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Bookshelf Briefs 2/13/12

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This week, Kate, MJ, Sean, & Michelle take a look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, Vertical, Inc., VIZ Media, Yen Press, Digital Manga Publishing, and JManga.

Bloody Monday, Vol. 3 | Story by Ryou Ryumon, Art by Kouji Megumi | Kodansha Comics – I can see why Bloody Monday appeals to teenage boys: not only do its adolescent heroes get to kick ass and match wits with evil adults, they also get to ogle beautiful villains and work alongside cute classmates. For an adult reader, however, the plot mechanics are too creaky to overlook the obvious wish-fulfillment angle. Too many scenes bog down in obvious explanation, as characters repeatedly tell each other things that one would hope world-class crime solvers would know — even if they’re only sixteen. The action scenes remain the series’ strength, as they’re the only time the exposition-dense chatter and obvious voice-overs are silenced in favor of good old-fashioned chases and shoot-outs. It’s a shame that Bloody Monday is such a mixed bag, as its paranoid, the Russians-are-out-to-get-us plot could be the basis of a terrific, globe-trotting thriller. – Katherine Dacey

Chi’s Sweet Home, Vols. 7-8 | By Konata Konami | Vertical, Inc. – Now that I own a cat, I’ve developed an even deeper appreciation for the genius of Konata Konami. So many of the details in Chi are beautifully observed, whether Chi is stalking new “prey” (a goldfish, a feather duster) or calculating the distance between two high perches. Konami also depicts new pet ownership with accuracy and warmth: like the Yamadas, I’ve spent a lot of time reading cat books in an effort to decode Francesca’s behavior, feed her the right food, and interpret symptoms of illness. I can’t speak to Chi’s relationship with Cocchi — my cat’s only animal companion is a frustrated herding dog — but even that feels right to me. A must for cat fanciers. – Katherine Dacey

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 8 | By Kyousuke Motomi | VIZ Media – Make no mistake, this is easily the best volume of Dengeki Daisy yet. Okay, yes, part of the cliffhanger from last volume just sort of fizzles out, but it leads to Teru finally getting the full story (through flashbacks) about Kurosaki’s past as a dangerous hacker and his relationship with Soichiro and the various former coworkers with whom he still associates. Although mangaka Kyousuke Motomi can’t quite manage to write a compelling mystery plot—any attempts to hint at some vast conspiracy are generally vague and uninteresting, though we do get a little direction on who’s orchestrating the attacks on Teru—there’s still some good stuff here for fans of these characters, especially in the way Soichiro draws a young, heartbroken Kurosaki out of his shell. I do have to wonder, though, whether returning to the present day will feel like a let down after this. – Michelle Smith

Fairy Tail, Vol. 17 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – I have to admit, Mashima is starting to lose me here. There’s a lot going on in this volume provided you like fights – but if you’re not a big shonen fight fan, the only thing to grab a hold of is the big plot revelation, which brings back someone who I’m not really sure we all wanted to see back. Yeah, I know ‘no one dies in shonen comics’ has become somewhat of a cliche, but this just felt very underwhelming. It doesn’t help that I still have trouble holding the new characters in my head, be they heroes or villains. On the plus side, Erza being out of the action for most of the volume gives Gray a chance to shine. And the cliffhanger, involving Loke, makes me really want to know what happens next. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to save a substandard volume of this series.-Sean Gaffney

I Love You, Chief Clerk! | By Keiko Kinoshita | JManga – BL anthologies are probably my least favorite type of manga to review. With a handful of exceptions (est em, for example), BL mangaka, at least those currently published in English, seem to be especially inept at the admittedly difficult art of telling a satisfying, well-developed story in just one or two chapters. Happily, Keiko Kinoshita proves herself to be one of the exceptions. Despite its simplistic title, I Love You, Chief Clerk! is a charming collection of short romance manga that manage to get right to the heart of their stories without feeling rushed or skimpy. Kinoshita deftly introduces her characters and defines their relationships, past and present, with just a few sure strokes. She’s not concerned so much with resolution as she is with creating a few truly genuine moments, and that’s all it takes to bring her adorable short stories to life. Gratefully recommended. – MJ

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 7 | By Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa | VIZ Media – While readers have been reading about the not-quite-romance between Kasahara and Dojo, the plot has been slowly building up, and this is the volume where a lot of the plot cannons are fired. Following up on last volume, Tezuka gets a lot of development here, and I was also pleased to see Shibazaki’s lunch dates continue. But the real meat of this is the plot with our heroine, as a conspiracy tries to frame her and she has to lay low while her friends figure out who’s behind it. Seeing the social and normally upbeat Kasahara being so beaten down and downtrodden is quite heartbreaking, and more so when we know she’s “trying to be strong” – exactly what Dojo *doesn’t* want. For those who wanted more library wars in this manga, this is the volume to get.-Sean Gaffney

