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Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 18

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By Bisco Hatori. Released in Japan as “Ouran Koukou Host Club” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazine LaLa. Released in North America by Viz.

At long last, one of Viz’s most beloved shoujo series is coming to an end. We’ve had all the drama, we’ve had the love confession, so all that’s left is wrapping things up. Luckily, for the most part that means a return to the comedy that was one of the main reasons that fans loved this series. From Tamaki’s over-the-top reactions, to Haruhi’s deadpan remarks, to Kyoya’s smiling nastiness, there’s something for everyone here. And it’s all topped with a layer of sweetness that will give you cavities – but in a good way.

I should probably mention right now, though, that some BL fans of the series may end up being annoyed. Ouran has a huge BL fandom, as many reverse harem series tend to, and the artist enjoyed playing up to it – though always in a silly way. However, now that it’s the end of the series, she does little panels devoted to what happens to the cast when they grow up. A note to authors of books or manga with romantic entanglements – fans HATE this. Telling folks who love to write fanfiction that all of their romantic avenues are blocked by canon just grates. So when Ouran fans started off Vol. 18 by having Hunny married off to Reiko, I suspect the reaction was less “awww, so cute!” and more “Noooooo, he’s Mori’s!”. Be prepared for this throughout the book.

As for the book itself, I had wondered what Tamaki’s reaction to Haruhi’s confession would be like. It’s pretty much exactly as I predicted – which is what makes it fun, of course. Tamaki’s tendency to overdo everything, his naivete at basic day-to-day living and yet his mastery of reading other people are all on display here, and I think after 18 volumes we no longer worry about how he’ll function as an actual responsible adult. The same goes for Haruhi – the change in her over the course of the series has been astounding, and here we see her actually being openly affectionate with Tamaki.

The series proper ends about 2/3 through the volume, so we get two ‘side stories’ taking place after the series. The second is just 6 pages of our main couple being adorable, but the first is full-length, and focuses on Kyoya and his family issues. The author notes in comments that she wanted to leave Kyoya’s story open-ended as it would be very difficult to realistically wrap it up that fast – it will take years. So instead we have Kyoya being clever, but still not quite clever enough to think ahead of his father, which is his main goal. He also clashes with a woman from another family who’s being engaged to one of his brothers. Seeing their sharp, nasty barbs towards each other – all delivered, of course, with bright and happy smiles – made me happy. And of course the rest of the Host Club is there as well, making this probably the funniest chapter of the volume.

As with all harem series that deliver an actual ending, this is going to upset a few people. But I suspect the majority will be delighted. Ouran has been an over-the-top romantic comedy which, even if it got a bit melodramatic towards the end, never stopped delivering entertainment. It’s been worth the wait to have it fully come out here. v(I do wonder if Viz will license Hatori’s new work, The Bullshit Delusional Opera, when it comes out in Japan. It may need a title change.) Congratulations to Haruhi, Tamaki and the cast!

Looking back at BEA

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I was at Book Expo America this past Wednesday, taking part in the Hot Graphic Novels panel (in which I recommended several manga, including Sakuran and Jiu Jiu). Linda Yau has a concise writeup of the panel for the Lincoln Heights Literary Society, and Torsten Adair has posted covers, sample spreads, and other info for all the books at The Beat. This was my first time at BEA, and I wasn’t sure what to expect; although it’s not about manga, I enjoyed Emily Gould’s writeup at The Awl, Four Hours in the Totebag Capital of the World. It’s worth the click just for her description of walking to the Javits Center (“conveniently located at the intersection of 34th Street and the Hudson River”).

I went over this week’s new releases at MTV Geek, and Sean Gaffney looks at the week ahead at his blog.

MJ and Michelle Smith discuss some recent releases and even take a request in their latest Off the Shelf column at Manga Bookshelf.

Matt Blind has the list of manga best-sellers (online sales) from the week ending April 1.

Shaenon Garrity sings the praises of CLAMP’s X/1999 (now being re-released by Viz simply as X) in her latest stint as guest writer for ANN’s House of 1000 Manga column,

Derek Bown’s latest Combat Commentary is Armstrongs vs. Sloth in Fullmetal Alchemist.

And at Manga Therapy, Tony Yao looks at a key battle in Air Gear.

