Features & Reviews

Bookshelf Briefs 4/22/13

April 22, 2013 by Anna N, Sean Gaffney and MJ Leave a Comment

Today, Anna, Sean, and MJlook at recent releases from Viz Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc.

07-Ghost, Vol. 3 | By Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara | Viz Media Some of the worldbuilding in 07-Ghost is a bit incoherent, and I have to admit that I’m not exactly following all the permutations of demons that beset young orphan castoff prince Teito as he is studying to become a Bishop in the Barsburg Church. That being said, I enjoy the general atmosphere of this manga very much, and there’s usually a visually arresting moment in each volume that makes me want to read the next. In this case, Teito dives into the fountains at the church and discovers a secret underwater world connected to the cell where rebel Bishop Frau is being held. A bit of backstory was filled in in this volume too, so while I might not enjoy the demon of the week so much, I am still interested in this story. – Anna N.

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 8 | By Toru Fujisawa | Vertical, Inc. – The story was always going to get more serious before it wrapped up, and that’s what we see here. We’ve seen lots of emotional abuse in the past 7 volumes – neglect, abandonment – but the series does not shy away from physical or sexual abuse, and the bookends here are harrowing. Sakurako’s father returns with a crooked lawyer and doctor, and it’s only by outcrooking him that they manage to get Sakurako away. And Ikuko, who’s been mostly a minor presence here, finally gets a focus, as we see what she’s gone through at the hands of her mother. There is very much a sense of “Onizuka will help these kids, but who will help the ones in real life?” to this volume, with sexual abuse statistics included. If you’re looking for badassery, that’s here as well, but this volume works best when it’s ramping up the parental horror. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke, Vol. 16 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – I’ve mentioned my general distrust of Kento before, and it’s good that both the author and Ayane realize this – as, later, does Kento himself. He and Ayane do have something in common, which is that they’re used to wearing a ‘playboy/girl’ facade to a degree, but have never really allowed anyone to really get inside their heart. It’s a very different kind of awkwardness when compared to Sawako and Kazehaya, who both suffer from terminal shyness and repression, or Chizuru and Ryu, who are having to redefine a very comfortable friendship into something different. This all leads up to the Christmas party, where romance is traditional. This volume also has some very cute art by other Margaret artists at the end, including Natsumi Aida of Switch Girl!, a title I’d love to see here. – Sean Gaffney

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 14 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | Viz Media – In general, humor has been thin on the ground since we hit the never-ending Kyoto arc for Nura and company, so it’s terrific seeing Tsurara’s pointless jealousy as she realizes that ‘equip’ is something that can be done with anyone who’s close to Rikuo, and not just girls who are in love with him. Cue huff, and Rikuo’s bafflement. The rest of this is pure fighting, though, mixed with a bit of horror every time we cut back to Nue, or even get a flashback. There’s more death of innocents than in most Jump titles. Also, lots of familiar yokai designs – one of the antagonists here looks just like a yokai from Natsume’s Book of Friends. Still, things look like they’re gearing up to a final battle and climax. Of course, I’ve thought that before and been wrong. -Sean Gaffney

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 15 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – Oh, Pandora Hearts… dear Pandora Hearts, cruel Pandora Hearts. As expected, this volume is filled with fallout from the previous installment, some of which is scary, some oddly poignant, and some deeply tragic. Though Mochizuki’s storytelling continues to be occasionally abstruse, I find more and more that I’m completely willing to re-read as needed in order to truly catch on, volume-to-volume. As always, I’m struck by the emotional effectiveness of her artwork, which often provides clarity when the text does not. One wordless two-page spread in particular comes to mind (it’s part of the “deeply tragic” section). Though it would be impossible for new readers to even dream of jumping in at this late date, I’ll continue to recommend this for a good, epic read. This volume’s final page is permanently etched in my mind. – MJ

Slam Dunk, Vol. 28 | by Takehiko Inoue | Viz Media There’s not much to be said about Slam Dunk other than a reference to its general awesomeness, but this volume featured some art that reminded me a lot of Vagabond in the surreal moments that were frozen in time as Shohoku’s game against Sannoh continues. Panels focusing only on Sakuragi’s limbs as he jumps bring home the physicality of the game, and there’s are some insane visuals as Akagi is broken out of his fugue state when his hulking father steps on the court and shaves a piece of daikon radish on him. Sakuragi is rallying the team as only an idiot can, and if Akagi is able to overcome his opponent, scrappy Shohoku might just win the game. – Anna N.

Toriko, Vol. 15 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – The gentleman on the cover with his face shredded is Zebra, the fourth and most dangerous of the Heavenly Kings. They’ve always been eccentrics to date, but Zebra acts genuinely unhinged at times. Other than that, and Zebra getting the same vague mancrush on Komatsu that everyone in Toriko gets, this is another manga where you watch it for the amazing worldbuilding, as it’s a cornucopia of strange creatures, awesomely terrifying landscapes, and incredibly dangerous food. This is a more serious volume, than usual, though there is some humor (particularly involving the warden of Honey Prison, who has magical pheromone powers. I’ll be interested to see how things continue, as for once Komatsu is on his own in a deep labyrinth, with little protection from his stronger friends. – Sean Gaffney

Off the Shelf: Angel Sanctuary, MMF Edition

April 21, 2013 by MJ and Michelle Smith 8 Comments

MICHELLE: Hey, MJ! When two angels meet, what do they say to each other?

MJ: Well, judging from the title we’re reading this week, something like, “Die, die, DIE!”?

MICHELLE: The punchline is technically “Halo!,” but I admit that your suggestion is much more appropriate!

I can’t remember whose turn it is to summarize, but I have a feeling you’ll do a great job with Angel Sanctuary, so want to give it a go?

MJ: I’ll do my best!

So, this month’s Manga Moveable Feast is dedicated to the works of Kaori Yuki, an artist whose work I’d had essentially no exposure to at all before the past few days. Though most of her existing work in English was published before I became a manga fan, Viz Media’s new practice of re-releasing older shoujo series in digital form has suddenly made one of them easily available. As Michelle has already indicated, that series is Angel Sanctuary, currently being released at VizManga.com.

Angel Sanctuary begins with the story of Setsuna Mudo, a scrappy high school student with a reputation for fighting, though his weakness as a fighter is that he falls asleep at the sight of blood. His other, greater weakness is that he harbors strong feelings of romantic love for his younger sister, Sara—feelings that she unfortunately returns in kind, which is a source of deep shame for them both.

As it turns out, Setsuna is actually the reincarnation of Alexiel, a powerful angel who long ago rebelled against the growing cruelty of the angelic realm, following the disappearance of God. Alexiel was ultimately defeated and sentenced to be reincarnated into misery, over and over again, but not before sealing away her twin brother, Rosiel, who had led the fight against her.

Though Alexiel has never retained memories from one reincarnation to the next, she’s been protected through all of them by a demon-like personage who makes agreements with humans to carry out their deepest wishes in return for taking control of their mortal bodies to keep himself in Alexiel’s company. In Setsuna’s lifetime, this demon lives in the body of Sakuya Kira, Setsuna’s oldest friend and protector.

(click images to enlarge)

Meanwhile, Rosiel’s faithful seek to awaken him from exile by way of a video game called “Angel Sanctuary,” which sacrifices the lives of the humans who play it in order to gather the power required to return Rosiel to corporeal form. This quest is led by Katan, a former lower being who was elevated to angelic status by Rosiel back during the height of his power.

MICHELLE: Nicely done! (Of course, the backstory doesn’t come out nearly as cleanly or clearly in the actual manga, but after a first volume that is, frankly, somewhat of a mess, the pacing for these revelations improves a good deal.)

After tainting himself by taking innocent human life, Katan is dismayed to find that Rosiel, whom he had hoped would end an ongoing power struggle in Heaven, is insane (and probably always has been) and obsessed with tormenting Setsuna to the point that Alexiel awakens, so that he might kill her.

Meanwhile, Kurai and Arachne—two demon survivors formerly protected by Alexiel—also seek the awakening, but for different reasons. This is complicated when Kurai falls in love with Setsuna, since he would cease to exist if Alexiel were to return.

MJ: I’d actually like to return to your parenthetical point up there, because this is really a pretty big deal. After all, I think we both originally thought we’d simply stop after the first excruciating volume, and it was only duty that pushed me on further, at which point I discovered that the story really does get going at long last. Before that, Angel Sanctuary is, to use your words at the time, “quite the slog.”

Unfortunately, some fairly crucial revelations (in terms of making this story work at all) are withheld until the third volume—I’m thinking particularly of the truth about Alexiel’s painful reincarnations. Up until that point, Setsuna and Sara’s agonizing love story feels more like some kind of authorial fetish rather than a meaningful plot point, and given that this is one of the most important relationships in the series, I think this contributed greatly to the “slog” impression, at least on my part. Admittedly, I’m also vastly more interested in the relationships and general character development than I am in the series’ complicated angel mythology, so perhaps this affected me more strongly than it might others, but damn. A little explanation earlier on would have gone a long way towards compelling me forward with something approaching enthusiasm. As it is, I crawled my way to volume three with hands and knees increasingly bloodied. It was not pleasant.

