Features

JManga the Week of 1/17

January 11, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: There are only 3 manga series next week from JManga, but one of them is a biggie. Let’s get the other two out of the way first.

A 6th volume of PoyoPoyo’s Observation Diary means a 6th volume of adorable and funny 4-koma slice-of-life cat manga. I approve. (I may not *read*, but I approve…)

JManga has a 4th volume of Crime and Punishment: A Falsified Romance out incredibly fast, meaning I haven’t even had time to come up with a witticism for it. Bah.

And now for one I’ve really wanted to see. Miyabi Fujieda is one of the most popular yuri artists in the West, and his Iono-sama the Fanatics had half of its two volumes released by Infinity Studios before they folded. (It also had a character romanized as Fletch, something I bring up to Erica ALL THE TIME. It is unclear if her name was actually Irwin Fletcher. Somehow I doubt it. Also, Iono-sama really needed a female Irish cop…) Anyway! Ame-iro Kochakan Kandan may be better known here as Chatting at the Amber Teahouse, and it is absolutely adorable. I cannot wait to see it come out in English!

MICHELLE: That was definitely the only one on the list that excited me at all, so I’m glad to hear it’s absolutely adorable! I’d rather read adorable yuri than any other kind.

MJ: I’m with Michelle. As I so often am.

Manga the Week of 1/16

January 10, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Michelle Smith and Anna N 2 Comments

SEAN: I’ve noted before that Midtown doesn’t always (or even often) use Diamond Distribution to get their orders. As a result, sometimes you get weeks like this. The titles on Midtown’s list for next week arrived most places today. While Diamond is shipping Yen’s stuff to most stores (including mine) next week, but not Midtown. (Again, a reminder that I use Midtown’s list mostly as it’s first, rather than most accurate.)

With that in mind, here’s a fusion of both lists.

Kodansha has the second volume of Missions of Love, which continues to feature a hero and heroine who really aren’t very likeable, and a love rival who is headed that way. It’s fun seeing the reader having to work harder at identifying with everyone. Fun stuff.

MJ: Yeah. Fun…

MICHELLE: Sometimes my need to like characters prohibits me from enjoying shows/books that other people swear are great. This might be one of those times.

ANNA: I really have had no urge to check this out, and I suspect those feelings will continue.

SEAN: I did mean fun in a genuine and non-sarcastic sense, by the way. I quite enjoy this series.

Seven Seas has a slew of titles (most of which, as I noted, arrived today everywhere else). The one I like the best is the 2nd and final omnibus of Girl Friends, which I already praised in my Pick of the Week. Cute yuri fluff/angst.

MJ: I also adore Girl Friends, though I’ve only read it at JManga.

MICHELLE: Same here.

SEAN: Gunslinger Girl is almost finished with its run, which must mean it’s running out of people to kill off. Expect more of that in this omnibus, which contains the Japanese Vol. 13-14.

I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!! has an omnibus out as well. with Vols. 3-4. I can’t think of anything funny to say here that isn’t slanderous. Moving on…

MJ: Heh.

SEAN: I know nothing about Jack The Ripper: Hell Blade, a manwha series also from Seven Seas, but the covers to Vol. 1 through 3 (which is out next week) at least reassures me that it isn’t moe. Yay! (Is there a moe Jack the Ripper 4-koma series? Maybe with his sister Jill the Ripper having a tsundere crush on him? Sounds like a winner to me.)

SubLime has Vol. 3 of Punch Up!, whose cover art is complete and total win. Don’t care if it’s horribly offensive within. I can’t decide if it’s the cat with the ‘yay!’ face, or the glasses-wearing guy’s befuddled “now what was I doing again?… oh right, him” expression. It’s probably both. I do wish that SubLime provided bigger cover images, though…

MJ: From what I understand, Punch Up! is win all around! I gotta start reading this manga.

MICHELLE: I need to continue it! Loving the kitty footprint on the face, too.

SEAN: Yen Press, meanwhile, has a bevy of January releases. Black Butler has hit an even dozen, and continues to apparently be filled with supernatural antics and almost-but-not-quite-BL. But damn, it looks cool.

MJ: I think I am one of maybe three people who really can’t stand Black Butler. Sad, but true.

MICHELLE: I think it’s okay. It falls on the “worth reading” side of the scale for me, but doesn’t manage the heights of “worth rereading.”

ANNA: I did read the first volume of this and decided that was enough.

SEAN: Black God is up to Vol. 18. I know absolutely zilch about it, but now at least I have a group of people I can tag to gush about it for me. Michelle, MJ, gush away!

MJ: Well, hm. Collecting full series without reading them is usually Michelle’s MO, but I have to admit with shame that though I have the entire available run of Black God sitting in my shelf, I have yet to read any of it. This just change!

MICHELLE: Hey now, are you calling me out on my hoarding tendencies?! :) Actually, I’m doing far less of that these days, though I regret nothing when it comes to stuff from ten years ago that I’m very thankful to have snagged. Anyway, I too must admit that I have never read Black God. I do not have a good excuse. Sorry we have failed to provide the gushing you requested!

SEAN: A Bride’s Story is up to Vol. 4, and no doubt will continue to look lush and gorgeous, and feature a heroine that every other blogger in the world except me seems to connect with.

MJ: Though I do connect with the heroine, one thing I appreciated about volumes three and four, is that they are focused heavily on other characters. This is particularly poignant in volume three, but it doesn’t hurt volume four either. You might find more in it for you now?

MICHELLE: I haven’t started this one yet, though I was pondering doing so soon as there’s a new volume to discuss. So far, the only Mori I’ve read has been the first two volumes of Emma and her recent short story collection.

ANNA: I haven’t read volume 3 yet! But I did love Emma and will be catching up on this series eventually. I do love the fact that the editions are so nice.

SEAN: The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan continues to struggle with its slow start, something that is allowed in Japan but not North America, which is far more unforgiving to manga that take a while to get there. We’ve got one volume to go till the good stuff. Till then, enjoy the sweet fluff.

Soul Eater has reached a point where I can’t really divide it into arcs anymore. Disasters just pile one upon another until they seem to reach the sky. I presume the same thing will happen here. But it will look cool, the characterization will be magnificent, and the abstract art style will amaze me. (This is just a prediction, but I’m usually right.)

MICHELLE: This is the first description that’s ever made me want to read Soul Eater.

SEAN: Lastly, in the “not manga” category, Book Girl and the Undine Who Bore A Moonflower is out, the 6th in the series and the final stand-alone novel before the two-part finale. The title may be a mouthful, but this is probably the best light novel series I’ve seen brought over here to date. And for those who missed Maki in the last book, the ojou with a thing for our Book Girl heroine, she apparently features prominently in this one.

MJ: I haven’t read these either, and I really should, given that both you and Erica are fans.

MICHELLE: Now, here is an instance of a series where I’ve collected all the volumes so far without reading them. I swear I’ve got good intentions!

ANNA: I am slightly ashamed that I have not tried out any volumes of this series because usually as a librarian I would be all over any series with the phrase “Book Girl” in the title. One day I will read it!

SEAN: So what are you combining 3 different release lists to get?

It Came from the Sinosphere: The Eleventh Son

January 8, 2013 by Sara K. Leave a Comment

It is high time that I actually write a post about Gu Long, so here it is.

But First, the Story

Xiao has a reputation as a notorious bandit (even though nobody’s proven he committed any crime), and ends up rescuing Shen, who is The Most Beautiful Woman in the World (there are so many Most Beautiful Women in the World in wuxia fiction that it’s ridiculous – this gets lampshaded in Passionate Wastrel, Infatuated Hero where they keep a bloody list of the most beautiful women in the world, which Zhao Guan takes exception to). Xiao and Shen end up spending a few months together, and fall in love with other. Alas, Shen is already married, to a handsome, strong, skilled, rich, well-mannered young man no less. Oh, and she’s pregnant (with her husband’s child).

Anyway, Xiao has his own matters to deal with, being an outlaw and all. Eventually, Shen’s family is murdered and Xiao is accused. Things get pretty gnarly…

Now, I Talk about Gu Long

Gu Long, along with Jin Yong (discussed previously many times in this column) and Liang Yusheng (discussed here), is considered one of the three great writers of “new wuxia”. I actually prefer to call it “Cold War wuxia” since, you know, a new generation of wuxia writers has already emerged. Gu Long is also one of the four great (Cold War) wuxia writers of Taiwan, of which he is certainly the most popular.

What I respect about Gu Long is that he created his own personal style of wuxia, and was never content with his success – he always strove to push the wuxia genre and his own craft to the limit of his ability. As such, his works feel unique, both distinct from other wuxia writers, and distinct from each other.

Gu Long studied foreign literature in college, so it should come as no surprise that his works are heavily influenced by non-Asian literature. That isn’t to say that other wuxia writers weren’t influenced by foreign writers – Jin Yong was certainly influenced by classical Greek literature and Alexandre Dumas – but studying foreign literature is one of the things which helped Gu Long break away from the conventions of the genre and make his own kind of wuxia. Some of the foreign writers who influenced him include Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming, John Steinbeck, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

I’m tempted to say that Gu Long’s works are ‘wuxia noir’, except his work is so diverse that I think that is too limiting.

Writing Style

Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Right now, I think thousands of words are worth taking pictures of.

Here is a random page from The Bride with White Hair.

Those paragraphs are … well-sized. Actually, these paragraphs seem a bit shorter than average for Liang Yusheng – it’s not unusually for a paragraph to take up an entire page (yes, even in this big-page format). Furthermore, Liang Yusheng uses quite a range of vocabulary.

Here is a random page from a Jin Yong novel.

That is a wall of words alright. And not just any words – the vocabulary required to read this is significantly more advanced than needed to read Liang Yusheng. I reckon it took me about 90 hours to read Shè Diāo Yīngxióng Zhuàn. It’s not just non-native readers who think Jin Yong is hard – I’ve met Taiwanese people who claim they can’t read Jin Yong novels because it’s too hard (on the other hand, I’ve also seen 10-year-olds reading Jin Yong novels).

