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Danza

December 10, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Natsume Ono. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Morning Two. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.

After seeing how popular (well, popular with manga bloggers) Natsume Ono’s other works were when Viz Media was putting her stuff out, Kodansha decided they wanted to get in on the game as well. After all, Ono didn’t only write for Ikki and Manga Erotics F, she also did stuff for Morning Two, Kodansha’s alternative manga magazine best known for Saint Young Men (which will never be licensed here ever). And Danza seems to be a good test market – it’s a collection of one-shot short stories, so little investment is required, and it deals with the same thing most of Ono’s best manga deal with – awkward conversations between people who have trouble communicating.

As with a lot of short story collections, it’s a mixed bag. Viz also did some of her collected short stories, and I think it shows that she works better at a slightly longer form with characters we can invest in (such as Ristorante Paradiso/Gente). Of course, this doesn’t mean that this collection doesn’t have some excellent stuff. But these are stories that are meant to provoke a wistful mood, with only one of them (involving Italian ices and police officers) even getting close to giving me a wry grin. When you draw mild, somewhat sad low-key manga, you need to anticipate that the reaction will be somewhat low-key as well. There’s also one short-story here that didn’t work for me, involving time-travel and father-son relationships. I felt this one added one too many plot complications, which is ironic given that almost 40 of its 60 pages are taken up with sitting at a table talking.

But as I said above, when Ono is on her game there’s no one I enjoy reading better. The best stories here involve things, again, I’ve seen from her before – grumpy fathers (or father figures) who gruffly disguise any feelings or emotions they may have under a veneer of indifference, doubly helped by the fact that they’re taciturn and uncommunicative naturally. Long pauses, saying things slightly poorly, shutting up for hours because you don’t want to risk spoiling the mood further… these are all things any reader is familiar with no matter what the country. And these stories (which take place in not only Italy, Ono’s default country, but also the United States and Japan)make you yearn for that connection, make you want to see everyone work it out. You want to see people talk, but it’s not drawn out enough that you’re yelling at the page.

As for Ono’s art, it is what it is, and I don’t think too many people read the story for her expressions. Which is a shame, as they fit her mood so well. If you have skill at drawing men who sort of frown and glance downwards furtively, well then write stories that use that! Ono’s heroes tend to look shifty even if they aren’t, which can sometimes help to pace a story as well, particularly the final one about a police officer and his new recruit, who’s listening to far too many rumors.

This isn’t going to be a knock-out up there with the best of Ono’s works, but nor is it just a collection of throwaways. It’s a Natsume Ono book, and if you don’t know what you’re getting by now it may not be for you. For those who do, it’s more of the same. (furtive glance to the side, frowns) And that’s enough.

(This review was based on a copy provided by the publisher.)

Off the Shelf: Sweet Blue Flowers, Bunny Drop, Thermae Romae

December 9, 2012 by MJ and Michelle Smith 4 Comments

MICHELLE: Hey, MJ! What game would you play with a wombat?

MJ: Well, wow, I don’t know! What game would you play with a wombat?

MICHELLE: Wom!

MJ: Heh. Okay, it actually took a moment for me to get that. I must need more coffee!

MICHELLE: Maybe so! While you’re getting caffeinated, wanna tell us about some manga you read this week?

MJ: Sure! Those who took in my new video feature this week, My Week in Manga, may be anticipating this as my first topic for today—I’m talking about Sweet Blue Flowers (Aoi Hana) by Takako Shimura. The first volume is now available at JManga, and I could not be more thrilled. I’ve been waiting to read this series for a long time, and I’m so happy that it’s finally available in English.

Sweet Blue Flowers has two protagonists—Akira Okudaira, a young woman just beginning her first year at an elite all-girls high school, and Fumi Manjoume, Akira’s childhood friend who has just moved back into the area after ten years (though she’s attending a different all-girls school). Fumi is a lesbian, and shortly after we meet her, she discovers that her older cousin, Chizu, with whom she’s been having a sexual relationship for some time, has become engaged to be married. Heartbroken, Fumi turns to Akira for comfort, cementing their renewed friendship. Akira is relatively innocent about matters of the heart, but when Fumi begins dating an upperclassman, Yasuko, she finds Akira to be a supportive confidante—the first she’s ever really had. Meanwhile, Akira’s classmate, Kyouko, who has a long-time crush on Yasuko, tries to pawn off her arranged fiance on Akira.

Like Shimura’s earlier series, Wandering Son, Sweet Blue Flowers is a quiet, emotionally complex story that addresses its characters’ sexuality, burgeoning sense of self, and considerable teen angst with thoughtfulness and real gravity, while also carefully providing them with a support system that keeps their sense of fear and isolation from overtaking the narrative. Manga fans who long for teen-oriented series’ depicting fantastic female friendships will find everything they’re looking for in this series, along with so much more.

Though the initial onslaught of new characters inhabiting two different girls’ schools can be a bit overwhelming, the story soon settles in on its primary relationships and how these schools’ social circles intertwine. This aspect of the story mainly revolves around Yasuko, who transferred from Akira’s school to Fumi’s, and whose romantic history looks to be far more complicated than she lets on. The series’ exploration of these girls’ romantic fantasies and inner lives should ring true to any adult woman still in touch with her teenaged self, and this is really its greatest strength. Sweet Blue Flowers doesn’t romanticize first love, but it does let us in to its characters‘ romantic hearts, with a level of authenticity that’s less common than one might expect, especially in stories about young girls.