MICHELLE: My experience was quite the same. I don’t have exact quotes to hand, but something about Yuki-sensei’s author-talk columns gave me the feeling that she was congratulating herself for her audaciousness for tackling the subject of incest, so that put me off somewhat. And I have almost no interest in angel power struggles at any time, so hard-to-decipher angel power struggles are even less compelling. This ties in with what I think is the chief flaw of Angel Sanctuary in the early chapters—information overload, before we’ve had time to get to know or care about these characters.

There’s a telling note at the end of volume two, actually, where Yuki-sensei writes:

When someone says, “If you take this part slowly, there’ll be more feeling.” I have to reply, “But this chapter needs to go up to this part of the storyline.” And so, I cut out some, but it’s not enough, so I end up taking out sappy dialogue.

I think she should’ve listened to those people a bit more! Not that I necessarily want more sappy dialogue, but taking things more slowly might’ve, for example, allowed readers to be able to see Sara as her own person—someone who turns out to be stronger and more interesting than I initially expected—before focusing on how she and Setsuna are in love with each other.

MJ: Yes, exactly. I was surprised to find that, by the end of the third volume, I was actually beginning to care about their relationship. And that in itself should be surprising, because it’s the kind of relationship I normally would find compelling from the start, if I cared about the characters in the slightest. It’s worth noting that amidst the recent spate of fanservice-laden, incest-themed moe titles we’ve been seeing, Satsuna and Sara’s plight reads as particularly poignant. It’s never played for laughs, it’s genuinely heartbreaking—it’s got classic romantic tragedy written all over it. It’s more Flowers in the Attic than I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!! and I’ll admit I ate that series up with a spoon when I was a teen.

(click images to enlarge)

MICHELLE: And though it may be tragic, it’s not as if the characters are playing at a bit of drama. One of the first scenes that got me interested in Sara occurs early in volume two, when Rosiel’s flunky has distributed pictures that look as if Setsuna and Sara are kissing, and she’s been called in to the office at her school. The nun lectures, “Feelings of love between brother and sister belong only to silly, spoiled girls who have fantasies of being some tragic heroine.” Sara’s internal denials of this were what, for the first time, made me realize that she truly was equally serious in her love for Setsuna.

And thankfully, despite the shaky start, I did come to care about other relationships in the series, too. I have a great deal of sympathy for Katan, for example, who sacrificed much for Rosiel’s sake, only to be cast aside for not being obedient enough. And then there’s Kira, who was the one bright spot early on and who continues to be fascinating, as he at first denies that he could possess any affection for Setsuna the “mere human,” but eventually must acknowledge that the merger with his human host has rendered him capable of love.

MJ: I agree—both the relationships you mention here end up being very compelling, and I’d like to discuss them both, too. Let’s start with Katan and Rosiel, because it’s one that gets fleshed out a bit earlier than the others, I think. What I find most heartbreaking here are Katan’s realizations over the course of the first few volumes, because he really is so loyal. He sees Rosiel as a true savior, and is utterly devastated when he finally realizes that, with the exception of himself, Rosiel has acquired all his devoted followers by using some kind of magic capsule to turn them into mind-controlled puppets. I found it particularly interesting that it wasn’t just the discovery of Rosiel’s means that horrified Katan, but specifically that Rosiel resorted to this method when many of his puppets actually had been truly loyal to Rosiel before they were turned. The fact that Rosiel was unwilling to trust that he could lead by appealing to others’ free will seemed to be what really upset Katan.

Then, of course, when Rosiel reveals that he’s not even willing to trust Katan‘s long-proven loyalty, it’s like a dagger to the heart.

MICHELLE: I genuinely loved that reveal about Rosiel’s army, both for the emotional impact on Katan but because it also sparked a tiny glimmer of interest in the angel power struggle. Katan’s dismissal made me wonder—and you’ve read farther than I have, so you might know the answer to this—whether he might eventually defect to the other side and help to defeat Rosiel.

MJ: You are *so* right. After endless pages of wordy exposition filled with names like “Raziel,” “Zaphikel,” and “Sandalphon,” and who’s who in the angelic hierarchy, having a little genuine intrigue and, for lack of a better word, humanity thrown in the mix was a lifesaver. I think this whole thing, including the realization that Rosiel has genuinely gone mad, also helps to make all the characters sympathetic in some way, which is a big deal for me, honestly. I’ve never really been interested in epic stories of good vs. evil (because I don’t really believe in the purity of either one), so the more Yuki grays things up, the better. I like things messy, in every way possible.

It’s this kind of nuance that really makes Kira’s story shine as well. We’re only just beginning to understand his true nature, but one thing that has become central to the story in volumes three and four is his own realization that he’s developed human attachments, and what that means for everyone involved. I was incredibly moved by scenes featuring Kira’s human father, who could not learn to hate his son, even after finding out that the Kira he’d raised from age eleven on wasn’t even his son at all. Some of this may come after the point you’ve read to, but oh, Michelle, it’s some of the best writing in the whole series so far.

MICHELLE: I agree entirely about the scenes between Kira and his father, in which we learn that Kira has been behaving awfully in an attempt to cause this man to abandon his love for his son in preparation of a time when Kira no longer needs that body, and he ends up dying for real, this time. (All of which is at the request of the original Sakuya, with whom demon!Kira is seemingly able to hold conversations.)

Honestly, with supporting characters like Katan and Kira around, I pretty much don’t give a flying flip about Rosiel and Alexiel’s conflict and drama. Perhaps Yuki-sensei will be able to make me care about that, as she was eventually able to do with some other plot elements.

MJ: It’s true, the whole Rosiel vs. Alexiel story is the least interesting thing to me in this entire series, at least by the end of volume four. Which is not to say that I have no interest in them as characters, but despite the fact that they are holding on to this old rivalry so tightly, it’s really their relationships with the other characters that make them who they are in the present. I suppose this is the real tragedy that only the reader can see, and perhaps that’s even something Yuki-sensei is trying to show us—that if Rosiel, especially, could put aside the thirst for power that drove him mad in the first place, and actually recognize the real love and loyalty available to him, vengeance might lose its urgency. I suppose this really is just a lesson for Rosiel, as it seems clear that Alexiel actually prefers to be Setsuna than herself. An early scene that caught my attention is one between Alexiel and Kurai, in which Alexiel admits she’d like to be reborn as a man.

Actually, gender, and particularly unhappiness with one’s biological gender, is an ongoing theme in this series. And while there are some fairly problematic elements in Yuki’s discussion of the subject, there’s so much discussion that it’s difficult to dismiss it all as the usual heteronormative manga gender-bending. It’s difficult to smash the gender binary in English, because we’re so dependent on gender-specific pronouns, but at least one character refers to herself as a “third gender,” and Kurai, for example, manages to be much more nuanced than the typical “tom boy” characterization. So as weary as I get with the endless statements about women only needing to be beautiful and to be protected, there seems to be some deeper thought behind it all.

MICHELLE: Oh, yes, I meant to bring up those statements. I thought it was interesting that most of the lines like “A girl needs to be protected; only then will she be beautiful and gentle” and “Find yourself a guy who’ll protect you” come from one character: Alexiel. That made them a little easier to stomach, like these are her opinions for some reason—she also implies that if she had a man’s love, she might never have conflicted with the other angels—and not necessarily the mangaka’s. True, Setsuna idealizes Sara and believes she must be protected, but then Yuki-sensei shows us that Sara’s not so weak or oblivious, after all. So, I wasn’t as irked by those comments as I otherwise might have been. (But, y’know, still a little irked.)

MJ: I’ll be interested to see where that line of thinking goes as the series continues. I’d like to think that these are beliefs that Yuki-sensei is interested in proving wrong, but it would be foolish to get my hopes up too high on that point.

As I flip through the first few volumes, looking for accompanying artwork, I realize that there are a whole host of characters we haven’t brought up at all, and I have to believe that this is mainly because, so far, they’re really just a part of the whole angelic political turmoil, in which neither of us has the slightest interest. I think it’s quite telling that the characters we have discussed are the ones who have become important in other ways.

MICHELLE: I feel like probably we should talk about Ruri, Sara’s friend, but I really don’t have much to say about her, since we see her as her actual self only briefly. Really, her fate just falls under the “Rosiel schemes to torment Setsuna” heading. And we haven’t even mentioned the super supreme angelic being everyone’s so in awe of, because he simply has no impact on the story as a character. He just appears once and, like, reattaches Setsuna’s arm. (Sidebar: there is a fair amount of arm reattachment in this series.)

MJ: I’d actually be interested in reconvening our discussion sometime after you’ve read volume four, because that’s when the “super supreme angelic being” (aka “Adam Kadamon”) finally becomes something truly significant in the story. The beginning of volume four offers up revelations on most of the topics we have discussed as well, including Kira and his father, Rosiel and Katan, and even Setsuna and Sara, whose story only becomes more poignant as Setsuna finds that he must force himself awake from a dreamworld in which he and Sara are a run-of-the-mill high school boyfriend and girlfriend (no familial ties at all), coexisting happily with all of their friends. Everything comes to a head in the beginning of volume four, leading to the beginning of a new arc just a chapter or so in that I’m hoping will finally make the story’s supernatural politics into something meaningful.

MICHELLE: For all its stumbling at the beginning, I think I’m invested in Angel Sanctuary enough to continue with it, so I am amenable to that suggestion!

MJ: I look forward to it!

Volumes 1-5 of Angel Sanctuary are currently available at VizManga.com. For more of the Kaori Yuki Manga Moveable Feast, keep your eyes on The Beautiful World!

