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Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 1

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Voice Over! Seiyu Academy Vol. 1 by Maki Minami

This was a book that I thought I wouldn’t like very much, but as I read through the entire volume I found myself begrudgingly enjoying it more than I expected. I ordinarily enjoy manga set in the world of show business. Here, the setting here of a specialized voice over training high school had the potential to both be a bit interesting due to the possibility of learning more about this specialized acting niche in Japan but it could also be somewhat infuriating if the plot devolved into the arcane hierarchical clique hijinks that tend to plague many a shoujo title. Also, in terms of the plots that I tend to enjoy over and over again, I will happily read multiple manga about office ladies forced to marry their harsh yet irresistibly handsome bosses, but high school clique wars tend to make my eyes glaze over unless I’m distracted by other plot elements like space aliens, juvenile delinquency, or magical powers. As I was reading Voice Over, I did think it would have strong appeal to younger teen readers.

Hime’s idol is a famous voice over actress on the anime Lovely Blazers named Sakura Aoyama. Hime’s accepted into a special voice acting school, but she has to fight against her natural tendencies towards emoting in a deep raspy voice. She’s quickly singled out and placed in the “stragglers” group that makes up the bottom students in her class. To add to Hime’s stress, Senri, the son of her idol is in her class and he is both incredibly gifted and a grouchy snob.

Hime is as plucky and determined as you would expect a shoujo heroine in her situation to be, even though she is promptly nicknamed Gorilla Princess by her classmates due to her deep voice. Hime’s motley crew of stragglers includes the super adorable Tsukino who can’t project her voice, an ex-juvenile delinquent named Sho, and boy with horrible nerves and an unfortunate accent named Mitchel. Hime’s initial overtures to Senri are met with determined rudeness. There is a voice over battle (isn’t there always) between the stragglers and their more high-class competition. Hime ends up using her deep voice to surprising effect when she subs in for Mitchel and ends up doing a superb job as the prince in a Snow White play. Hime and Senri keep running into each other, and she gradually sees his more human side. I found Senri’s habit of adoring kittens contrasted with his horrible manners to be lacking a bit of nuance. But I was very amused by some of the visual techniques Minami uses to portray the voice over acting of the cast. Little old ladies and old men appear in the background of the panels whenever Hime acts, providing an amusing way of showing how mismatched Hime’s voice is with the lines she’s speaking. I also enjoyed the glimpse of the almost too close to each other male idol duo at school with their legion of female fans who want to ward off any girl from getting close to them so they can continue to get their yaoi fix.

As I was nearing the end of the volume, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, simply because all the elements of humor were almost enough to distract me from a plot that I’m not particularly interested in. This manga doesn’t have the manic energy of an Oresama Teacher that makes the plot almost irrelevant though. If future volumes lean more on the high school clique fighting and less on wacky voice over antics, I expect I’ll be less entertained. I do think that readers less jaded than me would enjoy this manga quite a bit.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

It Came From the Sinosphere: State of Divinity (Part 3)

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Yue Buqun

Yue Buqun in soliloquy mode.

Yue Buqun in soliloquy mode.

When I first read the novel, Yue Buqun did not leave such a strong impression on me, and I did not understand why so many people consider him to be the character that the entire story turns on. As I’ve read/seen more adaptations, I have gotten a better understanding of his importance, but it is this adaptation which really drove home to me what a great character he is.

What really distinguishes State of Divinity’s Yue Buqun is that, unlike any other version of the story I’ve seen/read, we get to see his inner thoughts.

In the original novel, everything we know about Yue Buqun comes from Linghu Chong or Lin Pingzhi, and since Yue Buqun never reveals his private thoughts to these two characters, we can only understand him based on his actions. By contrast, State of Divinity offers Yue Buqun ample opportunities for soliloquy.

What really struck me is that Yue Buqun’s thoughts as depicted by State of Divinity are very different from what I expected – yet entirely consistent with canon. This, of course, is a reflection of just an enigma Yue Buqun is – though we know what he does, the reader never knows what he says to himself.

Yue Buqun ... vulnerable?

Yue Buqun … vulnerable?

And State of Divinity shows Yue Buqun being vulnerable. This is something I have never seen in any other version of the story. One of the principles of Yue Buqun’s personality is that he *never* shows vulnerability (at least not in Linghu Chong or Lin Pingzhi’s presence). To be honest, vulnerable!Yue Buqun shocked me.

I now think that Yue Buqun is one of Jin Yong’s finest characters.

Lin Pingzhi

I ended up really liking Lin Pingzhi in State of Divinity.

I’m not just saying that I thought he was well-written and well performed (though I do think that). I actually ended up liking the character himself.

Lin Pingzhi with his mother.

Lin Pingzhi with his mother.

While most versions of the story note that Yue Buqun and Lin Pingzhi have similar personalities, State of Divinity really emphasizes that Lin Pingzhi = young!Yue Buqun. Thus they reinforce each other’s position in the story.

Laughing on the Wind introduces Lin Pingzhi as being privileged, coddled, and spoiled, which of course sets him up for being disliked by the audience. It’s almost satisfying to watch him suffer.

State of Divinity, by contrast, makes it really easy to love Lin Pingzhi. This was hard for me, because I knew what happens to Lin Pingzhi at the end. I wanted to hope that State of Divinity would show some mercy to Lin Pingzhi … but I already knew that hope was in vain.

Lin Pingzhi is experiencing a Horrible Revelation.

Lin Pingzhi is experiencing a Horrible Revelation.

In this adaptation, it is Lin Pingzhi who breaks my heart the most.

About the Music

Well, a lot of the music used in the show is not original (for example, it borrows the soundtrack from Ashes of Time, among other sources). I still found it a bit jarring to hear music pulled from other contexts. Then again, borrowing really good music was probably wiser than composing original-yet-mediocre music – and what original music the show has is mostly uninteresting.

There is one original song which actually stands out is the tune of “The Laughing Proud Wanderer” itself. According to the story, it’s the more beautiful song the characters have ever heard, but I don’t think the audience actually expects that of the makers of the TV show.

The song works because it fits the atmosphere story. Bach it is not, but it does a pretty good job of condensing 43 episodes of story into a single tune. That is much more important than being a great music in its own right.

A Shift in the Ending

This scene wasn't in the original novel, so where have I seen this before ... oh that's right, it's just like that scene in Shēn Diāo Xiá Lǚ

This scene wasn’t in the original novel, so where have I seen this before … oh that’s right, it’s just like that scene in Shēn Diāo Xiá Lǚ

Every adaptation (except Lee Chi-Ching’s manhua) alter the ending.

To be fair, the ending of State of Divinity is actually mostly the same as the ending of the novel. But there is one crucial change.

In the original novel, Linghu Chong is helpless at the end. There is practically nothing he can do to change the course of events. His must experience whatever fate sends his way.

Linghu Chong experiences utter despair.

Linghu Chong experiences utter despair.

And that is what State of Divinity tweaks. At the end, Linghu Chong does change the course of events.

That doesn’t make it a bad ending. But I find it interesting that most adaptations feel that have to change that part.

Comments on the Acting

Overall, I think both shows have very good acting. Even when they did not cast the most suitable actor, at least it is somebody competent enough to make the part work anyway.

That said, these are the highlights for me (from both shows)

Xu Qing as Ren Yingying and Wei Zi as Yue Buqun

Xu Qing as Ren Yingying and Wei Zi as Yue Buqun

Xu Qing as Ren Yingying (LitW) – I think it’s a bit unfair to compare Xu Qing and Fiona Leung’s performances as Ren Yingying, since the script of LitW gives Xu Qing a lot more to work with. Nonetheless, I think Xu Qing does a better job of exposing Ren Yingying in her most vulnerable moments.

Wei Zi as Yue Buqun (LitW) – It is really hard to decide whether Wei Zi (LitW) or Wong Wai (SoD) is a better Yue Buqun, but my gut says that Wei Zi’s acting is a little better (though as far as the script, Yue Buqun is definitely better written in SoD).

He Meitian as Yilin and Jackie Lui as LInghu Chong

He Meitian as Yilin and Jackie Lui as LInghu Chong

Jackie Lui as Linghu Chong (SoD) – This is an example of great casting. To quote a review (which I can’t find right now) ‘Jackie Lui is Linghu Chong’. Li Yapeng’s performance in LitW is also good, but he fails to embody the character as fully as Jackie Lui.

He Meitian as Yilin (SoD) – If casting Jackie Lui as Linghu Chong is great, then casting He Meitian as Yilin is perfect. In a show which sets a very high bar for acting, it is Jackie Lui and He Meitian who really stand out. He Meitian also plays Qi Fang in another of my favorite wuxia dramas, A Deadly Secret, where she is once again a highlight.

Small Evil is Scarier than Great Evil

One of the messages of this story (and most of Jin Yong’s work) is that good cannot defeat evil.

Good can avoid evil. Evil can self-destruct. Good can even, rarely, persuade evil to change. But good cannot defeat evil.

Ren Woxing holds a puppy in his arms as Ren Yingying rushes up to him.

Evil can also rescue puppies.

