Features & Reviews

Bookshelf Briefs 11/4/13

November 4, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Michelle Smith and Anna N 1 Comment

This week, Sean, MJ, Michelle, & Anna look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, Yen Press, and 6 Degree Works, Inc.

Burning Love on the Aegean Sea | By Harumo Sanazaki | 6 Degree Works, Inc – This is a somewhat random Ohzora manga that I bought on impulse for my Kindle. It is a basic mishmash of Harlequin story tropes, without the elements of humor or lush art that makes romance manga more enjoyable to read. Christian is a man with anger issues and lush, long dark hair who comes back to a Greek island after being expelled with tons of money and revenge in his heart. Leda is the innocent heroine with a trampy older sister and ethically challenged father who is forced to stay on the island when her ex-lover appears, all while raising her sister’s son. Everything is very dramatic, and the illustrations of windswept hair and turbulent seas combine to underscore the tortured relationship of the two leads as they grow closer. Still, something this manga makes it feel more like it is going through the motions as opposed to telling an interesting story, and there’s plenty of other romance manga out there that will be more satisfying for most readers. Anna N

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 4 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – The majority of this volume continues the basic theme of the entire series, which is this group of misfits and outcasts having fun as friends without realizing that’s what they’re actually doing. They write a round-robin fanfic which basically involves torturing each others’ self-inserts, they play the world’s most ridiculous RPG, and they fail mightily at karaoke. There’s nothing particularly earth-shattering here, though the cliffhanger promises that next volume may ramp that up, as Kodaka is invited to meet Sena’s father. As it is, though, romance continues to sit on the back burner here, as the title is more concerned with seeing these broken people insult each other, mock each other, and likely form bonds they’ll cherish for the rest of their lives. -Sean Gaffney

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 2 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – As heroine Kaya becomes further dependent upon her vampire boss’ sexual attention (to the point of attempting to free herself by leaving his employ) and boss Kyohei is slowly driven mad by his feelings for a “mere human,” I’m aware that I should be fleeing the scene as quickly as possible. After all, it’s these tormented, controlling love interests I despise the most, isn’t it? Isn’t it?? Alas, I can’t deny that I’m enjoying Midnight Secretary, despite myself. I’m captivated by Tomu Ohmi’s tortured love story, her occasional humor, her clean artwork, but most of all, her competent, serious heroine, whose devotion to her work still trumps all, even sexy vampire bosses. Even for this grumpy old lady, sometimes trashy, over-the-top romance really hits the spot. Midnight Secretary is just that kind of romance. Recommended. – MJ

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 18 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – I had wondered how volume 18 could top 17, with its many answers and “um… whut?” ending, but I think it does, largely because Mochizuki manages to provide still more answers to long-standing questions in a way that’s unexpected but absolutely fits with what’s gone before. (Well, what I can remember of what’s gone before. At some point, I’d love to start over from the beginning and see how it all hangs together.) I love how everything is tilted on its head in ways that remind me a little of Loveless, actually. I know this is more fangirl gushing than a legitimate review, but hopefully that just goes to show how much I enjoyed it and how eagerly I await the next volume. “Where do we go from here?” indeed. – Michelle Smith

Real, Vol. 12 | By Takehiko Inoue | Viz Media – Oh, Real. I seriously love you so much. Why you come out so seldom? Anyway, this volume finds Togawa in pursuit of change—he’s not entirely sure what it is he’s lacking, but he’s banking on finding it at basketball camp. It doesn’t entirely turned out as planned, but some insights from Azumi on his rush-ahead attitude are very welcome. Meanwhile, Hisanobu continues to give rehabilitation his all, and once his formerly estranged father learns about his son’s goal of participating in wheelchair basketball, Inoue-sensei crafts a thoroughly lovely non-verbal sequence wherein the dad learns all about the game and then silently prays for his son’s dream to come true. Sniff. Okay, yes, this volume is full of unabashedly feel-good stuff, but it’s not cloying about it. There’s plenty of sweat, tears, and frustration, and everything is drawn beautifully. Even if you don’t like sports manga, you should make an exception for this one. – Michelle Smith

Sankarea, Vol. 3 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – The cover to Vol. 3 continues to show how this is being marketed to a very different sort of fan than you’d expect. Yes, there are still elements of harem comedy here, though Wanko is perhaps starting to realize that “I see you like a sister” is a hole that’s usually too big to crawl out of for the typical harem girl. Where the manga really succeeds is in the drama and horror, with the addition of the annoying but informative Darin, and the realization that being dead is not something that Rea can simply deal with and live the rest of her life as normal. The cover art shows this off, as she stares at the stump where her arm used to be. It’s put back, but it’s a sign of a more dangerous trend, which is that she really is a zombie, therefore happily ever after may not be an option here at all. – Sean Gaffney

Wandering Son, Vol. 5

November 4, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Shimura Takako. Released in Japan by Enterbrain, serialization ongoing in the magazine Comic Beam. Released in North America by Fantagraphics.

Switching to a new environment can be crippling to a young person, particularly if they’re going through a lot of other things as well. So it is with the cast of Wandering Son and middle school. Nitori tries to continue to define himself while also discovering something he’s genuinely good at, Takatsuki discovers she’s no longer the only one in the room doing what she does, and Chiba finds that even if she’s gone from overly emotional to overly stoic, she still has difficulty dealing with anyone. So, in other words, it’s an excellent depiction of anyone’s life in middle school.

We also meet some new cast members, who basically fly into Takatsuki’s circle of friends and explode like a bomb. Sarashina also sometimes wears male clothing, but it’s nothing to do with gender identity and more to do with her being an eccentric loudmouth who does whatever the hell she wants. Naturally, Takatsuki is drawn to her, as not caring about what people think is something everyone else in this book has trouble getting past. She also has a best friend, though, Shirai, who clearly is very close to her, and is very unhappy with this new girl making advances on her… um, friend. There are no yuri overtones here, really, but Shirai certainly exhibits all the classic signs of jealousy. She’s written a little flatly, so I hope we find out more about her later.

As for Chiba, you really want to reach out and give her a hug, but there’s no way she’d let you. She can’t get over her own feelings of hatred/jealousy towards Takatsuki, and attempting to suppress all emotion is not working out very well when everyone around you is giving you an excuse to go off like a rocket. So the answer, clearly, is to be antagonistic to *everyone* – even the girls in a higher grade than her, a definite no-no in Japanese society. I really hope Chiba can eventually move on past her repressed and upsetting anger, because right now she’s on a very dark road, and given she’s only 12 or so that’s depressing in itself.

Meanwhile, our hero and heroine are both facing the realities of puberty. Nitori and Ariga record their voices on tape, so they’ll be able to remember what they were like before they change. Nitori is a little upset at the idea that he won’t be able to dress as a girl anymore. Takatsuki is having an even worse time… her sports coach is demanding she wear a bra to practice, another reminder that her gender is trying to impose limits on her. The two of them finally make up, sort of, in a touching yet somewhat sad scene as they both worry about the future. Nitori, however, seems to get an idea for it, and begins to start writing a story based on his own experiences. I like the idea of Nitori’s insecurities and dreams fueling his creativity, and wonder if Takatsuki will be able to help in the process besides just having her life give him ideas.

All in all, this was an excellent transitional book in the series. As we settle into middle school, things are bound to get even more awkward, and I hope our cast finds the strength to make it through.

The Way of Taiko

November 3, 2013 by Ash Brown

Author: Heidi Varian
Publisher: Stone Bridge
ISBN: 9781611720129
Released: September 2013
Original release: 2005

There are very few books available in English that are devoted to taiko–Japanese drums and drumming. In fact, there are only two that I know of: Heidi Varian’s The Way of Taiko and Shawn Bender’s Taiko Boom: Japanese Drumming in Place and Motion. Out of these two works, it was The Way of Taiko that first addressed the subject in depth. Originally published in 2005, by the time that I seriously started studying taiko a few years ago The Way of Taiko was already out of print and my dojo’s copy of the book was literally falling apart. And so, I was extremely pleased to learn that Stone Bridge Press was releasing a second edition of The Way of Taiko in 2013. In addition to Varian’s main text, the volume also includes an extensive glossary by David Leong and a foreword by Seiichi Tanaka–credited for introducing modern taiko to the United States.

