I have manga and even anime to talk about, but when? This I do not know. For a moment, a couple of quick links (after the jump).
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Features
Giving Thanks
Thanks to the gift of leftovers, we’re on our third day of my mother-in-law’s turkey and stuffing, which is a wonderful thing but seems to have settled me into a permanent turkey coma. I must free myself somehow by Monday. But, hey, that’s far, far in the future! For now, I’ll enjoy perpetual sleepiness and let all of you who just met me find out how sappy I get around this time of year. It’s a thing.
I said earlier this week that I’d leave “major items” for thanking later in the week, and later in the week has more than arrived! Actually, most of my “major items” are personal (family, friends, etc.) and this isn’t really the place for that. What remains though is still pretty major, at least to me.
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How I read Dororo volume one. Finally.
Most of you know that I’m relatively new to the crazy world of manga. Now, when I get into something, I really get into it, so I’ve read a lot of manga in the short time I’ve been involved with it, but even at my pace, I’ve barely made a dent in the massive amount of material that’s out there and it will be a long time before I’ll feel like I can contribute anything truly meaningful to the discussion of the medium.
One of the things that’s weighed most heavily on me all this time is the fact that I hadn’t read any Osamu Tezuka. The truth is, I was actually kind of scared to do it. I felt really strongly that I needed to read some if I ever hoped to achieve any kind of deep understanding of manga, but I’d seen a few panels of it here and there and I was really concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get into it, which would leave me feeling forever like a hopeless newbie in the manga-reading world, deserving of whatever eye-rolling came my way.
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Five things I’m thankful for today
It’s a little early for Thanksgiving, but having finished my workweek after only two days, I can’t help but feel a bit thankful for some of the people and things around me. I’ll leave major items for later in the week, but for the moment, I’d like to link to a few things that have made me feel happy (and thankful) today: …
Raspberry Heaven, I’m coming back to you
Arrived home late last night, and it’s very nice to be here. I’m still on Mountain time, so my body feels a bit off, but I had a nice, lazy day at home, which was the perfect thing.
Pop music geek moment: My husband started watching Azumanga Daioh while I was gone, so we watched the first six episodes together last night (I said I was still on Mountain time) and today. At one point while the opening theme was playing, I said, “This sounds like something Andy Partridge would write.” Later I looked it up, and found out the opening and closing themes are both written and performed by a Japanese duo who call themselves “Oranges & Lemons.” Geekiness for the win! :D For the non-pop music geeks, Oranges and Lemons is the name of an album by XTC, Andy Partridge’s band.
Speaking of Azumanga Daioh, I am completely hooked. Now I need to track down the comics. I think I mentioned that I’d picked up the first volume of Yotsuba&! in Utah, so it looks like I’m going to be on a little Kiyohiko Azuma kick for a while. Random Azumanga Daioh question: Does anyone else think that Sakaki looks a lot like Hanajima from Fruits Basket, or is it just me?
Speaking of random questions, is anyone else cursed with getting the opening theme of Lucky Star stuck in their head? *sigh* Anyone else doubly-cursed with the closing theme of Mahoromatic as well? Oh, Japan, you will do me in.
I did read some manga on the plane, including some new releases like NANA volume 13 and Fruits Basket volume 21. On the flight back, I also read the first volume of an older series that I picked up used at a bookstore in Salt Lake City.
Spoilers for ES (Eternal Sabbath) after the jump.…
Night Flight Comics!
Things are going well here in Salt Lake City. We’ve seen some terrific actors, and the weather has been perfect for exploring the town. Yesterday, as planned, I headed over to Night Flight Comics in Library Square. It’s an awesome little store in a great location, right next to the public library, along with a group of other stores and a cafe.
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Life on KK
Greetings from Salt Lake City! We’ve finished our first day of auditions here, and I’m relaxing back at the hotel while my body fights the time change. Tomorrow I’m going to head over to Night Flight Comics, just a few blocks away, as recommended by Tangognat‘s Anna. In the meantime, Lissa Pattillo got me thinking about the recent “Hey, Answerfans!” question at ANN’s Hey, Answerman! and so I’m posting my own response here!
The question was, “If you could live in the world of any anime or manga series, which would it be, and why?” My answer to this is, frighteningly, Please Save My Earth.
When I first read Please Save My Earth, I think I mentioned that it was pretty much my ideal teen/pre-teen fantasy. Seriously. A group of teenagers who share collective memory through their dreams about their former lives as alien scientists observing earth from the moon?? You could not possibly come up with something more appealing to the twelve-year-old me. Have I mentioned that they all have special powers, like ESP or the ability to fly? I mean, come on. So, if you needed proof that I’m basically still a twelve-year-old deep down, look no further, because for me this concept still holds substantial appeal.
Fullmetal Alchemist, volume 17
I’d waited so eagerly for this volume, and here I am almost a month late with it. I suppose I can’t complain, though, as it’s the perfect reading for a stormy Saturday morning.