I admit, I’d love to see a high-end print version of this series similar to Wandering Son‘s, especially as the visual quality of JManga’s edition makes text sometimes difficult to read, but overall I’m just grateful to be able to read it at all. This is really a treasure.

MICHELLE: I’ve really wanted to read this series for a long time, so I too am really grateful that it’s available in English at last! JManga has released a fair amount of yuri in the past year, but this does seem to be the most “emotionally complex” one yet. And probably utterly devoid of fanservice.

MJ: Yes, it’s completely fanservice-free, which is a bigger relief than I even expected it to be. I’m so accustomed to just wading through fanservice, I sometimes forget how relaxing it is to read without it.

So what have you been reading this week?

MICHELLE: I’ve spent the interval since our last column getting caught up on Yumi Unita’s josei series Bunny Drop.

Let me state right up front that I was spoiled on the ending of this series before I even began reading it, and have found that this advanced knowledge has colored my reading to the extent that I really can’t avoid talking about it. So, if you don’t want to be spoiled on the ending of Bunny Drop, you should probably skip down to where we start talking about Thermae Romae.

After four volumes depicting single guy Daikichi Kawachi’s experience raising his six-year-old aunt, Rin, Bunny Drop skipped ahead ten years for its fifth volume. Since then, it’s focused more on Rin as a teenager, her disappointment with childhood friend/love interest Kouki, and her uncertainty over her future. Before I get into my complaints, I want to note that Rin’s truly an interesting character. Serious, studious, responsible, domestic, and reserved, it’s refreshing to read about someone who’s simultaneously classy and occasionally prickly. In this volume, her observations of the bonds shared by friends and their mothers causes her to contemplate the nature of motherhood and to ultimately seek out her own. She does eventually meet Masako—another unique character who’s prickly, defensive, and yet somehow sympathetic—but the volume ends with her concluding that living with Daikichi is best.

All of this sounds perfectly innocent without the foreknowledge that Rin and Daikichi are going to end up as a couple. But because I know that, I have seen Unita urging the story in that direction ever since the fifth volume. I might’ve found Rin’s reaction to Kouki’s astoundingly poor decision-making more poignant, had I not been cynically observing, “Had to cross him off the list.” I had the same reaction when Daikichi and Kouki’s mother eventually decide not to get together. Because this seventh volume is mostly concerned with Rin and Masako meeting, there’s less of that, but it’s still present in the form of an awkward sniff-test that I guess is supposed to confirm that Daikichi is not too close a relation to be genetically viable and Rin’s realization that she doesn’t want anyone else to take care of Daikichi in his old age. This, coupled with scenes in which Daikichi confirms that she’ll always be his kid, just makes everything kind of… confusing and icky.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Bunny Drop is still a good read, and I am trying to keep an open mind that Unita will somehow manage to bring these two together romantically in a way that won’t make my skin crawl. (I pray that we get another ten-year time jump first!) But I can’t deny that I wish it had remained in its quasi-Yotsuba?! state indefinitely.

MJ: I admit I’m not feeling the “icky” as much as you are, and perhaps that’s because I was spoiled much later, after I already had the chance to fall in love with the characters and the story in general. Also, I just may not be as squicked by the concept in general. But I agree that the story has been nudging Rin in this direction since the time-jump, and knowing the ending in advance has certainly affected the way I view both Rin and Daikichi’s romantic lives. More and more, though, I’m feeling confident that Unita will be able to pull this off in a way that’s moving and sweet instead of gross. I hope I’m right?

MICHELLE: I really hope so, too.

Anyway, you want to do the honors and introduce Thermae Romae?

MJ: Sure! So, as we’ve mentioned, our mutual read this week is the first volume of Mari Yamazaki’s Thermae Romae, published in true hardcover glory by Yen Press. It’s an award-winning manga in Japan that’s spawned both an anime series and a popular live-action film, and it’s been ongoing in Enterbrain’s seinen magazine Comic Beam since 2008.

Lucius Modestus is an architect in ancient Rome, whose old-style bathhouse designs are falling out of favor. A true devotee of the public bath, Lucius goes for a soak to clear his thoughts after losing an important contract. As he sinks deeper into the bath, he is suddenly sucked into a drainage pipe, only to find himself finally emerging in modern-day Japan! Thrilled by the “flat-faces”‘ (as he calls them) advances in public bathing, he returns to his own time full of new ideas, which become all the rage in Rome, establishing him as an architectural genius.

Each new chapter roughly repeats this formula (Lucius hits a snag in his own design, time-travels to Japan, and returns with the plan for Rome’s next great bath), which I admit I found a bit wearying over time, though I certainly learned a lot about baths!

MICHELLE: More than anything, Thermae Romae actually reminds me of Ekiben Hitoritabi (available from JManga), which is the likewise repetitious story of a train/bento enthusiast who travels around Japan, marveling at both trains and bento and finding nothing in his travels to dislike. Similarly, each time Lucius comes to Japan he finds it wondrous and deserving of enthusiastic mental praise. At one point, during the chapter in which he discovers onsen, the hard-boiled eggs cooked in the hot water, and the sake served along with them, he utters a line of dialogue that could’ve been completely lifted from Ekiben: “Fantastic! It goes perfectly with the egg!”

