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Pick of the Week: September Bounty

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KATE: After several lean weeks, the Midtown Comics list is bursting at the seams with great titles. I have no doubt that at least one of my fellow Battle Robot members will bang the drum for Osamu Tezuka’s Message to Adolf, which Vertical is re-issuing in a splendid, two-volume hardcover edition, so I’ll plug another Vertical title: volume nine of Chi’s Sweet Home. I adored Chi before I became a cat owner last November — c’mon, what’s not to like about cute kitten antics? — but I’ve developed an even deeper appreciation for the series after living with Francesca. Kanata Konami does a great job of showing the pet-owning experience from both the pet and the person’s point of view, never avoiding those moments that test an owner’s patience: barf, shredded toilet paper, pilfered food, accidents. In the last few volumes, Konami’s done a nice job of expanding Chi’s horizons beyond the confines of her apartment, preventing the story from becoming too cutely claustrophobic or repetitive. Best of all, Chi is one of those rare manga that I could hand to just about anyone — a six-year-old, my mom, a grumpy subway commuter — and know that they’d enjoy it.

SEAN: Tempted as I am to go with one of my many light, fluffy comfort manga which will no doubt make me smile more, I have to admit that the pick of the week is going to be Message to Adolf, the new Tezuka release from Vertical. I never did read the first release of this when Viz put it out back in the day, so am looking forward to seeing what late-period, mature Tezuka can be like. The premise alone sounds good – examining the life of three people named Adolf, one of whom you probably know – but the artwork is also more advanced and detailed, and the book’s design is gorgeous. At about 1200 pages total between the two volumes, this tome is a big investment, but I sense that it’s going to be worth it.

MICHELLE: I am completely on board with both Chi’s Sweet Home and Message to Adolf—I was fortunate enough to be able to read the old VIZ editions via inter-library loan a couple years ago—but I would be remiss if I did not voice my squee at a new volume of Yuu Watase’s Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden appearing on this list! It’s been nearly three years since we’ve had a new installment in this series, which finds Watase revisiting the world of Fushigi Yûgi as a more experienced storyteller. I can’t wait to get caught up, and it makes me even happier that volume eleven isn’t too far behind!

MJ: After all that, I hardly know what to choose! I’ll be anxiously digging in to all three of my colleagues’ picks as soon as I can get my grubby little hands on them, but with such a bounty shipping in this week, I feel I should take the opportunity to spotlight another title. So in the end, I’ll give my nod to volume eight of Natsume Ono’s House of Five Leaves. I’ve made it a habit to champion this title whenever I have the chance, so why stop now? This series really shows off all of Ono’s greatest strengths—subtle relationships, nuanced characterization, complicated morality, and her lovely, distinctive artwork. Even in the midst of a very hectic week, when I sit down with a new volume of House of Five Leaves, I simply have to savor it, page by page. It’s an enduring favorite.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Bamboo Blade, Vol. 14

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By Masahiro Totsuka and Aguri Igarashi. Released in Japan by Square Enix, serialized in the magazine Young Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press.

Throughout the 14 volumes of Bamboo Blade, we’ve seen its heroine, Tamaki Kawazoe, grow and evolve. She’s always been an amazing kendo student, but that’s not her goal, or her passion, or even her hobby – it’s just what she does. Meeting with Kirino and the others has helped bring her out of her shell, and she’s learned the value or true friendship, but they aren’t able to challenge her enough in regards to kendo. Now, after her defeat by Erina in Vol. 13, we come to the final volume, where Tama-chan spends half of it asking: why do people do kendo?

Everyone’s answer is slightly different, but they all end the same. Azuma uses kendo to improve herself (and make up for her hopeless study habits); Miya-Miya, in addition to finding beating the hell out of everyone fun, wants to see how strong she can be and how far she can go. Saya, who’s suffered from being the ‘comedy character’ in a manga filled with them, finally admits that kendo gives her discipline she needs to grow up. Kirino, of course, simply lives and breathes kendo. It’s surprising to realize that, like Tama, she hasn’t had a real reason for doing kendo beyond “I love it!”, but given her simple and direct personality, this fits. Yuuji and Kojiro-sensei both chime in briefly, but are savvy enough to note that Tama-chan has to find this answer by herself.