News from Japan: Puella Magi Madoka Magica illustrator Hanokage is launching a spinoff in October, to coincide with the release of two Madoka Magica movies. Yuna Kagesaki is bringing AiON to an end in the next issue of Monthly Dragon Age. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews

Kate O’Neil on chapter 1 of Barrage (The Fandom Post)
Ash Brown on The Bible: A Japanese Manga Rendition (Experiments in Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 7 of Cross Game (The Comic Book Bin)
John Rose on vol. 1 of D.Gray-Man (The Fandom Post)
Connie on vol. 2 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Slightly Biased Manga)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 5 of Istuwaribito (The Fandom Post)
Connie on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 2 (Slightly Biased Manga)
TSOTE on vol. 2 of Konjaku Monogatari (Three Steps Over Japan)
John Rose on vol. 55 of Naruto (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on NonNonBa (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 34 of Negima! (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 9 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (The Comic Book Bin)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Kuriousity)
Connie on Rohan at the Louvre (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sweetpea616 on Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Connie on vol. 3 of Shadow Lady (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on Tank Tankuro (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Until Death Do Us Part (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kristin on vol. 2 of X (omnibus edition) (Comic Attack)

Until Death Do Us Part, Vol. 1

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By Hiroshi Takashige and DOUBLE-S. Released in Japan as “Shi ga Futari wo Wakatsu made” in 2 separate volumes by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press.

It feels rather refreshing, after reading this first omnibus, to know that I will not have to be thinking of ways to praise the author’s fresh, original ideas. There’s nothing like that here. Not that this is a bad manga – it’s quite good – but it is an action-packed thriller with spectacle and excitement, not a densely plotted opaque mystery. Well, unless it surprises me later. That said, as I indicated, it’s startling how well this works anyway. This manga is a compulsive page-turner, with likeable, cool characters and lots of good action scenes that are (for once) relatively easy to follow.

The premise reads like the author stared surfing TV Tropes and writing stuff down. Our hero, Mamoru, a blind swordsman who is testing new technology that lets him a) see folks as wire frame-type contours, and b) cut them with a monofilament sword, is interrupted one day by a girl, Haruka, who can predict the future under the right conditions and has a lot of bad guys hoping to catch and dissect her to figure out why. He reluctantly helps her, and along the way they meet the organization he belongs to, a special task force composed of victims of terrorism who are not getting revenge. Together they will bring down an insane global conspiracy!

Again, if I read that synopsis of fanfiction.net, I’d be moving on without a second thought. But the creators make it work, mostly by not really giving anyone time to think about anything. This is an action manga, and things rarely stop for more than 5-10 pages without another firefight or sword battle breaking out. The lead is cool, handsome, morally ambiguous, and has a tortured past – winning qualities, every one. (I am unsurprised that this manga has a large female following.) His colleague Ryotaro is refreshingly normal, aside from his amazing tech savvy, and seems to handle the dual role of Mr. Exposition and Straight Man fairly well.

As for Haruka, well, so far she is the typical waif. I have the most misgivings about her, mostly due to the way this role has been handled in the past. I hope that she gets stronger and starts taking her own initiative (although props to her for escaping and seeking out Mamoru at the start). There’s also the whole “one day I’ll marry him” thing, which gets wrapped up in the actual title of the manga. Given she seems to be about 12, let’s hope that it continues to stay hypothetical. The artist doesn’t seem to draw in a very ‘moe’ style, which is a plus. On the other hand, he avoids panty shots and then points out in the afterword how he avoided panty shots, which is a minus. Sort of a ‘Don’t show, don’t tell’.

So despite being a collection of action cliches, this is a lot of fun. There’s a fair amount of violence, as you’d expect from a manga about terrorists who fight other terrorists, but it’s not overwhelming. It also has a good head on its shoulders, and even an occasional sense of humor. I think the word I’m looking for is solid. Yen has found good, solid entertainment here. Check it out.

Off the Shelf: In which we grant a request

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MJ: I’ve just realized how few jokes I know. You always open with a joke. I’ve got nothin’.

MICHELLE: That’s okay. I freely admit that most of mine aren’t very good. And even if you’ve got no jokes, you’ve surely got manga to talk about!

MJ: Indeed I do! Should I go first?

MICHELLE Please do!

MJ: Well, I know we have a special request to grant at some point here, but before we get to that, my big read for this week was the debut volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, adapted from the popular anime series. This is obviously a highly-anticipated release. In a rare twist, I’ve actually seen the anime series, and since I enjoyed it very much, I’d have to admit that this manga series was even highly anticipated by me. Ultimately, I’d say that this is not necessarily in the manga’s favor, though there is a quite a bit here to enjoy.