So, basically, Thermae Romae is to baths what Ekiben Hitoritabi is to trains and bento lunches. It’s a celebration of a unique aspect of Japanese culture that is a little bemusing perhaps for Westerners to read, but still entertaining.

This makes me wonder… why did Thermae Romae get a deluxe hardcover release while Ekiben is only available digitally? Certainly the time-travel aspect offers a modicum of intrigue, but I think the main difference might rest in Yamazaki’s art style. The volume’s large size and glossy pages, coupled with Yamazaki’s realistic renderings (of Lucius in particular), contribute to the impression that this is actually a Western graphic novel of distinguished literary merit! Yen must be hoping to attract a wider audience with this release than simply manga fans.

MJ: I think you may have a very good point. For what’s essentially an episodic gag manga, the artwork is really quite gorgeous, particularly in its depictions of ancient Rome. It’s a strange and awesome combination, really, when you consider that there’s an entire section regarding toilets (down to the details of Roman wiping), depicted with this really lovely, rather sensitive artwork instead of crude, gross-out drawings or clinical, non-fiction diagrams—either of which would be more likely to accompany the subject matter. Yen’s high-end treatment emphasizes the erudite nature of the series, which isn’t at all inappropriate, but I’ll be interested to see who its audience really is.

MICHELLE: Speaking of the gag aspect… until I got to the part about the toilets, I was feeling kind of dubious about the front flap’s claim that Thermae Romae is a “historical comedy.” However, Lucius accusing the bidet of being an “insolent knave!!” changed my mind.

MJ: Heh, yes, the toilet section did provide some of the best humor, I have to admit!

A Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 6

December 9, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Miyoshi Tomori. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialized in the magazine Margaret. Released in North America by Viz.

This manga has been on my Bookshelf Briefs stack for the past few volumes, but it completely steps up its game here, so I feel I should do the same. We were in danger of hitting a rut and resolving things too early, with Maria’s latest antagonist, Anna, proving to be another in a series of foes that Maria and her harem… um, friends can win over with honest feelings and stubborn refusal to give up. But in this volume, we see that Anna is made of far sterner antagonist stuff, and steps up her game in a way that tries to both destroy Maria’s life *and* win the affection of Shin.

I’m quite impressed with the author, who has made Anna a villain who ruins the heroine’s life, through the usual shoujo tricks (oh dear, I threw your cellphone into the river by accident) and by things that only Anna could really utilize (telling Shin about Maria’s past). Both work quite well, but the latter really takes hold more than the former. And yet with all that said, it’s somewhat startling that I still really hope that she and Maria can work things out in the end. Maria, as we’ve noted before, *is* genuinely very hard to be around sometimes, and this would have been especially true given what happened between her and Anna. And clearly Anna is not doing this entirely out of pure hatred, given her reaction in that last scene.

Speaking of that last scene, it’s one of the best in the series to date, with Maria once again attempting to sacrifice herself in order to ‘protect’ someone else. Admittedly, this being Maria, it comes from a series of harsh truths and insults, but the heart behind it is there. And Anna can see that heart, which just makes it worse. Her final comment ‘You’re terrible at playing the devil’ is true – Maria is at her worst when she’s wallowing in her own self-hatred and trying to make everyone else see the same things she does.

And then there’s the revelation about Maria’s past that Anna shows Shin. While I’m not sure I buy the whole ‘it’s all Maria’s fault’ that was tossed in, I’m inclined to think the basic facts are true. I like that it took a lot for Shin to buy into this – actual newspaper clippings. Shin is not your typical guy who will believe anything a pretty face tells him. That said, this does affect Shin, but not in the way Anna expects – he’s now hell bent on helping Maria get over the trauma that this has left on her, and his discomfort around her stems from this. And I can see why he’s reacting this way – I mean seriously, how much more tragic can we possibly make Maria’s life?

All this plus we see Yusuke finally making his own move, even if he has to continue to couch it in ‘just kidding’ terms (which is going to come back to kick him in the ass one of these days). I think the audience now knows which pairing we’ll end up with by the end, but there’s 7 volumes still to go, so I’m fine with Yusuke showing he wants to be more than just a romantic runner-up – especially since he doesn’t have the knowledge Shin or Anna do. And by the way, the teacher from hell? Still there, still horrible. HE MUST GO. But the rest of the volume? Awesome.

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 9 December

December 9, 2012 by Matt Blind 1 Comment

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

Correction: The series Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus & Liar’s Game, tracked in the charts since 17 June, was incorrectly listed as a Yen Press title. Alice in the Country of Joker is actually from Seven Seas. The charts affected have been edited, but I wanted to apologize again for the error.