Everyone’s final ‘real reason’ for doing kendo is elided out at first, and we only hear it once Tama-chan is back in her bedroom, watching a tape provided for her of her mother on a kendo TV show years ago. Her mother is asked the exact same question, and notes that she wants to make everyone feel the same joy and satisfaction in kendo that she does – its ideals, it’s disciplines, its purity – and that she teaches to to this. And then we flash to the end of everyone’s answer, the one thing all the other girls said. They want to be like Tama-chan. She is their goal, what they are pushing themselves to. And as she breaks down in cathartic tears (part grief over her mother’s death, part simply feeling the weight of everything, and part because she now has that goal), she knows what it is she wants to do kendo for. To be a teacher.

And this ties back in with Kojiro-sensei. I’ll admit, when the series began I had little time for him, putting up with his waffling and goofball tendencies because I liked the rest of the cast so much. But he’s grown just as much as Tama-chan has, and it’s also due to kendo. Seeing him strive to teach the girls how to use kendo to further themselves, and realizing what he can and cannot do in that regard (much of the series has been his angsting about not finding the right way to teach something), he knows he wants to keep doing this – but not with these girls, who he feels have learned all they can from him. He’s leaving for a different school to start with a new class of beginners. We only see Kirino’s reaction to this (and she outright says she’s refraining from saying what she thinks…), but I think they’ll understand his reasoning, just like they did with Tama-chan.

Despite the comedy throughout (even the last climactic battle features Saya (of course) getting herself in trouble by not having eaten for 48 hours prior out of nerves), Bamboo Blade has been almost the pinnacle of idealistic sports manga. If someone is at a loose end in life, or trying to make a change, or needing to find something within themselves… all this can be found through kendo. It’s a trend we see in a lot of sports manga, be it baseball, soccer, or what have you. but despite the idealism (or because of it), this is a manga that really makes you feel good about yourself, and have confidence in the lives of its cast. And it’s not just our 5 heroines – even the ‘rival’ characters such as Sakaki and Erina find strength and fulfillment in kendo, and in bringing kendo to others. Filled with emotional moments, goofy comedy, and of course awesome sports battles, anyone who likes to see humanity striving for a goal should read Bamboo Blade, where kendo will have the answers.

Bookshelf Briefs 9/3/12

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This week, Sean and Kate look at recent releases from Yen Press, VIZ Media, and Dark Horse Comics.

13th Boy, Vol. 12 | By SangEun Lee | Yen Press – For a series that featured a talking cactus in a doo-rag and a sassy stuffed rabbit, 13th Boy has a surprisingly restrained finale. Yes, there are dramatic moments, but author SangEun Lee focuses more on what her characters don’t say to one another than what they do; she honors the intensity of their feelings while reminding us that teenagers don’t usually express themselves in complete paragraphs outside the world of Dawson’s Creek. Readers who became attached to 13th Boys‘s supporting cast won’t leave disappointed, either; Lee includes a lengthy postscript explaining, in comic detail, what happened to Nam-Joo, Sae Bom, and Hee-So’s sisters. In short, 13th Boy‘s last installment offers readers a happy ending that’s ever-so-slightly tinged with sadness, remaining true to the spirit of earlier volumes. -Katherine Dacey

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 4 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – OK, first of all, that teacher has to go. Seriously, I cannot take nine more volumes of him. That said, apart from him, there was an excellent attempt made at humanizing all the kids in this volume. There’s still the usual high school melodrama, with everyone believing the worst of everyone else – especially Maria – but her blunt forthrightness is actually starting to pay dividends, as we see one of the class pretty yet petty girls (she has princess curls, so you know she’s a brat) attempting to follow that path… and finding, as Maria has, that it’s full of thorns. So the other kids are finding that Maria is not this hideous ‘other’ that she was painted as, but Maria still can’t quite see herself as being just like them. Also, kisses out of nowhere. That can be bad for a girl’s fragile heart. Can’t wait for the next volume. –Sean Gaffney

