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Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: April 8, 2013

April 9, 2013 by Derek Bown Leave a Comment

This is another one of those weeks that is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we get two extra chapters of manga. And a curse because my workload has been increased by two. But you’re not here to listen to me whine, you’re hear to listen to me whine about manga specifically. So let’s get to it.

Blue Exorcist Ch. 045
Last month’s chapter of Blue Exorcist was weak, mostly because the chapter itself lacked any specific focus. It was developing background information that would be needed later, but the chapter itself—the story itself didn’t have a specific drive. This chapter, while perhaps not to some readers’ comedic tastes, worked much better because there was a specific goal to the chapter. It may have been a bit frivolous, but it was something to latch on to and follow through the chapter with the characters. Though, I think it’s safe to say that Shiemi will probably turn Rin down next chapter. Why else end on that kind of cliffhanger?

One Piece Ch. 704
Okay, I’m not even going to bother making excuses. One Piece was just flat out the best chapter this week. Bar none. I… just… it… My most coherent response to this chapter wasn’t coherent in the slightest. All the reveals, all the characters. All the everything. Especially the illogical scale maille bikini. Seriously, how is that thing staying on? I would go into more depth, but I don’t want to give anything away. This was just an incredible chapter. I’m a lot more optimistic for this tournament’s future.

Bleach Ch. 532
Surprisingly, despite its simplicity, Bleach was excellent this week. Granted, there is not much to talk about because the entirety of the chapter was action. But when Kubo just lets himself go and gives in to the action he can pull off some wonderful chapters. Much less happened this week compared to other series, but in the context of what Bleach is, I loved this chapter. Mostly because it turns out Masaki was a badass. Who knew? This makes the fact that she was killed by a hollow a bit suspect though. Pretty sure this hollow is much more powerful than Grand Fisher. Still, on its own, great chapter.

Naruto Ch. 626
At least the flashback is over. That’s all I’ll say. I had planned to go on a rant about how much I hate that the Uchiha are being shoved down my throat as victims of some kind. As if they aren’t all complete lunatics (as shown by just the past few weeks worth of chapters). But I think you get the idea.

So instead I’ll say that next week we get to finally move on with the main plot. My expectations are low, but we’ll see what happens.

World Trigger Ch. 009
Ultimately, World Trigger is just kind of boring. Perhaps things will pick up, but I haven’t really found a reason to root for this series. With all the series I fell in love with there was a reason I kept reading past the first chapter, and that reason is generally expounded upon in later chapters. World Trigger just hasn’t done that. So I really can’t say anything but that it’s forgettable and dropped the ball really early on in its run.

Nisekoi Ch. 069
And the award for best expressions once again goes to Nisekoi! While I am wary about Naoshi setting up for future ugliness later on, I trust him enough to pull this series off without leaving us all feeling depressed. As for this chapter, it was adorable, and hilarious. That’s all I’ve ever asked for from this series. The moment when Raku tries Onodera’s chocolate was probably my favorite overall moment for this week.

One-Punch Man Ch. 012
One-Punch Man continues the trend of moving beyond single chapter stories, and builds up towards longer stories. Sure we all know that we’re moving towards that final joke. But the journey is as important as the destination, so I say this week’s chapter is a promising start for yet another entertaining story. I don’t even mind the standard serious-type character we get in Sonic, because we all know exactly what’s going to happen with him, and it will be glorious.

Dragon Ball Z Ch. 010
Dragon Ball Z is one of those series where the action may be fun, but doesn’t leave much to discuss. I am amused by the blasé attitude already being shown towards death. But I am even more amused by the tragedy that is Raditz. Not only is he the weakest Saiyan, but the two people he thought were his friends could care less about him. No point bringing him back to life—just wish for immortality. Raditz is as forgotten by his friends as he is by his creator. Tragic.

Cross Manage Ch. 028
Cross Manage may have had a weak beginning, but I think by this point most readers are on board and praying that it gets to continue. We get a small glimpse at the characters who haven’t been explored yet, and it makes me wish that Kaito could just take his time and tell the story he wants without having to worry about cancellation. The downside is that we don’t actually get to see the game, but as I’ve said, the game is not really the point. The point is how the characters grow; their training is a metaphor for their personal growth. The fact that they won their first game doesn’t matter, what matters is who they have become thanks to their training and victories. I just hope we get more time to see who they actually are. Out of a large cast we’ve had development for a relatively small group. It sounds like the volumes are selling well, so here’s hoping that makes up for what seem to be low rankings.

Rurouni Kenshin Ch. 009
And finally, the series I have not been a fan of. This week I actually quite liked it. It helps that Megumi makes a cameo, though she is robbed of all the characterization that made her one of my favorite characters. And sure the action is well rendered but ultimately confusing, but this chapter really drives home that since it is a retelling, anything goes. I won’t give away the end, nor do I really think Watsuki will go through with it. But if he does, then he has serious guts. He’s taking advantage of this being a different continuity, and he now has my attention.