The series begins just as you’d expect from a magical girl story. Madoka is an ordinary girl with ordinary friends, who is suddenly approached by a talking catlike creature (Sailor Moon shout-out, I assume?) named Kyubey who offers her the opportunity to have a single wish granted if she’ll sign a contract to become a magical girl. This is understandably exciting for Madoka (and her friend, Sayaka, who is also invited), but nothing is quite as it first seems. Madoka’s magical dreams are quickly tempered by the reality of untimely death in a magical girl’s future, as well as by a mysterious new girl, Homura, who for some reason insists that it is of vital importance that Madoka not sign on with Kyubey—to the point that she makes repeated attempts on Kyubey’s life in an effort to save Madoka from him.

Having watched the anime series, there isn’t a lot of mystery in this for me, but even taking that into account, there are ways (mostly visual) in which the manga pales in comparison to its source material. For instance, one of the most spectacular elements of the anime series is the ornate visual fabric of the dimension inhabited by “witches” (the beings our magical girls are being asked to destroy). These encounters with witches are elaborate and rather psychedelic, and they really help to emphasize the series’ darker take on the magical girl formula. In the manga series, these sequences just look kind of drab and lumpy, and they are glossed over so quickly, the sense of real danger and anticipation is lost along with the general aesthetic. Even the fight scenes could really stand to be longer (did I really just say that?), as they seem to lose a lot of their tension and significance.

On the other hand, this story is compelling no matter how it’s told, and if the artist has failed to quite capture its eeriness, its pathos remains intact. I’m happy to see, too, that Madoka’s family life, headed up by her fearless corporate shark of a mom and her homemaker dad, is just as charming here as in the anime series (if granted slightly less screen time).

MICHELLE: This sounds a bit like Bokurano: Ours, in which middle-school-aged kids are duped into a contract that requires them to destroy aliens and die in the process. I do think, though, that you’ve sold me more on the anime here than on the manga.

MJ: Well, and perhaps I mean to, though I feel a bit bad about it. I have a lot more stake in the manga industry than I do in anime, yet in this case I can’t deny that the manga suffers in comparison. It is still quite interesting, though, and I’m looking forward to the second volume. It really is a very compelling story, regardless of how it’s being consumed.

One little oddity (and this applies to both mediums)— Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a magical girl series that resembles modern series for a male audience much more than a female one. You can easily identify all the usual suspects: the glasses-wearing girl, the spunky girl with fang teeth, the pretty girl with long, black hair, the self-conscious yuri jokes… you could be watching Lucky Star in that respect. This doesn’t detract from the series at all for me, but it definitely gives the series a bit of a male otaku vibe—at least that’s how it reads to me.

So, what’s next?

MICHELLE: Well, I’ve also read something that’s an adaptation from another medium, though this time it’s from a dating sim for girls!

You may recall that I talked about Alice in the Country of Hearts way back in our second ever Off the Shelf column. There, I initially referred to it as “bishie land” then instantly reconsidered, since the plot focused more on the mystery of the world in which the heroine, Alice, found herself than in her myriad romantic prospects. The series was much better than I expected, and I liked it so much that I sought out the sixth volume in Japanese after TOKYOPOP’s demise meant the series would not conclude in English (though it will be released in its entirety by Yen Press this summer).

Alice in the Country of Clover: Bloody Twins is an adaptation (by a different artist) of another game in the series, and though certain elements are reset, it functions fairly well as a sequel. Alice remains in the world that she believes is a dream and has become fairly comfortable there. Nearly every male resident is interested in her, but her constant companions are twin boys “Dee and Dum,” who constantly proclaim their love for her and who like to a) glomp her all the time and b) kill people. A shift in the dream environment moves everyone to the land of Clover, where the twins gain the ability to turn into grown men, whereupon they act the same as ever, causing Alice to get flustered and blush a lot.

This is another case of a series suffering in comparison to something else. Where Alice in the Country of Hearts surpassed my expectations for a manga adapted from a dating sim, Alice in the Country of Clover meets them fairly exactly. There is no focus on the mystery of the world at all. Instead, this reads entirely like a “what if” scenario: what if Alice fell in love with the twins? She’s still a reasonably likeable character, rather embarrassed that she’d dream up such a scenario, but Dee and Dum are so empty as people that it’s disturbing that she’s not disturbed by them. It’s utterly impossible for me to root for this romance, but perhaps I was never intended to, as the short stories rounding out the volume explore different “what if” pairings for Alice.