The Earl and the Fairy, Vol. 3 | Story and Art by Ayuko, Original Concept by Mizue Tani | VIZ Media – The Earl and the Fairy is a quintessential Shojo Beat title: it has a handsome male lead who’s both a rogue and a romantic, a spunky heroine who won’t admit she likes him, and a pretty female rival who schemes to separate the heroine from her prince. In volume three, for example, Lydia finds herself locked in a battle of wits with Rosalie, a spoiled girl who’s enlisted a “bogey-beast” to dispatch any woman who shows so much as a faint interest in Edgar. Lydia and Rosalie’s catty exchanges wouldn’t be out of place in a high school melodrama, but the supernatural elements and Victorian setting add an element of dramatic interest that distracts the reader from the sheer predictability of the scenario. That the volume ends with a genuine cliffhanger is one its most pleasant surprises; we may not have much difficulty guessing the outcome, but there’s enough at stake for the reader to wait patiently for the next installment in December. -Katherine Dacey

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 8 | Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi, Original Concept by Hiro Arakawa | VIZ Media – I’ve been something of a skeptic about Library Wars — not because I disliked the premise, but because I found story too pat. Volume eight has almost made me into a convert, as it strikes a better balance between Ray Bradburian intrigue and shojo romance, introducing a subplot with a radical anti-censorship group and a possible court martial for Kasahara. What prevents it from being a slam dunk is Kasahara’s impenetrable cluelessness; she spends almost half of volume eight berating herself for not recognizing Dojo as the “prince” who inspired her to join the Library Forces — an epiphany that all but the least astute reader had in the very first chapter of the series. Let’s hope Kasahara’s Saul-on-the-road-to-Damascus moment frees Kiiro Yumi to move the story in a more compelling — and dramatically fruitful — direction in volume nine. -Katherine Dacey

Oh My Goddess!, Vol. 42 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Dark Horse Comics – Skuld graces the cover of this volume, and that’s appropriate as she’s the focus for most of it as well. Skuld’s growing power and growing maturity has been an ongoing plot point in this series, and it ties in well to the overall subplot of ‘inanimate objects need love too, and will reward you if you treat them right’. Skuld faces off against a demon with a better set of machines, but she triumphs because her machines are sentient beings with feelings to her, and she doesn’t destroy them so casually. We also see a sign she may pass her sisters some day – she doesn’t need the big spell buildup the other two do. Apart from her, though, the plot churns along slowly, as we advance from boss fight to boss fight, waiting for the inevitable climax. Which is very slow in arriving. –Sean Gaffney

Soul Eater, Vol. 10 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – There’s a whole lot going on in this volume. Our heroes finish their battle against Mosquito, with the help of Soul’s piano (it makes sense in context), but fail to obtain their objective… which is, of course, in the enemy’s hands. Maka finds that Crona may be a double agent. Black*Star is having issues with his power destroying him, and his bullheadedness leads to a fight with Death The Kid. And a new character from Marie’s past comes to the DWMA to try and ferret out a traitor. If you’ve read stories like these, you can guess how that’s going to end up. Impressively, the author manages to make these all work together, and invest some real emotion in their fates, especially B.J. and Black*Star. I still love the weird art deco art style, but it’s not longer just about that. This is a dark, addicting rush of a manga.-Sean Gaffney

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 26 August

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Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

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Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 9 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [423.8] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [420.8] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [411.5] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [391.0] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [328.8] ::
6. ↑3 (9) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [325.5] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [323.3] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Vampire Knight 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [319.3] ::
9. ↓-3 (6) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [309.0] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Death Note vols 1-13 box set – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2008 [304.6] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 90
Yen Press 88
Viz Shojo Beat 56
Kodansha Comics 51
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 36
DMP Juné 31
Dark Horse 19
Seven Seas 14
Vertical 11
Viz Signature 11

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,109.6] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [736.5] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [684.4] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Highschool of the Dead – Yen Press [539.0] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Yu-Gi-Oh! – Viz Shonen Jump [534.3] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [467.2] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Black Butler – Yen Press [448.2] ::
8. ↑1 (9) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [437.8] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Negima! – Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [433.1] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [428.6] ::

[more]

