Blog

Manga the Week of 5/21

May 15, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, MJ, Michelle Smith and Ash Brown 3 Comments

SEAN: Some newer series, some old favorites, and some back from the dead in Week 3 of the month of May.

DMP is releasing print volumes again, including two of their old non-BL series. Takasugi-san’s Obento gets a 2nd volume, and continues to charm readers and make Bunny Drop fans stare at it warily.

ANNA: I liked the first volume a lot, and I really hope it doesn’t go into Bunny Drop territory.

MJ: Agreed!

SEAN: And we have at last the return of Itazura Na Kiss, everyone’s favorite bitter black coffee of the shoujo manga world. Will its leads ever stop being so… themselves? Probably not, but here’s more of it, and I can’t wait.

MICHELLE: Yay yay yay yay yay!

ASH: I’ve heard nothing but good things about Itazura Na Kiss; I really should get around to reading it one of these days!

ANNA: A classic! I’m so glad to see more print volumes coming out from DMP. I need to order this!

MJ: Nice to see this back!

SEAN: Kodansha has the 3rd Air Gear omnibus, with 3 more volumes of the roller blading superhero-ish manga for your perusal.

They also have the 5th volume of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which I should really try to catch up on.

ASH: It’s actually a pretty decent adaptation.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a pair of titles for their readers who prefer the more ecchi-oriented catalog of Seven Seas. Dragonar Academy has Vol. 2, and still reminds me of Zero’s Familiar too much – the annoying points of Zero’s Familiar.

Meanwhile, Kanokon has a 3rd omnibus, which ends the manga release. And thank goodness, as this is the last time I will have to avoid saying something about it.

MICHELLE: Nothing for me here.

SEAN: If I had to drop a series after Vol. 1 merely as I found the lead unlikeable, I’d never be reading a lot of series. Thus I will look forward to Vol. 2 of Vertical’s What Did You Eat Yesterday? and its very prickly lead guy – being a good cook only gets you so far with the reader, though.

MICHELLE: Yay yay yay yay yay!

ASH: I’m excited to see this one, too!

ANNA: My shopping list is growing this week! So excited for more great foodie manga!

MJ: MORE MORE MORE.

SEAN: Lastly, Vol. 2 of Gangsta drops, and I’m hoping it keeps to the high standard set by Vol. 1, as I enjoyed the debut volume quite a bit.

ASH: I really enjoyed the first volume of Gangsta and so look forward to reading more soon!

ANNA: I’ve read this already and enjoyed it! Gangsta is rapidly becoming one of my new favorite ongoing series.

SEAN: What manga are you rebelling against?

Showa 1939-1944: A History of Japan

May 15, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Shigeru Mizuki. Released in Japan as “Comic Shouwashi” by Kodansha. Released in North America by Drawn & Quarterly.

As you may have gathered from the dates, this volume covers the majority of World War II – referred to by Mizuki as “The Pacific War”, as it is in Japan. While we don’t neglect the average Japanese civilian back home, there is definitely more of an emphasis on battles, troop movements, and the machinations of war here, with so many Japanese general names flying past you will be grateful there are endnotes explaining who they all are. Interwoven into this is Mizuki’s own storyline, as he continues to fail at most everything he tries until the day he is drafted into the army… and manages to fail there as well, leading to a horrifying cliffhanger.

The narration of events continues to be done mostly by Nezumi Otoko, Mizuki’s filthy coward character from Gegege no Kitaro. He’s a bit less noticeable here, as the narration has to move so quickly it doesn’t allow time for anyone to make yokai jokes. Still, only Nezumi Otoko would stand behind Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo and wrap his arms around them in a ‘we’re buddies’ hug. This isn’t to say his narration is biased, though – Nezumi Otoko is quick to point out the lies and deceit that Japan uses to advance its own thirst for power. In addition, the fact that he is sort of ‘out of time’ means that he can have the occasional chat with Mizuki the artist, appearing as himself in a slightly less exaggerated version of the Mizuki we see living though his late teenage years.

General Yamamoto is mentioned early in the book, right around Pearl Harbor, that if he can turn the tide in 6-12 months, everything will go Japan’s way, but if it takes longer, America will end up winning. Most of the focus of this book is that extended narrative, as we see battle after battle where Japan marches in and takes over… and then the tide begins to turn, more men are lost, less land is gained, and the Japanese government decides to start lying to its people about what’s going on – the Battle of Midway’s true casualties weren’t known publicly till well after the war.

And then there’s Mizuki himself. As I said in my first review, I suspect that he is exaggerating his past self for comic relief, but there’s still a sense that this is a young man who cannot stop aimlessly drifting through his life, and is easily influenced by those around him. He’s also beaten, a lot – those who recall Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths will see a number of similar scenes here. The reward for the beatings seems to be rising in rank so that you can beat others in turn, but Mizuki never even gets that far. The most tragic part of the entire book for me when when, assigned to the bugle corps, he finds the job boring and demands a transfer. His superiors try to talk him out of this THREE TIMES, but to no avail. And so he’s sent to the front, and ends up fighting for his life as we get yet another amazing cliffhanger ending.

