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It Came from the Sinosphere: Laughing in the Wind

August 14, 2013 by Sara K. 1 Comment

Ah, Laughing in the Wind. While I simply couldn’t resist putting this screenshot at the top, I think I should begin at the beginning.

The Opening Scene

I at first was planning to describe the opening scene fully, but then I realized that it would be easier to direct readers to Dramafever so they can watch the opening scene themselves. If you can, I suggest you watch the first eight minutes or so (up to the point where the horse-riders come in) before I share my observations. I realize not everyone can (for example, *I* cannot access this show on Dramafever, so I’m assuming that it’s the same as my DVD version), so I’ll try to provide enough description so that even those without access can follow along.

First of all, do you notice the theme song? I think that is one of the most low-key TV theme songs I have ever encountered. On the one hand, by being so low-key, it invites the viewers to judge the show for what it is. On the other hand, by being so low-key, it’s also saying ‘this show is different’.

Then, we see two strangers get along very well, playing music and drinking wine. However, it turns out that these two strangers belong to different factions – factions which insist that the other is Totally Awful and Should Always Be Treated as an Enemy. The older man seems to have no problem associating with a member of the other faction, and offers his friendship in spite of the difference in faction. The younger man, however, refuses, because *his* elders forbade him from having any dealings with the Sun Moon Cult.

Thus, in less than ten minutes, the viewers learn what pretty much the entire TV show is about: Montagues and Capulets (with lots of music, swords, and wine, of course).

The Story

I’ve already summarized this story once as a political allegory, but I’ll summarize it again, this time time with a Romeo-and-Juliet theme.

There is a group known as the ~~Montagues~~ Five Mountain Sword Sects, and another group known as the ~~Capulets~~ Sun Moon Cult. They are bitter enemies. ~~Romeo~~ Linghu Chong belongs to the Huashan Sect, which is part of the alliance. He has some rather antagonistic encounters with ~~Juliet~~ ‘Shenggu’ (that’s Chinese for ‘holy maiden’ or ‘lady saint’), who is of course part of the Sun Moon Cult.

Liu Zhengfeng belongs to one of the Five Mountain Sword Sects, and love music. Qu Yang belongs to the Sun Moon Cult, and also loves music. In spite of the enmity between the Five Mountain Sword Sects and the Sun Moon Cult, these two become great friends, and compose a wonderful work of music which they title ‘The Laughing Proud Wanderer’.

Well, when the ~~Montagues~~ Five Mountain Sword Sects learn about Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang’s relationship, things turn out really badly. Before the conclusion of this particular story, Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang pass on the score of ‘The Laughing Proud Wanderer’ to Linghu Chong. They ask him to preserve it so that it may not be lost to the ages.

The thing is, Linghu Chong knows nothing about music, so he can hardly play the tune itself. Now, ‘Shenggu’ is a musical expert, but … that would require Linghu Chong and ‘Shenggu’ to cooperate. And if they cooperated by pooling the musical score (Linghu Chong) and musical skills (Shenggu), they might start liking each other, which would be ~~fascinating~~ dangerous. Look at what happened to Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang because of their musical collaboration. Might the tune ‘The Laughing Proud Wanderer’ cause ~~Romeo and Juliet~~ Linghu Chong and ‘Shenggu’ to have a similar fate?

Background

This TV series is adapted from Jin Yong’s novel The Laughing Proud Wanderer (notice that the novel is named after the piece of music).

This series is significant because a) it is producer Zhang Jizhong’s first Jin Yong adaptation (I’ve written about Zhang Jizhong before) and b) the first Jin Yong TV adaptation ever made in mainland China.

For many years, all of Jin Yong’s works were banned in China, and as Jin Yong’s most political novel, The Laughing Proud Wanderer was probably especially unwelcome by the Chinese Communist Party. The fact that this was the first novel they adapted is, to me, quite interesting.

I wonder if the makers of this TV series ever felt like a chick in Shenggu’s grasp.

Just before this series was produced, Jin Yong revoked TVB’s (in Hong Kong) license to adapt his works because he strongly disliked their last couple adaptations. I’ve read that he sold the rights to Zhang Jizhong for a single yuan on condition that he produce an adaptation as good as his adaptations of Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

In other words, the people making this series had pressure on them. They definitely had pressure from Jin Yong, who might never allow another adaptation to be made in mainland China if they disappointed him, they had indirect pressure from Chinese censors (my understanding is that, even when Chinese censors do not directly interfere, it’s always a lingering concern), and most of all, they had to prove to fans that a mainland Chinese Jin Yong production could be good.

