Blog

Amazon squeezes Yen; Lillian DP talks Tokyopop and scanlations

May 27, 2014 by Brigid Alverson

Amazon appears to be targeting Yen Press in its current war with parent company Hachette. Amazon and Hachette have been wrangling over contract terms, and Amazon has eliminated discounts on their books, lengthened the turnaround time for orders of older books, and omitted pre-order buttons for some upcoming titles.

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers discuss their Picks of the Week.

Justin Stroman has really been killing it at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses lately with a whole series of interviews with manga insiders. Here are two more, and they’re both fascinating reading: Former Tokyopop senior editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl talks about her years at Tokyopop and discusses how scanlation and piracy have affected the industry at different times, and artist
Jamie Lynn Lano, who worked as assistant to The Prince of Tennis manga-ka Takeshi Konomi and has written a book about it, The Princess of Tennis, talks about her experiences.

Atsushi Ohara at the Asahi Shimbun reports on the deliberations for the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prizes, which were announced in April.

David Brothers looks at the depiction of sudden death in Knights of Sidonia.

Erica Friedman updates us on the world of yuri in the latest Yuri Network News episode at Okazu.

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf team files this week’s Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown summarizes a week of manga at Experiments in Manga.

Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Attack on Titan: Before the Fall (Manga Xanadu)
Lori Henderson on vols. 1-3 of Inu x Boku: SS (Manga Xanadu)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 5 of Midnight Secretary (The Fandom Post)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 7 of One Piece (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of Phantom Thief Jeanne (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Erica Friedman on Rainy Song (Okazu)
Matthew Warner on vol. 1 of Say I Love You (The Fandom Post)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 2 of Sweet Rein (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of Takasugi-San’s Obento (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
David Brothers on Wolfsmund (4thletter!)

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 2

May 27, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Arina Tanemura. Released in Japan as “Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne” by Shueisha, serialized in the magazine Ribon. Released in North America by Viz.

When I reviewed the first volume of this Tanemura magical girl title, I noted that her parents splitting up and suddenly moving out of the country looked ‘suspicious’. Well, it turned out to be more prosaic, as in this volume Maron gets notice from her mother that they are indeed getting a divorce, something that sends her running away from everything for a while. I will admit, despite one of those “didn’t you see that they built this amusement part because they love you’ moments, these are still two parents who are not going to be winning awards anytime soon. They’re lucky that Maron has survived with only minor ‘screwed up’ tendencies. The rest of the volume continues to show off Jeanne’s skills as a phantom thief, as well as the author’s skill for giving a touch of darkness to the standard magical girl genre.

Speaking of families, this volume seems to focus on them quite a bit. First Chiaki’s father is possessed by one of the paintings, causing him to kidnap young women and store them in glass cages in his basement (something that really gives maximum creep factor, particularly as his father is such a weirdo to begin with). Then Miyako comes to Jeanne for help, despite their rivalry, and asks her to steal a painting that has corrupted her scientist brother, who is now turning to mad science (complete with “they laughed at me at the academy” overtones). This is all done with maximum threats of peril and also allows Jeanne to show off her skills at being clever, particularly in the first part where she uses the realistic android-like ‘dolls’ to her advantage to pull a switch.

Miyako also gets a side chapter going further into her motivation for chasing Jeanne. I have to say that she’s probably my favorite character in the series, and most of the time she seems to understands how Maron thinks better than she does. There is the small matter of her being unable to connect Maron to Jeanne, but that’s a standard trope of this genre, so I’m inclined to let it slide. (Honestly, given how things are playing out, I would not be surprised if Miyako had figured it out at some point and is just going along with it by now. Particularly when Jeanne is being far too knowledgeable about her brother.)

There is a lot less of the heaven vs. hell aspect in this particular book, with the exception of the final chapter, where Jeanne finds herself in a deathtrap without her transformation abilities or her familiar and has to power up through sheer force of will. This is referred to as “Holy Power”, and seems to delight Finn (who we see far less of this time around, which pleases me as she’s annoying). There is one line that really struck me, however, and I suspect it will be followed up on in the next volume. She’s thanking Chiaki for helping her as Sinbad, and notes “I didn’t know followers of the demon lord used a cross as well.” As she toddles off, Chiaki stares and goes “what is she talking about?” To me this suggests that we’re not looking at a simple battle between heaven and hell. I can’t wait to see more with the next volume.