After the prefatory material and introduction, The Way of Taiko is divided into three major sections which are then followed by the glossary and other resources for reference. The first part, “A Brief History of Taiko” is just that–a concise survey of the history of taiko drums and music from their mythological beginnings to their modern styles of performance. Notably, Varian addresses the place taiko holds in America as well as in Japan. The second section of The Way of Taiko, “Understanding Sounds and Movements,” takes a closer look at the drums themselves as well as other instruments and vocalizations used in taiko performance. Also explained in this section are some of the more visual elements of taiko, such as the players’ attire and movements. The main text of The Way of Taiko closes with “Training in the Way,” focusing on four major aspects of learning taiko: kokoro (spirit), waza (action), karada (body), and rei (etiquette).

For the most part, although updated and revised, the content of the second edition of The Way of Taiko is nearly identical to that of the first. What really makes the second edition stand out from the original printing is the increased values of production quality. The binding is much better and the colors are much sharper and more vibrant. Since the entire volume is in full-color, this really adds to the overall presentation of The Way of Taiko. The improved color is particularly welcomed for the dozens of photographs that are included in the volume exhibiting the power, dynamism, intensity, and beauty of taiko. Seiichi Tanaka’s San Francisco Taiko Dojo is predominantly represented in the photographs (Varian was associated with that dojo and it is the oldest taiko dojo in the United States), but other groups and soloists from both America and Japan are also featured. It is wonderful to be able to see the joy and spirit that the performers put into their art.

The Way of Taiko is a small but informative volume and very approachable, suited for those with a general interest in taiko as well as for those who are more actively involved in the art form. As a taiko player myself, I enjoyed learning more about its history, meaning, and form from a performance perspective. My dojo has a slightly different style and lineage than most of the groups discussed in The Way of Taiko, but I still found the book to be a very valuable resource. What will probably vary the most from school to school is the level of formality and the etiquette followed, but Varian describes the most proper forms so following her guidelines will aid in avoiding offense in most situations. What I probably appreciated most about The Way of Taiko was how many different aspects of taiko Varian addresses: its history and its future, its art and its science, and taiko’s total incorporation of mind, body, and spirit. The Way of Taiko is an excellent resource and I am very happy to see it back in print again.

Adventures in the Key of Shoujo: Strobe Edge, Vol.2

November 3, 2013 by Phillip Anthony 2 Comments

Strobe Edge Vol.2 | By Io Sakisaka | Published by Viz Media | Rated: Teen

Ah, the tangled web of love. After being shot down by school hotie, Ren, Ninako is trying to adjust to life in a post-rejection world. The poor girl has been told by the guy she likes that he’s not interested after she told the guy who is interested in her that she wasn’t interested! Now that the whole school knows, she is trying to figure out the “what now?” It’s not fair when that happens to someone but to her credit she’s trying to deal with it. Though, there are a couple of moments in this volume where she kind of scares me with something along the lines of “I still love him but I’m happy to be around him.” That is a recipe for disaster but who wants to listen to little old me? Anyways, the point of this volume seems to be that section in the guidebook where you really should let sleeping dogs lie. Ninako doesn’t seem to disengage from Ren, in fact she’s over the moon that they will be attending school council meetings together. I feel that she is trying to live off the embers, as it were, of her infatuation with Ren. I really love her earnest wish to be around her currently-not-to-be beau but I can’t help but feel she’s going about it in the wrong way.

Ren for his part almost seems to not notice that the girl who confessed to him is now hanging out with him. Now, the author looks like she’s skirting this issue by showing us the rejected girls club, a group of girls who have been rejected by Ren alone, and their snotty attitude toward him. But after Ninako rejects (lot of rejections going on in this volume) their ideas, she is then ostracized from a club she didn’t want to be part of. Wait, what? We then get them bullying her in minor ways for the remainder of the volume. Does this happen to Japanese girls or girls in general? If it does, man that is a sad way to conduct yourself. While I’m sympathetic to Ninako and her plight, the fact that she still likes Ren even after she tells us, the reader, that she knows Ren has a girlfriends is kind of weird. What is she trying to accomplish by doing this? She isn’t a bad person so she wouldn’t try and steal Ren from his girlfriend, Mayuka. But she still wants to be around Ren? Sorry, I don’t get it. On the other hand, Ren spends much of this volume going from cold fish to says hi to Ninako to getting into an embrace with Ninako. No wonder the girl doesn’t know which way is up.

Another thing I don’t get is Daiki. He is Mayuka’s younger brother and the guy who Ninako rejected. He spends the entire volume chasing around after Ninako or getting in classmate Ando’s face (more on him later) for being so brazen as to ask the girls for their numbers. Daiki is my least favourite character because, and I’m just giving my initial impressions of him here, he comes across like a sore loser in this edition. Like someone took away his beloved toy and won’t give it back. I understand he’s just as hurt by Ninako as she is with Ren but there’s no excuse to treat other people this way. On the subject of Ando, he is a great element to the cast. He’s a disruptor, coming in and hanging out with Ninako and making her goes places with her. He seems to be just another cad but then he has an interesting conversation with Ren when they witness her standing up to the Rejected Club. More or less, he warns Ren not to treat Ninako to same way as the other girls he rejected. That is a strange statement to make. He, ostensibly, doesn’t know Ninako until he joins the class so why would he say this? Could this mean he knew Ninako before and she doesn’t recognise him? I’ll be interested to see volume three for a clarification. Ando seems to be fresh with everyone but he skirts a fine line between being outgoing and being a complete flirt. Is he really into Ninako or is he playing? When he kisses Ninako on the head, he does seem upset that he upset her.

One thing that bothered me more than the up and down character reveals was that I couldn’t recognise a lot of the girls in this volume. Io Sakisaka is a good artist with wonderful designs so the fact I have to stare at each girl’s hair style to recognise Ninako or others is a little much for me. It’s not a major thing but it did become distracting through the middle of the book.

The series looks like it is a lock for my ongoing pile in a way that I haven’t been able to attach to Sakura Hime. I’m interested in the characters plight (yes, even Daiki) so I want to see how things start to turn out for them.

Little bit of housekeeping here, readers. You may have noticed that it has been around four months since my last post here on Manga Bookshelf. First, my apologies to you and also to MJwho basically left me alone to sort out my stuff. For the purposes of letting you guys understand that I wasn’t just sitting on my duff, scratching my proverbial, here’s what happened to me over the summer. First, I effectively lost my job. It was a nice job, I liked it but it didn’t like me and the people where I worked couldn’t have been more accommodating to me but c’est la vie. Next, I got a bad respiratory infection that wouldn’t go away. It wasn’t serious but it kind of kills your ability to like reading manga. Lastly, writers block set in whenever over the month of August I tried to read anything. Just a wave of “ugghhh” set in whenever I tried to concentrate. But that’s all done with now and I’m looking forward to posting the end of the Sailor Moon series and seeing how that turns out. So, thanks for sticking with me, readers and I promise I won’t do that again.

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: October 14, 2013

November 3, 2013 by Derek Bown Leave a Comment

Would you believe me if I told you writing the introduction to my reviews is the hardest part? Well it is. When reviewing the actual chapters I have something to base my comments off of. But when actually writing an introduction I have to chose either something from the chapters to talk about, or just think of any random thing. And after doing a couple of reviews one tends to run out of things to say. So the clever writer will make a big deal about how he has nothing to say in an attempt to fill up the space with text that everybody skips over anyway. Thus he creates the illusion of having written a full review, with an introduction, middle, and conclusion, when in fact all he did was prattle on about how terrible a writer he actually is. And by making it a dense section of text he deters even those readers that read the entire review. Thus, the deception is cleverly put into action.

Only one thing could stop me now, if for example I wrote a second, shorter paragraph that is easier to read where I admit to the deception. Hence prompting readers to take a closer look at my first paragraph.

One Piece Ch. 724
Well, Sanji got beat like we expected, but at least he didn’t look like a complete clown. We already have two literal clowns in this series, we don’t need a formerly badass character joining their ranks. And while we had already figured out Doflamingo’s power we get the first official confirmation from Oda that his power is in fact string based. We also get an explanation of how he can “fly”. While I’d assumed that he could swing from his strings, it wasn’t clear how he was able to do that over the open sea. And it turns out that the way he does it would put Spider-Man to shame.