Now what about Gu Long? Here’s a random page:

It’s heavy on dialogue, and even the non-dialogue paragraphs are awfully short, heck, most of the sentences are short too. It’s not just the paragraph/sentence length – the vocabulary is also much more basic. Granted, Gu Long occasionally uses pretty advanced vocabulary, but even so, when it comes to difficulty, he’s definitely not in the same league as Jin Yong or Liang Yusheng.

I think you now understand why some learners of Chinese interested in wuxia choose to start with Gu Long.

The fact that Gu Long chooses to write mostly dialogue and sentences which are much shorter than what is standard for Chinese literature (or even conversational Chinese) definitely affects the mood. Whereas Jin Yong will go into a loving digression about tea or something, Gu Long can be so brief it’s stark.

Gu Long and Gender

Ha, I could dedicate an entire post to this topic.

Some people say that Gu Long is the most misogynist of wuxia writers. Other people say that Gu Long wrote better and showed more respect female characters than other wuxia writers.

I partially agree with both sides.

I think Gu Long has earned reputation as a misogynist. No other wuxia writer I’m familiar with comes anywhere close to saying anything as vile as what Gu Long says about women in some of his works. To be fair, the most misogynist remarks are concentrated in the villains’ mouths, however the narrator and protagonists are also guilty, and even if it’s in the villain’s mouth, it’s not much fun to read.

Now, I don’t think there is any respect in which one could claim that Gu Long writes better female characters or is more gender-egalitarian than Zheng Feng or Liang Yusheng. There are certain respects in which I think Gu Long handles female characters in a more egalitarian manner than Jin Yong or certain other wuxia writers … but in my opinion, this is more than outweighed by the misogynist bile that Gu Long sometimes pours out. It’s my impression that a much higher percentage of Jin Yong fans than Gu Long fans are female, and I think it’s because that it’s because, overall, Jin Yong is simply friendlier to a female audience.

But it’s not the sexism which most bothers me about Gu Long. It’s the gender-rigidity. Like I said, Gu Long’s works have quite a bit of variety, and some of his works are much less misogynist than others. However, everything I’ve read by him is full of statements like “All men do X because they are men” and “Women always do X. Otherwise, they would feel bad.” First of all, this erases anybody who doesn’t conform to the gender binary While I wouldn’t call Jin Yong or Liang Yusheng champions of gender diversity, they do have some characters who are not cis-gendered. But even among cis-people, there is greater differences between people of the same gender than there are between different genders. While I think there are biological between the sexes, I think gender is a social construct, and that most of the “differences” between female and male are driven by society, not biology. I strongly take exception to Gu Long’s policing of gender roles, which is far more stringent than any other writer I’ve encountered in Chinese.

I will give credit to Gu Long for offering his characters more flexibility vis-a-vis gender in Happy Heroes (which was translated into French as Les quatre brigand du Huabei), but that seems to be the exception, not the rule, for Gu Long.

Why is Gu Long more wretched than his Chinese-speaking precedents and contemporaries? I can’t definitely answer that question … but remember how I mentioned that he was strongly influenced by foreign literature? Among other things, he was influenced by the James Bond novels … and one of the lines in The Spy Who Loved Me is (trigger warning) “All women love semi-rape. They love to be taken.”

Gu Long, to his credit, has written with sensitivity at least one female character who had experienced rape, and has never managed to make a statement quite that terrible. Nonetheless, he is the only wuxia writer I know who I could ever imagine saying anything like that. Overall, his gender-policing seems to be derived much more from European and American writers than Chinese writers.

Women in The Eleventh Son

Fortunately, The Eleventh Son is quite tolerable when it comes to gender, at least by Gu Long standards. Shen, as The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, could have easily just been a fantasy object, but she’s a fully realized character with a vibrant inner life. She tries to figure why she is not in love with her fantastic husband, she is very attached to her birth family and visits them regularly, she isn’t sure how to deal with Xiao, etc. In fact, she has so much going on that she hardly has brain space left to think about her pregnancy.

Shen’s also not always a helpless victim – she has mastered a bad-ass martial art technique courtesy of her family (and thus is heavily tied up with her feelings about her family), and ends up rescuing Xiao more than once. Eventually, she is the one who decides how to resolve the love triangle between Xiao, her husband, and herself.

Additionally, another female character ends up starting a successful new romance in her mid-to-late thirties (I don’t remember her exact age).

Availability in English

This novel has been published in English.

Ha, I bet you weren’t expecting that!

I haven’t read the translation myself, but the reviews I’ve read claim that it’s excellent.

Conclusion

I actually discussed Gu Long more than this novel specifically, didn’t I? That’s probably because I think this is less interesting than the other Gu Long novels I’ve read. It’s not that it’s a bad novel – it’s fast-moving and I got involved in the story and all – it’s just that I can’t think of much to say about it.

If you can read French, I recommend Les quatre brigands du Huabei (my favorite Gu Long novel so far) over this one. In fact, if The Eleventh Son hadn’t been translated into English, I would have probably chosen to write a post about Happy Heroes/Les quatre brigands du Huabei instead. However, if you can’t read French/Chinese/etc., then I actually highly recommend reading this novel. Gu Long is one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, and this is quite different from anything I’ve read in English. Most importantly, it is a fun read.

Next Time: Night Market Hero (film)

Sara K. sometimes wonders why she spends so my effort reading, watching, and writing about stuff in Chinese. After all, the global economy is speeding head-first into another crisis, the too-big-to-fail-banks and other oligarchical/monopolistic corporations have murdered democracy in the United States (and other countries), and if we don’t make radical changes right now, climate change will kill off at least 90% of the human population within 30 years. Shouldn’t she be spending her energy dealing with these issues instead? However, she also thinks that the power of popular culture is underestimated, and needs to be examined.

Manga the Week of 1/9

January 3, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: For once, all the manga that was supposed to arrive this week actually did, meaning that next week is quieter than usual, as I’m not shuffling titles that should have come out already around. Let’s hope this trend continues in 2013!

Dark Horse has Vol. 2 of OreImo. Of all the moe faux-incest manga that was published in 2012, it was among the best. Which is possibly the worst compliment ever, but there you go.

MICHELLE: I hate to start the year off with an “ugh,” but… ugh.

MJ: Ditto. Unfortunately.

SEAN: Viz takes up the remaining slots. 07-Ghost receives a new Vol. 2 (an older Vol. 2 came out years ago from publishers now defunct). It’s hard to make amusing comments about this title, so I hope that the series gets to Vol. 7 so that I can at least go with the numerology gag.

MICHELLE: Despite being confusing at times, I found the debut volume of 07-Ghost to be fairly intriguing, so I’m glad that VIZ opted to rescue this title. I’ll definitely be checking out volume two.

MJ: Yeah, I’m genuinely looking forward to this volume! I quite liked Volume One.

SEAN: Case Closed, meanwhile, has hit Volume 45. It has a few more volumes to go before it can pass Inu-Yasha as the longest running North American Shonen Sunday series. I hope that it makes it. (I also hope for an omnibus edition that restores the original names, but I suspect I can whistle for that.)

MICHELLE: I have generally benevolent feelings towards Case Closed, but they’re not sufficient to compel me to personally collect and house a series so notoriously long. I rely on my local library to do that instead. But it is a pretty fun series, if formulaic.

Tangent: I can’t whistle. I’m very bitter about that.

MJ: Awww!

SEAN: Lastly, how do you want your Loveless? There’s the 2nd omnibus, which will no doubt deepen all the mysteries and sexual tension. And there’s Vol. 10, where everything has already exploded messily and you get to see the pieces fly apart in amusing ways. What about it, readers? Slow or fast?

MICHELLE: I never did read Loveless the first time around, so while I’m happy to see those later volumes coming in, I’m still back in the 2-in-1 territory. I really enjoyed the first omnibus, and am looking forward to continuing.

MJ: I admit I’m pretty psyched about this release. I really enjoyed the first omnibus and I kinda can’t wait for more!

SEAN: Does anything catch your eye next week?

It Came from the Sinosphere: Full Count

January 1, 2013 by Sara K. 1 Comment

Oh goodness. It’s Giddens again.

Story

Li Ke with a baseball bat

Li Ke (Ah Ke) is a young man who works at an electronics store (he also has a passion for baseball). He has a big crush on his boss, Yu Wenzi.

His boss, Yu Wenzi

He wants to confess his feelings on Wenzi’s birthday but, understandably, he’s extremely nervous. Ah Ke’s friend, Bao Luo, recommends that he gets over his nerves by practising – confess his feelings of love to 100 women before he confesses to Wenzi. Since Wenzi’s birthday is just the next day, Ah Ke can’t be picky – he confesses to old women, young girls, basically any female he encounters.

Ah Ke awkwardly practises confesses his feelings of love

Most of these people reject him as a creep, which suits Ah Ke just fine since he doesn’t want a relationship with them. But – if know anything about romantic comedies, you know this is going to happen – when Ah Ke makes his 100th confession to a pretty young woman called Su Xiaoxue, she accepts.

Su Xiaoxue

Oh dear.

Oh, and to top it off, another colleague, Meng Xue, does confess his feelings to Wenzi on her birthday.

Background

This idol drama is adapted from the Giddens novel of the same name. I have discussed Giddens before here and here.

This is an early Giddens novel, in fact, I think it’s only the second romance novel he wrote (one of the main characters from his first romance novel makes a cameo appearance in this one). In the introduction, he says that he wrote this novel while his friend was in the hospital, so he wanted to write a light-hearted story.

For an American, I am extremely clueless when it comes to baseball, thus all references to baseball in this story are lost on me. Baseball is actually reasonably popular in Taiwan. Since Taiwan does not have its own major leagues, many Taiwanese baseball fans keep track of the major leagues in the United States (some also choose to keep track of Japanese baseball).

Novel vs. Idol Drama

The fundamental story is mostly intact, but there are actually a lot of changes between the novel and the idol drama, and there is a significant change in the ending. I don’t want to catalogue the differences, so I’ll make general comments instead.

