Features & Reviews

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 08 April

June 11, 2012 by Matt Blind 1 Comment

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [432.0] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [431.8] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [402.0] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [389.5] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [387.7] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [357.0] ::
7. ↑2 (9) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [336.4] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [333.1] ::
9. ↑10 (19) : Bleach 39 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2012 [328.0] ::
10. ↓-2 (8) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [327.0] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 77
Yen Press 77
DMP Juné 60
Viz Shojo Beat 52
Kodansha Comics 44
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 37
HC/Tokyopop 16
Tokyopop 16
Vizkids 16
DMP 15

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,106.8] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [865.1] ::
3. ↑1 (4) : Black Butler – Yen Press [669.5] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [624.7] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [584.1] ::
6. ↑1 (7) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [509.8] ::
7. ↑3 (10) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [472.1] ::
8. ↓-3 (5) : Pokemon – Vizkids [457.7] ::
9. ↑7 (16) : Blue Exorcist – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [444.3] ::
10. ↓-2 (8) : Black Bird – Viz Shojo Beat [435.5] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

2. ↔0 (2) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [431.8] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [402.0] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [357.0] ::
9. ↑10 (19) : Bleach 39 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2012 [328.0] ::
11. ↑9 (20) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 8 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2012 [305.0] ::
14. ↓-2 (12) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [272.6] ::
16. ↔0 (16) : Black Bird 13 – Viz Shojo Beat, Mar 2012 [256.2] ::
18. ↑72 (90) : Blue Exorcist 7 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2012 [247.0] ::
19. ↓-6 (13) : One Piece 61 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [245.4] ::
20. ↓-5 (15) : Pandora Hearts 9 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [243.7] ::

[more]

Preorders

15. ↑21 (36) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [263.6] ::
22. ↔0 (22) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [234.3] ::
23. ↓-2 (21) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [233.8] ::
26. ↑39 (65) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [206.0] ::
50. ↑9 (59) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [158.4] ::
74. ↓-4 (70) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 – Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [128.2] ::
86. ↓-3 (83) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [114.7] ::
92. ↓-5 (87) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [111.2] ::
96. ↓-7 (89) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [106.3] ::
106. ↔0 (106) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [98.1] ::

[more]

Manhwa

422. ↓-47 (375) : Bride of the Water God 9 – Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [25.4] ::
599. ↑96 (695) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [16.2] ::
744. ↑221 (965) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [11.3] ::
1017. ↑554 (1571) : Toxic (anthology) 1 – Udon, Jul 2012 [6.0] ::
1111. ↓-305 (806) : INVU 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2009 [4.6] ::
1120. ↓-13 (1107) : JTF-3 Counter Ops – RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [4.5] ::
1211. ↓-486 (725) : Ragnarok 1 – Tokyopop, May 2002 [3.3] ::
1366. ↓-510 (856) : March Story 3 – Viz Signature, Oct 2011 [2.1] ::
1448. ↔0 (1448) : Arcana 4 – Tokyopop, Mar 2006 [1.6] ::
1482. ↑ (last ranked 25 Mar 12) : Arcana 1 – Tokyopop, Jan 2005 [1.4] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

92. ↓-5 (87) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [111.2] ::
106. ↔0 (106) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [98.1] ::
128. ↑1113 (1241) : Happiness Recommended – DMP Juné, May 2008 [80.5] ::
130. ↑957 (1087) : Candy – DMP Juné, Aug 2008 [78.7] ::
135. ↑3 (138) : Jazz 4 – DMP Juné, Feb 2007 [76.5] ::
145. ↑ (last ranked 25 Mar 12) : Necratoholic – DMP Juné, Apr 2008 [73.0] ::
153. ↓-97 (56) : Maelstrom 1 – Yaoi Press, Jun 2011 [70.0] ::
154. ↑ (last ranked 4 Mar 12) : Love Lesson – DMP Juné, Apr 2008 [70.0] ::
158. (new) : Wild Butterfly – DMP Juné, Aug 2008 [68.0] ::
160. ↑1377 (1537) : A Promise of Romance (novel) – DMP Juné, May 2008 [67.6] ::