Some adaptations (including Laughing in the Wind) try to turn one of the villains into the Big Bad, which the heroes can then take down and triumph over. That’s not how the original novel works. In the original novel, all of the villains are narrow-minded men (none of the villains are cis-female). Though they can fall individually, they can never be eliminated as a group. If you take down one petty tyrant, another will emerge.

This is scary.

Ren Yingying and Linghu Chong look really scared.

Yep, they’re scared.

If you think in terms of great evil, at least there is the hope that, after taking out the Big Bad, you will be free once and for all. But if evil is like a weed which will grow back from the soil of human nature as soon as you pull it out, then it will be with you forever.

The villains are horrible not because they are inhuman, but because they are human.

My Encounter with the TV Show

I had been in Taiwan for a short time, and I was just starting to feel out Chinese-language media. As a starting point, I would channel-surf. During my channel-surfing, the wuxia dramas caught my eye the most, since they were quite different from what I was familiar with.

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However, even with my lack of listening comprehension skill, I could tell that wuxia TV dramas follow Sturgeon’s Law.

There was one wuxia drama which stood out. I could only understand 10-20% of the dialogue, so of course I couldn’t follow the story, but it still drew me in. Without understanding it, I still felt that what was happening mattered.

I remember one scene where a certain nun killed another character.

This nun has just killed somebody.

This nun has just killed somebody.

Now, I understood enough to know that the nun was horrified by the fact that she had just killed somebody. I also knew that Buddhist nuns are generally not supposed to killing living creatures. I did not know the broader context – for example, I did not know what the nun’s relationship to the victim was – but I *felt* it.

Scenes like this made an impression on me, even though I didn’t know what they mean.

Well, I had to find out what this TV show was – and I learned it was State of Divinity, adapted from a novel by Jin Yong.

Yep, this TV show was my gateway drug, both to Jin Yong specifically and the wuxia genre as a whole (I’ve even written about this before).

Now, even if I hadn’t caught reruns of this show, I would have almost certainly encountered Jin Yong and wuxia anyway. But if my first encounter had been, say The Book and the Sword, I might have concluded that it wasn’t for me, and left it at that.

And if I hadn’t gotten hooked on wuxia, this column would be really, really, really different.

Linghu Chong, Xiang Wentian, and Ren Woxing by a bonfire on the beach.

I remember watching this scene on Taiwanese TV.

It also made for a weird experience when I finally read the novel. As I read a scene, images from the TV show
would emerge in my head, and I would have lots deja-vu moments -‘This seems oddly familiar’, ‘So, this is what that was actually about’, ‘Oh shit, this is the scene where she dies!’

Availability in English

As far as I know, this show is currently not available in English.

It is listed on Dramafever as ‘coming soon’, but there are so many Hong Kong dramas which are listed as ‘coming soon’ that, unless Dramafever has a gigantic army of translators/subtitlers/etc. at its command, not all of those dramas can ‘come soon’. My guess is that ‘coming soon’ means ‘we have a license to stream this show, but we’ll only actually translate it if we think it will generate a lot of interest among our viewers’.

So if you would like to see this show with English/Spanish subtitles, tell Dramafever.

Conclusion

Okay, in some ways, Laughing in the Wind does kick State of Divinity‘s ass. Yet I think it should be obvious that I love State of Divinity much more.

I think most people agree with me. While both shows get onto many people’s ‘best wuxia TV show’ lists, everybody who has compared the two (including a Laughing in the Wind fansite!) says that State of Divinity is better.

I would take it a step further. There are many classic wuxia TV shows I have yet to see – as well as many classic Chinese-language TV shows in other genres. But of all of the Chinese-language dramas I have seen, State of Divinity is the best. That’s right, it is better than every other single TV show I have discussed here at Manga Bookshelf.

This show is so highly recommended that I think I have just wrecked the roof.

Sara K. made some comments about Shén​ Tōu​ Tiān​xià​ by Zheng Feng (who also wrote Passionate Wastrel, Infatuated Hero and Spirit Sword) over at her personal blog.

Fairy Tail, Vol. 30

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

It’s been a long time since I last did a full review of Fairy Tail. In fact, the last time I did the blurb above said “released by Del Rey”. But this is a pivotal volume of the series, for many reasons. It also suffers from the same problem that has plagued the series since it began, one that many fans, particularly in the West, have trouble getting past: it feels like a One Piece ripoff. What’s most interesting about this volume is that Mashima, who surely must have heard this about five thousand times, goes ahead and duplicates one of One Piece’s most famous moves… but with a slight twist. He is embracing the One Piece-ness of his manga.

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But before we get to that, let’s take a quick look at Gildarts and Cana. I’ve always liked Gildarts, who is a great way of showing that goofy grinning shonen boys grow up to become goofy grinning shonen men. This shows in Cana’s confession to him about her parentage, where he can’t resist making jokes about it, till he realizes that this is exactly what she doesn’t need right now. After that, it’s all heartwarming. It also ties in tragically with the end of the volume, where Lucy has to deal with the death of her own estranged father, who she discovers wanted to make amends with her. Lucy’s emotions, where she’s sort of at a loss and vaguely sad at first, are handled in a mature and understandable way.

This brings us to the timeskip. Yes, a timeskip, just like One Piece. This one is a full seven years, though. What makes this one interesting – and divisive – is that in those seven years our heroes were held in a sort of stasis bubble of magic, so that the outside world has aged but they haven’t. This was quite upsetting to many fans, who wanted to see older, non-teenage versions of their heroes start beating things up. But Mashima defends his choice, and I see his point. Fairy Tail as a guild has spent 30 volumes building itself up from a minor laughingstock of a guild to the very best in the land… and now everything is right back to where it started, with our heroes having to climb up once more.

This does lead to a few issues. Most of the main cast whose faces we see a lot were on the island, so for a while when we’re back at Fairy Tail 7 years later we’re following some characters that we haven’t really focused on since Volume 1, like Romeo. It’s meant to be heartbreaking, but lacks the emotional resonance simply as we haven’t seen any of these people enough to feel their frustration. Fairy Tail’s cast is huge, but Mashima sometimes expects us to have an encyclopedic knowledge of it.

So Fairy Tail has done a timeskip, and honestly there’s really only a few shonen cliches it hasn’t gone through yet. I’m not quite sure what could be left to go over in the next volume… oh hey, did someone say tournament arc?

My Week in Manga: September 16-September 22, 2013

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My News and Reviews

Well, I somehow managed to post three reviews last week. This is a little unusual for me as normally I only have one or two ready to go. The first review was for Hinoki Kino’s No. 6, Volume 2. The pacing, characterization, and world-building improves on the first volume, which I was very glad to see. (I’m really hoping that the manga will have a better ending than the anime.) The second review was for Yoshiyuki Tomino’s Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation, an omnibus of a trilogy of early Gundam novels–the first part of the Gundam franchise to be officially released in English. (To be honest, though, I much prefer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s manga series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin.) I also reviewed Sherlock Bones, Volume 1 by Yuma Ando and Yuki Sato. I was very skeptical going into the series, but found the first volume of the manga to be surprisingly entertaining.

As for a few interesting things found online: Comic Natalie has announced the winners of its first annual manga awards. If you don’t read Japanese and can’t identify manga by their covers, Vertical compiled a list of the winners currently avilable in English (in addition to posting a hint for an as of yet unannounced Vertical license.) As reported by the Business Standard, Viz Media is apparently entering the market in India–Top Manga publisher set to make India entry. And if the relationship between Kodansha Comics, Del Rey/Del Rey Manga, and Random House has you confused, Kodansha posted a brief explanation/clarification of the situation on its Tumblr account.

Quick Takes

Attack on Titan, Volume 7Attack on Titan, Volume 7 by Hajime Isayama. The terror in Attack on Titan has started to shift. At the beginning of the series the fear was much more about the unknown–the titans were these terrifying creatures beyond comprehension. But now the fear is coming from the knowledge that other humans may very well have a hand in what is happening. There have been plenty of deaths in Attack on Titan, but when those deaths involve characters who you’ve gotten a chance to know instead of just being nameless faces, suddenly the casualties carry even more weight. It makes the terror, frustration, and utter despair experienced by the characters even more palpable. Attack on Titan is dark, and it has been from the start, but the developments in the seventh volume pack quite a punch. I’ve had my doubts about the series in the past, and the artwork is still terribly inconsistent and occasionally difficult to follow, but I am hooked on it.

BoxersBoxers & Saints written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang, colors by Lark Pien. Boxers & Saints is easily one of the best comics that I’ve read this year. The two graphic novels that make up the duology can be read separately, but together they are even more powerful. The work is a retelling of the Boxer Rebellion–a violent uprising against foreign and Christian influence in northern China that took place at the turn of the 20th century. Boxers follows the life of a young man who becomes one of the leaders of the rebellion while Saints shows the conflict from the perspective of a young Chinese woman who converted to Christianity. Although very different in their details and narrative style, the two volumes follow a similar story arc as the characters come of age and find something to believe in, but are then challenged by those beliefs and conflicted over their decisions and actions. The Boxer Rebellion was a complicated and tragic event for both sides of the dispute. Boxers & Saints is a fictional account, but Yang put in a tremendous amount of research into the work. Highly, highly recommended.