That said, Alice in the Country of Clover isn’t outright bad. I definitely smiled a few times at the humor, and can see myself checking out the next Clover installment, Cheshire Cat Waltz, which Seven Seas is publishing next month.

MJ: I suppose my feeling here is that you’ve perhaps sold me on Alice in the Country of Hearts rather than on this sequel, which sounds… not bad, but probably not worth prioritizing over better manga.

MICHELLE: And, like you, perhaps I meant to, but I feel bad about it! I definitely hope that people support Seven Seas by checking out the Clover titles.

And now… the special request. A few weeks ago, you reviewed the tenth volume of Pandora Hearts in our Bookshelf Briefs column, and we received a comment from Releona, who said she’d like to see it featured in an Off the Shelf column, as she was interested in our thoughts on it in greater detail.

Your wish is our command, Releona!

MJ: Since I’ve already done a review of sorts, would you like to get us up to speed on the series’ plot at this point?

MICHELLE: I’ll take a shot at it, though Pandora Hearts is one of those series that makes sense in the short-term but is not exactly clear in terms of its long-term plot trajectory.

Oz decides that the best bet for restoring Alice’s lost memories would be to visit Sablier, scene of a great tragedy a century before. Separated as they approach the epicenter of the disaster, Oz, Alice, and Gilbert see illusions from the past, each of which introduces some intriguing twists to the story, mostly in the form of answers about how the tragedy came to be. All of this is quite interesting, but mangaka Jun Mochizuki is adept at making the story about the characters, so the most compelling aspects are sympathizing with the character who brought about the tragedy as well as watching Gilbert angst oh-so-prettily about his memories and the possibility of being driven mad by them.

Probably I could read a manga that was all about Gilbert angsting prettily, but it sure was nice to get a little more shape to the story at this point.

MJ: Most readers by now have probably figured out that I’m a big fan of this series, and given that I’ve gone on in rapturous delight about its costuming, it’s probably a given that I’d happily read a whole manga about a prettily angsting Gilbert as well. But I certainly agree that this volume was a balm for the muddled brain. Not only was it a relief to understand Gil’s full history at last, but it also helped me to despise another character much, much less. And really, I wouldn’t have thought that could happen. Though probably I now hate Glen Baskerville much, much more.

Also, though Alice takes a back seat in this volume, the scene in which she confuses a kiss with a bite on the cheek is one of her most charming moments.

MICHELLE: It was, though I was startled to see how very obnoxious she was in the past. She may actually be a better person without her memories, which I’m sure is Mochizuki’s intent. Speaking of nice moments, I was also very happy that Oz actually feeling free to complain about something for the first time was given the significance it deserved. Gil desperately needs to be needed, and Oz still relying on him in a crucial moment brings him back from dangerous thoughts that still seem to be plaguing him, even at the volume’s end.

In addition to Gil’s violent impulses, another thing I’d like to see Mochizuki explore soon is Jack’s relationship to Alice and how much it influences Oz’s feelings towards her. In fact, this ties in to another important reveal in this volume, namely why Jack was consigned to the Abyss to start with.

I suppose my bottom line is, “this volume is not to be missed.” Not that I would advocate missing any of them, really.

MJ: Oh! And another thing that was a fairly big deal in this volume is Oz’s increasing ability to become one with the B-Rabbit. It was frightening, for sure, but pretty interesting.

And yes, I agree. This volume is not to be missed. It’s a substantial payoff for some of the confusion we’ve endured (amidst all the beauty) thus far.

Readers, if you (like Releona) have any special requests for Off the Shelf, feel free to let us know!

New Mizuki manga, Tezuka Kickstarter in the works

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Drawn & Quarterly announced yesterday that it has acquired the license to Shigeru Mizuki’s GeGeGe no Kitaro, which they seem to be titling simply Kitaro for their release, and will publish it in 2013. They have also published Mizuki’s Onward Toward Our Noble Deaths and NonNonBa.

Lissa Pattillo rounds up the Digital Manga news from Fanime, including the fact that they have plans for another Kickstarter to fund an Osamu Tezuka work, since the last two did so well.

Lissa also checks out this week’s new manga releases in her On the Shelf column for Otaku USA.