And somehow I got through all those chapters in fewer words than normal. How odd. Let me know if I missed anything, or if there is anything from this week’s chapters you would like to discuss. The comment section is just at the bottom of this page.

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives. Or go directly to last week’s episode, Episode 042 – April 1, 2013 – Abridged Series | My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Volume 1.

It Came From the Sinosphere: Burning Moon

April 9, 2013 by Sara K. Leave a Comment

It’s about time I said something about Selina Lin, one of Taiwan’s most popular female manhua artists. Though she’s sometimes called the “queen” of girl-oriented Taiwanese manhua, all of her works are quite short. Burning Moon, her longest work, is only five volumes long.

The Story

The emperor’s concubine wants to maintain her status by bearing a son. The problem is that she bore a girl, so she wants to swap her newborn daughter with her sister’s newborn son, Duan Chengfeng. To prevent him from getting kidnapped, Duan Chengfeng’s mother poisons him. His father intervenes, but to fend off future kidnapping attempts, Duan Chengfeng has to live as a sick child.

Duan Chengfeng gets pretty tired of this, so as a boy he sneaks out to experience a bit of freedom. That’s how he meets a girl called Yue Shuchan. Realizing that their son doesn’t want to live the rest of his life with his freedom confined, his parents decide to drop the illness ruse and arrange a marriage for him…

Background

All of the explicitly girly manhua I’ve covered so far came from Star Girls magazine. That’s because it’s the only magazine dedicated exclusively to girly manhua put out by a major publisher. However, there is also Mon-mon magazine (the name in Mandarin is “mèngmèng,” and “mèng” means “dream”). Most of the comics which run in Mon-mon magazine are shojo manga translated from Japanese, but they also publish original material from local artists, of whom the most popular is Selina Lin.

The latest issue of Mon-mon.

Selina Lin’s work has been translated into quite a few languages, but the only two works that I could find which have been officially published in English are:

1) White Night Melody (the first volume was published by Tokyopop, and I suspect this will never be license-rescued)
2) Manga Tarot, which technically is a card deck, not a comic book.

This was originally supposed to be only three volumes long, but readers felt that the original ending was too tragic, so Selina Lin wrote two more volumes set in the present day, featuring the reincarnations of the original characters, and made a happy ending.

The Art

I do not like the art style of shoujo manga currently coming out of Japan, unless it’s retro, and that’s one of the reasons my interest in current shoujo is … limited. What I love is a) Showa 24 group artwork and b) late 80s-90s shoujo artwork.

Selina Lin’s art is very much like current shoujo styles in Japan … but somehow, she gets me to actually like it.

Take this picture for example. Though it features the “cute” glass-eyed look which I dislike, it’s got lots of nice round curves, with nice crisp folds in the dress and dark ribbons to add some visual structure. I can dig this.

And even when it’s being “cutesy,” it also manages to have a bit of a crystal quality a well—the pearl-like roundness, the crisp patterns—which neutralizes my usual distaste for this style.

Of course, in a storytelling medium, it’s not enough for art to look nice; it also has to tell a story. Is the artwork a little too busy? Perhaps. However, I think it does a good job of letting the characters express themselves, such as in the following picture:

I can feel the warm, light-hearted joy.

Now, speaking of the storytelling…

Underdeveloped Storytelling

One of the reasons I’ve waited so long to discuss Selina Lin is, well, I think her stories are boring. I was hoping that, as her longest work, this might be better, but …. well, it’s not much better.

It’s not that the ideas are bad. For example, Duan Chengfeng could have been a really, really interesting character—someone who is forced to pretend to be ill for his own safety as he itches for adventure can be the basis of a really engaging story. However, this potential was wasted. The manhua covers too much plot in too few pages, so there’s no room to explore the inherent conflict in Duan Chengfeng’s situation. As soon as the love triangles come into the story, Duan Chengfeng’s problem with having to feign illness get dropped, which makes it seem like it wasn’t important in the first place.

And the romance … I actually do believe that love at first sight can happen (or at least, that people can fall in love with each other at lightning speed). But even when the bond is established instantly, it still has to grow and evolve. In all of the romantic relationships in this story, I felt there was no growth. Instead, the storyteller just said, “Okay, these people are in love with each other,” and didn’t offer much more. That makes the whole romance angle of the story feel empty to me.

Normally, I would have been stubborn and read all five volumes. However, considering my previous disappointments with Selina Lin, I did not feel inclined to read beyond Volume 3. After reading a plot summary of Volumes 4-5, I feel even less inclined to finish the series.

I don’t know much about how Mon-mon magazine works, so perhaps there are editorial constraints which make Selina Lin limit most of her manhua to three volumes. But even if the length of her work is being limited by her editors, she should tell a story which fits a three-volume length, instead of telling a story with much plot and little substance.

Availability in English

Well, it’s never been licensed in English… and to be honest, I don’t think it should be.

Conclusion

Selina Lin makes me like an art-style which usually turns me off, which is an accomplishment. That said, I dearly wish her storytelling was as good as her drawings. Her stories aren’t even bad, they’re just poorly executed.