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Vol. 11 | Art by Haku Tsugano, Story by Nagaru Tanigawa, Characters by Noizi Ito | Yen Press – The eleventh volume of Haruhi Suzumiya irresistibly reminded me of a classic Star Trek plot line, in which a rift in time, a strange illness, or an amnesia-inducing event causes the crew to act out of character. For Harhui and her friends, the sudden rash of odd behavior begins when they’re banished to an alternate dimension; only by solving a math puzzle can they return to their normal lives. Newcomers will find this volume a difficult place to begin exploring this unique series, as the story relies too heavily on the reader’s prior knowledge of the characters. Die-hards, however, will find more of what they like: humorous interplay between characters, off-beat mysteries, and occasional bits of fanservice. -Katherine Dacey

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 11 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – I know this is a monthly manga, but at times the author really seems to plot her arcs out to the individual volumes. The first half shows Natsume bonding even more with Tanuma and Taki (OT3!!!… sorry), and finding that he can rely on them to be there for him no matter what. Then in the 2nd half, we see that as much as he may want to open up, it’s simply not that easy given what he goes through every day… and what he went through as a child. We are our upbringing, after all. There’s also some nice yokai examination here – even the “nice” ones are still distrustful and uncomprehending about humanity. This even applies to Nyanko-sensei, who’s still saying he’s only hanging around to get the Book of Friends after all this time. Rather than admitting the deep bond he and Natsume have forged. Terrific stuff.-Sean Gaffney

No Longer Human, Vol. 3 | By Usamaru Furuya, Based on the novel by Osamu Dazai | Vertical, Inc. – In the afterword to volume three, Usamaru Furuya admits that as a teenager, he “found beauty” in the hero’s “ruinous lifestyle.” That admission is key to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of Furuya’s adaptation of No Longer Human. On the one hand, it’s immediate and visceral, depicting a young man’s fall from grace in symbolically rich imagery; Furuya has succeeded in translating an ambiguous text into a feverish nightmare of father-hate and drunken debauchery. On the other, many of the nuances of Dazai’s text have been filed away, making Yozo’s transformation seem more pedestrian than it did in the novel; it’s a Lifetime movie about addiction, minus a third-act redemption. Still, for readers new to Dazai’s work, Furuya’s adaptation provides a sturdy bridge between the original novel and the present day, showing readers that No Longer Human is as relevant now as it was in 1948. – Katherine Dacey

Only Serious About You, Vol. 2 | By Kai Asou | Digital Manga Publishing – Though I know of a few gay men who read and enjoy BL manga, the fact remains that it’s a genre written by women for women. Reading this second volume of Only Serious About You, however, made me think that here is a series I would recommend to any gay man, pre-existing manga fan or not. The evolution of the relationship between single dad Oosawa and his former customer, Yoshioka, is handled with sensitivity and realism, and the bond they share caring for Oosawa’s daughter, Chizu, is seriously touching. Yoshioka had a tough childhood, and helping to raise Chizu is like a healing experience for him, and when reserved Oosawa finally decides to accept all that Yoshioka’s willing to give, it’s sniffle time. The sense of family among these three is palpable, and a great example of the loving home two men can provide a child. A lovely, lovely story. More by Kai Asou, please! – Michelle Smith

“Good ending” for Negima; the poetry of Bleach

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Kristin Bomba picks the most interesting manga in the latest Previews at Comic Attack.

Erica Friedman rounds up the latest yuri news at Okazu.

Daniella Orihuela-Gruber has a question for her readers: What is your favorite Tezuka manga?

Do you read Bleach for the poetry? Tony Yao enjoys it, and he posts a few of his favorite Tite Kubo poems at Manga Therapy.

A Scottish fan shows off her manga collection to The Manga Critic, Kate Dacey.

Wandering Son is the first manga to make it on to the American Library Association’s Rainbow List of GLBT-friendly books.

Kimagure Orange Road creator Izumi Matsumoto will be a guest at Katsucon this weekend.

News from Japan: Ken Akamatsu is winding up Negima, and AstroNerdBoy has his Facebook post saying that the series is not being truncated, and that this will be a “good ending.”

Reviews: Jocelyne Allen takes a look at Hakoniwa Mushi, a book of short manga by Akino Kondoh, and she shows off some of the striking art at Brain Vs. Book. This manga hasn’t been translated into English yet, but I’d love to see it.

