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Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: March 24, 2014

April 2, 2014 by Derek Bown 3 Comments

I finally finished Attack on Titan, so I am now immune to spoilers, mostly thanks to Crunchyroll for the chapters past volume 11. And it would appear that I am arriving late to the craze, if the New York Times Best Seller List is any indication, but I now find myself in the grips of the obsession over everything Titan related. Even to the point where I picked up, but have not yet read, Attack on Junior High. I have some misgivings about this one, but the reviews have been mostly positive so I’m going to be diving into that one soon.

I’ve also received, and am starting to read, volume 4 of Genshiken Second Season. The story in this series moves quite fast, as Hatto’s plotline seems to be coming to a head much faster than I thought it would. We finally get some answers as to why he cross-dresses, and I look forward to reading through those chapters.

My manga reading has been a bit sparse this week, with work getting in the way of spending my time on manga, but I have a stack that needs reading and commenting on. But for now let’s talk about the only manga I seem to have time for, the weekly chapters.

All You Need is Kill Ch. 009
One of the biggest strength of manga is the opportunity for a large, well rounded cast. While the first few chapters of any manga are an opportunity to get to know the main character, the only way to really know if a manga will be able to keep going at full steam is by judging the supporting cast. And while All You Need is Kill has been focusing on its main character for the most part, these past two chapters giving us Rita’s backstory have been an excellent opportunity. Not only do we get to learn more about “Rita” but we also get more plot development. A great chapter is one that plays multiple roles. Having character development, action, and plot development is essential. And this chapter does exactly that. Is it good character development? Well, it’s a start, but it “Rita’s” character development takes a back seat to unveiling more clues towards the mystery of the time loops, and I’m perfectly okay with that.

Bleach Ch. 573
This week’s chapter reminds me of classic Bleach. In which Kenpachi shows up and wrecks everyone’s sh*t. Is this clever storytelling? Not really, but it’s miles more interesting than almost anything Kubo has written in years. And sometimes a good story is really that simple. No need to get complicated, just appease the lunatics that read your manga with a bit complete devastation from everyone’s favorite blood knight. Sure it may not be the most intellectual of manga, but it’s much better than previous chapters.

Naruto Ch. 669
What should have been a great action filled chapter of Naruto, as Guy uses what remains of his life to beat Madara, instead becomes exactly that, but poisoned by far too many pages of wordy dialogue as the other characters discuss their strategy. Is it really so hard to let the action just be action? Or is it impossible to keep the dialogue out of the chapter? The other characters spend the first half of the chapter discussing their strategy, and then later pull it off without any variation. If you’re going to discuss it all then show it, skip the discussing part and just show the plan. Or start discussing how it will work and then reveal the rest later on. Don’t just say what you’re going to do, and then do exactly that. It doesn’t make for interesting reading.

Stealth Symphony Ch. 005
Stealth Symphony is starting to grow on me more. The moral ambiguity of the characters works towards the story’s advantage, and the characters themselves play around with established tropes while still bringing their own twist. Such as one new character’s attempts at being the kind of sociopathic character, while everyone around her calls her out for how inappropriate her jokes are. And what we thought were the main characters taking on a job for a slaver, ultimately it makes one wonder how exactly everyone’s alliances will end up falling and that makes for an enjoyable read.

One-Punch Man Ch. 034.2
The biggest problem with One-Punch Man is that it has long since abandoned its comedic premise. The action scenes are well presented artistically, but come out of nowhere. It feels like a satire of action series that have no story but flow from fight to fight, except someone forgot to let the readers in that was the joke. It seems that our writer has dealt with the issue of Saitama being too strong by almost entirely ignoring him for most of the story. Which takes the unique premise of this series and turns it into just another pretty action series. And while the action scenes are very well done, there isn’t enough story to support their existence. If this is still meant to be satire then it’s not effective because it reads as a sincere, boring action series. Satire is not taking the object of ridicule and then playing it completely straight as if just seeing the story played out like it has always been is enough to make us laugh.

Nisekoi Ch. 115
With the somber theme of this short story, one would have thought that there was no way a comedy could handle death in a respectful way. And surprisingly that’s what Nisekoi actually did this week. We move from a comedic twist back to a somber twist right back around to the initial outcome that was promised. And yet, it was done so well that it actually brought some tears to my eyes with the final page. Though it really did drive home that we didn’t need Rakku there, as the main character focus in the end really was between Shu and Ruri. I think it would have been a lot more fun to have Shu play the role of the fake boyfriend, and just have the story be about the two of them. Seeing Rakku alone with two of the most interesting characters in the series just goes to emphasize how bland he can be.