Bookshelf Briefs 5/26/14

May 26, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ Leave a Comment

This week, Sean, Michelle, & MJlook at recent releases from Viz Media and Kodansha Comics.

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 14 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – Unless I am very much mistaken, no one is actually reading Dengeki Daisy for the matters of code-related espionage that the characters are swept up in, but I would personally appreciate some details. The way that videos cut off before divulging crucial pieces of information, or that characters discuss their plans in the vaguest of terms, might suggest that Motomi-sensei is saving up big reveals for later, but I honestly don’t think so. I think she just decided that she didn’t need to work that stuff out. Probably she’s right—the high points of the volume are all one-on-one Teru/Kurosaki scenes—but it makes it hard to care about a plotline that dominates the volume. Only two more volumes to go, at least. – Michelle Smith

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 5 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – I was really impressed with this volume of Midnight Secretary. There’s so much going on here – Kaya’s final admittance that she isn’t just a really good secretary to Kyohei, Kyohei’s family situation and his relationship with his mother, his dealings with kindred spirit Marika and the ongoing threats of someone simply taking Kaya from him and making a meal of her. And yet what I really took away from all of this is the fact that both Kaya and Kyohei are no longer content with titles like boss, secretary, or lover, but see each other as a person that encompasses all these things. And yes, for Kaya that includes accepting Kyohei as a vampire fully. Now we need to see if his clan is able to accept her. – Sean Gaffney

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 2 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – I am predisposed to like Phantom Thief Jeanne, I think, since I enjoyed the anime and have a fondness for ’90s shoujo in general. It’s also nice to read about a heroine who is utterly competent. True, Maron isn’t as sure of herself as she lets on. Inside, she’s scared of being rejected by her parents, but she’s trying to convince herself that she’s strong by acting as if she doesn’t need them. I don’t love that Chiaki proves he understands her by telling her “You’re weak,” but we learn later that he’s also scared of the same things, so it doesn’t end up being a weird power imbalance issue. And though the goofy comedy and absolutely ineffectual police are my least favorite part of the manga, I appreciate that Miyako’s motives for wanting to catch Jeanne are explained. All in all, a very solid volume. I’m looking forward to the next! – Michelle Smith

The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 2 | By Nakaba Suzuki | Kodansha Comics – In general with series like these, particularly in the early stages, instead of measuring them by good plotting or crisp characterization, you instead measure them by how many badass moments each volume possessed. and in that respect this second SDS volumes acquits itself pretty well. We see the third Deadly Sin, Ban (representing Greed), who is so badass that his enemy’s attack simply gives him a really good shave. And we get our first badass moment for Elizabeth. She’s been somewhat iffy so far, taking Meliodas’ harassment far too easily and being something of a victim. But here, fighting against the Holy Knight and discovering his weakness, she showed true badassery in her own right. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – If there’s a fault in this final volume of Strobe Edge, it’s that most of the conflict has already passed, so we’re just waiting for the final ‘can we get over this lack of communication?’ hurdle before it ends. Indeed, it ends so quickly we get two ‘epilogue’ chapters, one giving some much-needed depth to perky friend Manabu, and the other detailing Ren and Ninako’s first date. That last chapter almost shows off the series in miniature, and why it’s been fun to read – despite the tears and heartbreak, Ninako is simply achingly sweet, and you can’t help but want to spend more time around her and her thoughts. I’ll miss this. – Sean Gaffney

Vampire Knight, Vol. 18 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – It’s interesting to see how much this volume focused on the relationship between Yuki and Zero, given how far we’ve come since the fisrt couple of volumes. At times it’s hard to even believe you’re reading the same series as Vol. 1. and yet they still have a deep connection. In the best moment of the volume, Yuki starts to spin a story of what would have happened if they’d met as normal boy and girl. Zero is quick to cut this off, noting they’d never have met at all. Their past is what connects them, and what leads to their strong feelings. But of course, nothing can happen until Kaname is taken care of, and this means Yuki in the end forces herself to make a very upsetting decision. The last volume should be a real barn-burner. – Sean Gaffney