I don’t get why she’s so popular. Sure, the art is nice, but her manhua simply bores me.

Maybe she should team up with somebody who is a much better storyteller.

Next Time: Love in the Rain / Yanyu Mengmeng (TV drama), which most certainly is NOT boring

Since her last post at Manga Bookshelf, Sara K. has soaked in one of the only three mud hot springs in the world, visited a bat cave, walked a trail with a 60 degree gradient (downhill, thank goodness), seen fireflies for the first time in her life, had her blood sucked by wild leeches, seen trees that are over 2000 years old, visited the “forgetting sorrow” bamboo grove, saw a wild male Swinhoe’s pheasant, went to Taiwan’s highest automobile-accessible mountain pass, dealt with her computer going haywire, bought her first new computer in over two years, went hiking above 3000 meters with someone who grew up in Soviet Russia and someone from South Africa, learned how to play Perudo, ate a wonderful meal of mountain vegetables she had never knew existed at a restaurant over 2700 meters above sea level, saw a bunch of beautiful waterfalls and forested hills, saw the beginning of the Matsu Pilgrimage (with over a million participants, it’s one of Asia’s biggest religious pilgrimages), and much more. It was way, way, WAY more interesting than this manhua.

Crimson Empire: Circumstances to Serve a Noble, Vol. 1

April 9, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Quin Rose and Hazuki Futaba, based on the game by Quin Rose. Released in Japan by Ichijinsha, serialized in the magazine Zero-Sum Ward. Released in North America by Seven Seas.

Seven Seas has very helpfully noted this is from the creator of the Alice in the Country of series on the cover, and indeed fans of that series will find a lot to like here. There’s a greater depth to the heroines, lots of hot guys with major personality defects, and a feeling that the entire world is just slightly broken. That said, it sure was helpful having Lewis Carroll’s template for the Alice books, because without that, things in Crimson Empire get awfully muddled awfully fast.

That said, the volume opens awfully well. Our heroine is a street rat somewhere in Anime Arabia, who sells her soul to a demon (who notes she has quite a future ahead of her – though good or bad, he can’t say)and becomes an assassin-cum-bodyguard, defending Prince Edvard from the many and varied people trying to kill him – including Justin, his own half-brother. Oh, and of COURSE, she has to dress up as Head Maid. After all, this is the aristocracy, and we can’t just have women walking around in suits.

I made this sound a bit more fetishy than it actually is, to be honest. The fanservice is nil, and this is definitely a josei title. Sheila is quite similar to Alice, though a bit stronger and more broken (she’s been through a bit more), and as with Alice, the various men around her are Otome Game types, where the player can choose to interact with their favorite. In terms of manga plot (vs. game plot), the first volume is quite simple. Sheila prevents people from murdering Edvard, Edvard snarks and acts nice on the outside but evil on the inside, Justin is the opposite, etc.

The difficulty here is, even with a ‘Cast of Characters’ page at the start, there’s simply too many people introduced too fast. Things aren’t helped by the fact that this is a semi-sequel to another Otome Game, Arabians Lost, which introduces a few characters from that series and mentions the Queen, who was the player character. Moreover, Sheila seems to have past relationships with several of them, which don’t come off as “Well, the manga will catch me up on their shared history” as much as “I feel I missed something, I should go buy the previous game this is clearly meant to be pimping out.”

From a manga perspective, the plot simply meanders. Given there’s less of a desire to see who Sheila will end up with (she’s sold her soul, so it’s sort of irrelevant, as she’ll end up with the demon one way or another), the need to read this likely hinges on how much you enjoy seeing Sheila interact with the characters around her. This isn’t helped by Sheila being, so far, the most interesting character. I also can’t help but compare the guys to the Alice series – Meissen, for one, is clearly Ace with the serial numbers filed off.

This is only three volumes, so I do recommend it if you like the Alice series in general and are a fan of this sort of josei “girl surrounded by pretty boys” series. But plotwise, it really needs to sort itself out. More scenes like the bleak opening, which was excellent.

My Week in Manga: April 1-April 7, 2013

April 8, 2013 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Last week was one of the slower weeks at Experiments in Manga. I announced the winner of the historical manga giveaway and took the opportunity to ramble on a bit about historical manga as well. I also posted the Bookshelf Overload for March, if you’re interested in seeing the embarrassing amounts of manga and such that I managed to acquire over the month. The honor of the first in-depth manga review for April goes to Baku Yumemakura and Jiro Taniguchi’s The Summit of the Gods, Volume 2. It’s a fantastic series with stunning artwork. It looks like the fourth and penultimate volume might be released in English this year; I’m really looking forward to it.

I believe I’ve mentioned in the past my love for Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat. The first two volumes were originally published by Tokyopop and the series was sadly never completed. Happily, the newly established Chromatic Press is bringing Off*Beat back into print and fans will finally see the third and final volume published. A pre-order Kickstarter has been launched for the new Chromatic Press editions, which include bonus material. Any extra funds raised will be going towards the launch of Sparkler Monthly, Chromatic Press’ digital anthology, and Jen Lee Quick will get a nice bonus, too.