Genshiken: Second Season, Volume 1Genshiken: Second Season, Volumes 1-3 by Shimoku Kio. The Genshiken has turned into a fujoshi club. This doesn’t really bother me (I also enjoy BL and yaoi), but to an extent I do miss the greater variety of otaku that were represented in the original series. Still, even the fujoshi have their quirks and differences–the Genshiken has always attracted weirdos. And then there’s the cross-dressing Hato-kun, who for me is really stealing the show in the second season of Genshiken. The only male first-year to join the club, he’s created a very complete and convincing female persona. I find him to be the most interesting new character in the new series and he seems to be the focal point for much of the drama. I’m also particularly enjoying Yajima’s character development. She is uncomfortable with Hato’s cross-dressing but becomes very protective of him. As for the older characters, I was very happy to see Madarame return as he remains one of my favorites. Put him and Hato together in a scene and it’s just perfect.

Library Wars, Volume 9Library Wars: Love & War, Volumes 9-10 by Kiiro Yumi. Perhaps it’s because I’m a librarian, but I can’t help but be fond of Library Wars even when it’s not always the strongest series. Sometimes the characters and their interactions are fantastic, and sometimes it seems as if they’re all acting like a bunch of high school students when they’re supposed to be mature, capable adults. Granted, there are some delightfully awkward scenes now that Iku has come to the realization that Dojo is her “prince.” He’s known for quite a while, but he doesn’t know that she knows, yet. It’s all rather amusing. I am very glad that Iku seems to be more competent now than she was at the beginning of the series. I don’t care how enthusiastic a person is, if they don’t have the needed skills for the job there’s not much hope for them. Library Wars is a fantasy, but it actually does address some real issues encountered in the library world. Censorship is the biggest one and at the core of the series, but things like sexual harassment and dealing with inappropriate patron behavior come up, too.

Totally Peeking Under the Sheets, Volume 1Totally Peeking Under the Sheets, Volumes 1-2 by Hajin Yoo. Totally Peeking Under the Sheets is a collection of side stories relating to Yoo’s boys’ love manwha Totally Captivated. It’s definitely intended for those who have read and enjoyed the original series. The first volume contains quite a few short manhwa, some of them only a few pages long. Many of these stories emphasize the more humorous aspects of Totally Captivated and its characters. And as might be expected from the title Totally Peeking Under the Sheets, several stories are also rather racy–what little plot there is is used to get Ewon and Mookyul into bed with each other. (Not that that’s very difficult.) The focus of the second volume is a much longer sequel manhwa called “The Final Chapter.” Although there were some great character moments, the story felt forced to me. Ewon suddenly has to deal with his family, particularly the mother who abandoned him. I’m not sure the situation would have really played out in the way that Yoo presents it. Overall, I much preferred the first volume.

Fist of the North Star, Collection 2Fist of the North Star: The TV Series, Volume 2 (Episodes 37-72) directed by Toyoo Ashida. While the first collection of the Fist of the North Star anime series had quite a bit of filler, the second collection starts to really dig into the plot and characters. The series is much better for it. Plus, the anime has now reached a point in the story beyond the manga that was released in English. Some of the fights do still get to be a little repetitive, especially when the protagonists face off against large groups of unnamed bad guys and minions, but there’s always something about each battle that makes it stand out from the rest. The best fights, though, are those that occur between two martial arts masters. But Fist of the North Star isn’t just about power, skill, and strength (although that’s certainly an important part of it). The series is also about destiny, loyalty, friendship, and love. Kenshiro is a tragic hero who continues to lose those who are close to him. Fist of the North Star is a post-apocalyptic martial arts epic, and I’m loving it.

Bookshelf Briefs 9/23/13

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This week, MJ, Sean, & Michelle look at recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and Seven Seas!

Odagiri_BetrayalKnowsMyNamev6_TPThe Betrayal Knows My Name, Vol. 6 | By Hotaru Odagiri | Yen Press – Now that this series has caught up with Japan, Yen Press has switched from double-length omnibus releases to single volumes, and I’ll admit this worried me to start. Though I’ve found this melodramatic, BL-leaning, supernatural epic to be a fairly satisfying (if somewhat guilty) pleasure, I was concerned that single-volume releases might only serve to expose a lack of real substance. I’m happy to report that I underestimated the series. Not only does this relatively thin-looking volume manage to successfully engage, but it does so without the constant addition of new characters that had become the series’ greatest point of weakness, at least for this reader. The Betrayal Knows My Name may not be a shoujo masterpiece, but it hits enough of my personal storytelling kinks to remain thoroughly enjoyable. – MJ

genshiken-2-3Genshiken 2nd Season, Vol. 3 | By Shimoku Kio | Kodansha Comics – Despite the fact that the series has gone from a male-dominated series where otaku talk about ero games to a female-dominated series where otaku talk about BL, the core premise of the series really hasn’t changed, nor have its observational tendencies dimmed in any way. We also get even more gender-bending as another new character is shown to be a ‘trap’ in some way… given the direction both fandom and this series have taken in recent years, this isn’t really a surprise. Hato remains at the core of this new series, though. His gender displacement gets so bad that he draws totally differently depending how he’s dressed, and he still can’t get over his attraction to Madarame. Genshiken’s always been about the characters, and that will never change. Still very good. – Sean Gaffney

haruhi-chan7The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, Vol. 7 | By Puyo and Nagaru Tanigawa | Yen Press – The nature of this series means that it’s a playground to have fun. We see the main series being made fun of, the nature of 4-koma driven gag comics being made fun of, and Japanese holidays and customs being made fun of, taking advantage of Haruhi‘s obsession with them. Divorced from canon, Koizumi can be far more active in his desire to get our stubborn couple together. Nagato can be far more adorable in her interaction with others… and also far more petulant, as the chapter where she sends Ryouko and Kimidori against a dragon proves. The main manga series is ending, so I’m not sure how long Haruhi-chan will last on its own. Or indeed if the cast from the 9th-11th novels, who show up at the end, will have any relevance. It’s a gag series, after all.. – Sean Gaffney

ototmen16Otomen, Vol. 16 | By Aya Kanno | Viz Media – There’s a definite sense of this being the final arc in Otomen – the series is ending in Japan right about now – and as everyone no doubt expected, Asuka’s mother is clearly the final boss, and gets a cover with her son. Her obsession with manliness is starting to look like a mental illness of some sort. Unfortunately, she has lots of influence to get anyone to do whatever she wants, which is… good for most of our heroes, as they find great opportunities that coincidentally take them far away from Asuka. No such luck for Juta, whose Love Chick is summarily canned at the cliffhanger. God only knows what she’s going to do to Ryo… I hope that Asuka can turn things around next volume. Then again, I suspect next volume may be a ‘darkest before the dawn’ type book. Ryo’s not the type to break things off, but…? -Sean Gaffney

Psyren12Psyren, Vol. 12 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | Viz Media – Most of this volume consists of Ageha, Sakurako and Matsuri walking into the world’s most obvious trap – indeed, it comes as a surprise that the mole leading them to it *isn’t* in on the trap himself. Much of what follows is a battle between good guys and a psychopath, with lots of psychic attacks and near-deaths, along with lots of assorted army officers getting slaughtered (this series has quite a high mook death count). The high point, though, is the appearance of Sakurako’s dark alternate personality. Just in case we miss the point, her skin literally darkens when she takes over. And she has no issues whatsoever with expressing her feelings for Ageha, in the loudest way possible. If this were a romantic comedy, no doubt shenanigans would ensue. But it’s a battle manga, so more likely we go back to fights. -Sean Gaffney

strobe6Strobe Edge, Vol. 6 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – After the previous couple of volumes of Strobe Edge tried to hit maximum angstosity, this one seems to be more of a breather. Everyone finds out that Ren is now single, and this means that every girl in the school except Ninako is trying to hook up with him. Ninako accurately surmises that he needs time to cope with the breakup, but isn’t quite sure how to help him. Ren, meanwhile, is also dealing with this rivalry/friendship with Ando, and wonders how exactly to define it. A new school year, and some old faces, might mean a lot more tension next time around. This is a short volume, so there’s an unrelated short story at the end. Sadly, it really didn’t grab me the way that Strobe Edge does, as the heroine’s flakiness is less endearing (like Ninako’s), and more simply irritating. It’s clear the author has improved with time. -Sean Gaffney

voiceover1Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Vol. 1 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – Let me get this out of the way up front: Voice Over! is every bit as generic as you might suppose. Its lead, Hime Kino, is a “bright-eyed first-year” whom we meet on her first day at a high school with a prestigious voice acting program. She’s ditzy and uncoordinated and possessed of a voice that makes the other students wonder why she was accepted, yet somehow attracts the notice of the most surly/handsome/talented boy in her year as well as that of a popular idol duo. Soon, she discovers a Hidden Talent she is loathe to embrace, but Surly Boy’s taunts fire her up to surpass him. So, okay, a work of genius this is clearly not, and yet… I kind of liked it. Perhaps it just suited my mood in the moment, but I have to admit that I’m planning to read volume two. – Michelle Smith

zero2Zero’s Familiar, Vols. 4-5 | By Noboru Yamaguchi and Nana Mochizuki | Seven Seas – The North American market has seen a glut of manga series adapted from light novels these days, for good or for ill. At one end of the spectrum is a series that can enhance and even outpace its core series… Railgun is a good example here, as is the Higurashi franchise in its later books. On the other end… sometimes you read an adaptation, and know it must have been far more thrilling and emotional in the original story. Such is the case with Zero’s Familiar, where the need to write thrilling action battles finally catches up to its artist. Saito’s sword battles are simply dull, and the facial expressions of the main cast also seem stiff when trying to emote the tragedies contained herein. The light novels are unlikely to be licensed, so this is all we have at the moment. I hope the artist improves. -Sean Gaffney

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: September 16, 2013

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September 16 CoverIt’s a hard thing, to be set in an opinion and then be forced to change it. Why do you suppose there is so much resistance to all the social change we’ve gone through recently and historically. People are creatures of habit, and when they are set in their ways of hating a specific thing it will take a lot to break them out of their rut.