[more]

Ebooks

3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [402.0] ::
10. ↓-2 (8) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [327.0] ::
14. ↓-2 (12) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [272.6] ::
17. ↓-6 (11) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [249.7] ::
26. ↑39 (65) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [206.0] ::
32. ↓-8 (24) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [190.7] ::
46. ↑15 (61) : Soulless 1 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [163.9] ::
48. ↑3 (51) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [163.0] ::
52. ↓-3 (49) : Bleach 37 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [156.2] ::
59. ↑39 (98) : Maximum Ride 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [146.6] ::

[more]

Not By Manga Alone: Onion Theory

June 11, 2012 by Megan Purdy Leave a Comment

It’s time once again for Not By Manga Alone! This month Megan tackles cyberpunk, graphic memoir, and vampire comics.

Vampires, it turns out, are easier than people.

The Strain | David Lapham, Mike Huddleston and Dan Jackson | Dark Horse Comics — When the preview for issue five showed up in my inbox, I thought it would be a good time to get caught up with this eight issue mini.

A plane touches down at JFK Airport. It goes silent. Lockdown. HAZMAT and CDC teams investigate: all but three of the passengers are dead, and it’s not immediately apparent how they died. So begins a vampire outbreak that will sweep the world within two months. The tagline reads: “They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhatten will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months, the world.” It’s a tall order and The Strain, so far, manages to live up to that ominous promise, at least in terms of tension and creeping dread.

The Strain is a graphic adaptation of the Guillermo Del Toro vampire novel of the same name. The novel received mixed reviews, but still managed to achieve best-seller status. Two sequels followed, and achieved similarly impressive sales. Many of the problems commonly cited in reviews of the series–directionless interiority, a wandering plot, occasionally cliche and lifeless prose–are solved by way of a change of medium.

Gone are any issues with prose and character voice–Lapham’s workmanlike script keeps the action moving forward, and doesn’t dwell on any of the large cast’s individual angst. The art too, is efficient and unshowy: focused on delivering information and plot points quickly and cleanly. Huddleston doesn’t try to ape the horror comics masters. That’s both a strength and weakness for The Strain. Tension is built up primarily through the unfolding mystery of the plane and outbreak; the script doesn’t lean on the art to create atmosphere and is perhaps stronger for it. On the other hand, I sometimes found myself aching for some Mignola inks, or Templesmith shadows. Huddleston is at his best when he’s doing crowded rooms or cityscapes; empty skies seem to be a problem for him–they lack character or emotion. Give him a panel full of things though, and his pencils really come to life.

Despite the scientific trappings of the CDC investigation, The Strain’s sensibility is distinctly old school. The vampires here are more Nosferatu than Twilight: they travel by coffin in the soil of their homeland, and they’re devoid of human sexuality, existing only to consume. By the midpoint of the mini, we’ve met two kinds of monsters, and a third has been hinted at. Vampires who survive initial infection maintain–at least for at time–their intelligence and some personality. Vampires who ‘die’ and then revive, once the infection has run its course, have a bit of ghoul in them. There’s a third kind that has yet to have any page time, although it’s been hinted at: master vampires who jump from body to body, operating with fierce, malevolent intelligence. It’s this last kind who is introduced in The Strain’s fairy-tale prologue. It’s this kind that “broke the truce,” as one of the characters warns.

The chief invention of the novel is the vampires’ feeding proboscis, borrowed perhaps from the Geiger nightmares of Alien, and the vampires in Guillermo del Toro’s Blade 2. These vampires have a prehensile, hooked tongue, in addition to a mouth full of fangs. It might be a bit of dramatic stakes raising, but it hit me in the hindbrain, just as it was meant to–the moment of revelation is horrific and disgusting in equal measure.