A whole lot of this book continues to be a history textbook of sorts. But then again, this is a manga written for Japanese people, telling them things that, at the time of its publication (and indeed to an extent today) the government was not comfortable with admitting. As a result, it can be a bit didactic. Mizuki is not entirely condemning Japan – he discusses the Bataan death march, and notes what little choice the Japanese military had there given the climate. But certainly this is more critical than we’re used to seeing, and the facts are so riveting that you’ll find you can’t stop turning the page. Add to this the art style, which continues to shift between photorealism and goofy sketches, and you’ve got a second volume that’s just as essential as the first.

Random Musings: Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2014

May 14, 2014 by Ash Brown

©Michael DeForge

Last year I attended the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) for the very first time. It was an event that I had wanted to go to for years and I had such a fabulous time that I immediately began planning to return. TCAF is the only comics festival that I have ever been to so I can’t really compare it to others, but it is fantastic and I can’t recommend it enough. I certainly plan on going every that I possibly can at this point.

Last year I was only there for the main festival on Saturday and Sunday, but this year I pulled into Toronto on Thursday evening which gave me plenty of time to explore the city itself. After figuring out how to use Toronto’s streetcar system (I’ve never ridden a streetcar before) my “early” arrival allowed me to attend the opening reception of Toshio Saeki’s art exhibition at Narwhal Projects. Saeki is described as the “Godfather of Japanese Eroticism.” The gallery was a showing of a selection of his original drawings and silkscreen prints. They were beautiful, disconcerting, erotic, and surreal works. I’m very glad I had the opportunity to see them in person.

Friday was my “free” day in Toronto. While I was wandering all over the city, I made sure to make my way down to The Beguiling Books & Arts. Last year I got there a few minutes before it closed, so I was looking forward to spending a more reasonable amount of time exploring the store this year. The Beguiling is one of the best comic stores I’ve ever been to. It has a fantastic selection of materials and a marvelous staff. I highly recommend anyone visiting Toronto to check it out. The event that I was looking forward to on Friday was the Manga Mixer Night hosted by Sparkler Monthly at the TRANZAC Club. I sadly missed out on the gathering last year, and one of my TCAF goals for this year was to overcome some of my anxieties and to try to be a little more social, so to the mixer I went! And I’m glad that I did. I had a good time and Kuriousity‘s Lissa Pattillo and I were beautiful wallflowers together. We had a very nice conversation about manga, blogging, and TCAF.

Over the course of the festival I had the opportunity to briefly meet several other of my online friends in person: manga translator and all around awesome person Jocelyne Allen, my fellow Manga Bookshelf cohort Sean Gaffney, and the great A-run Chey who somehow managed to pick me out of a crowd. I certainly made some progress this year in the socialization department, but I still didn’t have the nerve to introduce myself to Deb Aoki and Erica Friedman, who were both kept very busy moderating various panels, or to Vertical’s Ed Chavez even though I was standing next to each of them at some point during the festival. Next time I’ll make it happen! I know there were at least a few other manga and comics bloggers at TCAF—like Brigid Alverson and Alexander Hoffman, among others—but I missed them, too.

“Ureshidaruma” by Toshio Saeki

Saturday was when the main festival actually began. Last year I didn’t get to spend as much time in the exhibitor area as I would have liked, so I got up bright and early on Saturday in order to visit as many artists and publishers as I could first thing in the morning. This turned out to be a good decision, because the exhibitor area seemed to only get busier and busier throughout the day. I couldn’t see everything before the Saturday panels started, but by the end of the day I managed to visit most of the tables that I wanted. Sadly, there were a few things that I was hoping to get that were sold out by the time I was able to make my way to the artists’ respective tables. But at least that meant that the creators were doing well, and I was very glad to see their success. While I went into TCAF knowing there were certain things that I wanted to pick up, I also allowed myself the opportunity to splurge on a few random items that I hadn’t even heard of before and discovered some great comics in the process. And of course, I also managed to compile a rather lengthy list of things that I wanted to check out later, too. I continue to be very impressed by both the quality and variety of creators and art at TCAF.

I attended four panels on Saturday. “What Do Women Want? Writing Comics for a Female Audience,” was moderated by Chromatic Press’ Lianne Sentar and featured Laura Lee Gulledge, Kate Leth, Joan Reilly, and Noelle Stevenson. It was an excellent panel looking at men and women and masculinity and femininity in comics and the North American comics industry. Generally, comics readers are assumed by the industry to be both male and straight and so that audience is the one that has traditionally been catered to. There have always been female readers but recently there have been more demands for a wider variety in comics, perhaps due in part to what the panelists called the “Sailor Moon Generation.” These are the women, and men, who were exposed to female-friendly Sailor Moon when they were younger and who are now old enough to create the types of comics that they want to see or are in the position to support and encourage other upcoming creators who want something more than the industry’s default. The key to the discussion was the importance of variety in comics and that great stories will attract all sorts of readers regardless of their intended audience.

“Comics Design and History” focused on the physical design, production, and presentation of graphic novels. The panel was moderated by Chris Randle and included designers Tracy Hurren from Drawn & Quarterly, Fawn Lau from Viz Media, and Chip Kidd, who has designed books for Vertical and PictureBox among many other publishers. They each chose three book designs to discuss and talked about some of the decisions that go into the design process. For example, one of the first steps when a comic is being translated into another language is to determine whether the original cover is suited for the new demographic. Unflipped manga has the potential to be accidentally displayed with the back cover as the front, so Kidd very deliberately created a design for Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan that was interesting and informative regardless of which direction the book was facing. One of the series that Lau discussed was Taiyo Matsumoto’s Sunny, talking about the choices that went into its deluxe presentation. One of the biggest challenges in book design is achieving a balance between production values and the budget, and then finding a printer that can actually produce it.