xxxHolic Rei, Vol. 1 | By CLAMP | Kodansha Comics – As one of the few readers who didn’t hate the ending of the original xxxHolic series, I’m also probably one of the few who did not approach its rewound sequel as a welcome return to the good old days. This is not to say that I’m unhappy—quite the contrary. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Watanuki & Co. once more. What it does mean, however, is that I’m probably one of the few readers who can view the new series’ impending mystery without trepidation—for mystery there certainly is. And since CLAMP has done me no wrong thus far (at least not with xxxHolic), I can feel relatively secure that I’ll enjoy whatever they’ve got in store for me this time. In fact, I can’t wait. So while the return of the series’ witty banter and endless teasing, are enjoyable, I’m in this for the long haul. Let’s hope it’s a good one… again. – MJ

Sailor Moon, Episodes 1-4

May 26, 2014 by Anna N

I think one could easily write about Viz streaming the original Sailor Moon again with just four paragraphs of the word “SQUEE” and have that be a perfectly serviceable review, but having enjoyed watching the first few episodes of the series, I thought I would write about it a little bit. I’ve read some (but not all) of the Sailor Moon manga. I encountered the franchise first in the old Tokyopop editions, but I haven’t watched the anime that extensively before. I probably caught a few episodes of the dub when it was on TV before, and I’m quite fond of Tuxedo Mask animated gifs.

I haven’t watched the anime in order in subtitle format at all before, so I was quite happy that it was now available. The first four episodes firmly establish the character of Usagi/Sailor Moon, who starts out as a clumsy crybaby, and then becomes a clumsy crybaby with magical girl powers thanks to the intervention of the magical talking cat Luna. The clumsy girl who turns out to have extraordinary abilities is a very typical character type in both anime and manga, but Usagi manages to be a very appealing example of the type due to her inability to study for school, her devotion for naps, and her single-minded devotion to taking the easy path whenever possible. The first few episodes of the series follow the story elements of the manga fairly closely, as Usagi investigates the evil forces that seek to destroy the balance of the universe by capturing human energy through costume jewelry. Seriously the villains of Sailor Moon might have hit on something by appealing to the weak aspects of human nature, but they are surprisingly ineffective. Also, the balance of the universe often seems to be centered on struggles that take place very near Usagi’s neighborhood.

One thing that I enjoyed much more than I thought I would were the musical cues in the series. It is hilarious that whenever Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask makes an appearance, he brings with him the distant sound of castanets. I was also amused by the fact that Usagi’s crying sometimes acts like a sonic weapon. The first four episodes were fun to watch, but I find myself growing a bit impatient for the appearances of the other Sailor Guardians. Just as in the manga, there are references here and there to Sailor V, and I’m hoping that Mars and Mercury will show up very soon. I have a subscription to Hulu, so that’s where I’ve been watching Sailor Moon, but you can also watch it for free on Viz’s Neon Alley. I feel like Viz has kicked off the summer season by giving everyone a huge present, and I know I’m going to be looking forward to Mondays when new episodes are released!

Pick of the Week: Chickens, Nightmares, & Soap

May 26, 2014 by Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and MJ 10 Comments

MICHELLE: Oh, jeez. Do I pick Goong, whose virtues I have extolled in the past, or My Little Monster, which includes a pet chicken. Aw, who am I kidding? Pet chickens all the way!

ANNA: I will pick Goong! I enjoy pet chickens as much as anyone, but manhwa soap opera is hard to resist.

ASH: I’m going with My Little Monster, too, and not just because of the pet chicken (though that certainly doesn’t hurt!) I enjoyed the first volume and am legitimately curious to see how the relationship between the two leads continues to develop.

SEAN: No question about my pick of the week: it’s the 20th volume of Soul Eater. We’ve got 6 volumes to the end now, so should be kicking into the final arc soon. And as I hinted in Manga the Week of, this volume may inspire nightmares.

MJ: So, despite the fact that “pet chickens” sounds almost as good as “talking cactus” (I say almost, because c’mon), I’m going stay true to my manhwa-loving heart and join Anna in choosing the 15th volume of Goong as my must-buy for the week. I have loved this series (and its difficult, bickering protagonists) for many years now, and I’m always happy to see them turn up on my doorstep, especially since Yen Press shifted to omnibus releases, making each volume substantial enough to tide me over ’til the next. Hurray for Goong!

What looks good to you this week?