I’m starting to really take notice of PictureBox and its planned manga releases. For starters, The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame is one of my most anticipated English manga releases of the year (it should be out later this month.) The publisher also recently confirmed that in addition to its new “Ten-Cent Manga” line, it will also start a “Masters of Alternative Manga” series. I’m very interested in seeing how PictureBox’s manga plans continue to develop.

As for other good stuff online: The newest of Jason Thompson’s House of 1000 Manga columns, which is always worth a read, features Shin Mashiba’s Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun. (I quite like the series and wrote a little about it myself a while back–Random Musings: Nightmare Inspector.) The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has a short documentary that’s well worth watching–Defending Manga: The Ryan Matheson Story. Over at Good E-Reader, Brigid Alverson posted an insightful interview with Ed Chavez on Vertical’s Digital Manga Strategy. And finally, the call for participation for April’s Manga Moveable Feast has been posted! The Feast, held from April 20 through 26, will feature Kaori Yuki and her work. The Beautiful World will be hosting for the first time.

Quick Takes

20th Century Boys, Volumes 17-19 by Naoki Urasawa. The series is nearing it’s conclusion, but that’s okay: 20th Century Boys is starting to feel rather drawn out. I’ll admit that I am still enjoying it, though. Urasawa employs a really interesting narrative technique in 20th Century Boys that I haven’t seen used very often. The manga has its cast of main characters, but the series frequently follows their story indirectly by following the secondary characters instead. The plot is often seen from their perspective. This can be a little messy at times though since it introduces even more characters that readers need to keep track of and 20th Century Boys is fairly complicated to begin with.

Boy Princess, Volumes 1-5 by Seyoung Kim. When the princess elopes with a stable boy two days before a crucial arranged marriage between two kingdoms the youngest prince is disguised and sent in her place. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t take long for the switch to be discovered. Boy Princess starts out as a comedy but at the point where I stopped reading it seems to be veering off towards something more tragic. Personally, I think the series works best when it’s being a little silly. Boy Princess has a nice fantasy setting with a good if often confusing attempt at court intrigue. Kim’s artwork is unfortunately uneven, but improves immensely as the series progresses. Some panels are frankly gorgeous and the costume designs are consistently lovely.

Genshiken, Omnibus 3 (equivalent to Volumes 7-9) by Shimoku Kio. When I wasn’t paying close attention, Genshiken naturally developed into a full-fledged otaku love story. And it’s absolutely wonderful. Much of this third and final omnibus is devoted to Ogiue, her backstory and self-hatred, and her changing relationships with the other members of the Genshiken. There are plenty of serious and touching moments, but the humor and goofiness of the series are still there, too. I’ll admit, I’ve grown rather fond of the characters in Genshiken and all of their quirkiness; I think we’d probably get along pretty well in real life. I’ve really enjoyed this series and look forward to continuing it with Genshiken: Second Season.

I Kill Giants written by Joe Kelly and illustrated by J. M. Ken Niimura. Last year, I Kill Giants became the first comic from the United States to win the International Manga Award. With bullies at school and problems at home, Barbara is going through some very difficult times. A bit of misfit and an outsider, her fantasies give her a way to escape some very harsh realities. It’s easier to hunt and kill giants than it is to face the truth, but some things in life simply can’t be stopped or ignored. Niimura’s art and Kelly’s writing are great and mix Barbara’s fantasies together with her reality in very effective ways. Her confrontation and showdown with the Titan in particular is phenomenal. At times dark and disconcerting, I Kill Giants is a very powerful and personal work.

Blue Submarine No. 6 directed by Mahiro Maeda. Discotek announced earlier this year that it had rescued the license for Blue Submarine No. 6 (originally released by Bandai), so I was curious. The four-episode OVA adapts a manga by Satoru Ozawa from 1967. The series is a bit confusing and rushed in places, and almost none of the characters were as well developed as I wanted them to be, but it pulls itself together pretty nicely in the end. I particularly liked the series’ post-apocalyptic ocean setting. Despite the occasionally awkward computer graphics, there were still some very nice visuals and great character designs. I enjoyed Blue Submarine No. 6 well enough, but it’s not a series that I’ll need to own.

Shigurui: Death Frenzy directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki. Based on a manga by Takayuki Yamaguchi, which in turn adapts a novel by Norio Nanjō, Shigurui is an extremely brutal, graphic, and violent series. Nearly all of the characters are detestable and their actions are appalling. The series definitely isn’t for everyone and will offend many. To say it’s intense is to put it mildly. After the first episode, most of the anime is a long flashback; unfortunately, the bloody tale of power and revenge never quite comes full circle. Visually, the series is very distinctive in its style with creepy motifs and merciless fight scenes. I found Shigurui to be incredibly absorbing and even compelling. It’s been a while since an anime has left such a profound impression on me.