TCAF 2014 Queer Mixer presented by MASSIVE

Considering the fantastic lineup—Jess Fink, Michael DeForge, C. Spike Trotman, HamletMachine, Graham Kolbeins, Katie Skelly, Ryan Sands—I should have known that “Contemporary Erotic Comics” was going to be a popular panel. It was held in one of the smallest venues and was completely packed, but it was absolutely worth squeezing into the crowd. Chris Randle was the moderator for this panel as well. The panelists discussed their first experiences with erotic comics (manga and doujinshi were frequently cited), the challenges of working in and making a living off of pornography, and some of the current trends in sex comics as a genre. The panel’s emphasis on the need for variety and different perspectives dovetailed nicely with parts of the “What Do Women Want?” discussion. Kolbeins, who has been critical to the efforts to bring gay manga to English-reading audiences, was able to provide fascinating insights into some of the difference between Japanese and Western porn comics industries. In Japan, pornography is often meant to exclusively be pornography; adding any sort of message or social commentary can be seen as watering it down. On the other hand, in the West sex comics often allow creators to address issues other than sex; as long as certain plot requirements are met, they are more or less free to do whatever they want with their comics.

The last panel that I attended on Saturday, moderated by Deb Aoki, was “Women in Manga!” The panel included all of this year’s mangaka who were featured guests at TCAF: Moyoco Anno, est em, and Akira Himekawa (A. Honda and S. Nagano, a two-women team). All four of them admitted that they brought their work along with them on the trip; they may be traveling, but they still had deadlines to meet. Even though they are women, they said that they are largely treated the same as their male counterparts when working in seinen. (In many cases, readers don’t even realize that they are women!) However, working in shounen used to present more hurdles, though it’s not as difficult now as it once was. In the end, readers care more about the content than the mangaka’s gender. Regardless of the genre or demographic that they are working in, the panelists normally receive respect. The exception to this would be boys’ love which is somewhat looked down upon. est em felt this was because that instead of the more usual manga contests which award the creators with a series, boys’ love mangaka often become professionals through their doujinshi and this is seen as a sneaky, backdoor way of breaking into the manga industry.

One of the heartbreaking things about TCAF is that there is so much great programming that it’s impossible to attend it all and hard decisions must be made. Sadly, “Women in Manga!” conflicted with the “Queering Comics – LGBTQ identity in comics and graphic novels” panel which I really wanted to attend. Since I couldn’t make it to the queer comics panel, I decided to show up for the TCAF Queer Mixer at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre instead. Now, I don’t generally go to things like parties and mixers, but I was enticed by the promise of on-stage presentations and interviews. And I wasn’t disappointed. Anne Ishii of MASSIVE made a fabulously entertaining host and more than a dozen of the queer creators who were at TCAF this year were spotlighted as part of the event. I was already familiar with some of them and their work, but others were new to me. And I’ll admit, it was pretty awesome to just be in the same room with a bunch of other amazing queer folk. One of the best things about TCAF is how marvelously inclusive it is, and the annual Queer Mixer is representative of that.

My 2014 TCAF haul

Then came Sunday, the last day of the main festival. Also known as “Ash’s day of manga.” I made it to three events, each one focusing on the festival’s featured mangaka. First thing in the morning was Moyoco Anno’s Spotlight with Ed Chavez. Probably not too surprisingly, Vertical’s releases of Anno’s manga—Insufficient Direction, Sakuran, and the soon to be published In Clothes Called Fat—were used as a jumping off point for the discussion. Anno talked about her approach to writing seinen, choosing to focus on what she as a woman can bring to the demographic rather than trying to compete in the same areas where men could do just as well. As for shoujo, she doesn’t feel that it has changed much over the last twenty years; it still follows the same unrealistic tropes, especially in regards to love. She feels that the large gap between real relationships and how they are portrayed in manga can sometimes be problematic for readers. When asked, she sweetly replied that her favorite character to draw was Director-kun, her husband Hideaki Anno (who also happened to be in attendance).

Those who stayed for the entire Moyoco Anno Spotlight were at a slight disadvantage when it came to the signing that immediately followed. I was the first person put in the rush line for her signing, but sadly I still didn’t get the chance to personally meet Anno. However, this did mean that I had time to walk over to Toronto’s Japan Foundation in time for Akira Himekawa in Conversation. The two women, who are best known for their Zelda manga, are celebrating their thirtieth year of collaboration and were being interviewed by Deb Aoki. They were both incredibly engaging and enthusiastic about their work. I actually haven’t read very much of Himekawa’s manga, but I’ll certainly be making a point to now. And after seeing examples of some of their current series, I really hope that more of their manga will be licensed in English in the future. I love the Zelda franchise, but Himekawa’s recent work, much of it in full-color, simply looks gorgeous. While I was at the Japan Foundation, I was also able to see the Seiji Ozawa Photography Exhibition—a showcase of archival materials focusing on the young, Japanese music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1965 to 1969—which was great.