My Week in Manga: May 19-May 25, 2014

May 26, 2014 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

After a week full of random musings comes a week full of reviews. Well, that is if you consider two reviews “full.” Either way, there were two reviews posted at Experiments in Manga last week. First up was Lucy Birmingham and David McNeill’s Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. Originally released in 2012 as a hardcover, it is now available as a trade paperback. The volume is very approachable and makes an excellent overview of many of the aspects of the March 2011 disaster. As promised, I also reviewed the first omnibus of Takashi Ikeda’s yuri manga series Whispered Words. So far, I’m really enjoying the series (it even has karate in it!), but One Peace Books’ edition is rather disappointing in regards to quality control. Check out the review’s comments for more specific details.

As for other interesting things online: Oishinbo has certainly made some political and social commentary in the past, but the manga recently managed to get suspended amidst nuclear furor. The latest ANNCast features the return of the super manga pals Deb Aoki and Rebecca Silverman. The Gay Manga tumblr has a great post about how language impacts the way that sexuality is thought and talked about, looking at the terms “bara” and “gei” among other things. (The discussion reminded me quite a bit about my random musings on translation and queer theory.) Another fantastic post (well, series of four posts) is Revealing and Concealing Identities: Cross-Dressing in Anime and Manga over at The Lobster Dance. So far, Part 1 and Part 2 have been posted.

Quick Takes

Bunny Drop, Volume 10 by Yumi Unita. Oh, Bunny Drop. I love parts of the series while other aspects frankly piss me off. I personally don’t mind incest plotlines in my fiction (and technically there’s no incest in Bunny Drop), it’s just that it was handled so incredibly poorly. It’s been a while since a manga has gotten such a visceral reaction from me. But even though Bunny Drop left me seething, I was still looking forward to reading the tenth volume–a collection of short side stories as well as an extensive interview with Unita about the series and its anime adaptation. Most of the volume is devoted to when Rin and Kouki were small (including the story of how he got the scar on his forehead), which I enjoyed. I also rather liked the story that focused on Rin’s mother and the man who would become her husband. However, the final story takes place sometime after Rin and Daikichi are married–a development that I continue to be completely unconvinced by, a sentiment this final story does nothing to alleviate.

Carciphona, Volumes 1-4 by Shilin Huang. Another splurge purchase from TCAF, Carciphona is a self-published manga-style series of graphic novels which are also available to read online. It was Huang’s spectacular artwork that caught my eye. (Her artbook Toccata is simply gorgeous.) Though the interior art isn’t as stunning as the series’ covers, it is still excellent. Huang considers herself more of an illustrator than an comics artist; though it was fairly strong to begin with, her storytelling improves greatly from volume to volume. Occasionally Carciphona falls prey to infodumps in order to establish the setting, especially early on in the series, but the worldbuilding and characters are interesting. Carciphona is high fantasy with magic and religion, assassins and political intrigue, and tension between races. The story follows Veloce Visrin, a young, powerful sorceress living in a world where common magic–magic which relies on demonic spirits–has been prohibited. Her life has not been an easy or happy one, so she’s a bit surly (and understandably so), but she is also very loyal and protective of those who become her friends.

Devils and Realist, Volume 1 written by Madoka Takadono and illustrated by Utako Yukihiro. William Twining comes from a prestigious family and has done everything he can to meet, and surpass, all expectations so as not to disgrace his family’s name. He’s brilliant and at the top of his class…and recently lost most of his wealth due to his uncle’s bankruptcy. Perhaps even more problematic is that he’s somehow also responsible for selecting the next ruler of hell, despite being scientifically minded and refusing to believe in the demons right in front of him who are trying to bribe him. The artwork in Devils and Realist is attractive, though the more action-oriented sequences, while pretty, can be somewhat difficult to follow. It was amusing to see many of the demons introduced become transfer students at William’s school, but personally I’d like to see the story focus less on school antics and more on the struggle for control of hell. Then again, I actually did enjoy the sillier aspects of the manga. Devils and Realist has some potential; I’ll probably be giving it at least one more volume to see which direction it takes.