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [419.3] ::
2. ↑1 (3) : Death Note vols 1-13 box set – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2008 [408.0] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Naruto 59 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [393.2] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Vampire Knight 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [363.8] ::
5. ↑4 (9) : Maximum Ride 6 – Yen Press, Sep 2012 [352.4] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Sailor Moon vols 1-6 box set – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [341.1] ::
7. ↑4 (11) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [318.0] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [316.1] ::
9. ↓-3 (6) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [315.8] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Alice in the Country of Clover Cheshire Cat Waltz 3 – Seven Seas, Nov 2012 [315.8] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 102
Viz Shonen Jump 83
Viz Shojo Beat 54
Kodansha Comics 52
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 36
Seven Seas 27
Dark Horse 17
Viz 17
Del Rey 12
Vizkids 11

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,040.8] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [787.5] ::
3. ↑2 (5) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [653.7] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [624.6] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Black Butler – Yen Press [621.0] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Alice in the Country of Clover – Seven Seas [557.6] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [515.7] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [508.3] ::
9. ↑1 (10) : Soul Eater – Yen Press [430.5] ::
10. ↑3 (13) : Pokemon – Vizkids [400.5] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [419.3] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Naruto 59 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [393.2] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Vampire Knight 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [363.8] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Sailor Moon vols 1-6 box set – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [341.1] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Alice in the Country of Clover Cheshire Cat Waltz 3 – Seven Seas, Nov 2012 [315.8] ::
12. ↑62 (74) : Black Bird 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2012 [273.6] ::
15. ↑2 (17) : Blue Exorcist 8 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2012 [250.9] ::
19. ↓-11 (8) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 10 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2012 [246.3] ::
24. ↑33 (57) : Bleach 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [231.9] ::
29. ↑154 (183) : D. Gray-Man 23 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2012 [210.6] ::

[more]

Preorders

20. ↓-6 (14) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [245.1] ::
34. ↓-10 (24) : Sailor Moon 10 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2013 [189.0] ::
58. ↓-20 (38) : Sailor Moon 12 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2013 [148.8] ::
59. ↓-16 (43) : Sailor Moon 11 – Kodansha Comics, May 2013 [146.9] ::
89. ↓-19 (70) : Negima! 37 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [114.3] ::
101. ↑7 (108) : Alice in the Country of Joker Circus & Liar’s Game 1 – Seven Seas, Feb 2013 [98.7] ::
107. ↑4 (111) : Battle Angel Alita Last Order 17 – Kodansha Comics, Feb 2013 [96.5] ::
111. ↓-11 (100) : Alice in the Country of Joker Circus & Liar’s Game 2 – Seven Seas, May 2013 [93.8] ::
117. ↓-5 (112) : Naruto 60 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2013 [89.6] ::
121. ↓-11 (110) : Negima! 38 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2013 [87.9] ::

[more]

Manhwa

240. (new) : Let Dai 15 – Netcomics, Dec 2008 [46.5] ::
364. ↓-144 (220) : Bride of the Water God 12 – Dark Horse, Nov 2012 [27.6] ::
467. ↑25 (492) : March Story 4 – Viz Signature, Oct 2012 [20.5] ::
642. (new) : Chocolat 8 – Yen Press, Dec 2012 [11.7] ::
819. ↓-181 (638) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [6.9] ::
927. ↓-308 (619) : Black God 8 – Yen Press, Feb 2010 [5.0] ::
950. ↑316 (1266) : March Story 3 – Viz Signature, Oct 2011 [4.7] ::
999. ↑ (last ranked 18 Nov 12) : Zero The Beginning of the Coffin 1 – Infinity Studios, Mar 2006 [4.0] ::
1071. ↓-203 (868) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [3.1] ::
1098. ↑86 (1184) : Jack Frost 6 – Yen Press, Sep 2012 [2.9] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

110. ↑6 (116) : Awkward Silence 2 – SuBLime, Oct 2012 [93.9] ::
135. ↑18 (153) : Alice the 101st 3 – DMP DokiDoki, Jan 2013 [77.1] ::
149. ↓-18 (131) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [70.6] ::
167. ↑59 (226) : Ze 7 – 801 Media, Jan 2013 [64.8] ::
210. ↑2249 (2459) : A Century of Temptation – DMP Juné, Apr 2013 [51.8] ::
240. (new) : Let Dai 15 – Netcomics, Dec 2008 [46.5] ::
254. ↓-32 (222) : Loveless 9 – Viz, Sep 2012 [43.8] ::
266. (new) : Otodama: Voice from the Dead 2 – DMP DokiDoki, Oct 2013 [41.0] ::
277. ↓-10 (267) : I’ve Seen It All 2 – DMP Juné, Dec 2012 [39.5] ::
335. ↑ (last ranked 4 Sep 11) : Reversible 1 – DMP Juné, Sep 2009 [30.0] ::

[more]

Ebooks

21. ↑2 (23) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [240.9] ::
38. ↑4 (42) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [185.1] ::
47. ↑4 (51) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [164.0] ::
50. ↑13 (63) : Maximum Ride 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [159.3] ::
71. ↑19 (90) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [136.9] ::
79. ↑5 (84) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [123.0] ::
92. ↑4 (96) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [112.1] ::
104. ↑21 (125) : Naruto 1 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [97.4] ::
108. ↑32 (140) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [95.8] ::
154. ↑11 (165) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [68.3] ::

[more]

Combat Commentary: Fullmetal Alchemist Ch. 91-92 Alphonse & Heinkel vs. Pride & Kimbley

December 8, 2012 by Derek Bown 2 Comments

What Happened?
With the rest of the cast joining in on the attack on Central, Alphonse and Heinkel, the Lion Chimera, stay behind to detain the Homunculus Pride. Unknown to them, Pride calls for help, and is answered by the Crimson Alchemist, Kimbley, who easily takes out Heinkel and frees Pride.