Connie on vol. 8 of Arata: The Legend (Slightly Biased Manga)
Justin on vol. 9 of Bakuman (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Connie on vol. 15 of Black Jack (Slightly Biased Manga)
Serdar Yegulalp on vol. 17 of Black Jack (Genji Press)
Connie on vols. 1 and 2 of Blue Exorcist (Slightly Biased Manga)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 2 and 3 of Cage of Eden (ANN)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 6 of Chobits (Blogcritics)
Connie on Dost Thou Know? (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 9 of Future Diary (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on Gorgeous Carat Galaxy (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lori Henderson and Alex Hoffman on High School of the Dead (Manga Village)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 2 of Love Hina (omnibus edition)
Connie on vol. 1 of Love Pistols (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 9 of Mars (Slightly Biased Manga)
Justin on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Connie on Men of Tattoos (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vols. 4 and 5 of Natsume’s Book of Friends (Slightly Biased Manga)
Serdar Yegulalp on vol. 3 of No Longer Human (Genji Press)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 2 of Only Serious About You (ANN)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 17 of Ouran High School Host Club (ANN)
Connie on Poison (You Higuri artbook) (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 3 of Ratman (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 5 of Recipe for Gertrude (Slightly Biased Manga)
Carlo Santos on vol. 4 of Tenjho Tenge (omnibus edition) (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s (The Comic Book Bin)
Justin on A Zoo in Winter (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 1

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

I must admit, when I first started reading A Devil and Her Love Song, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Maria. Sure, she was blunt, and I quite like blunt heroines, but she seemed just a bit too stoic for me. Was she really going to be able to carry a 13-volume shoujo manga. Also, the genki blonde male co-star was really getting on my nerves. Then within a couple of pages she shows us how much of that ‘get on my nerves’ attitude was a facade (hint: all of it), and does a head tilt that must easily be seen to be believed. You’d think she was totally mocking him if she weren’t so deadly serious and incapable of understanding sarcasm. That was when I began to love Maria Kawai.

Speaking of those two guys, there not nearly as reverse harem as I might have expected. Shin is likeable right away, especially for long time readers of shoujo manga, and I’ve a feeling that he and Maria will be the main couple. Yasuke is perhaps more interesting to me personally, however. I noted that he annoyed me at the start, and that really didn’t precisely go away as the volume went on. I did like the growing sense of unease that he feels, especially as Shin notes that his act isn’t really working as well as he thinks. Maria is simply the only one willing to call him out on it. His best moment is right at the end, where he opens up to Maria and reveals how much of his life is a deliberate lie. Usually the “broken bird” type in manga like this is someone like Shin – grumpy, cynical, worn down by past events. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Yusuke in future volumes.

Back to Maria for a bit, as I wanted to discuss something else that separates this series from most other generic shoujo mangas with a blunt, in your face heroine – her faith. Japan has a very casual relationship with Catholicism, and its depictions in shoujo manga tend to simply involve the Catholic School as a setting – the strict nun teachers, praying to the Virgin Mary about someone’s love life, etc. Maria, however, seems to have a genuine faith. Not in an active, religious sense, but more a faith in the good in man, and belief in oneself. It’s a very personal faith, and one I can easily identify with. Of course, that faith also brings with it a great helping of sin, and Maria certainly seems to have a low opinion of herself – something that’s helped along by everyone around her.

For Maria is highly empathic. Which unfortunately, combined with no social filters, leads her to tell everyone exactly what she thinks, and point out the obvious walls that everyone puts up to protect themselves from being hurt. Maria has no such walls, and so is hurt all the time, to the point where she almost seems dulled to pain. Almost, but not quite – her “date” with Shin not only shows us that she can be passionate about something (even if it’s goth-loli shoes), but that she is aware of how she is to other people. She holds herself to impossible standards, and when everyone around her says she’s a horrible person (usually for calling them on their shit), it only reinforces her lack of belief. Back to faith again – Maria wants to believe in herself, in a Maria Kawai who she can love and be proud of. But since she hates herself, this faith has nowhere to go. Except into singing “Amazing Grace”.

The old hymn appears a few times throughout this volume, sung by Maria, who has a beautiful angelic voice. When I grew up, I didn’t realize that I was taught a “censored” version of the song – the lyrics in the 2nd line that I learned were “that saved and set me free”. The original, of course, carries a far greater sense of self-loathing – “that saved a wretch like me”. It is this version that Maria sings. She believes herself unworthy of being saved, but desperately wants to be. (I will note that this manga does feature a cast of female classmates who all hate the heroine, a peril in many shoujo manga. But Maria doesn’t exactly warm the heart. I’m hoping as the series goes on, we’ll get her some female friends.)

I could keep writing – I found a lot to talk about with this series. Probably a sign of how good it is. Go and get the first volume.

A Kid’s View: Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll

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Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll, Vol. 1 | By Yumi Tsukirino | VIZ Media | Rated All-Ages

Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll is about these puppies who go on adventures and help each other out. Cinnamoroll has big, fluffy ears that help him fly. He uses these ears to help people and get things from tall places.

I did not like the part when they had to go into the basement and the puppies were scaring each other. I thought there was a real ghost and something bad was about to happen. I also didn’t like that sometimes they don’t tell you what happens to the puppies at the end. I liked Cinnamoroll and Milk the best because Cinnamoroll helped the puppies out numerous times and I like Milk because he is so cute.

It wasn’t a really funny book. I just wanted to know what came next in the book. I longed to know what happened.

Some of the names were hard to pronounce, but there wasn’t anything I didn’t understand.