And no, I’m not talking about Naruto. Read on to find out what I’m on about.

One-Punch Man Ch. 25.2
It’s not hard to create a “cool” character. What is hard is creating a character that stays “cool” while getting his butt kicked. Granted, Genos gives as good as he gets (which is one of the secrets for maintaining a character’s cool image even in defeat), but he gets beat up pretty good and I think it’s clear that he won’t be the one to finish this fight.

What amazes me about this series is how much I’m enjoying it despite it being a fairly shallow premise. We don’t know much of anything about this threat, and yet it’s being played completely straight. The setup was literally just, “And then some monsters came out of the ocean.” Why are they invading? Who knows, but it’s awesome anyway. It’s the mark of a great series when I’m able to read it and notice the flaws but dismiss them because the rest is just so well done.

Bleach Ch. 548
Kubo has this odd habit of trying to make Omaeda, a character that was basically the butt of a joke, a sympathetic character. I’m not sure how to feel about that because I like my comedic characters and my dramatic characters kept separate. And yet, somehow it works for me. He’s not my favorite character, but I find that the tonal dissonance in how he’s written actually works in a strange way.

Hitsugaya, fan favorite that he is, actually has a pretty good fight this chapter. It may seem a bit short, and the “science” behind it is questionable at best, but I like to see more intellectual combat in my shonen action. I can only take so many “the strength of our friendship gives me power” climaxes without wanting to tear my hair out. It’s good to see Rangiku back in the series too. She was always a favorite of mine (not just for the reasons you may think), mostly because she’s another one of those gag characters who gets serious moments that work. For some reason. I’m not sure why, but somehow Kubo can pull it off.

Naruto Ch. 646
Methinks Kishimoto has been reading the Bible. And he’s managed to adapt the story of Genesis into his story without completely missing the point. Sure there aren’t very many tailed demons in christian canon, but at least the basics of the story are used in a way that is far more respectful of the source material than one tends to see in manga. It’s a shame that all it really does for the story is convolute the whole thing more than it needs to be.

I really can’t say anything but, “Why is this fight still going?” We finally see some progress with the Infinite Tsukoyomi being set up. But this all could have been done in a quarter of the time we’ve spent. I’m sticking it through because for some reason I’m still curious about how Naruto will end, but by this point I’m just looking for material to complain about online.

Naruto

One Piece Ch. 721
What!? A dead mother!? Such a thing has never been done in One Piece! Oda you edgy devil!

Sarcasm aside, I think One Piece has desensitized me to tragic backstories. Rebecca’s backstory is par for the course for One Piece. That of course means that it’s good, just not the best I’ve seen in this series. I do have some theories about the toy soldier and Ricky the gladiator. I’m pretty certain that one of them is her grandfather, and one of them is her father. I don’t know which of course, and it’s not like I’m going to be the only one to draw that conclusion from this chapter but I still feel like throwing that idea out there.

The idea that Rebecca is being forced to fight because of her family could explain why she fights in a scale-mail bikini. Doflamingo is probably forcing her to wear the outfit to humiliate her. Or Oda just likes drawing fanservice a lot more than he used to, but I like my explanation too.

One Piece

Nisekoi Ch. 090
It’s been a while since the mystery of Rakku and the girls’ past was brought up. And this chapter gives us more hints than we’ve gotten in a while, including the bombshell that Chitoge probably isn’t the girl that Rakku made a promise with. This doesn’t mean they won’t end together, and I’m still wary about the Love Hina route this story might take, but I’ve missed the wrenches Naoshi used to throw into the story.

The standout this chapter for expressions and reactions was definitely Ruri. Her face when the keys are brought out may be the more subtle of her expressions, but I loved it the most.

Jaco Ch. 009
Well, I was right about the rocket crashing. But I’m probably wrong about whatsherface dying. Oh well. Not much else to really comment on this chapter, except that Jaco revealing himself is a bit surprising. The plot really started moving after several chapters that felt far too slow. I guess we really do only have a couple chapters left. We’ll see how things go.

Toriko Ch. 249
What I love most about Toriko is that Shimabukuro takes the time to actually think through the implications of the powers he comes up with. Of course making abnormal movements of cells the norm would wreak havoc on the automatic processes of the body. Fortunately Midora isn’t going down as easily as we thought, and the fact that he can keep up with Ichiryu promises yet another grand fight. The pacing was a bit off this arc, but as of late it’s been moving along quite nicely, switching between scenes where needed. I expect this fight will be a couple more chapters. Hopefully it won’t overstay its welcome like Toriko’s fight.

World Trigger Ch. 030
Yes. I didn’t hate this chapter of World Trigger. And this is the first time that I not only didn’t find anything to complain about, I actually was able to look at the chapter without prejudice. It’s still not a great manga, but the fight was competent. And that alone is promising. I give credit where due, and the fight in this chapter was well paced and well thought out. Kitora is definitely turning out to be one of my favorite characters for this series.

World Trigger

Dragon Ball Z Ch. 031
I really wish we knew more about Saiyan society. This chapter hints a bit at it, with Nappa mentioning being nobility. There’s so much more I’d like to know about the Saiyans, but I already know we won’t be learning much more from the manga. And even the anime doesn’t go that into depth.

This was a good week. The chapters were, for the most part, enjoyable. At the very least the good outweighed the bad by a considerable margin. I think, as usual, One Piece was my definite favorite this week. But World Trigger showed the most improvement, so I’m definitely open to the idea of not hating it.

Which was your favorite this week?

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives.

Sherlock Bones, Vol. 1

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Sherlock Bones, Volume 1Author: Yuma Ando
Illustrator: Yuki Sato
U.S. publisher: Kodansha
ISBN: 9781612624440
Released: September 2013
Original release: 2012

Sherlock Bones is currently a seven-volume manga series written by Yuma Ando and illustrated by Yuki Sato. The first volume was originally released in Japan in 2012 while the English-language edition was published by Kodansha Comics in 2013. I didn’t realize it at first, but I was already familiar with Sato and Ando’s previous works in English. Sato is the creator of Yokai Doctor and Ando (one of many pen names used by Shin Kibayashi) worked on Bloody Monday and Drops of God. More thematically relevant, Ando was one of the original creators of The Kindaichi Case Files. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is a well-loved and well-known detective worldwide and this is no exception in Japan. Sherlock Bones is only one Japanese work among many that is directly inspired by Doyle’s stories. I was vaguely curious about the series when it was licensed, but it wasn’t high on my list of manga to acquire. Happily, Kodansha sent me a review copy of Sherlock Bones, Volume 1, so I was able to give the series a try sooner rather than later.

When Takeru Wajima adopted a puppy from the local animal shelter, he had no idea what he was getting into. Most new pet owners have to worry about things like house and obedience training, but Takeru has an entirely different problem to deal with–Sherdog is the reincarnation of none other than the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes. Oh, and Sherdog can speak (at least to Takeru, that is) and he is certain that his new owner is the reincarnation of his dear friend and faithful assistant Dr. John H. Watson. It’s not as if the two of them go out looking for mysteries to solve, but Sherdog and Takeru seem to be drawn into criminal investigations. When one of Takeru’s classmates is killed, and Sherdog is the only witness to the crime, they must find a way to prove the guilt of the murderer. Sherdog may have the brains to determine a solution, but it will be up to Takeru to do all of the legwork. After all, who else would belive, let alone understand, a dog.

I’ll admit, I was more than a little skeptical going into Sherlock Bones. I thought that the premise–Sherlock Holmes reincarnated as an adorable puppy–would be silly at best. And it is silly, but it also ends up being a good deal of fun. I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed the first volume of Sherlock Bones. Its mix of goofiness and seriousness is entertaining even if it is rather ridiculous. So far, though, it seems to work. There’s Sherdog himself–appalled that he’s a canine, though on occasion he will deign to use it to his advantage–and then there’s Takeru, who seems to be a good kid even if he’s understandably a bit befuddled by the whole situation and less than convinced that he’s Watson’s reincarnation. I also like that the entire Wajima family is made up of police officers and investigators–father, mother, and sister–so Takeru’s poking around into various criminal goings-on doesn’t seem too out-of-place.

