Features & Reviews

Please Save My Earth, Vols. 1-5

April 2, 2013 by Anna N

One of the things I was most excited about when Viz launched their digital store was the possibility that some of their backlist shoujo titles would get released in digital format. The one series I was most wanting to experience again was Please Save My Earth. I read the first few volumes of the series many years ago, but dropped it. At the time I was a bit frustrated about the lack of forward movement in the story, even though I thought the manga was interesting and well-constructed. I know that plenty of people have read the whole series and consider it a favorite so I was anxious to give it a second try.

The first volume opens by introducing the slightly strange heroine of Please Save My Earth. Alice has just moved to Tokyo from Hokkaido, and she’s having a hard time adjusting. She has an affinity towards plants and feels cut off from nature in the big city. Alice is tormented by an oddly precocious neighbor boy named Rin. As she’s excaping the stress of school she happens upon an oddly intimate conversation between two of her male classmates, Jinpachi and Issei. At first Alice thinks that she’s stumbled across a moment from a yaoi manga and concludes “this is what manga fangirls are supposed to weep with joy over!” Later, Jinpachi and Issei explain the meaning behind their conversation – every night they share the same dreams where they are male and female scientists marooned on the moon.

Rin has an accident while Alice is babysitting him and is in a coma for several days. When he wakes up, the bratty boy seems to be taken over by a much more cynical and manipulative personality and he begins to exhibit an obsessiveness over Alice that would be even more disturbing in a grown man. Alice has a dream where she’s a woman named Mokuren, on the moon with Shion, the man she loves.

As the early part of the series progresses, Alice, Jinpachi, and Issei start tracking down other people who share their alien moon dreams by placing an ad in a kooky paranormal magazine. They start having regular meetings, trying to piece together the history of what happened to the alien scientists. Many of the feelings of the adult scientists tend to transfer over to their female incarnations, as Jinpachi starts to exhibit signs of the unrequited love his counterpart Gyokuran had for Mokuran/Alice and Issei/Enju remains on the sidelines.

Hiwatari’s art shifts back and forth from a cartoonish classic 80s style showing the schoolkids to a much more lush and detailed way of portraying life on the moon. One thing that I’d forgotten that I noticed much more the second time around were the touches of humor included in the story such as a random Saint Seiya reference and the occasional mention of shoujo magazine publishing conventions. Jinpachi is congratulated on his emotional conviction when he’s so stirred that he has to be portrayed in a two page spread.

A manga that focused only on characters sharing their dreams about being teeny tiny aliens on the moon might not seem to be very compelling reading on the surface, but there’s plenty of dramatic tension in the way the Moon and Earth stories intersect. The aliens are the last outpost of a dying race, spending their remaining time observing the Earth. But some events show Mokuren and Shion together after all of their companions have died off from an unexpected disease. The mystery behind the final days of the aliens is tricky to put together, as the events shown in the dream flashbacks shift forwards and backwards in time.

Rin is Shion reincarnated, and it is difficult to tell if his scheming is a desperate attempt to put things right or a form of revenge for being left alone on the Moon base for so long that he went insane. Rin is able to manipulate both the adults and high school kids around him, tagging along with Alice and coming up with an elaborate scheme to hide his true reincarnated identity. There’s a bit of a race against time element at play, as the other reincarnated high schoolers start to piece together more and more information about their previous lives, Rin may be able to manipulate them into revealing some information that would allow him to access the dormant alien technology from Earth. Rin also has developed psychic powers, which makes him quite terrifying as a hidden antagonist to the story.

With the digital availability of this series it is very easy to read several volumes at once, and I think that will end up being the most rewarding option for most readers. I wonder if part of the reason why I was starting to grow impatient the first time around was due to delays between volumes. The story of Please Save My Earth progresses in a very compelling way, with past lives informing the reader of the character’s current motivations. I’m interested to see if they are going to play out their tragic fates again, or if free will and the changed personalities of Alice and her gang are going to cause their lives to take a turn for the better. I’m happy to have the chance to revisit this series.

Humming a Love Song with LaLa Dx

April 2, 2013 by Erica Friedman 2 Comments

So, we’ve talked many times about the vague lines that differentiate shounen/seinen and shoujo/josei. In real life, there is no one age when all boys shift from caring about becoming ninjas to liking looking at girls in bikinis and there is no one moment when girls stop wanting to be a princess and suddenly start paying attention to the cute boy in class.

When we read manga that has been licensed from Japan, we’re often seeing the very best of the bunch—the Fruits Baskets and the One Pieces—and yet, when you see pictures of manga stores in Japan, there are acres of shelves filled with…what?

Today we’ll talk about LaLa Dx, one of those fields filled with flowers of shoujo romance that you are never likely to see here in the US.

LaLa is a relatively well-known monthly magazine, home to several properties that have made to our shores, such as Yuki Midorikawa’s Natsume’s Book of Friends and Hiro Fujiwara’s Kaicho wa Maid-sama, because of the relationship Viz has with LaLa publisher Hakusensha. LaLa Dx was originally a supplement to LaLa and is now its own bimonthly shoujo manga magazine. Like most of the Bestu, Za and Dx issues of monthly manga magazines, LaLa Dx is smaller than it’s better-known sister—international size A5 rather than the typical B5 size for the monthly magazines. According to the Japanese Magazine Publisher’s Association, Dx comes in at about 67,050 per issue circulation in 2011 (as compared with LaLa‘s 155,950). Small, but packed, Dx comes in at a hefty 850 pages with surprisingly little advertising—none of these series are making it to anime. So for the 690 yen ($7.32 at time of writing) you’re getting a lot of love.

LaLa Dx has a website, but perched in that vague space between childhood and maturity, it’s not quite interesting enough to be appealing to children, and doesn’t quite have content for an older audience. Part of the LaLa family of websites, the site is mostly and advertisement for the current issue. Interviews and other features are integrated with the other magazines on the site. Giveaways are, as well. These days, you’re likely to find a LOT of nyanko-sensei items as LaLa gifts and contest prizes.

When one opens the pages of Dx, one is looking at story after story of young women and young men not getting together for any number of reasons—you know, typical romance stuff. The plot might be driven by horror or comedy, but the story is romance. Friendships will be torn, secrets will be revealed, kind faces will become stern and angry faces will prove to be protective. This magazine is a field of smiles, of tears, of love. This is what you see, when you look at all those shelves in manga stores. And this is the space between pop idols and cute boy in class…with a little princess thrown in for good measure. ^_^

LaLa Dx by Hakusensha: http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/lala/mag_laladx/now.html

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin 1

April 2, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Yoshikazu Yasuhiko; Original Story by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate; Mechanical Design by Kunio Okawara. Released in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in the magazine Gundam Ace. Released in North America by Vertical.

If you’re going to rewrite one of the most renowned and influential anime of all time, you have a lot of difficulties ahead of you. You have to tell the same story but add your own spin on it, making sure it’s not just a word-for-word copy. You need to draw the audience in by showing things that you were unable to the first time, for either budget or time reasons. And of course you need to remind everyone why the original was so legendary. It helps, of course, when you’re actually one of the architects of that original vision. And that’s what we have here, as one of Gundam’s creators has decided to tell the original story from the 1979 anime as a manga, adapting, expanding, and illuminating its plot and characters. And so far, I’m impressed.

I must admit, I’ve never gotten into the Gundam phenomenon – as a kid, Battle for the Planets was more my speed, which is about a generation earlier in mecha shows, and I didn’t really follow the Wing/Seed phenomenon. That said, I do know a few things by fandom osmosis. Giant robots, only serious. War is bad. Char Aznable. Lots of tragic deaths. Colony drops. And everyone hates Turn A. That pretty much sums up my knowledge. So I was looking forward to delving into this to see what made it so compelling. The story begins in media res, as we follow a platoon of commandos trying to get into on a secret new weapon the enemy ship has… which turns out to be a Gundam, as we realize the enemy ship is actually Our Heroes.

This feels very much like an epic motion picture, and at times it almost felt like I was reading storyboards rather than a manga volume. Events slide smoothly from one to another, with little to no chance for a breather in between. The lead character, Amuro Ray, is somewhat sullen and teenagery, but not as hard to like as I’d thought, and clearly shows compassion when it’s in his sphere of things he cares about. (There’s a beautifully drawn shot of his childhood friend Fraw running towards him as a huge explosion bursts behind her, and I was sure this would be the first of many deaths, but amazingly no; the “named character” body count in this volume is pretty low.) As for Char, it’s immediately apparently why he is the breakout character from this series. Cool and cocky, but lacking the evil arrogance of some of his friends (like the guy we see right at the cliffhanger), he’s a bad guy you love to hate. Also, his mobile suit is named the Red Comet, which just makes me imagine that the Zeon base is at Cedar Point.