I liked this book. I would recommend it to first through fifth graders.

Elemental Gelade rescued

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Here’s a surprise license rescue: Digital Manga announced via Twitter yesterday that they have licensed Erementar Gerad, which was known as Elemental Gelade when Tokyopop was publishing it.

Shaenon Garrity is the guest writer for this week’s House of 1000 Manga column at ANN, and she picks a good one: Mars, by Fuyumi Soryo, who went on to make one of my favorite manga, ES: Eternal Sabbath.

AstroNerdBoy notes a new translation team for Kodansha’s Love Hina omnibuses: Alethea and Athena Nibley (whose other credits include Fruits Basket) will be taking over.

Reviews: Wolfen Moondaughter discusses four yaoi manga at Sequential Tart. At The Manga Critic, Kate Dacey goes on two second dates with vol. 2 of Dawn of the Arcana and vol. 2 of Gate 7, but only one is a keeper.

Wolfen Moondaughter on The Bed of My Dear King (Sequential Tart)
Chris Beveridge on vol. 8 of Chi’s Sweet Home (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 16 of Higurashi: When They Cry (The Fandom Post)
Wolfen Moondaughter on vol. 1 of Husband, Honeymoon (Sequential Tart)
Wolfen Moondaughter on vol. 2 of Love Hina (omnibus edition) (Sequential Tart)
Wolfen Moondaughter on vol. 1 of Love Pistols (Sequential Tart)
Angela Eastman on vol. 6 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (The Fandom Post)
Wolfen Moondaughter on Oku-San’s Daily Fantasies (Sequential Tart)
Sakura Eries on vol. 6 of Oresama Teacher (The Fandom Post)
Paige McKee on vol. 3 of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Sequential Tart)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 2 of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s (Sequential Tart)
Erica Friedman on Yurikan Miel (Okazu)

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 1

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By Toru Fujisawa. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Vertical.

In the beginning, there was Shonan Jun’ai Gumi, a 31-volume series about the adventures of two young delinquents in the Shonan area, and their amusing attempts to try to lose their virginity and change their ways. (Only one succeeded, and he’s not the star of this manga.) Then we had a 1-volume prequel, Bad Company, showing how Onizuka and Danma (the stars of SJG) first met in middle school. Following this came the most popular entry in the series, and the ones most North American fans know about, Great Teacher Onizuka. The ‘delinquent/gang leader becomes a teacher and teaches students to stand upright and be proud’ type of series is its own genre in Japan, but Onizuka took this to new heights of comedy, outrageousness and heartwarming.

When GTO ended in 2002, after 25 volumes, Fujisawa tried various other series that were unrelated to the Onizuka saga, for better or worse. (Some of them came over here via Tokyopop: Rose Hip Rose/Zero, Tokko…) There was even a series about a mysterious masked teacher that looked very much like GTO with the serial numbers filed off. But apparently it was impossible to stay away for too long, as in 2009 Fujisawa decided to take Onizuka back to his roots.

This 9-volume series is what’s awkwardly known as an ‘interquel’, which is to say it takes place entirely within the GTO series proper, during the time that Onizuka recovered from the gunshot wounds he received from insane stalker Teshigawara. Of course, mere bullets are not enough to stop our hero, whose ability to take fatal blows and still laugh is something you’re just going to have to accept. Unfortunately, after accidentally bragging about nearly killing one of his students on live television, Onizuka’s in a lot more trouble than usual, and he has to try to stay low. (This, by the way, gives the regular cast of GTO a chance to make a cameo, including Urumi, the aforementioned student who was almost killed. For those wondering about the bizarre translation ‘mate with me’ and ‘I want your seed’, no, that’s really how she talks.)

So Onizuka has to lay low for the next 2 weeks, and decides to go back to Shonan and hang around with his old gang members. This leads to another old GTO gag, where Onizuka brags about how his old gang are still brothers who’d make any sacrifice for each other, then finds reality is not so bright. Luckily, he’s taken in by a young woman who recognizes him; she’s a friend of his fellow teacher and not-quite-love-interest Fuyutsuki, and wonders if he can so something about the kids she has at her local boarding house…

And so we prepare for Onizuka to do what he did in GTO, only with a different group of kids. Let’s not mince words: there’s not a lot of originality here. But Kodansha didn’t approve a revival because they wanted to see something different. Onizuka changing the hearts and minds of troubled youngsters is what people want, and this series gives it to them. The beauty of GTO is the way that it combined comedic juvenile gags, gang violence, and heartwarming scenes to give an overall impression of “the world is not as unfair as you think it is”. And since he’s only got 9 volumes this time round, he makes an impression right away, winning over the eccentric and somewhat suicidal Sakurako and punching the lights out of her abusive father. Onizuka tends to believe in the powers of “I will change your mind with my fists if necessary”, and his defense of Sakurako (which earns the approval of her abused mother) is beautiful.