As for the central case in Sherlock Bones, Volume 1, the mystery doesn’t lie within who killed the unfortunate student. Even why the murder took place can be fairly easily deduced. The trick is in how the culprit establishes an alibi and then carries out the deed. In part this is where Sato’s artwork plays an important role–the major clues that help Sherdog and Takeru crack the cases in Sherlock Bones, Volume 1 can be found right there on the page even before they solve the mysteries, waiting for observant readers to notice. I appreciate this sort of potential for engagement in the mystery fiction that I read, and so was happy to see it included in Sherlock Bones. Granted, not all of the clues are revealed in this way, especially when things like color come into play, but overall I was pleased with how the story and art worked together to form a cohesive whole. Sherlock Bones was a pleasant surprise for me and I look forward to reading more of the series.

Thank you to Kodansha for providing a copy of Sherlock Bones, Volume 1 for review.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation

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Mobile Suit GundamAuthor: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Translator: Frederik L. Schodt
U.S. publisher: Stone Bridge
ISBN: 9781611720051
Released: April 2013
Original release: 1979-1981

The first part of the massive Gundam franchise to be officially released in English was a trilogy of novels by Yoshiyuki Tomino that were initially published in Japan between 1979 and 1981. The novels are a reimagining of the original 1979 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam which was directed and primarily developed by Tomino. Based on the trilogy’s 1987 edition, the novels were originally translated by Frederik L. Schodt and published by Del Rey between 1990 and 1991. They subsequently went out of print but were released again by Stone Bridge Press in 2004 in an omnibus edition with a revised translation. The omnibus, too, went out of print only a few years later. It wasn’t until 2012 that the license was able to be re-secured, but Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation is once again available in a newly redesigned omnibus. It also includes some of the concept design sketches form the original anime series as illustrations.

In Universal Century 0079, the colonists of Side 3 rebelled against the Earth Federation, establishing the Principality of Zeon. During the ensuing war, half of the solar system’s human population was annihilated before the two sides of the conflict could reach a temporary ceasefire. In less than a year, the relative peace came to an end. The fighting began again as the Federation and Zeon forces were caught up in an arms race. Each side continued developing more and more advanced and powerful weapon systems and mobile suits. Combined with the emergence of Newtypes–humans with astounding powers of intuition and expanded consciousness–the conflict quickly escalated. No one is entirely sure what the Newtype phenomenon means for the future of the human race or what dangers those with Newtype potential will present, but both militaries are resolved to harness their abilities in order to gain an advantage in the war.

I haven’t seen the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam anime series in its entirety, but I do know that the novels are a darker, more mature, and more detailed take on the story. The ending of the trilogy is significantly different from that of the anime, as well. My first real introduction to the Gundam franchise was actually through Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s manga series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, which is also a retelling of the original anime. If I am to be completely honest, I much greatly prefer the manga over the novels. However, simply by the nature of the medium, the novels allow Tomino to explore the world of Mobile Suit Gundam in greater depth than either the anime or the manga; some of the specifics about the characters and their motivations can be found nowhere else. But this can also be a drawback–at times, Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation reads more like an insider’s guide to the Gundam universe rather than a set of novels.

I like the story of Mobile Suit Gundam as well as its setting. Unfortunately, I wasn’t nearly as fond of the novels’ execution. There was an annoying preoccupation with who was or wasn’t, or who could or could not possibly be a Newtype. Though frequently debated, the characters never reach a solid conclusion and constantly change their opinions on the matter. This is somewhat understandable since the Newtype phenomenon is a new step in human evolution that has yet to be strictly identified or defined, but it’s particularly frustrating when the author doesn’t seem to have a firm grasp of the concept, either. I do like the Newtype theory, though, and it is a very important part of Mobile Suit Gundam. I also like that the novels show both sides of the conflict between Zeon and the Federation from multiple perspectives. Mobile Suit Gundam is an ambitious war tale with a fairly large cast of interesting characters. But in the end, I have a feeling that the novels will appeal most to readers who are already fans of the franchise.

Manga the Week of 9/25

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SEAN: A surprisingly huge last week of the month. Shall we get right down to it?

Cyborg-009-Cover

Archaia has their new modern adaptation of Cyborg 009 debuting this week. I recall the old 60s series when Tokyopop took a flyer on it, and it was fun if very ‘a product of its time’. It’s a series that a modern retelling, getting rid of some of the racism and sexism, could really work wonders. Intriguing.

ASH: I’ve already got my copy of this one. I haven’t read it yet, but I can say this–Archaia’s Cyborg 009 has one of the coolest book designs that I’ve seen in quite a while.

SEAN: Kodansha continues the speedup of Attack on Titan with Vol. 7, which reminds you that the series can still be really, really brutal.

ASH: Yes it can! If Attack on Titan has one thing going for it, it’s the series’ intensity. And tragic deaths.

MICHELLE: I feel very wrong that “tragic deaths” has seriously made me consider Attack on Titan.

ANNA: I feel the same way. What is the ratio of tragic deaths to non-tragic deaths per volume?

MJ: I also would like to see some statistics on this. Yes.

SEAN: Also, lest you think there’s only omnibuses, there’s the 18th volume of Battle Angel Alita: Last Order.

And speaking of speedups, here’s Fairy Tail 30, which wraps up its very long S-class arc, and has a major plot shift that affects… well, not quite everything.

I admit I sometimes miss things coming out via Picturebox and their cadre of indie manga releases. Here’s a new one called World Map Room, which I know nothing about.

ASH: Picturebox is a publisher that has really caught my eye this year. I don’t always enjoy Yuichi Yokoyama’s manga, but I can certainly appreciate his draftsmanship and experimental work.

MJ: Agreed. I’m very interested in what they’re doing.

dictatorialgrimoire_vol1_full

SEAN: I had assumed that Dictatorial Grimoire: Cinderella was another series from Quin Rose in the Alice in the Etc Etc. vein, but apparently not. This is from Media Factory’s oddball shoujo-ish Comic Gene, and is a Grimm’s Fairy Tales rewrite, in a way.

MICHELLE: Huh. I’m feeling a little oversaturated with fairy tail adaptations, though.

ANNA: I love fairy tale adaptations! Not sure if I will check it out although content from oddball shoujo-ish magazines sounds promising.

MJ: Well, huh. This does sound like my kind of thing!

SEAN: Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz is almost finished, I believe, but not quite, so here’s more Boris and Vol. 6.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin has been one of my most awaited titles of 2013, with every volume desperately needing to get into my hands as quickly as possible. Vol. 3 is called Ramba Ral!

ASH: I’ve been very impressed by Vertical’s edition of The Origin. It’s a great manga and a gorgeous release. Plus, I’m a fan of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s manga.

MICHELLE: I’m enjoying it, too!

ANNA: I am so happy that Vertical is putting out this series.

SEAN: If you’d told me a few years ago Vertical would be licensing a Young Animal title, I’d have laughed. But here we are. Sickness Unto Death is along the lines of Flowers of Evil, but only 2 short volumes. The first ships this week.

ASH: I’m very curious about this one.

MICHELLE: I don’t know what to think about it.

MJ: I’m always interested in what Vertical has to offer, so count me in!

SEAN: Are You Alice? has a 2nd volume that may potentially have something comprehensible happen, which Vol. 1 lacked, in my opinion.

And The Betrayal Knows My Name, a series that feels like it should be Wings but is instead in Asuka (which is becoming the new Wings), hits Vol. 6, and has lots of reincarnation romance.

MJ: I have been shamelessly addicted to this series ever since my holiday marathon read last year. More, more!

Mori_Bride_StoryV5_HC

SEAN: A Bride’s Story really picked up for me with the introduction of the twins in Vol. 4, so seeing their wedding in this new volume is definitely high on my list of things to do.

ASH: I’m always happy to see a new volume of Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story! (Now, if we could only get Emma back into print, too…)

MICHELLE: Someday I will have time to read this.

ANNA: Me too. I need to catch up. The first two volumes were lovely.

MJ: I adore this series, and I’m very excited about the wedding! Hurray!

SEAN: Kieli hits Vol. 9… of the novels, that is. Don’t get your novels and manga mixed up, especially from Yen, which tends to license both more than most companies.

The regular old manga may be ending in Japan, but its gag spinoff continues, as we see the 7th volume of The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya.

Lastly, Soul Eater hits sweet 16, and will likely start spinning out new plot threads here to see what sticks. Always fun.

What’s whetting your appetite?

MICHELLE: Isn’t Goong 13 coming out too this week, now that I think about it? At least, Amazon has it with the same date as the other Yen, and I just got it in a box of review copies (yay!).

ANNA: eeeeeeeee!

MJ: YAY GOONG YAY!

SEAN: It’s still hard for me to remember Korean books…

Attack on Titan, Vol. 7

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By Hajime Isayama. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.