On the presentation end, Vertical has produced possibly its most impressive book to date, with a gorgeous hardcover with thick pages (many color), suitable for any coffee table. It really goes above and beyond the call of duty; kudos to the designers. That said, the main reason to get the Gundam manga is probably the same reason the original anime became so legendary; you can’t stop wondering what happens next. These people and their struggle to survive are amazingly compelling, and everything about this manga adaptation – the plot, the artwork, the characterization – makes it justify its existence. I am very happy to see it coming out here, and can’t wait for more.

Oh yes, and red makes things go three times faster. I remember that as well.

Bookshelf Briefs 4/1/13

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

This week, Sean, Anna, MJ, & Michelle look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, Viz Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc.

Attack on Titan, Vol. 4 | By Hajime Isayama | Kodansha Comics – The art still has issues with facial differences, but this is finally the volume where we see developed characters beyond the big three. Annie and Jean both get to show off potential antagonist chops, but my favorite was Sasha, or “Potato Girl.” In a manga as deeply depressing and bleak as this series is, we need moments of levity—moments we didn’t get in the first three volumes. Sasha’s personality, love of food, and general liveliness are a breath of fresh air. Of course, that doesn’t mean this volume is all laughs. We cycle back and forth between training flashbacks and the present day so quickly that I lose track of which is which (black borders would help, Isayama—don’t you read manga?), and the present day is bad for everyone, with more corpses, more distrust of Eren, and a bleak future promised. Also, Blouse? Not Braus? This reminds me of Fairy Tail romanization… -Sean Gaffney

Demon Love Spell, Vol. 2 | By Mayu Shinjo | Viz Media I read the first volume and liked this series much more than Ai Ore!, and that was confirmed by the second volume, which kicks off with an unexpectedly poignant story of a lost fox demon. Miko continues to be a reasonable foil for any demons she encounters due to her almost bull-headed obliviousness. A scene of her fending off a demonic spirit with an extra sandwich was hilarious. Kagura is very much the typical alpha male Shinjo hero, but his frequent transformations into a tiny handbag mascot keeps him from being too insufferable. This is going to be a go-to fun read for me whenever I need a bit of a laugh. – Anna N

Durarara!! Saika Arc, Vol. 1 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – As always with DRRR!!, there’s a lot going on here at the same time. Mikado fades into the background a bit, as we turn to Anri and her own self-esteem issues, which aren’t helped by a sexually harassing teacher. Shizuo is on the cover, and some of his backstory is covered here, showing why he is so incredibly strong—and why it’s a burden rather than a choice. And of course there’s also a series of assaults in the city, as everyone’s getting slashed by a mysterious demon sword—who’s also an internet troll. DRRR!! is the sort of series where explaining everything that’s going on makes it sound more complicated than it is. This is the life of a city, as filtered through about 20 different cast members. Like the author’s other series, Baccano!, there is no main character. Just lots of fun and chaos. – Sean Gaffney

Limit, Vol. 4 | By Keiko Suenobu | Vertical, Inc. – As swiftly as Limit‘s group of survivors came together in the series’ third volume, they fall apart even more quickly in the fourth, as it becomes clear that one among them has committed a brutal murder. Accusations are hurdled from all sides, and yet another member of their party will be lost before the group finally settles into a sort of grudging paranoia that is unlikely to abate anytime soon. Volumes of this series seem to fly by, that’s how engaging they are, and I emerged from this one with a combination of dread and feverish anticipation. Fortunately, these are being released on a reasonably brisk schedule, with volume five due out before the end of May. Given the series’ tense atmosphere and quick pacing, it’ll be a great candidate for marathon reading once all six volumes have been released. I look forward to that re-read for sure. Still recommended. – MJ

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 9 | By Kairi Yura and Sai Yukino | Viz Media – The main storyline of The Story of Saiunkoku wrapped up quite satisfactorily in volume eight, and I never would’ve thought that a subsequent volume of side stories would be necessary. And, indeed, it really isn’t. There are three stories in this final volume—“So Began the Fairy Tale,” which offers a glimpse at the early loss of innocence suffered by Shoka, Shurei’s father; “Hurrican Ryuren Strikes the Capital,” about the eccentric member of the Ran clan who achieved the second-highest rank on the civil servants’ exam; and “Someday I Will Come to You,” about Shoka’s odd brother Reishin and his continued obsession with Shurei. Actually, rather a lot is made of Reishin and his obsession for Shoka, too, and it’s a joke that’s warn a bit thin with me. Nevertheless, this is a pleasant volume, if not the most dramatic or substantial. I’ll miss this series. – Michelle Smith

Paradise Kiss, Vols. 2 and 3

March 31, 2013 by Anna N

I was very happy to have the chance to experience this great series again in the new editions from Vertical. Paradise Kiss is one of the most emotionally nuanced josei manga that I’ve read, and these gorgeous oversized editions make it possible to appreciate Ai Yazawa’s art. One of the reasons why I like this series so much is that for a manga about a group of fashion kids putting on a show, it manages to explore the subject of love in an extremely unromanticized way. Beginning model Yukari is beginning to go through a process of self-examination, deciding for herself what her priorities in life are. She’s pushed to this in part by George, who is one of my favorite romance manga leading men, just because he’s so atypical. Bisexual, ruthless and driven to produce his vision of haute couture fashion, George is showing Yukari a new world but he doesn’t have the emotional sensitivity to be a 17 year old girl’s first love. Add in a wonderful supporting cast in the form of cross-dresser Isabella, the punked-out Arashi and painfully cute Miwako, and the reader of Paradise Kiss gets a manga masterwork.

The second volume shows Yukari deciding to drop out of school. Seeing the ParaKiss team work together to create something meaningful has made the deficiencies in her own life far to clear. Yukari has been dedicating her life to studying due to her mother’s ambitions, and she wants to put school aside and work until she figures out what she wants to do. She ends up running away from home when her mother is less than thrilled with her new life plan. The ParaKiss team is dismayed, but somewhat supportive. George intones “Even if you end up in hell, I refuse to take any responsibility.” Yukari ends up staying at Arashi’s place while he visits his home, and this entire volume shows how sincere and well-meaning he is. Yukari and George end up becoming closer and she moves in with him, but she’s too restless to enjoy lounging around his apartment all day. She looks around for work and helps out with the dress for the big fashion show. The only person from Yukari’s old life who seems to be concerned about her absence from school is Miwako and Arashi’s old friend Tokumori.

There’s more dramatic tension in Yukari and George’s romance, because it is clear from the start that things aren’t going to work out. Yukari is too anxious, trying to meld her personality to reflect her idea of George’s ideal woman, and while George cares for her, he has the self-involvement of a true artist. His work will always come first. Even while Yukari tries to cling on to George, she knows that they are going to end up being incompatible.

Everything turns bittersweet in the concluding volume of the series, as Yukari begins to launch herself into a modeling career, and the ParaKiss group prepares their showstopping dress. Preparing for the show isn’t going all that smoothly as Yukari starts having health issues and difficulty dealing with jealousy when one of George’s old classmates comes back for a visit. There’s a general sense that everything is going to end one way or another after the show. George is making unsuccessful attempts to launch Paradise Kiss as a label, and having difficulty. If the label can’t sustain them, everybody is going to have to split up and get jobs separately. In a more conventional manga, the show would happen, George would get a grand prize for his dress, and everybody would live happily ever after. Paradise Kiss explores the fashion world in a much more realistic manner. While Yukari is tall, she lacks the towering height of a supermodel. George’s own elaborate sense of aesthetics is holding him back from the type of commercial creations that a successful fashion label would require, but he’s not going to compromise his vision. Yukari and George’s relationship goes from a whirlwind of love to a relationship where they’re both burdened by each other’s expectations.

What makes Paradise Kiss so interesting as a romance manga is that so much time is spent exploring the reasons Yukari and George are going to split up. The book basically takes place entirely in Yukari’s head, so it is easy for the reader to be just as uneasy as she is about George’s true feelings. When his grand romantic gesture comes at the end of the series, it is easy to see just how much he cared for her. Paradise Kiss had a very satisfying and realistic ending, which elevates it among most romance manga. It is rare for me to feel like all the aspects of an emotional story arc were fully explored, but Yazawa is just that good. Reading Paradise Kiss again made me pine for more Nana or the possibility of a Gokinjo Monogatari translation. The oversized volumes make it possible to appreciate all the intricate details of the fashion-centric world the characters inhabit. These great editions from Vertical deserve a place on any manga fan’s shelf.