The Japan Foundation also sponsored an interview with Yohei Sadoshima, whose literary agency represents Moyoco Anno among many other creators, about the future of the manga industry. Unfortunately this conflicted with the est em Spotlight. As a huge fan of est em, there was no way I was going to miss her panel. Erica Friedman was the moderator and it actually ended up being one of the best interviews that I attended at TCAF this year, making it a great way to end the festival. est em got her start as a professional mangaka through boys’ love after being approached by an editor who was intrigued by her doujinshi. Interestingly enough, she hadn’t actually read much mainstream boys’ love, which may partly explain why her manga tends to be somewhat unusual. Although est em is probably best know for her atypical boys love manga, her current series—Golondrina and Ippo—are both seinen manga. I think that Viz is probably my only hope, but someone please license Golondrina for a print release! est em explains that the reason her work is quirky is because it incorporates what she personally finds to be beautiful or interesting. She especially enjoys exploring and working with themes that address the spaces in between two opposing forces. (Over at Okazu, Erica recently posted an excellent and much more thorough write-up of the est em Panel at TCAF.)

So there you have it! And that’s just scratching the surface of this year’s festival experience. In short: TCAF 2014 was phenomenal. The guests were amazing. The programming was fantastic. I hope that I’ll be able to go again next year. That’s the plan, anyway!

Whispered Words, Vol. 1

May 13, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Takashi Ikeda. Released in Japan in three separate volumes as “Sasameki Koto” by Media Factory, serialized in the magazine Comic Alive. Released in North America by One Peace Books.

This was one of those licenses I’d been waiting for for quite some time. Along with Aoi Hana, Sasameki Koto (released here as Whispered Words) was one of the big yuri manga of the last few years or so. It will seem quite familiar to those who read the genre. The tall, strong, dark-haired girl who does karate and her smaller, more feminine and gorgeous friend. Unrequited love out the wazoo. A cast of eccentric side characters there to help the main couple grow and change. And piles and piles of angst. Does it read well as an omnibus?

Actually, I’d argue that the omnibus format was the best way for this series to succeed, as there are a lot of issues with it as it starts off. It’s clearly meant to be more comedic, with Sumika’s crush being portrayed as genuine but subordinate to getting her into awkward situations. More to the point, Ushio can be very hard to like in the first part of this series. And then there’s Akemiya, who’s nice enough, but whose plotline feels like it belongs in another manga, and whose sister is easily the most aggravating character in the series. Were this not an omnibus, I can see a lot of folks giving up after Vol. 2 (which is also where the anime ended, as it didn’t want to overtake the manga).

About halfway through the third section, though, you sense the manga starting to take a more serious and character driven turn. I suspect the writer might have ended things with the folk dance, but was told the series was popular enough to continue, and so started to think about how to take things in a deeper, more fulfilling direction. This starts off oddly, with the addition of Lotte, a tiny German foreign exchange student who idolizes Sumika. But it really points out Sumika’s issues with who she is, and how Ushio has been unthinkingly making those issues harder and harder to overcome. The emotional high point to this volume is really high – Ushio getting upset at Sumika for allowing Lotte to push herself too hard in karate training, and Sumika just losing it and screaming how Lotte likes her for being big and strong – unlike Ushio, the subtext says.

And Ushio gets this, to be fair. A lot of the setup of Whispered Words is of a somewhat shallow, ditzy girl who gloms onto anything cute. A flashback at the end shows that this is pretty much a mask, and Ushio, caring for Sumika after running outside in the rain makes her get a cold (never let it be said this manga doesn’t use manga cliches 100%), starts to wonder what her feelings for her best friend are really like. Is this going to be the moment when the two of them finally get together?

Highly unlikely, we’ve got 6 more volumes (2 more omnibuses) to go. In the meantime, this is a decently translated volume with good reproduction. Sadly, the publisher is tiny, and apparently their budget could not stretch to a copy editor, as there are some bad, BAD typos. They will make you cringe. But I hope that doesn’t stop you from getting this series. The tone is changing to a more serious work by the end of this first omnibus, and I hope that it continues along those lines and we continue to see Sumika and Ushio suffer for their love (in a good way, of course.)

Also, this manga has Kyori, who is perfect. That is all.

Bookshelf Briefs

May 12, 2014 by Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

This week, Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and One Peace Books.

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 12 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – Things are happening quickly in this penultimate volume of Dawn of the Arcana, and when I say “quickly” I mean I was often left going, “Wait, what?” Last volume, Nakaba suddenly became quene of Senan, and here, without much preamble, she intercepts Caesar’s invading force (he was sent by his father) and, again without much preamble, they begin a revolution that swiftly ends with Caesar killing his father and becoming king of Belquat, just in time for a rather perplexing cliffhanger moment to ensue. I’m not saying that this isn’t good or interesting, because it is, but I can’t help but think how much better it would be if we were seeing some serious effort involved in these momentous undertakings. It could really have been something wonderfully epic, but in its current state it’s like Basara Lite. Still recommended, though. – Michelle Smith