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

1. ↔0 (1) : Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 9 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [423.8] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [323.3] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Vampire Knight 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [319.3] ::
9. ↓-3 (6) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [309.0] ::
13. ↓-2 (11) : Bleach 44 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [288.8] ::
17. ↑3 (20) : Bleach 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [253.3] ::
18. ↓-3 (15) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [252.1] ::
22. ↔0 (22) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 9 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2012 [221.7] ::
24. ↑1 (25) : Highschool of the Dead 7 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [215.6] ::
27. ↑1 (28) : Alice in the Country of Clover Cheshire Cat Waltz 1 – Seven Seas, Jul 2012 [206.2] ::

[more]

Preorders

11. ↑1 (12) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [298.5] ::
19. ↓-1 (18) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [250.9] ::
20. ↓-1 (19) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [249.2] ::
23. ↑8 (31) : Yotsuba&! 11 – Yen Press, Sep 2012 [221.4] ::
33. ↑1 (34) : Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise 3 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [189.0] ::
36. ↓-7 (29) : Sailor Moon 10 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2013 [185.8] ::
46. ↑7 (53) : Naruto 58 – Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2012 [162.0] ::
70. ↑5 (75) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [124.2] ::
74. ↑28 (102) : Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 2 vol hardcover box set [complete] – Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2012 [121.4] ::
90. ↑7 (97) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [110.1] ::

[more]

Manhwa

580. ↑41 (621) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [16.9] ::
606. ↑46 (652) : Time & Again 6 – Yen Press, Jul 2011 [16.0] ::
617. ↑5 (622) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [15.6] ::
699. ↑100 (799) : Time & Again 1 – Yen Press, Dec 2009 [11.9] ::
716. ↑50 (766) : Time & Again 5 – Yen Press, Mar 2011 [11.4] ::
718. ↓-102 (616) : Time & Again 3 – Yen Press, Jul 2010 [11.3] ::
748. ↓-12 (736) : Time & Again 2 – Yen Press, Mar 2010 [10.4] ::
839. ↑56 (895) : Let Dai 11 – Netcomics, Feb 2008 [7.7] ::
968. ↑140 (1108) : One Thousand & One Nights 10 – Yen Press, Apr 2010 [5.1] ::
992. ↑67 (1059) : One Thousand & One Nights 8 – Yen Press, Aug 2009 [4.7] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

9. ↓-3 (6) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [309.0] ::
90. ↑7 (97) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [110.1] ::
98. ↓-31 (67) : Samejima-Kun & Sasahara-Kun – DMP Juné, May 2012 [105.2] ::
101. ↑6 (107) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [103.6] ::
142. ↓-24 (118) : In These Words – 801 Media, Jun 2012 [82.0] ::
168. ↑20 (188) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [72.9] ::
180. ↑19 (199) : His Arrogance – 801 Media, Dec 2008 [68.5] ::
209. ↑59 (268) : Alcohol, Shirt, & Kiss – DMP Juné, Mar 2007 [59.1] ::
220. ↓-10 (210) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [55.8] ::
229. ↑62 (291) : Ichigenme: The First Class Is Civil Law 1 – 801 Media, Feb 2007 [53.9] ::

[more]

Ebooks

7. ↔0 (7) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [323.3] ::
25. ↓-1 (24) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [212.2] ::
32. ↑6 (38) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [191.1] ::
38. ↓-1 (37) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [182.3] ::
56. ↑9 (65) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [139.4] ::
57. ↓-9 (48) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [139.1] ::
59. ↑32 (91) : Haruhi Suzumiya Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 13 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [136.5] ::
68. ↑11 (79) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [126.3] ::
95. ↑10 (105) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [107.7] ::
106. ↓-32 (74) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [100.5] ::

[more]

Last stop before Labor Day

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It may be the last week of summer vacation, but there are plenty of new manga to get you through the long weekend, as I observed on MTV Geek. Sean Gaffney checks out a bountiful list of next week’s new manga.

Shaenon Garrity fills in for Jason Thompson on this week’s House of 1000 Manga column at ANN, with a discussion of Tokyopop’s short-lived josei manga imprint Passion Fruit.