The Scenery

One thing which really stands out about this TV show is the embarrassing abundance of gorgeous landscapes. Mist-filled forests, serene waterfalls, lofty mountains, you name it. This is actually pretty common in wuxia (just as it’s common in Westerns), but I know of no other work of wuxia which excels at natural scenery as much as this series.

Obviously, some of the scenery is the ‘Wu Yue’ (Five Great Mountains), which according to this article are ecologically in better shape than equivalent non-sacred areas in China.

You gotta have a lotus pond.

I also get the feeling that most of this TV show was filmed in southern China – which would make sense since part of the story is set in southern China. The main reason I get this feeling is that much of the scenery looks similar to Taiwan, which (at lower elevations) is ecologically similar to south-eastern China.

Sandstone cliffs with lots of plants and a stream.

This looks like Taiwan.

After moving to Taiwan, I’ve become an outdoor enthusiast – I generally try to go out to Taiwan’s forests/grasslands/waterfalls etc. whenever feasible. And I’ve developed a personal attachment to Taiwan’s environment. Much of the landscape in this TV show feels really familiar to me – particular the landscapes which looks like subtropical forests on top of sandstone. That the characters live in a place which looks very much like where I like to hang out in my free time gives me an odd yet warm feeling.

This does not look so much like Taiwan (though maybe one could find something like this in Taiwan at the right elevation).

Faithfulness?

Since this is an adaptation, some people want to ask ‘is this faithful to the original novel?’

My short answer is ‘no’.

That said, I still consider it an adaptation, rather than fanfiction. Most of the overall plot and characters come through. However, there are a lot of changes, most of them small, but they add up.

Two broad changes stand out to me:

– The ‘Romeo-and-Juliet’ Slant. My summary above might have thrown off people familiar with the original novel. Trust me, it reflects the TV show.
– Courtesy. The characters show much more tact in this TV show than in the original novel. I actually didn’t realize just how rude the characters are until I saw their rudest behavior stripped away. No caves full of blind men insulting their enemies’ grandmothers in this adaptation. While I think the outrageous comments are the most memorable dialogue from the novel, the story actually stick works very well without the rudeness. Plus, one side-effect of the characters’ cleaning their mouths is that this TV show is significantly less trans-phobic than the original.

Blood mixes with flower petals as the lovers die (I’m not saying *which* lovers die, so this is not a spoiler)

I don’t mind most of the changes. If I want something exactly like the original novel, I should just go re-read the original novel (and let me tell you, some parts of the novel are so flawed that even the most faithful adaptations alter them). I demand quality, not faithfulness to the source.

Speaking of changes…

Ren Yingying

Ren Yingying (aka ‘Shenggu’) has a much bigger presence in this show than in the novel. She appears in the very first episode, and appears in most episodes after that. By contrast, she doesn’t appear at all in the first half of the novel.

I had felt that the Linghu Chong / Ren Yingying romance was not as powerful as that of some of Jin Yong’s other romantic couples simply because they do not spend enough time together. This TV show definitely takes care of this, and I felt the rapport between them much stronger here than in the novel. Besides, some of the ‘new’ scenes between them are just plain fun (which, for me, compensates for the omission of Ren Yingying’s tartest comments in the novel).

However, it’s not just the romance which benefits from Yingying’s increased screentime – it’s her entire character development.

In the novel, Yingying doesn’t seem to grow very much. I know that, technically, she does change in the novel, but she doesn’t show up enough for me to really feel it as a reader. But here, in this TV show, her growth as a character is much, much, much more apparent. And I think a character as interesting as here deserves a bit more spotlight.

There is More to Come…

I am not done talking about this TV show, but I think this is a good place to pause. In the mean time, if I have piqued your interest and you have Dramafever access, you can watch it and form your own opinions.

One can learn quite a bit about somebody just from their book collection. Sara K. has a set of books about the wildflowers of Taiwan, as well as three books about hiking in northern Taiwan, two travel books about other parts of Taiwan, and some hiking maps of Taiwan. Just like China, Taiwan has its own ‘Wu Yue’ – Yushan, Syueshan, Xiuguluanshan, Nanhudashan, and Beidawushan, which, though less famous, are actually much higher than China’s Wu Yue.