For those worried that they won’t understand the series without having read GTO or SJG, don’t worry about it. The GTO cast appear for about 6 pages and then are gone, and Onizuka’s type of teaching is pretty universal. There’s a few anachronisms (Onizuka draws Haruhi Suzumiya at one point, which is rather prescient given that GTO is supposed to take place in the late ’90s), but nothing game breaking. I will note that Onizuka can be crude, and talks a lot about finally getting laid. (It’s not going to happen.) And for those who hate cockroaches, a scene towards the end may freak you out. Otherwise, GTO: 14 Days in Shonan does exactly what we wanted it to do. Onizuka is back, and he’s redeeming the souls of rebellious teens through sheer force of personality – and sometimes just force. Welcome back.

Show Us Your Stuff: The Loch Ness Manga

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Welcome to another installment of Show Us Your Stuff, a weekly column in which manga lovers share pictures of their libraries. This week’s featured collector is Ellie, who hails from across the pond. When she isn’t baking or drawing, Ellie documents her efforts to learn Japanese at the site 5kanjiaday.wordpress.com. Her taste in manga cants more heavily towards shojo than other demographics, though as you’ll see, her collection is pleasingly eclectic, encompassing everything from Keiko Nishi to Hiromu Arakawa to Katsuhiro Otomo. So without further ado, here’s Ellie in her own words! – Katherine Dacey

I’m another international contributor, as I live in Scotland. I became interested in manga through some friends I made when I started high school. As well as manga and anime, I’m also interested in music, cooking, baking, drawing, and trying to learn Japanese. I’m working at the moment, but I’m hoping to go to university next year to study music.

How long have you been collecting manga?
Since shortly after I started high school, so about 7-8 years now.

What was the first manga you bought?
Volume one of Chobits. It was one of about four manga volumes in the only bookshop in the small town I grew up in, and I bought it on a school friend’s recommendation. I still have it and I’ve never looked back since…

How big is your collection?
As at January 17th, 688 English volumes, including some artbooks, novels and guide books, and omnibuses (which I count as one volume, regardless of how many original volumes they contain). I have three Japanese volumes. I swear it doesn’t look like that much on the shelves, but when I sat down and counted one day, I gave myself a shock!

What is the rarest item in your collection?
Probably a Japanese Okane ga Nai doujinshi that a friend got me from a con. (Not pictured, as it’s still at my parents’ house.) There are several other things I own which seem to be rare — judging by new and used prices on Amazon — including some older BL published by June and BLU; Love Song, which is an early anthology of one-shots by Keiko Nishi and released by Viz in the 1990’s; and a first edition of Legal Drug, Vol. 1, which has the lovely acetates and colour pages.

I also have the complete run of After School Nightmare and Tenshi ja Nai!!, published by Go! Comi. This isn’t manga per se, but I have all but one of the Gothic and Lolita Bibles that Tokyopop published. I also have the first two Strawberry Panic light novel volumes that Seven Seas published before ditching the series years ago. I was so annoyed when the omnibus came out!

What is the weirdest item in your collection?
In terms of pure weird story content, probably Guru Guru Pon-chan and everything I own by Mitsukazu Mihara and Kaori Yuki . I’d say the series that deviate most from the rest of the collection in terms of story content are probably Tegami Bachi, Black Butler and Blue Exorcist, as the vast majority of my collection is shojo and romance, whereas those three are decidedly not…

How has your taste in manga evolved since you started your collection?
When I first got into manga, I would buy literally everything I saw that even vaguely caught my eye, even if I ended up not really liking it that much. I’ve sold quite a lot of stuff because of that. My tastes have matured somewhat now, and I’m a lot more picky about what I buy, and I buy more stuff online (partly due to moving out and having to pay rent and bills!), and I’ll tend to check out reviews before I buy if I’m unsure about something.

I’ve also come to appreciate more mature works as I’ve gotten older, like Honey and Clover and Akira (which would have bored me a few years ago). Recently, I also seem to have got back into shounen series. I gave up on Bleach a few years ago (as you can see, the vast majority of my collection is shoujo) but within the last year I started buying Tegami Bachi, Blue Exorcist, Bakuman, Fullmetal Alchemist and Black Butler. When I’m caught up with a few more things, I want to buy the Rurouni Kenshin and Inuyasha VIZBIG editions, and possibly Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan. I tend to prefer shojo because it (most of the time) doesn’t drag on as long as shonen series. I’ll give anything a chance though.

Who are your favorite comic artists?
My favorite manga artists, in no particular order, are: CLAMP, Yuu Watase, Kaori Yuki, Arina Tanemura, Natsumi Ando, Mitsukazu Mihara, Ai Yazawa, Hiromu Arakawa and Masami Tsuda.This list is purely based on entertainment value, rather than me trying to be objective about quality… I don’t really read Western comics so I don’t have any favorite comic artists.

