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Dawn of the Arcana, Vols. 3-5

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On the surface, Dawn of the Arcana looks like a Harlequin romance. Its flame-haired heroine is feisty and impetuous, torn between her feelings for the man who raised her and the man she was forced to marry. Both men are keen to “own” her — their word, not mine — and are willing to go to ridiculous extremes to prove their devotion, even setting aside their differences to honor her requests. And true to Harlequin form, the heroine frequently struggles to reconcile the circumstances of her marriage and her growing feelings for her jailer-husband.

Peer beneath its romance-novel trappings, however, and it quickly becomes clear that manga-ka Rei Toma is actually writing a pretty nifty fantasy-adventure as well, one with interesting moral dilemmas, parallels with contemporary geopolitics, and multi-layered characters whose behavior frequently deviates from the Harlequin playbook.

In volume three, for example, Nakaba’s mother-in-law attempts to dye her hair black, lest visiting dignitaries realize that the new Belquat princess hails from Senan. Toma might have used this scene to provide Caesar an opportunity to publicly declare his feelings for Nakaba, or demonstrate Nakaba’s ability to endure hazing with noble forbearance. Instead, Toma transforms this act of fairy-tale cruelty into a moment of self-actualization: Nakaba seizes a sword and defiantly gives herself a fabulous pixie cut — er, short, boyish locks — denying the queen the satisfaction of humiliating her in front of the royal family.

That act resonates throughout the next three volumes, as Nakaba sheds her girlish braid and girlish indignation in favor of a stronger, more active role in defeating Belquat’s royal family. Though Nakaba’s new ‘do leads to some predictable exchanges about “looking like a boy,” both Loki and Caesar admire her determination: red hair symbolizes more than just her country of origin, but also the struggles that helped define her as a person.

As appealing as such scenes may be, they highlight the series’ main drawback: the artwork is too plain and spare for a story with such vivid characters. Though the principal characters’ costumes are rendered in considerable detail, the supporting cast resemble Renfair extras, with faintly old-timey clothing and long tresses. Worse still are the backgrounds: with their perfect right angles and unvaried lines, they look like stills from an ancient Nintendo game, rather than a representation of a specific time and place. That sterility isn’t a deal-breaker, but it does reinforce the impression that Toma hasn’t quite developed the artistic chops to fully realize her vision.

Despite its artistic shortcomings, Dawn of the Arcana remains an appealing mixture of fantasy and romance, offering just enough sword fights, scenes of female empowerment, and emotional entanglements to appeal to fans of both genres.

Review copies provided by VIZ Media, LLC.

DAWN OF THE ARCANA, VOLS. 3-5 | BY REI TOMA | VIZ MEDIA | RATING: TEEN (13+)

Last week at Manga Bookshelf, July 22nd-28th

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Here’s what you may have missed at Manga Bookshelf last week, July 22nd-28th!

CLAMP was the keyword of the week, as we hosted July’s Manga Moveable Feast focusing on their work. These were the contributions from Manga Bookshelf bloggers:

You can find the full archive of posts here.

In other news….

From the main blog:

Matt Blind checked out online manga bestsellers from the weeks ending June 17th and June 24th.

In the latest installment of “It Came from the Sinosphere,” Sara K. looked at the idol drama Autumn’s Concerto.

From The Manga Critic:

Kate asked, Who’s Your Favorite Female Shonen Artist?

From A Case Suitable for Treatment:

Sean reviewed Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 6, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Vol. 1, and Angel Para Bellum, Vol. 1. He also took a look at Manga the Week of 8/1.

From MangaBlog:

Back from SDCC, Brigid did some linking with San Diego recap & some things to look forward to, Viz speaks!, and News from JManga, new manga on the shelves.

Combat Commentary: One Piece (Overview)

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If anyone hasn’t already noticed that One Piece is my favorite manga series of all time, then my upcoming Alabasta Arc special will put any doubts to rest. For now, allow me to focus on discussing the treatment of fighting scenes in One Piece in general, before I get into details later on.