I’ve Moved Next Door to You by Fuhri Misasagi. There were two things that particularly appealed to me about I’ve Moved Next Door to You and which led me to pick up Misasagi’s boys’ love one-shot: the somewhat “reversible” nature of the characters and their polyamorous relationship. At least it’s described as being a polyamorous relationship–it’s really more of a pseudo-love triangle. Sadly, neither of those things could save this manga for me. With the aid of his secretary Kamoshida (who is in love with him), Takumi has recently moved into a rundown apartment after leaving his company. Up until now he’s led a very privileged and sheltered life and so has no idea how to live on his own. However, his new neighbor Renji is more than happy to help him out, which apparently also includes sexually harassing him any chance he gets. Even though the manga is supposed to be a comedy, tragic backstories are also added to the mess of unbelievable characters and plot. I’ve Moved Next Door to You isn’t sexy or romantic, and it’s not even very funny, though it does try very hard to be all of those things. I can’t say that I enjoyed the manga much at all.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings, Season 1 directed by Itsuro Kawasaki. A little to my surprise, I enjoyed the Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends manga so much that I decided to track down more of Sengoku Basara. I still haven’t gotten around to playing any of the video games, which is where the franchise started, but I have been happily watching the Samurai Kings anime. Sengoku Basara is based on the actual historic figures and events from Japan’s Warring States period, but it is delightfully irreverent and over-the-top with its portrayals. Honestly, Sengoku Basara is ridiculous and doesn’t at all take itself too seriously, but because of that it’s also a tremendous amount of fun. I mean, it has literal battle auras, impossible feats, absurd amounts of damage, nearly indestructible warriors, epic battles, and constantly shifting alliances, not to mention a healthy dose of improbable technology and anachronisms. I get a kick out of it all, though, and find Sengoku Basara to be highly entertaining. Samurai Kings might not be a series that I’ll watch over and over again, but I’ll definitely be checking out the second season.

Takasugi-san’s Obento, Vol. 2

May 25, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Nozomi Yanahara. Released in Japan by Media Factory, serialization ongoing in the magazine Comic Flapper. Released in North America by Digital Manga Publishing.

In general, one of the more disliked traits in manga among Western fandom is the oblivious harem hero who cannot see the obvious crushes that all the girls have on him, and wonders why it is he’s so unpopular. I agree 100% that this can be aggravating, but I have to admit that I am so very happy that Harumi, the start of Takasugi-san’s Obento, is exactly like this. Because the longer he keeps trying to act like a father and close family member to Kururi and doesn’t notice her blushes and googly eyes whenever he’s around, the happier I am. Mostly as despite the threat of this happening, this is a very good manga, with Vol. 2 having lots of great moments.

I’d mentioned in Vol. 1’s review that Natsuki, the snarky girl who was introduced to be the class bully but actually formed a close friendship with Kururi, reminded me strongly in both looks and attitude of Shinobu from Hakusensha shoujo series Teru Teru x Shonen. That opinion is reinforced by my favorite chapter in the book, where they start a new year only to find that Kururi and Mitsuru, the two that she’d bonded with, are in another class, leaving her alone with all of her former friends and cronies, who are very bitter about Natsuki changing her affections to the quiet weird girl. And so the bully becomes the bullied. That’s not what I liked about the chapter. What I liked was the way Natsuki handled it, being totally aware of what was going on, and then taking the earliest opportunity to gain the upper hand and reassert her position. We do see a teacher talk about stepping in, which is good, but I enjoyed seeing Natsuki being empowered again all by herself.

It also helped that she used a bento to do so. This still is not quite a foodie manga, but food certainly plays a major role in it, with Harumi and Kururi constantly trying new things and enjoying seasonal treats – even if their cooking skills don’t necessarily match up with their intentions. This is true of Harumi in general, who continues to be very awkward with most social interaction, and has a tendency to not think about what others around him might be feeling before he decides on a course of action. This is, of course, part of why he’s still an oblivious harem protagonist. The author’s notes said she has fun with him beign a passive, sad guy. Kururi, on the other hand, is a full-blown introvert, and this is also shown very deftly in several chapters.

Finally, let’s go back to Kururi’s crush. It’s still there, and everyone but Harumi seems to be aware of it. I was very grateful for the expansion of Mitsuru’s role, as he’s not only an age and family-appropriate rival, but his bluntness about liking Kururi and reminding her of it – a lot – is refreshing. That said, that sort of guy often ends up on the losing side in these sorts of mangas. His older brother, who’s in Harumi’s workplace, is more a fan of passive-aggressive poking – his queries at Kosaka are clearly meant to force her to admit that she has a crush on Harumi, and since she doesn’t admit it he wants to go for it as well, but is not as self-confident as his younger sibling. Normally all these harem antics would be annoying, but here they are giving a hint that maybe the manga won’t end like we fear.