World Trigger Ch. 053
I’m constantly amazed when I stop and think of how far World Trigger has come. I was definitely not a fan early on, but the past several months and weeks have proven themselves again and again. Currently World Trigger is one of the rare battle manga that can keep an ongoing war situation sustained without turning into an exercise in tedium. The cliffhangers the past few weeks really help in that direction as they are not so much of the “what is this thing you cannot see!?” variety, but rather are of the “well, they’re boned” variety.

Special Preview – Food Wars: Shokugeki No Soma Ch. 002
Food Wars is one of the only currently running shonen cooking manga that I know of being published by a major magazine. And while this chapter doesn’t quite show off everything the manga is about, it does give us a pretty general sense of what we are in for. The typical arrogant characters underestimating the main character are all there, but what really sets Food Wars apart is the flair with which it executes its presentation. For anyone curious, said presentation has more in common with To Love Ru than Oishinbo.

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

Manga Giveaway: Battle Angel Alita Giveaway Winner

April 2, 2014 by Ash Brown

And the winner of the Battle Angel Alita Giveaway is…Anna-neko!

As the winner, Anna-neko will be receiving the first omnibus in Kodansha Comics’ release of Battle Angel Alita: Last Order by Yukito Kishiro. The omnibus collects the first three volumes of the series as well as additional stories by Kishiro. The titular Alita is a kick-ass cyborg, and I have a particular fondness for cyborgs, so I asked those entering the giveaway to tell me a little about their favorite cyborgs from manga. Check out the Battle Angel Alita Giveaway comments for all of the details, and check out the list of some of the manga available in English that feature cyborgs below!

Cyborg manga in English:
Appleseed by Masamune Shirow
Ashen Victor by Yukito Kishiro
Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro
Battle Angel Alita: Last Order by Yukito Kishiro
Blame! by Tsutomu Nihei
B’t X by Masami Kurumada
Cyborg 009 by Shotaro Ishinomori
Cowboy Bebop by Yutaka Nanten
Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star by Cain Kuga
Descendents of Darkness by Yoko Matsushita
Eden: It’s an Endless World by Hiroki Endo
Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex by Yu Kinutani
Gunslinger Girl by Yu Aida
Heavy Metal Warrior Xenon by Masaomi Kanzaki
Kamen Rider by Shotaro Ishinomori
Knights of Sidonia by Tsutomu Nihei
Madara written by Eiji Otsuka and illustrated by Shou Tajima
Made in Heaven written by Ami Sakurai and illustrated by Yukari Yashiki
Mardock Scramble by Yoshitoki Oima.
One-Punch Man written by ONE and illustrated by Yusuke Murata
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by Sin-ichi Hiromoto
Trigun by Yasuhiro Nightow
Trinity Blood written by Sunao Yoshida and illustrated by Kiyo Kyujyō
Vassalord by Nanae Chrono
The World of Narue by Tomohiro Marukawa

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway and shared a bit about their favorite cyborgs from manga. I hope to see you all again for the next giveaway, too!

The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 1

April 1, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Nakaba Suzuki. Released in Japan as “Nanatsu no Taizai” by Kodansha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.

This is a title that’s been getting a lot of buzz recently, so it does not surprise me that Kodansha picked it up for release over here. It has a lot of what makes a successful Shonen Magazine title. The hero is incredibly strong and also cheery and outgoing, the female lead gets involved in a lot of fanservice moments and also gets to be cute and determined, there’s a talking animal put in there for no real good reason, and a big good guys unite to defeat the bad guys plot, with the twist that the good guys *are* the bad guys of the past. Supposedly.

This is a fairly new manga, having started last year. I note this because while reading it, the thing that struck me was how old-fashioned it felt. Meliodas is a giant pervert who tends to feel up the heroine and steal her panties, which could be out of any ecchi shonen comedy from the 70s and 80s. The trouble is he seems so blase about it – there’s no sign he’s actually aroused or anything, a la Ataru Moroboshi. It’s just his character trait. Likewise, Elizabeth does occasionally get embarrassed when fanservicey things happen to her, but compared to most heroines today, she’s strangely passive about things. Both of them clearly have more to their past that hasn’t come up yet, Meliodas especially, but there’s just that something about them here in the first book that seems like the author wants to use modern tropes, but in a 1980s sensibility.