One Piece‘s strength lies in a large variety of different powers. While early on in the series it had to rely on characters with different fighting styles, once the story entered the Grand Line the Devil Fruit powers were expanded upon. The basic idea behind this power is that anyone who eats one of the devil fruits will gain a power tied to the fruit, but lose the ability to swim.

Examples of powers include a body made of rubber, a body that can split apart, the ability to turn into animals, and the ability to turn into any of the classic (and some not classic) elements, such as fire, ice, smoke, etc. Each of these powers bring very different fighting styles to the table, while the powers all originate from the same place, taking care of the problem of having too many different magic systems, or not enough variety to make the fights interesting. It’s a tough line to walk, but One Piece manages to pull it off beautifully.

Accompanying the devil fruit powers are several different fighting styles as well, but they all fit inside the same world. The introduction of Haki is a bit of a concession to the tropes of shonen fighter manga, but it fits into the world Oda created as a whole.

Thanks to these varied powers the fights are not only creative, they can be tense or humorous when necessary. The writing is just top notch, some of the best in the genre. Some series suffer from boring uninteresting fights, One Piece does not have that problem. The fights themselves are what make the manga good, along with other things.

Best of all, the entire cast gets their time to shine. While there is a bit of an emphasis on the men in the main cast, this being a comic for boys, as Oda likes to remind people, the women do still get their moments. In fact, as far as representation of women in shonen manga go, One Piece is one of the best at avoiding allocating its female characters into one-note roles.

But even when I love something so much I will tolerate no ill word spoken about it, I cannot deny that nothing is perfect. Especially in recent arcs One Piece hasn’t had any really strong fights. Or at least it hasn’t had any fights that match the grandeur of past arcs. Most of the fights have been cut somewhat short, and while that works for the story, it does show that Oda has not been as creative with his fights as he was in the past. Nami and Robin have gotten the shaft as well, while before they played big parts in the climactic fights, this time around they stood off to the side and did not get their own opponents to fight. While this is the first arc after the crew got back together, it is still a little disappointing to see after such a strong track record.

The only other main complaint I have about the fights in One Piece is that powerups come out of nowhere. While we do have a two year timeskip to explain where the characters gained their new powers, in the past they’ve pulled new abilities out of nowhere without proper explanation. The biggest examples of this is during the Enies Lobby arc, where Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji each have new final attacks, without any sign that they’d been training or practicing to use these moves. I hate to make the comparison, but I’m reminded of the Uchiha characters in Naruto, each pulling out brand new powers without any indication that they’d been training to unlock these abilities.

But while I will continue to complain about Kishimoto, Oda gets a pass, because every single one of those moments in Enies Lobby was pure awesome. When a manga has so much substance, it can be forgiven for a few moments where style rules supreme. Especially when the rule of cool is applied so hard that it takes several years before you start thinking, “Hey wait a minute…”

In the end, even my complaints don’t add up to much. One Piece is just one of those series that is fun on all levels, but most importantly the fights are just amazing. And while Oda has not yet wowed me with his most recent fights, I have every bit of faith that it’s just a matter of time before I get to see something amazing.

It Came From the Sinosphere: The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain

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Cover of the English-language edition of The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain

Brief Story Overview

A group of martial artists find and fight over a treasure chest. Then they get snowed in at a house on top of a mountain, menaced by the vicious “Fox Volant of Snow Mountain.” Having nothing better to do, they tell each other stories, which gradually reveal a long history of family feuding and provide a lot of context for what is going on.

I am not going to try to summarize the whole, complicated backstory—instead, I’m just taking out a slice.

One of the people present in the house, Miao Renfeng, unintentionally killed his good friend Hu Yidao. He does not know what happened to Hu Yidao’s infant son, Hu Fei, but he wishes he could have raised the child himself to compensate for the wrong he did to his friend. Miao Renfeng also did not teach his own daughter, Miao Ruolan (also present in the house) martial arts because he wants the feuding to end with his generation.

[Tangent: in lots of western literature and even sometimes in manga they make a big deal when a female can do well in combat—”ZOMAGOSH she can fight?!!!”—but in wuxia it is taken for granted that females can fight, so generally it’s more shocking when it is revealed that a female does not know martial arts—”ZOMAGOSH she can’t fight?!!! How come she’s still alive??!!”]