(please continue to avoid spoilers in comments)

We all knew a volume like this was coming. Despite the mass deaths and danger, things had simply been going too well for our heroes recently. There were heartwarming moments, and points where you marveled at the awesomeness of humanity. That clearly cannot last. And so you have Attack on Titan 7, which, yes, also gives you heartwarming and reaffirming love for humanity, but then brutally stomps all over it and tears it to shreds while laughing in your face.

titan7

So yeah, it really didn’t bode well that Levi’s team, for all their backstory and character building, never had biographies at the front of the book. Much of this book (and indeed the series in general) is about the mindset of a soldier, and how you can commit to actions that seem stupid or that you may not believe in. I’ll give Special Ops this, they were decisive and trying to stop the Female Titan. And, in the end, they weren’t good enough and were brutally murdered. This doesn’t mean it was a bad decision, or that they didn’t die like heroes. It’s just a function of life in this book, and how horrible the situation is with the Titans. Things are really bad, and sometimes you make a firm decision that leads to an ignoble death.

Speaking of the Female Titan, as Armin has already noted, she’s definitely one of a special group of Titans that are intelligent and crafty, and it shows throughout the entire book. Even when Erwin has her cornered, she’s still able to think of a way out. And her fight with Eren and Mikasa is not only epic but gives us some stunning motivation on what the Titans are trying to achieve; when given an opportunity to kill Eren, she doesn’t, but tries to kidnap him instead. Eren, presumably as he’s also a Titan, is useful to them in some way. Chilling, really.

I do sort of wonder what it will take to get Levi to break, or if he ever will. He’s the most popular character in the series in Japan, and rapidly taking that position over here as well, but there’s only so far stoic can take you. Will he continue to suffer nobly and look off into the middle distance? If nothing else, he makes a very good contrast to hotheads Eren and Mikasa.

But it’s all about the final scene, which simply makes you want to cry. Eren waking up to see everyone re-entering the city. The jeers of the adults, and the cheers of the little children. Petra’s dad, running to Levi, asking him to give her something, and Levi’s stoic non-response. And the final narration, noting that they’re all basically under arrest, Eren’s going to be turned over (presumably to be tortured and executed), and Erwin and company may be in a lot of trouble all around. It’s a horrible place to leave a cliffhanger. And so naturally here is where it is.

But hey, from here things can only get better… right?

No. 6, Vol. 2

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No. 6, Volume 2Creator: Hinoki Kino
Original story: Atsuko Asano
U.S. publisher: Kodansha
ISBN: 9781612623566
Released: August 2013
Original release: 2011

My introduction to Atsuko Asano’s No. 6 was through the anime adaptation of the original novels. I enjoyed the setting and characters, but was disappointed in the anime’s rushed, original ending. Asano’s No. 6 novels are unlikely to be released in English, so I was glad when Kodansha licensed Hinoki Kino’s manga adaptation of the series. The second volume of the No. 6 manga, originally published in Japan in 2011, was released in English in 2013. Although Kino’s character designs are based on the same ones used for the anime and many of the underlying elements are the same (they are both adaptations of the No. 6 novels after all), Kino’s version of the story is different. The first volume of the manga was a little too quickly paced for my taste, but for the most part I still enjoyed it. However, I did have hopes that the second volume would slow down a bit after the first volume‘s rush to establish the characters, story, and setting.

After barely escaping from the holy city of No. 6, Shion is now a fugitive hiding in West Block, a dangerous area outside of the city walls and No. 6’s dumping grounds. Although he is out of immediate danger, he still has a lot to learn about West Block if he hopes to survive there. The violent and bleak conditions outside the city are very different from the peaceful and pampered life that Shion led in No. 6. The only reason he’s made it this far is thanks to the help of Rat, the young man whose life Shion once saved as a boy. The two make an unusual pair. Shion is altruistic and slow to doubt people, characteristics which could get him into big trouble in West Block, while Rat only looks out for himself and is much more wary of others. Saving Shion’s life was a way for Rat to repay his debt, but in the process he has begun to open up to another person. For the time being Rat persists in watching over the other young man, but he is also capable of turning on Shion at any moment.

One of my favorite things about the No. 6 anime was the relationship between Rat and Shion. I’ve happily found this to be the case with the manga as well. Even though it’s only the second volume, there has already been some very nice character development. Both Shion and Rat are beginning to change due to the circumstances surrounding Shion’s escape from No. 6 and their continued association with each other. As Shion is faced with the harsh realities of living in West Block and Rat’s seemingly uncaring attitude, he is learning to stand up for himself and what matters to him. In turn, Shion is also influencing Rat to a much greater extent than either of them at first realize. When it comes to Shion, Rat finds himself acting out of character and letting his guard down. It understandably bothers and worries him, but it’s also rather touching from an outsider’s perspective. I’m really enjoying watching their relationship evolve in No. 6.

In addition to character development, the second volume of the No. 6 manga also reveals more about No. 6 and West Block. As Shion experiences West Block first hand, nearly getting killed in the process, the readers are also introduced to the world in which he now lives through the people he meets–the children who are starving, the marketplace vendors who are quick to pull guns on thieves, the prostitutes and pimps. Everyone is struggling to get by in any way that they can. It also reveals in part why Rat has the personality that he does. To survive in West Block requires people to place their own needs above those of others. Simply trusting another person means taking a huge risk. It’s a hard lesson for Shion with his innocent nature and privileged upbringing. The second volume of No. 6 does build and improve on the first in its pacing, characterization, and world-building. I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to the next volume of Kino’s adaptation.

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: September 9, 2013

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September 9 CoverIt’s strange, even though I haven’t really been missing Bleach, seeing it back in the lineup makes everything feel right again. I think we’ve gotten a glimpse of what life will be like post-big three, and I must say, I don’t care for it. What will I do without the top three most popular shonen manga to either love or hate? What will my life become? These are all things worth considering, leave your survival strategies in the comment section. But for now, let’s talk about the manga itself.

Bleach Ch. 547
Well, Bleach is back. Can’t say I really missed it all that much, even though my manga reading life did feel a bit emptier without it. Bleach, and Naruto, and I have a bit of an abusive relationship. They give me nothing but pain and I just can’t quit them. Bleach has the upper hand in that it hasn’t actually done anything to hurt me, rather it’s like being in a relationship that you’ve grown tired of, but you aren’t ready to quit because your partner still knows how to function like a human being and hasn’t done anything to royally piss you off.

Sure there’s some misplaced comedy, and the idea that the Quincy were hiding in Soul Society all along is pretty ludicrous, but whatever. At least Bleach doesn’t force characters I hate down my throat. Rather it forces characters I don’t care about down my throat. Which is still annoying, but not as rage inducing as what other series I’ve read do.

One matter of note is that having gotten another good look at Ichigo’s sword I have to wonder why Kubo keeps designing swords that look like they would be incredibly uncomfortable to use. His swords don’t even have hilts, they’re just pieces of the blade that happen not to be sharp. But they still have edges that look like they would dig into your skin quite painfully after a while.

Bleach

World Trigger Ch. 029
Anytime I find myself thinking, “This chapter of World Trigger wasn’t so bad” I have to remind myself that it’s taken twenty nine chapters to do what most series would do in one or two. The “moderately interested” stage of manga reading should not take several months to kick in. So, even when it gets a little bit interesting I remember that World Trigger took forever just to be competent. That doesn’t bode well for any actual future enjoyment.

To be fair, this chapter, on its own, was enjoyable. A lot of my hatred for this series stems from the fact that I apparently have a hard time letting go of grudges. At best all I can say about World Trigger is what I’m saying about this chapter, “It wasn’t awful, but I’m not expecting anything from this series.”

One Piece Ch. 720
Eiichiro Oda is a master of a character writing style that I started practicing a couple years ago. The method involves taking character archetypes and stereotypes and then adding a contradictory element to them. I haven’t exactly mastered it yet, but Oda is the writer I look up to most for this method after this chapter. Already Bartolomeo was a fun character, but to find out that he’s a massive Luffy fanboy just made him shoot up in my One Piece character rankings.

Rebecca was less impressive, she does reveal more of the underlying backstory for this arc, but as far as characters go she follows the vein of most women in One Piece that aren’t main characters. She’s not a bad character, but she’s not very interesting. The fact that she spends most of the time almost completely naked (I refuse to consider that outfit actual clothing) would be a good foil to build upon, after all the scantily clad female warrior is a trope in and of itself. But taking that archetype and making her just a normal One Piece girl doesn’t quite do it for me. I’m open to being surprised, after all One Piece is nothing if not surprising, but for the moment I’m not a huge fan of Nami 5.0…I mean Rebecca.

One Piece

Toriko Ch. 248
What sets Toriko apart from most other battle series is Shimabukuro’s willingness to use real science/theories in his fantasy world. After amping them up to one million of course. Maybe the Square Root Law is a real theory (don’t ask me, I don’t do statistics), but I’m pretty sure we can’t use the ten percent abnormal movement of our cells to fly. But it can be done in manga, and that’s why I love manga so much. It doesn’t have to follow normal rules like other forms of fiction do. It can do what it wants, when it wants. It’s a sign of how clever the whole idea is that I ignore the man with the giant tongue to talk about it.