While Law declares the alliance broken, and it may be tempting to think he’s doing so out of his own convenience, keep in mind that he had a chance to denounce Luffy and his crew at a very convenient moment. Instead he stuck with them and I think that his intent is mostly to protect them. Partially because he doesn’t plan on living beyond this moment most likely, and he needs them to continue the plan, but I still think that a part of him has grown fond of the crew and wants to keep them safe. Now the question is, what exactly did Doflamingo do to Law thirteen years ago? Oda is too good a writer not to have it be connected to the Riku dynasty, if it were a separate even then the arc would be just that much clunkier. Chances are high that Law was a former member of the Riku dynasty.

Seraph of the End Ch. 002
So our main character is being forced to attend high school in order to make friends? Because he doesn’t work well with a team? I’m not even going to bother learning his actual name, because I’m just going to be calling him Twilight Sparkle for the rest of this series’ life.

And is it just me, or does that seem really lazy of a military organization to send one of their operatives, no two of them actually, to a regular high school? Aren’t there team building exercises they could do within their own organization? Or are they so underfunded that they have to outsource to the local high school? And if the local high school has the funding to teach people about teamwork but these vampire hunters don’t, then how do they have the resources to fight vampires?

This might actually explain why they didn’t bother saving any of the children being held by vampires. I mean, obviously budget cuts were made and sacrifices were unavoidable. Why else would a group that clearly can take out vampires with ease not be flushing that underground city out?

But what really get me is that this series was sold to me as a post-apocalyptic vampire story. And what do we get? High School. Gosh darnit Japan you couldn’t help yourself? You just had to make it about High School somehow didn’t you? I think the phrase “having your cake and eating it” as nonsensical as it may be, applies here. I mean, really? We went from apocalypse vampires to High School setting within two chapters? That’s almost phenomenal really.

And the main drive of this chapter is made completely irrelevant by the end, when Twilight Sparkle makes a friend and qualifies for the elite vampire hunter unit. What do you want to bet this plot point never comes up again? In which case, wouldn’t it have been easier to just introduce his friend in a different way? There’s no good way around this. If the High School remains a plot point I’ll be pissed because it’s such generic garbage. If it never comes up again I’ll be pissed because this chapter wasted our time. Well done, Manga.

And for those of you that get the Twilight Sparkle reference, here’s another one for you:

Dear Princess Guren,

Today I learned that friendship is important, even if my new friend is clearly going to be the most annoying character in this series.

Oh yes, I also learned you should get bent.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Naruto Ch. 650
I recall that at some point something happened in this chapter. But I can’t remember the details. I should probably write these reviews right after the chapters come out. Except I know for a fact that I wouldn’t remember any of it better then! All I can remember is this vague sense that nothing new was learned, rather something I’ve already known for years was emphasized. Which would be all good and fine, but I just can’t get over how little of an impact this series is leaving! On the plus side, thanks to the Shonen Jump Podcast I’ve learned that the war has been going on for 150 chapters. For the record, the war officially started with volume 55 of the manga. Which was published back in 2011. This has been going on for almost two years. For the record, the series is 651 chapters long. This war has taken up almost a whole sixth of the series. Even more if you consider that there was a 50 chapter lead in to the war. This makes me sad.

World Trigger Ch. 034
While I’m still not a World Trigger fan I do enjoy Kitora as a character. She’s had some badass moments and this chapter actually had some funny moments. Sure it was a typical “This girl has a crush” trope, but Kitora’s reactions are so out of the ordinary that I can’t help but enjoy her. And the fact that she doesn’t turn Osamu in for not defeating the Neighbor he became B Rank for. Rather she just uses the information for her own validation. She’s glad her initial read of him was right. She doesn’t turn him in, which is what I would have expected from a character like her. Which is what makes her that much more enjoyable.

I also appreciated Chika’s scene at the end. It was amusing. And there is my biggest problem with this series. It has potential, and plenty of fun moments, but there are some major, major flaws that mask the good moments.

Bleach Ch. 552
This arc has done nothing but retcon the entire series. And in places where it doesn’t need it. We don’t need another reason for the Quincy to hate Hollows. The death of a family is a perfectly valid reason for someone to become villainous and vengeful. Just ask Kishimoto. And I have a problem with the statement that the death of family members isn’t enough to inspire the kind of hatred the Quincies have for Hollows. I beg to differ. If some kind of monster ghost killed my family I’d be enraged enough to destroy them all. Kubo is just complicating his series where it isn’t needed. And that alone is a massive shame.

One-Punch Man Ch. 029
Nice to see this series can expand its humor beyond “He’s strong.” Here the joke is “He’s completely out of place.” And sure a part of the joke is that all these elites are looking down on Saitama when he could beat them all. But if nothing else this chapter was great for world building. Nice to see all but two of the S Class heroes.

Nisekoi Ch. 094
While Haru wasn’t unbearable this chapter, I would have liked it a lot more had she not been the focus. Please stop trying to cram her down our throats Naoshi. You’ve got plenty of great characters, so please stop trying to force this one on us. The chapter was plenty enjoyable, but I just can’t get over the fact that the whole chapter was focused on a subpar character.

Toriko Ch. 253
While the backstory has been excellent, I don’t think it has built proper motivation for Midora. The motivation may be there but we don’t actually get to see the moment when Midora turns evil. It’s covered in one of the montages, but because we don’t actually get to see the moment it doesn’t have any kind of emotional impact on us. Considering that was the point of the backstory I can’t help but feel let down. At least we get an explanation for how Froese came back from the dead, and why her first picture in the manga showed her with long hair. Overall a good backstory, but a bit lacking towards the end.

Dragon Ball Z Ch. 035
Don’t get me wrong, I like Dragon Ball. But what can I say beyond, “They fought and it’s fun to look at.” There really isn’t much else to it. At least right now.

While most of my comments are negative, I did enjoy this week. If nothing else One Piece was great, and Seraph of the End was the source of much hilarity. So tell me, two chapters in, what do you think of this new series?

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

Higurashi: When They Cry, Vol. 23

November 3, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

Story by Ryukishi07; Art by Karin Suzuragi. Released in Japan as “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Matsuribayashi-hen” by Square Enix, serialized in the magazine Gangan Joker. Released in North America by Yen Press.

As I’ve been following the Higurashi manga, I’ve also been slowly going through the original visual novel, which MangaGamer has released here in North America (don’t look for their site – Higurashi is their token ‘not porn’ title). I just happen to be at the appropriate place in the novel as I am in the manga, so am able to compare them even more. It’s not clear how closely Ryukishi07 checked the content of the manga with the Higurashi artists – I know he’s very involved with the Umineko manga, particularly the final volumes, to correct certain issues with the novels – but certainly the manga glosses over a lot, being a sort of “greatest hits” compared to the deep immersion of the original. That said, where the manga does succeed is in the emotion. Be it heartwarming, sad tears, or dull horror, the manga delivers the goods here.

Nothing better demonstrates the difference between the two than the fate of Rika’s mother. The visual novel has this scene from the perspective of Ooishi, who is at the Festival waiting to see if anyone is killed. He’s on hand for the death of Rika’s father, made to look like a heart attack, and tries to follow the group back to the Irie Clinic but is hamstrung by traffic. Thus, we only hear that the wife is later found missing, supposedly having drowned herself in the swamp with a suspicious letter left behind. The manga, on the other hand, follows Rika’s mother. Rika’s mom has always been fairly high-strung from what little we’ve seen of her. It’s not hard to figure out why… Rika must be an amazingly difficult child to bring up. And what with the clinic using her as a guinea pig, and her father basically going along with it, her nerves just stretch to the breaking point. As such, she is ill-equipped to deal with Takano.

Takano remains fascinating, and though I think the visual novel does a better job of showing that a lot of this is Hinamizawa Syndrome rather than “lulz, I’m evil like that”, there’s enough here to keep everyone happy. Notably, for the sake of her research, she grovels at the feet of Rika’s parents, and when that fails, seems genuinely at a loss until Okonogi suggests “taking care of” Rika’s parents. Murder comes as a surprise to her… but once it’s in her head, she doesn’t hold back, as Rika’s parents instantly make the transition from “people” to “research subjects”. As such, she can easily justify using Rika’s mother as a live test subject. The murder is terrifying, and does not remotely hold back, with blood flying everywhere and Takano’s insane rictus grin it’s straight out of an Italian horror film.