Miao Ruolan had felt sorry for Hu Fei ever since she first heard the story of what happened to Hu Yidao, and thought that if, by chance, he was still alive she would want to comfort him for all of the pain he must have endured in his wretched life. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything if I say that Hu Fei is actually still alive. In fact, he has a nickname … “Fox Volant of Snow Mountain.”

Background Information

This novel is by Jin Yong. If you read this column regularly, you already know who he is. If you don’t know who Jin Yong is, read this and this.

The novel was originally serialized in Ming Pao, one of the top newspapers in the Chinese-speaking world. In fact, the first chapter was published in the very first issue of Ming Pao.

A picture of Ady An as Miao Ruolan

Since I’ve discussed Ady An a couple times (The Outsiders 1&2 and Autumn’s Concerto) I feel obliged to say that she was cast as Miao Ruolan in the most recent TV adaptation of this novel. I haven’t seen the adaptation (and probably never will, based on the negative reviews I’ve read) but casting her as Miao Ruolan makes a lot of sense to me.

About the Context

This is unusual for a Jin Yong novel. Most Jin Yong novels span the course of years or decades, but thanks in part to the framing-story device with the various people telling their stories at the house, this novel just takes place within the course of a day. And while Jin Yong stories tend to have people running up and down Jianghu, this story takes place at that building and its vicinity (it’s hard to travel far within a day, especially with all that snow). Thus this story does not have the sense of adventure I associate with Jin Yong. Instead, it feels a bit more like No Exit, where a bunch of characters are stuck together and have to hash out their issues with each other. It’s one of his most “literary” stories, since instead of having characters swashbuckling around, he uses fancy narrative devices and gets nice and psychological in a way that literature professors approve of.

However, while this is unusual for a Jin Yong novel, it is not an unusual wuxia novel. Wuxia comes in many flavors. Jin Yong novels tend to be sweeping, historical, melodramatic adventures, but there are plenty of wuxia novels which emphasize mystery and atmosphere and focus more tightly on a smaller cast of characters (hello, Gu Long). Though I personally prefer epic adventures, even I like variety.

“The Lovers’ Blades” and “White Horse Riding in the West Wind”

Most Chinese-language editions of this novel come with two Jin Yong novellas, “The Lovers’ Blades” and “White Horse Riding in the West Wind.” I do not have anything to say about “The Lovers’ Blades,” but I find “White Horse Riding in the West Wind” interesting because it is the only Jin Yong story in which the main protagonist, Li Wenxiu, is female.

In some ways, Jin Yong treats Li Wenxiu just like most of his other protagonists—she undergoes childhood tragedy, trains in martial arts, and eventually overcomes and compensates for that tragedy. But he treats her differently in that, instead of granting her a (reverse) harem, she gets just one love interest, and [spoiler]she even loses him[/spoiler]. It’s more like a typical Jin Yong tale than The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain. I also happen to like the story.

The illustration for the final chapter of The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain, in which Miao Renfeng sees Hu Fei with Miao Ruolan

The Lady, or the Tiger?

One of the most noteworthy parts of the novel (whether you love it or hate it – many people hate it) is the ending. Thus I have to discuss it. I will try to express my opinion of the ending without saying what happens, but people who are very spoiler-sensitive might still want to skip this section.

I never liked the story “The Lady, or the Tiger” because I know almost nothing about the princess—how am I supposed to know what decision she would make. However, The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain is not a short story. It’s a novel, and it has a prequel (Fēihú Wàizhuàn / Tales of the Young Fox) too. Thus there is a lot more material with which to reveal how the characters would make a tough choice.

Lots of people complain about the “inconclusive” ending of The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain, and Jin Yong has received many requests to write a “fuller” ending. I actually think the ending is sufficiently conclusive. I mean, in “The Lady, or the Tiger?” the outcomes are really different—marry a beautiful woman, or get mauled by a fierce tiger. But in this novel, the choice is between [spoiler]one tragic outcome, and a completely different yet equally tragic outcome[/spoiler]. Yeah, the possible endings are really different … except they are not. No matter what choice the characters make, the general direction is pretty clear to me. And it’s pretty clear what the fallout for each outcome would be, so I don’t think it needs to be spelled out.