Philip wraps up this month’s Manga Moveable Feast with roundups of days 5 and 6 of posts about The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.

Ash Brown is giving away a copy of vol. 1 of Read or Dream at Experiments in Manga.

Reviews

Lissa Pattillo on vol. 12 of 13th Boy (Kuriousity)
Lori Henderson on vol. 5 of Ai Ore (Manga Village)
Erica Friedman on vol. 7 of Aoi Hana (Okazu)
John Rose on vol. 3 of Gate 7 (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 8 of Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (The Comic Book Bin)
John Rose on vol. 1 of Oreimo (The Fandom Post)
Michelle Smith and MJ on Sakuran (Manga Bookshelf)

Off the Shelf: Sakuran

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MICHELLE: Hey, MJ! What’s red and bad for your teeth?

MJ: Um. I got nothin’.

MICHELLE: A brick!

MJ: Well. Huh. Um. So, hi!

MICHELLE: Howdy! So, once again, we’re devoting our column to a single series. This time it’s Sakuran: Blossoms Wild by Moyoco Anno, published by Vertical. Although I own a couple of other complete series by Anno, this was my first time actually reading one of her works. I definitely enjoyed it, but found myself somewhat stuck between enjoying it for what it was and wishing it was somehow more uplifting.

But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself and we should offer readers a synopsis.

MJ: Okay!

Sakuran tells the story of Kiyoha, a young woman in Edo-era Japan who was sold to a brothel in Yoshiwara as a child. Over the course of the story, she endures the path towards becoming an oiran (the highest-ranking courtesan), very little of which is particularly graceful or glamorous, and after suffering through some unexpected heartbreak finally seems to accept the brothel as her home.

It’s a rather cynical tale that does not attempt to gloss over the fact that Kiyoha will most likely live her entire life in servitude (either to the brothel, or to some future man who might buy her freedom), and manages somehow to make the brothel feel like the better fate in the end.

MICHELLE: Yeah, it may be a difficult life, but at least Kiyoha seems to have made peace with it by the end.

Which is, really, not exactly the end, as Sakuran follows a similar structure to Ooku, in that the first chapter is “current day” in the life of its protagonist, followed by detail on how exactly Kiyoha came to be in that situation. Kiyoha’s not an easy person to like at first—one of the first things she does is clobber and pee on another courtesan—but I did grow to sympathize with her by the end, especially when her love proves false. “Cry, and you lose. Love, and you lose. Win, and you lose.”

MJ: I admit that I sympathized with her practically from the start, but especially as soon as Anno began to tell Kiyoha’s story from the beginning. Her intense desire to escape the pleasure quarter felt so real and relatable, I couldn’t help but side with her from then on.

One of the things I was immediately struck by was what a different kind of story this was from Blade of the Courtesans, a prose novel Vertical released a few years ago. Though the novel had some stirring moments, one of the comments I made in my review was this:

The story constantly describes the power of women in the Yoshiwara society, yet in the midst of an impassioned explanation of how the women are able to come to Yoshiwara to “rinse away their origins” and escape from the persecution of their clan, it is revealed that they are indentured to the various houses in the pleasure quarter (all owned by men) until their 28th birthday, at which time they may choose to get married or to remain courtesans for the rest of their lives. That these women, shackled to a system that values them only for their skills in lovemaking, are held up as the pinnacle of female beauty and sovereignty is inexpressibly sad.

If there is one thing Sakuran does not do, it’s try to romanticize or glorify the life of an indentured courtesan. For that, I am very grateful.

MICHELLE: It definitely does not do that.

It was an interesting experience reading this at about the same time as I was getting caught up on Ooku, because both of them deal with women forced to take many sexual partners but for vastly different reasons. It’s the courtesan’s job to do so, but so too the female shogun (who supposedly has all this power) must take lover after lover in the desperate attempt to produce a child hearty enough to become her heir. In reality, are they really so different, the shogun and the courtesan? In both cases, their fates are bleak as they submit to (or compel) their parade of lovers, very rarely finding true love.

MJ: That’s a great point, Michelle. Despite the power having supposedly been transferred to women out of necessity in Ooku, it’s ultimately still a story about women trapped in a society that values them really only for their sexual organs, one way or another.