Despite that fear, I still greatly enjoy Takasugi-san’s Obento, which hits a lot of my buttons, and reminds me of the old CMX shoujo days, despite being a DMP seinen title. Recommended for heartwarming comedy with lots of food.

Should Bookstores Categorize Manga By Genre/Demographic?

May 23, 2014 by Justin Stroman 19 Comments

Something tells me this image fits this post perfectly. Don’t know what it is though…

The basis of this post is much, much thanks to Deb Aoki of Manga Comics Manga & The Comixverse’s Zedric Dimalanta. It’s a simple question to ask: should bookstores start categorizing manga by genre/demographic?

…

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: May 12, 2014

May 23, 2014 by Derek Bown 1 Comment

Sometimes the difference between mediocrity and perfection manga is just a single page. One perfect page can tip the scale from “good” to “brilliant”. Don’t know what I mean? Well let me show you.

Nisekoi Ch. 121
The hardest part of any harem series is legitimizing another romantic interest later on in the game. I’ve found that most other series either don’t bother, or half-heartedly do so. Nisekoi manages to show once again that it is at the top of the pack of harem series. Yui not only works as a legitimate romantic interest, she is characterized enough to the point where her addition to the cast improves the series rather than denigrating it. For an example of a new character later in the the game that does not improve the series look no further than the introduction of Haru.

Slowly we’re getting to the truth of what happened ten years ago, but as curious as I am to finally learn what actually happened, Nisekoi has been enjoyable enough that I would rather we don’t reveal the big mystery just yet, especially if it means the series continues for a couple more years.

All You Need Is Kill Ch. 014
I’m sure fans of coffee appreciated the opening of this chapter, but all I could really think about while Rita was going on about how good the coffee she has is, was how terrible the stuff smells to me. There are things other people enjoy that I don’t particularly care for, but I can understand why someone would like it. Coffee is not one of those things. It smells so bad that I can’t believe anyone actually likes it. Imagine if people went around grinding up rabbit pellets and making a drink out of them. That’s how I feel whenever someone goes on about how good coffee is. You’re all crazy.

It’s always fun to read characters of one’s own nationality when written by someone that does not share said nationality. For example, Americans in old british shows tend to be just a few steps away from an insulting stereotype. Conversely, seeing Americans written by manga authors is always good for a laugh. In this case Rita is probably one of the most realistic Americans in manga, but I have to chuckle at how often she expresses genuine interest or admiration for Japanese products and culture. I’m going to just come out and say it, most Americans would not go around complimenting Japanese glass. In fact we would be more likely to begrudgingly admit that the glass is adequate, and then extol the virtues of Made in the USA glass. We would then put on an American flag like a cape and ride a giant bald eagle into battle. Since we’re dealing in stereotypes here.

Needless to say, whenever an American character compliments Japanese craftsmanship I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit of wish fulfillment on the part of the author. “Look how great Japanese workmanship is, even Americans admit it.” Normally I wouldn’t point that out, but it’s so oddly out of place and not something that anyone I know would ever say so it pulls me out of the story just a little bit. And once I’m distracted no amount of alien monsters can bring me back.

Toriko Ch. 276
I hope eating creatures with human faces doesn’t become too common here. I know a lot of vegans refuse to eat anything with a face, while I don’t ascribe to that I do draw the line at anything that has a human face and can talk. Nonetheless, Toriko has managed to be about as bizarre as it has ever been with this first step into the gourmet world. So I think we can all look forward to an extended “Whaaaa…?” as my review every week.

Seraph of the End Ch 018
I like chapters where I learn something new. Seraph has the issue of having to fight against my initial impression, and while I still don’t care for the series I have found as of these most recent chapters that the characters are much more tolerable than before, and I’m slowly becoming interested in the series. Maybe it’s just me? I tend to hate the first several chapters of any new series in Jump, so maybe they’re actually just fine and I’m just a bitter, jaded jerk of a manga reviewer.