The final scene, however, is exquisite in just the same way as one of my favourite scenes in Shēn Diāo Xiá Lǚ. In both scenes, Character A has a very dramatic choice to make; either save Character B’s life, or kill him. Jin Yong writes the stories in such a way that Character A has really compelling reasons to kill Character B … and really compelling reasons to save him. I have rarely been more engaged in story than when I was reading that scene in Shēn Diāo Xiá Lǚ because I really did not know what was going to happen, and it is still one of my most vivid memories in Taiwan. Of course, Shēn Diāo Xiá Lǚ actually had to move on with the plot, so Character A finally does make a choice … and the moment when the choice was made was … powerful stuff. But that was the climax of the scene for me—the remainder of the scene was not special to me. So I do understand why people are frustrated by the ending of The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain—they feel cheated of the promised climactic moment. Yet The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain does not have more plot lying in wait, and is not trying to make a specific point in the same way that Shēn Diāo Xiá Lǚ is. So I think, even if the choice was revealed, it wouldn’t add anything to the novel. The point of the final scene is the charged feelings of the characters and the readers, and I think trying to “complete” the ending would just dissipate that.

In fact, the fact that so many people passionately hate the ending of The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain proves just how effective Jin Yong is at rousing the readers’ feelings.

There is something that really does frustrate me about the ending, but it’s not the finale itself. It’s the build-up to the finale. Under the circumstances, a good father would have asked his daughter how she felt. Not only did Miao Renfeng not ask Miao Ruolan how she felt, but when she tried to tell him, he told her to shut up. If he had bothered to listen to his own daughter for just two minutes [spoiler]the entire tragic dilemma would have been averted and the story would have had a nice happy ending[/spoiler]. Argh.

At least people talk about the ending of this novel. Some Jin Yong endings are not particularly memorable, and I think those endings are actually worse than this ending.

Availability in English

This novel has been published in English. A lot of people criticise the Olivia Moktranslation, but based on the brief excerpt I’ve read, it is actually not so terrible (aside from the way the characters’ names are handled, which is terrible). I don’t know whether it includes the novellas “The Lovers’ Blades” and “White Horse in the West Wind” or not.

Like every Jin Yong novel published in English, it’s not cheap, so I suggest making inquiries at a library near you.

Conclusion

You know what? This novel is recommended.

Reading this novel won’t give you a typical Jin Yong experience. On the other hand, it’s more accessible than some of his other works. This story actually gets to the point quite quickly, unlike Yǐ Tiān Tú Lóng Jì in which Jin Yong spends over 200 pages before bothering to introduce Zhang Wuji (who happens to be the main protagonist).

I would say that, after A Deadly Secret, this is my second favorite of Jin Yong’s shorter works. It’s not as fun as some of his other tales, but the structure works quite well and I got involved in the characters’ mental tangles. I’ve read it twice, and it worked better for me the second time around. I will probably eventually read it a third time.

Next time: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (movie)

Sara K. has heard rain and fireworks while editing this post. Both sounds are very common in Taiwan.

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 8 July

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Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

##

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [403.3] ::
2. ↑1 (3) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [401.0] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [396.8] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [385.3] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [373.6] ::
6. ↑5 (11) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [347.5] ::
7. ↑30 (37) : Vampire Knight 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [321.5] ::
8. ↑23 (31) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [314.2] ::
9. ↑3 (12) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [312.5] ::
10. ↑14 (24) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 9 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2012 [305.9] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 85
Viz Shonen Jump 81
Viz Shojo Beat 60
Kodansha Comics 50
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 36
Tokyopop 34
DMP Juné 24
Dark Horse 20
Seven Seas 15
Vizkids 12

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,082.6] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [809.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [738.4] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [591.4] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Negima! – Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [550.9] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [525.6] ::
7. ↑11 (18) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [477.3] ::
8. ↑7 (15) : Skip Beat! – Viz Shojo Beat [443.5] ::
9. ↓-2 (7) : Highschool of the Dead – Yen Press [432.8] ::
10. ↓-1 (9) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [431.7] ::

[more]