Kanokon, Vols. 1-2

April 21, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Katsumi Nishino and Rin Yamaki. Released in Japan as by Media Factory, serialized in the magazine Comic Alive. Released in North America by Seven Seas.

As I’ve noted before, in general these days I try to give every new Vol. 1 a chance and a review. Sometimes, though, I suspect on seeing the advance solicit that I know I’m just hurting myself. Kanokon was that sort of title. Moe foxgirl on the cover. Runs in Comic Alive. Harem title. Lots of overt fanservice and sexuality with little actual sex. Male lead whose sole good quality is his endearing niceness. That said, I was hoping at least for a chance to write a scathing review with lots of amusing vitriol, a la Sasameke or Qwazer of Stigmata. But the manga doesn’t even hit those levels of bad. It’s simply a mediocre-to-fair yokai harem manga.

The title is another of those abbreviations that are becoming increasingly needed in a world where every book coming out has a title like “My Light Novel Can’t Possibly Be This Awkwardly Phrased” (AwkPhr for short). In this case, Kanokon stands for “Kanojo wa Kon to, Kowaiku Seki wo Shite”, or “She Coughed With a Cute Little “Yip”. (eeeeurgh…) Seven Seas does helpfully have a couple notes at the back explaining this, as well as a few other culture notes. As for the plot, if you were asked to write a harem manga for comic alive and given the premise of yokai, this is probably what you’d come up with. New transfer student Kouta is from the country, and thus attracts the attention of the popular girl Chizuru. She turns out to be a fox yokai, and has not only fallen for Kouta but can also merge and take over his body to a degree, though it depends on their feelings for each other. Cue angry brother, angry classmate, angry fellow yokai, and teachers, all of whom would like to see Chizuru be a bit more reticent and a lot less horny.

From what I understand, the anime got a lot more blatant, or perhaps this just feels worse when you see it as moving images. In any case, I was not nearly as horrified as my friends who saw the anime said I would be. Instead, it was more of a malaise. There does appear to be an ongoing plot that has potential to get interesting (and thank God this was in omnibus format, as if it had just been the first half it might have been unbearable). That said, the story has some very dumb stuff in it in order to allow the plot to function, particularly how, in creating a juvenile delinquent school for troubled yokai, they then allow totally normal humans to attend, for reasons I cannot fathom. (Yes, yes, learn how to blend in, etc. Still, highly dangerous.)

With all that said, I went into this knowing it was not a series for me. It does, however, have a fanbase of people who love this sort of thing. Cute fox girls, titillation, some fights, and a lead non-entity they can project themselves on who has a girl falling all over herself to sleep with him (and I’ve no doubt there will be more girls added later on). It does its job well for those readers, and thus is not actively radioactive. It’s simply not my thing.

Adventures in the Key of Shoujo: Sailor Moon, Vol.7

April 20, 2013 by Phillip Anthony Leave a Comment

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 7 | By Naoko Takeuchi | Published by Kodansha Comics USA | Rated: T, Ages 13+

What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours! I was going to write down a red hot review after finally, FINALLY getting through volume 7 of Sailor Moon. Then sleep and fatigue set in and I had a think about it. So now I’ll temper my steel as some of my thoughts last night don’t make a whole lot of sense the day after. So let’s begin!

We find our heroes recovering from their last battle and wondering about the mystery behind the Mugen Academy—specifically why the new Sailor Senshi Sailors Neptune and Uranus are so antagonistic toward the rest. Meanwhile, Chibi-Usa is starting to worry about her new friend Hotaru Tomoe, a girl whom we met briefly in volume 6. Hotaru is the daughter of Professor Tomoe who runs the Mugen Institute, which is part of the Mugen Academy. Are you following me so far? Because I can help matters by telling you that Mugen Academy is evil. We know this because Master Pharaoh 90 and her/his (I don’t want to guess at this point) minions, the Death Busters, are in cahoots with Professor Tomoe. See, the ol’ Prof is attempting to build the perfect life form, and he thinks the best way of doing this is by bonding life energy onto creatures of Tomoe’s design. What Chibi-Usa doesn’t know is that Hotaru is hiding a secret. I like how Hotaru clearly understands that her father’s work and she herself are dangerous, and that she tries to shield Chibi-Usa from the truth while trying to have a life. The poor girl just wants to be normal, but because of who and what she is, anyone innocent around her is in danger.

The thing that annoyed me about the last volume is the change in tone for Neptune and Uranus. Before, they were playful and a bit mysterious but now they are openly hostile toward Usagi and the rest of the team. They believe as protectors of Silver Millenium (the kingdom on the moon that Usagi and the rest once lived on) that they have to go ahead of Usagi who, as the future Queen, is in their care. They want to stop the ascension of Sailor Saturn who is only supposed to arrive on the scene when the world must be destroyed. This presents me with an interesting conundrum: if the two Sailor Senshi wish to prevent the destruction of, well, everything then they have to kill another Sailor Saturn before she can become a Senshi, then doesn’t that mean that they knew they would have to kill her from the get go? Plus, wouldn’t killing her go against being a team? It’s not really explained, so I’m left with these questions. Thankfully, Takeuchi doesn’t confuse the issue by having them explain the whole nature of the Silver Millenium and the pre-destiny of the Senshi. Still, Usagi’s constant cries of “Let us help you and work together!” and the Outer Senshi’s replies of “NOOOO! WE have to do this on our own! IT’S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!!!” are confusing, as they are unnecessary.

One of my favourite characters from earlier volumes is Sailor Pluto. Sailor Pluto met her end in a previous volume and I missed her, because while she came across as very formal, her love for Chibi-Usa allowed a crack in her armor; she became my secret favourite Senshi (don’t tell Sailor Venus). Now, we spotted her in a reincarnated form at the end of volume six, and here she turns up again as Setsuna Meio, a researcher of all things. That’s not important because she’s back as Sailor Pluto as well. Strangely, while the other Senshi all became their alter-egos after coming into contact with Usagi, Pluto, along with Neptune and Uranus, already know that they are Sailor Senshi. This means they already know their jobs better than the others and they sometimes come across as older sister types despite being the same age. Pluto’s personality isn’t as full-on as the other two, but she’s not the same Pluto as the original version. The formality isn’t quite there yet, and she does love the other Senshi, but she feels as Neptune and Uranus do and wants to deal with the Mugen Academy without the Inner Senshi.

As for the fight with Mugen itself, the team receives a new power level and Usagi becomes Super Sailor Moon and lays a Chuck Norris-style beatdown on the minions of Master Pharaoh 90 (what’s with these ridiculous names!?). The others do try and fight against Mugen but they are quickly overwhelmed by the bad guys and Professor Tomoe (who goes all Dr. Jekyll and becomes a monster using his own research). He gets put down in the blink of an eye, so there’s something to be said for planning ahead. The greatest danger the team and Usagi are up against is something that I’ve been meaning to talk about since the character of Chibi-Usa was introduced. Hotaru goes mad with the creature that is inside of her and the creature, in lashing out, accidently absorbs the crystal energy that Usagi and Chibi-Usa both share. Chibi-Usa, being Usagi’s daughter, carries this ’round in the form of a crystal avatar. When it is removed, Chibi-Usa becomes fatally ill. Mamoru stays with her while Usagi goes to bring the smackdown on Mugen and get Chibi-Usa’s energy back. Now, this leads to said point of order. How does Usagi view Chibi-Usa? She and Mamoru ARE Chibi-Usa’s parents in the future so Mamoru clearly has paternal instincts toward his future daughter. But Usagi seems to fight for Chibi-Usa at every turn without showing any sign that she sees her as a daughter. It’s not like when she fights for the other Senshi—she fights for them in her own way. When Chibi-Usa is threatened, Usagi pulls out the big guns and not in a proactive way. When Usagi powers up and saves Chibi-Usa, she finds strengths and powers that she didn’t realize she had. Maybe this is her way of saying “this is my daughter, evil-doers, and I will kick your arse if you threaten her!”

The end of the manga calls for a showdown between the remains of Hotaru and Usagi. Whatever is left of Hotaru’s physical body is under the direct control of Master Pharaoh 90 and has destroyed the lab, the buildings and the academy. I don’t know how they’ll cover this up come the morning! Something happened to Hotaru’s spirit which leads me to believe she will be quickly resurrected in the next couple of volumes. I know I’m giving somewhat short answers here but this stuff literally comes up at the last second in the volume so I have no information to go on. Whatever happens, Sailor Moon is as always a mixture of the good, the bad and the unexplained.

Manga the Week of 4/24

April 18, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, MJ and Michelle Smith 6 Comments

SEAN: It’s a healthy fourth week of the month here at Manga the Week of Central, with something for everyone. Let’s delve deeper.

Dark Horse gives us lucky Vol. 13 of Bride of the Water God, which is manwha, so I defer to those who know it better than I do.

MJ: This series is incredibly beautiful to look at. I’m behind a few volumes at this point, but it’s one of those I absolutely try to keep up with in print, just because it’s so pretty. It’s a keeper.

SEAN: There’s also Vol. 27 of Gantz, where bad things continue to happen to everyone, but at least they’re all in rubber lycra outfits.