While that may possibly be true for other series, I stand by my conviction that Seraph of the End was not a good series. It’s interesting now, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a good series. The backstory intrigues me, but the characters only just manage to escape me hating them completely.

One Piece Ch. 746
This was the chapter I was talking about earlier when I said a single page can be the difference between a good chapter and a great chapter. In this case it’s actually two pages. The entirety of the chapter is awesome. But it’s those two pages where Doflamingo assigns the bounties that make this one of my favorite chapters in a long time. Which is fortunate, since this is still a bit of a setup chapter for the finale of the arc. It looks like we will be spending longer in Dressrossa than we thought, which works just fine for me, it’s been a good arc and I like a good long arc.

Naruto Ch. 675
Sometimes I feel silly for how much I can rant about manga that I hate. Then I remind myself that storytelling in any form matters to me, and played a big part of growing up for me. So to see something that is flagrantly doing a terrible job at telling a story kind of rubs me the wrong way. For example, it is bad writing if you have a character who has one sole purpose in the story, and to then give that character’s ability to someone else. I used to hate when people would hate on Sakura, but now I can’t help but agree. She has become completely useless, and it kinda pisses me off that Kishimoto has taken her one ability and made Naruto better at it. I’ve read a lot of manga that does a terrible job with its female cast, but Naruto somehow manages to be the worst at it while not being so flagrantly awful. Sure the women aren’t constantly damsels in distress, but they also contribute nothing useful to the story. Cut Sakura out and the story doesn’t change one bit. Except that I wouldn’t spend so much time getting angry at what is apparently meant to be a touching love story between her and Sasuke but in reality is a terrifying example of how abusive relationships start.

I’ve never understood how Kishimoto could ever seriously want to pair Sasuke and Sakura up. From the very beginning he has been portrayed as the kind of character that would grow up to be abusive at best. And yet even the fact that he tried to murder her is just used as a sign of how “devoted” she is. Sakura has been universally reviled for her selfish crush throughout a good chunk of the readership. It doesn’t help her one bit to suddenly say “she is so devoted” without actually showing how she is any different now than she was ten years ago.

And to make matters worse, the entire climax is relying on a powerup that is based on a concept we only just knew existed in the Naruto world. Up until the past few months we never knew reincarnation was even a thing here, and suddenly the big bad is going to be defeated thanks to the sudden existence of reincarnation? That’s just bad writing! And I don’t see how anyone could possibly think it’s anything but. I’m not even being rhetorical here. I’m sincerely confused. Someone please tell me why this series is still so popular!

One-Punch Man Bonus Chapter
What can I say about this extra chapter? It really was to short for me to have any indepth opinion of it.

Bleach Ch. 579
Well, it was fun while it lasted. But I think we all knew that a fight with a character who could create anything he could imagine would not end well. And yet somehow I feel disappointed that his undoing was that he imagined Kenpachi’s power too well, but couldn’t imagine a stronger body for himself. There literally was no way the end of this fight wouldn’t be cheap, so I chose to remember it as a one of a kind fight, and then just forget the ending ever happened.

World Trigger Ch. 059
World Trigger has been quite good at portraying strategic combat. This chapter was as good as any of the past ones, but when too many chapters are good I find myself without anything that stands out enough to be commented on. So it was good, but not amazing. I enjoyed it, but don’t necessarily have anything to talk about. Though I will mention that we’re getting into the C List cast here and I can’t remember who any of these people are. Which goes to show that the manga can get me invested even in characters I can’t quite remember. And that’s just fine by me.

Stealth Symphony Ch. 011
I have to admit I’m intrigued. The ending of this chapter gave me that little extra something I needed for a mediocre series like Stealth Symphony to attract my attention. I’m certainly curious to see where the story will go from here, and am hoping that we go the unconventional route with this one. Though I have been noticing a worrisome trend where new characters are designed with maximum fanservice in mind. It’s rarely a good sign when a manga starts relying on that.

Blue Exorcist Ch. 057
I’m not the kind of person to cry “Sexism” at every little opportunity. I think that some people are a bit sensitive where that topic is concerned. But when a mangaka just comes out and says that a character needs saving because she is a girl, then I can’t help but nervously glance at the big red “Sexism Alert” button I’ve installed on my computer. The only thing stopping me from pressing it is because I’m too confused by the fact that the author of Blue Exorcist happens to be a woman. Does that still count as sexist? Is it even my place to say anything if a woman wants to say girls need saving? Or is this a case where I need to separate the author and the character more? Is Yukio just a sexist? Because if that’s the case I didn’t exactly need another reason to dislike him.