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

5. ↓-1 (4) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [373.6] ::
6. ↑5 (11) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [347.5] ::
7. ↑30 (37) : Vampire Knight 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [321.5] ::
8. ↑23 (31) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [314.2] ::
9. ↑3 (12) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [312.5] ::
10. ↑14 (24) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 9 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2012 [305.9] ::
13. ↓-7 (6) : Bleach 40 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [299.3] ::
15. ↑7 (22) : Bleach 42 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [291.0] ::
18. ↑12 (30) : Skip Beat! 28 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [258.0] ::
21. ↓-7 (14) : Bleach 41 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [252.7] ::

[more]

Preorders

17. ↓-4 (13) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [260.3] ::
19. ↓-3 (16) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [254.9] ::
20. ↓-2 (18) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [253.6] ::
33. ↑2 (35) : Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise 3 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [189.0] ::
49. ↑83 (132) : Sailor Moon 10 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2013 [154.8] ::
83. ↓-1 (82) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [110.3] ::
93. ↑4 (97) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [101.7] ::
95. ↑1 (96) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [100.5] ::
106. ↑45 (151) : Yotsuba&! 11 – Yen Press, Sep 2012 [91.7] ::
117. ↑18 (135) : Love Hina Omnibus 4 – Kodansha Comics, Aug 2012 [84.6] ::

[more]

Manhwa

420. ↓-169 (251) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [26.0] ::
446. ↑ (last ranked 21 Aug 11) : Time & Again 6 – Yen Press, Jul 2011 [23.8] ::
466. (new) : Time & Again 3 – Yen Press, Jul 2010 [22.3] ::
482. ↑33 (515) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [21.3] ::
687. (new) : Time & Again 5 – Yen Press, Mar 2011 [11.8] ::
693. ↑150 (843) : Bride of the Water God 8 – Dark Horse, May 2011 [11.6] ::
812. (new) : Time & Again 2 – Yen Press, Mar 2010 [8.1] ::
816. (new) : Time & Again 1 – Yen Press, Dec 2009 [8.0] ::
855. ↑ (last ranked 12 Feb 12) : Totally Captivated 4 – Netcomics, Sep 2008 [7.0] ::
908. ↑ (last ranked 12 Feb 12) : Goong 12 – Yen Press, Sep 2011 [6.2] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

32. ↓-7 (25) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [209.4] ::
72. ↑6 (78) : Samejima-Kun & Sasahara-Kun – DMP Juné, May 2012 [123.3] ::
83. ↓-1 (82) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [110.3] ::
95. ↑1 (96) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [100.5] ::
100. ↑25 (125) : In These Words – 801 Media, Jun 2012 [97.5] ::
138. ↑52 (190) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [76.5] ::
146. ↓-35 (111) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 6 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [75.3] ::
221. ↑4 (225) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [53.6] ::
241. ↓-126 (115) : Seven Days Monday-Thursday – DMP Juné, Aug 2010 [49.1] ::
244. ↑25 (269) : Same Difference – DMP Juné, Jun 2012 [48.9] ::

[more]

Ebooks

6. ↑5 (11) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [347.5] ::
14. ↓-7 (7) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [294.9] ::
25. ↓-6 (19) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [224.3] ::
29. ↓-9 (20) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [220.1] ::
43. ↓-4 (39) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [171.7] ::
47. ↑1 (48) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [155.3] ::
56. ↓-5 (51) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [141.6] ::
68. ↓-7 (61) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [126.6] ::
87. ↓-7 (80) : Bleach 37 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [107.6] ::
89. ↓-8 (81) : Naruto 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2011 [106.6] ::

[more]

Bookshelf Briefs 7/30/12

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This week, Kate, Sean, and Michelle look at recent releases from Vertical, Inc., Viz Media, and Kodansha Comics.