Pick of the Week: Excel Saga & some other stuff

April 8, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Michelle Smith and Anna N 5 Comments

SEAN: (flat stare)

MJ: There’s quite a bit on the menu for this week, but honestly not too much for me, which makes it incredibly easy to go for an older series that’s one of my new favorites. That, of course, would be Yun Kouga’s cat-ear-sporting, battle-filled, BL-tinged fantasy Loveless, currently running in Ichijinsha’s Comic Zero Sum and recently licensed-rescued by Viz. I’m a Kouga junkie of a sort, and Loveless delivers on everything I crave most from her series—idiosyncratic characters, complicated morality, and messy, messy relationships. My reaction to the release of a new omnibus volume is pretty much, “Gimme.”

MICHELLE: Yeah, not much for me on this list, either. Still, Punch Up! really has grown on me of late, so there’s no way I’d miss its fourth and final volume!

ANNA: Not a lot for me on this list. I’m going to go with Crimson Empire 1: Circumstances to Serve a Noble though, just because I decided not to resist the siren song of yet another Quinrose manga and I ordered it! We’ll see if I regret this pick once I actually read it.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Bookshelf Briefs 4/8/13

April 8, 2013 by Anna N, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

This week, Anna, Sean, & Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media and Vertical, Inc.

07 Ghost, Vol. 2 | By Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara | Viz Media I continue to dig the Saiyuki-like vibe of this series about a young boy gifted with power who finds himself suddenly living in a church filled with mystical fighting bishops. This volume shows Teito dealing with the spiritual possession of his only friend Mikage. Teito decides to join a training class and become a bishop himself, but the power that he contains inside him might be too difficult to wrangle. There are plenty of random moments of humor sprinkled between slightly incoherent yet awfully pretty scenes of priests battling demons. I’m enjoying this series so far, as it has a distinct visual look and Teito is a sympathetic main character. – Anna N.

Barrage, Vol. 2 | By Kouhei Horikoshi | Viz Media – And here we get the other side of the story, and see that yes, while some promising titles are cut short by unforgiving Japanese fans and editors, sometimes series just don’t take off. Astro and Tiamat arrive in a new city, meet a girl who could have been the standard girl of Jump’s “two guys, one girl” lineup, learn her tragic past, and fight baddies. But then we also get Astro’s own tragic past, and a quick explanation of his true origin that screams “we shouldn’t have known this till Volume 11, at least”. It’s a vicious circle – the manga wasn’t quite good enough to continue, so has to wrap up fast with an unsatisfying “the story will continue” ending. That said, there are some nice touches here – I love the space whale – and the extra showing everyone was acting was pretty cute. Farewell, Barrage. In the end, you weren’t Jump enough. – Sean Gaffney

Jiu Jiu, Vol. 4 | By Touya Tobina | Viz Media – Some titles enthrall me, some titles bore me, and a few titles offend my sensibilities, but there are only a couple of manga series I can think of that have frustrated me as much as Jiu Jiu. This being shoujo manga, Takamichi has no idea what love is, and over the course of the volume concludes, a) Snow and Night love her, and b) she loves them. Which is fine, except she still doesn’t quite get what kind of love it is. The best part of the manga focuses on this, with Takamichi bluntly being asked “Do you want to have sex with them?” (A reminder: Snow and Night are dogs. Sort of.) Unfortunately, the rest of the manga has Jiu Jiu’s usual issues – an incoherent plot, inconsistent art, and difficult to like characters. It could be better than it is. Something I’ve said for 4 straight volumes now, so I’m starting to think maybe it can’t. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 16 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – Ahh, Kimi ni Todoke is always a delight, even when it brings tidings of romantic turmoil for its protagonists. Chizu is in a daze over Ryu’s confession, Ayane is uncertain about Kento’s intentions (could she really let herself believe that he’s genuinely serious about her?), and Sawako is feeling exceptionally awkward and nervous about Kazehaya, who seems to be keeping something from her. This leads to the best scene in the volume—one of the best in the series so far, in fact—where Ayane and Sawako have a really good conversation and share some of their worries and insecurities. I think I am going to have to call it: Kimi ni Todoke is the best shoujo series for depicting female friendships. (Sorry, Fruits Basket. I still love you!) There’s also a fun tribute section in the back with submissions from some familiar artists; Aya Nakahara’s is my favorite. – Michelle Smith