Naruto Ch. 645
As I’m writing this I have to go back and reread chapters to remember what happened. I don’t need to do that with Naruto because I know for a fact it won’t make any more sense the second time around. Here’s the problem with Naruto right now. It isn’t even that Sasuke is in the story. It’s that things are happening. But none of them carry any weight. The scale has gotten so ludicrously large that any escalation leaves me cold. Sure my attitude is influenced by past chapters, but it really is a problem that this series has gotten to the point where nothing that happens will be seen as important. A formerly somewhat important character dies? Who cares, it was only Neji, we’ve all forgotten about that now.

Please, Kishimoto, just finish this so we can see Naruto and Sasuke have their final battle. And please, stop it with the inappropriate comedy. You stopped being funny years ago.

One-Punch Man Ch. 025
There wasn’t any comedy this chapter, and it’s a sign of how talented these creators are that a series based on a single gag has grown so much. The action is amazing in this chapter, and the rising conflict is exactly what I expect from an action series. It’s a shame that a comedy series is doing a better job of it than certain action series are.

Then again, plenty of action series are trying and failing at comedy while this comedy series is trying and succeeding at action. Huh.

One-Punch Man

Jaco The Galactic Patrolman Ch. 008
Now this chapter I liked. Granted it was because I was reading a lot more tension into it than was actually there, with the possibility of “insert article of clothing name here” dying during the rocket launch. But beyond that I can’t say I’m a huge fan of this series. I’ve heard rumors of this actually being a prequel of Dragon Ball, which honestly makes no sense since the overall level of technology in this series seems a bit higher than it did in Dragon Ball. Though I could be remembering things wrong. Either way, I’m hoping things turn out the way I expect since that will help raise this series’ stock in my opinion.

Blue Exorcist Ch. 049
Methinks someone is taking some liberties with Hebraic/Christian mythology. I know this may come as a shock, considering this is a manga we’re talking about, which tend to usually be so faithful to the source material they are cribbing from, but I’m getting the sneaking feeling that the author only knows a bunch of names of demons without knowing who they actually are. Wondering what I’m talking about? Well, for one, suddenly Mephisto is also Samael, but most egregiously, Lucifer and Satan are now different characters. To put that into perspective for those of you that weren’t dragged to Sunday School every week, and then didn’t spend a chunk of University researching the Hebraic roots upon which most Christian mythology is built upon, Lucifer and Satan are the same person. Lucifer, the Prince of Light, was Satan’s pre-fall identity. And Samael is an early name given to Satan in Hebraic lore. While Mephistopheles is highly suggested to be yet another name given to Satan. So it’s three different people, all of which are actually supposed to be the same person.

Blue Exorcist

As for the material in this chapter itself. It was okay I guess, but I’m a little peeved that we’re entering a rescue arc. Nothing wrong with rescue arcs per-say. But it’s still been incredibly overused. It’ll take a couple decades of nobody ever using a rescue arc again for me to not immediately say “Oh jeez, not another rescue arc.”

Nisekoi Ch. 089
Amnesia is a tired old trope. But I like what Nisekoi is doing with it here. We get to see a wrench thrown into the usual antics of the characters, and we’re getting the promise that this arc we’ll get more of the past. The series is still funny, though there are some latent issues slipping in here and there. Mostly with Rakku’s reaction to Tsugumi pulling a gun on him. “Girls shouldn’t use guns”? Yeah, that’s a can of worms I don’t think should be opened. But, latent sexism aside, this series continues to be funny, just in a slightly more haremy way than I was hoping for.

Nisekoi

Dragon Ball Z Ch. 030
So the line was “Over 8000” all along? My whole life is a lie! Anyone know what the proper number is, because I’m really curious now. My theory is that 8000 is the original number, but that the english anime changed it to 9000 to avoid the consonant sound at the end of eight and make the line flow better. Still, we’re coming to the Goku and Vegeta fight soon, which should be plenty fun.

I hope we get a new series in WSJ soon, because at the moment it feels like most of what we get is getting a bit stale. I’m hoping for another Cross Manage or another Barrage, only this time I hope for a series that actually sticks around. What do you think the new series should be? Action? Adventure? Romance? Comedy? Or a bit of everything?

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives.

One Piece, Vol. 68

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By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

It’s worth noting, when reading this volume of One Piece, how much fun Oda is clearly having writing every single chapter. His simple joy in drawing all this crazy stuff comes out from the page and just overflows into your brain. Be it giant slime monsters clearly based off of video games in his youth, the bodyswap continuing to humiliate Nami and Sanji (and ending at just about the right time so it doesn’t get old), or even our heroes happily commenting on how Luffy and Smoker are locked up in another seastone cage again, just like Alabasta! (Bonus points for it being Robin commenting, who was a villain at that point.) This manga is what happy feels like.

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Of course, it’s not all fun and games – or rather, the fun and games continues to be contrasted with the atrocities that Caesar Clown is committing. Drug addict giant toddlers, poison gas corpses that look like something out of Edvard Munch, and Luffy getting completely punked in his first fight with Caesar, despite his supposed poison immunity… this is not simply a walk in the park the way other arcs have felt. We even have yet another mole for the bad guy who’s a Vice-Admiral with the Marines (and, Oda-style, has a hamburger affixed to his cheek. As he forgot it was there.)

We also see Kidd and some of the other Supernovas meeting to discuss Caesar Clown’s offer, and it reminds me of something that Oda has been showing us again and again: anyone with power in this world is highly likely to be evil or insane. Luffy and company are one of the few non-evil pirate crews, and, fittingly, Smoker and Tashigi’s group are one of the few non-evil Marine crews. When you live in a world like One Piece’s, with so much raw power out there to abuse, you run into people who will do all they can to hold onto it.

Luckily, our heroes are strong, and can’t be kept down for long. Everyone has their own bodies again, and Kin’emon, the samurai, has his full body back (and is really quite tall now). What’s more, Luffy and Law have formed an alliance! I suspect that Law will rapidly come to regret allying himself with Luffy and company, which to a certain degree involves throwing your self-image out the window and giving in to the goofy. I am amused that once again Luffy says, when being informed of a plan, “Yeah, OK, I got it”, and then merrily go off to punch things again. It’s not something anyone can stop at this point.

If there’s something that feels slightly dissatisfying here, it’s that Caesar Clown doesn’t feel like a big bad. He’s pretty scummy, and I’ll enjoy seeing him defeated, but the revelation that there’s someone behind him who’s the real mastermind makes a lot more sense, and as a reader, I’d really like to leap ahead to that battle. Till then, though, One Piece continues to go where it wants to with unlimited joy.

My Week in Manga: September 9-September 15, 2013

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My News and Reviews

I posted two reviews here at Experiments in Manga last week. The first was for Yusuke Kishi’s novel of horror and survival The Crimson Labyrinth. Currently The Crimson Labyrinth is the only work by Kishi available in English, but Vertical will begin releasing the manga adaptation of his novel From the New World later this year. (The same From the New World recently had an anime adaptation, too.) I also posted my latest Blade of the Immortal review–Blade of the Immortal, Volume 25: Snowfall at Dawn. The last few volumes of Blade of the Immortal have been building up to the showdown between Shira and Manji; finally the time has arrived when they face each other.

There were a couple of interesting things that I came across online last week. First, there was an interview with Annaliese Christman, a freelance letterer for Viz Media. I didn’t know much about lettering, so I found it to be a very interesting read. The other item I wanted to mention was Dan Kanemitsu’s examination of the impact the upcoming Tokyo Olympics may have on censorship in Japan–Fear and Loathing in the Bold New Olympic Era. (Too long, didn’t read? CBLDF has a nice overview of the article with some additional commentary–Tokyo Olympics Emboldens Censors.)

Quick Takes

Fairy Tail, Volume 29Fairy Tail, Volume 29 by Hiro Mashima. This is only the second volume of Fairy Tail that I’ve had the opportunity to read in its entirety. At this point my general impression is that it’s a fun, but rather generic series. I just can’t seem to shake the feeling that I’ve seen it all before. I do like the variety of magic styles, though. Most of the twenty-ninth volume focuses on the battle between five young members of the Fairy Tail guild and Hades, the guild’s former grandmaster. Although not entirely unexpected, there were some great moments during fight that really show off the group’s teamwork. Fairy Tail moves along quickly with plenty of battles and action sequences. For the most part, Mashima’s art works nicely. However, all of the cuts and scratches that the characters end up with over the course of their fights make them look like they all have scales, which is a little odd. Although for some characters, like Natsu with his dragon abilities, it’s rather appropriate.

Nana, Volume 16Nana, Volumes 16-18 by Ai Yazawa. The more of Yazawa’s manga that I read, the more I am impressed by it. Nana is a fantastic series. The characters are complex and multilayered; the story is dramatic and absorbing without being overwrought. These particular volumes deal just a little less with the music industry and the bands as a whole. Instead, they delve more into the characters’ personal lives. Particularly important is the revelation of Nana and Shin’s pasts as well as their less than ideal family circumstances–something that proves to be very problematic. Also included in these volumes are two lengthy side stories. One shows Nobu and Nana’s relationship back when they were in school together. Similarly, Takumi’s complicated feelings for Reira is the focus of the other. The side stories are a really nice addition to Nana, giving the story even more depth. They show the importance of the characters’ relationships and how they developed over time to become what they are in the series proper. I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of Nana.