Inu x Boku SS, Vol. 3 | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – There’s a lot of emphasis in this volume on both the wacky antics of the main cast and the heartwarming relationships between them. Ririchiyo is opening up more than ever, and starting to admit her feelings, though dealing with them is tough. And Carta is just adorable. And yet the entire volume feels ominous, as there are also several hints that this isn’t going to last, and in fact that we may lose some of the cast soon. The discussion about reincarnation in particular reads as a ‘let me tell you about this now as it will be important later.’ Complete with the ominous text at the end of the book, it would seem that all of the wacky and heartwarming moments in this volume may taste very bitter soon.-Sean Gaffney

No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, Vol. 3 | By Nico Tanigawa | Yen Press – There’s both hope and despair in this volume of WatMote, which I enjoyed more than Volume 2. We meet a girl (seems to be a class president type) who actually seems to be looking out for Tomoko’s well-being, and we also see her genuinely enjoying the school festival with Yuu-chan. The despair comes from things like Tomoko’s teacher forcing attention onto her (which makes her cry she’s so upset) and the tragic fantasy of starting a ‘do nothing club’ with fellow loners, only to realize that even that isn’t real. There’s lots of funny stuff in this manga, but I think most people reading it are doing so with a bit of wincing sympathy and no small amount of worry.-Sean Gaffney

Sankarea: Undying Love, Vol. 6 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – Sankarea continues to be a balancing act between wacky harem comedy, heartwarming family romance, and pure undiluted horror. We get all three of those in this volume, as Chihiro deals with his zombified cat, Bub, causing havoc in a way he’s determined to fix (partly as he loves his cat, but partly as he worries it could happen to Rea). Meanwhile, Rea is determined to get Darin to act more like a normal 14-year-old girl. The big thing in this volume, though, is that Rea is different from the other zombies, as she did things out of order. How much of a difference this will make in the end I’m not sure, but given Rea and Darin are going to EvilCorp, I suspect next volume will be more serious.-Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – There never really was any uncertainty about how Strobe Edge would end, so in that respect it feels like it’s taken a long time to get here, especially with Ninako’s recent hesitancy to go for it with Ren because of how it might damage his friendship with Ando. And yet, because the series officially concludes halfway through this volume, it somehow manages to feel a little too quick, too. Weird how that happens. Happily, a bonus chapter at the end of the volume reinforces the ending, and gives us another glimpse of how well suited Ren and Ninako are for each other. There’s also a bonus chapter focusing on Ren’s small, enthusiastic friend Manabu, which would’ve been nice to see earlier in the series. All in all, not a surprising conclusion, but a satisfying one all the same. – Michelle Smith

Whispered Words, Vol. 1 | By Takashi Ikeda | One Peace Books – Kazama Ushio loves girly girls and is initially oblivious to the fact that her tall, athletic, and uncute best friend, Sumika Murasame, is in love with her. The moments focusing on the incremental progression of the central romance are the highlight of this 3-in-1 omnibus, but there’s also a lot of episodic randomness and unsuccessful attempts at comedy. I would’ve been disappointed had not Sean mentioned that the series is due to take a more serious turn; I predict that will suit me better. I’m also hoping for improved editing in volume two, because it was truly awful here. I lost count of how many times the wrong word was used (“through” instead of “throw,” “choose” instead of “choice”) or text was strangely formatted, but what really bothered me most were the numerous instances of untranslated dialogue. Get it together, One Peace! – Michelle Smith

My Week in Manga: May 5-May 11, 2014

May 12, 2014 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Last week was a busy week for me, especially as I was travelling to and from Canada for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, but I still managed to post a few things. The Fullmetal Alchemist Giveaway Winner was announced, for one. The post also includes a select list of some shounen and seinen manga written and/or illustrated by women mangaka. I reviewed Hinoki Kino’s No. 6, Volume 6 which is a particularly important volume in the series as it starts to approach its climax. And I also reviewed The Battle Royale Slam Book: Essays on the Cult Classic Novel by Koushun Takami, the first nonfiction book to be released by Haikasoru. I thought it was pretty great.

No links this week as I have been completely preoccupied with TCAF and all its goings-on. I’ll have a lengthy write-up about it later this week, but I’ll just say now that I absolutely adore TCAF. Since est em was one of the featured guests, I spent quite a bit of time with her manga last week. The quick takes below feature most of her manga that are currently available or have been licensed in English. (Granted, some are out of print now.) I hope that there will someday be even more est em manga translated; I really love her work. Plus, having now met her, I can say that she’s a very cool and interesting person, too!

Quick Takes

Age Called Blue by est em. Originally released online in English and then in print by NetComics, Age Called Blue is also now available digitally from Digital Manga. Most of the volume focuses on Billy and Nick who are bandmates, roomates, friends, as well as something a bit more. Age Called Blue further develops the story and characters introduced in the manga “Rockin’ In My Head” which is included in est em’s earlier collection Seduce Me After the Show. I love the music connection in Age Called Blue. Their band, The Idiots, is something that is incredibly important to Billy, but Nick is incredibly important to him as well. Unfortunately, Nick isn’t the most responsible person and is constantly disappearing or getting into some sort of trouble, which threatens to tear the band apart just as they have the opportunity to make something of themselves. With all of the chaos caused by Nick, Billy struggles with his feelings for the other young man which can be at odds with his passion for his music. Also included in Age Called Blue is the story of how the two of them first met, which is incredibly charming. Two unrelated stories are also collected in the volume, both exhibiting their own sorts of passion.