What series are you actively collecting right now?
Again, in no particular order, Bunny Drop (although I’m not sure whether I will keep buying any more volumes, given what I know of the ending), the Haruhi Suzumiya novels, Sakura Hime Kaden, Kamisama Kiss, Tegami Bachi, Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden (as actively as anyone can collect that), The Story of Saiunkoku, Blue Exorcist, Arisa, Black Butler, Library Wars, Bakuman, Otomen, Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time, Dawn of the Arcana, Honey and Clover, Loveless, Bad Teacher’s Equation, Border, Kare Kano, Ouran High School Host Club, the Love Hina and Tokyo Mew Mew omnibus rereleases, Sailor Moon, Kobato, Full Metal Alchemist, My Girlfriend’s A Geek, Dengeki Daisy, Black Bird, Lovephobia, Vampire Knight, Nana, Kimi ni Todoke, Natsume Yuujinchou, Sensual Phrase, Ai Ore!, and We Were There. If they ever get picked up in English again: Nodame Cantabile, Maid-sama, the Zaregoto novels, and the Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko. I’d say the ones I’m giving the highest priority to are Kamisama Kiss, Story of Saiunkoku, Bakuman, Arisa, Otomen, Black Butler, Sailor Moon, Blue Exorcist, Black Bird, Library Wars, Sakura Hime, Kimi ni Todoke, Vampire Knight, Black Bird, Dengeki Daisy, Ai Ore, Dawn of the Arcana and Natsume Yuujinchou. I also have quite a lot of series which I want to buy but just don’t have the money for at the moment!

Do you have any tips for fellow collectors (e.g. how to organize a collection, where to find rare books, where to score the best deals on new manga)?
Ikea is your friend when it comes to cheap shelves, and a well-organized collection takes up far less space than a messy one. Your books will stay in better condition that way as well. I organize my collection by complete and incomplete series, but if I know how many volumes are left in a series, I create space for it on the “complete” shelves. Once your collection gets above about 100 volumes, keeping a spreadsheet is definitely a good way of keeping track of it. I use it to make sure I don’t end up buying the same things twice etc.

Check the bargain bin of your local comic shop for rare gems; I found two copies of Basara volume 20 for significantly less than RRP each, which I then sold on for a reasonable price to people on the internet who were missing them. I couldn’t bear to see them disposed of when so many people on the Internet were clamouring for them. I ended up sending them both to the US from the UK. If they’d had volume 19 as well, I would’ve started collecting it myself…

Chain bookshops can occasionally unearth gems as well, just keep checking, but I’ve found most of my gems in comic shops all around the country when I’ve been visiting friends, so go and visit friends in other places and see what you can find! Second hand bookshops can occasionally unearth gems; I found two flopped volumes of Sailor Moon in one local to me for 3 pounds each (just before Kodansha announced it) so give your local second hand bookseller a visit sometimes.

As for buying new series, my local comic shop has a perpetual three-for-the-price-of-two deal on all manga, regardless of the publisher or price, so I’m quite lucky in that regard. Being in the UK, I don’t know anything about US based online stores like Right Stuf, but Amazon and eBay can be your friends as well, particularly for earlier volumes in a series. With eBay especially, watch out for the shipping charges though!

Also, don’t be afraid to have a prune once in a while. If you’ve not read something more than once or twice, and you don’t think you’ll miss it, let it go. That gives you more space, and more money to go and buy stuff you’re more interested in. Free listing weekends on eBay are wonderful for listing multiple volumes as a set. If you’re unsure about a series, see if your local library/a friend/ a local anime and manga club has it or see if the publisher has a preview online, so you can check it out before you buy. Read some reviews as well; see if you can find a reviewer who shares similar tastes to you and see what they thought of a series. If it has an anime, see if the anime is available on Crunchyroll or Netflix etc, then you’ll at least be able to see if you like the overall idea of the series. Plus the manga is (almost) always better than the anime (in my opinion) so if you like the anime, you’ll like the manga more!

Show Us Your Stuff is a regular column in which readers share pictures of their manga collections and discuss their favorite series. If you’d like to see your manga library featured here, please send me an email.

Comic Conversion: Pride and Prejudice

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Pride and Prejudice | Novel: Jane Austen / Norton Critical Editions | Graphic Novel: Nancy Butler and Hugo Petrus / Marvel Comics

Elizabeth Bennet is happy to see her older sister Jane falling in love with Mr. Bingley, a rich young man who has just taken up residence in a nearby home. Unfortunately, in order to see Bingley, Elizabeth and the rest of the Bennets have to put up with his proud, unsociable friend, Mr. Darcy. After being scorned by him, Elizabeth vows to have nothing to do with the man, and decidedly hates him after finding out about the injustice he’s done to another new acquaintance, Mr. Wickham. But first impressions aren’t always what they seem, and Elizabeth may find that she’s sided with the wrong man.