5 Centimeters Per Second | By Makoto Shinkai and Yukiko Senkei | Vertical, Inc. – In this skillful adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s film, middle schooler Tohno Takaki falls in love with classmate Akari Shinohara. First love is a common manga subject, but Shinkai and collaborator Yukiko Senkei resist the temptation to idealize Tohno’s formative romantic experiences; rather, Shinkai and Senkei show us how that relationship’s gradual disintegration soured Tohno on love, making him loathe to form similar attachments to anyone else — even in adulthood. Tohno’s quest to achieve closure on this first love is carefully and beautifully observed, making 5 Centimeters Per Second a compelling read. – Katherine Dacey

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 3 | By Tohru Fujisawa | Vertical, Inc. – Reading a new installment of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan is a lot like listening to a comedian perform “The Aristocrats”: the humor lies less with the punchline than with the telling of the joke. In the third volume of Shonan, for example, Onizuka has his share of lady troubles. Though anyone familiar with Onizuka’s track record can anticipate the outcome of his encounters with the White Swan’s female staffers, watching Onizuka strike out with both women is excruciatingly funny. As in previous volumes, some of the jokes cross the line from raunchy but funny to just plain rude; I could have done without the cameo from Eikichi, canine sidekick to Onizuka’s supervisor at Holy Forest Academy. Still, the gags yield laughs more often than not, and the sprinkling of heart-warming dramatic moments prevent the story from becoming too silly. Still recommended. – Katherine Dacey

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 9 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – After a couple of not-so-great volumes, the ninth volume of Oresama Teacher represents a (likely temporary) turn for the better. It’s the first school festival in three years (a riot at the last one ruined the school’s reputation), so Mafuyu dons her (male) Natsuo guise to make sure it goes off without a hitch. I can’t claim that the plot here is really very good—the reveal about why students keep disappearing at 5 o’clock is particularly groan-inducing—but I like Natsuo, and I like Okegawa, the reluctant bancho of the school’s gang. Somehow, the stories about Mafuyu’s former gangmates bore me to tears, but Okegawa’s gang dynamics are more interesting. It probably helps that none of them are one-note masochists. Anyway, I will probably keep reading Oresama Teacher, but I think it’s gotten to the point where I’ll be checking it out from the local library rather than making it a permanent part of my collection. – Michelle Smith

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Vol. 5 | By Kenji Kuroda and Kazuo Maekawa | Kodansha Comics – I’ve noted before that the only people who should be reading this series are hardcore fans of the games. That said, the manga does actually do a good job at keeping the feel of those games. Both the cases in this final volume of PW:AA feel like events that could, if drawn out a bit more, have appeared somewhere in the third game or so. Indeed, it even features a Franziska Von Karma who helps out our heroes, although it’s subtle and she denies it when asked. But the humor, the mysteries, the stunned poses of overdramatic guilt from everyone: this is exactly what a media tie-in should be like. Given that the manga will never ‘fill in the blanks’ between Phoenix and Apollo, that is. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s fun. – Sean Gaffney

Psyren, Vol. 5 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | VIZ Media – Ah, another one of those ‘fighting’ volumes we see so often in Jump manga. It was nice to see Kabuto actually gain a useful power, though it seems to be something designed more around his cowardly personality than anything else. The opening of the volume was rather startling, showing us the gruesome deaths of the Elmore Wood kids trying to defend the Earth. Clearly we’re going to be looking at changing that future. But mostly this volume is lots of villains bragging about how resistance is useless against them, and then heroes kicking their asses. Generally, I think volumes like this should be saved and read with one of the more ‘plot’ oriented books – which Volume 6 should be, given the pattern of ‘plot – fight – plot’ the manga has established. Not bad, but clearly second-tier Jump. – Sean Gaffney

Vampire Knight, Vol. 14 | By Matsuri Hino | VIZ Media – I’ve given up on following the plot in this series. It comes out too infrequently now that it’s caught up with Japan, and so I find it impossible to keep track of anything even with the guide at the front and back. Yuki, meanwhile, has recovered from Kaname’s induced flashback, and feels closer to him in that vaguely romantic, vaguely familial way we’ve grown used to. Sara continues to be the real genuine villain here, contrasting with Kaname’s tortured ‘I do what I must’ personality. Her little yuri harem of thralls is disturbing in the extreme. But despite her rule-breaking, the real shocker in the volume is the fate of Aido’s father, which results in Yuki being arrested – no doubt to meet up with Zero again. So pretty, but so utterly confusing. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Sakuran & X

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SEAN: It’s another tiny, tiny week at Midtown Comics, with only four titles to choose from. Given that, I will go with Sakuran from Vertical, Inc., despite it also appearing on this list two weeks ago. Comic readers who enjoy Love & Rockets type fare should give this book a try, though. It’s complete in one volume, contains some fantastic art, and has a strong plotline showing us someone who could easily use her looks and intelligence to rise to the top, and does—in spite of all her best efforts. It’s fascinating and raw, and probably the best Moyoco Anno title I’ve read to date.