Some of the changes seem to have no point whatsoever. I don’t mind them, since I don’t think they made the story worse, but I also didn’t why they bothered (production reasons)?

Some changes seem to be there to make the story longer i.e. add filler. As far as filler goes, I think most of it is okay, but it also doesn’t improve the story.

I did not like the way they changed the ending. They basically tried to shoehorn the ending into a typical idol-drama ending … and one of the things I liked about the novel is that it did not pick the most conventional ending for a romantic comedy. There are enough idol dramas which follow the standard formula – and do so with more flair – that I don’t think this drama should have forced the story down that route.

Storywise, though, the change I liked the least (spoiler warning, even though I think this is so predictable that it shouldn’t count as a spoiler) was Xiaoxue’s crime spree. In the TV show, she is a graffiti artist. In the novel, she burns mailboxes. I think burning mailboxes is much more interesting. And it also makes more sense in the context of the story – I think a mailbox-arsonist is much more likely to appear in the news multiple times. Furthermore, I think it’s more in character for Xiaoxue to be a mailbox-arsonist than a graffiti artist (okay, maybe I feel that way because I read the novel first). Maybe they changed the crime to graffiti art because they wanted to make Xiaoxue to be more likeable … but I think mailbox-arson adds much more zest to the story.

Actually, I think that reflects the overall change in tone between the novel and the TV show. The novel kept the readers on their toes by inserting all kinds of bumps of while keeping the story coherent. The TV show smooths out the bumps for a more conventional, idol drama ride.

About Bao Luo’s Homosexuality

This is another change from the novel.

In both the novel and the idol drama, Bao Luo identifies as gay. However, in the novel, his romantic/sex life is completely off-screen. I know there are issues with having gay friends in fiction whose romantic/sex lives are never shown, but what the TV show does is definitely worse.

In the TV show, he gets a crush on a woman.

Now, I know that sexuality is fluid, and that sexual orientations are not as fixed as some people claim they are (this is an example). However, this plot change doesn’t seem to come from great sensitivity to the full range of human diversity. Instead, it feels like a denial of Bao Luo’s non-heterosexuality. In other words, the TV show is saying that he’s not *really* gay, and by extension, implies that homosexuality isn’t a *real* sexual orientation.

On the one hand, Taiwan is probably more tolerant towards queer people than any other large society in Asia (this is mainly because that’s a pretty low standard). The Taipei Gay Pride Parade is the largest gay pride parade in Asia, and there are many civil organizations run by and for queer people. Queer people in Taiwan are probably less likely to be targeted for violence on account of their orientation than their peers in the United States. Most Taiwanese people under 30 who I’ve met will at least say that there’s nothing wrong with being gay, even though they sometimes display a certain degree of discomfort.

On the other hand, I have been astonished by how ignorant most Taiwanese people are about queer people. Granted, I grew up in San Francisco, so I may underestimate most of the world’s ignorance of queer people. Still, this ignorance leads many Taiwanese people – even the people who claim that they have nothing against gay people – to enforce heteronormativity. Taiwanese queer people say they still face plenty of discrimination.

I think making a Bao Luo a “gay man” instead of a gay man reflects this ignorance. Thank goodness Giddens didn’t do that in the original novel.

Location

The story is set in Taipei, and as such, much of it is familiar territory to me. What I want to point out is Core Pacific City, which is described by Lonely Planet as:

Some people call it Core Pacific City. We like to think of it as The Great Golf Ball of Taipei. Designed by Jon Jerde, the Pablo Picasso of the architecture world, Core Pacific City is quite probably the weirdest shopping mall in Asia. An inspired (by MC Escher or perhaps LSD) building to say the least, from the outside CPC looks like a gigantic golf ball being embraced by a stone sarcophagus.

Core Pacific City is used as a background for some of the scenes in this TV drama.

I personally was underwhelmed when I visited Core Pacific City, though I thought the puppet museum next door was very informative.

Nonetheless, I think it’s appropriate that Core Pacific City is used as a location for this odd story.

Did I Enjoy Watching This?

The short answer is yes.

Overall, the acting is pretty good, and even the music grew on me after I heard it enough times.

And, to its credit, it actually does not follow the standard idol drama plot formula (despite the last-ditch effort at the end). Plenty of the quirkiness of the novel still comes through, and makes for a refreshing change. But it’s not just the quirkiness. Most of Giddens’ work have a certain sincerity, and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s so popular. The sincerity also comes through in the TV series.

Availability in English

As far as I know, there is no legal way to watch this idol drama or read the novel in English.

Conclusion

I actually do like the novel (quite frankly, I like this novel more than You Are the Apple of My Eye). It’s off-beat and a nice change from what I usually read.

I even like the TV show. While I complained about the changes, I think a lot of what I like about the novel is also present in the TV series. And … I think that there should be more Giddens-inspired idol dramas. He influences the genre in a good way.

Next Time: The Eleventh Son (novel)

Sara K. wishes everybody a happy new year.

MJ’s Best Manga of 2012, Part 2

December 30, 2012 by MJ 7 Comments

Welcome to the continuation of my year-end “Best Manga” roundup! Again, I remind you that when I say “best,” I mean “favorite.”

(For “Top Five New Print Manga” and “Top Five New Digital-Only Manga” see Part 1.)

Top Five Continuing Series

Wandering Son | by Takako Shimura | Fantagraphics – This series about two transgender children in modern-day Japan has been a favorite since it debuted last year thanks to its delicate, truthful storytelling and understated artwork. From my review of volume one: “First of all, this is a elegantly-crafted, character-driven story that lets us into its characters’ private worlds with both candor and delicacy. We are brought into their lives completely, and though we’re privy to their some of their most private thoughts and fears, there is never a sense that we’re observing them as “subjects” or invading their privacy—something I often feel when experiencing “issue”-focused fiction. the real secret to this is that they aren’t treated as though their gender is all that they are, despite how much weight that aspect of their identity is being given in their thoughts and hearts over the course of this volume.” Its most recent volume (three) goes a bit darker and deeper, only heightening my interest in the series (and I absolutely adore new character Makoto). Volume four is due out in April of 2013.

Ooku | by Fumi Yoshinaga | VIZ Media With her wordy, idiosyncratic style and simple, elegant artwork, Fumi Yoshinaga has been a favorite mangaka of mine since the very first time I read her work. Her longest series to-date, Ooku is a departure from much of her other work—darker and more serious—but perhaps even more brilliant. From my review of volumes 1-3: “Yoshinaga displays a new talent for creating cold, self-serving, and even cruel characters who are complex enough to be, not just interesting, but actually relatable. And she does it just about as far out of her comfort zone as possible. There is nothing warm or quirky about Ooku. Life inside the shogun’s chambers is nowhere near casual or even remotely lighthearted. Even Yoshinaga’s earlier stabs at period pieces (such as Gerard & Jacques or Garden Dreams) are inappropriate for comparison, so great is the difference in weight and complexity … As a fan of Fumi Yoshinaga, josei manga, and the Viz Signature imprint, there is no question that a series like this, even just in theory, is a very exciting work. Fortunately, this truth extends beyond the theoretical and into the actual. Ooku is beautiful, engaging, and a very exciting work indeed.” Volume eight is due out in September of 2013.

A Bride’s Story | by Kaoru Mori | Yen Press This breathtakingly beautiful series about a young woman in early 19th century Central Asia who leaves her family to marry a boy eight years her junior is quietly, lovingly obsessed with its historical period—and to great effect. From my review of volume one: “While a lesser writer might easily lose the thread without a clear point of view to cling to, Mori uses the opportunity to focus on detail. No expression or bit of dialogue is wasted. Every moment is deliberate and carefully crafted to eke out these characters and their burgeoning relationships. As a result, we feel that we’re getting to know the characters just as slowly as they are becoming comfortable with each other, something I found to be incredibly effective as a reader … This is a quiet, slow-moving manga, with an emphasis on character development, yet it also has some of the most thrilling moments I’ve experienced in my comics reading to date.” Volume four is due out in January.

We Were There | by Yuki Obata | VIZ Media This is an especially personal choice, as is obvious from just a glance at any of my reviews of the series. Few shoujo stories have resonated with me so personally, or made me cry quite so often. From my review of volume four: “I honestly was not sure if I could write a review of this volume. It hit me so hard and so close to home, I spent a solid half-hour after the first time I read it sobbing violently to myself in a room at the back of the house. This is exactly why I have to write this review, however. For a comic book to affect me so strongly, I think it must be a pretty exceptional comic, and people should be told. The writing in this manga is so genuine and extraordinary it’s difficult to put into words, but that’s my job here so I’ll try … These feelings–this painful honesty that is the one bit of chaos we humans can’t tame is what We Were There is all about, and it manages to express all of it without ever resorting to melodrama or syrupy romance, always maintaining the same emotional sincerity and restrained, wistful quality it has possessed from the beginning.” Though a couple of the series’ middle volumes left me overly-frustrated with its main romantic pairing, volume fifteen has reminded me why I adored this story from the start. Its 16th and final volume is due out in May of 2013.

Pandora Hearts | by Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press Speaking of personal choices, here’s a title you’re unlikely to see on many of this year’s “Best of” lists. A few moments browsing the tag for Pandora Hearts on Manga Bookshelf will reveal things like my personal obsession with its delicious costuming and numerous reviews peppered with descriptions like “whimsy spliced with menace.” It will also reveal a number of the series’ flaws, primarily its often convoluted plotting. And hey, Pandora Hearts may be bit of a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess, and that’s my very favorite kind. From my review of volume three: “This quality–an inexplicably likable creepiness–is what really carries this series, created by a powerful combination of tragically beautiful characters and idiosyncratically beautiful artwork … Though Mochizuki’s slow revelation of the mysteries of her universe may be painful for some, she’s got me decidedly hooked with her sad, complex characters and their profoundly oversized shirtsleeves. For the sake of these things, I can wait forever.” Xerxes Break 4evah. Volume fourteen is due out in February.