Later on, Takano faces an even bigger setback when her mentor dies, and it’s shown that he was basically the only thing keeping her project going. Higurashi has a very realistic and cynical take on the Japanese political system and how power-grabbing it can be, particularly in the early 80s when this takes place. Takano once again has everything almost crumble around her, and it becomes apparently that even though she’s the source of all of Rika’s misery, she herself is being manipulated throughout this story, not just by Okonogi, but also a new faction who wants to use her in order to facilitate their own rise to power. If it works, great. If she dies, meh. And it’s clear the Mountain Hounds work for them, not Rika *or* Takano. Honestly, those two really have so much in common. They should talk over a nice cup of tea when this is over.

The visual novel goes into great detail on the pasts of most of the characters, and the manga manages to include some of it – Okonogi’s mourning for his father, and meeting his mentor after WWII shows why things starting with that guy’s death have led to his own obsession, even if it’s misdirected at the Sonozakis. Speaking of the Sonozakis, we see Mion’s grief and anger over Satoshi’s disappearance (Shion is carefully absent here), and her grandmother doing her best to bring “new blood” into the town while still trying to look old and crotchety. That new blood is the Maebara family, with Keiichi trying to start over after the BB gun incident. Rika and Hanyuu are at their most blatant here, with Rika actively showing she knows who they are and relying on people not realizing she’s living the same life over and over again so they laugh it off.

We also see Hanyu’s past, several hundred years ago. She really is a supernatural being, and her earnest attempts to stop the violence between the two tribes occupying Onigafuchi is heartwarming. I do think the drama needed more time to develop – as it is, it’s not as effecting simply as it goes by so fast – Hanyu gets her own daughter to kill her with a giant sword, which should have been given more weight. But then, Hanyu in general is the most problematic character of Higurashi’s so this is likely appropriate.

There are a few other things I felt didn’t work. Given how much Rika is using her past knowledge to make events work for her, her memories “catching up” with her at the end isn’t explained well enough, and seems to be awkwardly shoehorned in so there can be a cliffhanger. Also, four years pass between the start and end of this volume, yet the kids – all growing like weeds, one would think – look exactly the same in 1980 as they do in 1983. (The visual novel has a similar issue – the sprites never change.) More realism, please.

So now, all the pieces are in place – even Akasaka is having memories of a past life where his wife died and Rika was slaughtered, and is prepared to make his way to Hinamizawa immediately. Will all this be enough to defeat Takano and the forces that are manipulating her? And will Shion ever show up in this again? We’ll find out in January. In the meantime, this is still a very good adaptation with a lot of tragic and emotional scenes.

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 1

November 2, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Maki Minami. Released in Japan as “Seiyu Ka!” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz.

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I am a huge fan of the Japanese shoujo magazine Hana to Yume. Sadly, I have been increasingly unable to rave about its style of shoujo recently, as CMX and Tokyopop went under, and Viz has licensed less and less from the title, preferring to concentrate on their own owners’ magazines. This makes me very happy when I see a new series starting up, specially one from an artist I’ve liked before, Maki Minami. Her prior series here was Special A, a romantic comedy with an emphasis on the comedy, which had all of Hakusensha’s usual strong point, as well as all its weak points. The text and art tends to clutter the page (Hakusensha shoujo packs the page, Shueisha shoujo opens it up), the plotting could be insanely frustrating, particularly in terms of how drawn out the romance was, and character’s growth ended as soon as their function in the story was complete. Now we have her new series, which has many of the same types of people we’ve seen before. Can it fix its predecessor’s issues?

Our heroine has the name Hime Kino, which already sounds like a pseudonym. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her inspiration and become a voice actress. There’s just one problem – she has a deep, husky voice, and she wants to sound like a cute girl. Nevertheless, the academy lets her in anyway, and it’s hinted there’s some deeper, behind the scenes reason. The solution, of course, is obvious – she should play sexy pretty bishonen, which female voice artists do in Japan ALL THE TIME. It’s such an obvious solution that we see it happening at the end of the first chapter, where she has to fill in as the prince in a Snow White dramatization. But Hime clearly wants to be cute, and girly, ad adorable. I imagine a large part of this plotline will be showing her how she should really succeed at what she’s best at.

Cute vs. cool is a classic modern shoujo trope. Usually, heroines want to be the former but end up being the latter, and Hime easily fits into that pattern. And naturally, she’s never more attractive than when she’s acting strong and powerful and masculine. This is a reverse harem manga, so we already have the obvious winner (a sullen brunet – sigh – named Senri Kuno), as well as a few obvious runner-ups. We have the traditional one female friend. I’m hoping for a second as time goes on. And, this being Maki Minami, we have a lot of incredibly goofy guys doing dumb things – there is some fun humor here.

There are some issues, of course. I am rather weary of bullying by teachers in Japan being a) accepted by the institution as good for students in the long run, and b) not called out because the student has to get stronger on her own. It *sounds* admirable, but I think teaches an incomplete lesson. Hime is also a bit aggressively clueless, though so far she’s not quite as bad as Hikari from Special A, who set new records for denseness. Lastly, as with a lot of mainstream shoujo, there’s nothing really original here – just a few old cliches given a new paint job. But I’m perfectly happy with that as long as it’s fun. And for the most part, Voice Over! is fun. I’ll be looking forward to Vol. 2.

Manga the Week of 11/6

October 31, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N and MJ 4 Comments

SEAN: Let’s just roll out, far too much to deal with this first week of November.

801 Media’s dates change on Amazon so often that I’m never quite sure whether I’ll say something is due out and then it’s changed again. But they do list Vol. 7 of Ze for this week. For those who like a bit of epic with your smut.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize Ze was still coming out. Huh.

ASH: It is indeed! Although it has been a long while since we’ve seen a new volume in English.

MJ: I gave up this series a while back, as it had stopped intriguing me and started just making me uncomfortable (and a little bored). Did I give up too soon?

SEAN: In Kodansha land, the 2nd Air Gear omnibus catches you up a little more with this roller skating, fanservice, and gang violence manga.

Seven Seas has been expanding their reach lately, and it shows in the number of titles they’re doing per month now. We start with another Alice in the Country of Etc. spinoff, The Mad Hatter’s Late Night Tea Party. This looks more romance-oriented than mystery-oriented, and should be filled with innuendo give it’s Dupre, but I’ll give it a shot.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on some of these spinoffs. I do still like this franchise.

SEAN: Usually with Seven Seas licenses, particularly in their new fanservice-heavy phase, I tend to bat 1 out of every 3 in terms of “things Sean likes”. I have good hopes for A Centaur’s Life, though, which I hear actually tries to imagine what the world would be like in such a situations (monster high school, basically), and tones down after an ecchi first couple chapters. We’ll see how it compares to Monster Musume.

ASH: I don’t read many manga from Seven Seas outside of its yuri titles, but I’m really looking forward to giving A Centaur’s Life a try.

MJ: I can’t exactly say I’m looking forward to it, but I might give it a try anyway.

SEAN: If you’re still catching up on Seven Seas’ breakout title, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Vol. 4 covers Vols. 10-12 of the original.

There’s also Vol. 4 of Mayo Chiki.

Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows is a manga based on a video game franchise, and apparently is about a Ninja High School, but with no input from Ben Dunn at all. It is apparently littered with fanservice. We shall see.

World War Blue continues to meld generic shonen fantasy with a history of 80s video game wars, which at least is not a commonly used plot device.

I’m not sure who Akiko Shimojima is, but she and Sean Michael Wilson are collaborating on a graphic novel about The 47 Ronin, which Shambhala Press is putting out next week. The cover makes it look like the style is Lone Wolf and Cub-by, which makes sense.

ASH: The Forty-seven Ronin are making quite a showing in the West this year with manga, comics, and film versions of the story all being released.

MJ: I could potentially get interested in this.

SEAN: Another omnibus catchup, Viz gives us the 2nd volume of D.Gray-Man, which collects Vols. 4-6.

Midnight Secretary was the more intriguing of Viz’s two new josei licenses, and I am highly looking forward to Vol. 2.

ANNA: Second volume was as good as the first, I am really enjoying this series.

MJ: What she said!

SEAN: I am about 58 volumes behind on Naruto, and given it’s at Vol. 63, unlikely to catch up anytime soon.

Speaking of catching up, if for some reason you haven’t read One Piece and want to buy 23 volumes at once, this box set takes you through to the end of the Alabasta arc.

Oresama Teacher 15 will make me very, very happy and I will laugh a whole lot. As should you all.

ANNA: Oresama Teacher is a hilarious gem of hilarity.