Pride and Prejudice was originally published in 1813, but despite the nearly 200-year gap between its creation and the present day, Jane Austen’s novel proves itself endlessly popular. There is a plethora of unofficial sequels, as well as several movies and a wonderful mini-series from the BBC. The Victorian novel has even been famously readapted to include zombies in the Bennet sisters’ quest for love. So, despite the distinct lack of action or anything else people expect in a comic, it’s entirely unsurprising that someone tried to make a graphic novel out of Austen’s book.

I won’t hide the fact that, as far as classic novels go, Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorites. Anguished high school students may disagree, but one of the biggest draws of Austen’s novel is the humor. We start right off on a sarcastic note with one of the most famous lines in literature: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Austen spends much of her novel poking fun at society, using characters like Mrs. Bennet (who is basically a caricature) to overemphasize the ideas and expectations of the time, and even by today’s standards her jabs still ring true. But best of all is, of course, the love story: no “love at first sight” garbage, but a gradual shift from hate to affection as misunderstandings and first impressions are slowly overcome.

This may have come from my own warm feelings towards the Elizabeth/Darcy romance, but I had hopes of the graphic novel having a sort of shoujo-manga feel, much like Marvel’s more girl-centered Spider-man Loves Mary Jane comics. The cover in particular tricked me into believing that this would be the case, with its pastel colors and soft shading, along with the cute teen magazine-esque blurbs. The interior art is a different story. The first shot of the Bennet sisters has all five looking awfully sexy and sultry, including Mary, the one often described as plain. Lydia specifically is wearing a heavy-lipped, open-mouthed expression as she talks of the officers in Meryton, as if the artist wants to foreshadow her less-than-desirable behavior still to come. Mrs. Bennet’s large, exaggerated expressions still convey her silliness, and snobby Caroline Bingley wears a suitable pinched expression, but in general the art sucks out much of the lighthearted feeling.

The graphic novel falls victim to over-narration, showing a usual lack of faith in the art to clue readers in to what’s going on. However, there are some cases where the artist shows some sense of how to use a panel layout. When Mr. Collins is proposing to Elizabeth, each row of panels is split between Mr. Collins’ and Elizabeth’s faces; while Mr. Collins is haranguing her, we see on Elizabeth’s face her mounting frustration and annoyance, where in the book we only get her emotions after the speech. We see this similarly again when Mr. Darcy gives his proposal, and her trembling fists show her rage at his pride. But while the graphic novel draws out these scenes, overall the pacing is much too quick. Most of the scenes don’t last beyond a page, if they even get too far, and a lot of very key moments that should have been dwelt on are rushed through.

The characters suffer from the fast pace as well. Many of the main characters escape relatively unscathed—we have a good understanding of Elizabeth’s headstrong personality, and Mrs. Bennet is still satisfyingly absurd. Minor characters do suffer from diminished page time or complete omission: Mary, the middle Bennet sister, only appears on a couple of pages, and Maria and Mrs. Hurst, sisters of other key characters, have been cut out entirely. It’s not big loss, as none of these characters do much to push the plot forward, with Mary only proving an opposite to the rambunctious Lydia and Kitty, and Mrs. Hurst simply echoing Caroline Bingley’s disdain for the Bennets. Unfortunately the downsides of this are greater. We hardly catch sight of Mr. Darcy’s younger sister Georgiana, who doesn’t have a line of dialogue. Even more detrimental to understanding the plot is Mr. Wickham’s diminished page time: his brisk introduction gives us no real clue as to why everyone finds him so initially charming, so the revelation of his past and future immoral behavior isn’t as shocking as in the novel.

Despite the fact that the artist uses some panels to good effect, the two most appealing aspects of Pride and Prejudice—the romance, and the humor—are severely diminished, thanks to a pace that moves too fast and art that just doesn’t match the tone. Marvel’s adaptation is not awful, but it still won’t be appealing to anyone who isn’t already an Austen fan. Even big Pride and Prejudice fans would likely rather chuckle along with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or spend six hours watching the mini-series than spend the 45 minutes it takes to read this adaptation.

Have any graphic novel adaptations you think do a good job? Or a comic you want me to check out for you? Leave suggestions for future columns in the comments!

New manga, iPad vs. Nook, Soul Eater NOT to run same day as Japan

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Over at MTV Geek, I talked to Kurt Hassler about Soul Eater NOT, which Yen Plus magazine will be running as a worldwide release at the same time it is released in Japan. I also got an exclusive reveal of the cover of the Anne Rice graphic novel, Interview with the Vampire: Claudia’s Story.

I picked over this week’s new manga at MTV Geek, and Lissa Pattillo does the same in her On the Shelf column at Otaku USA. Sean Gaffney takes a look at next week’s new manga.

At ANN, Carlo Santos does a side-by-side comparison of Viz’s digital manga on the Nook and the iPad. One caveat: Some of his criticisms of the way page turns work on the Nook are based on a pre-release version of the software that has since been corrected. However, he has plenty of other things to say regarding screen size, interface, and the reading experience, so just keep his introductory note in mind as you read the article.