What Happens?
Alphonse, badly injured by Pride, manages to create a dust cloud and tries to escape with Heinkel. When he refuses to leave Heinkel behind and save himself, despite the Chimera’s insistence, Heinkel gives Alphonse the philosopher’s stone he picked up back in the North.

(click images to enlarge)

Armed with the power of the stone, Alphonse fights Pride and Kimbley, even going so far as succeeding in trapping Pride again. He and Kimbley share philosophies for a moment when Kimbley reveals that he has another philosopher’s stone hidden away. With it, he frees Pride and the battle seems to turn against Alphonse as he is restrained.

Alphonse reveals that he no longer has the stone, having given it to Marco who was using the dust to read the direction the wind was blowing. Just as he is about to warn Kimbley, the transformed Heinkel pounces from the dust and sinks his teeth into Kimbley’s neck.

What Does it Mean?
It means that Hiromu Arakawa is a master of cliff hangers. Consider this, those of you that read these chapters when they were first published in the States. Imagine that you were reading chapter 92 as it was being released monthly. Really let that image sink in—consider that Kimbley was one of the biggest bastards in the entire Fullmetal Alchemist series. Imagine the sense of elation at seeing his doom. Imagine the nagging sense that maybe he would still survive. Was this the end for him? Characters in manga had survived worse. But then again, Fullmetal Alchemist was always more realistic about what kind of injuries could be survived. Imagine, if you will, all these thoughts racing through your head, all heading towards the realization that you had to wait another month before you get your answers.

That’s what it must have been like, reading this fight as the series was being published. Reading it from the volumes all one must do is turn the page for the next chapter. Reading it chapter by chapter as each new one came out, would have made that moment all the more sweet and frustrating.

But what about the fight itself? Well, for one it was Alphonse’s big character moment. He’d had his moments in the past, but this was the first time he really got to dish out some punishment, and he did it beautifully. In my last column about Fullmetal Alchemist I talked about the Armstrongs’ fight against Sloth. While I very much like that fight—as I do most fights from this series, of which there are many that will be covered in this column—anytime Edward or Alphonse fights it’s always a much more interesting fight.

Rather than focus on just one type of alchemy, the Elric brothers can form almost anything they want, which makes for some very interesting fights that rarely get dull. This one especially used a lot of interesting trickery, which was necessitated by the fact that they were fighting a far superior opponent. Even at the end they are unable to defeat Pride and have to escape with their lives.

There are a lot of reasons to like Fullmetal Alchemist. One of my main reasons is perfectly illustrated in this fight. The deep imagination that went into the creation of this world, story, and magic system. It’s one of my all-time favorite manga, and I can’t wait to spend more of your time ranting about how awesome the fights are.

Toriko, Vol. 13

December 8, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

Again, it’s been a long time since I reviewed Toriko on the main blog as opposed to a Bookshelf Brief. Jump series in general tend to lend themselves well to a paragraph rather than four or five paragraphs, especially when the volume in question is ‘they fight for 10 chapters’. Luckily, there’s a lot less fighting and a lot more character development here, although we do get the daily required amount of huge fictional animals, death-inducing climates, and large muscled men beating things up, all things Toriko requires for its daily nutritional value.

It seems appropriate that the Ozone Grass, the astonishing vegetable Toriko and Komatsu had spent most of last volume climbing to, turns out to be a pointer to both of the major themes of this episode. First off, it’s something that requires two people to work together to eat it properly, showing off the friendship part of Shonen Jump’s traditional motto. Toriko and Komatsu have been close since Volume 1, but there’s always been a bit of a tagalong ‘normal guy’ aspect to Komatsu, with Toriko going off on some dangerous quests on his own when he didn’t think Komatsu up to the challenge. These scenes really show off how important Komatsu has become in Toriko’s life, and that he really is perfect as Toriko’s partner. (I’d talk about the BL subtext, but I’ve mentioned that in prior reviews.)

And then, amazingly, after one of the more heartwarming scenes in the entire series, Toriko promptly misses the entire point and goes off to Gourmet World on his own, something so amazingly stupid you want to smack your head. In general, we haven’t really seen Toriko’s youth and inexperience all that often in the series to date, and indeed I sometimes forget that he’s only about 25 years old or so. But then, Toriko is always after the big experience, and notably when Sunny finds out what he’s about to do he doesn’t say anything, knowing that Toriko is the sort who is only likely to learn through bitter experience.

And bitter experience is exactly what he gets, as Gourmet World turns out to be a hellish environment straight out of nightmares. The sheer scale of all these dangers when compared with Toriko (who, as has been noted, is pretty huge) boggles the mind, and you have to wonder how he’ll get out of there. The answer is ‘saved by a stronger character’, of course, but only in order to drive home the two important morals of this volume. 1) Toriko is not ready for Gourmet World yet, and 2) Toriko, needs a partner, REPEATED FOR ADDED EMPHASIS. Luckily, this time around he seems to get the point, even if this means we are treated to a sobbing Komatsu spicing up Toriko’s food with something he really doesn’t want.

Unfortunately, Komatsu’s cooking knife is broken, and they head off to get a new one from the amazing knife master Melk. Who looks… suspiciously bishie for a character described as scar-covered and a loner. I sense a surprise coming next volume. In the meantime, this volume gave Toriko some much-needed humility, and saw him finally form what will hopefully be an equal partnership with Komatsu. All this, plus lots of weird animals getting beaten up. What’s not to love?