Heh, you know, with all this in mind, I have to admit that I was pretty surprised to hear at the beginning that you had any hope or expectation of Sakuran being “uplifting.” Given the circumstances, it’s hard for me to imagine how it could be!

MICHELLE: Well, I don’t know, I thought she might actually escape or something! But, of course, her options really wouldn’t have been any better outside Yoshiwara (without a husband, at least), which Anno makes clear. So it would’ve completely been a fallacious fantasy to read a story about a courtesan getting out and living happily ever after. Not challenging for a reader, but kind of… satisfying.

MJ: I can understand the impulse to wish for a more unambiguously happy ending. Yet the ending as it is isn’t exactly bleak, even if it seems like it should be. That’s actually one of the book’s greatest strengths, really. It manages not to be just grim, which is kind of amazing.

MICHELLE: Definitely. I want to add here that if we’d actually been given a happier ending, I probably would’ve hated it and chastised Anno for not being brave and taking a darker route. I guess I’m just conditioned now to expect creators to go for uplifting instead of ambiguous, since it has happened so many times before.

MJ: Probably one of the reasons we’re able to get a more ambiguous ending here is the fact that, aside from something like Sugar Sugar Rune, Moyoco Anno mainly writes for adults–and most often about adult women. But since manga about teen girls is sort of the default for female-centric manga imported to the US, that’s really what we’ve become accustomed to.

MICHELLE: Yes, you’re definitely correct. And when we do encounter a story aimed at teen girls that takes a more painful route—We Were There, 13th Boy, to some extent…—we tend to love it to pieces.

MJ: We do! Now, I’m not sure if I’m prepared to say that I love Sakuran to pieces. I enjoyed it very much, and I think it’s very well-crafted, but it’s not the kind of story that resonates really strongly with me on a personal level the way some others do.

That said, as a critic there is so much here to enjoy. One aspect we haven’t really touched on yet is the artwork, which is really quite stunning, especially with Vertical’s particular touches. The paper choice, color pages, and beautiful foil cover let you know right away that Sakuran will be a visual treat.

MICHELLE: Well, no, I didn’t love Sakuran either, but I really admire it, if that makes sense.

Going in, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the artwork, since Anno has such a distinctive style, but I ultimately enjoyed it and thought she did a terrific job capturing the atmosphere of the tea house. I did have some problems with telling a few of the courtesans apart, though.

MJ: That makes perfect sense. I think that’s where I was at with it, too, though I did really feel strongly for the main character, which is always a big plus. And one of my favorite aspects of the artwork has to do with her as well. I was really impressed by Anno’s ability to visually portray both Kiyoha’s spite and her vulnerability, which is not a combination that always translates well to the page.

MICHELLE: I hadn’t thought about that specifically, but it’s true that even nearly two weeks after I read Sakuran, I can still easily conjure some of Kiyoha’s expressions falling into both of those categories. Actually, I can still vividly remember quite a few scenes, including specifics of panel layouts. And that’s not something I could say about quite a lot of other manga.

MJ: One thing Anno has accomplished, perhaps specifically by writing Sakuran as a collection of story snapshots rather than a long narrative, is that the moments she’s chosen to highlight are genuinely memorable, and that goes for individual images as well.

MICHELLE: Yes, that is true, though I still wish it could’ve been longer. Carlo Santos at ANN put it well: “This volume offers a glimpse into a fascinating world, but closes up before we ever get a chance to peek around the corners.”

MJ: I certainly would have read much, much more of it!

‘Porky and Friends: Hilarious Ham’ Announced

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Hot on the heels of the 2nd Platinum Collection, we have this 18-cartoon set for fans of Porky Pig, as well as the smaller one-shot characters that come with him on the back of the collection. As always, the question is “If I have the Golden Collections, do I have to buy this?” Let’s find out.