Lori Henderson’s latest license request: Gekkou no Aria (Garnet Cradle), which is based on a reverse harem game for girls.

News from Japan: Shinobi Life creator Shôko Conami has just launched a new series, Shikabane Cherry, in Gekkan Princess magazine.

Reviews

Kristin on chapter 1 of Barrage (Comic Attack)
Ken Haley on vol. 2 of Blood Blockade Battlefront (Sequential Ink)
David Brothers on Dr. Slump (4thletter!)
Manjiorin on vol. 1 of Maison Ikkoku (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Philip Shropshire on Rohan at the Louvre (Comics Forge)

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 1 April

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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. ↑1 (2) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [455.8] ::
2. ↓-1 (1) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [451.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [419.5] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [406.1] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [403.8] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [387.5] ::
7. ↑3 (10) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [372.6] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [349.4] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [335.8] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Black Butler 8 – Yen Press, Jan 2012 [286.6] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 75
Viz Shonen Jump 73
Tokyopop 72
Viz Shojo Beat 50
Kodansha Comics 43
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 35
DMP Juné 24
Seven Seas 17
Vizkids 15
HC/Tokyopop 14

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,157.7] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [885.6] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [669.6] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Black Butler – Yen Press [607.4] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Pokemon – Vizkids [525.2] ::
6. ↑2 (8) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [496.8] ::
7. ↑9 (16) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [456.6] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Black Bird – Viz Shojo Beat [440.9] ::
9. ↓-2 (7) : One Piece – Viz Shonen Jump [435.8] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [398.2] ::

[more]

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

2. ↓-1 (1) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [451.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [419.5] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [387.5] ::
12. ↑1 (13) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [278.5] ::
13. ↓-1 (12) : One Piece 61 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [264.2] ::
15. ↑9 (24) : Pandora Hearts 9 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [262.5] ::
16. ↓-7 (9) : Black Bird 13 – Viz Shojo Beat, Mar 2012 [257.6] ::
17. ↓-1 (16) : Bunny Drop 5 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [252.8] ::
18. ↑8 (26) : Spice & Wolf (manga) 6 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [248.7] ::
19. ↑99 (118) : Bleach 39 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2012 [245.6] ::

[more]

Preorders

21. ↓-6 (15) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [230.6] ::
22. ↓-5 (17) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [227.1] ::
36. ↑26 (62) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [176.5] ::
59. ↓-4 (55) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [146.0] ::
65. ↑25 (90) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [136.4] ::
70. ↑13 (83) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 – Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [126.1] ::
83. ↑28 (111) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [114.3] ::
87. ↑8 (95) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [111.4] ::
89. ↑131 (220) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [109.6] ::
106. ↑8 (114) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [97.0] ::

[more]

Manhwa

375. ↓-22 (353) : Bride of the Water God 9 – Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [30.9] ::
695. ↓-129 (566) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [12.7] ::
702. ↑ (last ranked 18 Dec 11) : Angel Diary 7 – Yen Press, Oct 2008 [12.4] ::
706. ↑134 (840) : Priest Purgatory 1 – Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [12.0] ::
725. ↑317 (1042) : Ragnarok 1 – Tokyopop, May 2002 [11.5] ::
806. ↓-136 (670) : INVU 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2009 [9.1] ::
856. ↑327 (1183) : March Story 3 – Viz Signature, Oct 2011 [8.0] ::
965. ↑ (last ranked 4 Mar 12) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [6.3] ::
1107. ↑ (last ranked 11 Mar 12) : JTF-3 Counter Ops (ebook) – RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [4.3] ::
1402. ↓-80 (1322) : March Story 2 – Viz Signature, Apr 2011 [1.7] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

56. ↓-3 (53) : Maelstrom (ebook) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jun 2011 [150.0] ::
64. ↑7 (71) : Ice Cage (ebook) – Yaoi Press, Feb 2012 [137.5] ::
66. ↑34 (100) : Treasured Prince – Yaoi Press, Mar 2012 [134.5] ::
87. ↑8 (95) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [111.4] ::
106. ↑8 (114) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [97.0] ::
112. ↑414 (526) : Love Knot – Tokyopop Blu, Mar 2010 [87.9] ::
138. ↑ (last ranked 4 Mar 12) : Jazz 4 – DMP Juné, Feb 2007 [73.0] ::
144. ↓-67 (77) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [71.0] ::
145. ↑1534 (1679) : Shards of Affection – DMP Juné, Dec 2008 [70.7] ::
154. ↓-45 (109) : Ambiguous Relationship – DMP Juné, Mar 2012 [68.9] ::