Limit, Vol. 4 | By Keiko Suenobu | Vertical, Inc. – The world our heroines now inhabit continues to break down, with corpses causing accusations and screaming incoherence, and no one can trust anyone any more. Suenobu’s best trait as an author is keeping the tension ramped up the entire volume, and this is probably the best one yet at forcing you to keep turning the page to find out what happens next. The art is also a plus – at one point in this volume, Morishige looked straight out of Drifting Classroom, a title this work has echoes of. This is definitely a series that works best in short, 160-page volumes – as an omnibus, it would be entirely too crushing, and even in these short bursts I long to cleanse my palate with something that has humor and fluffiness. But if you like tense, over-the-top teen thrillers, it’s one of the most compelling. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 9 | By Hiro Arikawa and Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – The cliffhanger to the last volume is resolved quickly, in a chapter that’s the weakest of the book. Luckily, stronger stuff happens next. With a hero who can get as dense as Iku, it’s great to see her excel in something other than “kicking asses”, and her scenes with the children in the library are pure gold. Even better is the final chapter, which revolves around censorship of a certain word. At first I wondered if there was a translation issue, as the word censored seemed totally bland. Of course, that’s the point – unchecked censorship can go after any word, phrase or medium, and the sheer innocuousness of it is why the Library Forces – and real life organizations – exist. It also sets up another cliffhanger, of course – this series is very good at making you want the next volume now. – Sean Gaffney

The Summit of the Gods, Volume 2

April 7, 2013 by Ash Brown

Author: Baku Yumemakura
Illustrator: Jiro Taniguchi
U.S. publisher: Fanfare/Ponent Mon
ISBN: 9788492444328
Released: January 2010
Original release: 2001
Awards: Angoulême Prize, Japan Media Arts Award

The second volume of The Summit of the Gods, a five volume manga series written by Baku Yumemakura and illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi, was originally released in Japan in 2001. The English-language release of The Summit of the Gods, Volume 2 was published by Fanfare/Ponent Mon in early 2010. The series is based on Yumemakura’s 1997 award-winning novel The Summit of the Gods and has won several awards itself, including a Japan Media Arts Excellence Award in 2001 and an Angoulême Prize for Artwork in 2005. I will admit right now that I love Yumemakura and Taniguchi’s The Summit of the Gods. The manga is easily my favorite work that Taniguchi has collaborated on. The series has gorgeous artwork, characters that are larger than life but who remain human in their imperfections, and an engaging story.

After returning to Japan from Nepal, journalist Makoto Fukamachi has been doggedly pursuing the enigma of the man he believes he met there–a legendary Japanese mountain climber named Jouji Habu. Initially, Fukamachi was interested in a camera he is convinced is in Habu’s possession. It may very well be the same camera that George Mallory brought with him on his assault on Everest in 1924. If true, Habu has his hands on an important piece of mountaineering history. But as Fukamachi’s investigation proceeds he becomes more and more interested in Habu himself and what drives the man as a climber. While Fukamachi’s personal life is unraveling he throws himself into his research, tracking down anyone who might know anything about Habu and his current whereabouts.

While I personally find Fukamachi’s persistent research to be interesting as he slowly pieces together disparate clues and leads, what I really love about The Summit of the Gods, Volume 2 are the stories that he uncovers. As unlikeable as Habu can be, and with as many enemies as he has made, his accomplishments as a mountain climber are unquestionably phenomenal. Fukamachi delves into many of Habu’s feats: his disastrous and yet astonishing foray climbing the Grandes Jorasses as well as his notorious participation in a group summit assault on Everest and several unfortunate incidents relating to it. But as amazing as Habu’s achievements are as a climber, it’s Taniguchi’s stunning artwork that makes them a reality for the reader. From the largest mountain vistas to the smallest crack in ice or rock, Taniguchi’s attention to detail is superb. The pacing and timing of his panels make the climbs both exhilarating and terrifying.

Nature and the mountains can be glorious, but they can also be extraordinarily dangerous. Taniguchi’s artwork expertly conveys this. Both the figurative and literal gravity of the situations that the climbers face can almost be felt reading The Summit of the Gods. When something goes wrong, even the smallest something, the repercussions can be devastating. And at times the events that unfold are entirely outside of human control. Saying that a climber fell–such a small and simple word–is easy enough. But the enormity of the human drama and the story surrounding that fall, what happened to cause it, and what happens as a result of it, is intensely engrossing. It is clear that the characters in The Summit of the Gods are effected deeply; the impacts can be seen in their changing relationships to each other, to climbing, and to the mountains themselves. The Summit of the Gods is an incredible work.

Blood Lad, Vol. 2

April 7, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Yuuki Kodama. Released in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Ace. Released in North America by Yen Press.

The second volume of Blood Lad improves on the first, and this has become a nice, solid series. The lead is different in an interesting way, the otaku humor is fit in better, we meet several new possibilities for antagonist, and the fighting and humor are top notch. There are still issues with the heroine, but I can’t have everything – and besides, this runs in Young Ace to begin with.

Let’s start with Fuyumi, actually, as we do get a bit of a hint that there’s more to her than previously thought. Her mother has passed away, and Braz indicates in his usual vague yet evil way that she has a connection with Bell. It would not particularly surprise me if she turned out to have some demon blood in her (related to Bell?), which could possibly lead to new plot possibilities and a cure for her current condition. That said, I doubt it will lead to a cure of being Miss Fanservice. The scenes where she is sucking on the phallic water bottle made my eyes roll back so far into my head I worried I’d have to see a doctor.