Off the Shelf: Supernatural Sunday

March 31, 2013 by MJ and Michelle Smith 8 Comments

MICHELLE: Hey, MJ! Why did the Easter egg hide?

MJ: Hmmm… I don’t know, Michelle. Why did the Easter egg hide?

MICHELLE: ‘Cos he was a little chicken.

MJ: Ouch. Ouch, ouch. Er. I mean. Ha ha!

MICHELLE: It actually genuinely makes me giggle, but I am predisposed to find chickies amusing.

Anyway! Encounter anything amusing in the realm of manga this week?

MJ: Indeed I did! My first read this week was volume one of Tania del Rio’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Magic Within, a manga-style graphic novel collecting the first ten issues of her series, which began its run in 2004. This came out just last week from Archie Comics, and though I realize it’s comprised of previously released material, I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten more buzz.

Sabrina’s been an Archie Comics staple since the 1960s, and she’s appeared in such a variety of mediums (comic books, animated television, live-action television), it’s difficult to imagine that more than a handful of Americans my age and younger could have avoided running into her one way or another. When this graphic novel appeared in our mailbox, my husband—who’d been a fan of the 1996 live-action sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart—grabbed it up to read before I even had a chance. I was in the thick of my own professional acting career during most of that series’ 7-year run, and I hadn’t been a fan of comic books growing up, so my own history with Sabrina was fairly minimal. Yet here she is now, right in my wheelhouse!

For the two or three people who’ve never encountered her, Sabrina Spellman is a typical North American teenager—mostly. Her days are spent navigating the treacherous world of high school, friendships, and teen romance. Her nights are spent in another world entirely—the Magical Realm, where she studies her true birthright, witchcraft. As one of a growing number of witches who have chosen to live in the mortal world (Sabrina shares a house with her two grownup aunts and a talking cat, Salem), Sabrina delicately balances two separate lives and two separate love interests—shy jock Harvey in the mortal world and charismatic player Shinji in the Magical Realm.

If this sounds like ideal fodder for shoujo manga, Archie Comics obviously agrees—and they’re not wrong, for the most part. Though the series’ episodic format is initially a bit lacking in the kind of depth and character development we tend to expect from manga, later chapters really begin to gel, growing into a character-driven supernatural romance with one hell of a cliffhanger at the end of the volume. And if I’d like to see the story tip a bit more towards supernatural adventure and a bit less towards romance, that’s a very personal quibble.

Where the series really betrays itself as North American manga style comics, is in the artwork—not that this is a big surprise. For my tastes as a manga fan, The Magic Within fails where a whole lot of OEL manga fails, and that’s with cramped, over-toned pages filled to the last inch with ink. As a shoujo manga fan accustomed to delicate line art, sparse backgrounds, and gracefully flowing panel layouts, Sabrina begins as a cluttered, disorienting, inky assault. Fortunately, it’s engaging enough to ultimately render this a non-issue, and by the end of the book I was anxious for more.

MICHELLE: I actually watched some of the live-action Sabrina, though not avidly. And so it feels weird to me that there’s suddenly a love interest called “Shinji” in this comic. Perhaps this is jaded, and I am completely overlooking all of the good things you just mentioned, but this strikes me as “manga fans will think it’s manga if there’s a Japanese guy in it!”

MJ: I definitely get where you’re coming from, and maybe my minimal exposure to earlier versions of Sabrina makes that easier for me to swallow. But the truth is, Shinji is so charming a character, it’s difficult not to just plain like him. I think a chapter later in the book where we meet more of his family (including a mortal uncle who visits from Japan and popularizes Salem as a stuffed mascot—much to Salem’s dismay) helps, too, by giving him some real background. And I’ll admit I can’t help rooting for him in the ongoing Harvey-Shinji romantic showdown (where, as Guy #2, he’s obviously doomed), though at this point, I’m more interested in the volume-end cliffhanger, which is actually all about Shinji, and looks to be potentially quite serious.

The truth is, I enjoyed this book a lot. And for what it’s worth, my Sabrina-fan husband gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up as well.

So what have you been amusing yourself with this week?

MICHELLE: The most amusing manga I read this week was our mutual read for today’s column, but I suppose we’ll get to that in a moment.

My solo read this week was volume 66 of One Piece, which you totally still need to read. This series experienced a two-year time jump prior to volume 61, and volume 66 wraps up the first arc of the “New World,” in which the Straw Hat pirates have reunited and helped thwart an attempt by some human-hating fish-men pirates to take over Fish-Man Island.

This arc has not been an emotional one for our characters—they’re helping, but they’re not personally invested. Rather, the arc is about a fresh start, and so far seems intended as a backdrop against which our heroes can show off the new techniques they’ve learned in the past two years, as well as some of the insecurities they’ve conquered—Chopper no longer has stigma about being a monster, Usopp no longer reacts to taunts about being the weak link in the crew. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some truly nice moments—I’m particularly fond of the several pages depicting the celebratory feast after the battle is won.

A lot of the other things I thought were nifty were more plot-related. I always like it when there’s talk of adding someone to the crew, for example, and then there was a lot of stuff about the mystery of the missing 100 years of history—a subplot that’s been on the back burner recently—and a suggestion that Luffy might possess an ability rare for a human, one which only the previous Pirate King possessed. The one sour note was the depiction of a large female villain, but then I realized that Oda actually does extremely well at involving large heroic people in his series (of both genders), so my brief flare of irritation quickly faded.

Ultimately, this arc’s been fun, but not One Piece at its best.

MJ: I suspect any really long series is going to have its less exciting arcs, and at 66 volumes One Piece has certainly earned a rest. I hope for your sake that it is leading up to further greatness, and not petering out like most long series eventually do. I’ll admit it’s that 66 volumes that makes venturing further than the three I’ve personally read feel really daunting, but I keep planning to dig back in!

MICHELLE: I think if you could just get to volume nine, you’d see what the fuss is about!

Feel up to introducing our mutual read?

MJ: Sure! Our mutual read this week was volume two of Yuuki Kodama’s Blood Lad, a sort of horror/comedy seinen manga currently running in Kadowaka Shoten’s Young Ace and being released here in double-length omnibus editions by Yen Press. I read (and enjoyed!) the first volume of the series back in December, but Michelle’s just catching up now, so for those of you who are also tuning in for the first time, I’ll briefly go over the premise.

Staz is a young vampire who is also boss of a largish territory in the lower (read: slummier) levels of the demon world. He’s also obsessed with mortal Japanese pop culture, so when a Japanese teenager named Fuyumi accidentally turns up in the demon world, he latches on to her right away, demanding her opinions on manga, anime, and video games. As a human, Fuyumi’s chances of survival are slim in the demon world, and it isn’t long before she’s killed and becomes a ghost. This leads Staz on a quest to bring her back to life—partly for his own sake (he’s dying for some real time in the human world) and partly for hers, which is surprising to Staz, as he generally cares little for others. This leads to all sorts of mayhem, including a run-in with Staz’ friend/rival (a werewolf creatively named “Wolf”), who ultimately joins him in his quest to resurrect Fuyumi.

One thing that’s mentioned a few times in volume one is that though Staz lives in the lower-class area of the demon world, he’s actually a pure-blood vampire—a direct descendant of Dracula, even—and this becomes even more important in volume two, where he finds himself in the thick of a family plot, hatched by his manipulative older brother Braz and carried out with the help of their ruthless little sister, Liz. Though volume two begins with Staz directly at odds with his siblings, one of the volume’s nicest surprises is the evolution of Liz’s character as she begins to realize just how controlling and self-serving her oldest brother is. The series’ other delightful surprise—in my opinion at least—is its genuinely funny comedy, but I probably should let Michelle weigh in before going on further about that.

MICHELLE: Originally, I really didn’t think Blood Lad would be something I’d enjoy, but after your experience with it, I couldn’t help but be curious. And now I’m quite glad I decided to check it out, because I liked it very much!

While I like Staz and Fuyumi and am reasonably interested in the fulfillment of his quest, the thing I like best about this series is how it doesn’t do what I expect. For example, one might expect female characters as blatantly buxom as these to be put into fan service poses at every turn, but that doesn’t really happen too often. And that friend/rival, Wolf? He actually takes a break from a fight he’s losing, allowing Staz to take over. Like, with absolutely zero posturing or hurt pride! That is certainly rare!