The Strain has gotten off to a strong start, and I’m eagerly awaiting the final issues. So far, I’m a convert. Time to pack a bugout bag. — Megan Purdy

* * * * *

Channel Zero: The Complete Collection | Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan | Dark Horse Comics — I read Channel Zero, its sequel Jennie One, and all the short stories and one-offs collected in this edition in one sitting. It was kind of a bruising experience. It’s a beautiful book, and the extras, from design work, to covers, to unused pages, make it truly special; it’s the kind of in depth treatment comics so rarely get. The Complete Collection invites us into Wood’s creative process, going all the way back to the original, self-published Channel Zero single that Wood shopped around ComicCon. The extras help to contextualize Channel Zero and Jennie One as not just a cyberpunk-activist stew, but a vital reaction to the politics of the day.

Channel Zero is set in the near future, now past, of 1990s New York City. The country has gone into hyper-religious, paranoid lockdown. The media as we know it has been disassembled, and reconstructed as a Christian, conservative, state media–perfect for a country now bent on an empire of ideological purity. The Americans are massing troops on the Southern border, and have doubled down on their Latin American campaigning. They’ve graduated from the often shadowy wars on terror and drugs, to out and out police actions. Mexican cartels, government and ordinary citizens have joined forces to prepare for the coming invasion. Domestically, Americans have moved to crush dissent, first by seizing control of the media, next by turning the full force of the militarized police on ‘deviant’ elements of society–artists, minorities, the poor–and finally, by cracking down on petty crime, through a special division of the police called Ceaners. They keep the city clean–by summarily executing anyone foolish enough to litter, tag, or protest.

Much of the rest of the world has turned its back on the US. Canadians use payphones to help dissident American friends access the free media. NATO has been transformed into an anti-American alliance, welcoming Russia and India into the fold. They’re leery of US saber-rattling; seemingly ready to meet them with military force. The world of Channel Zero is perched on a terrible precipice, and the most horrific thing in all of this, is how comfortable most Americans are with it all.

Our heroine, artist turned activist Jennie 2.5, wants her fellow citizens to wake up. She’s going to help them along the way back to consciousness by hacking the media. It’s in the first section detailing Jennie 2.5’s escalating efforts, that Channel Zero most shows its age. The technology, of course, and the means to co opt it, are both dated. This is a pre cell phone, pre Web 2.0, America.

Jennie’s civil disobedience is part squatter punk, and part performance activism, infused with both the hacker ethic, and a raw hunger for attention. Jennie begins her campaign by hacking an overseas broadcast signal with short commercials for free thinking, but eventually ups the ante by hacking the US government signal with a longer, more substantive broadcast, just before she’s hunted down by the cops. Her tools include payphones, desktop PCs, and cumbersome 90s (barely) handheld cameras. As dated as the technology is, it adds a certain already retro charm to a still vital artistic and philosophical critique. This is present tense science fiction that’s interested in the possibilities of emerging and contemporary technologies, turned to new purpose.

When, in an interview, Jennie is asked about her heroes, and her own personal ideology, she’s exposed as not too deep of a thinker. Jennie’s fond of Che and Mao for their revolutionary spirit, but she has little to say about their ideas, or more importantly, about her own. In Jennie One, we get her origin story. Jennie goes from apolitical, nose-to-the-grindstone student, to tatooed, outcast activist, while the world goes to shit around her. The Jennie of Jennie One is no more philosophically sophisticated than one we meet in Channel Zero. Her rebellion is more feeling than philosophy–but that has it’s own power. By the end of Channel Zero, (Spoiler Alert!) Jennie decides that it’s time to pass the torch to the next wave of angry, comparatively innocent kids, because she knows it’s these hardline kids who have the energy to do the kind of dramatic activism she no longer can. Jennie wonders if she’s a fraud, if her selfish motivations have poisoned her altruistic ones. But it’s her messiness that makes her such a perfect contrast to the ideological purity of the new American order.

Warren Ellis wrote the foreword to The Complete Collection. It’s a good fit. Channel Zero and Jennie One are full of cyberpunk futurism, a critique of capitalist consumption and representation, and the sometimes nasty intersection of religion and politics. It doesn’t get any more Ellis-y (not without cigs and swears, anyway). But where many of Ellis’ science fiction stories are frenetic, both Channel Zero and Jennie One take their time. Wood isn’t afraid to slow things down for some introspection, or for a history lesson, or even for a gorgeous, atmospheric tableau. There’s a tremendous amount of information packed into every page of Channel Zero, but Wood’s dramatic, black and white inks rule everything. While the pages are littered with advertising slogans, a city colonized by signs, populated by bodies that have become symbols, this is a stark comic. The sloganeering is forced to hug the margins of most pages, or find corners to hang onto. It’s background hum to the baseline of all that black and white.