SEAN: Psyren 13. We should be getting near the endgame soon.

Skip Beat!’s 6th 3-in-1 is a great buy for this who missed this top-notch shoujo comedy first time.

MICHELLE: Buy eet!

ASH: Yes, do!

ANNA: Can’t go wrong with Skip Beat!

SEAN: Strobe Edge 7. Angst! Angst! We just can’t get enough! Get more here.

MICHELLE: I’ve fallen a couple of volumes behind with Strobe Edge and am really looking forward to getting caught up.

ANNA: This is one of those series that took a couple volumes to get solid, but is now consistently great.

MJ: Yeah, I’m wholeheartedly on board with this title. Bring it on!

I need some cute manga about reindeer. Sweet Rein seems like the perfect solution. Plus it’s from the author of Penguin Revolution and Land of the Blindfolded, the classic CMX titles (which need license rescuing digitally *cough*).

MICHELLE: It really is quite cute. And a good length (3 volumes) for its premise.

ANNA: It is mega adorable. Great manga for a feel-good pick me up.

MJ: Okay, I read an advance copy, like the rest of you, and I admit it lost me at “the power of Santa cures cancer” (roughly speaking). But maybe it’ll win me back over at some point?

SEAN: Tegami Bachi has reached Vol. 15, and is ‘Ant And Bee Deliver Letters’ gone horribly wrong. Or something.

Ultimo has hit Vol. 9, speaking of Jump Square titles. It’s by the creator of Shaman King, in case you’d forgotten. Oh, and Stan Lee.

Vampire Knight has now ended in Japan, so we’re ready for a big climax in the next couple of volumes. Here’s 17.

Lastly, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s 3. R U 3C 4 2 UGZ?

Are you going to buy any of this, or just stack it in a pile and die when it falls on you?

MICHELLE: I literally lol’d.

MJ: Same.

Manga Giveaway: Sankarea Giveaway

October 30, 2013 by Ash Brown

The end of October approaches as does Hallowe’en, so I thought it would be appropriate to feature a horror manga for this month’s giveaway. As such, this month you all will have a chance to win a copy of the first volume of Mitsuru Hattori’s Sankarea: Undying Love as published by Kodansha Comics in English, the third volume of which was just released this week. Granted, Sankarea is really more of a strange romantic comedy than straight up horror…but it has zombies, so I’m going to count it! As always, the giveaway is open worldwide.

Over the last few years, zombies have become incredibly popular in the United States. They’ve become so popular in fact, that I’ve actually become rather bored with them. (Planning for the zombie apocalypse with family and friends can still be an entertaining thought experiment, though.) With more and more zombie stories out there, it becomes more and more important that creators find a way to distinguish their work in some way. In the case of Sankarea, Hattori has not only created a rather odd sort of hydrangea zombie, but he has also made her the primary romantic interest of the series, too. It’s an unusual take on the zombie genre, and I can certainly appreciate him trying to doing something a little offbeat and different.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of Sankarea: Undying Love, Volume 1?

1) In the comments below, tell me about any run-ins you’ve had with zombies in manga. (Never encountered a manga zombie? Just mention that.)
2) For a second entry, answer the following question: Do you prefer slow-moving zombies or fast-moving zombies in your fiction?
3) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

That’s all there is to it! Each person can earn up to three entries for this giveaway and has one week to submit comments. Entries may also be sent via e-mail to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com and I will post them in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on November 6, 2013. Good luck to you all!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway: Sankarea Giveaway Winner

Love in Hell, Vol. 1

October 29, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Reiji Suzumaru. Released in Japan as “Jigokuren” by Futabasha, serialized in the online magazine Web comic High!. Released in North America by Seven Seas.

Everyone discusses how difficult it is to write comedy, and the same applies to the person who is trying to review it. One person’s subtle satire is another’s amazingly offensive insult, and one person’s tasteless bodily function joke is another’s “BUT FARTING IS HILARIOUS!”. There are almost as many types of humor in the world as there are people, and sadly I am only allowed to use my own here. So I have to note that Love in Hell just didn’t quite gel for me, despite an interesting premise. Indeed, the author came up with the premise and setting first, which shows, as I think it’s a lot more fleshed out than the characters.

The use of Hell here is interesting. It seems throughout the volume like your typical city, only with suffering and pain added to every equation. You need to get jobs, earn money, etc. But the way you earn money is by, well, atoning for your sins. Usually in the form of having your head chopped off, being boiled to death, etc. Being hell it’s quite nonlethal, but the pain hurts the same. In fact, we’re even told at one point that this is one of the nicer bits of hell, and we see a hole that goes down to a lower level where they keep the adulterers and murderers.

Our hero is not an adulterer or murderer, and indeed is somewhat surprised to find that he’s in hell, as he can’t quite think what he did that was bad enough. He seems to be fairly shiftless and thoughtless throughout, but by the end of the volume we’re not quite sure how he ended up here either. Rintaro is nice enough so that you’re rooting for him in the book, but he’s not really possessed of any good virtues because… well, he needs to be someone who’s believably sent to hell. He’s just a dumb manga romantic comedy schmuck, only here instead of getting punched into the sky Love Hina-style, he gets maimed and brutalized.

The girl on the cover, our heroine, is Kiyori. Like the hero, she comes from a certain ‘cliched romantic comedy manga’ background: easily embarrassed, neophyte who’s trying hard but bad things keep happening to her. The first bad thing that happens to her in Rintaro, as her promotion prospects are tied to him actually putting in repentance time in hell, and so far it’s not going well. We also have him walking in on her naked, and seeing she pads her bra, something which didn’t need hell to be one of the oldest manga cliches.

In the end, while the premise is interesting, and there’s promise of a more serious plot in the 2nd volume, the characters simply didn’t grab me enough to make this rise above ‘serviceable’. I smiled a couple of times, and I’m sure the couple will eventually be cute and moe (there’s only 3 volumes, so this shouldn’t get too drawn out). I wonder if it wouldn’t have been funnier in a 4-koma style. As it is, though, Rintaro and Koyori just can’t quite manage to carry this title on their backs.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/28/13

October 28, 2013 by Sean Gaffney and MJ Leave a Comment

This week, Sean and MJlook at recent releases from Seven Seas, Yen Press, Kodansha Comics, and Viz Media.

Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar’s Game, Vol. 3 | By QuinRose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Seven Seas – This continues to be the best of all the many Alice spinoffs we’ve seen by a wide margin, as it’s particularly good at developing the themes that made the original game so interesting. People you once knew vanishing and getting replaced, the fact that everyone in the world – except Alice – CAN be replaced, and wanting everything to stay in a happy stasis so that nothing bad ever has to happen are all driving factor’s in Alice’s mindset. But it’s a bad mindset to be in, which is probably why this world is always on the cusp of violence, why everyone (except Ace) keeps urging Alice to choose them, and ultimately why we keep coming back to the image of Alice’s older sister Lorina, whose appearance – supposedly – makes up the cliffhanger to this volume.-Sean Gaffney

Fairy Tail, Vol. 31 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – We’re essentially starting fresh after this time skip, so this volume is a good one to reinforce the basic talking points of the series to date. We see the continued connection between Fairy Tail’s world and Edolas, the reappearance of Jellal, who tries to get Erza to abandon him in one of the most transparent lies ever – no one, particularly Erza, believes a word of it. And we see Lucy’s bond with her Celestial Spirits, which help her to finally move past the death of her father. This all helps set up the Grand Magic Games, the fighting tournament that will dominate volumes to come. Fairy Tail may be back at the bottom of the heap, but the awesome teamwork shown at the end means we can’t count them out just yet. Still a fun shonen romp. -Sean Gaffney

Magi, Vol. 2 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I had assumed that Jamil, the ruler we meet here, would end up being one of the series’ first major antagonists. But no, he’s just a minor antagonist, and so is allowed to show his evil, cowardly, and gutless ways right off the bat. Indeed, this volume reads very much like “if the series isn’t popular, it can end here”, with only the last few pages, sending Aladdin off into another plotline, showing that it’s moving on. Aladdin continues to be more than he seems, but we don’t really find out how much more. Instead, I was more fascinated with Morgiana, and the manga discussing how slavery works not only through physical chains but also the sheer emotional beatdown that convinces a slave that escape is impossible. I hope we see more of her soon. In the meantime, get on the Magi train now while it’s still early. – Sean Gaffney