We’re definitely in ‘shonen fantasy land’ here, what with talking pigs and giants. Diane is introduced right towards the end, and seems to be in love with Meliodas, though given their respective sizes I can’t imagine this relationship is anything but frustrating. On the other side, we meet a Holy Knight, Gilthunder, who seems to radiate an aura of smugness that just begs to be removed. Which is all you can ask of your villain, really. The action scenes are mostly well done, with a few 2-page splashes that show off the artist’s talent. By the way, Suzuki began in Jump, then moved to Sunday for his popular Kongou Bancho series (which I would love to see Viz license, but it’s a delinquent series, so no…), and is now in Magazine with his breakout hit.

If there’s anything wrong with this series, it’s stuff that seems to be ‘first volume problems’. The characters are just getting introduced and so lack the depth we know they will gain. Meliodas seems to be a bit blase for a hero, but then again this runs in a magazine where he’d be compared to Natsu from Fairy Tail anyway, so perhaps it’s best not to get him too fired up. I could also do without the panty flashes and boob grabs, but then he did move to shonen Magazine, so he has to meet their basic standards of fanservice. In most respects, however, The Seven Deadly Sins is a promising debut with two quirky but likeable leads. I’ll see where it goes.

My Week in Manga: March 24-March 30, 2014

March 31, 2014 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Posts last week at Experiments in Manga included a new manga giveaway as well as two new in-depth manga reviews! There’s still time to enter the giveaway, too. Head over to the Battle Angel Alita Giveaway to enter for a chance to win the first omnibus in Yukito Kishiro’s manga series Battle Angel Alita: Last Order. As for the reviews: I took a look at the most recent Moyoco Anno manga to be released in English, Insufficient Direction. It’s an autobiographical manga about her married life with Hideaki Anno and is quite funny. I adore Anno’s work, so was happy to learn a little more about her. I also wrapped up my Manga March Madness project. I was rather pleased that I managed to pull it off. Every weekend in March I reviewed a volume of Takehiko Inoue’s basketball manga Real. Since there were five weekends in March and I started with the first volume in the series, my last review for the project was for Real, Volume 5. I hope I was able to at least begin to express why Real is such a fantastic manga in my reviews, because it really is a phenomenal series.

Speaking of Takehiko Inoue, David Brothers, writing for Comics Alliance back in 2010, had a great article that was recently brought to my attention again–From Samurai to Shooting Hoops: Takehiko Inoue, Art Chameleon. As for other things found online: Nahoko Uehashi (the author of Moribito) won the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award, which is a pretty big deal. As usual, Organization Anti-Social Geniuses had some great manga content last week. I particularly enjoyed What Manga Publishers Can Actually License in The US and Advice on Manga Editing, From Manga Editors. Tokyopop’s Stu Levy participated in a recent “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit. The daughter of Osamu Tezuka opened a drawer of her father’s desk that had been locked since 1985 and found some pretty cool stuff. And finally, I was pointed towards a brief biography of Takashi Nagasaki, who works closely with Naoki Urasawa.

Quick Takes

Berserk, Volume 37 by Kentaro Miura. I love the early story arcs of Berserk and continue to enjoy the series, so I’m always excited when another volume of the manga is finally released. After reading the thirty-seventh volume, I’m particularly anxious to get my hands on the next installment, whenever that may be. The battle between Guts and the rest of the crew against the sea god and its minions reaches its climax in this volume. They are aided by the merrow, Berserk‘s mermaids. Even though Miura’s version of mermaids is fairly traditional, though perhaps slightly more fish-like, I did like them. The thirty-seventh volume also contains a long flashback to Guts’ past as a young mercenary, which I particularly enjoyed reading. It’s set during a time when magic and the supernatural were more hidden and uncommon in the world, though hints of it could still be seen. The end of the volume also turns towards the current activities of Griffith’s army, which recently hasn’t had much prominence in the manga. After so much action and fighting, which I do enjoy, I’m very glad to see more story and plot development.

Black Sun, Volume 2 by Uki Ogasawara. It’s been quite a while since I read the first volume of Ogasawara’s boys’ love manga Black Sun. I had a few issues with the story itself, mostly that the lead characters’ relationship moved a little too quickly from lust to possible love, but overall I thought the manga had good potential. I particularly liked the setting of Black Sun, a medieval fantasy inspired in part by the Crusades. Ogasawara’s artwork was also excellent, with particular attention given to the beautiful details of clothing and weaponry as well as attractive, muscular men. When I read the first volume of Black Sun I didn’t actually realize that it was a first volume. I appreciated it’s somewhat ambiguous ending, but was ultimately glad to discover that there was more to the series. The ending of the second and final volume is much less ambiguous, and much happier than I expected that it would be. Black Sun is part of Digital Manga’s 801 Media imprint, so unsurprisingly there is a fair amount of sex to go along with the plot. And Black Sun actually does have a plot. The relationship between Jamal and Leonard plays out against a backdrop of war and political intrigue.