Otakon in the rear view mirror

August 14, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Here’s my roundup of Otakon news at MTV Geek.

Yen Press has licensed the Blood Lad spin-off Bloody Brat, a single volume of short stories and four-panel gag manga about the characters in the main series.

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers discuss their Pick of the Week.

How do I read manga—legally? Justin counts the ways and gives a detailed rundown of each digital manga service at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses.

Tony Yao recounts his first trip to Otakon at Manga Therapy.

South Korea’s only comics convention, the Bucheon International Comics Festival, is going on this week.

Reviews: Carlo Santos looks at the latest manga releases in his Right Turn Only!! column at ANN. Ash Brown takes us through a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Shannon Fay on vol. 5 of The Betrayal Knows My Name (Kuriousity)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Blood-C (Kuriousity)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Don’t Tell My Husband (Kuriousity)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 2 of Doubt (Comics Worth Reading)
Drew McCabe on vol. 1 of Dragon Ball (3-in-1 edition) (Comic Attack)
Carlo Santos on vol. 1 of Dragon Ball (3-in-1 edition) (ANN)
Sean Gaffney on Kitaro (A Case Suitable For Treatment)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Magi (ANN)
Ash Brown on The Strange Tale of Panorama Island (Experiments in Manga)
Chris Randle on The Strange Tale of Panorama Island (Hazlitt)
Chris Kirby on vol. 13 of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (The Fandom Post)

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 24: Massacre

August 14, 2013 by Ash Brown

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781595827517
Released: October 2011
Original release: 2008
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Massacre is the twenty-fourth volume in the English-language release of Blade of the Immortal, Hiroaki Samura’s long-running manga series. Earlier on in the series’ release, Dark Horse divided the volumes by storyline rather than by number of chapters. Because of this, many of the individual volumes are slightly different in the English-language edition compared to the original Japanese release of Blade of the Immortal. Massacre, published by Dark Horse in 2011, collects the same chapters as the twenty-third volume of the Japanese edition of the series which was released in 2008. At this point, the manga has entered its final major story arc. The previous two volumes, Footsteps and Scarlet Swords, provided the necessary set up which allows Samura to really let loose in Massacre. As can be assumed from the title, it’s a rather bloody volume.

As agreed, the Ittō-ryū is leaving Edō after being banished from the city. However, the rogue sword school is still being chased by Habaki Kagimura and his Rokki-dan warriors as well as by Rin Asano and her bodyguard Manji. But what the pursuers don’t yet realize is that there are key members missing from the group of Ittō-ryū said to be making its way to the port in Hitachi: the sword school’s leader Anotsu Kagehisa and three of its elite fighters–Magatsu Taito, Ozuhan, and Baro Sukezane. The four highly skilled swordsmen have their own task to complete, a bold raid on Edō Castle through one of its most heavily guarded entrances. It’s a brash move that, if successful, will leave quite an impression in its wake, not to mention a high body count. The Ittō-ryū has already been identified as a threat, but they are prepared to show just how dangerous they can be.

Samura’s artwork in Blade of the Immortal has always been something that has particularly appealed to me about the series, but his kinetic style works especially well in Massacre. A large part of the volume is devoted to the daring attack on Edō Castle; the sequence is one of the most effectively choreographed and visually executed battles in Blade of the Immortal thus far. The Ittō-ryū is a group of swordsmen sharing the same ideals and martial philosophy more than it is a strictly enforced style. This can especially be seen in Massacre simply by watching how the Ittō-ryū’s elite fight. They all use different weapons and techniques and each has his own aura. Anotsu’s elegance, Magatsu’s cruder dynamism, Ozuhan’s speed and uninhibited wildness, and Baro’s strength and power are all readily apparent. They fight well as individuals, but also work well together as a team.