Missions Of Love, Vol. 5 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – Despite what the cover may lead you to believe, this is not the latest from Project H Manga. It still runs in Nakayoshi, a magazine for elementary school and junior high girls in Japan. And the actual content inside is less salactious, ear-biting aside. The author is far more interested in seeing the back and forth involved with four selfish people who see no harm in abusing the others for their own ends. Shigure, however, is probably the nicest of the four, and therefore he seems to suffer the most, between Yukina’s appalling mixed signals, Mami’s emotional manipulation, and Akira’s willingness to do whatever it takes to make Yukina his. It all adds up to a giant teen hormone cocktail, and it’s as addictive as ever, even if it’s still bad for you. – Sean Gaffney

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 18 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – A day or two ago, a kind soul came along in comments to a recent post to reassure me that nobody dies in volume 18 of Pandora Hearts. But, y’know, some revelations can be more painful than death, and that’s certainly true of this volume. Fortunately, that’s just how I like it. Jun Mochizuki continues to hurt me in all the best ways, as she begins to really unravel the truth behind both Oz’s origins and Alice’s death. Her frenetic style generally sends me back for a second read shortly after I’ve finished the first, but I’ll admit I enjoy every second of it. Unfortunately, this has never been a series that can welcome new readers into its middle volumes, but if you like lively, delicious artwork and complex plotting, this series is well worth hunting down from the beginning. Still recommended. – MJ

My Week in Manga: October 21-October 27, 2013

October 28, 2013 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Last week I reviewed Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son, Volume 5. The series is personally very important to me, so I’m always happy when a new volume is released. Sadly, we probably won’t see the next volume until next year. Last week I also posted Discovering Manga: Podcasts Redux. It’s a quick update on some of the podcasts that I’ve listened to and written about in the past. It also outlines my plan to write more podcast posts since my previous ones seem to have been fairly popular. If you have a manga podcast that you think I should check out, do let me know!

On to good stuff found online! A commenter on my recent post Random Musings: Queer Theory, Japanese Literature, and Translation linked to a fascinating article from earlier this year: Talking about (a)sexuality in Japanese. Over at Publishers Weekly, Deb Aoki has a great recap of Manga at New York Comic Con. Misaki C. Kido gives seven reasons Why Felipe Smith Is the Only Mangaka from America (So Far). And some of the most interesting news from last week: Crunchyroll will begin to digitally distribute Kodansha manga, providing access to new chapters the same day they are released in Japan. (Including some titles not previously available in English!) It should be interesting to see how this venture develops.

Quick Takes

Attack on Titan, Volume 8 by Hajime Isayama. The mystery of the Female Titan has been solved! Or, at least one of the mysteries–the identity of the person is who is controlling it. The reasons behind why and for what purpose are still unknown. For every question that is answered in Attack on Titan it seems as though there are even more to be asked. This particular volume includes a huge (dare I say titanic?) plot reveal which ends with a fantastic confrontation between Hanji and Minister Nick. (As an aside, I love that Hanji is a canonically gender ambiguous character.) One of the major secrets dealing with the walls is literally uncovered, but has yet to be fully explained. Attack on Titan continues to get stranger and stranger. For those who have been watching the Attack on Titan anime but who have thus far been avoiding the manga for one reason or another (I know plenty of people who can’t get past the terribly inconsistent artwork), the eighth volume is where you’ll want to pick the series up if you want to see any more of the story any time soon.

Knights of Sidonia, Volumes 4-5 by Tsutomu Nihei. I am still enjoying Knights of Sidonia, but it frequently strikes me as a peculiar mix of science fiction horror and romantic comedy. But whatever genre it falls into at any given time, I do think the manga is Nihei’s most accessible work to date. Occasionally I still miss his grittier style of illustration, but the cleaner and somewhat simpler artwork in Knights of Sidonia has really grown on me. One of the things that amuses me tremendously is that Nagate is frequently seen stuffing food into his face. This emphasizes how much of an oddity he is compared to the rest of society on the Sidonia. And he is rather odd. His social interactions can be very awkward and often he is completely oblivious to his faux pas until it’s too late. (Let’s just say that it’s fortunate that he heals quickly.) The Gauna continue to be daunting adversaries. While at first they were terrifying enigmas, over the course of the series they have adapted and evolved and have even adopted (or at least mimicked) human technology and tactics, making them even more frightening.

Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls, Volume 1 by Okayado. Monster Musume is a harem series that attempts to distinguish itself by featuring monster girls. There is absolutely no question that Monster Musume is an ecchi manga, so unsurprisingly there are a lot of boobs and other bits. (I’m still trying to figure out how a snake can have a camel toe.) Kurusu Kimihito is an average guy who was “volunteered” for an exchange program between human and part-human species. He has become the host family for Miia, a lamia who is overly fond of him (inter-species canoodling is forbidden). Overwhelmed, he is constantly in a state of near-panic. As the first volume of Monster Musume progresses, bad puns and groan-inducing wordplay become increasingly prominent. (I’m one of those odd people who actually appreciates this sort of intentionally and ridiculously terrible dialogue, though.) It’s not at all a deep story–and I do wonder where all the monster boys are–but Monster Musume can actually be rather entertaining on occasion.

Sweet Rein Vol 1

October 27, 2013 by Anna N

Sweet Rein Vol 1 by Sakura Tsukuba

I had totally forgotten that Sweet Rein was coming out, so when I saw it I got to be pleasantly surprised all over again. Sakura Tsukuba had two series published by CMX, Penguin Revolution and Land of the Blindfolded. Both of these series fit well into the low-fi, cozy vibe that was characteristic of many of CMX’s fantasy series. I was very happy to read Sweet Rein, and I’m calling it now – this is the perfect feel-good shoujo for the holiday season.

Sweet Rein has the sort of premise that is most enjoyed when the reader doesn’t think about it too hard. Kurumi is walking along alone when she bumps into a boy. Kurumi and the boy are suddenly tethered together, and he rushes up to her and yells “Master!” He then proceeds to explain “I’m your reindeer and you’re my Santa Claus!” It turns out that mystical reindeer with the power to take human form are bonded forever to a human Santa Claus, who is the only person who can release the reindeer’s magical powers. Kaito comes from a family of magical reindeer, and he cheerfully and happily fulfills all of Kurumi’s commands. Kurumi is extremely dubious about the invisible tether that connects them and also is very uncomfortable with the idea that she has any form of power over another being. Kaito is just happy that his Santa Claus is a nice and cute girl who is so concerned for him.

Kaito being at Kurumi’s beck and call is played more for gentle laughs than anything else, as he shoots away from her in the air when she yells “Get off of me!” and promptly appears outside her window when she wishes for his presence. Kurumi is genuinely kind, and Kaito’s presence eases her loneliness. She’s extremely careful not to get entangled in a romantic relationship with him, because she doesn’t want to abuse her power over him. In the meantime, Kaito’s enthusiasm serves as a counterpoint to Kurumi’s introspection, and it is clear that he’s fallen in love with her almost immediately.

For a manga dealing with Santa Claus and reindeer, it is actually a bit surprising how many stories in this volume take place in the spring or summer. Kurumi does deliver presents on Christmas Eve, but much of the manga is centered around Kurumi fulfilling a wish for a sick boy she encounters while on summer vacation. Readers also get a glimpse of Kaito’s extended magical reindeer family. I was actually a bit disappointed that a there was a lengthy vampire back up story, not because it was poorly executed, but I wanted to read a bit more of the main story. Tsukuba’s light and playful illustrations complement the story, ably depicting Kaito flying through the air or swooping in to comfort Kurumi. In the hands of a creator with less of a deft touch, the master/servant relationship in the manga might have seemed a bit off-putting or odd, but here it just seems like a way for two people to slowly discover how much they care about each other.

Off the Shelf: Two from Vertical

October 27, 2013 by MJ and Michelle Smith 3 Comments

MICHELLE: One of us is sad and one of us is sick, but we’re still putting our woes aside to talk about some new manga this morning. I guess that makes us troopers, huh?

MJ: Or masochists, one of the two.

MICHELLE: I… had not thought about that possible interpretation.

MJ: That’s what I’m here for!

MICHELLE: MJ, dispensing disturbing interpretations since the 1970s!

MJ: You know it!