Saiyuki Reload, Volume 7Saiyuki Reload, Volumes 7-9 by Kazuya Minekura. While the early part of the series seemed directionless, by the end of Saiyuki Reload Minekura has a great narrative drive going. Some of the plot elements and storylines do unfortunately seem to have been dropped or forgotten (though perhaps she pulls them all back in for the finale) but the manga does benefit from having a stronger focus. What is particularly interesting about these volumes is that the yokai’s side of the conflict is shown in more detail. Although there have been exceptions, for the most part the yokai have simply been the series’ monsters. Minekura makes it very clear here that the yokai are really not all that different from humans and that it is the humans who are sometimes the real monsters. Looking back, this has actually been one of the recurring themes in the series. Although Saiyuki Reload is ten volumes long, only nine volumes were ever released in English. It’s particularly tragic since the ninth volume ends on one heck of a cliffhanger.

Smut PeddlerSmut Peddler by Various. Smut Peddler had its beginnings as a three-issue indie minicomic series back in 2003. In 2012, Smut Peddler returned as a full-length anthology collecting twenty-six short erotic comics. Smut Peddler is a phenomenal collection of sex-positive, lady- and queer-friendly comics. I was particularly happy to see the diversity included in the anthology, not only in terms of the characters’ various identities but in genre as well. Smut Peddler contains science fiction and fantasy as well as reality-based works, both historical and contemporary. The stories are short, sexy, and sweet. Some are more serious and others are more humorous, but they are all heartfelt. I was previously familiar with and already follow the work of many of the creators included in the anthology, but there were plenty of artists and writers who I was encountering for the first time. (I now have even more creators I want to seek out.) Work has already begun on a second Smut Peddler anthology, currently scheduled for release in 2014. I can’t wait.

Velveteen & MandalaVelveteen & Mandala by Jiro Matsumoto. Reading Velveteen & Mandala was a rather odd experience for me. I was consistently engaged while I was reading it, but I wasn’t sure that I actually liked it. But after finishing Velveteen & Mandala I couldn’t seem to get it out of my head which to me is a sign of a good manga. The more I think about it, the more I want to read it again–it’s like a lingering and intense fever-dream (or nightmare.) Velveteen & Mandala is a very strange horror manga with strong psychological elements, extremely black humor, frequent pop culture references, and characters who all seem to be at least slightly insane. The ending’s big twist was something that I suspected from the very beginning of Velveteen & Mandala but that doesn’t make it any less effective. Velveteen & Mandala easily earns it’s 18+ rating–it’s gruesome, violent, and sexually explicit. The manga’s off-beat, weird, and bizarre horror and humor definitely aren’t for everyone, but if you can stomach it Velveteen & Mandala is a strangely intriguing work.

Otome Games Review: Destiny Ninja and Pirates in Love

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destinyninja

So I’ve always been leery of manga adaptations of Otome games, just because I find the plots a bit too formulaic. Even though I do have a strong fondness towards reverse harem scenarios, so far the Alice in the Country of franchise is the only Otome game manga where I’ve felt compelled to read more than a few volumes. I’ve been very busy recently and needing a new distraction, so when I saw that there was a game out called Shall We Date: Destiny Ninja, I decided to give that a try. Falling all the way down the Otome game rabbit hole, I also started playing Pirates in Love as well.


Shall We Date: Destiny Ninja is available for android and iphone.

I decided to start playing this because the name “Destiny Ninja” was hilarious. I was even more amused after sitting through a few minutes of the prologue, where the ninja are identified solely by their personality traits. The choices were Aggressive Pompous Ninja, Wicked Mean Ninja, Mischievous Masked Dark Ninja, Indifferent Merciless Stubborn Ninja, Mean But With an Angel Heart Brother Like Ninja, or Sexy Foreign Ninja. I decided to go with Mischievous Masked Dark Ninja at first.

Dark Ninja is Hyosuke, who seems to spend most of his time alternating between making jokes or indulging in cold and calculating revenge. He’s got a bit of a split personality.

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The heroine of the story wakes up with amnesia near a battlefield, with no clues to her identity other than the expensive clothing and necklace that she wears. She’s taken under the wing of a local lord and his shinobi, and one of the ninjas is assigned to protect her. The heroine slowly uncovers the clues to her identity while falling in love with her chosen ninja.

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Destiny Ninja is free to play, but it has some cumbersome game elements that are basically designed to frustrate the player into spending actual money. You can only progress forward through each chapter if your ninja has energy. You can revive your ninja by feeding him rice cakes, which you can attain through purchasing or winning them in ninja lotteries, or getting more energy through leveling up. Each energy unit is only worth getting through about a couple dozen lines of text, so it takes a long time to get through several chapters. The energy units also fill up at a very slow pace without using rice cakes. Players can earn points and virtual money through befriending other players. There are stopping points and checkpoints along the way where you have to have extra items like shuriken and passes. You also have to accessorize your chosen ninja’s companion animal by giving it scarves and masks. While I think it would be entirely possible to progress in the game for free, you would have to have a great deal of patience.

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The storyline is fairly standard, and when the characters end up going through a lot of ninja history plot exposition it cam be a tiny bit boring, but generally I was entertained. I’m almost at the end of the storyline with the first ninja I picked, and I started trying to play from the beginning again just to see how the story would differ with a different character. This time I picked the Indifferent Merciless Stubborn Ninja, who indeed seems to be both indifferent and merciless as advertized, although as the story progresses, he begins to seem less and less indifferent.

There’s a complicated love meter for the game where depending on the answers you give, you can get one of four endings with each ninja. This means that if you have an obsessive personality and actually want to experience all the endings, you will have to play through the game four times per character. There’s a “sweet happy ending” which is more emotional or a “lovey dovey” ending which is evidently more risque. In terms of general romantic content though, the entire game is about at the level of a slightly risque harlequin romance novel. The English translation for this game is also not very good, but you can still understand everything that’s happening.

The game interface for this game is a bit crowded, because there are so many little add-ons and extra tasks needed for you to complete the story. I found the visual clutter a bit endearing, although I did get frustrated at the slow rate of progression for the game, even after spending money on rice cakes to power up my ninja. It was so slow I decided to check out another game, Pirates in Love.

Pirates! In! Love!

Pirates in Love is available for android and iphone

This game requires you to pay for stories after a free introductory chapter. The interface for the game is smooth and easy to navigate, there’s some background music for the game that quickly becomes annoying, and the art looks less like clip art. With each decision point the heroine has three options, and there are no extra mini-games or tasks to complete. Pirates In Love functions pretty much like a classic choose your own adventure novel. It is easy to go through the storyline for a character in about an hour and a half or so.

I figured that when playing a game with pirate characters, one has to go for the guy in the eye patch.

Hello there.

Hello there.

As much as I enjoyed the looks of eye patch guy, whose name was Eduardo, I didn’t care very much for the storyline. He seemed to treat the heroine like a dim-witted mascot most of the time, and while certain aspects of Eduardo’s mysterious past were very interesting, there was a bit of a misogynistic vibe that I didn’t care for too much. By the end of the story he is much less of a creep, and he does get style points for the eye patch. I found the game interesting enough that I decided to play again with a different character, Russell the arrogant fencing pirate.

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This storyline focuses more on the hero gaining a more mature sense of his place in the world, and it wasn’t as complex as Eduardo’s journey where he deals with his past, eye patch, and various conflicts with other pirates. It was less annoying but also a bit less interesting than the first character I tried. This game does a good job of balancing appearances from all the characters in every story, so it is easy to start wondering about all the different outcomes if you tried to play through the game with yet another character.

For my third time through this game, I picked the womanizing borderline alcoholic pirate captain.

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Captain Morgan’s story involved ensuring an island’s water supply, mysterious twins, him being chased through a towm by all the woman in port that he wronged before, a hydra, and pirate captain political maneuvering. It was probably the most entertaining of the stories I’d tried so far in Pirates in Love, and of course the heroine cures him of his alcoholism and womanizing by the time the story is done.

Pirates in Love was much less frustrating to play than Destiny Ninja, because once you’ve bought a storyline you can play it until the end, and you can also go back and switch your answers to try to get a different ending without having to pay any extra. I actually played through three full stories in Pirates in Love for less money than I spend on buying rice cakes and other items in Destiny Ninja. Overall, I think Pirates in Love is a better value for what you get from the game, although I do find all the ninja quite amusing. I found my first foray into Otome gaming much more entertaining than I thought it would be. I’m going to continue with both of these games, as there are a couple characters with stories I’m still interested in from Pirates in Love. I might just adjust to the glacial pace of Destiny Ninja and play it more casually, as the lag time in normal game play makes it a bit frustrating to follow the stories closely.

If you do decide to give Destiny Ninja a try, my invite code is:CqWB9YLrSW (we both get bonus rice cakes!)

Who exactly are these pirates in love with?

Who exactly are these pirates in love with?