From the New World, Volumes 2-3 written by Yusuke Kishi and illustrated by Toru Oikawa. I was very torn over the first volume of the From the New World manga. I absolutely loved its dark tone, but found the blatant, pandering fanservice to be a bit off-putting and out-of-place. Thankfully, the fanservice in the second volume is greatly toned down. The outfits worn by the young women are still fairly ridiculous and revealing, though, especially when compared to the male characters who tend to be covered from head to toe in oversized clothing. The lesbian sex returns in the third volume, but it makes much more sense within the context of the series than it did in the first volume. Part of this is because the worldbuilding has progressed significantly. From the New World suffers a little from large info dumps, but at least all of the information is new to the characters, too, so it’s not as egregious a problem as it could be. I’m still loving the actual story of From the New World. The series atmosphere is creepy and ominous, contrasting magnificently with what is supposed to be a perfect and pristine society. What humanity is willing to give up and the terrible steps that have been taken to maintain that system are now being revealed.

Swan, Volumes 13-15 by Kyoko Ariyoshi. In Japan, Swan lasted for twenty-one volumes, only fifteen of which were released in English. It’s too bad that CMX folded before the series could be completely released. Swan is fantastic, and I’m very glad for the fifteen volumes that were translated. These last three volumes of the English edition follow Masumi as she travels to New York with Leonhardt to continue her study of ballet following the aftermath of the Tokyo World Ballet Competition. It’s the beginning of an important new story arc. Masumi has grown tremendously as a ballerina as well as a person, but her time in the United States presents new challenges. Her foundation is in classical ballet but now she is faced with modern ballet which is completely outside of her experience. She has trouble understanding modern ballet and so struggles greatly with its performance. Also introduced in these volumes are new characters and even a potential new love interest, which offers another set of problems for Masumi to deal with. Swan is a beautiful and surprisingly intense series; I was very impressed by it.

Arakawa2 Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge, Season 2 directed by Akiyuki Shinbo. I enjoyed the first season of Arakawa Under the Bridge a great deal. I very much enjoyed the second season, too, but for some reason wasn’t quite as taken with it. I’m not really sure why that is though since not much really changed between the two. Arakawa Under the Bridge is still funny and absurd. I still like the humor and the characters. While the first season focused on Rec as he gets to know everyone living along the banks of the Arakawa River, everyone’s personalities and quirks have been well established by the start of the second. Maybe it’s that sense of newness and discovery that the second series lacks. But then again maybe not: the second season introduces new cast members as well as a storyline that provides an ongoing framework for some of the gags. (Ultimately it doesn’t really end up going anywhere, though.) One of the things that particularly amused me about the second season of Arakawa Under the Bridge is that Rec has more or less become a shoujo heroine, complete with flowers and sparkles. Nods to Riyoko Ikeda’s series are right at home alongside references to Fist of the North Star and other “manly” anime.

Bookshelf Briefs 3/31/14

March 31, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, MJ and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

This week, Sean, MJ, & Michelle look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Viz Media, Dark Horse, Kodansha Comics, and Yen Press.

Alice in the Country of Clover: March Hare | By QuinRose and Soyogo Iwaki | Seven Seas – These one-shots can be interesting if you like to see the main male characters in different roles than they usually take. Blood Dupre makes a very good big brother type, and Peter White is rather scary when we see him actually try to act on his desires for Alice – it ends up being sexual assault, albeit cut off, and even though he later apologizes it’s still disturbing. Unfortunately, the main pairing of Alice and Eliot, while sweet, is rather dull overall There’s less of the callous disregard for life that I saw in the earlier series featuring this pairing. So in the end you’re left with a mostly fluffy book. Which is OK once in a while, but I usually expect something deeper and more disturbing from my Alice spinoffs these days. – Sean Gaffney

Bloody Cross, Vol. 2 | By Shiwo Komeyama | Yen Press – There’s a lot less of Tsukimiya and Hinata in this volume and a lot more of Tsuzuki, and I’m not really sure it’s to the book’s benefit. Tsukumiya remains a great lead character, particularly when she’s being cagey or indulging in blackmail. Likewise, we want to find out what’s going on with Hinata, and the cliffhanger clearly is there to drive us crazy. Most of the rest of the volume, though, is a lot of bland fighting, a lot of bland pretty boys, and Momose, who is the diligent catgirl demon type who always seems put into works to interest people who are not me. If you enjoy quasi-religious fantasy with lots of swinging swords, explosions, and triple crosses, this will be pretty good. But I think even the hardcore fans of that sort of genre will find this on the bland side. – Sean Gaffney