Although the focus of Massacre is on the raid of Edō Castle–a quickly paced, action packed, violent, and rather impressive escapade–several other important things happen in the volume as well. For the last few volumes of Blade of the Immortal Shira has been on the fringe of the story, but his prominence is quickly growing. He may have lost a limb or two over the course of Blade of the Immortal but his extreme sadistic streak and penchant for sexual violence remain. Shira is as terrifying as ever. Also making his return to the series was Ayame Burando, which I was surprised but happy to see. He and Manji even end up having a heart-to-heart about atonement and the meaning of evil. These are themes that play a major role in Blade of the Immortal, one of the reasons that I like the series so well. As always, I’m looking forward to reading the next volume, Snowfall at Dawn.

Kitaro

August 14, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Shigeru Mizuki. Released in Japan as “Gegege no Kitaro” by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Drawn & Quarterly.

This is another of those titles manga fans have been waiting for years to see, and now Drawn & Quarterly are finally releasing what I hope is the first of multiple volumes devoted to it. Shigeru Mizuki’s most famous and influential series, about the adventures of a young yokai and his various supernatural friends, who spends much of his time investigating creepy happenings and trying to stop them. Almost all yokai manga on the market owe a debt to Kitaro, even if, on the surface, this manga is not really all that much like Kamisama Kiss or Natsume’s Book of Friends.

It starts off fairly slowly, with a few short one-shots involving Kitaro being mysterious, and a large amount of human involvement. There are some very nice scares, though, such as the story about the drunken salarymen who insult yokai at a bar and then get taught a lesson on the train ride home. These stories have Kitaro mostly on his own, which is fine for a while, but he’s pretty much a stoic straight man, so the series needs some spicing up after it gets going. Enter Nezumi Otoko (Rat Man), a yokai who is always out for himself above any other. His appearance adds a lunatic joy to the proceedings, as you’re never quite sure if he’s been possessed by evil, is changing sides merely to save his own skin, or is genuinely being a complete ass. Usually it’s all three.

As the collection goes on, the stories get longer and more complex. One tale has Kitaro and several of the stronger yokai (including future series regulars Konnaki Jiji, Sunakabe Baba, and Ittamomen) headed to an island that has been taken over by Western monsters such as Dracula and Frankenstein. At first I was expecting this to be a fairly lighthearted romp, but things got surprisingly dark and serious for our heroes. Even more impressive is the largest story in the book, which shows Kitaro joining an expedition to track down an immortal yokai monster, but being hindered (and later completely betrayed) by an egotistical young scientist who wants the credit and glory of single-handedly discovering it. What eventually happens is a giant kaiju battle, a la Godzilla. This gives us some of the best art of the series, and also has Nezumi Otoko bitchslapping the villain over and over again, something I will never get tired of reading.

Contrary to today’s hipper, sexier Shonen Magazine, the stories that ran in the 1960s version are totally child-friendly, and I think that still applies today. Younger kids may get freaked out a bit by some of the scarier things, particularly Kitaro and his father, who is an eyeball that lives in Kitaro’s own empty socket, and pops out grotesquely from time to time. For the most part, however, these are great, fast-paced ghost stories with action and laughs that any child can enjoy.

And it goes without saying that adult manga fans should enjoy this as well. It’s fairly episodic – there really aren’t any ongoing plot threads beyond ‘Kitaro discovers new yokai threat’ – but that’s mostly irrelevant. You’re here to see a good story well told, some really creepy yokai, and the work of a master craftsman in what has proven to be his greatest work. Highly recommended.

Pick of the Week: Variety

August 12, 2013 by Michelle Smith, Anna N, Sean Gaffney and MJ 1 Comment

MICHELLE: This week, I’m awarding my pick to the second volume of Shoko Hidaka’s Blue Morning. As I wrote back in June, “Complex, dark, and a bit twisted, Blue Morning is the best BL I’ve read so far this year.” With praise like that, you can bet I’ll be back for volume two!

ANNA: There’s a ton of manga coming out this week, but I think that what looks most interesting is the latest Tezuka release, Triton of the Sea. I think it is great that we’re getting so many manga translated from this prolific author.

SEAN: This week hurts my soul, with a promising manga debut I’ve wanted to see for ages in Magi, and one of my favorite experimental series in Dorohedoro also coming out. But I have to stay true to my core principles, otherwise I’m just no good as a man. Thus I have to pick Excel Saga this week. It’s arrived at the climax of the entire story, and is actually getting around to giving us answers. Well, some answers. I absolutely cannot wait.