MJ: I’m with Sean. I’ve been eagerly anticipating Sakuran‘s release since Vertical announced it last fall, and it’s my must-read manga this week. I can hardly wait to pick this up.

MICHELLE: See above re; Sakuran!

KATE: Since I’ve already plugged Sakuran both here and at my own site, I’ll make a pitch for the third volume of CLAMP’s X. One of the things I like best about the new VIZ 3-in-1 edition is the trim size. CLAMP’s gorgeous, swirling linework and epic battles finally have enough room to breathe, allowing readers to appreciate just how detailed (and gory!) it really is. I’m also enjoying the omnibus format; with an enormous cast and a profusion of subplots, X is the kind of story that’s best read in large installments. (I can’t keep track of the Seals and Dragons otherwise!) It’s frustrating to know that this series still doesn’t have a proper conclusion, but when the page-by-page journey is so engrossing, I almost don’t care.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

CLAMP MMF Links: Final Roundup!

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The CLAMP MMF has finally come to a close! Here is the roundup of links for Day 7 of the CLAMP Manga Moveable Feast!

From your host: I spent the day yesterday wallowing in my newfound love of the shoujo-tastic artwork from CLAMP’s X, and comparing it to some other beloved series from the early-mid 1990s in The Shoujo Beauty of X. Come along and wallow with me!


X, Vol. 1 © 1992-1993 CLAMP, English edition published by VIZ Media

Also here at Manga Bookshelf, MMF guest contributor Brett Stockmeier offers up an essay defending Chobits, Chobits: Deconstructing the Love Story.

“I have reservations about declaring CLAMP set out with Chobits to debunk these visual novel universes and their tropes. From what I have glimpsed of the group and their unique way of creating, it’s impossible to say what their goal was in its creation. It may be that their intent was more innocent: to bring a touch of shoujo to the seinen market. Chobits just may have been the unique product spawned by this fusion. On the other hand, if they might possibly have had no involvement with the visual novel and the changes to the anime (as has been suggested to me), it could be that I have glimpsed a small part of their intentions in creating Chobits. I understand why the story might put off their traditionally female dominated audience, but I do believe plot itself (and not just the philosophical questions it brings up) has serious merit to it, and I hope that my ideas may help to redeem the series in the eyes of others.”

And on the lighter side, Brett makes his case for The Greatest Conversation CLAMP has ever written. Join him in comments to share your own favorites!

In her tumblr Tatakae Otaqueen!, Kathryn Cwynar discusses her different experiences with xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and declares, But from now on, I’m hedging my bets!

At Soliloquy in Blue, Michelle Smith and guest Karen Peck do a little Chatting About CLAMP, specifically Legal Drug and Suki.

Mia Lewis shares some thoughts on Looking back at the self: Exploring the comic medium from within at her blog, Painting Worlds With Words, and also provides a link to her CLAMP-focused thesis paper (download an updated version here) and another related paper, Shojo and Shonen: Recent Trends in the Visual Codes of Manga Genres.

At The Beautiful World, Ayame discusses CLAMP’s X along with two other series in Grief and Loss in Anime: a case examination of Puella Madoka Magica Magi, Mawaru Penguindrum and X.

Jason Yadao shares some history on CLAMP’s Gate 7 at the Honolulu Star Advertiser, along with his impressions of the series so far in CLAMP’s “Gate 7”: The grand experiment that wasn’t.

In the tumblr blog Xia’s Shiny Page, Christina shares her love of Tsubasa‘s Kurogane (I’m with you all the way, Christina!), in Kurogane: A Remarkable Character.