Deadman Wonderland, Vol. 1 | By Jinsei Kataoka & Kazuma Kondou | Viz Media – Something I’ve appreciated in the current manga market is its abundance of re-releases, including omnibus editions of older manga, and license rescues of series that I missed the first time around. Deadman Wonderland falls into the latter of these categories, having received its original, incomplete release from Tokyopop before the demise of that company’s North American publishing division. Set in a post-apocalytic “prison” park, in which inmates are forced to battle for their lives for the public’s amusement, this series’ re-licensing amidst today’s rash of “survival game” manga seems like a no-brainer. But though the plight of falsely-accused protagonist Ganta is certainly compelling, I’m not sure I have the stomach for the series’ gleeful violence. Walking a thin line between horror manga and brutality porn, the enthusiasm of the series’ creators feels eerily like that of the prison’s eager spectators. Can I continue? Time will tell. – MJ

Drifters, Vol. 3 | By Kohta Hirano | Dark Horse Comics – I will admit that the plot of Drifters does still exist, and it’s intriguing. The Black King does not appear to entirely be the Big Bad that he’s made out to be, even if his generals all appear to fall into that role. But let’s be honest – this manga exists entirely to see how often Hirano can draw badasses being badass, and all of Volume 3 answers that question: a lot. When even the good guys are all battle crazed insane freaks, , there’s no telling what will happen next. There’s a fair amount of sexism here. Joan is treated hideously, and the constant harassment of Olminu grates on the reader as much as it does on her. But man, everyone here is clever and badass and has plenty of quips and big grins and they kill things and blow things up, and… it’s just a pure adrenaline rush of a manga. -Sean Gaffney

Genshiken 2nd Season, Vol. 4 | By Shimoku Kio | Kodansha Comics – I joked on Twitter that much of this volume felt like taking a bunch of extrovert bombs and dropping them into a crowd of introverts to explode randomly. It’s also about crushes, and the importance of saying how you feel, even if it means that your love is not returned. Hiro’s admiration/crush on his sempai has driven much of his behavior, and even as she notes she’s marrying his brother, Hiro’s attentions seem to be turning more and more to Madarame. Speaking of Madarame, he continues to attempt to awkwardly negotiate the festival while plotting and scheming goes on all around him, leading to a nasty little cliffhanger where Saki is lured into the clubroom so Madarame can confess… though she’s figured things out anyway. The characters keep you coming back to this excellent manga. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 11 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Manga by Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – A piece of art critical of censorship is about to go on display at a museum in Iku’s hometown, and the Media Betterment Committee aims to prevent it being seen by the public. A gunfight ensues, which at first seems like a completely sanitized shoujo version until Iku actually glimpses a dead person and ends up shooting some people. (It’s still 90% sanitized, but that counts as progress, I think.) Meanwhile, she realizes that she really, seriously likes Dojo and they make plans to go to a café on their day off for some chamomile tea. I’ve gotten to the point with this series where I’ve stopped thinking too much about the premise, or how Iku is the weepiest soldier on the planet, and simply enjoy the nice Iku/Dojo moments, of which there are many. It’s a trick I recommend! – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Library Wars & Others

March 31, 2014 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Anna N, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: I’m going to have to go with volume eleven of Library Wars: Love & War this week. I still struggle with the overall premise and the depiction of a supposedly elite military unit, but I can’t help but enjoy each volume and the slow burn of Iku’s growing relationship with her commanding officer. It’s become a series I genuinely look forward to.

SEAN: Since Michelle got Library Wars… it’s rare I recommend a pick of the week that I don’t actually read, but really, the release of Eden: It’s An Endless World 14 is really exciting. The story of a world in chaos following a worldwide pandemic, it’s incredibly well-written, and also filled with depressing things happening to nice people, so naturally I couldn’t get through it, because I never read that sort of series. Except when I do. In any case, many people I respect love this, so check it out.

ANNA: I am also very fond of Library Wars, but since Michelle already gave it a shout-out, I’m going to have to go with the Hana Kimi omnibus. Sure, a plucky cross-dressing heroine and a surly yet secretly empathetic hero have been done to death in shoujo manga, but Hana Kimi is one of the best examples. I’ve kept the series on hand since it came out for my every third year ritual rereads, and I enjoy it every time.

ASH: Well, because Library Wars has already been mentioned several times I guess that instead I’ll choose…wait, who am I kidding? I’m still going to pick Library Wars. I’m enjoying the series much more than I actually think I should be. Maybe it’s because I’m a librarian myself, but I get a kick out of the manga’s version of librarianship. It’s certainly one of the more unusual portrayals that I’ve come across.