Cartoons in this set will be (I’ll summarize the ones not out yet):

1) Tom Turk And Daffy (1944, Jones) – NEW TO DVD – Featuring a MYSTERY WRITER (and boy, is there a long, confusing story about that), this is a great early Daffy cartoon where he’s being an utter brat.
2) Wagon Heels (1945, Clampett) – GC5
3) Mouse Menace (1946, Davis) – NEW TO DVD – Art Davis’ first cartoon at Warners, this is another one pitting Porky against a mouse, this time utilizing a robot cat. It doesn’t go well.
4) One Meat Brawl (1947, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – Porky and the Foghorn Leghorn dog are out hunting for groundhog, and the groundhog is determined to make them pay for it. McKimson’s earliest cartoons are some of his best.
5) Curtain Razor (1949, Freleng) – NEW TO DVD – Porky is a talent agent auditioning acts. A few gags (including the gasoline one) would be reused in Show Big Bugs by Daffy.
6) The Pest That Came To Dinner (1948, Davis) – NEW TO DVD – Can the world handle two Art Davis cartoons on one collection? Porky has termites, and tries various horrible methods to remove them.
7) Riff Raffy Daffy (1948, Davis) – NEW TO DVD – I guess the world can, as here’s a third Davis cartoon! I always liked ‘Daffy is screwy and Porky isn’t’ cartoons, though the question of how sane Porky is comes into question here.
8) Boobs in the Woods (1950, McKimson) – GC1
9) Dog Collared (1950, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – Porky gives brief affection to a dog (no, not Charlie Dog), and lives to regret it.
10) Thumb Fun (1952, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – A hitchhiking Daffy makes Porky’s life miserable. Some call this the final screwball Daffy cartoon, which isn’t true, but he *is* a screwball here.
11) Fool Coverage (1952, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – I adored this cartoon as a kid. Daffy sells Porky insurance. “And one baby zebra!”
12) Corn on the Cop (1965, Spector) – NEW TO DVD – The final Porky Pig cartoon of the classic years. Shame it sucks. He and Daffy are police officers.
13) Corn Plastered (1951, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – A wise-cracking crow annoys a farmer, who tries to kill him in various ways. The crow is a lot of fun.
14) Gone Batty (1954, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – Stars Bobo the Elephant, in his 2nd and final cartoon, where he ends up at a baseball game.
15) Ant Pasted (1953, Freleng) – NEW TO DVD – Always nice seeing Elmer in a cartoon on his own. He’s taking on ants during a 4th-of-July picnic.
16) Dog Gone People (1960, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – Another Elmer cartoon, but Arthur Q. Bryan had died by this time, so his voice sounds horrible. Elmer has to babysit his boss’s dog, who thinks he’s a human.
17) Bunny and Claude – We Rob Carrot Patches (1968, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – The first of two appearances of Bunny and Claude, an obvious parody. Watch for the scene where it’s suggested they have sex on a pile of carrots. No, I’m not making this up.
18) The Great Carrot Train Robbery (1969, McKimson) – NEW TO DVD – And here’s the second B&C cartoon. It’s not as good.

So, worth getting? Well, 16 of the 18 cartoons are new to DVD. HELL YES! An absolute must-buy. Can’t wait.

Manga the Week of 9/5

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There is an awful lot of it, huh? I think Gon was annoyed at being by himself last week and called in his friends… and this isn’t even counting the Seven Seas titles my store is apparently getting in but Midtown isn’t.

Remember about a month ago when I said I’d heard good things about that long-titled quasi-incest thing? Turns out I was thinking of OreImo, out this week from Dark Horse, rather than Seven Seas’ Big Brother title. OreImo’s full title is Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, aka My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute! This title has far less incest but just as many tsunderes, if not more, and is rumored to be good. So I will check it out to see if this is the case.

Bloody Monday from Kodansha Comics has hit lucky Number Seven, though I’ve gotten so far behind on it I may never catch up. Is it still the Japanese 24?

Sublime, Viz’s BL line, has Volume 1 of His Favorite. It has the typical BL seme with his arms around his man and a smirk on his face, but the fact that the other’s guy’s face, instead of fear or uneasiness, or even arousal, reads like “must control fist of death” made me smile.