Kine In! by est em. The first est em release by Digital Manga Guild, the main story in Kine In! is about Ken and Mari, who are twins, and their neighbor and close friend Joe. The three of them share an interest in films and film-making and so frequently go to the movies together. However, things become a little awkward for them after a couple of love confessions are made–Mari admits to her brother that she likes Joe, Joe tells Ken that he likes him, and Ken isn’t sure how to respond to either of them. And so he chooses to figure out his feelings and express himself by making his own film with Joe and Mari’s help. Three shorter one-shot manga are also included in Kine In! One of the themes that is prominent throughout the volume has to do with familial love and the importance of those family bonds. Many of the families shown in Kine In! are unusual in some way. “The Salvia and the Barber” features another trio of friends whose relationship goe beyond friendship while “The Scenery of that Summer” follows a young man meeting his step-brother for the first time after his father dies. “Mixed Juice,” which focuses on the relationship between a college student and his professor, is the only story that breaks from this thematic pattern.

Red Blinds the Foolish by est em. Although I have always enjoyed est em’s manga tremendously, it’s Red Blinds the Foolish that made me absolutely fall in love with her work. The main story in this volume is about Rafita, a brilliant young bullfighter, and Mauro, a butcher who processes the bulls killed in the arena. The two of them become intimately and passionately involved which has dramatic repercussions. Bullfighting is a crucial part of the manga and of their relationship; it is used to explore the paradoxes, complexities, and nuances of the connection between the two men. est em’s artwork is exquisite and the details she puts into the matador’s costumes are especially gorgeous. Even when dealing with heavier subjects like death and violence, Red Blinds the Foolish is beautiful and sensual. The afterword of Red Blinds the Foolish is a short travelogue of est em’s research trip to Spain to see the bullfights. Two of the other stories collected in the volume, “Baby, Stamp Your Foot” (about a novelist and his lover who makes shoes by hand) and “Tiempos extra” (about a violent soccer fan and a security guard), were actually first released in a gay men’s manga magazine as opposed to a boys’ love magazine. I particularly appreciate est em’s manga because of this crossover appeal.

Seduce Me After the Show by est em. Seduce Me After the Show was est em’s professional debut in Japan and was likewise the first of her manga to be licensed in English. The volume was my introduction to her work, and I’ve been collecting her manga ever since. Even so early in her career est em’s storytelling was already very sophisticated and mature. Her artwork is beautifully expressive, elegant, and sensuous. It suits the main story, which features a dancer, particularly well. Backgrounds are either simple or nonexistent which makes the characters and their relationships the focus of the short manga collected in the volume. There’s no overarching plot connecting the stories found in Seduce Me After the Show but atmosphere-wise many of the manga share a sense of melancholy and loss. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are sad or depressing, though they are thoughtful and contemplative. Another similarity is that most of the characters in Seduce Me After the Show are artists of one sort or another–dancers, actors, painters, musicians, and so on. Also of note: “I Saw the Blue”, the prequel to the story “Café et Cigarette” in Seduce Me After the Show, is collected in Age Called Blue.

Tableau Numéro 20 by est em. The most recent est em manga to be released in English is her collection Tableau Numéro 20, which includes five unrelated boys’ love, or boys’ love-esque, stories. Like many of her other manga, the stories in Tableau Numéro 20 frequently feature music, art, and dance. The titular manga and its related story “Le Visiteur” include a beautiful man who literally emerges from a painting, making them the most fantastical manga by est em that I’ve read. So much of her work and all of the other stories in Tableau Numéro 20 are based in reality, so it was interesting to see another side of est em’s creativity. Perhaps because both est em and I share an interest in Spanish culture, my favorite manga in Tableau Numéro 20 was “Rasgueado” which is about a flamenco dancer and guitarist. I’m always impressed by est em’s artwork and how expressive it is. The passion and energy on the page is almost palpable. Even when there is no dialogue there is a narrative being told through the characters’ body language and facial expressions. In “Rasgueado” in particular there are sequences of music and dance that are completely wordless that are brilliantly effective.

Ultras by est em. Along with Red Blinds the Foolish, as a whole Ultras is one of my favorite manga collections by est em. Currently it’s only available digitally, but I really do hope that it gets a print release sometime in the future. (As unlikely as that may be.) The titular “Ultras” is a story about Alfonso and Leon, two soccer fans who, after a drunken night of celebration when Spain wins the European Championship, end up in bed together. This wouldn’t necessarily be an issue except that it turns out that they are hardcore supporters of rival local teams. It’s refreshing to have a story where the plot’s anxiety isn’t about the characters being gay; in this case it’s the problem is that they’re fans of the “wrong” team. I also appreciate that the characters are well-developed and have lives outside of their relationship and soccer (though those are indeed both very important things in the manga). Al, for example, is actually an elementary school teacher and it’s adorable. And when Leon’s grandfather finds out about the two of them it’s simply one of the best scenes ever. “Ultras” and the related “Tiempos Extra” are my favorite manga in Ultras, but I enjoyed the other four stories as well. They all have a contemporary, modern sort of feel to them.