We’ve been away from this column for a while, for various reasons, and to crank things back up again, we thought we’d take a look at a couple of recent releases from one of our favorite publishers, Vertical, Inc. First on the docket is a rare classic from the late Satoshi Kon, Tropic of the Sea, written while Kon was still a college student, and first published in Japan over twenty years ago.

Yosuke is the teenaged son of a village priest, whose family has long guarded the secret of a mermaid’s egg, which was reportedly entrusted to his forebears in return for the continuing safety and bounty of their small fishing community. According to legend, the egg must be protected and watered regularly for sixty years, at which point it is returned to its home and replaced by a new one. As the next in line to care for the egg, Yosuke is charged with bringing fresh seawater up to the shrine in which it is kept, which he does both out of duty and a lingering fondness for the legend he believed as a child.

When Yosuke discovers that his father has sold out their family secret to land developers seeking to transform the village into a sprawling resort, he is mildly appalled, but not nearly so much as his grandfather, who, enraged by his son’s hubris, risks his life in an attempt to return the egg to the mermaids as promised. Meanwhile, the villagers wage their own battle with the land developers whose promises of luxury and prosperity threaten their way of life. As the volume continues, Yosuke must decide what he believes and what is really important as he watches his community and his family being torn apart over their land and the mysterious egg.

MICHELLE: Usually, stories about families who stop honoring their contracts with supernatural beings never end well, but I was pleased that this story took a slightly different route. That said, I often times found the pacing disjointed. Perhaps Kon was trying to cram as much story as possible into a limited number of chapters, but there were a few transitions that puzzled me. And in the end, it all just seems to zip by so quickly, and I got a much firmer sense of the awesomeness of Yosuke’s dog (Fujimaru) than many of the human characters.

MJ: I realize that it might be the decongestants slowing me down, I didn’t have quite the same experience. While some sections did feel a bit zippy—particularly the final confrontation and chase with the land developers, I appreciated way Kon slowly and quietly revealed his characters’ truths, particularly Yosuke’s. For instance, while it’s clear early on that Yosuke has some kind of painful past association with the water that makes him reluctant to swim, Kon avoids the sort of carefully manipulated drama that would normally accompany a hero’s childhood trauma. There’s obviously an issue—one that his close friends are distractedly aware of—but it results in none of the kind of drama I’d expect from most stories.

First of all, Yosuke is uncomfortable with swimming, but he still *does* it when he needs to, without any tortured posturing. Then, later, when we finally figure out what it’s all about, the drama of the reveal is overshadowed by the larger problems at hand. I found this somehow refreshing.

MICHELLE: I’m glad that it read a bit differently for you. I wonder if part of the problem for me is that I am usually a slow reader, but the art style (which I loved) and paneling and everything made it possible for me to read this much more quickly than usual. Whereas you’re used to reading stuff quickly. I dunno.

But I absolutely agree about the low-key approach to Yosuke’s trauma. I also really loved the final page of the volume, which would be an absolutely ordinary image to anyone who hadn’t read the story to learn its full significance.

MJ: I love the subtlety of that final image, too, and the way Kon consistently lets his artwork do the storytelling. And while I think that this strong instinct to “show, not tell” is probably part of what made it read so quickly for you, it’s also his greatest strength here. I’m not saying that I think this is a perfect work, by any means, and even as much as I enjoyed it, it very much feels like an artist’s early work. But I found a lot to appreciate in it.

So, would you like to introduce our second selection?

MICHELLE: Alrighty!

Helter Skelter is another one-shot from Vertical, and another sort of cautionary tale, as well. Currently popular model Liliko is much talked about but also, as we soon see, a wretched person. She’s obligated to her agency’s president, whom she calls “Mama,” who helped to transform her from an unattractive and overweight girl into a celebrity with a perfect, but nearly entirely fake, body. Liliko sought fame and adulation and made this choice herself, but is soon disillusioned with the life and dissatisfied with the work and yet terrified of the moment that it all ends. “What happens when I stop being sellable?” she wonders. “Everyone who pampers me now will leave me.”

Meanwhile, a prosecutor named Asada and his assistant are investigating the clinic where Liliko’s procedures were performed as well as a string of suicides committed by former patients.

MJ: Liliko makes for a troublesome heroine, as her disillusionment and fear has created in her a level of cynicism and raw desire that would ruin even the purest soul (which she is decidedly not). In a frantic bid to keep control of someone, even as she’s (literally) falling to pieces, she calls upon her remaining allure in order to emotionally enslave both an eager assistant and the assistant’s boyfriend. She’s cruel, manipulative, and every bit as terrifying as the technology that led her there. Yet, even as we witness her careful destruction of those around her, it’s impossible not to understand her. And perhaps that’s the most terrifying thing of all.

MICHELLE: I thought Okazaki did a great job at making Liliko sympathetic and understandable even while she’s doing utterly horrible things, like ensnaring/tainting Hada (the assistant) and Okumura (her boyfriend). She interrupts them together right after she learns that “Mama” has never sent money back home to her family as promised, and the narration makes it clear that there’s a direct correlation between the discovery and her subsequent actions. And later, after she has “punished” Hada for wanting to quit, she thinks, “I just want to play with bodies. And have fun wrecking others. How can I help it? Aren’t others making a wreck of me?”

And, of course, her jealousy of newcomer teen model Kozue is completely understandable, especially considering that Kozue has come by all of her beauty naturally and is able to be herself in public in a way that Liliko can never be. (One of the things that intrigues the prosecutor about her, after all, is that her responses in interviews are completely devoid of any hint of her actual personality or upbringing.) We can even understand why she might lash out at the woman who ended up marrying the rich guy Liliko had pegged for her safety net, though it’s less easy to understand why Hada and Okumura might do her bidding in actually carrying out an attack on the woman.

MJ: I admit I found them understandable as well, though identifying at all with them may actually be more disturbing than understanding Liliko. Their own relationship is so dysfunctional and lacking, I think harboring mutual shame becomes a sort of sick bonding experience for them. They’ll continue down their road with Liliko, because any attempt to go back only forces them to confront what their relationship has become, which is somehow more uncomfortable than just doing what they’re told. The deeper in they get, the less they resemble themselves, and this is actually a plus for them. That’s my interpretation, anyway.

You know, I was thinking as I read this… I’m always anxious for more josei manga, but I’ll admit that there’s a part of me that bristles at the notion that good stories for adult women must be those that prove that the world is a horrible place filled with horrible people. It’s an ugly, cynical view that doesn’t generally resonate with me at all. But though Helter Skelter is exactly that kind of manga, there’s an honest fury to it that makes me somehow thrilled that it exists. As disillusioned and cynical as Liliko is, Okazaki’s take on her circumstances reads to me as just plain angry. To her, Liliko matters, and as awful as she’s become, Okazaki is still furious on her behalf. Is that a strange thing to say? And my feelings about this were reinforced a million-fold by the way she ends the story.

MICHELLE: No, I think you’re spot-on with that. This isn’t an indictment of Liliko; it’s an indictment of the culture of disposable, commodified celebrity that helped create and destroy her. One of my very favorite pages is quite near the end, where the babble of fans/consumers is now obsessed with obtaining “That.” This just reinforces the idea that Liliko was never a person to them; just a thing to be interested in for a while until the next thing comes along.

And wow, that ending was so unexpected! I wonder whether we’re to take the “to be continued” literally, as in that Okazaki really will pick up the story again later, or if we’re only to take that as a sign that Liliko’s “curious journey of adventure” will continue.

MJ: I selfishly hope for the former, but my hopes may be in vain!

MICHELLE: I don’t know whether I want a sequel or not; I kind of like the ambiguous ending as it is. We will, at least, be getting more Okazaki in English soon, as Vertical will be releasing Pink next month!

MJ: I’m certainly looking forward to it!

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: October 7, 2013

October 27, 2013 by Derek Bown Leave a Comment

It’s always interesting to get a new series in Weekly Shonen Jump. Though in the case of monthly series the experience is altered a little bit. Rather than spending every week wondering if the series will get cancelled, we find ourselves not even considering that because there are already several months worth of chapters that have been published in Japan. But, as Cross Manage proved, just because something hasn’t been cancelled in Japan yet doesn’t mean a Western audience will like it, and vice versa. So let’s take a gander at the newest series and the rest of the issue.