The very best part, though, is the comedy. Many of the best lines go to Mamejirou, a three-eyed, prescient, low-level demon critter who is pretty much as adorable as it gets. There’s a recurring gag in this volume where boisterous teleportation expert Bell makes a grand entrance to a scene, at which point Mamejirou says something like, “Seriously. Rude.” I love him. (I suppose this is not surprising, considering my love for Koh in Silver Diamond.) The adaptation is also well done, and incorporates a few meme references that I found fun.

So I suppose I need to thank you for convincing me to give Blood Lad a chance!

MJ: I’m both thrilled and relieved that you ended up enjoying this manga, because I would have felt very guilty if you hadn’t! And yes, yes on the comedy. Volume two in particular contains a lot of older manga references as well, from Lupin III to Dragon Ball (chapter 15’s Dragon Ball bit is just plain awesome), though probably these are most enjoyable for long-time manga fans. That’s really much of the series’ charm, though. It’s a love song to otaku, through and through, and who can resist that?

MICHELLE: I had expected it to be longer (only seven volumes appear to be out in Japan right now, with the eighth due next week, if I am interpreting Amazon.jp correctly), but I guess because it’s seinen, it’s serialized less often. Which means after the third Yen Press volume in May (comprising volumes five and six), we might have to wait a while. I will miss Mamejirou in the interim!

MJ: As will I! Thanks for bringing this over, Yen Press!

License This! Tera Girl by Mizusawa Megumi

March 31, 2013 by Travis Anderson Leave a Comment

Today’s title is one I really think stands very little chance of seeing the light of day in the US, but that won’t stop me from gushing over it and hoping for a miracle to occur.

Tera Girl (or Temple Girl) by Mizusawa Megumi is the story of three sisters whose dad is a Buddhist priest. The three girls, Satoru, Hikari, and Ogami, could not be more different. Satoru is a university student studying medicine. She doesn’t hate that her family owns a temple, but she decided to focus on her own goals rather than the family business. Ogami is the youngest. She hates living in a temple and chose to go to a high school in another town so that no one would know about her family. Then there’s Hikari, the middle daughter. Also still in high school, she loves everything about the way she was raised and is a devout Buddhist. As a daughter, she can’t take over the temple herself, but her dad is counting on her to marry a man who is willing to become a priest and take over the temple.

Not only is this just a cute story in general and my favorite genre of shoujo (sweet romance with genuinely nice male characters, strong female friendships, no magic or anything out of the ordinary), it’s also a really neat look at how Buddhism works in Japan. Most Japanese people are culturally Buddhist, but not at all religious, so the manga is written for an audience who has little in common with Hikari’s upbringing. One reason I like school manga and workplace manga is that I like reading about everyday life in different places (though I also love things that take place in familiar settings, so maybe I just like stories about ordinary stuff), and this hits that same kink.

Tera Girl is a fairly recent series, with its third volume just released in February, and it’s by a very prolific, popular author, so that should mean it has a good chance at getting picked up, right? But no. I don’t know what it is about Mizusawa Megumi, maybe she is one of those authors who do doesn’t want her work translated, or maybe publishers just don’t think anyone is interested in the sort of stories she writes, but not a single one of her manga have ever been published in the US. Even scanlators don’t seem to care for her (so maybe that is a sign that there isn’t a lot of interest in what she writes, I don’t know).

If you were into anime in the mid ’90s, you probably remember Hime-chan no Ribbon, which while never officially licensed in the US, was very popular on the fansub circuit at the time and often shown at anime clubs. That’s probably her most well-known series outside of Japan, and that was twenty years ago. It’s also not at all typical of what she writes, since it’s a sort-of magical girl story, whereas the vast majority of her manga is the sort of everyday romance/slice-of-life stuff I love.

I know I said much the same thing in my post about Aozora Yell, but I feel like the US manga industry could really use more shoujo of this sort. So much of what’s put out here skews towards obnoxious love interests and female rivals. Kimi ni Todoke is popular, so it’s not like no one at all is interested in stories where the majority of the characters are nice and friendship is as strongly valued as romance, but there’s so much more like that in Japan and I don’t know why more of it isn’t given a chance.

Higurashi: When They Cry, Vol. 21

March 31, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

Story by Ryukishi07; Art by Hinase Momoyama. Released in Japan as “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Minagoroshi-hen” by Square Enix, serialized in the magazine GFantasy. Released in North America by Yen Press.

And so we come to the end of the penultimate Higurashi arc, and – no surprise here – everyone is dead. And I do mean everyone, as this volume, having finally given away most of the secrets, goes into great detail how the “disaster” that wipes out the village actually occurs. Things are not particularly improved by Takano, who is waving her arms around during all this as if she’s a conductor, and has a final face that is perhaps the template for all “crazy Higurashi faces”. But let’s jump back a bit and see how we got here.

Rika and Hanyuu both feature on Yen’s chosen omnibus cover art (sorry, Takano, you just aren’t cute enough), with Rika having a resolved, determined face and Hanyuu looking depressed and dead inside. Most of this volume is showing us how Rika gets that determined, as getting the news about Tomitake’s death just seems to take all the fight out of her. Especially when she hears Oishii’s theories about who did it. A lot of fans have gotten on Rika’s case about being unable to figure out the killer, who seems really obvious in retrospect, and that she should have pieced it together after so many worlds in a row. Of course, as we see here, this is the first world where she’s not drugged up at the time of her execution. More to the point, she may have a hundred worlds of experience, but they’re the experience of a girl who only gets to about 12 years old. Rika has years, but not maturity, and it shows clearly here, when she resolves to hide everything from her friends so they don’t get killed.

That’s hardly going to work, however, given what happened with Satoko just a few days ago. Indeed, Satoko points this out to Rika directly, and Keiichi and the others make it clear that they’re not going to sit there and let Rika be sacrificed. We even have Rika quoting one of Bernkastel’s poems – usually reserved for the start and end of each arc, and indeed we get one at the end as well – which talks about who has a right to happiness. It’s easy to stand up against someone when it’s for the sake of others. When you do it for yourself, it can seem selfish, especially if it will put your friends in danger. Rika has to break through that barrier before she can accomplish anything.

We are – finally! – starting to get answers here, and indeed most of the pieces are together now. Not only is Takano the villain, but so are the “Wild Dog” bodyguards, who have always resembled a militia a bit too much for my taste. (I like how they are mook enough to have Keiichi and company take them out in order to rescue Rika, but not actually mook enough to have that last more than a few minutes – in the end, the kids lose.) And Hinamizawa Syndrome, the disease that causes the paranoia and killing impulses, is explained as well. This leads to why Rika keeps getting ritually slaughtered on an altar – Takano has gone mad and believes that if she kills the Queen Carrier, she’ll gain godlike powers.

And then there’s Hanyuu. We still don’t know much about her. She’s the incarnation of Oyashiro-sama, but strangely powerless, except for her ability to reset the worlds. She’s also even more worn down than Rika, and is also terrified that if she loses Rika this time she’ll be alone again… as she was for about a thousand years. Rena calls her out on this, as she too has the reoccurring theme of the Massacre arc – fighting back hurts too many people, it’s best not to have any hope. We’ve just proven how wrong this is, even if it did end badly. What’s more, we don’t really have much background on why the hell Takano is doing this, aside from “She’s insane”.

Luckily, we have one more arc – the longest yet, 8 volumes/4 omnibuses! – that should tell us about them, and will hopefully finally give us something that the characters and readers truly deserve after all this tragedy – a happy ending. Stay tuned for Vol. 1 of the awkwardly titled “Festival Accompanying” arc, where we meet a young girl named Miyoko Tanashi, and find out what makes her tick.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 10

March 30, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Naoko Takeuchi. Released in Japan as “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon” by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Nakayoshi. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.

In the last volume of Sailor Moon, we had chapters each devoted to the development of a senshi, be it Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, or the Outers. That having been done, it’s time for an action-packed climax to the SuperS arc. Now, this can also be a drawback. Takeuchi’s battles do tend to have a certain sameness to them, and in many ways this is just another variation on “our light is purer than your dark”. So with that in mind, let me talk about all the other things that I loved about this volume.