Top Five Concluding Series

Twin Spica | by Kou Yaginuma | Vertical, Inc. Though I’ve put off reading the final volume of this series, it’s only because I’m so reluctant to let it end! This charming, charming series about aspiring, young astronauts has been one of the brightest spots on the manga landscape since it debuted in 2010. From my review of volume one: “Though this series finished its run in seinen magazine Comic Flapper just last year, its simple artwork and wistful tone make its first volume read like an instant classic. Even the volume’s cover art, with its innocent imagery and sepia-like warmth, evokes feelings of nostalgia. Also, though the story’s foundation is set firmly in hard sci-fi, it is its heroine’s poignant and occasionally whimsical inner life that really defines its voice. Asumi provides the heart of this story, and it is a strange and wonderful heart indeed.” I’ll be savoring every moment of that final volume.

13th Boy | by SangEun Lee | Yen Press Oh, Beatrice, Beatrice… we loved you so well. This Korean manhwa by SangEun Lee is probably one of my top three favorite girls’ comics of the past five years. From our farewell post on Off the Shelf: “On the topic of Hee-So’s pain, something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately … is just how much mileage an author can get out of managing to both mock and love her/his protagonist … SangEnug Lee makes no bones about Hee-So being self-consiously dramatic (and also ridiculous) here in the series’ final volume, which ends up making her more sympathetic and relatable rather than less so for the reader. Watching Hee-So come to school every day in comically bundled-up mourning after the loss of Beatrice (visibly sweating in her seasonally-inappropriate garb, but unwilling to cop to that) only makes her grief feel more real, because man we all were that teenager at some point or another, whether it manifested itself the same way or not. I mean, on the face of it, 13th Boy‘s odd supernatural elements make it one of the strangest little romance series I’ve ever read, while Hee-So’s overblown teen angst also makes it one of the best.” I miss it already.

House of Five Leaves | by Natsume Ono | VIZ Media Natsume Ono can be hit-or-miss (mostly “hit” for me, though not always) but House of Five Leaves was an instant favorite, and will likely stand as one of my favorite series for a long, long time. From my review of volume four: “What makes House of Five Leaves so consistently intriguing, though, is the failed samurai that provides the series’ heart. With Masa at its core, there’s always an odd mingling of warmth and unease running through the story. These feelings are where Masa lives, and one has the sense that this has always been the case. There’s a heartbreaking flashback in this volume, in which we see Masa being basically thrown out of his home for being so ill-suited as a samurai. Yet it’s hard to imagine exactly what he should be. He’s all ambiguity (and a little self-loathing), and certainly not a hero, yet it’s impossible not to care for him, and it’s obvious that Ono does. I’ve loved this series from the beginning, and it’s only become more dear to me over time. It’s probably my favorite of Ono’s work, and that’s saying quite a lot.”

Cross Game | by Mitsuru Adachi | VIZ Media Suspicious of sports manga, I put off reading this series for quite a while, despite many recommendations from my colleagues. This is a decision I would come to regret! From my review of volume one: “It’s difficult to know what to say about Cross Game that hasn’t already been said (and better) by my cohorts, two of whom selected it as their favorite “C” manga. Probably the best I can do is to just say, “they’re right.” This is sports manga as it should always be done—moving, character (and relationship)-driven, and as deeply rooted in the lives of its characters as it is in the sport that brings them together. And while it doesn’t require a background or interest in baseball to enjoy Cross Game, Adachi doesn’t trivialize the sport either. The series is dazzling thanks to spectacular emotional resonance rather than super-human displays of athleticism … It’s exactly my kind of manga, blessed with strong female characters and lots of emotional messiness, while pleasantly lacking in melodrama.” It’s worth mentioning that this series is available in its entirety (8 double-length volumes) by way of VIZ’s digital apps. If only it were even longer!

xxxHolic | by CLAMP | Del Rey Manga This is another very personal choice, though I’d argue its merits forever. Nearly four years after I posted Why you should read xxxHolic here at Manga Bookshelf (and at least one year more since it originated in my old fannish blog), the series finally ended (at least for now), and as one of the maybe five or so people who didn’t hate the ending (in fact, I actually liked it and felt it was extremely appropriate to the series), I feel compelled to include it on this list. Though the series suffered somewhat from a heavy reliance on its crossover with Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, its protagonist, Kimihiro Watanuki, remains my favorite CLAMP character to-date. From that “persuasion post”: “xxxHolic is one of those stories that appears to be one thing at first and then at a certain point you think, “Ah ha! This is what it is really about!” Then several volumes later you think, “AH HA! No, THIS is what it’s really about!” I have had a couple of these moments already and I expect to have more before the series is completed.” And indeed I did.

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JManga the Weeks of 1/3 and 1/10

December 28, 2012 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ 2 Comments

SEAN: JManga is taking a New Year’s break next week from newsletters (but not releases), so gave us two weeks worth of announcements. What’s new and exciting?

Well, first off, Pico Pico Boy has been pushed back to 1/10, so see previous post for our (minimal) thoughts.

I keep confusing Tsumanuda Fight Town, a Shonen Gahosha title with a blue-haired heroine, with Iketeru Futari, an as-yet unreleased Shonen Gahosha title with a blue-haired heroine. Perhaps JManga can look into the latter (though it’s over 30 volumes long). As for the actual release in question (Vol. 2), it’s for those who wish shonen fight tournaments and maids could be combined. So, Negima fans.

MICHELLE: Heh. In general, I don’t mind shounen fight tournaments, though.

MJ: Ugh.

SEAN: Crime and Punishment: A Falsified Romance is really not my thing at all, but I can’t deny its brilliance. A fantastically dark seinen tragedy of morals updating the Russian novel to modern-day Japan, it’s one of Futabasha’s best titles from its initial deluge of Manga Action series to JManga. Vol. 3 is out next week.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I feel bad that I’m not really into this, but I’m not.

MJ: I actually *might* like this… maybe I should give it a shot.

SEAN: Yurumates is slice-of-life seinen 4-koma. I hadn’t even realized we’ve already gotten 3 volumes of this, but here is the 4th. It runs in Takeshobo’s Manga Club, home to Morita-san Wa Mukuchi.

MICHELLE: This is a very under-the-radar sort of title. It’s pretty tough for me to get excited about 4-koma manga.

SEAN: Moving on to titles out the 2nd week of January, there’s a new Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer (Vol. 3) and Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru (Vol. 10), both from Shonen Gahosha’s Young King Ours. I’ve mentioned before how I like Biscuit Hammer’s odd apocalyptic take on superheroes, and SoreMachi’s slice of life maids are growing on me as well.

MICHELLE: More stuff I haven’t read.

MJ: I really do need to try out Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru. It’s not my usual fare on the face of it, but I’ve heard such good things about it!

SEAN: Some new BL, which I think is from an author new to these shores. We Immediately Swing At Foul Balls certainly wins title of the week if nothing else, but loses points for the standard BL hug from behind while partner cowers cover. It’s done in one volume, so I can only assume the balls weren’t too foul. (whack) Ow.

MICHELLE: Oh dear.

MJ: Heh!

SEAN: The other title, by the same author, is Pochi to Tama, which looks far more adorable, and has pets. Both these titles are from BL flaghip Be x Boy magazine.

MICHELLE: The pets do tempt me a little…

MJ: Pets are sometimes a plus. Usually I’ll check out BL from JManga. Their track record is pretty good.

SEAN: Has anyone stopped to think of the ridiculous amount of titles JManga put out last year? The mind reels…

MICHELLE: It’s fantastic. Keep up the good work! (And pick up Cat Street!)

MJ’s Best Manga of 2012, Part 1

December 27, 2012 by MJ 3 Comments

It’s that time of year again, when manga bloggers all over scramble to pick the best manga of the year! Though I’ve already weighed in on this year’s best BL manga and even made a Pick of the Year, over the next few days I’ll share a few Top Five lists, broken down into several categories.

Before I begin, let me remind you that when I say “best,” I mean “favorite,” so do with that as you will.

Top Five New Print Manga

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan | by Tohru Fujisawa | Vertical, Inc. – This surprise favorite snuck up on me out of nowhere, essentially sweeping me off my feet, as did its protagonist. From my review of vols. 1-2: “What I found pretty spectacular about 14 Days in Shonan, is that it features a main character who spends a lot of time telling other people just how much of a badass he is, while actually being a badass. Usually, if a character has to tell me how great he is, that’s a sure sign that I won’t think he’s great at all—but in this case, Eikichi is exactly what he says he is, and I find myself with absolutely no doubt at all that he’ll be able to do absolutely anything he says he can, including winning over all the teens at the White Swan Children’s Home, while also possibly saving the world. And perhaps curing cancer. Can you tell I liked him?” The series is complete in Japan totaling nine volumes. Vertical has released up through volume six this year.

Soulless: The Manga | by Gail Carriger and Rem | Yen Press – As someone who has been generally lukewarm on manga-style adaptations of western novels, this adaptation took me completely by surprise. From my review of volume one: “…when I read Kate’s review of REM’s new adaptation of Gail Carriger’s Soulless, I thought suddenly that it would be a great choice to read alongside Twilight. Both are OEL adaptations of popular novels, and both revolve around a heroine who lives in a world alongside vampires and werewolves. Unlike Twilight, I had very little knowledge of the details of Soulless, and though I expected I might like it more than Twilight, I was not really prepared for how much more.” And like it, I did, and continued to do. “Fast-paced, compelling, and oddly beguiling, Soulless continues to be my favorite of Yen Press’ growing catalogue of adaptations. Highly recommended.”

Sakuran: Blossoms Wild | by Moyoco Anno | Vertical, Inc. – One comment I made during our discussion of Sakuran for Off the Shelf, was that it was something I appreciated as a critic, though it lacked personal resonance for me as a reader. Over time, however, I’ve had to reconsider that statement, as Sakuran remains one of those rare books that has remained strongly in my mind ever since its first read. It’s this kind of deeper, delayed appreciate that has earned it a place in my list of favorites for the year. Also from my review, regarding the author’s artwork: “I was really impressed by Anno’s ability to visually portray both Kiyoha’s spite and her vulnerability, which is not a combination that always translates well to the page … One thing Anno has accomplished, perhaps specifically by writing Sakuran as a collection of story snapshots rather than a long narrative, is that the moments she’s chosen to highlight are genuinely memorable, and that goes for individual images as well.” Given my experience, perhaps “memorable” was an understatement.