MICHELLE: *snerk*

SEAN: Unico has shipped to most of its Kickstarter backers by now, but it finally hits retail next week. I have a review out that gives a deeper opinion, but suffice to say it’s cute, sad, and a little bit weird, like the best of Tezuka. Also, although there are lots of Pink Lady refs, be assured there is no Jeff Altman.

MJ: Children’s manga is rarely my thing, but your description is pretty compelling.

MICHELLE: Yeah, “cute, sad, and a little bit weird” sounds like a winning combination to me.

SEAN: Kodansha seems to have indicated that sales for Bloody Monday are meh, so I suspect this may be the penultimate volume over here. It’s still filled with action, intrigue, and lots of dead folks.

MJ: I dropped this early on, not because it wasn’t interesting, but because it wasn’t interesting *enough* to earn my money, volume after volume. I guess it’s not just me.

MICHELLE: I bought a couple of volumes but then never read them. I like the creative team, but just never found the time.

SEAN: Fairy Tail is a quarter of the way to 100 now, as Vol. 25 continues the S-class battles, with Fairy Tail fighting itself to see who is strongest. I suspect a third-party will get involved and ruin everything, myself…

The last of Del Rey Manga’s four debut series reaches its end, albeit at Kodansha Comics. Negima hits Vol. 38, with an ending that, um, well, it’s certainly something people talk about! Aheh. I’ll have more to say in my review, but let’s just say: Fandom *hates* Where Are They Now? endings.

MICHELLE: Even though I’m not a Negima! fan, it’s still something of an achievement that it’s finally complete in English.

SEAN: And then there’s Yen. The latest Alice spinoff, My Fanatic Rabbit, ends with its second volume. I really liked the balance between romance and psychosis, and hope it stays even in Vol. 2, though I admit I’m not optimistic.

Another lucky 13, with Black Butler. Though given the sheer power of its cast, I don’t think they really need to worry about black cats. I understand this volume has some nice Sebastian revelations.

MJ: I wish I could like this series. I would really like to like it. But every time I try, it’s a complete failure.

MICHELLE: I’m planning to talk about this volume soon on Off the Shelf, so I look forward to hearing about your attempts. For me, this is a series I kind of like, or at least find easy to read, but have no intentions of rereading.

SEAN: Ah, Bunny Drop has hit Vol. 8. I think this means that the matter of “that spoiler” may now be discussed. And may I say I’m almost relieved? In any case, I’m sure it will be SAFE AND FUN.

MJ: I’m really looking forward to seeing how this plays out! I have a lot of faith in the mangaka.

MICHELLE: I’m a bit more dubious, but will certainly be finishing out the series.

SEAN: A new series, in handy omnibus form! Yen has the first 2 volumes of Doubt, whose cover has everyone wearing bunny heads, but trust me, Bunny Drop this ain’t. It’s another survival game title, where you learn not to get too attached to anyone at all.

MJ: I suspect this may not be for me, but I fully intent to give it a try! These omnibus releases are great for that, because you get a really substantial go at it.

MICHELLE: Maybe it’ll turn out to be kinda fun, like BTOOOM!.

SEAN: Is This A Zombie? 4… yeah. Moving on.

Kieli has its 8th novel published. The story of a girl who can see ghosts, and her relationship with a man named Harvey. Who is not a 6-foot-tall pink rabbit, though it would fit with this week’s accidental theme.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 15 continues to adapt the 7th novel, and has steadily improved, though not to the point where I can say “you don’t have to read the book”. Because you do.

Pandora Hearts is also at 15, and I think I will yield to MJfor this one.

MJ: Oh, Sean… as you know, this series basically owns my soul. I’m expecting an enormous amount of drama in this volume, given where we left off. I’m expecting at least one heartbreaking loss. And I just can’t wait. Expect a flustered review of some kind to show up over the next week. I think this one’s gonna be a doozy.

MICHELLE: I’m a few volumes behind with Pandora Hearts. Clearly, I must rectify this.

SEAN: Lastly, there’s the 8th novel of Spice & Wolf, a title that always reminds me of Playboy Magazine, in that people always say they read it for the economics.

Getting anything interesting this week?

3 Things Thursday: Wishful Thinking

April 18, 2013 by MJ 11 Comments

Today, as the Battle Robot chatted about next week’s new manga (see Sean’s post later this evening), a title came up that is one I have tried hard to like, but failed utterly to do so. My desire to “like” is large, in general. I’m a liker. I like to like things. My ability to “like” is a major contributor to my quality of life. This may diminish my worth as a manga critic, but in the big picture I’m okay with that if it means that, above all else, I get to deeply enjoy the medium I spend so many hours with. Obviously I don’t like everything, and I’m not afraid to complain loudly and often, especially when it comes to genres directed at my gender, like BL, shoujo, and josei manga. (Yes, Black Bird, I’m looking at you.) But I always approach a new series with the desire to like it (even love it, if possible), and I’m occasionally heartbroken when that desire bears no fruit.

So, with that in mind…

3 manga series I wish I could like:

1. Black Butler | By Yana Tobaso | Yen Press – Though I’ll admit I gave up many volumes ago, I initially tried hard to like Black Butler. I’ll usually give any series at least three volumes to grab me, and I gave this one five, but my efforts were in vain. Why did I want so much to like Black Butler? I suppose it’s a longing for connection. With its enormous female fanbase and significant slash fandom, it crosses over heavily into circles I once called my own, and my lack of ability to connect lends itself to a sort of (mild) identity crisis. Furthermore, the series runs in my pet “shounen” magazine GFantasy, home of many series I do like (and even love), such as Gestalt, Nabari no Ou, and my beloved Pandora Hearts. Is it just me? I fear it may be.

2. Alice in the Country of Hearts | By QuinRose & Soumei Hoshino | Yen Press – My desire to like this series has a name, and that name is “Michelle.” Normally, I’d feel no alarm or sadness at all over my inability to like a reverse-harem series based on a game. In fact, I’d consider any positive reaction to be more of a pleasant surprise. In this case, however, Michelle’s enjoyment of the series (and her oft-stated hope I might share in her enjoyment) raises the stakes considerably, and I’m rather sad and ashamed to admit that after reading through two of Yen Press’ new omnibus volumes I just can’t quite get there. I’m so sorry, Michelle. I really, really wanted to like this. Can you forgive me?

3. Saiyuki Reload | By Kazuya Minekura | Tokyopop – Of all of these, I think Saiyuki Reload makes me saddest of all. Those who know me must be aware of my fervent love for the works of Kazuya Minekura, especially her unfinished BL noir-action series Wild Adapter, which Michelle, David, and I have spent much time praising to high heaven (or the non-theist equivalent of same). Wild Adapter, in fact, is one of the few topics capable of compelling me to discuss things like industry news. Somewhat less beloved by me, but still thoroughly enjoyed, is Minekura’s nine-volume shounen fantasy-adventure Saiyuki, which was extended into a shoujo series for Comic Zero Sum called Saiyuki Reload.

I originally borrowed all the then-available volumes of Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload from a friend, and it’s telling that afterwards I made it my business to acquire my own copies of the former and not the latter. I don’t know what it was—maybe the increased indulgence in the characters’ hotness and BL subtext demanded by a shoujo magazine—but something about the continuation just didn’t click. Though I’ll admit that, were it possible to get my hands on these volumes again, I’d be open to giving it a second chance. License rescue, anyone?

Readers, what manga series do you wish you could love? And why?

Unico

April 18, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Osamu Tezuka. Released in Japan by Sanrio, serialized in the magazine Lyrica. Released in North America by Digital Manga Publishing.

Here’s an unusual one: a Tezuka title that read left-to-right originally. Unico was apparently written for a magazine that was going to come out in the West, so was drawn in the Western way. It’s also full-color, and (given it’s Sanrio) features an adorable, thoroughly marketable creature on the cover and throughout the story. But it’s also Tezuka, so you know there’s going to be some darkness in there, even if it’s for kids. The question is, how does the story hold up?

The main plot is basically a MacGuffin to let Tezuka tell whatever story he wants, as the goddess Venus, pissed off as usual that she isn’t the fairest in the land, banishes Unico for basically being too adorable and awesome. He’s whisked all over space and time, and whenever he shows signs of being happy or achieving something, the West Wind whisks him away again. He’s also mindwiped so he never remembers anything. It’s really pretty horrible if you swell on it. Luckily, Unico is nothing if not earnest, and knows enough about himself to help others with his unicorn magic… though occasionally that help goes sour.

The stories themselves are basic children’s fairy tales, with talking animals and mythical beasts, a place where Unico will not have much trouble at all fitting in. The saddest is the first one, a tale of a forbidden love between a young Native American boy and a white settler girl, who become older via Unico’s magic so they can experience adult passion. The concepts behind that are staggeringly fascinating (and creepy), and it’s no surprise that everything goes wrong. Honestly, I was pleased that the rest of the volume didn’t get quite that morally ambiguous… or political.

The rest of the stories are slightly less ambiguous. The longest one is about a cat who yearns to belong to a witch, and I believe it was adapted into a movie. It features a man who is so over the top evil that I had to laugh. All he lacked was a mustache to twirl. That said, the shots of him massacring the animals of the forest are quite dramatic, and small children might find them quite scary. Other highlights include a young girl being kidnapped by a sentient factory that has fallen in love with her (didn’t Demon Seed come out around the time Tezuka wrote this?) and a young Russian thief who secretly wants to be a shy princess, but can’t quite pull it off as she’s simply too awesome.