Pick of the Week: Short & Sweet

May 12, 2014 by Anna N, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and MJ Leave a Comment

ANNA: Did you get your mother manga for Mother’s Day? Is it time to go shopping for yourself? There are a lot of mid-series volumes coming out this week, does one of them end up in your shopping bag? In the absence of any new series to pounce on, I’m probably going to have to highlight 07-Ghost which I’ve fallen shamefully behind on.

MICHELLE: Same here. I wish I could extoll its virtues more enthusiastically, but at least I haven’t given up on reading it someday!

ASH: There may be fewer manga to choose from this week, but one of those choices is Blade of the Immortal, so I’m happy!

SEAN: I’ll go with the debut of Monster Soul, which looks very shoneney.

MJ: I am also going to go with Monster Soul! As I mentioned in this week’s column, I so enjoyed Hiro Mashima as a person during his last appearance at New York Comic Con, I’ve regretted never really getting into his work. It seems to me that this is my chance!

What looks good to you this week?

Devils and Realist, Vol 1

May 11, 2014 by Anna N

Devils and Realist Vol 1 by Madoka Takadono and Utako Yukihiro

<br />

Devils and Realist is an amusing fish out of water supernatural tale about a young scientific aristocrat and the devils who torment him. The realist of the title is William Twining, an elite member of the English aristocracy who prides himself on his elite status and his logical mind. He makes an uncomfortable discovery when he goes home for a school holiday. His uncle, who was in charge of his fortune has rendered him penniless. William discovers that his house is almost entirely empty and he only has one lone servant left in Kevin Cecil, who is staying on without being paid and learning how to garden for vegetables in the absence of any other food.

William is determined to come up with the money to pay for his tuition, because it would never do for someone of his standing to apply for a scholarship. As he and Kevin scour the house trying to find something valuable, they happen across a hidden room, with a door that is unlocked by William’s blood when he suffers an accident trying to break it down. A mystical spell is invoked and the demon Dantalion appears in grand fashion, only to tell William that he’s now a central figure in the electoral politics of Hell, because William possesses “the Blood of Solomon”. William isn’t ready to believe that he has a mystical connection with a bunch of demons, and invents a series of comically rational explanations for all the supernatural phenomena he’s starting to encounter. Dantalion is joined by other demons, all of who want to win William to their side. William remains stubbornly focused on finishing up his schooling in the human world, leading to additional wacky complications.

There are some parallel themes here with Black Butler, but I found that series to be a bit mean spirited and creepy.
Devils and Realist is more of a gently comedic take on the genre, with William’s stubbornness manifesting in various ways. There are hints that William’s ancestors might not be all that innocent and Dantalion has some hidden motivations that might serve to illuminate his character in later volumes. The art for Devils and Realist is attractive, with particular attention paid to the character designs of the parade of demons which makes it much easier to distinguish them. I enjoyed this volume, and I’ll try volume 2 before deciding to go all in on following this series. I could see William’s realism being used for jokes getting a bit tiring after multiple volumes when he’s surrounded by an army of demons, so I’m interested to see if the author comes up with some other plot devices to keep things fresh.

The Battle Royale Slam Book: Essays on the Cult Classic by Koushun Takami

May 11, 2014 by Ash Brown

Editor: Nick Mamatas and Masumi Washington
Publisher: Viz Media
ISBN: 9781421565996
Released: April 2014

Battle Royale has recently seen something of a revival in North America in recent years. Koushun Takami’s controversial novel was originally published in Japan in 1999. Both the novel and its manga adaptation illustrated by Masayuki Taguchi first appeared in English in 2003. The novel was released again with a slightly revised translation and additional supplementary material in 2009 by Viz Media’s speculative fiction imprint Haikasoru. (This tenth anniversary release was my introduction to Battle Royale.) However, it wasn’t until 2012 that the film version of Battle Royale and its sequel Battle Royale II: Requiem received an official release in the United States. And now, in 2014, we’re seeing the releases of a new English translation of Takami’s novel by Haikasoru, the recent Battle Royale: Angels’ Border manga illustrated by Mioko Ohnishi and Youhei Oguma, and The Battle Royale Slam Book: Essays on the Cult Classic by Koushun Takami, which is also notable for being Haikasoru’s first foray into nonfiction. Takami’s original novel left a huge impression on me, so I was very excited to read all of these new Battle Royale releases.

The Battle Royale Slam Book, edited by Nick Mamatas and Masumi Washington, collects sixteen essays (seventeen including the introduction by Mamatas) which examine various aspects of the entire Battle Royale franchise. The core of that franchise is of course Takami’s original novel, but The Battle Royale Slam Book also explores many of its manga and film adaptations as well. The contributors to the volume include award-winning writers, academics, fans, and many others from around the world–the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and even Japan itself are particularly well-represented. I was specifically excited to see an essay by Toh EnJoe included in the volume, but the rest of the lineup is great, too: Nadia Bulkin, Carrie Cuinn, Raechel Dumas, Isamu Fukui, Sam Hamm, Masao Higashi, Brian Keen, Gregory Lamberson, Kathleen Miller, Konstantine Paradias, Jason S. Ridler, Adam Roberts, John Skipp, Steven R. Stewart, and Douglas F. Warrick. All of their essays were written specifically for inclusion in The Battle Royale Slam Book.