Becky Cloonan took over art duties in Jennie One and the transition is wonderfully smooth. I had a hard time believing this was her first substantial published work, because Jennie One is a seamless blend of her style and Wood’s. She picks up on many of his visual motifs, but introduces some of her own as well. Her Jennie is softer than Wood’s–a perfect compliment to her younger, softer self.

The Complete Collection is a wonderfully interesting comic. It’s a little piece of the living history comics, and well worth checking out. But best not to read it in one shot like I did–this a book that deserves all of your attention. — Megan Purdy

* * * * *

Are You My Mother? | Alison Bechdel | HMH Books — Fun Home is on my list of desert island top five list comics. Are You My Mother? isn’t quite there, but it might be, after some rereads. Fun Home is a memoir of Alison Bechdel’s father, and their relationship. Are You My Mother? is a memoir of her mother, and their relationship. It’s also a book about psychoanalysis, particularly the pediatrician and analyst, David Winnicott.

She begins with this question: why did my mother abruptly stop hugging me when I was a kid? She arrives at an answer several times–she was too old, her mother was depressed, her mother resented her, her mother just couldn’t. All of these revelations have emotional truth, but none of them is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. There are no clear or easy answers in Are You My Mother?, because ultimately, it’s a book about relationships–object-subject, mother-daughter, creator-created–and relationships are complicated.

But the book also has Bechdel’s signature self-deprecating, easy touch. Are You My Mother? is a brainy book, and it’s relentlessly internal, but it isn’t a difficult read. Bechdel’s an old hand at making complicated ideas and relationships, engaging and accessible. Her approach to psychoanalysis is unintimidating and it’s presented without a hint of snobbery, as mainly, an investigatory technique, and also as the organizing principle at work. It’s a tool, and early on, she gives you the rundown, so you can use it like she does (though not so deftly, perhaps).

As always, Bechdel’s pencils are clean, and her pages uncluttered. What is on the page, is what needs to be there. She smartly includes infographics, hand-traced pages from Winnicott’s notes and Virgina Woolf’s diaries, and Family Circus style maps. While there’s nothing superfluous in Are You My Mother?, the pages are still packed with loads of important detail.The lo-fi, watercolour pink palate of the book suggests girlhood, femininity, motherhood, and Bechdel’s ambivalence to all of these. It’s also unashamedly pretty.

Visually it’s as easy a read as narratively, it’s sometimes a hard one. The book is nonlinear, organized thematically, rather than chronologically, or in order of therapeutic revelation. In describing ‘the self’, Bechdel says we’re kind of like onions: layers and layers of ‘false selves’, around a hidden, fortified core. If this book is an onion, we’re traveling through it, going from one layer to another and back again, until we reach the core, or to get psychoanalytical, until we reach the book’s ‘true self’.

The layers:

1. Her mother and their relationship.

2. Her time in psychoanalysis and exploration of that relationship.

3. Her research into psychoanalysis, and Winnicott’s work, and how that affected her course of therapy.

4. The book and how her research into psychoanalysis helped to shape it.

5. And finally the framing device: “I am writing a book about my mother. I don’t know how to write it, or what the story is.”

As much as it’s an intensely personal and internal story, it’s also a universal one. Bechdel asks her mother, also a writer, “don’t you think that by writing rigorously and meticulously about your own life, you can arrive at something universal?” Her mother doesn’t think that. Over and over she decries artists who get too personal in public. She has an ambivalent relationship to her daughters’ work–at once terrified about what might be revealed, and analytical. She offers Bechdel stylistic advice, while holding back the emotional.

Bechdel’s mother is an actor too, and many of Bechdel’s most joyous memories of her, are performances. Ultimately, Bechdel and her mother don’t quite understand each other, and Bechdel is stuck relating to a fiction, a character of her and her mother’s invention. Bechdel says of their mutual narrative creation, “she was composing me as I was composing her.” This is Bechdel and her mother, Bechdel and her analyist, Bechdel and her book, and finally, us and the book we’re reading.