That aside, the fights are quite entertaining. Miwa managing to escape thanks to his brains is a lot more interesting than the “Hulk Smash!” style of shonen battles. And even Yukio incapacitating his foe thanks to the zombie’s regeneration being too aggressive was a lot of fun. So overall a good chapter, but the beginning distracts me with some very worrisome implications. Oh well, at least next month I get to look forward to a bazooka battle.

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives.

Whispered Words, Omnibus 1

May 23, 2014 by Ash Brown

Creator: Takashi Ikeda
U.S. publisher: One Peace Books
ISBN: 9781935548454
Released: May 2014
Original release: 2007-2008

Whispered Words is a nine-volume yuri manga series by Takashi Ikeda published in Japan between 2007 and 2011. It’s probably his most popular work, or a least his best-known work, and the early part of the manga was even adapted as a thirteen-episode anime series in 2009. Despite my interest in yuri manga and the series’ following, I actually didn’t know much about it until I discovered that One Peace Books had licensed the work for English release. Whispered Words, Omnibus 1, released in 2014, collects the first three volumes of the series originally published in Japan between 2007 and 2008. Considering that comparatively few yuri manga have been released in English, I was happy for the opportunity to read more in translation. Because of the excited murmuring from fans surrounding the licensing of the series, I was particularly glad for the chance to read Whispered Words. And, except for some poor editing and lettering by One Peace Books, generally I was not disappointed. Plus, it even has karate in addition to yuri!

Sumika “Violence” Murasame, a high-school first year, is in love with her classmate and best friend Ushio Kazama. Ushio likes girls, too, but the problem is that she only likes “cute” girls. Unfortunately, Sumika has come to the conclusion that she is decidedly un-cute. She’s taller than most people, athletically and academically gifted, and a genius at karate (which is what earned her her nickname). But Sumika would gladly give all of that up to become small, delicate, and cute in order to fit Ushio’s type. That’s not really a possibility, though. So instead of admitting her feelings to Ushio and potentially ruining their friendship, Sumika has chosen to keep them to herself. It’s difficult and can be painful at times, but more than anything else Sumika wants Ushio to be happy. Eventually, other classmates become aware of Sumika’s feelings for Ushio, so it seems that it’s only a matter of time before they become obvious to Ushio as well.

Although at its heart Whispered Words has a fairly serious story about friendship and unrequited love, there is also a very strong comedic element to the series. Personally, I found the silliness of the manga and the characters themselves all to be very charming. For the most part, the underlying story and relationships in Whispered Words are actually fairly realistic. However, Ikeda regularly throws in something completely outrageous, such as an impeccably timed exploding SUV or indulging in his penchant for finding any excuse to dress everyone up in maid costumes. Whispered Words can admittedly be a bit ridiculous at times, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ikeda strikes an excellent balance between the series’ humor and its more serious aspects, making for a read that is both entertaining and heartfelt. Ikeda’s artwork also reflects this duality. He effectively captures the more emotional moments–the tears, the pining, and the heartbreak, as well as the happiness and joy–but he can just as easily slip into a more comedic mode with over-the-top reactions, dynamic expressions, and exuberant poses.

The characters in Whispered Words are what really make the series work for me–not only the two leads, but their friends, families, and classmates, too. I am particularly fond of Sumika and her development, though. She so desperately wants to be something the she’s not, but it’s when she allows herself to really be who she is that she shines. This growth and the evolution of her relationship with Ushio is explored in stages in Whispered Words, often through her relationships with other characters. Tomoe Hachisuka and Miyako Taema, with whom she becomes friends, are a couple that show a lesbian relationship is not something to be ashamed of. Akemiya Masaki and Azusa Aoi are classmates who prove that others already think that Sumika is cute and admire her. The petite Charlotte Munchausen is devoted to karate, follows Sumika’s guidance, and provides an example that strength and cuteness aren’t inherently mutually exclusive. Even when played for laughs, all of these relationships are incredibly important to Sumika and are what allow her to grow as a person and will hopefully allow her to grow even closer to Ushio.