MJ: So, apparently I’m the only person at Manga Bookshelf who does not read Library Wars. And really, I wish I did, because there isn’t a lot strongly compelling me otherwise this week. I will take a moment, though, to give a shout out to the 4th omnibus edition of Lone Wolf and Cub. I missed this classic the first time around, and have been very grateful to get a second chance at it—especially in its new, larger format! Readable text becomes so much more important to me as my poor eyes get older. If, like me, you never gave the original editions of Lone Wolf and Cub a try, now’s the time to start!

What looks good to you this week?

New licenses, plus some shop talk

March 31, 2014 by Brigid Alverson

No Game, No Life

Seven Seas has licensed No Game, No Life, a story about a brother and sister who are legendary gamers and are called to save humanity in an alternate world where games substitute for war. The first volume will be out in October.

More new licenses: Digital has announced it will add three digital titles to its lineup: The classic Kimagure Orange Road; Sweet Blue Flowers (Aoi Hana) by Wandering Son manga-ka Takako Shimura; and the ecchi sci-fi series Let’s Go Play! (Asobi ni Ikuyo!/Cat Planet Cuties). That was their second announcement of the week; they announced earlier that they have licensed Kotoura-san and Aria the Scarlet Ammo.

And here’s one more: One Peace Books has licensed Raqiya, by Masao Yajima and Boichi. The series, which first ran in Kodansha’s Morning magazine, is about a girl whose family is killed in an accident; she makes a deal with the devil to bring them back, but her actions have grave consequences.

The Manga Bookshelf team discuss this week’s new releases.

Erica Friedman chronicles new releases, new licenses, and more in the latest edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.

Over at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses, Justin Stroman is on a roll; he has posted a ton of interesting articles lately. Check these out: A list of legal manga reading apps, with basic information about each one; a discussion of why publishers will license some manga and not others; and a roundtable discussion with a number of experienced manga editors. Also, Justin is curious about manga that U.S. publishers seem to have given up on mid-series, so he’ll be looking into that. Stay tuned!

Tokyopop founder and CEO Stu Levy took part in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit the other day. He talks about the early days of Tokyopop, why the company stopped publishing, and what they are doing now, and he tosses in a story about getting stuck in Mexico with GTO creator Tohru Fujisawa.

ABC News profiles Kazuto Tatsuta, the creator of the manga 1F, which recounts his days as a worker in the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Ironically, Tatsuta (not his real name) took the job because being a manga creator wasn’t paying enough; the story has been his biggest success to date.

At long last, Doraemon is available in English, in digital form. Translator Matt Alt gives the details and explains why Doraemon is so important.

Sarah Horrocks posts the second part of her thoughtful analysis of Nijigahara Holograph.

In her latest Manga Dome podcast, Lori Henderson looks to the past and the future with a discussion of the latest new license announcements and a look back at what was going on in the manga world ten years ago.

Ken H files a detailed con report on Anime Boston.

In case you’re curious, here’s a look at the manga scene in the United Arab Emirates.

March Comes In Like a Lion

News from Japan: The winners of the 18th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prizes have been announced; the grand prize went to Chica Umino’s March Comes In Like a Lion. Space Brothers, which is available on Crunchyroll, won the Readers Prize. Meanwhile, Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story is the winner of the Manga Taisho Award. Fairy Tail is getting its own magazine, which will feature a new Fairy Tail Zero series by Hiro Mashima and other spin-offs; the main Fairy Tail manga will continue to run in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The magazine will cost 2,980 yen per issue, which is a lot, but each issue will come with four DVDs of the television anime. Children of the Sea manga-ka Daisuke Igarashi will publish a one-shot story in the April 24 issue of Afternoon magazine. Shogakukan has published a special commemorative magazine celebrating the 80th birthday of the late Fujiko F. Fujio, the co-creator of Doraemon. The Rozen Maiden spin-off Rozen Maiden dolls talk is coming to an end.