Seraph of the End Ch. 1
If this magazine was aimed at adults there is no way a series like this would fly. And considering how many adults read the magazine (unless I’m the only one) then I can’t say this series will be very well received. Why? Because for starters the creepy overtones I got from the one vampire made me think we needed to get Chris Hansen on standby. Now there’s a manga idea, “Chris Hansen: Pedo-Vampire Slayer”. And then there’s the climax of the chapter where a baker’s dozen’s worth of children get massacred by one of the vampires. Now, if any of you didn’t feel uncomfortable during this segment then I must ask you to stay well away from my family.

The idea of children fighting vampires had potential, uncomfortable potential, but still potential. But that is immediately undermined when at the end of the chapter we discover that not all adults died. Only those in Japan apparently. So the first promise the series makes is already broken. I can’t say I hold high hopes for the rest of it.

Worst of all is the tonal shifts. I admit to not knowing many orphans, but I refuse to believe any of them could talk about how their parents died, often in horrible ways, with any kind of smile on their face. I call all kinds of bullshit on every single element of the main character’s backstory. This is a problem throughout the whole story, where we switch from typical shonen enthusiasm to incredibly dark events. It’s just that one scene in the orphanage encapsulates the entire problem. I know manga likes to make these kind of tonal jumps, but it doesn’t always work, and in this case it most definitely doesn’t work.

I’m probably being harsher than I need to be, but that tends to happen when I’m made to read the wholesale slaughter of a bunch of twelve and youngers. I may not have my own children, but I’m certainly at the point where I feel protective of those hobbit sized humans. So this was not the best way to endear a new manga to me.

One Piece Ch. 723
Oh One Piece, at least you only mentally scar your children instead of outright murdering them. Sadly there are only so many ways I can say this series is awesome without growing repetitive. Perhaps that’s why so many reviewers, and I myself, fall into the routine of writing bad reviews. But don’t think I’m trying to put a negative twist on a great series by trying to find some kind of fault with it. Even if that fault is me complaining about how I can’t find any fault with it. Okay so that may actually be me trying to do what I said I wasn’t doing. But can you blame me? Most of the time One Piece is so perfect and I’m such a fanboy that I’m probably the worst person to be analyzing it.

At least this chapter finally gives Sanji a chance to show his badass self. Even if we all know he’s going to get his butt kicked next chapter. But with plenty of comedy, and a great climax I have to say that One Piece is as amazing as ever. But when one always excels it becomes harder and harder to stand out. And I fear that One Piece has been at risk of this for the past couple years. We’re so used to expecting amazing things, and while One Piece has been amazing it feels like it hasn’t exceeded any expectations it’s just been meeting them. And as much as I love this series it feels like the chapters just continue to be amazing rather than wowing me like they did a couple years ago.

Naruto Ch. 649
Oh Naruto, you’re my favorite series that I don’t actually like. Why? Because I can find so many things wrong with every single chapter. Usually. Sometimes you just bore me and I can’t find the will to even bother complaining. This week I don’t have as much material, but there are a couple bones I feel the need to pick.

It constantly surprises me how big of a fanbase this manga continues to have, despite the fact that Kishimoto has shown himself incapable of writing characters beyond their base stereotypes. Such as several chapters ago when Ino showed that she’s just as terrible a character as she was at the start of the series. Maybe even more so. Don’t get me wrong, stereotypes can be very useful, very powerful tools. The thing is that when writing characters you need to expand beyond the initial stereotype, not constantly bring it back to that original stereotype without any further development. For example, when the Mizukage was introduced her gimmick was that she was an unmarried woman approaching middle age who just wanted to get married, and was very sensitive about the subject, to the point where she would make threats against people for the most innocent of comments. Not the most progressive portrayal but amusing enough. Any other writer would use that character trait as a bouncing off point towards character development. Maybe she would find a man, maybe she would realize that she didn’t need a man, maybe she’d realize she liked women instead. Or maybe she’d come to realize that real relationships take a lot of work but are ultimately more rewarding than the fairy tail romance she’d built up in her mind. But since this is a shonen action series and not a romantic comedy, that would never happen. So instead she’s the exact same character she was before. Why do I make such a big deal about this? Because with her comment about not being married this chapter I once again am reminded that Kishimoto does not write character traits, he writes gags that are confused as character traits. Rather than actually giving us any kind of satisfying development his characters stay in the same limbo they were at their introduction and we end up with nothing but a bunch of uninteresting characters cracking unfunny jokes.

Fortunately Shikamaru still has a semblance of a character and is actually undergoing some growth. And I’m not about to cry sexism since so many of the female characters remain unrealized, because Kiba shows us this chapter that he hasn’t developed in the slightest either. So yay, some semblance of equality, even if it’s equality in mediocrity.

Bleach Ch. 551
You know, it doesn’t make villains any smarter when they point out the abject stupidity of the protagonists. The whole “You should have taught this skill to others” isn’t so much a keen villainous insight as it is an exercise in the basic mental faculties of any human being whose brain is still capable of breathing. And Nanao is supposed to be one of the smart ones! And here she didn’t consider that maybe, just maybe this ultimate barrier spell would be useful elsewhere as well. It’s really hard to root for the good guys when I’m too busy praying they don’t accidentally hurt themselves with the swords they’re carrying. The intelligence displayed by these characters would make me think twice before letting them have safety scissors let alone weapons.

And of course rather than building up the tension for a bit longer we discover that Urahara has a way to win back their bankai. Well isn’t that just convenient.

Nisekoi Ch. 93
Whether you like this chapter depends entirely on what your views are in regards to female stereotypes. Are you the kind that becomes enraged when a girl worries about her weight? Possibly consider avoiding this chapter. Unless you like getting angry, like me. If you don’t mind it then read on. It’s plenty funny and plenty cute, but not the most outstanding chapter in this series. Though the punchline at the end of the chapter is well worth the chapter.

Toriko Ch. 252
The majority of this chapter is made up of small montages. While these are enjoyable enough I can’t help but feel like this is all something that needs to be expanded upon. And maybe if we were living a couple decades in the past we’d get a full flashback. But for now I guess I can just look forward to the anime expanding on everything that happened in this chapter.

Though I have one complaint. Under what circumstances is it realistic for a starving person to have the gall to ask for better food? I know there are some people out there with an amazing amount of gall, but the segment where Froese was feeding the hungry felt so unrealistic it dragged me out of the story. And I know, I know, there’s plenty of other more unbelievable things happening in this series. But for the most part they make sense in the context of the series. But what cannot be treated subjectively is how people act. Even in the most outlandish series there needs to be some sense that people still follow understandable human logic. And a starving person asking for better food just doesn’t make any sense.

One-Punch Man Ch. 28
The one thing I really appreciated in this chapter was the end. Saitama getting promoted was all good and fine, but I’m glad to see that Mumen Rider made another appearance, possibly as a future friend and ally of Saitama. I’m partly glad that my earlier prediction was right, but for the most part I just think he’s a fun character that I hope we will get to see more of.

World Trigger Ch. 33
Well, at least this arc isn’t a straight up tournament just yet. By which I mean at least the candidates aren’t all just fighting each other. That would be cliche and boring. Too bad most of this chapter is spent explaining things with very little actual payoff. This series has been somewhat getting better, but it’s far from being any kind of favorite of mine. It’s just really dull, and I’m pretty enraged that the series is doing so well in Japan when better series have been cancelled. No, I don’t ever intend to let Cross Manage’s cancellation go.

Blue Exorcist Ch. 50
I have to give Blue Exorcist props for pulling off a character betrayal while retaining that character’s personality. It’s so easy to have an established character turn into a traitor and then completely change their personality, turning them into a total villain. Shima on the other hand is still the same person he was before, he just has different loyalties now.

Shiemi being a bad cook is a manga trope, but at least in her case it makes sense. Too often the joke is played as “Look at these people putting disparate ingredients into their food!” in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. Any intelligent human being knows that you don’t put curry powder in cookies! But rather than mix ingredients that clearly don’t go together Shiemi tries to make healthy food and ends up making it really bland. That works for me because it’s more realistic than mixing ingredients that clearly don’t belong. \

Dragonball Z Ch. 34
I must confess. Dragonball Z is not the most engaging manga to be writing about. Let’s just say Goku and Vegeta fought and leave it at that. Though, it is worth pointing out that this chapter we get to see the first part of Goku falling so in love with fighting that he makes terrible decisions in the future.

And that’s our reviews for the week. Some decent chapters, but nothing that really stood out. Though, once again, that might have something to do with my unreasonable expectations.

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