Fullmetal Alchemist is one of those series where every volume brings amazing new revelations, yet it is so well-plotted, none of this ever feels melodramatic or forced. I am constantly impressed with depth and detail of Hiromu Arakawa’s planning for this story, compounded by her deft execution of it. I know that FMA is a popular manga, but I often feel that in spite of (because of?) that, or perhaps because it is a shonen manga, Arakawa does not get the recognition she deserves for being a seriously fantastic storyteller. The release schedule for FMA in the US leaves long gaps between volumes, and I tend to get caught up in other things in-between. But every time a new volume comes out, I’m reminded immediately of why I’ve often said this is my favorite manga series.
Seeking script advice from artists
I’d like to take a moment to seek out some advice from comics artists who work with writers. I know there are at least a couple of you who read this blog regularly, and perhaps you can pass the question on to others.
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New chapter round-up
It’s a dim, cloudy kind of morning over here in western Massachusetts, and I can’t seem to shake the grogginess I woke up with today. It’s a perfect day for cozy blankets, grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and manga.
Here are a few brief thoughts on new chapters of xxxHolic, NANA, Bakuman, and Bleach.
SPOILERS after the jump! …
Seduce Me After the Show
Brigid Alverson is giving away sets of Vertical’s new edition of Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack to a few lucky winners who will be randomly chosen from her blog. To enter, leave a comment in this entry, telling her about your favorite new manga in 2008. I left my own comment there yesterday, and as I was trying to figure out just what my favorite new manga from 2008 was, I realized that the answer is probably one I haven’t posted about here yet at all.
It was actually a pretty difficult answer for me to come up with, mainly because all the manga I’ve become really obsessed with in 2008 have been either older series, or current series that are still being released, but which began publication in English well before this year. In fact, I realized sadly that I have read almost nothing genuinely new this year. Still, as I poked through the books on my shelf, one new manga jumped right out at me. That would be Est Em’s Seduce Me After the Show, published in Japan in 2006, and released by Deux Press in English in May of this year.
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Birthday wishes and quick links
Hi there, all. Life is still pretty intense, but I expect I’ll be able to do some reading and/or writing tonight. Of course, “intense” may be a bit of an overstatement. Yesterday was my husband’s birthday, so we had a few friends over to celebrate, which was very nice. Paul’s activity of choice is games, so in this case, “intense” can be interpreted to mean “MJspent the evening losing at cards.” Hee. It really was a lot of fun. In any case, I extend additional birthday wishes to my husband, and to my dad whose birthday was also yesterday.
So now that I’ve made my excuses, a few quick links for the moment:
In my big NANA post, I recommended that people read Johanna Draper Carlson’s reviews of individual volumes. This is why. Perhaps it’s weird to fangirl reviews, but seriously, her review today of volume 11 brought back immediately everything I felt while reading that volume, and offered a great deal of insight into just why this story is so effective. If you love NANA, you should be reading Johanna’s reviews. It’s as simple as that.
Never have I wished quite so much that I loved games. Sadly, this will probably never be, but if you love games, and you love writing fanfiction, there could be a job waiting for you in Japan. Check it out.
This month at Comics Should Be Good, Brian Cronin (in conjunction with Prism Comics) is providing daily write-ups of comics with LGBT themes. Don’t miss out!
One last cool bit of news, my friend Deanna (who provided me with all those volumes of Fruits Basket), has set up an “Introduction to Manga” display at the library where she works! It is pretty awesome. Make sure to browse through the entire set!
Gender roles in Fruits Basket
I make this post with some trepidation, because I think there are at least a couple of people waiting anxiously to hear what I think of this series, and it seems completely wrong that the first thing I’m writing since I’ve finished it may appear a bit negative. So first of all, I want to be perfectly clear about one thing: I love Fruits Basket. I really love it. The characters in Fruits Basket have been permanently affixed to my heart, and I am thrilled about that. Oh what characters! I love every single one of them. (Note to Ysabet: Wow do I understand why you love who you love best now.) The series has so much charm and is filled with such wonder and sweet, sweet humanity. Really, I am very happily in love with it. There is exactly one thing that bothered me at all while reading the series (and really, “bothered” is a pretty strong word), but for whatever reason, that’s what I feel most moved to speak about right now. So here goes.
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A Definitive Guide to Ghost Hunt
When Mai Takiyama breaks an expensive camera belonging to ghost hunter Kazuya Shibuya, he tells her she can work off the debt by acting as his assistant. Thus, Mai is introduced to a world of spirits, curses, and exorcisms as well as Kazuya’s arsenal of gadgetry used to scientifically measure paranormal activity.
To start with, most of the spirit activity the Shibuya Psychic Research team investigates takes place on high school campuses, but the series eventually does branch out into things like mansions, churches, and secluded restaurants. In addition to Mai and Kazuya (dubbed Naru for his narcissistic tendencies), SPR employs Lin-san, Naru’s quiet yet capable assistant, and a variety of mediums and exorcists. Together, they fight crime spirits.
As the series continues, the cases gradually become gorier, though this does not necessarily result in heightened creepiness. The first volume is actually probably the best for maintaining spooky tension throughout; there’s just something about watching spectral phenomena on a video monitor that adds to the atmosphere. My favorite case is actually not gory at all, nor is it one of the longer ones. Instead, it’s the side story “Silent Christmas” (included in volume four), about the spirit of a boy who used to be an expert at hide-and-seek.