That said, I’ve seen much worse fanservice than this, and the rest of the title more than makes up for it, particularly our reluctant hero. Staz’s limiter is removed in this volume, making him even more powerful than before – dangerously powerful, everyone notes. And yet he’s not all that hot-blooded of a shonen hero. Oh sure, during a fight he’ll get fired up, but there’s a passivity and caginess to Staz that really makes him appeal to me. He’s not going to go charging headlong at an enemy – well, not unless there’s a good reason to. Or they have a DVD set.

We also see more development of Staz’s two siblings. Braz is handled better, and walks a nice fine line between being an evil mastermind and being a supportive brother. He’s likely both, so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. As for Liz, every fear I had about what she’d be like after finishing the first volume turned out to be absolutely correct. That said, she’s cute and harmless, so I’ll just roll with it. The scenes of her bonding with Staz and Fuyumi over watching Laputa: Castle in the Sky is sweet and adorable.

Lastly, here’s a rarity for a shonen manga (yes, it runs in Young Ace, but there’s absolutely nothing in this that shouldn’t be in Shonen Ace too); it’s very well-paced. No subplot outwears its welcome, and even the fights seem to be exactly the right length. This could be simply as everyone is very clever here. Staz shows it the most, but there’s a genre awareness here that permeates into all the characters, allowing it to get away with things that a reader wouldn’t otherwise accept. Combine that with a great sense of humor, as well as a worldscape filled with vampires, werewolves and demons, and you have something that should be a can’t miss it over here.

Off the Shelf: Re-evaluations & Adaptations

April 6, 2013 by MJ and Michelle Smith 5 Comments

MJ: Good morning, Michelle! Having a happy birthday week?

MICHELLE: Reasonably so! I’d grouse about my age, but since you’re older than me, I’ve decided to be sensitive.

MJ: I appreciate that, I really do. So, have you read any birthday-worthy manga this week?

MICHELLE: I have!

Since we’ve been doing this column for nearly three years (!), I thought it might be interesting to start revisiting some series that I first talked about in early days. Library Wars: Love & War had its second volume featured in our September 8, 2010 column, and at the time I was not complimentary. I found the concept “ill-defined,” the military ridiculous, Iku (the heroine) “annoying” and “inept,” and the series overall “sloppy and generic.”

So, how do I feel about the series in volume nine? Surprisingly benevolent! The concept is still very silly, as is the super-shoujo-riffic depiction of a military unit, and Iku is still inept in some areas, but somehow I have grown tolerant about all these things. Throughout the volume, she deals with things like a pervert in the library, testing to move up to Sergeant (which involves the arduous task of reading aloud to children), a plan to get the government to retract some of its censorship laws, and her knowledge that her commanding officer, Dojo, is the “prince” she has idolized since high school.

I admit, summarized like this, it doesn’t sound like Library Wars has overcome its sloppy and generic origins, but somehow I have started to honestly enjoy it. I just stopped expecting it to be something it wasn’t, or for certain elements of the story to make any sense, and decided to simply enjoy the romance unfolding between a shoujo heroine who is one part typically clueless and one part occasionally competent and a shoujo love interest who is your pretty standard gruff/stern guy with a soft and mushy center, except he’s short.

I can’t claim Library Wars has itself made a huge dramatic turnaround, since I suspect the real change has been in my mindset regarding it, but it’s a nice bit of fluff, and sometimes I like that.

MJ: Wow, has it really been that long?! I’m quite impressed by our dedication!

I remember well your initial reaction to Library Wars, and I have to say that I’m quite loving the fact that you’ve come to enjoy it! I think one of the best aspects of this kind of serialization is that so often this can happen. I’ll usually (usually) give any manga series at least three volumes (and often five) before giving it up, and I’m constantly surprised at how often this leads to readerly happiness.

MICHELLE: There must have been something about it that kept me coming back, despite my initial complaints, and I’m glad I didn’t give up on it!

What have you been reading this week?

MJ: Well, this week, I dug into volume one of Dark Hunters: Infinity, Yen Press’ graphic novel adaptation of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s The Chronicles of Nick, which is a sort of YA prequel to her popular Dark Hunter novels, with art by JiYoung Ahn. I’ve never read any of Kenyon’s hugely epic series; I really never thought they’d be my thing. And despite the more appealing (to me) YA vibe of this particular corner of Kenyon’s universe, I’m afraid the graphic novel adaptation may only be reinforcing my original impression of her work.

Fourteen-year-old Nick Gautier is in a tough spot. Though his greatest priority in life is trying to do right by his mom, who works herself to the bone as an exotic dancer to keep him fed and clothed, an unpleasant combination of school bullies and unwanted peer pressure are pushing him hard down a destructive path. And unfortunately, these aren’t the only forces seeking to wreak havoc on Nick’s life.

As his neighborhood falls victim to an infestation of living zombies, it becomes clear that Nick is much more than an ordinary human, and two warring supernatural factions are making a play for his soul. With a host of mysterious figures vying for his loyalty, young Nick struggles to figure out who he can actually trust—all the while, his future self looks on, desperately seeking to change his own path.