A Devil and Her Love Song | by Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – Even my favorite modern shoujo series can tend to blend together over the course of a year, but this year’s batch had one real standout, A Devil and Her Love Song. From my review of volume two: It’s refreshing to read a modern shoujo manga in which everyone is truly, deeply flawed, and no amount of “doing their best” can fix it. Even better, mangaka Miyoshi Tomori manages to do this while deftly avoiding both the syrup and cynicism that alternately pervade stories about high school “mean girls.” Happily, too, Tomori’s supporting characters continue to be just as interesting as her lead, including passive classmate Tomoyo, whose emerging backbone offers the promise of some awesome female friendship—one of my very favorite elements in shoujo manga. Definitely recommended.” That recommendation stands strong, even after six volumes, and we can look forward to seven more.

Blood Lad | by Yuuki Kodama | Yen Press – Perhaps no new favorite of the year could have been as unexpected as Blood Lad. With its boobalicious artwork and vampire-based premise, it seemed an unlikely candidate, but proved to be delightful in numerous ways. From my video review: “… it’s really funny, it had me laughing out loud within the first few pages and it continued to make me laugh as it went on… and it has a lot of real tension, too. I’m always happy when a series is able to surprise me, and this one did. So it was a great find for me this week.” As Ed Chavez described it on Twitter, “It’s like if Peepo Choo and Blue Exorcist hung out.” Yes, that. This is one of those series that could easily fall into nearly every trap of its genre (and even the medium as a whole), but actually manages to avoid them all. It’s unexpectedly fresh, funny, and it has me thoroughly intrigued.

Top Five New Digital-Only Manga

Pride | by Yukari Ichijo | JManga/Shueisha – This josei series about two aspiring young opera singers is exactly the kind of thing I wish we could see in print over here and probably never will. So THANK YOU, JMANGA. Female rivalries in manga are often unbearably catty and rife with misogyny, but Yukari Ichijo manages to write one that is both bitter and real. From my review: “What works particularly well about all this is that Ichijo manages to make both characters pretty much equal parts sympathetic and maddening. And while Shio ends up tipping the scale in likability, it’s impossible not to sympathize with Moe’s deep need to escape from her truly icky origins. By the end of volume two, I found myself rooting for both of them, despite their genuinely ugly rivalry.” Honestly, though, it’s the areas where the two leads overlap, rather than where they conflict, that really makes the story work. It’s both awesome and addictive.

Dousei Ai | by Setona Mizushiro | JManga/Libre Publishing – There’s a reason why I named JManga as my Pick of the Year, and no small part of that is Dousei Ai. Like Pride, this epic BL series from the author of After School Nightmare is both exactly what I want from its genre and exactly what’s missing from most of what we see in print. From my review: “This is no casual one-shot or simplistic BL romance. Setona Mizushiro has carefully crafted a complex emotional drama with some of the best-written characterization I’ve ever seen in this genre and a long game that is pretty obviously going to offer up significant payoff for the reader. I mean, going into this it’s clear that we’re in for a killer of a ride, along the lines of something like Sooyeon Won’s manhwa epic Let Dai, only better—much, much better.”

Hyakusho Kizoku | by Hiromu Arakawa | JManga/Shinshokan – This autobiographical manga from Fullmetal Alchemist author Hiromu Arakawa about growing up on her family’s dairy farm may not sound like much, but this understated single volume is one of the most delightful manga I read this year. From my review: “Though, on the surface, Hyakusho Kizoku may seem to share little in common with a fantasy epic like Fullmetal Alchemist, fans of FMA will quickly recognize Arakawa’s easy sense of humor, as well as her ability to create compelling, recognizable characters with just a few deft strokes … And though her humor is a highlight, it’s not the only way in which Arakawa shows off her strengths. One particularly haunting lesson about the fate of a sick, newborn calf had me tearing up as I read—a feat achieved mainly through just a few poignant strokes of Arakawa’s pen, as she drew her own mournful, childish face and that of the unsuspecting calf.”

You & Tonight | by Keiko Kinoshita | Digital Manga Guild – Though only the first volume of this quiet series has been published in English so far, it still stands out in my mind not only as one of my favorite BL manga of the year, but one of my favorite manga, period. From my review: “I’ve developed a bit of a love affair with Keiko Kinoshita’s work as of late, and this series has only deepened my feelings. Written in the same vein as her earlier two-volume series Kiss Blue, You and Tonight is a thoughtful, quiet manga about the delicate balance between love and friendship, and how two lifelong friends deal with the complications that arise when that balance is disturbed. Also like Kiss Blue, You and Tonight lets its characters process this sloooowly, which is one of the things that makes Kinoshita’s romance work so well. She isn’t afraid to let her characters wallow in uncertainty, and she certainly takes her time, but there’s never a sense that the story is dragging. On the contrary, there is tension in each moment, even the quietest ones.”

Sweet Blue Flowers | by Takako Shimura | JManga/Ohta Publishing – Apparently I’ve developed a love affair with Takako Shimura as well, as this is just the first of her series that will appear on this year’s list. I first heard of this title by way of Katherine Hanson‘s yuri panel at an obscure college convention here in western Massachusetts, and I’ve been dying to read it ever since. Thanks, JManga, for making it possible! From my review: “Like Shimura’s earlier series, Wandering Son, Sweet Blue Flowers is a quiet, emotionally complex story that addresses its characters’ sexuality, burgeoning sense of self, and considerable teen angst with thoughtfulness and real gravity, while also carefully providing them with a support system that keeps their sense of fear and isolation from overtaking the narrative. Manga fans who long for teen-oriented series’ depicting fantastic female friendships will find everything they’re looking for in this series, along with so much more.”

Continue to Part 2 for MJ’s “Top Five Continuing Series” and “Top Five Concluding Series”!

Do you have favorites to share?

Manga the Week of 1/2

December 27, 2012 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Michelle Smith and Anna N 5 Comments

SEAN: Back from the holidays, and back to a somewhat normal schedule for manga fans. This week sees lots of DMP, Vertical, and Viz, though I suspect that one other title will be getting some Pick of the Week notice…

First off, some new BL from DMP. Caramel looks to be about as sweet as its title judging from that cover, and is about an eldest son of four, used to taking care of everyone, becoming a live-in housekeeper… and presumably more.

MJ: Hm, that does sound kind of sweet, if generally unoriginal, but what else is new? I’ll probably try it out.

SEAN: I’ve Seen It All reaches Volume 2. The description of the series so repulsive to me that I can only hope that the series crosses the line so often it becomes comedic. The cover is not really helping me judge one way or the other. In the meantime, um… MJ? Michelle?

MJ: I’m afraid I can’t help you here. I’m just as appalled by the premise as you are, and apparently I missed volume one. Wow.

MICHELLE: I had missed this one, too, and I’m awfully grateful about that. Also, I guess these’ll be the last DMP books to see print for a while, owing to the company’s recent announcement.

SEAN: Love Makes Everything Right. Office romance, sexual harassment, smug jerk on the cover… neeeeext?

MJ: Zzzzzzzzzzz

MICHELLE: Ha! I was totally going to type “yawn” here. Clearly, we are on the same wavelength.

SEAN: Ninth Love Life is about a man who really loved his late cat (no, not like that) and when his cat gets reincarnated as a young man is happy that he can really LOVE his cat (yes, like that). Is it me, or are DMP’s titles getting weirder?

MJ: This one’s just weird enough to make me want to read it, so I guess there’s that.

MICHELLE: Ew, no. Also, this gives me flashbacks to The 9 Lives.

SEAN: As with all Fantagraphics manga choices, we’ve been waiting a long time for this one, mostly as the release date was moved about eight times. But it promises to be worth the wait. Heart of Thomas is a legendary proto-BL manga by Moto Hagio, set at an all-boys boarding school in Germany. It’s a complete in one hardcover, and is pretty much THE required purchase this week, even if you aren’t into BL.

MJ: I am so anxious for this to arrive! Michelle and I will be featuring this title in January’s BL Bookrack and I’m dying to see this in all its hardcover glory! It can’t ship quickly enough for me!

MICHELLE: What she said! And everyone should buy it so we can get The Song of Wind and Trees next!

ANNA: I am looking forward to this as well, more Moto Hagio is always a good thing.

SEAN: On to Vertical, who have a softcover edition of Tezuka’s Book of Human Insects, for those who may have missed the hardcover or just want multiple editions of one of Tezuka’s creepier anti-heroines.

MJ: I really liked this title–recommended!

SEAN: Speaking of Tezuka, there’s the 2nd and final omnibus volume of Message to Adolf, which is about 600 pages long and features a drooling Hitler on the cover. Perfect reading for public transport!

MJ: Heh, yes.

MICHELLE: I really liked Adolf, which is the title the series had when I read the old VIZ. I recall the ending wasn’t quite as good as the beginning, but there’s still some great ironic commentary on the futility of war. Definitely recommended.

SEAN: And there is the 2nd volume of Stan Lee’s Heroman, which I think appeals more to Stan Lee fans than manga fans, but is a good read for those who want to support Vertical but also need a book to buy a younger kid.

MJ: I wish I liked this at all. I really do.

MICHELLE: Me, too.

SEAN: And what would the first week of the month be without a giant pile of Viz? Bleach seems to have stopped double dealing every month, as we just get Volume 54, which features Rukia on the cover! I remember Rukia…

MJ: I haven’t read a volume of Bleach in a while…

MICHELLE: I’m not sure what to make of this latest arc, but at least the Hueco Mundo thing is finally over!

SEAN: Dengeki Daisy has mostly caught up with Japan, so this is the first volume in 6 months. As such, I’m really looking forward to it. The power imbalance between the main couple is handled very realistically and maturely, while still being quite romantic.