The characters are kind of a mixed bag. I like Mai, who is spunky and generally level-headed. It’s especially noteworthy that, although she has feelings for Naru, she never lets them get in the way of her work and whole volumes will pass without her dwelling on him at all. Naru’s also pretty interesting, even though he does have the unfortunate habit of being rude and insulting on occasion. Alas, few of the supporting characters are developed in any meaningful way and one is often left to ponder what purpose they serve. The sum total of information on one particular character is that he’s a young-looking priest from Australia. This guy has appeared in nine volumes so far!
The series’ two long-running story arcs focus individually on Naru and Mai, with varying degrees of success. The gradual development of Mai’s intuitive ability is well-integrated into early volumes, and even after her powers are confirmed several volumes later, they continue to develop. By contrast, tiny nuggets of information on Naru’s mysterious origins and possible powers are doled out sparingly and left to hang without resolution. It’s only in volume nine that we actually get some concrete evidence of his own psychic abilities.
After volume five, there’s a noticeable slide in quality. I attribute this to the end of Ghost Hunt’s serialization in Nakayoshi and the beginning of direct-to-tankouban releases. The art becomes inconsistent after this point, reminding me of American comics with the way certain characters’ facial proportions change in every panel in which they appear. The characterization also suffers and many cases have moments where explanations don’t make much sense.
The ninth volume is an improvement over the few preceding it, and reveals some answers about Naru’s mysterious “capabilities.” At the very least, it gives me hope that the series might once again produce something really good. For now, I can really only recommend the first five volumes.
VOLUME 1
GRADE: B+
Summary: After accidentally breaking an expensive camera, Mai is drafted to help with the investigation into alleged spirit activity in an old building on her high school campus. Despite her expectations, she enjoys the experience and, at the end of the volume, accepts a job working in Naru’s office.
Creepiness Factor: Low. There are plenty of mysterious sounds and accidents in the old building, but the only truly creepy thing is a chair that appears to move on its own.
VOLUME 2
GRADE: B+
Summary: The Shibuya Psyshic Research team investigates a residence with a deadly history: every pre-teen child who has ever lived there has died. The case hinges on a creepy doll owned by the 8-year-old girl currently residing there.
Creepiness Factor: Low. And this is coming from someone with childhood trauma concerning a creepy doll.
VOLUME 3
GRADE: B+
Summary: Many strange incidents and ghost sightings have been reported at a high school that has recently been abuzz with the discovery that one of the students has psychokinetic abilities. Mai’s powers of intuition lead Naru to test her for psychic ability.
Creepiness Factor: Zero. A very cute scene between Naru and Mai makes up for that, though.
VOLUME 4
GRADE: A-
Summary: Yet more strange incidents at a high school, making three such cases in four volumes. This time, events seem to focus on the spirit of a student who had a grudge against the school. This volume also features a great side story about the spirit of a boy, expert at hide-and-seek, who wants to be found.
Creepiness Factor: Low. There isn’t much in the main story itself, but the resolution of the side story is pretty creepy.
VOLUME 5
GRADE: A-
Summary: The case that began in the fourth volume is concluded here. Although the story isn’t anything particularly special, the solution is more of a group effort than previously, and there are some great scenes of conflict between the two leads.
Creepiness Factor: Low. There’s one spooky scene in a nurse’s office, especially after the spirit menacing Mai suddenly disappears. Somehow, that’s always worse than a sudden appearance.
VOLUME 6
GRADE: B
Summary: Plot trumps characterization in this installment, when the SPR is hired by the Prime Minister to research a series of unexplained disappearances at a mansion.
Creepiness Factor: Medium. Prior volumes haven’t featured much blood, but this time Mai’s precognitive dreams include plenty of it.
VOLUME 7
GRADE: B
Summary: The Case of the Creepy Mansion (not actual title) concludes. Art and characterization continue to be not as good as in the first five volumes of the series.
Creepiness Factor: Medium. The best part was when messages from murdered spirits appeared all over the walls.
VOLUME 8
GRADE: B-
Summary: A secluded restaurant is cursed—whenever ownership changes hands, the transfer is accompanied by many deaths. In the course of the investigation, Naru is possessed by one of the spirits.
Creepiness Factor: Low. There are a couple of panels of a possessed child grinning eerily. That’s about it.
VOLUME 9
GRADE: B
Summary: The team works together to determine the cause of the curse, freeing Naru in the process. When he awakes, he finally reveals his powers and confronts a wrathful chunk of driftwood. I snark, but it’s actually fairly cool, and meaningful progress on the “Mystery of Naru” plot line is always welcome.
Creepiness Factor: Low. A bunch of frog-like spirits crawling on windows and one possessed middle-aged guy lurking menacingly amongst some shrubbery.
Review originally published at Manga Recon.
Fruits Basket – Thoughts from the halfway point.
These won’t be anything profound or particularly coherent, but I thought I’d at least check in, since I think there are at least a couple of people waiting to see what I think of Fruits Basket.
Last night I finished volume ten, and I’ve paused at this point