This is a book that will reward rereading, and close reading–I already want to go back and see if certain events hit me differently this time round, and spend some time unpacking the visual motifs. Are You My Mother? is, I think, my book of the year. And who am I kidding? Desert island top five material, for sure. — Megan Purdy

Bookshelf Briefs 6/10/12

June 11, 2012 by MJ, Sean Gaffney, Katherine Dacey and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

This week, MJ, Sean, Kate, and Michelle look at recent releases from VIZ Media and JManga.

Bakuman, Vol. 11 | By Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata | VIZ Media – I’ve always considered Bakuman to be a manga made up of pretty much equal parts “awesome” and “maddening,” and if that’s a decent description of the series as a whole, it’s especially applicable to volume eleven. In the category of “maddening,” we have the usual tiresome offenses against feminism—specifically the further domestication of Kaya, Takagi’s spunky but unambitious young wife, and the over-the-top vilification of Aiko Akina, the talented young writer who was first introduced as a girl too smart to be attractive to men. In the “awesome” column, on the other hand, is basically everything else, especially ongoing rivalry between our heroes and Eiji Nizuma and the artistry it elicits from both sides. By the end of the volume, even Akina is finally beginning to be portrayed as a worthwhile rival instead of the jealous harpy she’s been painted as all along. Overall, I’d probably call it a win. YMMV. – MJ

A Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 3 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – It’s becoming pretty clear that we’re in for the long haul as regards Maria being bullied, and this volume seems to continue the pattern of her winning over the class one by one. That said, ‘winning over’ is not the same thing as it was with Tomoyo or our two male love interests. Maria has genuine problems interacting with others, and even if you admire her ability to tell folks the truth straight up, you have to acknowledge it. The maskless Maria in this volume goes up against another girl who is putting up a facade, and is just as intolerant of it. I enjoyed the author’s depiction of the crush Hana has on Yusuke – it’s all about the awkward and childish, with very little ‘we were meant to be from the start. Plus, of course, it helps keep the romantic triangle involving Maria alive. – Sean Gaffney

Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll, Vol. 4 | Story & Art by Yumi Tsukirino, Original Concept by Chisato Seki | VIZ Media – I feel like a grinch for not succumbing to the charms of this Sanrio series, but Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll has all the warmth of a Transformers comic: it’s a slick, synthetic story in which the real aim is selling products, not creating memorable characters or representing real emotions. The second half of volume four is particularly egregious, as it focuses on the “girl” puppies’ efforts to become pop idols and date celebrities. There’s no doubt that tween girls fantasize about being famous, but the the stories are so neatly resolved that only the least discerning ten-year-old will find them convincing. About the best I can say for volume four is that the first batch of stories — in which the entire gang gets into the crepe-making business — are moderately amusing, as Cinnamoroll’s forest-dwelling neighbors ask for unusual fillings; the raccoons and chickens are a good foil for the prissy, sweets-eating pups. The rest of volume four suffers from their absence. – Katherine Dacey

Gokudou Meshi, Vol. 2 | Shigeru Tsuchiyama | JManga – I was really looking forward to the second volume of Gokudou Meshi and it didn’t disappoint, but that’s because I knew what to expect: tales of simple fare told by a nearly indistinguishable cast of inmates sitting around their cell in a Japanese prison. The food featured in this volume includes instant ramen, katsudon, spaghetti, and even canned pineapple juice. We also see the storytelling tradition spread from the original room 204 to room 307, at which point it becomes apparent that there’s absolutely nothing to be gained in trying to keep track of the characters, because they are utterly unimportant. Gokudou Meshi has stripped away the things that are not essential (plot, characters…) and instead focuses solely on the food. It’s a formula that works for me, though, and one that’s not unaffecting—now I need to find a place in town with good katsudon! – Michelle Smith