Tempted as I was to give Hayate the Combat Butler the cover image just to see how many folks I could annoy, the clear winner this week is Vertical’s new Tezuka tome, the first part of Message to Adolf. I never got the series back when Viz put it out ages ago, so this was a must-buy for me. And it’s nice to see some late-period Tezuka as well, as this is a 1980s title. Vertical is also releasing the underappreciated yet fantastic penultimate volume of GTO The Early Years, and the adorably cute 9th (and penultimate?) volume of Chi’s Sweet Home.

PILE O’ VIZ time. Including some stuff Midtown is listing that I had thought would be next week. This includes the 11th volume of Watase Yuu’s shonen series Arata the Legend, 20th volume of still not cancelled and funny as hell Hayate the Combat Butler (Greece Edition), a new House of Five Leaves for you Ono fans, and 9th volume of recent License Rescue Loveless.

There’s also a pile of Jump stuff, which I was expecting this week. There’s new Bakuman! Two more volumes of Bleach, which is still not done with Aizen, believe it or not. Hunter x Hunter, taking time from its busy hiatus to give us a new volume. Naruto! One Piece! Two great tastes that few fans enjoy together, for some reason (can’t the ninja and pirate fans just get along?). And of course Psyren, which should be at the ‘exposition’ part of its fight/exposition/fight trend.

Shojo Beat is the bigger winner here, though, with some of my favorites out next week. There’s new Library Wars, new Oresama Teacher *and* a new Otomen. Now admittedly the three series have flaws. Library Wars doesn’t have enough war for some people; Otomen continues to be a BL series with no BL; and Oresama Teacher is written by Izumi Tsubaki, who is the ‘oooooh, shiny thing!’ of Beat authors. This does not make the series less awesome. Other titles out this week include Earl and Fairy 3and a new Fushigi Yuugi Sequel Thingy volume. (It is possibly that the title does not actually have the word thingy in it.)

Lastly, Viz’s younger fans will be delighted to hear there are new Fluffy Fluffy Cinnamonroll *and* Winx Club titles out next week.

That’s a lot. What’re you getting?

Yuri comes into its own

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At Eeeper’s Choice, Philip rounds up the links for Day 4 of the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service edition of the Manga Moveable Feast.

Erica Friedman discusses how yuri, unlike all other manga genres, has broken free of the standard manga demographics.

News from Japan: Duel Masters Rev., a manga adaptation of the Duel Masters game, launches this week in Shonen Sunday. GTO creator Tohru Fujisawa and his collaborators have ended their manga Hachikō-Mae -another side-, which ran in the digital magazine Dengeki Comic Japan.

Reviews: Carlo Santos delivers the verdict on a stack of recent releases in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

Connie on vol. 21 of 20th Century Boys (Slightly Biased Manga)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 4 of The Betrayal Knows My Name (The Fandom Post)
Sheena McNeil on vols. 46 and 47 of Bleach (Sequential Tart)
Connie on vol. 1 of Castle Mango (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 20 of Claymore (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of The Earl and the Fairy (The Comic Book Bin)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 3 of Gate 7 (Kuriousity)
Wolfen Moondaughter on vol. 20 of Hayate the Combat Butler (Sequential Tart)
Connie on Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 7 of Ooku (Slightly Biased Manga)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 9 of Rin-ne (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 6 of Sailor Moon (Blogcritics)

Jiro Taniguchi’s The Face-Punching Man

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Philip brings us a roundup of links from Day 3 of the Manga Moveable Feast, which this month features The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.

Erica Friedman has news of three more yuri titles coming to JManga.

At Fist of the North Star, Milo takes a look at a side of Jiro Taniguchi that is unfamiliar to those of us who read his work in English: The side that delights in drawing men punching other men.

Three Steps Over Japan takes a look at Bessatsu Shonen Magajin, the magazine home of Attack on Titan, Animal Land, and The Flowers of Evil.

Reviews: Ash Brown looks back on a week of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 13 of Bakuman (I Reads You)
Kristin on vols. 42 and 43 of Bleach (Comic Attack)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 6 of Dorohedoro (The Fandom Post)
Ken Haley on vol. 12 of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Sequential Ink)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 22 of Ranma 1/2 (Blogcritics)
Alex Hoffman on Wolf (Manga Widget)
Lori Henderson on vols. 6 and 7 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Good Comics for Kids)