New manga, digital manga, bargain manga

December 7, 2012 by Brigid Alverson

I wrote up my picks from this week’s new releases, including a new Natsume Ono short story collection, at MTV Geek.

Jason Thompson takes a look at some digital manga available via ComicLoud in his latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

MJ debuts a new feature at Manga Bookshelf: My Week in Manga, a video roundup of what she has been reading and what she plans to read.

Julie Opipari takes a good look at the latest issue of Shonen Jump Alpha.

Erica Friedman has found some bargains on yuri bundles at RightStuf.com

Reviews: Carlo Santos looks over a handful of new releases in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

Kate O’Neil on vol. 2 of Attack on Titan (The Fandom Post)
Connie on A Bride’s Story, A Devil and Her Love Song, and MAOH: Juvenile Remix (Comics Should Be Good)
Justin on vols. 9 and 10 of Cross Manage (Organization ASG)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 6 of A Devil and Her Love Song (The Comic Book Bin)
Paige McKee on vol. 2 of Jiu Jiu (Sequential Tart)
Ken H on vol. 13 of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Comics Should Be Good)
Omar, Melanie, and Tommy on Message to Adolf, vol. 20 of Claymore, and vol. 1 of Heroman (About Heroes)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 2 of Oh My Goddess! (Blogcritics)
Katherine Hanson on vol. 2 of Paros no Ken (Yuri no Boke)
Patti Martinson on Three Wolves Mountain (Sequential Tart)
Ashley on Wandering Son (Rabbit Library)

It Came from the Sinosphere: A Deadly Secret (Part 2)

December 7, 2012 by Sara K. 1 Comment

You may read Part 1 here.

The Fighting

It would probably be unfair to say that the fights in this series are just indiscriminate sword-clanging. But I think most of the fights are no more than one notch above that level.

The thing is, to get good on-screen fighting, you need the following:

1. A good fight choreographer
2. Skilled performers (actors and/or stunt people)
3. Tons and tons of rehearsal time

Now, a great fight choreographer can compensate for less skilled performers, and very talented performers can compensate for a mediocre fight choreographer … but nothing can compensate for a lack of rehearsal time.

All of the above costs quite a bit of money. Particularly the rehearsal time.

I suspect this was outside this TV series’ budget.

Given that they couldn’t afford good fighting, I think they handled the fights pretty well. Though the choreography itself was not exciting, at least the fights moved the story forward. And Jin Yong writes his fight scenes so well that they would be engaging even if the performers were wet noodles.

There were a few fight scenes which did stand out … surprisingly, they were mostly fight scenes which weren’t in the original novel (or maybe that shouldn’t be surprising … when you make up your own fight scene, you can choose to do something which will look good without breaking your budget).

The standout for me is definitely the big fight at the end of episode 25 / beginning of episode 26. I never expected I would say this, but this fight works so well because of the set.

Look at that fantastic ribbon leading up to the stand.

It’s a very scenic way for the fighters to run up…

… and get kicked down.

And that stand is a great place for the fighter to stand above the crowd.

But wait!

The stand gets destroyed in the midst of the fighting!

And we have the two fighters standing on drums, while the stand collapses. Now the space has completely changed. Notice that the fighters are still elevated above the crowd. And notice all of those nice tall yellow-and-red streamers, adding nice vertical lines to the scene. With a set like that, it’s okay if the fighting itself is mostly indiscriminate sword-clanging.

I also need to give points to the costume designer who gave Di Yun such a swishy white outfit. It makes his ~~dancing~~ sword-fighting look more graceful.

Even if you don’t understand Mandarin, I highly recommend watching this fight scene yourself, because I don’t think I can adequately describe it with words and screenshots alone. You can see it in this youtube video (it starts around the 17 minute mark).

Life in an Unjust World

In a way, this is the harshest, bleakest, and most relenting of Jin Yong’s stories. The world is full of greedy people who really aren’t concerned with ethics … and they ruin the lives of the people who actually do follow some ethical principles. Again. And again. And again.

The characters could have easily been portrayed as being just black and white, and I think the TV series does go in that direction for some of the characters. However, rather than showing people as being innately good or evil, it shows that some people choose to prioritize money and power over other people, and let their greed corrupt them …. and other people choose to prioritize other people over money and power. Alas, the people who prioritize money and power tend to actually get more money and power.

Yet when money and power are not involved, the ‘bad’ guys can actually do good things and be very nice people. They don’t want to do evil. They merely don’t mind doing evil.

There is something called the ‘just world fallacy’ (TRIGGER WARNING for the link) – in other words, people want to believe that life is fair. It’s called a ‘fallacy’ because there is lots of evidence that the world is not, in fact, fair.

To pick one example (I could pick many other examples) a bunch of financial firms in the United States bribed politicians to loosen regulations, then violated even the watered-down regulations, committed fraud on a wide scale, blew up a giant housing bubble which made shelter less affordable for tens of millions of people, and which destroyed over 40% of the net wealth of middle-class Americans when it burst. Were the CEOs fired, the financial firms broken down, and serious criminal investigations launched? No! The financial firms got large government bailouts, the CEOs saw their pay increase, tens of millions of people lost their jobs and homes, fraudulent foreclosures are poisoning the centuries-old chain-of-title system which are essential to property rights, etc etc. Oh, and the statue of limitations on their crimes is coming up, which will make them immune to prosecution. This is not what a fair and just world looks like.