At The Manga Report, Anna takes a look at two CLAMP series, Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus Vol. 1 and all four volumes of Wish. Be sure to check out her Wish giveaway at that second link as well!

And finally, at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson reviews volumes 1-10 of RG Veda.

This has been your final roundup of links for the CLAMP MMF! Many, many thanks to everyone who participated. Late entries may be submitted by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi for inclusion in the archive.

For August’s installment of the Manga Moveable Feast, head over to the Eeepers Choice Podcast where Phillip will be hosting discussion on Eiji Ōtsuka and Housui Yamazaki’s The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service!

The Greatest Conversation CLAMP has ever written

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Okawa has long been my favorite member of CLAMP. Her stories are unlike any other I’ve read, and it’s always going to be my opinion that the great art alone (provided by the other three members of CLAMP) can only go so far. In deciding how else I could contribute to the CLAMP MMF with deadlines looming, sleep oncoming and a job awaiting me in the morning, I decided to share what is, in my opinion, the greatest single dialogue CLAMP has ever written between their characters, found in X Volume 13 (omnibus 5 at the rate Viz is releasing them; you can also see it in the X anime in “Newborn”), which challenged my perceptions of all human beings head-on in a way nothing before ever had. Also included is the follow-up conversation.

(reads left-to-right — click images to enlarge)



*****






X/1999, Vol. 13 © 1999 CLAMP, New adapted artwork and text © 2003 VIZ, LLC

So what do you think? There’s a lot that you could write about from the exchange… What do you think about Satsuki’s arguments against humanity? What about Kusanagi’s answer?

Okawa’s written lots of great dialogue through the years… is there another conversation that particularly stands out to you?

Soul Eater Not!, Vol. 1

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By Atsushi Ohkubo. Released in Japan by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the magazine Shonen Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press.

It didn’t really dawn on me until I’d finished the first volume how accurate the title would prove to be. It sounds odd, given it’s a Soul Eater spinoff with many of the same characters, including cameos from the two heroes, and that it takes place at the same Academy. But this is an altogether different type of reading experience, and I felt that the author was smiling at me as I finished it and saying, like a little kid, “Enjoy Soul Eater – NOT!”

This is not to say that the manga is bad. The author has skills, and I was entertained throughout. The basic premise is that we follow the life of a new Japanese student, Tsugumi, who’s found out that she’s a weapon, and therefore transfers to the Academy (which is in Nevada, something I’d forgotten – you keep thinking Soul Eater is on a different planet with that sun and moon) in order to meet her partner and find her place (and not be thought of as a danger to others). There she meets two new friends, the bubbleheaded yet strong Meme and the tsundere princess Anya. They have cute classes, run into occasional cute danger, and in the end Tsumugi is even confessed to! … well, not quite, but a guy asks to be her partner.

This seems to begin shortly before the actual Soul Eater manga does. Sid, their teacher, isn’t dead here, and Medusa is still the school nurse (although apparently her younger sister will be the main antagonist). The first volume consists entirely of what I’ve come to think of as typical shoujo situations – the three girls have to deal with some classroom jerks; the three girls get part-time jobs as waitresses; etc. All of the heroines are drawn with very broad strokes – Tsumugi is polite yet worried and with low self-esteem; Anya is such a cliched tsundere that I wouldn’t be surprised if she were artificial. Even Meme’s ‘big-breasted airhead with secret skills’ has been seen before.

There’s also what I tend to call ‘fake yuri’, i.e. close female friendships with lots of hugging and lovey-dovey feelings without the actual relationship behind it. Meisters and weapons tend to be thought of as couples, and both Anya and Meme want to pair up with her. (This is in addition to Akane, the serious-looking young man who asks her to partner with him at the end. So yes, Tsumugi is also the star of a harem manga as well, something else that Soul Eater proper most decidedly isn’t.)

This is the big problem with the series to date. There’s nothing new or challenging here. And for those who enjoyed Soul Eater for its weird design or its occasional graphic horror, so far there’s none of that either. It reads as if Square Enix asked the creator to rewrite the series, only make it more like K-On!. There’s nothing bad about this – it’s a fun story well-told. But compared to its parent series, so far it feels like there’s nothing there.