As you’d expect, the translation is quite good, being simple without sounding childish. There are footnotes for the few culture references in here, most of which have to do with the band Pink Lady, who were becoming superstars at the time Tezuka was writing this. And a few of Tezuka’s ‘star system’ characters can be glimpsed in here, in different roles. But even if you aren’t a Tezuka fan, Unico is worth checking out. it’s family friendly, straightforward, and cute. It doesn’t have much of an ending, but that’s what you get when your lead character drives the plot but isn’t really the plot himself.

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol 9.

April 16, 2013 by Anna N

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 9 by Sai Yukino and Kairi Yura

It is rare for a manga series to end leaving me wishing that it was twice as long, but that is exactly what happened as I was reading the final ninth volume of Story of Saiunkoku. The eighth volume was a natural stopping point, and this volume has some side stories that help shed some light on the histories of selected members of the supporting cast. This volume might not be totally necessary to round out Shurei’s main story, but fans of the series will enjoy visiting with the extended Hong clan and the amazingly eccentric Ryuren.

The first story, “So Began the Fairy Tale” focuses on Shurei’s father, giving greater background into the more ruthless personality behind his smiling exterior. While he’s an amazingly gentle and wonderful father, his past as an assassin gives a bit of an edge to all of his actions in the manga. Here we see the beginnings of his ability to plot as he takes action to make sure that the Hong clan isn’t endangered. “Hurricane Ryuren Strikes the Capital” flashes back to the examination period, where we see Shurei and Eigetsu start to cement their friendship with the eccentric Ryuren despite his crazy clothes, horrible flute playing, and tendency to make odd pronouncements. This story ends up serving as a meditation on the nature of friendship, even as Shurei and Egitsu’s overtures to Ryuren wind up taking them on a detour through the gambling underworld. The final story focuses on the Hong family again, with “Someday I Will Come to You (Though I Love You, How Far You Are From Me)” focusing on Shurei’s uncle Reishin Hong’s bizarre psychological hang-ups. This volume featured plenty of humor, as a series of masks duplicating the expressions of Shurei’s father are put to an unorthodox use, and the reactions Ryuren accidentally provokes from the people surrounding him are always funny.

It does make me a little sad knowing that there’s a very long light novel series containing more adventures of The Story of Saiunkoku that we’ll never see translated here, but the manga adaptation of the story was certainly fun to read. This is going to be a “keeper” series for me, as I can see myself wanting to reread this every few years. It is so unusual to find a shoujo ending where the happy ending for the heroine is a life of civil service as opposed to everything wrapping up nicely with a romantic interest. Many things combined to make this an entertaining manga – the clear art, fun supporting cast, and the blend of humor and drama made this manga very enjoyable.

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: April 15, 2013

April 16, 2013 by Derek Bown 5 Comments

Hey kids, you want to hear a nerd get irrationally angry over a fictional character? Head over to the Manga^3 Podcast Archives to hear the first time I get legitimately angry at a manga chapter. It should be up on Tuesday, but no guarantee, it’s a long one this week, so it might not be out until Wednesday.

But besides that, the rest of this week’s chapters were all either good or great.

Toriko Ch. 229
We start this week off strong with the return of Toriko. Surprisingly enough, Shimabukuro manages to continue making a fight between two characters we only just met entertaining. Writing and drawing interesting and dynamic fights is difficult enough, but to keep that up using characters that were only introduced to the series recently is impressive.

Not only that, but once again he explains powers in a way that makes sense. I don’t know how such outlandish powers could ever really make sense, but Shimabukuro pulls it off. He even manages to end the fight in a believable way—another thing that doesn’t break the established rules of this conflict. I’m all-around impressed. This chapter solidifies the idea that the enemies are getting slaughtered here. Granted, I hope a major character ends up losing to keep the fights from getting predictable.

Naruto Ch. 627
Based on my previous statements about this series I imagine most of you figured out it would be Naruto that had me so riled up. And yes, yes it is. This is the big chapter, where Sasuke finally realizes how much of an idiot he’s been (he doesn’t actually) and decides to fight for the village instead of against it. Oh, like how he probably should have done when he found out his brother died to protect the village! I have many reasons I dislike Sasuke as a character, all of which are major. But his ridiculous decision making process certainly hasn’t endeared him to me. No, I still remember the two years worth of manga that focused entirely on him. I remember and I will never, ever forgive. Mostly this decision comes across as not being properly developed. He spent the entire manga stubbornly blaming his woes on everyone else, and just one meeting with his brother was enough to finally have him change his mind. I don’t even believe anything Hashirama said actually influenced him. Were it not for that meeting with Itachi he never would have changed his mind; and after multiple years of negative character development I don’t buy for one second that Sasuke suddenly is going to be one of the good guys.

And then, of course, Karin comes back into the story and we get another of the major reasons I despise Sasuke as a character. He negatively influences others’ character development. Remember how Ino got great character development? Nope, she hasn’t developed in the slightest throughout the series. Remember how Sakura became a much more enjoyable character after Sasuke left? Well, the moment he comes back into the equation all that character development is discarded. I will be furious if Sakura just forgives him after he tried to kill her. And she probably will, because here comes Karin, immediately forgiving him the moment he apologizes. Her decision to give up on him was the first time any of his fangirls finally had character development that makes sense. And of course that is thrown out the moment he comes back into the picture. I just loathe, beyond all reason or sanity, how this character influences the series. He wasn’t interesting in the first place, and ever since the time skip he has consistently negatively influenced Naruto. Tip for any aspiring writers, if you have a character who negatively influences other characters’ development, consider cutting that character or rewriting them. Because chances are your readers will hate him or her as much as I hate everything to do with Sasuke and the Uchiha in general.

Hopefully that will be the last time you get an kind of major rant from me. I hope Naruto doesn’t ever give me a reason to do it again.

One Piece Ch. 705
I liken this week to a sandwich made of the most delicious bread, with a slice of month old spam in the middle. One Piece doesn’t disappoint in terms of being entertaining. Rather than a single storyline being expanded, all the storylines of this arc are properly established. And it wasn’t until this week that I realized how many different stories we had to follow. This is going to be a long, long arc. And I don’t mind. I like long stories out of One Piece. While I don’t have much to say about this chapter itself, I can say that from the snippets we got I’m looking forward to the rest of the arc. Something big is going down and it will probably devolve into a massive battle as the marines move in to take on the criminals at the arena, and most likely Doflamingo himself.

One-Punch Man Ch. 013
One-Punch Man wasn’t at its greatest this week. While it still had funny moments, they were overshadowed by the surprisingly gory deaths of Hammerhead’s gang. Not to say One-Punch Man isn’t gory, but usually it’s monsters being killed. I’m surprised to see so many regular humans killed. And since most of the chapter was the fight against Sonic and Hammerhead, there wasn’t enough comedy for me to really enjoy the chapter like I have previous chapters. It was still good, just not as good as I’ve grown accustomed to with One-Punch Man.

Dragon Ball Z Ch. 011
I definitely enjoy Dragon Ball most when it lets itself just have some fun with the world it is set in. The fights are interesting and everything, but those chapters are always far too fast and make for bad week-to-week reading. As long as we get more chapters like this I’ll be satisfied—especially as the mythology of the Dragon Ball world is expanded. Though, as we creep up the power scale, I’ll be laughing at the idea of characters like Enma and King Kai being more powerful than the main characters.

World Trigger Ch. 010
Nothing like a bunch of new characters I don’t care about to solidify how uninspired World Trigger has turned out to be. I found myself complaining against all the board members acting like idiots and discussing Osamu’s relatively trivial rule breaking instead of spending all their time figuring out why gates are opening where they shouldn’t be. I’d been giving World Trigger more than a few chances, but this chapter solidified it as one of the less interesting manga to be published in the online edition of Weekly Shonen Jump.

Cross Manage Ch. 029
Cross Manage, on the other hand, has endeared itself to me so much that I will be enraged if it gets cancelled. I don’t even care about the fact that we never see the games (though we better at least see the game against Choran), it’s all about the characters and the small moments between them. And that’s what this chapter was, a bunch of excellent small moments. All the cumulative development in the series coming together to make an enjoyable chapter. I pray that Cross Manage makes the next cut and lets us see what Kaito can do with the other characters.

Bleach Ch. 533
Besides the fact that I’m convinced Aizen and Urahara are conspiring to make Isshin and Masaki have a kid (hard to take the chapter seriously that way), I quite liked this chapter. This story has been a long time coming, and my general disappointment with Bleach over the last few years is being ignored in favor of finally figuring out what Isshin and Masaki’s story is. There are quite a few questions left to be answered, and a few this chapter has raised that I am interested to learn the answer to, rather than being annoyed that too many questions are muddling the story. I would like to get back to the characters I’m actually interested in, aka, the characters we started this series with (Orihime, Chad, Uryu, etc.) but since that’s probably not going to happen I can at least enjoy the series when it’s actually being good.

Nisekoi Ch. 070
This chapter was cuter than it should have been. Tsugumi is kind of the odd duck among Rakku’s love interests, being the only one not to have a childhood connection to him, but she’s also one of the more interesting characters. This chapter makes me root for her more, while at the same time employing some oddly out of place fanservice. It doesn’t happen that often in this series, and I’m impressed that Naoshi has avoided resorting to fanservice to help his ratings. I know harem endings are the worst endings for romantic harem comedies, but I can’t help but want that to happen for this series. All the girls are great, and I don’t want to see any of them disappointed!