A variant of Sartre’s hell: being stuck in the mountains with somebody you don’t like (fortunately, for them, they stop disliking each other, which improves their quality of live).

Justice does sometimes happen in the world, but only by random luck, or when people insist on justice happening. And when people already think that the world is just, they aren’t motivated to do the hard work required to insist on justice.

Most fiction (okay, most fiction that I’m familiar with) supports the just-world fallacy – the good guys win and the bad guys lose. Like most people, I also want to believe the just-world fallacy, so in a way it’s very comforting. Such fiction serves as an escape, which probably is necessary for one’s mental well-being. But I don’t want all of my fiction to be like that.

The TV series does make the story a little more just than the original novel. For example, in the TV series (but, IIRC, not the novel), the bad guys are often plagued with nightmares filled with the ghosts of the people they have wronged. It’s a nice idea that everybody who commits evil is tortured by their consciences, but I don’t think reality always works out that way.

There’s also a new subplot in the TV series where the good guys defeat one of the bad guys very neatly. On one level, I loved watching that, because it’s nice to see the characters I like delivering a character I hate what he deserves. On another level, it makes the world of the story a little more fair, which I think goes a little against the point of the story.

This detestable character finally gets impaled on the spear of justice (the character in the background means ‘justice’). This does not happen in the original novel.

The power of this story, for me, is that it shows that, in spite of the fact that the world is unfair, it is still a wonderful to be alive.

First, integrity is its own reward. Even if you lose, lose, and lose, integrity is still worth something.

Second, there are wonderful people in the world. It is only by staying alive that one will ever have the opportunity to connect with them. And a good relationship is worth the hardship of living in an unjust world.

Of course [SPOILTER] the bad guys blow themselves up with their own greed at the end, and the good guys who are not dead get an ending that is, if not joyful, at least has some contentment. There is a limit to how much unjustness even I can stand in a story, and I’m not sure I could have taken it if the bad guys were all allowed to live happily into old age in luxury. But this story certainly takes the unjustness of the world a bit farther than a lot of other fiction I’m familiar with.[END SPOILER]

I actually find a story which acknowledges that the world is unjust and how to live on in spite of that more comforting than an escapist tale about a just world.

Availability in English

This TV series is, sadly, not available in English. It would be really nice if somebody fixed that. The novel isn’t available in English either. The only version of this story available in English is the movie, which is available on Region 3 DVD with English subtitles.

Conclusion

This … is actually a good TV series. I had my reservations at the beginning, and it took a number of episodes to win me over … but I totally got sucked into the story all over again. If you understand Chinese, I highly recommend trying this.

The movie is also worth watching.

However, my love ultimately belongs to the original novel. Whenever I go back to a story which I had loved before, I’m always afraid that it won’t be as good as I had remembered it. Sometimes my fears prove correct … but not this time. I noticed some flaws in the story which weren’t apparent to me before, but overall it served as a reminder of why I have come to love this story.

Sara K. actually did take a class on set design (as well as a class on costume design and a class on lighting design). She is not a good designer, but she got a lot of practice describing how various designs help or do not help tell a story. The posts she writes about comics would be really, really different if she hadn’t taken those classes … in fact, when she’s writing about comic book artwork, she often feels like she’s talking to one of her design teachers. Of course, it also bleeds into some of her other posts, like this one.

JManga the Week of 12/13

December 7, 2012 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ 2 Comments

SEAN: I will admit that next week’s crop of JManga offerings don’t give me as much to chatter about. No new series, but a lot of new volumes of series that I am either not reading or woefully behind on. Not to mention Pride and Crazy for You 4 got bumped back a week in a Diamond-esque fashion.

MJ: *snif*

MICHELLE: I also despondent.

SEAN: Recorder and Randsell is a series that I’ve no doubt is cute and heartwarming, but I find almost impossible to get past its incredibly twee premise, with a high school girl who has the body of a small child and her brother, a child with the body of a high schooler. It’s a 4-koma, so no doubt moe gags abound. It’s from Takeshobo.

Also from Takeshobo, we have Vol. 5 of PoyoPoyo’s Observation Diary, the awkwardly titled series about a spherical cat and his family. It has cornered the spherical cat market, I tell you!

MICHELLE: I read the first volume of this and had a mixed reaction. There was enough about it that I liked to compel me to continue, but I must admit that I haven’t yet done so.

SEAN: My Darling Kitten Hair is a BL manga from Libre Shuppan, and I see it described as ‘quirky’. Points off for the popsicle-sucking cover, though they do at least keep it cute and tasteful.

MJ: Okay, I have almost nothing else to say this week except that My Darling Kitten Hair was one of my favorite BL manga of the year AND I AM SO HAPPY. So happy.

Okay, I’m done now.

MICHELLE: The very first thing I thought when I saw this on the list was, “Ooh, MJwill be happy.”

SEAN: Peacemaker Kurogane 4 is out far too soon after Vol. 3 for me to have anything to say.

I admit I haven’t had time to read Madame Joker, but given I’ve liked all the other series that Futabasha has released on JManga from the josei magazine Jour, I’m sure I’ll enjoy this as well. Vol. 3 hits the site.