Matt Blind has a new set of manga best-sellers (drawn from online sales) and a new edition of Manga Radar with some old and new manga for him to add to his 10,000-title database.

Derik Bown pits Alucard agaisnt Alexander Anderson in his latest Combat Commentary post at Manga Bookshelf.

If you can read French, check out this interview with Atsushi Kaneko, creator of Bambi and Her Pink Gun and SOIL, who passed through Paris on his way to Angouleme.

News from Japan: Black Jack is back! Akita Shoten will revive the classic Tezuka comic with new stories based on real medical experiences sent in by readers. There’s no word on who will write or draw it, but really—what could possibly go wrong? The French site Manga news has word of two series that are ending soon, Boku ha Beatles and Aishiterutte Itte mo ii yo. The 13th volume of Evangelion—the first in two years—is on the way. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews

Danica Davidson on vol. 3 of Ai Ore (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 38 of Bleach (The Comic Book Bin)
Danica Davidson on Manga Shakespeare: Othello (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Danica Davidson on vol. 5 of My Girlfriend’s a Geek (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 12 of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei (A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Sayonara, Zetszubou-sensei, Vol. 12

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By Koji Kumeta. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.

Once again, I don’t really have much to talk about with this excellent volume of Zetsubou-sensei except a string of random observations. Which seems somewhat fitting, given this series.

As I’ve noted before, Zetsubou-sensei has acquired a reputation of burning out translators, with each one before Joshua Weeks lasting 4 volumes. I’ve no idea if this is Joshua’s final volume as well, but it wouldn’t surprise me: this one was an absolute nightmare to adapt, I imagine. The first chapter is an entire chapter based on “explain the Japanese pun”, the final ‘extra’ makes no sense unless you read the weekly Magazines, and another chapter is based around Rakugo. Certainly this is why, after doing notes for Vol. 10, *I* gave up. Still, an admirable job, even if I once again feel there’s too few endnotes. But that’s just me.

Most of the cast of high schoolers tend to have lousy lives in general, but at least can sometimes have a default of ‘happy’ most of the time, even if it’s a psychotic sort of happiness. Manami, though, who graces the back cover with her debt book… wow, her life is simply brutal. Married at the age of 16 to a philandering husband who appears to use her as a name to saddle all his debt on to, she’s also hideously unlucky and tends to get herself into more debt through sheer gullibility. In Volume 11, after hearing some of her complaints, her teacher decides to simply ignore them to save his sanity. Really, we should do the same here. Her face in Chapter 119 as she talks about realizing her husband is the one for her speaks of horrible illicit affairs gone wrong. Luckily, this is a gag manga, so we’ll never have to worry about it.

I also noticed a couple of chapters showing Maria at the receiving end of some of the unfortunate gags, which surprised me. Generally the cast divides into “people bad things happen to” (Manami being an excellent example), and “people who blithely walk through the chaos” (Kafuka is a prime example here). Usually Maria is one of the latter, so seeing her two falls here is rather unusual. Still, no one in the end is safe from a gag as long as it’s funny. Well, except for the aforementioned Kafuka. I think even if a meteor destroyed the Earth, she’d be blithely smiling in her space bunker somewhere else…

The ‘hot or not’ chapter really worked much better in the anime. Probably due to the chilling chirpiness of Chiri’s ‘ari ari ari ari!’ in the original Japanese. Speaking of Chiri, she seems now to be committing murders on an almost daily basis, judging by her having to hide from police disguised as tree bark. And yet she still has a rival: Mayo’s face as she demonstrates the blowtorch is absolutely beautiful. (It was an inspiration for her appearance in the ending to the 3rd season.) And I love Kiri and Matoi sniping at each other as usual.

Then there’s Kiyohiko’s Night. Oi. The folks who watch the anime have an advantage over others, as they’ve actually seen the sequence in question, but here goes: Weekly Shonen Magazine has a special issues with one-shots and short special versions of regular comics that comes out on holidays. For one of these, Kumeta released a 4-page comic that involved a pun on the Japanese version of ‘Silent Night’ and a bizarre man named Kiyohiko. As viewers of the anime can tell you, it was not particularly funny. What’s more, the magazine it appeared in had to be pulled due to a controversy surrounding another artist’s work so very few people got to read it anyway. It was presumably supposed to be in this volume, but Kumeta, realizing it wasn’t that funny, pulled it and instead drew 4 pages of the cast complaining. So now you know! (You can see Kiyohiko on the swing by Maria at the back of the book, if you’re curious.)

Also, Kiri is changing into her sweats for her “don’t open it”, and you can see her semi-naked. I therefore conclude the missing Kiri from Vol. 10 was indeed the usual poor quality control rather than any censorious reasons. (Quality control seems better here.) Lastly, we have some of the Japanese fanart. One piece of which made me absolutely boggle. It involves Kafuka ogling her teacher’s ass. You really should see it for yourself.

And now I’m caught up! Roll on Vol. 13!