MJ: Well, okay, my first choice this week is probably Blue Morning, as I loved the first volume quite a lot. But since Michelle has already spotlighted it so nicely, I’ll give my vote to the sixth and final omnibus volume of CLAMP’s X. These large-trim omnibus editions have turned me around on this series to a rather stunning extent, mainly on the strength of its gorgeous, shoujo-rific artwork. Viz’s omnibus collection is a must-have for any fan of CLAMP, or frankly any fan of early 90s shoujo. It’s a mess, in many ways, but it’s a beautiful, beautiful mess.

What looks good to you this week?

My Week in Manga: August 5-August 11, 2013

August 12, 2013 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

The Boys’ Love Manga Moveable Feast came to an end last week. Khursten at Otaku Champloo did a fabulous job as the host and posted some great content. Sadly, it may be the last Manga Moveable Feast to be held, at least in the foreseeable future. I did have one last offering for August’s Feast before it ended: I announced the 801 Manga Giveaway Winner. The post also includes a wishlist of boys’ love manga. (And speaking of manga giveaway winners, the winner of the Umineko giveaway from a few months ago created a video of the unboxing of her prize.)

Last week I also posted two in-depth reviews. The first was for Suehiro Maruo’s The Strange Tale of Panorama Island. I have literally been waiting for this manga for years and am thrilled that it is finally available in English. Last Gasp has done a beautiful job with the release. The manga is an adaptation of Edogawa Rampo’s novella Strange Tale of Panorama Island which I reviewed earlier this year. The second review that I posted last week was for Isuna Hasekura’s light novel Spice & Wolf, Volume 8: Town of Strife I. Although I had previously enjoyed the series, with this volume Spice & Wolf has finally lost its charm for me.

I also updated the Resources page, adding a couple of sites. Last week I mentioned Deb Aoki’s new site Manga Comics Manga which is definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already. I also recently discovered Seth T. Hahne’s review site Good Ok Bad. I really like the site which includes reviews of manga in addition to other comics and graphic novels.

On to other interesting things found online! Nippon.com has the very interesting article Urasawa Naoki Talks with Top European Artists. The most recent Speakeasy podcast at Reverse Thieves is about American comics recommended for manga readers. Reverse Thieves also posted a review with Melissa Tanaka talking about her work translating Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. (I loved the first volume of the series and my review of the second should be coming soon.) If you’re interested in what Viz Media is up to these days, ICv2 has a two part interview with Leyla Aker and Kevin Hamric and Comic Book Resources has an interview with Ken Sasaki.

Also last week was Otakon. Sean Gaffney at A Case Suitable for Treatment takes a quick look at some of the recent manga announcements. Vertical has licensed Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday? which I am extremely excited about. Viz Media is bringing Naoki Urasawa’s Monster back into print in a deluxe omnibus edition. I already own the series and probably won’t be double-dipping, but I’m very happy to see this re-release. Finally, Seven Seas will be publishing Milk Morinaga’s most recent yuri series Gakuen Police. I really enjoyed Morinaga’s Girl Friends and Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossoms Pink, so I plan on picking up Gakuen Police, too.

Quick Takes

Animal Land, Volumes 1-4 by Makoto Raiku. I’m not sure why I was so reluctant to read Animal Land but after repeated urging from a few fans of the series I decided to finally give it a try. And I’m very glad that I did. It took me a volume or so to really settle into the story, but I definitely want to read more. Taroza is a human who was abandoned as a baby only to be rescued and raised by a young female tanuki in a world of animals. The art in Animal Land is kind of strange, mixing realism, anthropomorphism, and just plain goofiness even within the same species. Despite its cuteness, the story in Animal Land can be very dark. It’s also not particularly subtle, but it is engaging. Animal Land surprised me; so far it’s a great series.

Ichiro by Ryan Inzana. Ichiro is a young man living with his Japanese mother in New York City after his American father dies. When her work takes them both to Japan, Ichiro has the chance to get to know his grandfather who he’s never met and learn more about the country’s history and culture. One night he unexpectedly stumbles into an even stranger world. I did find the sections dealing with Ichiro’s real life to be much more compelling than his adventures in the land of the gods and immortals. However, I really liked the blend of story, mythology, and reality in Ichiro and I loved the artwork. Inzana smoothly shifts his style of art and use of color throughout the graphic novel depending on the tale being told in a very effective way.