Reviews

Kate O’Neil on vol. 1 of Attack on Titan: Before the Fall (The Fandom Post)
Justin Stroman on vol. 1 of Attack on Titan: Junior High (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Lori Henderson on vol. 15 of Bakuman (Manga Xanadu)
Lori Henderson on vols. 1-4 of The Earl and the Fairy (Manga Xanadu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Food Wars! (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ash Brown on Insufficient Direction (Experiments in Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of March Story (The Comic Book Bin)
Justin Stroman on vols. 1 and 2 of No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 70 of One Piece (The Comic Book Bin)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Phantom Thief Jeanne (Comic Attack)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 21 of Pokemon Adventures (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 15 of Psyren (The Comic Book Bin)
Ash Brown on vol. 5 of Real (Experiments in Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on the March 24 issue of Shonen Jump (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 19 of Soul Eater (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
G.B. Smith on vol. 7 of Sunshine Sketch (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on Sword Art Online: Aincrad (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sarah on vol. 2 of Time Stranger Kyoko (nagareboshi reviews)
Darius Washington on Unico (The Fandom Post)
Kimi on Until the Full Moon (The Kimi-Chan Experience)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 35 of Vagabond (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Comics Worth Reading)
Anna N on vol. 1 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Manga Report)

What Did You Eat Yesterday, Vol. 1

March 30, 2014 by Anna N

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What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga

What Did You Eat Yesterday? is one of those holy grail manga that I thought would be tough to get here in America in translated form, so you can imagine my delight when Vertical announced that they would be publishing it. No one does slice of life foodie manga like Yoshinaga, so I was looking forward to this series about a gay couple and the food they eat.

Shiro Kekei is a lawyer for his day job, determined to take on boring cases that will allow him to leave work by 6 every day. He doesn’t share much about his personal life at work, seeming very aloof. Shiro’s enthusiasm comes out when he’s shopping for and preparing food for his outgoing boyfriend Kenji who works at a salon. Ordinarily reading someone’s thoughts as they scan the supermarket for bargains and contemplate the nuances of the seasoned rice that they are cooking wouldn’t be all that exciting, but Yoshinaga’s wit and humor makes these every day occurrences fascinating. What Did You Eat Yesterday? is all about food, but Yoshinaga also includes details of character interaction that make you want to spend more time with the people she introduces. Shiro’s mother calls him and browbeats him about not being out at work, yelling over the phone “Proclaim it loud and proud! Being homosexual is nothing to be ashamed of!” Shiro zealously guards his privacy, while Kenji brags about his hot lawyer boyfriend at work while he’s cutting hair.

Shiro has another close friend outside of work, an older housewife who he bonds with over their shared love of cooking, and they meet in an amusing way. Seeing the contrast between Shiro’s job as a lawyer and the hobby that takes up so much of his interior life is interesting, as well as the way the different personalities Shiro and Kenji complement each other. There are a few recipes in the book, and for the dishes that Shiro prepares that aren’t as fully described, it would be easy to track down a recipe online. I did find myself wondering towards the end of the book if I could start using my rice cooker more creatively. This was a pleasure to read, from the opening scenes to the next volume preview that includes a list of all the foods the reader can expect to see in volume 2.

Sword Art Online: Aincrad

March 30, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Reki Kawahara, abec, and Tamako Nakamura. Released in Japan in two separate volumes by ASCII Mediaworks, serialized in the magazine Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen Press.

I have to admit that this one took me entirely by surprise. I wasn’t really expecting much when Yen announced this. “Oh no, we are trapped in a virtual reality game where we must fight or die” is something that has become almost as overdone as “oh no, what are these strange feelings I have for my older brother” in anime/manga, and watching people cut things with swords has never been my thing. I also don’t game. It’s also based off of a light novel series, and I was thus expecting the manga spinoff to be somewhat rushed (and indeed, it does feel rushed) and filled with fanservice (actually very little of this, save one “oh no, I accidentally fell into her breasts” scene that just made me sigh loudly). However, it was the relationship between the two leads that drew me in. Because it is a genuine relationship. Wasn’t this a harem manga?

Backing up a bit, the premise has 10,000 players in a new immersive fantasy game trapped by its sadistic creator, who wants them to get to the 100th level of the game. Oh yes, and if they die in the game, they die in real life. Our hero is Kirito, who was one of the game’s beta testers (but unaware this was going to happen), and is fairly cool and aloof to everyone he meets. Our heroine is Asuna, a nice girl with drive and purpose who wants to join forces with Kirito so they can finish this faster and finally go home. Clearly they are destined for each other, despite a rocky start. I wonder how many volumes it will take before they realize their true feel… oh, wait, OK, that was fast.

For all the flaws that occurred to me after I finished the volume, the thing I loved most was the relationship between Kirito and Asuna. There’s an immediate attraction, they both risk their lives for each other, and because there is a setting in the game for ‘let’s have sex’, they do so (non-explicitly) about halfway through the book. And then get married. And even briefly have an adopted kid, though it turns out this is more than it seems, and ends in tears for both of them. They’re just really likeable kids, and bring out the best in each other – Asuna is someone that Kirito desperately needed, particularly after his last attempt at working with others.