The Battle Royale Slam Book includes several types of essays ranging from academic ruminations to literary and film criticisms to the authors’ more personal experiences with Battle Royale in all of its iterations. The topics of the individual contributions are also varied, though some recurring themes do emerge. Many of the essays focus on some of Battle Royale‘s most controversial aspects, such as extreme violence and the deaths of school-aged youth, gender portrayals and sexism, and so on. Other essays position Battle Royale within a greater context, exploring its place within and relationship to not only Japanese popular culture but Western popular culture as well. School literature, professional wrestling, teen films, and other similar subjects are all addressed. The volume also examines the historical context of Battle Royale and its themes. The Battle Royale Slam Book shows how the Battle Royale phenomena has been influenced by, uses, and challenges literary and genre conventions in addition to showing its impact and continuing influence on individual people.

Several assumptions are made with The Battle Royale Slam Book, primarily that the readers are adults already familiar with Battle Royale, have a basic understanding of the novel’s premise, or have been exposed to at least one of its adaptations. It’s also helpful but not absolutely necessary to have some grounding in literature and film, and especially with speculative fiction and horror. The Battle Royale Slam Book will probably appeal most to those who are already interested in or who have already experienced Battle Royale in some form. Though the contributors don’t hesitate to point out the flaws and challenges presented by the Battle Royale novel, manga, and films, it is very clear that they are all either fans or are fascinated by the material and the responses to it. There is criticism to be found, but in general the volume tends to take a positive approach. The Battle Royale Slam Book was written for people like me who want to learn more about Battle Royale, its influences, and impacts. I found The Battle Royale Slam Book to be utterly fascinating and would highly recommend the volume to similarly minded individuals.

No. 6, Vol. 6

May 9, 2014 by Ash Brown

Creator: Hinoki Kino
Original story: Atsuko Asano
U.S. publisher: Kodansha
ISBN: 9781612623603
Released: April 2014
Original release: 2013

I was rather pleased when Kodansha Comics licensed Hinoki Kino’s manga adaptation of Atsuko Asano’s No. 6. The original No. 6 was a nine-volume series of science fiction novels written between by 2003 and 2011. (Sadly, they haven’t officially been translated into English.) Also in 2011, two adaptations of No. 6 began–Kino’s manga series, which also ended up being nine volumes long, and an eleven-episode anime series directed by Kenji Nagasaki. The anime was actually my introduction to No. 6. Parts of the anime’s original ending frustrated me a great deal, but I was so taken with the characters and setting that I wanted to explore another interpretation of the story. No. 6, Volume 6 was originally published in Japan in 2013 while the English-language edition of the volume was released in 2014. The series has now passed its halfway point and is approaching its climax. The fifth volume ended in the middle of a critical scene, so I was particularly anxious to read the sixth.

The Security Bureau of the city of No. 6 has arrested Shion’s close childhood friend Safu and is currently holding her within the Correctional Facility. Shion is willing to do almost anything he can to rescue her, but he won’t be able to do it on his own no matter how hard he tries. Instead, he must rely on those he has met in West Block, a large population of refugees living outside the city walls. Rat has devised a daring plan to infiltrate the Correctional Facility. Shion and Rat allow themselves to be rounded up during the Manhunt–an effort by No. 6 to forcibly control and instill fear into those living in West Block–and are thereby able to gain access to the least secured area of the facility. If they hope to proceed any further they will have to depend on outside help and bribery; nothing is free in West Block, especially when those who give their aid may very well lose their lives for doing so. Everyone involved in the rescue have their own motives and agendas against the holy city of No. 6 so, at least for the time being, they are comrades.

No. 6, Volume 6 is a particularly important volume in the series for several reason: more of No. 6’s dark secrets are uncovered, a part of Rat’s past and the reason behind his hatred for the city is revealed, and the characters, specifically Shion but also Rat, have reached a crucial turning point in their development. All three of these things are interrelated and tied closely together. Shion grew up living an extremely privileged life in the supposedly perfect and pristine No. 6. However, the Manhunt and his experiences in West Block have shown him the terrible things that the city is capable of. Shion’s innocence is shattered further when he discovers that even the foundation of No. 6 was based on the blood of others. This history and Rat’s connection to it is something that up until this point in the series Rat has kept hidden from Shion, partly because he tends to distrust and close himself off from other people, but also because he was trying to protect the other young man. However, these are terrible truths that Shion must now face and come to terms with.

Seeing Shion begin to really change in the previous volume was heartbreaking, but here in No. 6, Volume 6 the difference between who Shion is now and who he was before is terrifying. The violence he is willing to commit with such eerie calm is chilling. His mother, still inside the city, is understandably worried about her son and his survival. However Rat, who is with him, is less concerned with Shion’s physical safety and more concerned about the potential loss of Shion’s personality and his very self. It’s almost as if the two of them have changed roles. Never before has Rat appeared so vulnerable or exhibited such kindness. He fears for Shion and is afraid of who Shion is becoming. At one point in the sixth volume the question is asked “Who do you want so much that it kills you?” In many ways, that question is the crux of No. 6. Rat is changing. Shion is changing. For the better and for the worse. For themselves and for each other. As a result the dynamics of their relationship is also evolving. They may or may not survive their confrontation with No. 6; tragically, even if they do, it is likely that they will be so different that little of their past lives and selves will remain intact.