter. Perennial bench-warmer Tadashi Yamaguchi finally gets a chance to step in as a pinch-hitter, but regrettably botches his chance. Still, Karasuno manages to tie up the game at 24 points each, and then tense and exhausting back-and-forth scoring ensues until, finally, Aoba Johsai takes the win. I’m reminded of Kuroko’s Basketball, which just did something similar, but this is the way to ensure growth in our heroes, and they’re all determined to work hard, even the third years, who have decided to stay on the team with the goal of participating in the spring tournament together. Individually, Kageyama has changed, too, throwing off his kingly mantle seemingly for good, and I’m pretty excited to see where the team goes from here. – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 11 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – We begin with Takeo and Yamato each on their school trip to Hokkaido, and the anticipation of finally getting to spend some free time together. When they do see each other, Takeo thinks he’s able to hide his lustful impulses from Yamato, but she not only knows all along, but purposefully gets close to him because she enjoys making him feel the same way she does. They finally communicate about their feelings and… share a single, chaste smooch in an unoccupied train station. Which I suppose is progress for them. As the volume ends, Sunakawa has evidently made a new friend, which makes Takeo a bit lonely, though the guy seems to be a creep and one wonders why Sunakawa is hanging out with him, when in the past he’d diss girls who insulted his large, good-hearted friend. Only two volumes left! Sad face! – Michelle Smith

My Pathetic Vampire Life, Vol. 2 | By Ishikawa Rose | Seven Seas – I was a bit underwhelmed with the first volume, and that feeling has not changed. To be fair, this may be another case of “I am disappointed as this was not what I expected,” but I still feel that there could be a lot more done with this sort of plot. Instead, it’s a relaxed, slice-of-life comedy manga with a few vampires in it. The odd joke manages to land, and there’s some good backstory for Koide as he talks about visiting his sister, which excites his classmates till they realize he means her grave. I also liked his analysis of cultural festivals and how they work, especially as it’s almost immediately subverted. Still, in this end, this title is merely OK. Fans of comedy supernatural manga may want to read it. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: So Many Choices

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SEAN: There’s a ton to choose from, most of it from Viz. So many of my favorites are getting new volumes it’s hard to narrow it down, but I’ll make it the new volume of My Love Story!!, which never fails to warm the cockles of my little heart.

KATE: My pick goes to Fuku Fuku Kitten Tales. Although it’s not quite in the same league as Chi’s Sweet Home, Fuku Fuku will appeal to cat fanciers. I particularly like the way Kanata Konami draws cats when they’re irritated; no one draws feline side-eye with quite such authority. Those feline reaction shots add a tart little zing to the Fuku Fuku stories that prevents them from becoming too cloying.

MICHELLE: Oh, man. Such a tough choice. Both Sean’s and Kate’s picks are on the top of my stack, but ultimately the title I’m most eager for is Haikyu!! because I’m addicted to its sports manga goodness.

ASH: It really is a tough pick this week, especially since there are so many Viz series that I’m following with new volumes being released. Sean has already mentioned My Love Story!! and Michelle has already mentioned Haikyu!!, so I’ll take this opportunity to mention Yona of the Dawn. It may not be as typographically emphatic, but it’s still a great series and I’m looking forward to reading more of the shoujo fantasy epic.

ANNA: If there’s a shoujo fantasy series out, you can be sure that I’m going to pick it. I’m going to join with Ash in picking Yona of the Dawn. It is firmly in the “get the team together” phase of the story, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I would love it if there were 2 or 3 series like it licensed at once!

MJ: I feel a little out of sync this week, with such a big haul and so little of it for me. But I will join Kate in appreciation of Fuku-Fuku Kitten Tales. More kitties is always something I can get behind, especially when they are drawn by this artist.

Umineko: When They Cry, Vol. 15

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Story by Ryukishi07; Art by Hinase Momoyama. Released in Japan in two separate volumes as “Umineko no Naku Koro ni: Dawn of the Golden Witch” by Square Enix, serialized in the magazine GFantasy. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Stephen Paul.

Warning: this reviews mentions the biggest spoiler in Umineko, which I have been dancing around until now. I won’t mention it in this first paragraph, but it’s hard not to review this final omnibus of the arc and discuss it, as it ends up being a major part of the climax. Before we get to that, though: I’ve talked before about how Ryukishi07 loves a good old fashioned shonen battle at heart, and a great deal of this book is just that. Various characters try to attack Beatrice and get blown away by various other characters, as you realize how ridiculously huge the cast has become by now. Erika finally loses, and judging by the “roll call” at the end of the book, seemingly abandoned to a watery grave by Bernkastel. And Ryukishi still can’t resist connecting Umineko and Higurashi, even though Featherine and Hanyuu are as alike as two very unalike things.