I’m not sure that this is the sort of relationship that will last when they end up back in the real world and aren’t dealing with adrenaline rushes and near death experiences. The volume ends with Kirito (sorry, Kazuto… damn fake names) awake in a hospital, resolving to find Asuna but it’s very open ended, and given the series is 13+ light novels in Japan, I expect it may not be as simple as it seems. I’ve also been told that future volumes of this series (or at least the anime adaptation thereof) are far more… contested, shall we say. And I will admit that Kirito does seem to have the scent of ‘boring invincible hero’ to him, though honestly, I’ve read Index/Railgun, and it’ll surprise me if anyone tops Touma. As for me, I am quite content with what I saw in this volume, and will be eagerly awaiting the light novel when it appears next month. Despite all the swords, this was sweet and romantic.

Real, Vol. 5

March 29, 2014 by Ash Brown

Creator: Takehiko Inoue
U.S. publisher: Viz Media
ISBN: 9781421519937
Released: July 2009
Original release: 2005
Awards: Japan Media Arts Award

When I first started reading Takehiko Inoue’s prize-winning manga series Real, I didn’t expect to appreciate it as much as I do. Real has actually become one of my favorite series. I wasn’t particularly interested in wheelchair basketball, one of the main subjects of Real, although that has since changed. Instead, I was initially drawn to the manga because it was created by Inoue, whose artwork I greatly admire. I also am very impressed by his storytelling skills, especially in Real, but also in his other manga available in English, Slam Dunk and Vagabond. As much as I enjoy those two series, in the end it’s Real that I find to be the most compelling. It is a very powerful work. I’ve said it many times before, but it is still true–I honestly believe Real to be one of the best comics that is currently being released in English. The fifth volume of Real was originally collected in Japan in 2005 while the English-language edition, released under Viz Media’s Signature imprint, was published in 2009.

Ever since his motorcycle accident, Nomiya’s life has been falling apart. Although he has tried to earn his drivers’ license, it has taken him quite some time since he is terrified to be on the road. Nomiya is even more terrified of facing Natsumi, the young woman who was in the accident with him. While Nomiya was barely injured, Natsumi has lost the ability to walk and must now use a wheelchair. Nomiya blames himself for the accident and Natsumi’s current condition. The guilt has nearly brought his life to a standstill. He wants to do all that he can to move forward, but this means confronting his fears and confronting Natsumi. Unsurprisingly, she’s not particularly interested in seeing Nomiya, either–she blames him for the accident, too. Her rehabilitation is going well, but Natsumi’s life has been changed forever. Takahashi’s rehabilitation has actually taken a turn for the better, too, after a visit from Nomiya that ends rather badly. It’s been about six months since Takahashi’s own accident which cost him the use of his legs, but he has recently shown enough improvement that he will soon be able to leave the hospital.

Whereas the previous volumes of Real thoroughly introduced the lead characters–Nomiya, Togawa, and Takahashi– and explored their personal, internal struggles, the fifth volume addresses some of the more practical problems and challenges experienced by those who are disabled in an world and environment designed for the able-bodied. This can particularly be seen when Takahashi is considering returning to Nishi High to finish school. Not only is he not yet in a position where he can take of himself, the school itself isn’t at all accessible to someone in a wheelchair and the needed accommodations are prohibitively expensive. These external issues and concerns are inexorably tied to how Takahashi and the others view themselves and and see themselves as people of worth. Takahashi in particular is obsessed with ranking people and assigning them value. He used to consider himself one of the elite, but now his self-worth has been severely compromised. It’s understandable that this is something that he continues to struggle with, especially as he no longer feels that there is a place for him.

Takahashi isn’t the only one suffering from a crisis of self-worth in the series. A major theme in Real deals with what it means to be a good person and a decent human being. Takahashi’s attitude and efforts to be the best in whatever he does comes across as extremely arrogant, but people are beginning to see through his facade of perfection. Nomiya has made, and continues to make, plenty of mistakes in his life, but his honest desire to improve himself and the care and acceptance that he offers others show that he is a much better person than he recognizes. This search for self-worth isn’t limited only to the series’ leads, either. All of their friends and family members are struggling with it as well. In a particularly heart-wrenching development, Togawa’s close friend Yama, who has always been vibrant and maintained an admirably positive outlook, is frightened of who is becoming now that his disease is overtaking his body and mind. Inoue’s characterizations in Real are fantastic. The series is compelling because it is so easy for anyone to identify with the personal struggles being portrayed in the manga even if the characters’ particular situations are unique.