I apologize if I offended anyone with my rant earlier, but it had to be said. And I know I can’t be the only person thinking it. Though, from what I can tell I have the majority of Naruto fandom on my side on this one. Let me know if you disagree, or if you have comments about what I said for any of the other chapters. In fact I might prefer if you talk about those instead.

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives. Or go directly to last week’s episode,

It Came From the Sinosphere: Yanyu Mengmeng (TV Drama) Part 1

April 16, 2013 by Sara K. Leave a Comment

The English title of this drama is “Love in the Rain,” but I will henceforth use the Mandarin title, Yanyu Mengmeng, which roughly means “The Misty Rain is Hazy.” It’s more poetic.

Example Scene

In this scene, Erhao brings his girlfriend, Fang Yu, to meet his “warm and loving” family for the first time. I have translated the dialogue to the best of my ability, but I think some of liveliness has been lost.

[Erhao and Fang Yu enter the house]

Erhao: This is … hey, Mengping! Could you shut off the record player? Show a little respect for your brother.

Mengping: Hey, you sure have guts to hang out with a guy like my brother. Don’t you know how many girlfriends he’s had? The last one…

Erhao: What are you saying [grabs Mengping’s ear]

Mengping: That hurts!

Erhao: Pay no attention to my sister. She loves to make up rumors and stir things up.

Mengping: Erhao, you don’t care about anything other than chasing girls! Erhao!

[Erhao covers Mengping’s mouth]

Mengping: Even before you’ve married her, you’re already bullying your little sister!

Erhao: What are you saying!

Mengping: Ma, save me!

Xueqin (the mother): Aya, you’re all going to be the death of me. It’s always yelling all the time.

Erhao: Ma, this my girlfriend, Fang Yu. I’ve mentioned her before.

Fang Yu: (using very polite language) Erhao has said a lot about you. I should have met you earlier.

Xueqin: So you’re Fang Yu. You look very nice. No wonder my son fell in love. How old are you?

Fang Yu: 20 years old.

Xueqin: Ah, so you’re the same age as our Ruping. Ruping, come here! Look at Fang Yu.

Ruping: I’m Ruping, Erhao’s younger sister. Fang Yu, welcome to our home. Please sit down. Father is upstairs, he’ll come down soon.

Xueqin: Ruping! I want you to take a good look at Fang Yu.

Ruping: Ma, I’m looking at her.

Xueqin: Look at her … her eyebrows … her eyes … she’s dressed herself up very nicely. Her waist, her figure, she doesn’t look at all like your sloppy appearance. So she has a boyfriend. Ruping, you’re also 20 years old. Why do you spend all day alone in your room? You really are stupid.

Ruping: Ma.

Erhao: Fang Yu, my mother is praising you.

Fang Yu: So, we’re the same age! Erhao often says that he has a sweet and warm-hearted sister. He certainly means you. Ruping, we’ll surely become good friends.

Xueqin: Ayo, this little mouth knows its sweet talk. No wonder she’s won little Erhao’s heart. Ruping, you should learn how to be like her.

Ruping: Ma, I know I’m useless. I’m plain. I don’t know how to dress up. I can’t speak. I especially can’t keep a boyfriend. I’m damaged goods, damaged goods, damaged goods. I’m sorry that you had to bear a daughter like me, who only embarasses you.

Ruping: But if you want to reprimand me, please reprimand me behind closed doors. This is Fangyu’s first time visiting our home. Please let me have the tiniest bit of dignity, and show Fangyu a little respect, and show Erhao a little respect. Criticizing me in such a heartless way, letting other people see it … why! Why! [Ruping runs up the stairs in tears]

Mengping: Wow, Ruping has a spine after all. I want to call out “Long Live Ruping” three times. She’s finally grown up.

Mengping and Erjie: Long Live Ruping! Long Live Ruping! Long Live Ruping!

Xueqin: What kind of world is this? Do you children have the slightest regard for your mother? Even Ruping is talking back to me. I’ve lived in vain. I’m going to drag that girl down here and get a straight answer about what the hell is going on!

Erjie: Long Live Ruping! Long Live Ruping! Long Live Ruping!

Xueqin: You backstabber [hits Erjie]

Erjie: Papa, Mama hit me. I was just saying “Long Live Ruping!” I’m not allowed to say “Long Live Ruping”? Papa! Papa!

Xueqin: Don’t call for Papa. If you continue…

Erjie: Papa, save me!

Zhenhua (Father): What is everybody fighting over! You don’t even let me have a few minutes of peace! What nonsense.

Erhao: Papa, this is Fangyu.

Zhenhua: Erjie, come here. [Erjie comes over]. Sit down. Where were you hit?

Erjie: Here.

Fangyu: Bo… bo… bofu [in Mandarin, ‘bofu’ is a polite way to address an older man with whom one has a personal relationship, for example, your boyfriend’s father]

Erjie: What “bo-bo-bo”? It’s “bo-po-mo-fo” [this is a reference to how Taiwanese children learn how to read].

Erhao: [grabs Erjie’s ear] What are you saying!

Erjie: Papa, Erhao is hitting me!

Zhenhua: Erhao, how dare you! You bring your girlfriend how, and then turn this house upside down! Erhao! Let go!

[Erhao lets go, and Erjie hits him]

Zhenhua: What nonsense! [Notices Fang Yu] Ah, so you’re Erhao’s girlfriend? What’s your name?

Fang Yu: My name is Fang… fang… fang…

Erjie: Then there’s yuan, yuan, yuan [this is a reference to the word “fangyuan,” which means “circumference”]

[Mengping giggles]

Zhenhua: Ah, how did you meet Erhao.

Fang Yu: I’m Yiping’s classmate, and met him at Yiping’s place.

Zhenhua: So you’re Yiping’s classmate? Excellent! Of all of my children, Yiping has the strongest personality and temper. She’s resilient and stubborn, proud and sharp. Every word she says is just like a razor blade. What a pity she was born in these times, and born as a girl. After that fight, I don’t know when she’ll ever come back. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have hit her.

***

So, that’s the Lu family. Now it’s time for a song! Notice how much grabbing/hitting/pushing there is (even some of the kissing looks violent):

Background

This TV series is adapted from the novel by Chiung Yao, who I’ve discussed before, first published in 1964. Chiung Yao also wrote the script for the TV show, had some say in the casting of the actors, and even wrote the lyrics for the songs, so I also consider the TV Drama to be one of her direct artistic works. Between the writing of the novel and the production of this TV drama, Chiung Yao had more than 20 years to grow and change as a writer, and I consider this drama to be a re-write of the story reflecting that change.

It’s one of the most popular Taiwanese dramas of the 1980s, and these Chiung Yao dramas have a strong influence on Taiwanese idol dramas.

Can you stare down Leanne Liu?

This TV drama, like many other 80s Chiung Yao dramas, stars Leanne Liu, who is famous for her expressive eyes. The co-star is Chin Han, who has appeared in tons of Chiung Yao adaptations, and is one of the “Two Chins, Two Lins” who repeatedly starred in Chiung Yao adaptations through the 70s and 80s.

Maybe it’s time to meet the characters whom Leanne Liu and Chin Hao play…

The Leads

He Shuhuan. He is a close friend of Lu Erhao and, at the beginning of the story, Lu Ruping’s potential new boyfriend. One day, when he was going to visit the Lu family, he sees a young woman outside in the pouring rain, with visible injuries and no umbrella. She refuses to report anything to the police, but agrees to let He Shuhuan take her to his apartment so she can clean herself up. When she finds out that she is a “friend” of the Lu family, she refuses to have anything more to do with him, and runs out.

Shuhuan is incredibly curious about this young woman. Erhao at first says he knows nothing, but then they encounter this young woman at a dance club, where it’s clear that she and Erhao have some kind of personal relationship, though Erhao insists that she is not his girlfriend. Eventually, Shuhuan finds out that the mysterious, proud young woman is none other than…

Lu Yiping. The heroine (or anti-heroine). The novel is written in first person from her perspective. She is the half-sister of Erhao / Ruping / Mengping et al. Her father had driven her mother and herself out ten years ago, and since then they had been living from hand to mouth on what little money he would deign to give them. Yiping would personally have to go to “that place” to beg her father for money.

When they are several months behind on rent, there isn’t enough money for food, her mother needs to see a doctor, and Yiping needs new shoes, she once again goes to “that place.” While Ruping has a nice dog and an expensive new ring, Mengping dances to a fancy record player, and Erjie has a shiny new bicycle, their father, Lu Zhenhua, only agrees to give Yiping a fraction of the money they need to make ends me. Yiping says because he refuses to support his own daughter, he is not a real man. This makes him furious, so he whips her. Everybody else watches silently.

After the whipping, Yiping says she will get revenge on ALL of them. Her father finally decides to give her the money, but she throws it in his face, saying that they are no longer father and daughter. She runs out in the rain … and that’s when Shuhuan first sees her.

When she finds out that Ruping is in love with Shuhuan and he might become her new boyfriend, Yiping sees her first opportunity for revenge. But can Yiping break other people’s hearts without breaking her own?