[more]

Ebooks

3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [419.5] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [349.4] ::
11. ↑14 (25) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [279.0] ::
12. ↑1 (13) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [278.5] ::
24. ↓-4 (20) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [210.7] ::
48. ↓-14 (34) : Blue Exorcist 2 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2011 [156.6] ::
49. ↓-9 (40) : Bleach 37 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [155.7] ::
51. ↓-19 (32) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [154.9] ::
52. ↑4 (56) : Naruto 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2011 [153.1] ::
56. ↓-3 (53) : Maelstrom (ebook) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jun 2011 [150.0] ::

[more]

Subtitles & Sensibility: Seattle International Film Festival 2012, Part One

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The Seattle International Film Festival is my favorite time of year, and by far the best opprotunity to see Asian film in Seattle. In fact, within the festival there is a dedicated program, titled Asian Crossroads, which this year contains 24 features from 13 countries. I am seeing as many as humanly possible, and am excited to share them all with you!

Here are the first four, from South Korea, Cambodia, Japan, and Hong Kong.

* Countdown is the strong first feature from Huh Jung-ho. It’s a character-driven classic action film, starring Jeong Jae-young as a debt collector who learns that he has liver cancer and ten days to live. Naturally, he brings all the skills that make him an excellent debt collector to the task of finding and securing a liver donor. And when he finds her, of course she has ties to gangsters.

Throw in some drama in his past that he can’t or won’t remember, and you have the formula for a well-paced, slick & snappy feature. A side note: if you’ve never seen a South Korean action film before, don’t be surprised at the lack of gun violence. It’s realistic, due to the country’s firearm regulations, and it’s frankly refreshing for characters to have to take each other on one-on-one rather than mowing down rivals in a spray of bullets.
* Golden Slumbers is a documentary on the golden age of Cambodian cinema, which is a challenge because virtually nothing remains of the actual films. Instead, director Davy Chou (grandson of film producer Van Chann) relies on the memories of those who directed, starred in, and watched the films. Together they visit the sites where films were shot and the cinemas they were projected in, which adds another layer to the piece: life in Cambodia today.

The interview subjects are upfront about the quality of the films (or the lack thereof!)pointing out that each had essentially the same melodramatic plot. However, what I found incredibly powerful was the impact they had on the collective memory. Even though the films no longer exist, the songs are still sung and the plotlines are effortlessly recited by people who saw them over 40 years ago. Destruction of art is heartbreaking, but to be so warmly and fully remembered is beautiful.
* Rent-a-Cat is easily the most charming film I’ve seen at the festival this year, and I am not even a cat person. I am assured that if you are a cat person, this film will make you explode with glee. If you are not a cat person, it just might turn you into one.

Rent-a-Cat stars Mikako Ichikawa (who has the best face at SIFF this year) as Sayoko, a lonely young woman who, you guessed it, rents out cats. Seriously. She walks along the river calling “rentaneko neko neko” through a megaphone, and rents cats to other lonely people. As it turns out, a lot of people are in the market for a low-commitment pet.

It’s hard to not watch a movie about what is essentially a crazy cat lady without being at least a little bit concerned. Will it judge her harshly? Will it devolve into a pat romance? Luckily, Rent-a-Cat ends not too cruel, not too sweet, but just right. Don’t forget to stick with it through the ridiculously cute illustrated end credits!
* I wanted to like Romancing in Thin Air, but I found it overwrought & sentimental. The latest from Johnnie To is not his first romantic film, though he is better known for his thrillers. I do remember loving his unconventional romance Turn Left, Turn Right at a previous festival, so this was a disappointment.

It opens with film star Michael (Louis Koo) being left at the altar. He decides to drink himself to oblivion, which turns out to be the Deep Woods Hotel. There he shouts a lot and smashes things, until he slowly begins to heal with the help of the mournful proprietor Sue (Sammi Cheng). She is in pain herself over the loss of her husband Tian, who went missing in the woods seven years ago.

The film does contain some nice ideas. I liked the metaphor of Tian’s piano, which had broken keys when he disappeared that Sue still refuses to fix, plus the whole image of the quiet danger of a forest where compasses do not work is lovely. The scene where locals are creating noise to help people find their way out of the forest is beautiful and will stay with me.