MJ: So, I missed a whole slew of this title’s middle volumes… is it worth trying to catch up? Your description here sounds like it might be.

SEAN: I think so, yes. Though there is a bit of episodic stuff, this has far more of a running plot, and as I said it has a fascinating relationship between the leads and their tragic pasts.

MICHELLE: I’m a couple volumes behind on Dengeki Daisy myself, but it’s pretty fun.

ANNA: Dengeki Daisy is one of my favorite ongoing shojo series, and I think it gets more emotionally complex as the series progresses. I think it is worth getting caught up on.

SEAN: Seeing a new volume of Hunter x Hunter (Vol. 29) so soon after the previous one is rather bizarre, and almost made me doubt the existence of reality. Luckily, the series is back on hiatus in Japan, so all is well once more.

Jiu Jiu Vol. 2 was somewhat better than a weak Vol. 1, and I hope the series continues its mild upward curve with Vol. 3.

MJ: Admittedly, I gave up after volume one. Perhaps I should try again?

SEAN: I’d hold off till we see what happens, to be honest.

MICHELLE: I liked volume two more, but that might’ve been the result of having low expectations going in. A vampire pig has joined the cast, if that’s any incentive.

MJ: Predictably, it is.

SEAN: I love Oresama Teacher, even if I think it’s wearing out its welcome among the many bloggers I follow. It helps that I don’t really mind the occasional suggestion of Mafuyu/Takaomi, and also that this series is not getting a romance anytime soon. Vol. 12 will no doubt continue to throw mid-level bosses at her like the previous few volumes.

MJ: This is another series where I missed some earlier volumes and am unsure whether I should purchase what I need to catch up. Thoughts?

SEAN: It depends. It’s really comedic – far more than most other shoujo out there – a lot of Osaka-style comedy yelling and running about, with many dense as lead students. Also, what very little romantic tension there is happens to be between Mafuyu and her childhood friend/tormentor Takaomi… who is now her teacher, and does not get nearly as many ‘pet the dog’ moments as, say, Kurosaki does in Dengeki Daisy. This has squicked some people who don’t want to invest in a long manga series in case it endgames that way. (Honestly, the series has so little romantic emphasis that I doubt that will be a problem.)

MICHELLE: I don’t know whether I’d advocate doing so or not. It’s episodic (and probably being made up as it goes along), so the quality is inconsistent. Sometimes I think it’s pretty dumb, but sometimes I think it’s a lot of fun and I’m quite fond of quirky Hayasaka.

ANNA: I’ve read all of Oresama Teacher and it is fairly episodic in terms of plot. You could probably pick up the last 2 or 3 volumes and get by with skipping a little bit. While it does meander quite a bit, I know I can always depend on this series for a regular dose of deranged comedy.

SEAN: Otomen 14 shows the series is still running (see? Told you!), though it will be ending in Japan soon. Given I basically got everything I wanted from Ryo and Asuka last volume, I suspect she’ll barely be in this one.

MJ: I loved this title so much when it debuted… then the episodic comedy format really went sour for me (as it usually does).

ANNA: I did too, and for some reason I have no problem with episodic comedy in Oresama Teacher, but don’t enjoy it as much in Otomen.

SEAN: Yeah, no one reads Otomen for plot resolution.

MICHELLE: Yeah. That’s why I’m not sure catching up on Oresama would be worthwhile for you. I’m quite behind on Otomen, but at least my local library carries this one so I can catch up without too much effort.

SEAN: Psyren 8 takes us back to the Psyren World, but… wait, wait, don’t page down! There’s actual interesting plot stuff happening among the dull boss fights this time. Honest!

MICHELLE: Here’s another one I’m behind on, but I do quite like Psyren!

SEAN: I mildly enjoyed Strobe Edge 1, and have good feelings about 2. That said, it’s not a series I got obsessed with after only one volume, like… well, like Dengeki Daisy, Oresama Teacher and Otomen.

MJ: Despite having spent most of volume one bored out of my skull, by the end I was really dying to know what would happen next. So I’ll be gobbling this up, I’m sure.

MICHELLE: I liked Strobe Edge more than you did, methinks, so I’m very keen to read volume two.

ANNA: I’m looking forward to reading this as well.

SEAN: And there’s a double shot of Stan Lee manga this week, as we get Vol. 8 of Ultimo. I’m sure Ultimo does cool stuff in it, because, y’know, Stan Lee.

MJ: More Stan Lee… why must there always be more Stan Lee?

MICHELLE: I have no idea. Are they trying to make Western comics fans like manga, or are they trying to make manga fans like Western comics? Either way, it feels like someone’s plan rather than a purely organic collaboration.

SEAN: Stan Lee and Moto Hagio’s collaboration next year will absolutely blow your mind! Kidding, kidding… ow, don’t hit…

MJ: *dead*

SEAN: Any manga you desire after your New Year’s hangover? Or are you only getting a Pony comic?

It Came from the Sinosphere: Angel Hair

December 25, 2012 by Sara K. Leave a Comment

So it me a while to figure out which Lai An (aka Ryan) manhua I wanted to talk about this week, but as soon as I re-read Angel Hair, I realized that this was the one.

The Story

A couple of travellers visit the grave of an angel somewhere in Italy. The travellers exchange the stories they have heard about the angel’s death. Then a stranger comes and tells them his version of the story.

The travellers find the tomb.

This manhua is mainly a collection of three stories about an angel called Nathaniel and how he died. The three stories all feature characters with the same names, and has some common element (for example, each story features hair turning from black to blond or from blond to black, and all three stories are set during the Italian Renaissance), and of course, each story ends with the death of the angel Nathaniel, but otherwise they are different stories.

Background

Sometimes her name is written in English as ‘Lai An’ and sometimes as ‘Ryan’.

Though there are other magazines which have published Taiwanese manhua aimed at a female audience, Star Girls is, as far as I know, the only magazine to have ever focused on Taiwanese manhua aimed at a female audience. When Star Girls debuted in the 1990s, when Taiwan was transitioning to democracy and aspiring manhua artists suddenly had a lot more freedom (technically, the Taiwanese manhua revival started in the late 1980s, but whatever) this magazine served as a venue for many brand new artists inspired by Japanese shojo manga. Based of what I’ve seen of the 90s material, much of it was dreck. However, it was in the 1990s that Yi Huan (who I’ve discussed before), Nicky Lee (who I’ve also discussed before), and Lai An got their start in Star Girls, and became Star Girls’ three most popular artists. All three of them are still producing shojo-inspired manhua.

Now, Star Girls has a much smaller group of artists than the 1990s, and it’s much harder for new talent to break in since the magazine editors apparently favor talent which has already proven successful. However, my impression (granted, this might be skewed by the samples I’ve encountered) is that the overall quality of the magazine is higher now than in the 1990s.

Anyway, as far as I know, Yi Huan, Nicky Lee, and Lai An are the only Star Girls’ artists who have ever published their own artbooks (please correct me if this information is wrong).

This manhua is a collection of three stories published in Star Girls magazine in the late 90s.

About Lai An’s Art

Since Star Girls is modelled after Japanese shojo magazines, all of its manhua are heavily influenced by Japanese shojo manga … but some are only heavily influenced, for example the work of Yi Huan, and some are so heavily influenced that I can’t stop myself from comparing it to extremely similar Japanese material, for example the work of Nicky Lee. Lai An also falls into the latter category. Her art style in the 1990s is basically just like the dominant shojo art styles of the 90s, and her current art is much like current shojo art.

The thing is, I love 90s shojo art. I dislike current shojo art, which is one reason I don’t read much current shojo (and what I do read of the current stuff, such as 7Seeds, tends to have a retro art style).

As it so happens, I love Lai An’s early art, but I don’t love her current art. I think it is partially because she is following contemporary Japanese styles. Yet I don’t think that completely explains it.

Here are some pages from an early Lai An manhua, The Royal:

First of all, I love the 90s style, in fact, it even seems to hark back to glorious 70s shojo (I can tell that many Star Girls artists love 70s shojo). There is an abundance of wavy lines, a jewel-like beauty, as well as the daring emotionally charged panel compositions which I love to see in shojo manga.

These are some pages from Lai An’s currently running manhua, Close to You:

Okay, the art’s not bad. Actually, it’s good. It’s even more anatomically accurate. It looks the work of a more mature artist. But, to me, it lacks the creative energy of her early artwork. It doesn’t make me pause so I can let the art penetrate my eyes. And I don’t think this can simply be attributed to a change in vogue.

Anyway, maybe I should start talking about…

The Art in Angel Hair

Flowers! Feathers! Swirly lines! Expressive use of panels! Super-long legs! Wheee!!!

About the only thing it would need to become even more like 70s shojo manga art is the sparkles, but that’s okay, I think the flowers and the expressive use of panels are better than sparkles.

And of course, girly art which does not constantly burst into flowers can also be wonderful too, but hey, I heartily approve of girly comic books which burst out into flowers.

It should be apparent by now that Angel Hair is a work from Lai An’s early period, in other words, from when her art was actually beautiful instead of merely being good.

However, it’s not just the 70s-shojo-esque (and authentically 90s) Asian-style girly comic book art.

In order for complex panel compositions to work, there need to be simple compositions to balance them out, and in fact, these simpler compositions will often have the greatest impact because they can be understood the most immediately. Lai An includes a sufficient number of single-panel or otherwise simple pages as well. Of course, when the panel composition is simple, there needs to be a compelling subject. Lai An takes care of this too.

And of course, her characters can be very expressive, and not just in a melodramatic way.

However, I think my favorite thing about the artwork is the use of contrast. Most of this manhua is very light, colorwise – lots of white space between the lines, not too much screentone, etc.

That means when black space is used, it really stands out. These are some of my favorite images, but partially because they contrast with the overall light-levels of the manhua as a whole – in isolation, they would not be so striking.

And it supports the stories. All of the stories include as a plot element blond hair vs. black hair. In all of the stories, blond hair represents goodness, purity, and beauty … as well hypocrisy and deceit, whereas black hair represents evil, pollution, and ugliness … as well as truth and integrity. By keeping most of the art looking light, the dark parts truly feel heavy, serious, and like a stain on the appearance.