The 60s and the 80s

The novel was written in and is set in 1960s Taiwan. The TV drama, likewise, is set in 1960s Taiwan. Occasionally, the TV drama shows distinctly 1960s culture—for example, the references to Huangmei opera, which were not in the novel.

However, if you look at this drama, it looks totally 80s. In fact, it feels so thoroughly 80s that the occasional throwbacks to the 60s feel jarring to me, even though I know the story is technically set in the 1960s.

This shows that the makers of the drama were oblivious to just how much they were infusing contemporary style into the show, assuming that the 80s were not terribly different from the 60s. And since this was made in the 80s, they probably were able to notice the 80s style about as well as fish can see water.

Pouring Sugar on Stakes Thrust through the Heart, or TV Drama vs. Novel

This is the title of the first section of Part 2. If you want to know what I’m talking about, or why I hate this story, be sure to come back next week!

Sara K. is hosting April’s Carnival of Aces over at her personal blog. If you’re inclined, you’re welcome to submit something of your own.

A Certain Scientific Railgun, Vol. 7

April 16, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Kazuma Kamachi and Motoi Fuyukawa. Released in Japan as “Toaru Kagaku no Railgun” by ASCII Media Works, serialization ongoing in the magazine Dengeki Daioh. Released in North America by Seven Seas.

First off, in case I forget to actually review the book, this was a fun volume of Railgun. The Sisters arc was wrapped up, we started a new one about the city-wide athletic festival, and there’s lots of awesome, heartwarming, and funny.

Now, let’s talk continuity, aka “Wait, when the hell did Kuroko get put in a wheelchair?!?!”

First, a brief timeline:
1) A Certain Magical Index Light Novels: April 2004-present. The “Sisters” book came out in September 2004, and the “athletic festival” books (which didn’t focus on Misaka entirely) in April-May 2006.
2) A Certain Scientific Railgun (manga): April 2007-present. It runs in a monthly magazine.
3) A Certain Magical Index (manga): May 2007-present. Also in a monthly magazine.
4) A Certain Magical Index (anime): October 2008-March 2009. This includes the “Sisters” arc, from Touma’s perspective.
5) A Certain Scientific Railgun (anime): October 2009-March 2010. Note that the manga had only just barely started the Sisters arc (from Misaka’s perspective) when the anime began. Which is why you didn’t see it.
6) A Certain Magical Index II (anime): October 2010-April 2011. This has the athletic festival from Touma’s POV, but likely won’t crossover with the Railgun storyline much.
7) A Certain Magical Index (film): February 2013.
8) A Certain Scientific Railgun S (anime): April 2013-present. Judging by the OP credits, this *will* have the Sisters arc, including the battle with ITEM.

For the most part, the Railgun manga has been pretty good about letting casual readers follow along, and explaining things as they go. The only time the storyline ever really connects with index is during the Sisters arc, and other than that, Railgun has its own plots and its own problems. There are, of course, little bonuses for those who follow the books. ITEM are given a major role in the Sisters arc as the child soldiers Misaka battles, right around the time they were becoming very important in the Index books proper. (This is why Rikou, who really wasn’t all that active in the battles, gets a larger picture on the cover than Frenda, who was. She’s more important later.)

Around Vol. 7 is where the continuity starts to snarl, though. First of all, the anime, needing to fill up episodes since they couldn’t animate the Sisters arc (as the manga hadn’t finished it yet) introduces Mitsuko Kongo much earlier, and gives her different plotlines to play around with. Not that the manga is ready to introduce her, it doesn’t really have the time to. So Mitsuko’s introduction takes about 2 chapters, where she sets herself up as the rich rival character and is very quickly humbled. (This actually has the added benefit of making her more likeable, and I thought she was pretty cute.)

And sometimes the manga simply has to abandon even explanations, and just trust the reader will go “OK, something happened.” The athletic festival takes place about a month after the Sisters arc ends, and somehow Kuroko is now in a wheelchair (and Uiharu is blaming herself for the injuries.) What happened? Well, the 8th Index novel, in which Kuroko, as a member of Judgement, goes after a fellow teleportation expert who is trying to steal valuable plot macguffins. In the midst of this, she nearly gets killed, and thus is now in said wheelchair for the duration of the festival. Unfortunately, the series is not called “A Certain Perverse Teleporter”, so Kuroko’s story is just elided away.

There’s also lots of other little things: Accelerator appears again, and seems to be crippled (from Touma’s beating? Actually, no.) and also not, apparently, in any trouble for the experiments. Actually, the manga does a nice little flashback showing how Accelerator was manipulated by scientists just as much as Misaka was, and makes you ponder if “I was only following orders” might be a valid excuse for someone so young. It gets to the point where when we see characters who actually ARE appearing for the first time (such as the “Queen”, or the Aztec girl at the end of the volume), we wonder if they’ve been in the main source and we missed it.

More accurately, I wonder this. Most casual readers likely are fine with reading this typically exciting and fun Railgun volume. But Kuroko’s injury and its out-of-nowhere appearance has been mentioned as confusing, so I thought I’d talk about it a bit.

Oh yes, and Saten is still awesome. But you knew that.

Bookshelf Briefs 4/15/13

April 15, 2013 by Sean Gaffney and MJ 1 Comment

This week, Sean and MJlook at recent releases from Viz Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc.

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 9 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – We wrap up the Impure King arc here, with some really impressive fire power by Rin, and a cute epilogue. Most of this volume, as you’d expect from this series, revolves around Rin and Yukio – Rin learning to accept himself for what he is and use his satanic powers for good, and Yukio learning to trust his brother (though not enough to reveal his own inner demons). Meanwhile, Mephisto continues to do what he does best – look mysterious and not give anything away. Shura, at least, seems to know he has plans for Rin, though can’t do anything about them right now. And I must admit, even if Western fans complain about “nobody dies in Jump”, I was pleased to see a few characters I thought were goners survive through the arc. As ever, Blue Exorcist is a fun romp with lots of alluring backstory. – Sean Gaffney

Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 8 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – Now that Anna is gone, we need to introduce new conflict into the storyline, and much to my surprise it wasn’t that signing teacher. Instead, we get a new first year, Shintaro Kurosu, who is secretly head of a vampire… wait, wrong Shojo Beat series. What Shintaro is is a classic “playboy who finds himself falling in love for real” character, and also has a way of speaking his mind. He and Maria go quite well together, something that Shin immediately notices and is quite pissed off about. Things all come to a head on the beach (great swimsuit montage as well), where Shin confronts some family demons and Shintaro makes his move. I love love love this series. Also, why ids that evil teacher STILL THERE? Why couldn’t Maria’s class be taught by Onizuka? Or Pin? (It would have been much a much shorter manga, yes.) -Sean Gaffney

The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 5 | By Shuzo Oshimi | Vertical, Inc. – Time and again this series manages to be genuinely surprising—at least on the surface. As summer vacation approaches, Kasuga and Nakamura begin to hatch their plan for taking things to “The Other Side.” Meanwhile, Saeki goes to extremes to try to win back Kasuga’s attention; but what exactly is she jealous of? Though Saeki’s actions surprised me, the feelings behind them ring uncomfortably true. Once again, these characters seem to have reached an impasse, but what will that mean for them this time? With its new anime series currently running, it seems likely that this story is far from over, but Oshimi has a gift for writing characters into corners they must forcefully bust out of on nothing but their own steam. As always, I’m dying to know what comes next. Still recommended. – MJ

Soul Eater, Vol. 13 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – There are three storylines that get attention as we continue our long march through the castle to stop Arachnae. First, and probably best, is Black*Star’s arrival and battle against Mifune. I say best as we get a terrific flashback showing Black*Star visiting Tsubaki’s family and seeing his resolve to get stronger is not for killing but to protect. I always love seeing the meisters and their weapons bond in Soul Eater, and this gives some additional depth. Second, we see Ox and Harvar battling Kim and Jacqueline, which is a typical “snap out of it, I still love you” shonen battle, but still sweet. And lastly, Kid and Free battle Mosquito, which gives us this volume’s cliffhanger and shows Mosquito is more than just a goofy old guy in a nice hat. Also, the “finest nose” line made me laugh out loud. Complex, but recommended. -Sean Gaffney

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 9 | By Kaira Yura and Sai Yukino | Viz Media – The publishers decided that this would be a good place to end the manga, even if the light novels went on for a while longer. As a result, what we get here is a volume of ‘side stories’ that flesh out a few of the other characters. In theory, this allows us to see the depths of the familial bonds in this series, and how even if they fight, brothers still love each other. In practice, everyone in the entire cast is a giant dork throughout the volume. It’s fantastic—this is mostly gloriously silly, especially the Ryuren chapter (which is justifiably the longest), and I can’t even describe the hilarity that the ‘Shoka masks’ provoked in me. This series was a real surprise winner for me—girl strives to become a civil servant is so refreshing after a lot of “girl struggles to tell boy she likes him” series. Well done, Shurei! -Sean Gaffney

Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 1

April 14, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Mizuki Sasakibara, based on the franchise created by Sunrise, Masafumi Nishida, and Masakazu Katsura. Released in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in the magazine Newtype Ace. Released in North America by Viz.

I will admit up front that I haven’t seen the anime series this is based on, which Viz is obviously selling hard. I am familiar with Katsura’s work via Video Girl Ai, DNA^2, etc., but aside from Blue Rose looking a bit like Karin Aoi (naming her Karina doesn’t help), there’s not really much influence here. As a result, for once I can ignore all the other variations and alternate continuities I’m familiar with and enjoy this for what it is – a goofy Japanese take on superheroes and mass media, with a very compelling lead duo.