If the paragraph I just typed above was the total sum of what goes on in this series’ first volume, that would be a lot to handle in a single installment. Still, I wish that were the case—because the truth is, there’s soooo much more. So much, in fact, that I came out of the volume feeling utterly at a loss as to how to process what I’d read. This volume throws so many characters and supernatural concepts out at once that I think I might have done better if I’d stopped to take notes. And though I actually like being tossed in the middle of a complicated universe and certainly I’ve loved and even praised jam-packed openings like this in the past—the first volume of Pandora Hearts springs immediately to mind—what Pandora Hearts had that Dark Hunters: Infinity lacks is a set of characters so immediately compelling that anything else is rendered a non-issue.

Kenyon’s characters look like they should be compelling from the outset—a scrappy, underdog hero, a long-suffering mom, and a large collection of attractive, mysterious supernatural beings, each with his or her own unique abilities—but the further in you get the more generic they feel.

I’m suspect this reads more coherently as a novel—and maybe the characterization is deeper as well. But as it stands, I’m unimpressed.

MICHELLE: I reckon it makes business sense for Yen Press to produce these graphic novel adaptations, and sometimes they’re genuinely worth reading—Soulless is pretty fun, for example—but sometimes the original is just too sprawling and complex for it to work. And when the original is something that didn’t appeal much to me in the first place, I’m afraid I just can’t get excited about an adaptation.

MJ: Well said, on all counts. I expect I’ll continue with this series for at least one more volume, but I admit that the prospect feels a bit like a chore.

So, speaking of adaptations, our mutual read this week happens to be one as well! Want to give as an introduction?

MICHELLE: Sure!

Due out this Tuesday from VIZ is the first volume of Tiger & Bunny, which is, as the front cover proclaims, “based on the hit anime series!” Before I began reading, I knew two things about Tiger & Bunny—1) it was a popular anime and 2) it involves superheroes. After I finished… I still pretty much knew only those two things.

In the metropolis known as Sternbild City, there’s a popular reality show known as Hero TV, which bills itself as “rescue entertainment” and broadcasts heroes’ attempts to save civilians and foil criminals and rates them on their efforts. One such hero, Wild Tiger, has been around a long time and declined a great deal in popularity with the audience (he also has a ridiculous costume) and clashes pretty quickly with Barnaby Brooks, Jr., the newcomer who bucks tradition by showing his face to the audience. Practically immediately, the corporate bosses behind the show have paired them up and they’ve got to work together to stop a bullied kid with the ability to animate giant statues.

The volume goes by really quickly, and it felt to me like an episode of some Saturday morning cartoon.

MJ: I had very much the same reaction as you did here, Michelle. The volume whips by so quickly, my first thought when I finished it was that I really wished we were getting it in omnibus editions, because I felt like I didn’t have a chance to get to know the characters or story at all beyond the basic premise.

On the upside, unlike Dark Hunters: Infinity, what little we did get to see in these characters gave me a lot of hope that we have something more to learn. Right from the get-go, it’s clear that Wild Tiger, who is dangerously close to becoming a has-been, is at odds with the studio regarding more than just his declining ratings. Unwilling to strategically delay his heroic acts to coincide neatly with commercial breaks, Tiger appears to be the only hero in the bunch to still prioritize minor details like actually saving people over maintaining corporate sponsorships. And though Barnaby (whom he irreverently nicknames “Bunny” near the end of the volume) has been set up as his superior (Tiger is actually referred to as his “assistant” at one point), one can assume that he’s got a lot to learn from idealistic Tiger.

It’s not the deepest stuff, perhaps, but I’ll admit that the end of the volume left me genuinely wishing for more, rather than simply shrugging at its incompleteness.

MICHELLE: Although the ending is a bit hokey, it is true that Tiger’s the one responsible for saving the day for everyone in the situation. I admit to actually being a bit more curious about the supporting cast, some of whom are very quirky. At this point, I think I’d rather know more about Rock Bison than our two protagonists.

MJ: I guess we’ll just have to wait for the next installment to see if we can truly grasp the source of the anime series’ popularity. Fortunately, there’s enough here to keep us curious, at least for now.

PictureBox to publish five manga this year

April 5, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

PictureBox has plans to publish five manga in 2013, including Osamu Tezuka’s The Mysterious Underground Men; ICv2 has the details.

Lissa Pattillo checks out this week’s new manga releases in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA. Sean Gaffney looks forward to next week’s new releases at A Case Suitable for Treatment.

Moonlitasteria has some personal reflections on digital vs. print manga.

Reviews

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Barrage (I Reads You)
Connie C. on Doing Time, Disappearance Diary, and Panorama of Hell (Comics Should Be Good)
Milo on Gundam: The Origin (Blog of the North Star)
Michael Buntag on vol. 9 of Honey and Clover (NonSensical Words)
Matthew Warner on vol. 3 of Is This A Zombie? (The Fandom Post)
TSOTE on vol. 32 of QED (Three Steps Over Japan)
Kristin on Sakuran (Tentative) (Comic Attack)