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 9 | By Hiroshi Hiibashi | VIZ Media – If you like shonen battles and you like yokai, there’s plenty to enjoy here. Rikuo trains in order to be able to face his newest enemies in Kyoto, and for those playing along ‘fear’ is apparently Nura’s version of ‘bankai’ or ‘haki’ or whatever you call a power-up in Jump. There’s new characters introduced, most of whom mistake Rikuo as a weakling before they learn better, and the villain marches through Kyoto curbstomping everyone and being arrogant. That said, I do sort of miss the initial plot of Nura trying to balance his human and yokai sides, which has gotten a bit lost amidst the battles. Now that his classmates are in danger (again) in Kyoto, perhaps we can get a bit more of a return to form. I’m not hopeful, though – the artist seems to love the yokai world far more than they do the human one.. – Sean Gaffney

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 7 | Art by Kairi Yura, Story by Sai Yukino | VIZ Media – I’ve always really liked The Story of Saiunkoku, but this volume made me love it. While Shurei continues to persevere at court in the face of tremendous hardship (winning some admiration in the process), there is a lot of other really interesting stuff going on, including Koyu’s doubts about whether his guardian truly cares for him, Seiran’s promise to watch over Shurei until she can stand on her own, and the arrival of Shurei’s uncle with plans to recall her to the Hong clan’s “main house” someday. As if that weren’t enough, there’s an accusation of favoritism regarding Shurei’s test results, an arrest, a confinement, and a liberal sprinkling of Ryuki being awesome. Really, this volume has it all. I can’t imagine anyone waffling on the quality of this series, but if you did have doubts, volume seven will put them to rest! – Michelle Smith

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 18

June 11, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Bisco Hatori. Released in Japan as “Ouran Koukou Host Club” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazine LaLa. Released in North America by Viz.

At long last, one of Viz’s most beloved shoujo series is coming to an end. We’ve had all the drama, we’ve had the love confession, so all that’s left is wrapping things up. Luckily, for the most part that means a return to the comedy that was one of the main reasons that fans loved this series. From Tamaki’s over-the-top reactions, to Haruhi’s deadpan remarks, to Kyoya’s smiling nastiness, there’s something for everyone here. And it’s all topped with a layer of sweetness that will give you cavities – but in a good way.

I should probably mention right now, though, that some BL fans of the series may end up being annoyed. Ouran has a huge BL fandom, as many reverse harem series tend to, and the artist enjoyed playing up to it – though always in a silly way. However, now that it’s the end of the series, she does little panels devoted to what happens to the cast when they grow up. A note to authors of books or manga with romantic entanglements – fans HATE this. Telling folks who love to write fanfiction that all of their romantic avenues are blocked by canon just grates. So when Ouran fans started off Vol. 18 by having Hunny married off to Reiko, I suspect the reaction was less “awww, so cute!” and more “Noooooo, he’s Mori’s!”. Be prepared for this throughout the book.

As for the book itself, I had wondered what Tamaki’s reaction to Haruhi’s confession would be like. It’s pretty much exactly as I predicted – which is what makes it fun, of course. Tamaki’s tendency to overdo everything, his naivete at basic day-to-day living and yet his mastery of reading other people are all on display here, and I think after 18 volumes we no longer worry about how he’ll function as an actual responsible adult. The same goes for Haruhi – the change in her over the course of the series has been astounding, and here we see her actually being openly affectionate with Tamaki.

The series proper ends about 2/3 through the volume, so we get two ‘side stories’ taking place after the series. The second is just 6 pages of our main couple being adorable, but the first is full-length, and focuses on Kyoya and his family issues. The author notes in comments that she wanted to leave Kyoya’s story open-ended as it would be very difficult to realistically wrap it up that fast – it will take years. So instead we have Kyoya being clever, but still not quite clever enough to think ahead of his father, which is his main goal. He also clashes with a woman from another family who’s being engaged to one of his brothers. Seeing their sharp, nasty barbs towards each other – all delivered, of course, with bright and happy smiles – made me happy. And of course the rest of the Host Club is there as well, making this probably the funniest chapter of the volume.