(I am very irritated with that front cover image, by the way. I know it’s not Yen’s fault, and that the Japanese licensor chose which cover to use and which to hide. But it makes me sad that the best cover in the series is relegated to the color page inside.)

For those trying to figure out what’s going on in Umineko, the manga has been a bit more obvious in its hints than the visual novel, even back in earlier arcs. For this particular arc, we’ve spent a long time debating why it is that Shannon, Kanon, and Beatrice need magic in order to have their love fulfilled, and this volume explicitly says it’s because they are not a whole person. Meanwhile, as predicted in the last volume, Battler is trapped in a logic error of his own making, trapped inside the guest room till he can figure out how to get out without disturbing the chain lock, duct tape seals, or anything else. The answer ends up being that Kanon, being dead (Shannon won the big duel), can now come free Battler and take his place. And then “erase himself” by magic. There’s only one way for this all to work, and that’s by realizing that we’re talking about IDENTITIES when we discuss people on the island, not BODIES. Shannon and Kanon cannot both love without magic help as they’re the same person. And both are also a third person – Beatrice.

This works a lot better than you’d imagine if you think about what is “real” in the books and what takes place in an imaginary fantasy world. We’ve gone on and on about “magic” being a conceit, and that’s in full force here. It’s also what allows Fledgling Beato to take up the place of her old self and become the “real”, haughty Beatrice – though that mask slips much of the time, and there’s still some creepy incestual vibes between her and Battler that is the big downside of this arc and I kind of hate. In any case, we may have figured out the gimmick behind one of the biggest mysteries of Umineko, but we’re still completely in the dark as to the motive? What led to this? Was it Battler’s sin (remember that)? Was it because everyone needed a lot of money right now? What drove Beatrice, whoever she may identify as, to the events of 1986?

We will hopefully find out soon (though Yen hasn’t scheduled it yet) with the 7th arc of Umineko: Requiem of the Golden Witch. I’m sure it will be happy and filled with good times – after all, Bernkastel will be in charge of this arc. What could possibly go wrong?

Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear, Vol. 1

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By all rights, Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear should be interesting: it takes place in a rural village where talking bears and humans have peacefully coexisted for centuries. The story focuses on Machi, a priestess-in-training who’s learning the ropes from Natsu, her ursine mentor. Though Machi is determined to serve the village in her capacity as miko, she’s also determined to attend high school in a nearby city — something none of her predecessors have done.

While the set-up is ripe with potential, the execution is oddly flat. Part of the problem is that the leads feel more like ideas than characters. Machi, in particular, is a collection of quirks in search of a personality. In an effort to endear her to the reader, author Masume Yoshimoto makes her naive, ditsy, shy, and spazzy — a veritable catalog of manic pixie dream girl traits — but never reveals why she behaves so irrationally. Natsu is a little more fleshed out: he has wisdom to impart, and frets about Machi’s welfare. Worrying about another person, however, isn’t the same thing as having a personality, and here, too, Yoshimoto falls short. Natsu’s concern doesn’t suggest any deeper knowledge of Machi’s past or her reasons for wanting to leave the village; any reasonable person would worry about someone who seems as impetuous and dim-witted as Machi.

The only character with any presence is Yoshio, Machi’s pervy 25-year-old cousin. In one memorable scene, Yoshio gets so carried away describing the village’s history that he forgets his audience, accidentally regaling third graders with salacious details of a human-bear union. This scene might be funny, but the author wants to have it both ways, aiming for a mixture of titillation and tee-hees that’s just plain uncomfortable; I’m with the little girl who declares, “Sexual harassment!” before covering her ears.

If any of the other five stories had left as vivid an impression as “Village Legends,” I might cautiously recommend Kuma Miko to fans of off-beat slice-of-life comedies, but the rest of volume one was vanilla in comparison. Competent but undistinguished artwork and sluggish pacing pushed the title further into the “No” column for me; if I’m going to read about talking bears, dammit, I’d like to see a little more imagination on display.

KUMA MIKO, VOL. 1: GIRL MEETS BEAR • BY MASUME YOSHIMOTO • ONE PEACE BOOKS • NO RATING (SOME SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL; THIS TITLE IS BETTER SUITED FOR READERS 13+)