Limit, Volumes 5-6 by Keiko Suenobu. Limit has been very hit-or-miss for me. Overall, I did like it, but I had a few problems with the story. There weren’t plot holes per se, but significant suspension of disbelief is required. (I’m still trying to figure out how Usui’s bandage ended up on the ground and why no one seemed to hear the helicopters.) But the series had some truly great moments and intense, dramatic group dynamics. The fear that the characters deal with as they struggle to survive is almost palpable. I liked most of the fifth volume which revealed some great plot twists, but found the final volume to be rather unsatisfying. Everything is tied up too neatly and nicely and there’s a fair amount of moralizing.

Triton of the Sea, Omnibus 1 (equivalent to Volumes 1-2) by Osamu Tezuka. I was delighted when Triton of the Sea was licensed as part of one of Digital Manga’s Kickstarter projects. Although I don’t have a particular affinity for merfolk, I have always enjoyed stories involving oceans and other bodies of water. Triton is a merman, one of the last of his kind when his clan is wiped out by Poseidon, the king of the sea. Unaware of his true nature, Triton is adopted by a human family. As he grows older he is drawn into a fight against Poseidon. Triton of the Sea isn’t as strong or as innovative as some of Tezuka’s other manga, but it’s still a solid adventure story. I particularly enjoyed Triton’s relationship with his family and his interactions with humans.

More Fumi Yoshinaga—from Vertical this time

August 12, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Otakon News: Vertical has licensed Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Kinō Nani Tabeta?), and Viz is going to reprint Naoki Urasawa’s Monster in omnibus format. Sean Gaffney has a roundup of the Otakon news and some other recent manga license announcements at his blog.

Here’s my guide to the latest batch of new manga releases at MTV Geek, and the Manga Bookshelf team discusses this week’s new releases.

Deb Aoki has a great piece on the digital manga stories that came out of this summer’s cons at Publishers Weekly; they include the licensing of Doraemon and Kodansha’s shift from iPad app to e-books.

I was so busy with other stuff this past week that I totally missed the latest Manga Moveable Feast! Khursten Santos of Otaku Champloo was the host for this month’s Feast, which was all about yaoi. Khursten came up with some interesting posts, and so did everyone else, and I highly recommend you check them out; I’ll just link to her MMF tag so you can see them all in one place.

MJ and Michelle Smith discuss Totally Captivated in their latest BL Bookrack column at Manga Bookshelf.

Here’s a translation of a conversation between Naoki Urasawa and European creators Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten at last year’s International Manga Fest in Tokyo.

Erica Friedman brings us all the latest yuri news in this week’s Yuri News Network post.

Lori Henderson discusses Sparkler Magazine, the new global shoujo manga magazine, in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

News from Japan: The shonen series Nisekoi and the shoujo series Ore Monogatari!! are going to cross over. Dengeki Daisy is coming to an end. Chris Beveridge takes a look at the new manga series that Kodansha is showing off, Shoujo Kesshu Kokoro Jikaru and Koisuru Futago to Megane no Blue.

Reviews

Erica Friedman on Aigaaru: I-girl (Okazu)
Elliot Gay on vols. 1-5 of Attack on Titan (Japanator)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 20 of Bakuman (Comics Worth Reading)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 20 of Bakuman (I Reads You)
Erica Friedman on Bloody Lily (Okazu)
Rob McMonigal on vols. 1 and 2 of Eat-Man (Panel Patter)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 26 of Excel Saga (The Fandom Post)
Ken H. on vol. 4 of Heroman (Comics Should Be Good)
Erica Friedman on vol. 3 of Kanojo to Camera to Kanojo no Kisetsu (Okazu)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 21 of Kaze Hikaru (The Fandom Post)
Kory Cerjak on vol. 2 of Lone Wolf and Cub (omnibus edition) (The Fandom Post)
Manjiorin on Maple Leaves (Organization ASG)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Midnight Secretary (Comics Worth Reading)
Lexie on vol. 1 of Midnight Secretary (Poisoned Rationality)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 62 of Naruto (The Comic Book Bin)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 10 of Omamori Himari (The Fandom Post)
Lindo Korchi on One-Punch Man (Inside AX)
Lori Henderson on vol. 3 of Paradise Kiss (Manga Xanadu)
TSOTE on vol. 18 of Q.E.D. (Three Steps Over Japan)
Anna N. on Red Blinds the Foolish (Manga Report)
Chris Kirby on vol. 16 of Toriko (The Fandom Post)
Lori Henderson on Two of Hearts (Manga Xanadu)
Justin on Ultimate Venus (Organization ASG)
Josh Begley on vol. 34 of Vagabond (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on vol. 5 of Wandering Son (Okazu)