This is an opportunity to talk about…

The Stories, Again

All three stories are fairy-tale like, of course. And we all know what a fairy-tale should feel like. And that’s why the first two stories feel wrong.

In the first story, for example, (spoiler warning) the princess kills the angel to get his hair so her hair would be blond forever and she could win the love of the prince. The innocent angel dies and the princess marries the prince and lives happily ever after.

Lai An said she got a lot of complaints about this story when it first ran in Star Girls magazine. It flies in the face of the ‘just world hypothesis’ (which, strangely, I have discussed before) and fairy tales just don’t work like that.

The second story also feels unsatisfying, though I don’t want to spoil that one.

However, the point is that these first two stories are supposed to feel false. Lai An says that she didn’t know whether to be pleased or disappointed by the magazine readers’ reactions. That is so that, when the third story is told, the reader will feel that the third story is the true story of how the angel died (and I am definitely don’t want to spoil that one).

The mere fact that the first two stories are, essentially, false, demonstrates that one shouldn’t trust everything one hears.

I think I hinted at the moral of the three stories while I was talking about the art. Basically, the message is “don’t judge people based on their appearances.” Or perhaps more broadly, “do what you feel is just, not what other people say you should do.”

All in all, I think the stories, collectively, work quite well.

Availability in English

There is no legal way to read this manhua in English. That’s too bad. It’s only one volume long, so I can’t imagine that it would be too much of a financial risk to license and publish this (digitally, or even on paper) in English.

Conclusion

To be honest, I am not a Lai An fan. But this specific manhua is an exception. It was among the first manhua I ever read, and it left an impression on me. It uses the story structure expertly to make its point. And I am most definitely a sucker for the artwork.

Next Time: Full Count (idol drama)

Last week, Sara K. attended the “Global Sinophonia” conference at Academia Sinica. Though she was just an observer, she had never been to an academic conference before, and in some ways she thought getting a peek at that world was more interesting than the presentations themselves. Of course, some of the presentations were very interesting, and will no doubt have their influence on this column. It was also the first time she ever identified herself as a blogger in the offline world (hey, what was she supposed to say when people asked her “what university are you affiliated with” or “what do you research”?) Sara K. is very grateful to Yen Yen Woo and Colin Goh of Dim Sum Warriors for inviting her. Speaking of that, you can now admire the technological marvel of a 3-year old reading a bilingual comic on an iPad.

License This! Kinou Nani Tabeta? by Yoshinaga Fumi

December 22, 2012 by Travis Anderson 16 Comments

Hello again and welcome to another installment of This Is Why I Can’t Be Trusted To Write a Weekly Column…I mean License This! Because, yeah, wow, a month passed! That snuck up on me quickly.

So although I really want to be writing about some older series (and will eventually, I promise!), this time I will once again go with something current that doesn’t require me to do a lot of rereading to remember why I liked it so much. ^_^;;

Kinou Nani Tabeta? (What Did You Eat Yesterday?) by Yoshinaga Fumi is the story of Kakei Shiro, a forty-something gay lawyer who loves to cook, especially for Kenji, his live-in boyfriend. It’s a slice-of-life manga, with about half of each chapter given to preparing and eating a meal. And as you might expect from a known foodie like Yoshinaga, the cooking segments are really detailed. I mean really, really detailed. She is essentially writing a recipe book here in manga form, as Kakei thinks about each step of the meal during preparation (and actual recipes are generally included at the end of each chapter as well). But it’s not just about cooking. The meals are always well-integrated into the story, and with each chapter we learn more about Shiro and Kenji, as well as their friends, relatives, neighbors, and co-workers.

This is one I’m actually surprised is not licensed yet. Not only is Yoshinaga very popular with English-speaking audiences, but even her random book about eating food in Tokyo was published in English, so publishers are clearly willing to publish anything she writes. And yet this series is already at seven volumes in Japan (at a rate of about one per year, like most seinen manga) and no one’s picked it up? That kind of makes it seem hopeless, and yet I do hope that eventually it will be picked up, because it’s awesome.

With such a long gap between volumes, I often forget just how much I like it, but then a new one comes out and I’m utterly charmed once again. Maybe it’s the lack of clear genres that is stopping this from getting published. It’s a foodie manga (complete with the above-mentioned lovingly-rendered step-by-step instructions for everything Shiro cooks), but the protagonist is a gay man living with his boyfriend. And it runs in a seinen magazine, so while the protagonist and many supporting characters are gay, it’s not a romance and doesn’t feature the sort of BL tropes that so many love.

That’s a feature for me, though, not a bug! When I was younger and desperate for any stories about queer people, I read a whole lot of BL. Much of it I even enjoyed, simply because there was nothing else out there. But those tropes do bother me, and I am always thrilled to find manga with queer characters that isn’t BL (or the rare BL story that isn’t quite so tropey). And omg this really delivers. I enjoyed Antique Bakery quite a lot for similar reasons, but this is far and away the better manga, IMO, at least in that regard.

One of my favorite plotlines so far, which I think is a good example of just how dedicated Yoshinaga is to giving us a realistic view of what it’s like to be gay in Japan, is when a gay couple who are friends with Shiro and Kenji come to Shiro for legal advice.

I’ve taken the liberty of translating the page where Tetsu brings up why they’ve come to dinner:

Not only do I love the way Yoshinaga tackles the topic (something I doubt would ever come up in a typical BL manga), but I love the expression on the guy’s face in the second-to-last panel. He doesn’t say why he wouldn’t want any money going to his parents, but he doesn’t have to. It’s clear to everyone present (as well as the readers) that they must have rejected him.

There’s just so much stuff like that. It’s not heavy-handed and it’s not like all the plots are About Being Gay. It’s just that these things are part of their lives and are incorporated as such. And I love it so much, but at the same time it makes me sad and angry that one reason I love it so much is because there is literally nothing else like it, and that sucks. I really hope that some publisher gives it a chance in English.

JManga the Week of 12/27

December 21, 2012 by Sean Gaffney, MJ and Michelle Smith 1 Comment

SEAN: The final week of 2012 gives us some interesting stuff from JManga: 2 recurring volumes, and three new ones I know almost nothing about!

tactics Vol. 11 was postponed from a few weeks back, and is filled with supernatural shenanigans. Nice to see JManga rescue this from Tokyopop.

MJ: I’m definitely thinking about giving this series another chance. I read its early volumes so long ago, I can’t even remember what I didn’t like about them anymore. Time to check in on it again!

SEAN: Morita-san Wa Mukuchi is one of those underrated titles that I always forget to read but when I do, never fails to bring a smile to my face. Even if I’m the polar opposite of its quiet heroine.

Drops is the first new manga here, and appears to be done in one volume. It’s an Ohta Shuppan Manga Erotics F title, always a good sign. The author, Yuiji Aniya, seems to mostly be known for her BL – DMP licensed her Men of Tattoos manga, and Digital Manga Guild picked up Mister Convenience. I don’t think this is BL, but I have no other info.

MICHELLE: I really, really loved Men of Tattoos. In fact, I named it one of my favorite BL reads of 2012! The cover of Drops suggests something more comedic, but I’m still quite excited about it!

MJ: It’s definitely Michelle’s enthusiasm about Men of Tattoos that has me anticipating something good here. I look forward to finding out!

SEAN: Don’t Disturb Me and Him, Please will either be fantastic or horrible, and I’m not sure which. The artist is well known here, having done Blood+ (Dark Horse)and Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (Tokyopop), and this is also Manga Erotics F (and also complete in one volume). The premise, though, is described as being about a girl who is horribly attracted to horrible perverts, and ends up caring for a lolicon. It’s described as comedic. Well, I certainly *hope* so. I’m hoping it’s wildly over the top – the cover seems to indicate it will be.

MICHELLE: Hm. I’ll wait and see on this one.

MJ: Er. Um. Hm. I’m not a big fan of Blood+, but I guess we’ll see? It definitely sounds interesting…

SEAN: Lastly, Rensuke Oshikiri gives us Pico Pico Boy, which seems to be slice-of-life seinen. It’s also Ohta Shuppan, but ran in a couple of their far tinier magazines, so I have even less info! The artist specializes in horror, but this… isn’t that, as far as I can tell.

MICHELLE: Yeah, we haven’t much to go on with this one. But it’s definitely part of JManga’s charm that they bring out these unknown titles. I mean, at least some of them have to be hidden gems, right?!

MJ: Right!

SEAN: Indeed. Lots of surprises coming up next week.

Manga the Week of 12/26

December 20, 2012 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ 3 Comments

SEAN: Things are pretty quiet the day after Christmas. Even Diamond Comics is taking the week off, with the exception of a few books from its elite, non-manga publishers. That said, Midtown Comics has a few things that Diamond already sent out that are coming in from their other suppliers, so let’s catch up.

Cage of Eden 8 continues to be action-packed, thrilling, revelatory, and absolutely drenched in fanservice. It’s a title I enjoy reading but can’t recommend to anyone unless they’re used to large breasts everywhere. That said, it is refreshing seeing a shonen title doing well over here that really is for 10-12 year old boys, as opposed to Jump’s more balanced gender readership.

MICHELLE: I have some small interest in this title because of its plot but, yeah, boobs deter me.

MJ: I suppose that, being a manga fan, I’m *used* to large breasts everywhere, but I admit it gets wearying after a while. I wouldn’t say they deter me, exactly, but they do tend to push me into “critical” mode right out of the gate.

SEAN: Viz has a new volume of Dogs: Bullets and Carnage, the first in a year. (Either it’s caught up to Japan or sales are meh. I suspect the former.) This is also filled with action, thrills, and revelations, and is absolutely drenched in fanservice… for female readers. I don’t think I’ve read a single non-BL Dogs fanfic on the internet. (Note: Dogs has no actual BL.) I need to catch up with this, but it’s recommended in a dystopian sort of way.