First of all, the entire arc has been a look at the dreams and nightmares of the world, with the Dark Moon Circus dealing out both with impunity. We’re definitely on the nightmare end of the scale for this volume, with many grotesque, horrific images that look even better in Takuuchi’s long-limbed shoujo style. Seeing Usagi’s face melting off was what caused me to buy a copy of the manga in my comic store years ago (this was an older Japanese tankobon, I think), and it hits Venus and the rest of the senshi right where they live – the Princess is dead, they failed to protect her. (A flashback showing the very Sleeping Beauty-esque appearance of Nehelenia in the Silver Millennium only reinforces that – also, Venus and the others as chibi-Senshi are adorable.) Usagi, meanwhile, is caught in what seems an idealistic dream – she and Mamoru are the same age, and he makes her breakfast before they go to school together. But she immediately starts to see through it, even if regretfully – Mamoru was never that sicky sweet. It’s a childish Usagi dream, and she’s moved beyond that.

The other senshi mostly get to stand around and gape, but there are occasional moments of awesome. Venus and Uranus are the clear team leaders of their respective groups, and there’s a brief moment where we see they don’t really get along. We also see a magic mirror that needs to be broken, and after senshi attacks fail to do the job Jupiter goes with her Plan A – punch it really hard. (Who needs superpowers when you have MONSTER STRENGTH?) But the big winner here is Saturn, who is back, is around Chibi-Usa’s age, and is clearly the most savvy of the entire group – so much so that she and Chibi-Moon actually have to be banished from the plot for half the book (in another really creepy and well-drawn sequence where they’re imprisoned in shards of mirror). She confronts the Amazoness Quartet, abut can see them for who they really are – and almost manages to get them to remember before Nehelenia steps in and turns them into dull black orbs. (Also, she gets to do something in the volume on which she’s the cover star – a rarity for this re-released series.)

After Nehelenia is defeated (sorry, honey, no redemption for you here), we see everyone transformed into their ‘royalty’ dresses (we actually see it earlier as well, and it’s worth noting a couple of things. First, Serenity apparently has powers so vast that she can give her retinue prom formal gowns almost by default. Secondly, everyone gets white gowns bar Pluto and Saturn’s, which are black. I’d like to think there’s meaning to that beyond “breaking up the color scheme”), Saturn is still in her senshi outfit as she has another duty – have Serenity purify the orbs. And after she does so, we see the true forms of the Amazoness Quartet – the Asteroid Senshi, Chibi-Moon’s own inner retinue from the future. (This is actually not explained quite as well as I’d like, and is another weakness of this volume.) Add that to Helios, who is at last free to not be a giant magic horse and romance Chibi-Moon as himself – and one purpose of this arc is to give Chibi-Usa her own group to turn to in Crystal Tokyo that’s not simply her parents and guardians. She’s free to grow up.

For a volume that seems to be, on flip through, about half ‘senshi gape at encroaching darkness’ pictures over and over, there was a lot going on here. We’ve got two volumes of the main storyline to go, which will be the last arc, Stars. I’m especially looking forward to these as it’s the arc I re-read the least first time round, so I want to see what new insights I can find in it. (I also want a street date for the Takeuchi artbook – some of the title pages in this cry out for big color prints.) Still a can’t miss shoujo classic.

Manga the Week of 4/3

March 29, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, MJ and Michelle Smith 3 Comments

SEAN: Too much manga next week. Luckily, a good chunk of it came in everywhere except Diamond *this* week, so that takes a bit of the curse off.

Attack on Titan 4 still has lots of horrible death, grotesque horror, and the fear that this series will end with *everyone* dead. But – BUT – it has Potato Girl. More on her in my weekend brief. Suffice to say, she’s a great reason to grab this.

ANNA: I remember being vaguely intrigued when I saw the license announcement for this manga, but I never really followed up on that. Should I give it a whirl? I’m feeling a bit ambivalent knowing that there’s a “Potato Girl” in it.

MJ: I really liked the first volume of Attack on Titan, yet never bought more. “Potato Girl” might be the tipping point, though, for getting me into the bookstore.

SEAN: Battle Angel Alita: Last Order starts its omnibuses. I already reviewed this one, and suffice to say that I was mostly pleased, even if it is losing something by Kodansha being unable/unwilling to license the original Alita.

Fairy Tail 24 wraps up its Edolas arc and starts a new one, with a competition to see who will be the next S-class mage. Oh, and a surprise return! Big surprise – it divided the fandom when this came out in Japan.

Love Hina finishes its re-release with the 5th omnibus, a slightly smaller one containing the last two volumes. No surprises to see who gets paired off in the end, but the amount of focus on swordswoman Motoko may surprise people.

Sailor Moon hits the big 1-0 and wraps up the SuperS arc. (That’s right, there’s no cliffhanger for once.) This was the first Sailor Moon manga I ever read back in the day, and its disturbing nightmarish imagery still stays with me.

MICHELLE: Volume 10 wasn’t the first Sailor Moon manga I read, but it was the first one I reviewed. The review mostly consisted of squee about the Outers and Amazoness Quartet, though. Up next – the Sailor Starlights! I might be in the minority, but I do love them so. (Probably more in the anime, though.)

ANNA: Several years ago I would not have thought that there would be such an abundance of Sailor Moon. I am unfortunately behind on this series, but am looking forward to indulging in some binge reading one day.

MJ: Same here. I bogged down after a few volumes, mainly due to a limited budget. I need to pick up the pace!

SEAN: Meanwhile, on the Vertical beat, we have the penultimate volume of GTO: Shonan 14 Days. Given the cliffhanger from 7, I expect most of this volume to be things going very, very badly. Luckily, Onizuka doesn’t know how to give up.

MJ: I have so much love for this little series. I can’t believe it’s nearly over!

SEAN: Limit hits Vol. 4, and has a new girl on the cover, and no doubt lots of tense survivalist horror and teen drama.

MJ: After volume three, I’m really on the edge of my seat, though I approach volume four with some real apprehension. This series is that tense.

SEAN: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin 1 is Vertical’s big release. It’s a deluxe omnibus hardcover, and simply looks expensive and gorgeous. I’ve heard good things about the content as well, as many Gundam fans apparently cherish this.

ANNA: I am sooooooo annoyed that my copy of this is currently languishing on a FED EX truck somewhere.

MJ: I really want to love this, though I’m a little nervous, given the weight of its fandom. Having never watched the anime nor read any of the other manga adaptations, will I be able to approach it as a fresh, new fan?

SEAN: The rest of the list is aaaaaall Viz. Barrage ends its short run with Vol. 2, hitting the Shonen Jump new series wall. Still, this does not necessarily mean that it’s a failure as a story. It’s worth checking out.

MICHELLE: I definitely liked volume one enough to check out volume two. I agree that it’s worth reading.

ANNA: This was an enjoyable series.

MJ: Indeed!

SEAN: Bleach hits Vol. 56, and has probably survived that early cancellation problem that befell Barrage. It’s not as popular as it once was, but it’s still a mainstay.

MJ: Heh. Yes.

SEAN: Blue Exorcist is the cream of the crop at Jump Square, and every volume brings fresh new delights. I think they’re still fighting toxic monsters from beyond, so it’ll be nice to see how they fix that.

MICHELLE: I really need to catch up on this!

SEAN: Also at Volume 9 is Dawn of the Arcana, which runs in Cheese! but so far has not been nearly as saucy as I was expecting from that shoujo/josei straddling magazine title.

MICHELLE: There are a couple of small “huh?” moments in the plot in this volume, but overall it provides some good drama, as Nakaba’s power proves to be quite a burden.

ANNA: I enjoy it, mostly because it has a sensibility that reminds me of some of CMX’s great fantasy titles.

SEAN: Anna may be gone, but Maria’s problems are still around as Devil and Her Love Song enters its second half. Vol. 8 will no doubt introduce new plot twists. I suspect the choral director may feature. (At least we haven’t seen the evil teacher lately…)

MICHELLE: Another one I intend to catch up on soon.

ANNA: The choral director seems a bit too invested in Maria. I am suspicious of him.

SEAN: By popular demand, Hana-Kimi continues its cheap 3in-1 omnibuses, containing Vols. 10-12. Do you like crossdressing, misunderstandings, and as close to BL as Hana to Yume ever gets these days? Then this is for you.

MICHELLE: Snerk. I read this the first go ’round, and while I liked it for most of the time, the ending profoundly irked me. I have a hard time recommending it because of that.

ANNA: I love this series!

SEAN: Jiu Jiu has hits Vol. 4, and I’m still on the fence about it. It has its good points and its bad points, but I’m not sure there’s enough good points to keep up with it. Still, wolf boys. Gotta love ’em.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I think I’m done. I really did try.