The artist for this manga seems to have worked for Marvel Comics before, and it shows – this is a Japanese take on American superheroes that knows what it’s doing, and can get behind the ridiculousness of people in spandex running around as well as the awesomeness. But as much as it’s a take on superheroes, it’s also examining the state of mass media and marketing in the modern age, with the superheroes being sent out at precisely the right time to grab ratings, and having to work together in pre-scripted ways… while still actually trying to capture the bad guys, who aren’t (so far) pre-scripted. The fact that they’re actually trying to do good helps this title avoid the cynicism of, say, a Max Headroom, but it’s still all a bit false.

Naturally, Tiger, aka Kotetsu Kaburagi, is an old-school hero who doesn’t hold with all this televised ratings crap. Not that he doesn’t actually go along with it… after all, a hero’s gotta work. His working-class superhero attitude not only contrasts with the rest of the superheroes we see, but also with his new partner, Barnaby Brooks, Jr. Barnaby looks to be the classic insufferable genius, who regards ‘teamwork’ as a dirty word and fights crime with a sneer on his face. Actually, this doesn’t seem to be the case, as when he’s in action he seems to be quite friendly and smiling to those he rescues. He just dislikes Tiger. I have no doubt he will have a horribly tragic past.

I was rather surprised that both Tiger and Bunny have the same power – an unusual thing for a superhero team-up, but one that helps to show why they don’t get along at first. As for the other superheroes, we don’t see much of them here, but they have moments where it seems they’re chafing against the script as well. The sooner we get away from heroes-as-wrestling and into serious character drama, the better. As for the fights, they looked fine. The action was easy to follow and exciting, and definitely showed some Marvel influence.

This is a very good first volume, leaving you wanting to go hunt down the anime to find out more. Even the character bios intrigue me – Tiger having a daughter means his tragic past can war with Bunny’s. (How sad is it that my first thought on seeing “guy with daughter” is “how did his wife die in the backstory”? Heck, maybe he’s just divorced. But I doubt it.) I’ll admit I was expecting this to be just another tie-in, but it’s quite worthy on its own. Recommend it to friends who want to try manga but have never ventured beyond the X-Men.

Manga the Week of 4/17

April 11, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, MJ and Anna N 3 Comments

SEAN: After a relative deluge the last two weeks, it’s much quieter this week. So what have we got here?

I admit that I’ve never been able to get into Animal Land, the shonen series that Makoto Raiku started up when he left Shogakukan loudly and angrily and moved over to Kodansha. But then I was never into Zatch Bell either. That said, I know some people who really enjoy this series about humans, animals, and families. And it’s still going in Japan, so don’t expect Vol. 7 to be the last.

MICHELLE: I read volume one and wasn’t sure what to make of it. I liked some things, but the art was ugly and there was lots of pooping and in the end I could never convince myself to read a second volume.

SEAN: I had actually thought that Arisa ended with Volume 10, but it turns out that it has two more volumes after this. Presumably the manga has not finished its advanced course on psychological drama and twin switches. Not that I’m complaining, it’s good stuff, even if I’ve fallen way behind.

MICHELLE: I’m several volumes behind, too, but I’ve been really looking forward to catching up when volume ten comes out.

SEAN: Drawn and Quarterly have said that despite Amazon saying their Kitaro collection is out next week, this is not the case – May is the date being given. But if you want yokai, only about 20 times more moe, why not try Seven Seas’ Kanokon omnibus? It features a busty fox girl yokai, and is also a classic harem with meek male lead. I suspect the crossover audience between D&Q’s yokai title and Seven Seas’ is zero, myself. But these series do pretty well for the publisher, as we found out in this interview.

Vertical gives us two of the hotter new series out there. Flowers of Evil hits Vol. 5, and people are certainly talking about it now that it has an anime adaptation! Hey, all publicity is good publicity. Plus it’s still a riveting psychodrama, no matter what the characters look like.

MJ: I’m not a big anime person, but I’ve been quite a fan of this manga series, so I’ll always look forward to more.

SEAN: There’s also Vol. 2 of Knights of Sidonia, which MJjust praised earlier today. I expect to see lots of space battles, lots of angst, and probably not a lot of humor. But hey, these sorts of series have surprised me before. Perhaps more bears?

MJ: Probably this goes without saying, given my post earlier, but YAY! I really can’t wait.

MICHELLE: I enjoyed volume one very much, and can’t wait for the second installment!

ANNA: I am looking forward to this as well!

SEAN: Speaking of series getting closer to their end, Bokurano: Ours must be running out of characters to kill off, as it only has 3 volumes to go after this. I admire the plot of the story and what the author is trying to say, but oh, so not for me.

MICHELLE: It *is* very depressing, but I still like Bokurano: Ours a lot. I think it’s the grim horribleness of the truth behind what’s happening that really hooks me.

SEAN: Dorohedoro, on the other hand, is not ending anytime soon, possibly to Viz’s chagrin. Still, I am pleased they’re still churning it out, as it remains my absolute favorite Ikki series, and it has the RIGHT kind of nihilism for me to get into (even if, yes, it also kills off a lot of its cast).

And it’s not manga, but it’s probably the most anticipated release of the week. Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudi is, in Viz’s own words, “Half travel memoir, half art book, all beauty.” Given the love folks have for Vagabond/Slam Dunk/Real, and the love many manga and non-manga fans have for Antoni Gaudi, this has all the hallmarks of a seriously impressive book. I hope to be amazed.

MJ: This is definitely my most-anticipated release for this week. I’m thrilled about the existence of a book like this in English, and I can’t wait to read it!

MICHELLE: I love architecture and I love Takehiko Inoue, so I don’t know how I could fail to love this book.

ANNA: This and Knights of Sidonia are honestly the only things I’m excited about this week. I plan to check it out!

SEAN: What are you buying this week? Also, doesn’t “God’s Architect” sound like the title of a Stephen Chow movie?

3 Things Thursday: First Quarter Favorites

April 11, 2013 by MJ 5 Comments

Now that we’re getting into April, it seems natural to look back at the first three months of the year with a view towards understanding the year to come. And despite some real tragedy in the English-translated manga industry, I am surprised to note just how good things look from here. Brigid Alverson posted a great article on the state of the industry at Publishers Weekly—a must-read if any of you missed it—but as usual, I’m better equipped to offer a personal take.

When I looked back at the first quarter of the year, what I mainly notice is just how many new and continuing manga being currently released (and re-released!) are truly catering to my tastes. So with that in mind, let’s talk about…

3 beloved first quarter manga releases

1. The Heart of Thomas | By Moto Hagio | Fantagraphics – The Heart of Thomas was my most eagerly anticipated manga of the year, and while its January release date set the bar perhaps unfairly high for the year to come, I can’t bring myself to be sad about that. Michelle and I discussed the book at length in our first BL Bookrack column of the year, and every moment spent with it was a true pleasure. My concluding thoughts from that column: “In case it isn’t obvious to anyone reading this, I loved this manga with my whole heart. And I’ll admit that’s not exactly what I expected. I expected to find it visually beautiful and worthy as a classic, but I also expected it to be very dated and I thought the story might not appeal to my tastes as a modern fan. Instead, I found it to be both beautiful and emotionally resonant to an extent I’ve rarely experienced—especially in BL manga. This is a book I’d wholeheartedly recommend to any comics fan, without reservation. It’s an absolute treasure.” Yeah. That.

2. Tokyo Babylon | By CLAMP | Dark Horse Comics – 2013’s first quarter was incredibly strong for MJ-friendly re-releases, the most spectacular of these being Dark Horse’s new edition of CLAMP’s Tokyo Babylon, a long-time favorite now back in print with a fresh English adaptation and gorgeous print production. I previewed the first omnibus for Off the Shelf in March, and I couldn’t be happier. From that column: “… Dark Horse’s English adaptation is noticeably different, presumably thanks to the hand of its new editor, Carl Horn. Carl has a gift for making English dialogue really come alive, and his influence is apparent immediately … I really do recommend the new adaptation. Plus, if the trim size is as promised, it’s going to be gorgeous. I’m hoping they’ve used really nice paper, too.” And yeah, they have. It’s beautiful. Don’t miss it.

3. Knights of Sidonia | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – One new favorite that really snuck up on me is Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, the first volume of which appeared in early February. Never having read the author’s well-known title Blame!, I didn’t know what to expect from this series. But apparently it’s just my thing! Michelle and I took at look at it for Off the Shelf, and it easily charmed us both with its intriguing characters and wonderfully detailed artwork. From that column: “… while there is still a lot of mystery still for readers (as well as for Nagate) at the end of the first volume, that sense of the unknown is far from overwhelming. I’ll admit that I had to read the book twice in order to feel that I really understood it, but I honestly don’t consider that a negative in any way. I’m a fast reader, but it’s not too often that a single volume captures me so easily that I’m really happy to re-read it immediately afterwards, just to catch more of its details.” I’ve re-read it again since, too. It’s that interesting.

Special shout-outs too, to Viz Media’s new digital re-release of From Far Away and Archie Comics’ charming OEL series Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Magic Within. It’s a great year so far, really.

Readers, any special favorites in the first quarter of 2013?