MICHELLE: I have just started reading Dogs with an eye to featuring this latest volume in an upcoming Off the Shelf. “Dystopian” really is an apt way to describe it, and since I usually like those sorts of stories, I am kind of liking this one too, even if violence is trumping characterization at the moment. I’m just in volume one, though, so this could obviously change.

MJ: Is it wrong that I find myself more interested in looking up the fanfic than I am in the series itself? I’ve always been kinda so-so on this series, and I suspect some BL might help.

SEAN: And Neon Genesis Evangelion 13 may have come out last month everywhere else, but this means little to Midtown, who are seeing it arrive a bit late. It’s worth the wait, as I noted in my review. And may finally end with Vol. 14, sometime before we all die. Or the artist does.

MICHELLE: Y’know, I have never actually seen Evangelion (aside from the first couple of episodes), nor have I read any of the manga. Possibly this is a serious oversight in need of correction.

MJ: I’m a fan of the anime, but I never got very far with the manga adaptation. Sean’s review has me feeling rather curious, however.

SEAN: What are you spicing up your Boxing Day with?

It Came from the Sinosphere: The Flying Guillotine

December 18, 2012 by Sara K. Leave a Comment

There is a new movie, which I have yet to see, called The Guillotines. It’s directed by Andy Lau (who, among many other accomplishments, starred in one of the most popular versions of Return of the Condor Heroes and directed the Hong Kong version of ‘Initial D’), and one of the actors is Ethan Ruan, who starred in both My Queen and Fated to Love You. This gives me an excellent excuse to talk about the original Chinese-language guillotine movie, The Flying Guillotine.

The Story

The emperor gets a frightening new weapon, called the “flying guillotine” for his team of guards. Eventually, the paranoid emperor orders the assassination of the weapon’s inventor. This disillusions Ma Teng, one of the guards. However, when your emperor is paranoid, questioning him is super-dangerous, so Ma Teng has to flee and live the life of a fugitive, constantly terrified that the flying guillotine will soar back into his life … and cut off his head.

About the “Flying Guillotine”

Supposedly, this weapon really was used during the Qing dynasty, however there are no good historical descriptions of it, which allows creative people to fill in the details with their imaginations.

This movie is not the first time this weapon has appeared in fiction – I recall a 1960s wuxia novel making reference to the weapon – but it’s the first work famous for featuring this weapon, and without this movie we probably would not have seen any other ‘guillotine’ movies.

There are right ways and wrong ways to use flying guillotines in movies. Let me start with a wrong way.

The Wrong Way to Do It

In Tsui Hark’s Seven Swords, we see the flying guillotine being used to kill people within the first few minutes of the movie.

The flying guillotine at the beginning of Seven Swords

Unless the victim is a child, puppy, or otherwise obviously innocent and cute, or we can immediately understand the how the death devastates other people, or you’re a film genius, you cannot get the audience to feel a powerful emotional hit when somebody dies in the first few minutes of a movie. Note that the saddest movie in the world has a cute kid and a situation that is really easy to understand.

Flying guillotines are not easy to understand.

Unless you assume that the audience is already familiar with flying guillotines, it just looks like a fancy weapon – and heck, I was familiar with the flying guillotine, and even I felt a distinct lack of resonance.

The Right Way to Do It

The inventor develops the concept of the flying guillotine.

The Flying Guillotine spends a lot of time explaining what the flying guillotine is. It shows how the inventor got the inspiration; it shows the weapon being demonstrated on a dog before the emperor; it shows the guards training for months on wooden dummies. This is to ensure that the audience has a very clear understanding of how the weapon works. It’s almost a half-hour into the movie before the weapon is used on a human being, and by then, we know exactly why we should be freaked out.

The guards are practising using the flying guillotine

How does it work?

1. The attacker, hidden, throws the flying guillotine out, while holding onto the chain.
2. The flying guillotine lands on the victim’s head, like a hat.

Oh No! There’s a flying guillotine on his head! We know what happens next…

3. The attacker yanks the chain, which causes the blades inside the hat to slice the victim’s neck.
4. The attacker, via chain, pulls the guillotine back, which comes with the head.
5. The victim is left standing there, only without a head.

This is a scary weapon because:

1) It seems to come out of nowhere – so the characters always have to be careful, lest a flying guillotine comes in the window, into the courtyard, out from the woods, etc – YOU ARE NEVER SAFE!!!!
2) We get to see the flying guillotine land on the victims head before the head gets cut. This gives the audience a moment to feel horror as they anticipate the next step.
3) The head seems to simply … disappear. Bystanders are left clutching the now-headless victim, not understanding where the head went (the audience, of course, understands too well). The movie repeatedly shows the moving bodies of headless people … and it’s always creepy.

All of the above relies on the audience understanding what is going on. If the audience doesn’t know about the danger of flying guillotines coming from hidden locations, the audience won’t constantly be afraid that the protagonists’ heads will get cut off with little advance warning. If the audience doesn’t know how the flying guillotine works, then the audience won’t feel quite as terrified when one lands on a character’s head. If the audience doesn’t understand how it works, then the audience will be confused instead of creeped out by the headless people.

The Emotional Resonance

What seals the deal, of course, is the emotional resonance.

First of all, there are lots of reaction shots. They are just right. They are usually pretty quick, so they don’t drag on and overstay their welcome. However, they effectively communicate the characters’ terror. The dread is contagious.

A reaction shot

And the movie is very good at stepping up the tension right up to the climax. First, even when the guards are just training, it feels as tense as a sword hanging by a thread – we know that it’s only a matter of time before heads roll, or more accurately, get snatched away. Then heads do get snatched way. Then Ma Teng gets married, so his wife is also in danger. Then Ma Teng has a child, so there is also now a cute kid in danger.

The villain has kidnapped the cute kid!!!!!!

Another way the film ups the emotional resonance is splitting fight scenes with a scene that gives the fight meaning.

Split Scenes

It’s time for a song

The first split scenes is a fight that happens against a … Huangmei opera number. Shaw Brothers happen to be the biggest producer of both Huangmei and kung-fu movies, so it’s not surprising that they would mix the two. As Ma Teng fights for his life, this woman sings and dances. Aside from providing a beat for the fight, it’s a stark contrast to have such an upbeat song for a life-and-death battle. But I think that’s the point. It’s supposed to jolt the audience … and also give the audience a sense of why Ma Teng wants to stay alive.

Let us dance – by which I mean fight to the death – to the upbeat music!

The song featured in the movie was also covered by Teresa Teng (Deng Lijun), Taiwan’s greatest cultural export and the most popular singer in the entire history of East Asia.

The other split scene is when Ma Teng’s wife gives birth inside, while Ma Teng fights the two assassins outside. Aside from contrasting birth and death, splicing the childbirth scene and the fight really heightens what’s at stake.

The Sounds

There is a set of distinctive sounds used with the flying guillotines. First, there is the whirring sound of the guillotines themselves, and then there is the signature music which always plays after the guillotine has completed the decapitation. This trains the audience to always associate this pattern of sounds with the guillotines … so that as soon as the sounds play the audience can anticipate the terror. For example, when Ma Teng has nightmares, the sounds play, and the audience at first thinks that a guillotine is really coming before it’s apparent that it’s just Ma Teng’s imagination. It gives the audience a sense of what it’s like to be Ma Teng.

There is also the distinctive bell that rings when the guards are ordered to carry out another assassination.

I’m the kind of person who is much more easily spooked by sound than by sight.

Autobiography?

I pointed out that Ni Kuang wrote the script for The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. He also wrote the screenplay for this film … and I strongly suspect it’s autobiographical.

Am I suggesting that Ni Kuang is some time traveller who used to be one of Emperor Yongzheng’s guards? No.

He was, however, a public security official for the People’s Republic of China in the 1950s. Part of his job was writing death sentences. He became suspicious about some of the cases brought before him, and asked a local party chief about it. The chief replied that if he kept asking such questions, Ni Kuang himself would be sentenced to death. Out of fear for his life, Ni Kuang eventually fled the People’s Republic of China and settled in Hong Kong, where he became one of the most popular Chinese-language writers of the 20th century.

I don’t think it is can be a coincidence that Ma Teng and Ni Kuang’s lives have such parallels.

Availability in English

It is easy to get this movie with English subtitles.

Conclusion

This is one of my favorite Chinese-language movies. Is it the kind of movie which you can use to demonstrate your high-culture credentials? No. But I have seen my share of art house films, and at least to me, most do not have as much feeling as this kung-fu flick.

Recommended.

Next time: TBD (though there is a high probability that it will be a manhua by Lai An aka Ryan)

The more Sara K. learns about Chinese-language media, the more she realizes how much she doesn’t know. Sometimes she feels like her knowledge is inadequate for writing this column. However, she makes no pretence about academic qualifications (or other kinds of qualifications), and perhaps her novice status makes her posts more accessible to people new to Chinese-language media.

JManga the Week of 12/20

December 15, 2012 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: A nice quiet week, with only three new titles, but each of them having its own audience.

YuruYuri is basically K-On! with less music and more yuri tease. Well, no, I take that back, K-On! actually had more yuri tease than Yuru Yuri. Which is sort of sad, really. Recommended to anime fans.

MJ: Heh, that is pretty sad.

SEAN: Hanjuku Joshi is another one of those Ichijinsha yuri titles where I always check Erica’s Okazu reviews before I give my thoughts. After all, Ichijinsha has been known to put out lowest common denominator sexy tease yuri as well. That said, I’m really looking forward to this title, which seems to be a slightly more realistic take on high school yuri feelings-type stories.

MICHELLE: Yay for more yuri, especially a more realistic take on the topic.

MJ: Agreed! This looks promising to me.

SEAN: And it’s been a while since we’ve had train bento manga, so it’s nice to see Vol. 4 of Ekiben Hitoritabi. Which always makes me hungry.

MICHELLE: Man, me too. I always want those kenshi (sp?) eggs! I actually had forgotten volume three had come out already, so that gives me two volumes to gobble up. (harhar)

MJ: I need to finally read this! I love manga that makes me hungry.