ANNA: I am not feeling this series either.

MJ: I really wanted to like wolf boys, but… no. Not really.

SEAN: I have no such issues with Kimi ni Todoke, which is at Vol. 16 but will never be unwelcome in my come. With one exception (sorry, Kent, I still have issues), the cast is absolutely perfect. Who isn’t reading this?

MICHELLE: If you aren’t, get on it!

ANNA: Kimi ni Todoke is so great. I love reading the stories of the supporting cast.

MJ: What they said!

SEAN: Library Wars: Love & War is yet another Vol. 9, and has hit the dreaded “caught up with Japan” stage (or at least as caught up as Viz allows itself to get). When we left off, they were using Iku as cute bait to catch a molester. I expect CUTE VIOLENCE will ensue.

MICHELLE: I ended up enjoying the eighth volume a lot more than I expected to, so I’m looking forward to volume nine. Also, don’t forget to check out the trailer for the movie that Anna recently posted!

ANNA: There is no way I wasn’t going to love a series about weaponized librarians, but let’s face it, this series is mega adorable.

SEAN: Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan. Saigon. I can’t believe we’re still in Saigon. Substitute “Kyoto” for Saigon and you have the gist of where I am with Nura. Still, I like it enough to soldier on. Especially as I know we still have at least two volumes to go.

Slam Dunk hits Vol. 27. I think basketball is involved in this particular volume.

MICHELLE: Hee. I’ve gotten to the stage where I’m starting to hoard the final volumes of Slam Dunk so I can read them back-to-back. That means I’ll have to wait ’til December, but it’ll be totally worth it.

ANNA: It is amazing how Slam Dunk can spread out one basketball game over several volumes and still manage to be utterly engrossing.

SEAN: Our last Vol. 9, as Story of Saiunkoku continues to be the shoujo Yes, Minister. Civil Service intrigue has never been so pretty.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one, too!

ANNA: I am sorry to see this series end as I would happily have read 9+ more volumes.

MICHELLE: Oh, is this the end?! Somehow I completely missed that.

SEAN: It is the last one, and I totally missed it as well. The story continues in the 11 billion light novels that will never, ever come over here.

ANNA: That makes me sad, as I really enjoy this story. But I’m glad we at least got the manga!

MJ: I, too, am really sorry to see this series end. It was a rare and wonderful treat.

SEAN: Toriko is up to Vol. 15, and has a cover that can best be described as TEETH. I think we start a new arc here as well.

MICHELLE: Yeesh. I intend to read Toriko, really I do, but this cover is giving me pause.

MJ: I have never been able to stomach this series. So to speak.

SEAN: Lastly, there’s Vol. 4 of Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, which I dunno, whatever, I fell off about 4 Yu-Gi-Ohs ago.

There has to be something in that pile for everyone. What’s yours?

3 Things Thursday: Late to the Party

March 28, 2013 by MJ 7 Comments

Having become a manga fan quite a while after its arrival to North America, I often find myself in the position of being “late to the party.” Which is to say, I’m often discovering newly beloved series years after everyone else. Though I’ve occasionally acquired such series slowly and painstakingly (and often expensively) long after they’ve gone out of print, new trends in omnibus and digital re-releases have recently made such discoveries much easier and more accessible than ever before. With that in mind, here are a few series I’ve belatedly discovered over the past few months!

3 older series to which I’m (fashionably?) late:

1. Loveless | By Yun Kouga | Viz Media – This series should not have been a surprise for me in the slightest, given my well-established fondness for Yun Kouga’s work, notably Crown of Love and Gestalt. Yet somehow, it was. After rescuing its license from Tokyopop’s now-defunct North American publishing division, Viz has not only continued where Tokyopop left off (volume 9), but has also begun re-releasing Loveless from the beginning in 2-in-1 omnibus format, making it possible for latecomers like me to catch up with relative haste. Viz’s third omnibus volume (containing volumes 5-6) comes out in just a couple of weeks, leaving only one more to collect before I can finally dig into their new releases, and that day can’t come too soon. Yun Kouga’s genius for wrapping up complex characterization in the most decadent genre tropes may leave her generally underrated—but certainly not by me. For my thoughts on Viz’s first two omnibus editions, check out Off the Shelf and My Week in Manga.

2. From Far Away | By Kyoko Hikawa | Viz Media – I’ve talked about this series a lot lately, but it’s been just that difficult to get out of my mind. As part of Viz’s new wealth of digitally re-released shoujo epics, the reappearance of From Far Away is what I’ve long dreamed of, even just in concept. And in practice, it’s even better. Its high fantasy setting, fast-paced adventure, and brave, determined heroine add up to pretty much my ideal shoujo fantasy, trumped by Yumi Tamura’s Basara perhaps only due to length. From my review of the first volume: “Another factor in From Far Away‘s success as fantasy-adventure is its overall complexity and sense of intrigue … everyone is a potential enemy, and it’s not clear at all whom we should be rooting for—including Noriko herself!” I’ll take fourteen volumes of that any day. Thanks, Viz, for giving this series a second chance!

3. The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service | By Eiji Ōtsuka and Housui Yamazaki | Dark Horse Comics – This horror manga about five Buddhist college graduates who use their (sometimes supernatural) abilities to provide paid services to the dead had always sounded intriguing, and with other members of the Battle Robot (along with half the manga blogosphere) frequently singing its praises, you’d think I’d have hopped on board without question. But I’ll admit that series’ high (still rising) volume count and the sketchy availability of its early volumes kept me at arm’s length. Fortunately, its availability on Dark Horse’s iPad app has given me the opportunity not only to obtain the first few volumes without having to rely on Amazon third-party sellers, but also to feel comfortable buying and reading at my own pace, for a reasonable price ($5.99 a pop) on the device I most prefer. I’ve just finally read this series’ first volume, and I’ve become a fast fan.

Readers, what manga parties have you been late to?

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: March 25, 2013

March 28, 2013 by Derek Bown Leave a Comment

The impossible has happened. Somehow a manga other than One Piece was my favorite manga of this week. I didn’t think it possible, but One Piece was just the right level of “Okay” and Nisekoi was just the right level of “really, really funny” that it managed to beat One Piece. Who knew? It really is possible.

Naruto Ch. 624
Oh those rascally Uchiha. And here I thought I was supposed to feel some kind of sympathy for one of them. Well, if that was the case then I have to confess it didn’t work. Madara’s turning against Hashirama was exactly what I’ve come to expect from practically every single Uchiha character. I will say, though, these past few chapters have endeared Tobirama to me more and more.

I think I’ll make some kind of pin or badge with the catchphrase “Tobirama was right” on it. Literally every single time he’s said someone should be killed, he has been completely right. Had he just killed Madara there? Everything bad that happened to Konoha never would have happened. Sure Hashirama makes his excuses, but if what Madara said is true, and the Uchiha clan was basically broken, then killing him would have been completely the right choice.

World Trigger Ch. 007
Not a lot has really happened in these past seven chapters. The biggest problem with this chapter is that once again it’s nothing but talking, and talking, and talking about things that I as a reader barely understand. The learning curve is steep in this series, and while I don’t like being babied by a story, a bit more explanation as to what the deal is with the Neighbors and Border would be nice—except when the explanation is half a page with a diagram explaining that rank A is higher than rank C. I know that many Japanese are not quite proficient in English, but all it takes is a working knowledge that English is in fact a language that exists to grasp this very simple concept.

One Piece Ch. 702
While this week’s chapter of One Piece was good, it was just a level or so below that of the preceding chapters—not for any fault in the chapter, but mostly because nothing really stood out. We already knew about Ace’s fruit, so that wasn’t a big reveal. And I find it a bit worrisome that we seem to have the makings of a tournament arc—a staple of shounen manga that One Piece has avoided over the course of more than a decade. If Oda decides to do a tournament arc, I believe he will make it entertaining. Or he might make it very short, like Shimabukuro did with Toriko. Still, I would very much prefer if Oda stayed far, far away from the tournament arc cliché.

Nisekoi Ch. 067
How can a chapter be so funny, and so gut wrenchingly heartbreaking at the same time. I was laughing throughout the entire chapter, up until Onodera trips. That last page is so heart wrenching specifically because it downplays the emotional impact. There are no streams of oddly globular tears, in fact there are barely even tears at all. For a series that gets most of its humor out of over-the-top expressions—many seen in this chapter alone—Onodera’s face on the very last page is one of the saddest things I’ve seen in manga for a while.