As with all harem series that deliver an actual ending, this is going to upset a few people. But I suspect the majority will be delighted. Ouran has been an over-the-top romantic comedy which, even if it got a bit melodramatic towards the end, never stopped delivering entertainment. It’s been worth the wait to have it fully come out here. v(I do wonder if Viz will license Hatori’s new work, The Bullshit Delusional Opera, when it comes out in Japan. It may need a title change.) Congratulations to Haruhi, Tamaki and the cast!

Until Death Do Us Part, Vol. 1

June 8, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Hiroshi Takashige and DOUBLE-S. Released in Japan as “Shi ga Futari wo Wakatsu made” in 2 separate volumes by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press.

It feels rather refreshing, after reading this first omnibus, to know that I will not have to be thinking of ways to praise the author’s fresh, original ideas. There’s nothing like that here. Not that this is a bad manga – it’s quite good – but it is an action-packed thriller with spectacle and excitement, not a densely plotted opaque mystery. Well, unless it surprises me later. That said, as I indicated, it’s startling how well this works anyway. This manga is a compulsive page-turner, with likeable, cool characters and lots of good action scenes that are (for once) relatively easy to follow.

The premise reads like the author stared surfing TV Tropes and writing stuff down. Our hero, Mamoru, a blind swordsman who is testing new technology that lets him a) see folks as wire frame-type contours, and b) cut them with a monofilament sword, is interrupted one day by a girl, Haruka, who can predict the future under the right conditions and has a lot of bad guys hoping to catch and dissect her to figure out why. He reluctantly helps her, and along the way they meet the organization he belongs to, a special task force composed of victims of terrorism who are not getting revenge. Together they will bring down an insane global conspiracy!

Again, if I read that synopsis of fanfiction.net, I’d be moving on without a second thought. But the creators make it work, mostly by not really giving anyone time to think about anything. This is an action manga, and things rarely stop for more than 5-10 pages without another firefight or sword battle breaking out. The lead is cool, handsome, morally ambiguous, and has a tortured past – winning qualities, every one. (I am unsurprised that this manga has a large female following.) His colleague Ryotaro is refreshingly normal, aside from his amazing tech savvy, and seems to handle the dual role of Mr. Exposition and Straight Man fairly well.

As for Haruka, well, so far she is the typical waif. I have the most misgivings about her, mostly due to the way this role has been handled in the past. I hope that she gets stronger and starts taking her own initiative (although props to her for escaping and seeking out Mamoru at the start). There’s also the whole “one day I’ll marry him” thing, which gets wrapped up in the actual title of the manga. Given she seems to be about 12, let’s hope that it continues to stay hypothetical. The artist doesn’t seem to draw in a very ‘moe’ style, which is a plus. On the other hand, he avoids panty shots and then points out in the afterword how he avoided panty shots, which is a minus. Sort of a ‘Don’t show, don’t tell’.

So despite being a collection of action cliches, this is a lot of fun. There’s a fair amount of violence, as you’d expect from a manga about terrorists who fight other terrorists, but it’s not overwhelming. It also has a good head on its shoulders, and even an occasional sense of humor. I think the word I’m looking for is solid. Yen has found good, solid entertainment here. Check it out.

Off the Shelf: In which we grant a request

June 7, 2012 by MJ and Michelle Smith 11 Comments

MJ: I’ve just realized how few jokes I know. You always open with a joke. I’ve got nothin’.

MICHELLE: That’s okay. I freely admit that most of mine aren’t very good. And even if you’ve got no jokes, you’ve surely got manga to talk about!

MJ: Indeed I do! Should I go first?

MICHELLE Please do!

MJ: Well, I know we have a special request to grant at some point here, but before we get to that, my big read for this week was the debut volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, adapted from the popular anime series. This is obviously a highly-anticipated release. In a rare twist, I’ve actually seen the anime series, and since I enjoyed it very much, I’d have to admit that this manga series was even highly anticipated by me. Ultimately, I’d say that this is not necessarily in the manga’s favor, though there is a quite a bit here to enjoy.