Takasugi-San’s Obento Vol. 1

August 11, 2013 by Anna N

Takasugi-San’s Obento Vol. 1 by Nozomi Yanahara

This title is available on emanga.com, and the print volume is available for pre-order.

I’ve always been a bit interested in bento, even though I haven’t made it yet. I like the idea of all the cute bento boxes and accessories you can buy, and it certainly seems like a healthy way to prepare lunch. Takasugi-San’s Obento will appeal to foodie manga fans and those who enjoy slice of life stories. Takasugi is a hapless newly minted professor who hasn’t been able to get a regular faculty position since getting his doctorate. While the manga says his subject area is geography, his research methods look a lot more like cultural anthropology to me. While Takasugi is in his early thirties, he gets blindsided with adult responsibilities very quickly when he gets word that his long-lost aunt has died and left him her 12 year old daughter Kururi.

Kururi ends up being a tiny, doll-like girl who mainly presents herself as a blank slate. She does however get extremely excited about grocery store bargains, as she and Takasugi mainly attempt to bond with each other through the process of making lunch for the next day. Along the way they explore favorite meals and how the preparation of a bento can take on a deeper meaning. Kururi shops around to find the ingredients for a lunch her mother used to prepare for Takasugi after he makes an offhand comment about remembering his Aunt’s lunches. When Takasugi observes the differences between Kururi and her classmates at school he concludes that the way to fix things is to put more ingredients in her bento.

Different dishes and geographic variation with food are addressed as Takasugi and Kururu slowly get used to living with each other. They communicate mainly through food preparation. There’s a bit of a humorous element to this slice of life manga, as Takasugi’s eagerness to prove that he isn’t creepy for being the guardian of a 12 year old girl comes across as somewhat creepy, and his colleagues are constantly talking about Takasugi’s lack of job direction. There are some glimmerings of romance, but the focus of the manga is on food preparation, and I hope it stays this way for the next volume. It was interesting to read about the various ways of making bento in the context of this slice of life story.

Otakon License Roundup

August 11, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

Another week, another con, and another passel of new manga titles coming your way. I’m also throwing in Seven Seas’ new titles, as they generally don’t do con panels, but simply announce their titles on social media.

So starting with them, we have a new yuri title from Morinaga Milk, author of Girl Friends and the Kisses, Sighs and Cherry Blossom Pink anthology. The premise sounds at first like it may have a bit of a Sukeban Deka series, but it looks quite light-hearted in tone, as a newly undercover police officer at a high school (a new recruit filled with justice) finds that her school already HAS an undercover police officer there, who insists this is her turf. It looks like a great cute title for those who loved Morinaga’s other cute titles.

A few weeks earlier, they also announced another four Alice in the Country Of titles, as it’s a series that has sold quite well for them, and there are still many titles available out there. (In fact, I suspect one of the main reasons for their license of the Crimson Empire series is that half the Alice volumes have CE side-stories in the back.) We get one volume for familiar harem protagonists Eliot March (the March Hare), Julius Monrey (whose first focus manga, The Clockmaker’s Story, is out this month), and Ace (whose series will hopefully focus a little more on the psychosis that makes him interesting.) We also get a volume devoted to Nightmare, the somewhat puckish ruler of dreams who sort of fills the caterpillar role in these books. This is honestly a whole lot of Alice, but I’ve found little gems interspersed among the more obvious cash-ins, so they’re worth checking out.)

As is standard lately, the big announcement of the day came from our friends at Vertical, who have licensed the Fumi Yoshinaga manga Kinou Nani Tabeta?, aka What Did You Eat Yesterday?. This seinen slice-of-life manga runs in Kodansha’s Morning magazine, and tells the story of a longtime gay couple (one dour and the straight man, one carefree and outgoing). What makes it compelling is that the story is told around the edges, as each chapter is mostly about the two men eating and cooking food, and recipe tips are interspersed throughout. Yoshinaga is mostly known over here for two things: BL and food. This 7+ volume series combines the two of them, and has been a much coveted license for quite some time. It’s also a rare seinen license from Kodansha, which makes me very happy. I can’t wait to read this one.