Toriko Ch. 227
Because Toriko employs the omniscient narrator so often I think it’s safe to say that Tommyrod is in fact bug food. I was right in that this was the last chapter dealing with that fight, but after most fights in Toriko ended without any lethal blows being landed, it comes as a shock to see a fairly major antagonist die. And with the introduction of Neo I think it’s safe to say that Shimabukuro intends to have the Gourmet Corp be dealt a heavy blow—one that will set them back quite some time. I was worried that this was far too soon for such a major confrontation, but the introduction of a second antagonistic organization, one that has flown under the radar but been well foreshadowed, shows promise. Shimabukuro most likely intends for the Gourmet Corp to be out of the picture for a while, and he has another antagonistic group ready to pick up where they left off.

Cross Manage Ch. 026
Once again it’s a bit of a shock to be reminded that this series is actually a sports manga. I liked the anecdote about the Celtic’s match, especially with how it tied into Sakurai’s plan to defeat a team significantly stronger than them. I do get the feeling that this match will be the final confrontation, and that Cross Manage is not much longer for this world. Which is a shame, I would have liked to see this series stretched out over a few more chapters. There was so much more character development I wanted to see for the other girls. Maybe we’ll get lucky, but we’ll have to just wait and see.

One-Punch Man Ch. 010
How can a character look both so blasé and horrifying at the same time. While I know Saitama will end this fight in one punch, I am glad that the story is being stretched beyond a single chapter. We’ve had the same joke a few times, now it’s time to show us how strong the actual story is. Is it possible to build a story around such a simple premise as a hero who cannot be beaten? I say yes. All it takes is playing around with the dynamics of the fight scenes. While Saitama is the hero, he’s also played up as the real monster in this confrontation—not because he is a bad person, but because he is in fact the most terrifying creature in the world. Next week we get to find out why he is so strong. Let’s hope the reveal is good. (Probable Spoiler: It will be.)

Dragon Ball Z Ch. 008
Goku is an odd character. He’s the archetypal foolish protagonist, but there are times, such as in this chapter, when we see exactly how foolish he really is. Or perhaps it would be better to use the word gullible. Either way, whichever word you prefer, he shouldn’t have let go of Raditz’s tail. Surprising no one, turns out Raditz is lying scum who is perfectly willing to murder his own brother. Though, considering that they don’t actually know each other, I can assume that the bond of brotherly love hasn’t exactly had much time to be forged.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Confession time, again, I didn’t really read this chapter. Well, I did skim it, but I didn’t get much out of it. While the domestic scenes were fun enough to skim, I was distracted by how outlandish the art style is. Somehow it manages to be ludicrous while still being art of the most commercial grade. While I wasn’t invested in the conflict later on in the chapter, I was amused by how the big source of conflict was dealt with within a few pages.

And that wraps up this week. If you have any comments about this week’s chapters please leave them below. If you want to praise my insight, leave a comment below. If you want to call me out for the hack that I am, the button to close this tab is up on the top.

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives. Or go directly to last week’s episode, Episode 040 – March 18, 2013 – How Batman Improves Any And All Manga | Toriko Vol. 2.

Tokyo Babylon Omnibus, Vol. 1

March 28, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By CLAMP. Released in Japan by Shinshokan, serialized in the magazine Wings. Released in North America by Dark Horse Comics.

This is one of the big CLAMP series, the ones that first come to mind when you mention the creative team. It was their first really big hit (sorry, RG Veda), and when you read this first volume you can easily pick out why. Some manga are about the storyline and characters, some deal with building a world. But Tokyo Babylon is about building a mood, and it combines terrific artwork and a naive, somewhat somber hero to show us the world careening towards an inevitable apocalypse, one we’d see play out in the semi-sequel to this work, X.

I’ve made a habit of pointing out CLAMP’s shortcomings in their post-2000 works, so it’s important to note how much they get right here. The artwork alone is worth buying the volume for, with a cute/handsome cast, striking settings, and strong, confident action scenes. Each story is self-contained so far, and has a plot that we’ve seen in many series before – a young spiritualists deals with restless ghosts and helps them find eternal rest – but it doesn’t feel tired, thanks in no small part to keeping the cast small and nuanced. Subaru’s noble idealism shines off the page, and makes an excellent contrast with his sister Hokuto’s eccentric extrovert. and then there’s Seishiro…

Let’s face it, Seishiro’s got something going on. I’m not spoiling anything, it’s just signposted – Hokuto even notes how he keeps changing the subject. At the start of the book he seems to be the most shallow – a nice, always smiling guy who tries to give Subaru gentle, older-man to younger-man advice while making cute jokes about seducing him. But by the time we get to the end of this volume, it’s clear that there’s something dark and unpleasant underneath that, and that Subaru’s idealism is going to run into it with a giant crunch. Honestly, in a way I can sort of see it. Subaru’s shininess is *so* over the top that it’s hard not to look at him every day and want to try to break it just a little bit…

I’ve jokes before about the magazine that Tokyo Babylon ran in, Wings, which is a shoujo/josei/fantasy/BL-lite hybrid that essentially became its own genre. Dark Horse advertises the series as one of the first BL manga to come out over here, but the BL in it is quite mild. Hokuto and Seishiro constantly joke about his love for Subaru, but Subaru’s lack of response beyond the occasional blush means that things don’t really go very far. Honestly, Hokuto is the big reason that this title isn’t completely bleak and grim – she’s a spark of life that brightens every scene she appears in. This will become far more important in the second volume, believe you me.

Dark Horse has done a really nice omnibus here, based on the re-released version from Japan (in case you’re wondering where Hokuto’s side-story got off to – it’ll be in the next one). A little oversize, nice thick paper, it’s a quality release. I’m not certain how changed the translation is from the Tokyopop edition, but it’s likely worth exchanging your old copies for this one anyway. And for those who haven’t tried this series, you really should – it’s CLAMP at their mightiest.

Manga Shopping Bag: March

March 27, 2013 by Anna N, MJ and Sean Gaffney 2 Comments

ANNA: Welcome to Manga Shopping Bag, a new monthly feature that will showcase what exactly the Manga Bookshelf crew has been spending their hard-earned money on. We’ll cover both print and digital purchases, and highlight a few shopping deals along the way.

I don’t order from RightStuf very frequently, but sometimes they have deals that are so good you would have to be crazy to pass them up. Right now, they have discounted sets and individual volumes of 20th Century Boys, and I decided to dive in and get the volumes that I need to finish off the series. These bargain bundles are only good until April 4th, so snag this series while you can! I stopped reading at around volume 13 but always meant to get back to the series, so I’m looking forward to being able to experience the rest of Urasawa’s masterwork.

I also picked up Demon Love Spell 2 and I ordered Gundam: The Origin Vol. 1, which is coming out on March 26th. I’m looking forward to being able to read about perverted demons and giant mecha.

On the digital front, I decided to pick up volumes 1-3 of Please Save My Earth on the Viz iPad app. I’ve read a few volumes of this when it was first coming out but didn’t collect it, so I’m looking forward to reading this properly for the first time.

I was also really happy to see that Vertical was moving into digital editions for 7 Billion Needles, Twin Spica, and Drops of God, but since I already own print volumes of Twin Spica and Drops of God, I decided to pre-order the first volume of 7 Billion Needles. I am super happy that Twin Spica is coming out digitally, since the print volumes are going out of print.

I think that was plenty of manga shopping for me for March, what are you buying?

MJ: I’ve been feeling giddy on the digital front as well, especially regarding Viz’s new wealth of older shoujo—much of which I missed completely when it was being released in print. I picked up first two volumes each of From Far Away, Red River, and Angel Sanctuary (the first two of which Michelle & I discussed in this week’s Off the Shelf), and I plan to follow all these series through to the end, now that I can.

In print, I picked up volume one of Dark Horse’s new release of CLAMP’s Tokyo Babylon. I already discussed much of the content, but I guess this is my opportunity to report that it’s an absolutely gorgeous edition. Dark Horse’s large trim size and smooth, bright white paper really make the most of the series’ clean lines and deep blacks. I suspect I’ll hang on to my well-loved Tokyopop volumes for nostalgia’s sake, but Dark Horse’s edition is vastly more beautiful. I should note that though this officially retails for $19.99, Amazon lists it at $10.98, which is an impressive savings. I’ll be preordering the second volume soon.

As you can see, 80s and 90s shoujo is where my money most often goes. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Lastly, this may sound a little silly, but I saw a couple of sets of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Antique Bakery for sale on ebay that were just too good to pass up. I picked them both up to give as gifts. I just couldn’t let them go unsold. I should note, too, that a few of these volumes are currently on clearance at Akadot Retail.