Lastly, Tactics heads further into double digits with Vol. 11. Did anyone read the Tokyopop version of this?

MICHELLE: Not me.

MJ: Oh, actually I did. I only got a few volumes in, though, before I simply lost interest. Perhaps I should give it another chance? It has lots of pretty costuming.

The Rose of Versailles Debuts On Viki Today!

December 6, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

So normally I don’t talk about anime much, but am making an exception for this. Everyone should watch it. Yes, even you. Here’s the initial press release that came out before NYCC.

Viki Signs Exclusive Deal to Stream Revolutionary Anime Series The Rose of Versailles for the First Time in North America

Ground-Breaking Title by TMS Entertainment LTD to Premiere at New York Comic Con 2012, Streamed on Viki.com Starting December

Viki, Inc., the global TV site powered by avid fans, today announced an exclusive deal with Right Stuf, Inc. to stream The Rose of Versailles, a legendary anime title produced over 30 years ago by TMS Entertainment LTD, based on the manga comic created by Riyoko Ikeda, one of the most well-known manga artists in the world, partly for her progressive characters. A sneak peek of the first episode, subtitled in English, will premiere at the New York Comic Con on October 13 with Anime News Network and anime expert and Tufts University Professor Susan Napier.

This is the first time TMS Entertainment LTD has allowed the series to be released outside of Japan, Asia and Europe and made available for English-speaking audiences in the U.S. and Canada. The 40-episode series will begin streaming on Viki in December with English subtitles. Viki launched its anime channel in March and now has over 100 anime titles from Japan’s largest licensors.

“Many companies have tried unsuccessfully for years to bring The Rose of Versailles to North America,” said Razmig Hovaghimian, Viki CEO and Co-Founder. “We’re honored TMS has entrusted Right Stuf and Viki to bring a true Japanese treasure to our fans.”

The screening will be hosted by Professor Napier, a specialist in modern anime literature and Professor of the Japanese Program at Tufts University. She is author of the groundbreaking book “Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle,” which analyzes sexuality, transgender protagonists, and femininity and masculinity in manga and anime characters.

“When Rose of Versailles burst on the scene in 1972, it was a revolutionary work in many ways,” said Professor Napier. “First of all, it really WAS a work about revolution — the French Revolution of 1789, to be exact — and its historical setting, psychological complexity and adult themes all signaled a new direction in the genre of manga for young girls, known as ‘shojo manga.’”

Even more “revolutionary,” however, was the introduction of a major cross-dressing character, the young woman named Oscar, who befriends and guides the hapless Marie Antoinette as the world churns around her. While much of “Versailles” is historically accurate, Oscar is Ikeda’s own invention, a passionate young woman who dresses and often behaves like a man. Oscar quickly became the series’ most popular protagonist and her gender-bending role not only gave young female readers a new approach to gender and sexuality but also paved the way for the many other gender-ambiguous characters who continue to populate the world of anime today.

“I’m excited that we can work with an innovator like Viki for the online premiere of our production of The Rose of Versailles,” said Shawne Kleckner, President and CEO, Right Stuf, Inc. “Viki’s audience is a great fit for this property, and we look forward to the upcoming broadcast.”

About Viki
Viki is a global TV site with over 12 million monthly viewers who come to watch their favorite TV shows, movies and other premium content, translated into more than 150 languages by a community of avid fans. With over 1 billion videos viewed and nearly 250 million words translated, Viki uniquely brings global prime-time entertainment to new audiences and unlocks new markets and revenue opportunities for content owners. In 2011, Viki announced $20M in Series B funding from strategic investors include BBC Worldwide and SK Planet, a subsidiary of SK Telecom; as well as from existing investors Greylock Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Charles River Ventures and Neoteny Labs, among others.

ABOUT RIGHT STUF, INC.
Currently celebrating its 25th year in business, Right Stuf, Inc. was one of the first players in the U.S. Japanese Animation (“anime”) industry, as both an anime producer/distributor and a retailer. Right Stuf works to promote knowledge of its own products, as well as the anime and manga industry, in general, through its online storefront at RightStuf.com and a variety of media including podcasts and special publications. Its video and print publishing division includes the Nozomi Entertainment, Lucky Penny, and 5 Points Pictures studio-labels. Right Stuf plans to begin releasing The Rose of Versailles on DVD in Spring 2013.

ABOUT TMS ENTERTAINMENT, LTD.
TMS Entertainment, Ltd. (better known as TMS), one of the world’s largest and most distinguished animation studios, has rapidly won recognition from the international filmmaking community for its highly acclaimed animation, pioneering techniques and proud commitment to quality. With its headquarters situated in Tokyo under the supervision of the world’s dedicated team of top development, production and design executives, TMS’s growing reputation is reflected by the versatility, artistry and originality of the remarkable volume of programs the company has produced for the international markets worldwide. Established in the year 1964, TMS has produced more than 100 features, and over 100 TV programming series, in total of 8,000 half hours, for global distribution. TMS also proceeds restoration projects of the titles to keep its highest quality for next generation. TMS is proud to uphold our tradition of presenting to you unforgettable images from the finest animation produced anywhere in the world. TMS’s programs have attained the worldwide recognition and we continue to strive for excellence and lead the animation world throughout the century.