Overall the high drama and the too-pat meta ending outweighed the pretty cast and the even prettier scenery.

Combat Commentary: Fullmetal Alchemist Ch. 91-96 Armstrong(s) vs. Sloth

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I don’t often fall in love with fictional characters…okay, that’s a lie, I do it all the time. Despite what I imagine most people would think, this does not usually happen because the character is drawn with very few clothes, or has over-developed sexuality. No, my feelings are more pure and entirely based on personality (with a small heaping of looks thrown in there).

The thing is, I tend to fall for very specific type of fictional woman—the type that would utterly terrify me in real life. Olivier Armstrong is one of those women. I can’t really explain why this happens, but what I can explain is why she’s a badass, and if she were real I’d willingly be her servant for life.

PS: I was thinking this would make a perfect Valentine’s Special…but…well, it’s a little late for that. So pretend this got published back in February.

What Happened?
As the rebel forces begin their assault on central, Major General Olivier Armstrong makes her move, capturing one of the inner circle generals. The Central forces target her as a high priority target and attempt to take her down. But they are impeded by the arrival of the Homunculus Sloth.

What Happens?
Olivier’s sword does little to no damage to the behemoth, and it isn’t until the arrival of Major Alex Armstrong that they are able to do some damage to Sloth. Just after the sibling pair deal the first serious blow, Sloth reveals his true ability, supernatural speed.

Sloth’s speed turns his body into basically an obscenely heavy bullet, as he is unable to control his trajectory after launching himself. Major Armstrong is able to use this to his advantage, by placing a stone spike right in Sloth’s path. This severely injures Sloth, but not enough to finish him.

The Armstrong siblings are surrounded by Central soldiers, who try to arrest them, but are attacked by the artificial humans. As Sloth breaks free from the spike, more Central soldiers arrive, and Olivier takes command of them. She organizes them to take on the artificial humans, while Alex focuses on Sloth. With his dislocated shoulder, Alex is unable to properly fight. The soldiers urge Olivier to go help him, but she refuses, knowing Alex is tougher than the soldiers give him credit for. He uses one of Sloth’s attacks to pop his shoulder back into place, and is able to start fighting Sloth back.

Sloth still won’t go down, and he continues to target Alex and Olivier. The soldiers try to hold him back and give the Armstrongs a chance to escape, but Alex refuses. It is at this point that Izumi and her husband show up. They, along with a reinvigorated Alex, give Sloth a thrashing to the point that he finally dies.

(click image to enlarge)

What Does it Mean?
What makes Fullmetal Alchemist stand out is that Arakawa isn’t afraid to break shounen tropes here and there. Usually fights in shounen manga focus more on one on one battles. Team battles like this one tend to be more the rare side. The fight also serves as more than just a way to eliminate one of the enemies. It serves as closure for the relationship arc between the two Armstrong siblings.

While Olivier’s opinion of Alex had been low the entire series, during this fight we see how she works. She may say Alex is worthless, but when it comes down to it she trusts him enough to remain focused on her own job. An effective fight scene needs to accomplish multiple things. At the most basic it needs to be cool to look at, but it also needs to provide this kind of character growth.

In team fights like this it may be tempting to say that one member of the team did more than the other. The bulk of the fighting is done by Alex, which could be construed as downplaying Olivier’s ability as a fighter. But there is no need to pull out the sexist manga card on this one, as the Alex and Olivier both fulfill specific roles that were previously developed parts of their characters.

Alex may not be able to beat Olivier in a one-on-one fight, but he is more suited for fighting with brute strength. And while Olivier has been portrayed as an exceptional fighter, that part of her is not emphasized as much as her ability as a leader. There is no need to give her character arc closure with a one-on-one fight, because her character is much more focused on leadership. And just as Alex gets his good fight, Olivier gets to show off her chops as a leader by taking command of two platoons of soldiers sent to capture her and fully gaining their loyalty.

(click image to enlarge)

The end of the fight is a bit disappointing, because the two are unable to win without being saved by the Curtises. A better ending would have been to go the more archetypal route of having Alex and Olivier pull through to the very end and finish Sloth off. To have two outside forces aid them this far into the battle does unfortunately diminish their success. Fortunately this is a minor complaint, as the moment is executed with plenty of style and comedic callbacks with Alex and Mr. Curtis.