SEAN: Generally I tend to review the print manga I buy (hence go read my blog or the Briefs for those opinions), but there’s quite a few digital titles that I’m revisiting thanks to Viz. One of the more interesting is Bleach, a series that I’d grown increasingly jaded about once I realized that it was better to read it in chunks of 20 so that I could read in real time. Back with the first few volumes, though, it’s a different beast, and almost seems like it’s going to be about death and how we ceremonialize and respect those that have gone before us. It also has Rukia’s drawings, which are hysterical, and Orihime’s crush on Ichigo, which is adorable. It’s easy to see why it became popular, in the days before it was battles lasting for 52 weeks.

I’ve evangelized about Excel Saga quite a bit, both on my blog and on Twitter, and it’s just fantastic to see that Viz has made nearly the entire series available on digital, including the hideously out of print Vols. 7 and 8. Now, I’ve gotten some flak about pimping this out on the Excel Saga forums, most of whom live in England or Europe and are thus regarding me as a brat dangling their favorite toy just out of reach. Sigh… international rights are still a bear. But for North American fans, it’s a great way to see that the anime is not the be-all-and end-all in regards to this series, and there’s plenty of plot and characterization excellence to be found among the biting satire and zany humor.

ANNA: Early Bleach is pretty great, and I’m also very excited about the older shoujo series that are coming out digitally.

Readers, what have you been spending your manga money on this month?

It Came from the Sinosphere: Ashes of Time

March 26, 2013 by Sara K. 2 Comments

This movie is a critics’ darling and a box office flop. It often gets placed on lists of “Best Chinese-Language Movies”—for example, this movie is ranked at #35 in the Hong Kong Film Awards list of 100 Best Chinese Movies (this is a bit like the AFI 100 list).

This movie is also plain weird.

The Story

Ouyang Feng contracts sword fighters and martial artists to carry out paid assassinations. His best friend is Huang Yaoshi. Someone called Murong Yang wants Ouyang Feng to kill Huang Yaoshi for jilting his sister. Then Murong Yin (the sister) comes to ask Ouyang Feng to kill Murong Yang (her brother) for getting between her and Huang Yaoshi, and … *sigh* … I quit this synopsis.

I don’t want to spoil anything, and even if I did write a comprehensible plot summary (which would be spoilerful), it would completely miss the point. Just know that this takes place in a desert, there are love polygons, and that the men, at least, are all skilled fighters.

More Background

This is a film by Wong Kar-wai, one of Hong Kong’s most recognized film directors. He’s the only Chinese-language director who has won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. He’s famous for making movies with lots of lush visual imagery that explores personal relationships and memories, which describes this specific film to a T.

This film also features many of Hong Kong’s top stars of the era.

This movie is supposedly a prequel to Jin Yong’s Condor Trilogy. Indeed most of the main characters (Ouyang Feng, Huang Yaoshi, and Hong Qi) are also significant characters in the trilogy, and a few of the plot points in this movie (specifically Ouyang Feng’s relationship with his brother’s wife) are also mentioned in Jin Yong’s work. But this movie is so different, that I would describe it as fanfiction loosely inspired by the Condor Trilogy rather than an actual prequel (though being a work of fanfiction doesn’t mean that it has any less merit).

It took a lot of time to shoot this movie, which caused it to go over-budget. To try to get some more cash, the makers of this movie spent about a week putting together a spoof of the The Eagle-Shooting Heroes, which ironically made more money than Ashes of Time itself.

In 2005, Wong Kar-wai put together Ashes of Time Redux. I haven’t seen it (I saw the original film), but I’ve read that the story is easier to understand in the “redux” version.

The Cinematography

I generally don’t talk much about cinematography or editing, since I know close to nothing about such things. However, even someone like me who has never taken a film class in her life can tell that this movie has great imagery. This movie also makes creative use of moving light/show, such as in scenes where light shines through a twirling wicker cage, which causes the light to shine in moving lines across the actors’ faces.

Wicker cage shadows!

Another example is this scene with a woman on horseback, in which the light reflected off the water makes the woman’s face look almost white (the whiteness of her face is starkly contrasted with her otherwise dark surroundings).

The woman on horseback with light reflecting off the water (this is really hard to convey in a single screenshot)

Reflections in the water is actually a theme in this movie.

And the desert is … very scenic. I won’t say “beautiful,” since that’s not the intention, but it certainly has visual impact.

I’m sure somebody who actually knows something about cinematography could make more insightful comments.

Position in Wuxia

This is obviously a wuxia film, and it’s the kind of wuxia film which defies what many non-Asians imagine wuxia is. Though there are a few furious fights, they are also furiously brief, therefore I can’t enjoy this film in the same way I would enjoy a Lau Kar-leung film for the exciting kung-fu choreography. It’s also not a tearjerking melodramatic romance. This, in a way, makes it the opposite of a Jin Yong story, since Jin Yong stories tend to be very high in technically-detailed fighting and melodramatic romance (soap operas with swords!)

This is a quietly-meditative kind of wuxia story, which uses the psychologically heightened setting of wandering fighters to look at personal relationships (I’ve seen this before in novels, though not in a movie—in fact, I’m impressed it works at all in a film format). The relationships aren’t there to make drama; the drama is there to reveal the relationships.

The Pacing

If you haven’t guessed it already, this is a slow movie, and it’s not until the end that the various bits and pieces of the story cohere into something that feels complete.

Being familiar with The Eagle-Shooting Heroes makes it a little easier to understand what is going on, but not much easier. I understand why this bombed at the box office.

On the other hand, I did not find the film boring at any point. Aside from the eye-catching imagery, the individual moments were usually pretty interesting, even though it was sometimes hard to understand what was connecting the various moments together.

And the fact that this film feels so disjointed actually helps make its point. It’s a film about memory and personal reflection, and when we think back on our own memories, we generally think of them in sets of particular vivid moments, rather than a linear narrative.

Personal Relationships and Regret

This movie is basically about how we let our personal relationships deteriorate, how we fail to value the most meaningful things in life, and how we mourn for that loss when it’s too late. The most positive reviews I’ve seen of this movie came from people who watched it after a breakup, and a few people recommend watching it alone (then again, some people recommend watching it in a theater if possible to fully experience the cinematography).

The current state of my life is not such that I can fully appreciate this film. It does not speak to what are currently my deepest personal issues. Therefore, I feel that I haven’t felt the full impact of this film. Perhaps I should revisit this film again when my life is different.

However, the film still has some relevance to my current life. I have spent most of my life in San Francisco, and prior to moving to Taiwan, I had spent all of my life living in northern California (aside from brief trips to other places). Modern technology makes it much easier to maintain the relationships which are most important to me … but not being in the Bay Area has meant that relationships which are not so close, but still valuable, have gradually withered away.

During my first year in Taiwan, I didn’t think at all about returning to the United States since I was still dazzled by the novelty of being on a different continent, but now I often think about returning, and of all the things I should do to re-establish myself before it’s too late (the United States as a whole, and my neighborhood specifically, has changed since I left, and if I wait too long, I will only be able to return as a stranger). The fact that I think so much about returning also affects my relationships here in Taiwan—I’m afraid to go deeper into relationships, lest they break when I leave. Heh, maybe this film is a preview of how I’ll feel after I return to the United States, in which case, it’s a bit scary.

Availability in English

This movie is readily available with English subtitles, and they don’t suck. Since this movie is in Cantonese, I actually used a combination of Chinese and English subtitles to watch it, so I was able to compare the two. While I’m certain the Chinese subtitles are closer to what is being said in Cantonese, most of the departures in the English subtitles make the English feel more natural, and a more literal translation would feel much stiffer.

Non-Conclusion

I think I need to see the film again before I have a conclusion. And seeing the film again right now wouldn’t count—I need to wait at least six months before seeing the film again. I might conclude that this film is really deep, or I might conclude that it’s bullshit dressed up with impressive cinematography. Perhaps I’ll watch the redux version next time.

Next time: Burning Moon (manhua)

Sara K. finally went to Sun Moon Lake. She had been warned that she shouldn’t get her expectations too high, but she thinks Sun Moon Lake is gorgeous, and that Nantou County is fantastic. She suspects the people who find Sun Moon Lake disappointing/boring either have a different temperament from her, were doing/seeing the wrong things, or simply had super-high expectations (Sara’s learned to never have super-high expectations during travel).