Lastly, Viz mentioned that they will be re-releasing the Monster manga in omnibus format next year. This Naoki Urasawa title is quite dark indeed, involving a doctor who saves the life of a young child only to find he grows up to become an insane madman. It ran in Big Comic Original, one of the few licenses from that seinen Shogakukan magazine. It was intensely popular online with manga and comics bloggers, but didn’t really catch on as much in terms of sales – perhaps this new omnibus, which will be in a larger trim and 2-volumes-in-1, can give it the audience it deserves – I think fans of Death Note who have grown to want more mature stories would really get a kick out of it, as well as Urasawa fans who discovered him via Pluto or 20th Century Boys. Hey, if it sells really well, maybe we can finally see Yawara: A Fashionable Judo Girl! Or even Happy!, one of the most depressing sports manga ever written.

What appeals to you most here? My guess is the foodie title.

Spice & Wolf, Volume 8: Town of Strife I

August 11, 2013 by Ash Brown

Author: Isuna Hasekura
Illustrator: Jyuu Ayakura
Translator: Paul Starr
U.S. publisher: Yen Press
ISBN: 9780316245463
Released: April 2013
Original release: 2008

Town of Strife I is the eighth volume in Isuna Hasekura’s light novel series Spice & Wolf, illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura. The previous volume, Side Colors, was actually a collection of three side stories; Town of Strife I picks up the story immediately following Spice & Wolf, Volume 6. As indicated by its title, Town of Strife I is the first part of a two-volume story, a first for Spice & Wolf. Town of Strife I was originally published in Japan in 2008. Paul Starr’s English translation of the novel was released by Yen Press in 2013. Spice & Wolf is a series that I have been enjoying much more than I thought I would. Although I wasn’t particularly taken with most of Side Colors, I was interested in getting back to the main story again with Town of Strife I.

Having had quite the adventure on the Roam River, Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant, and Holo the Wisewolf, a centuries-old spirit in the form of a young woman, have finally made their way to the port town of Kerube with a new companion in in tow–Col, a young student they encountered along the river. Together the three of them are following a curious rumor: a search is on for the bones of a northern town’s guardian deity. Many people think the story is some far fetched fairytale, but Lawrence, Holo, and Col know very well that there could be some truth behind the rumors. Upon their arrival at Kerube Lawrence seeks the aid of Eve, a former noblewoman and a skilled merchant in her own right. He’s been burned once before in his dealings with her, but Eve’s impressive network of connections may be their best chance of finding the bones.

One of the things that I have always enjoyed about Spice & Wolf is the relationship and developing romance between Lawrence and Holo. By this point in the series, Lawrence has lost some of his awkwardness when it comes to Holo. While I suppose this means he’s grown as a character, I do miss the more easily embarrassed Lawrence. With the addition of Col to the mix, the dynamics of Holo and Lawrence’s relationship has also changed. Their battles of wits and their good-natured bickering and teasing which once seemed so natural now feel forced as if the two of them are putting on some sort of performance for the boy. More often than not, Holo and Lawrence are verbally sparring for show in Town of Strife I and it’s not nearly as entertaining. Ultimately I do like Col (everyone in Spice & Wolf likes Col), but his presence in the story is somewhat distracting.

Not much happens in Town of Strife I; it mostly seems to be setting up for the second volume in the story arc. Hasekura promises that Lawrence will get to be “really cool” in the next volume and Town of Strife I does end on a great cliffhanger, but I’m not sure that I’m actually interested in finding out what happens. Unfortunately, the series has finally lost its charm for me. The characters know one another so well and their conversations are so cryptic that the story is difficult to follow. The narrative lacks sufficient detail and explanations leaving readers to puzzle out the characters’ motivations and actions. This has always been the case with Spice & Wolf but what makes it particularly frustrating in Town of Strife I is that the volume doesn’t even have a satisfying ending and doesn’t stand well on its own. Hasekura claims that he needed two volumes to tell this particular story, but considering how tedious much of Town of Strife I is, I’m not convinced.