Ultimately the final fight against Sloth works because the bond between the two siblings is more important than their ability to defeat their enemy. They had prior victories, and in the end it did not take a final victory to cement their character arcs. The important development occurred during the fight, so the weak ending can be forgiven.

Manga the Week of 6/13

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Despite my irritation at Diamond for not shipping half of Viz’s releases this week (at least I got Ouran 18…), I am here to tell you about next week.

Dark Horse has the 11th volume of the Evangelion spinoff Shinji Ikari Raising Project. At the rate it’s going it should pass its original source soon in length. I’m sure it will have far more heartwarming romantic comedy moments as well – the original Evangelion manga really doesn’t have time for that these days.

Digital Manga Publishing debuts a new BL office romance, Same Difference. It looks like it might be lighthearted, always nice to see. There’s also the 4th volume of Bad Teacher’s Equation, and the 6th volume of the fancy Deluxe version of Kizuna.

Seven Seas has the first of a new spinoff series from Alice in the Country of Hearts, as this time she ends up in the Country of Clover. The cast seems to be similar, though, and I’m sure it will share the reverse harem datesim genre that its parent series had. There’s also the 12th volume of Dance in the Vampire Bund, which sadly does not seem to feature a cameo from Christie High Tension. :)

There’s also two new titles from Viz’s BL line Sublime. Honey Darling and Three Wolves Mountain come out with covers that make me immediately wary, but perhaps the cute boys are slightly less cat-eared inside the volume. In any case, it’s great to see Viz dipping its toes into the BL genre.

Anything that interests you this week? Or, like me, are you still waiting for half your Viz order?

Nonnonba

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By Shigeru Mizuki. Released in Japan as “Nonnonba to Ore” by Chikuma Shobo. Released in North America by Drawn & Quarterly.

It feels somewhat odd that after reading Nonnonba, a semi-autobiographic epic by the creator of Gegege no Kitaro, the man who is known worldwide for his amazing yokai tales and characterizations, that I found the yokai in it the least engaging part. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are some spectacular spooks here. My favorite was probably Azuki-Haraki, who looks as if he had been drawn by guest artist Robert Crumb. But though there are yokai and supernatural elements throughout, the reason this is such a famous title – it’s gotten many accolades ever since its first publication in 1977 – has been its human characters, in particular Shigeru himself.

There are several main plotlines that flit through Shigeru’s life as he grows older in this volume. His flighty father’s continued schemes to chase his dream – and unemployment that inevitably follows. The young child gangs that roam the streets, which seem to be undecided as to how serious they are – especially after their new leader has Shigeru ostracized. His grandmother – the titular Nonnonba – moves back in with them after the death of her husband and is very much what you’d expect, dispensing good advice, acting as a nanny/doctor, and occasionally dealing out exposition on yokai.

One of the main things I noticed, though, was the series of girls approximately Shigeru’s age who arrive, seeming to be potential love interests, and then move on. At first this is sudden – “Oh, she died of the measles a week ago”, and you accept it as part of what being a child in 1930s Japan was like. Then we meet a sickly girl who enjoys Shigeru’s drawings, and given she has ‘doomed’ written all over her (if this were a Western comic she’d be dying of consumption), one can briefly raise an eyebrow. Then, in the last third of the book, we meet Miu, a young girl who is part of a ‘family’ moving into a haunted house – and can also sense nature and the supernatural in an almost psychic way. I was fairly sure she would die as well – the color pages at the start made me think they were all going to the land of the dead – but her fate is far more realistic, fitting in with the darker tone of the 2nd half of the book.

Still, the book itself is not depressing. Life is something that has to be accepted, in all its facets. Mizuki is an expert at capturing his childhood in a way unfettered by preciousness or overanalysis. There’s also a bit of eerie prescience here – Shigeru reforming the teen gangs to ‘pacifism’ is all very well and good, but I kept being reminded that this group of kids would be going off to war in a scant few years. This is probably why Shigeru the child has an emphasis on pacifism – and why the ostracized gang eventually joins him over the dictatorial leadership of the stronger Kappa (Kappa being a nickname, he’s not a yokai).

I wasn’t as blown away by this as I thought I would be – Gegege no Kitaro remains the title I want to see here the most – but it was a nice, solid autobiography, mixing reality and fantasy in such a way that each complements the other. There’s a lot of extremely flawed human beings here, including Shigeru, but the overall mood is one of nostalgia and remembrance.