The series begins just as you’d expect from a magical girl story. Madoka is an ordinary girl with ordinary friends, who is suddenly approached by a talking catlike creature (Sailor Moon shout-out, I assume?) named Kyubey who offers her the opportunity to have a single wish granted if she’ll sign a contract to become a magical girl. This is understandably exciting for Madoka (and her friend, Sayaka, who is also invited), but nothing is quite as it first seems. Madoka’s magical dreams are quickly tempered by the reality of untimely death in a magical girl’s future, as well as by a mysterious new girl, Homura, who for some reason insists that it is of vital importance that Madoka not sign on with Kyubey—to the point that she makes repeated attempts on Kyubey’s life in an effort to save Madoka from him.

Having watched the anime series, there isn’t a lot of mystery in this for me, but even taking that into account, there are ways (mostly visual) in which the manga pales in comparison to its source material. For instance, one of the most spectacular elements of the anime series is the ornate visual fabric of the dimension inhabited by “witches” (the beings our magical girls are being asked to destroy). These encounters with witches are elaborate and rather psychedelic, and they really help to emphasize the series’ darker take on the magical girl formula. In the manga series, these sequences just look kind of drab and lumpy, and they are glossed over so quickly, the sense of real danger and anticipation is lost along with the general aesthetic. Even the fight scenes could really stand to be longer (did I really just say that?), as they seem to lose a lot of their tension and significance.

On the other hand, this story is compelling no matter how it’s told, and if the artist has failed to quite capture its eeriness, its pathos remains intact. I’m happy to see, too, that Madoka’s family life, headed up by her fearless corporate shark of a mom and her homemaker dad, is just as charming here as in the anime series (if granted slightly less screen time).

MICHELLE: This sounds a bit like Bokurano: Ours, in which middle-school-aged kids are duped into a contract that requires them to destroy aliens and die in the process. I do think, though, that you’ve sold me more on the anime here than on the manga.

MJ: Well, and perhaps I mean to, though I feel a bit bad about it. I have a lot more stake in the manga industry than I do in anime, yet in this case I can’t deny that the manga suffers in comparison. It is still quite interesting, though, and I’m looking forward to the second volume. It really is a very compelling story, regardless of how it’s being consumed.

One little oddity (and this applies to both mediums)— Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a magical girl series that resembles modern series for a male audience much more than a female one. You can easily identify all the usual suspects: the glasses-wearing girl, the spunky girl with fang teeth, the pretty girl with long, black hair, the self-conscious yuri jokes… you could be watching Lucky Star in that respect. This doesn’t detract from the series at all for me, but it definitely gives the series a bit of a male otaku vibe—at least that’s how it reads to me.

So, what’s next?

MICHELLE: Well, I’ve also read something that’s an adaptation from another medium, though this time it’s from a dating sim for girls!

You may recall that I talked about Alice in the Country of Hearts way back in our second ever Off the Shelf column. There, I initially referred to it as “bishie land” then instantly reconsidered, since the plot focused more on the mystery of the world in which the heroine, Alice, found herself than in her myriad romantic prospects. The series was much better than I expected, and I liked it so much that I sought out the sixth volume in Japanese after TOKYOPOP’s demise meant the series would not conclude in English (though it will be released in its entirety by Yen Press this summer).

Alice in the Country of Clover: Bloody Twins is an adaptation (by a different artist) of another game in the series, and though certain elements are reset, it functions fairly well as a sequel. Alice remains in the world that she believes is a dream and has become fairly comfortable there. Nearly every male resident is interested in her, but her constant companions are twin boys “Dee and Dum,” who constantly proclaim their love for her and who like to a) glomp her all the time and b) kill people. A shift in the dream environment moves everyone to the land of Clover, where the twins gain the ability to turn into grown men, whereupon they act the same as ever, causing Alice to get flustered and blush a lot.

This is another case of a series suffering in comparison to something else. Where Alice in the Country of Hearts surpassed my expectations for a manga adapted from a dating sim, Alice in the Country of Clover meets them fairly exactly. There is no focus on the mystery of the world at all. Instead, this reads entirely like a “what if” scenario: what if Alice fell in love with the twins? She’s still a reasonably likeable character, rather embarrassed that she’d dream up such a scenario, but Dee and Dum are so empty as people that it’s disturbing that she’s not disturbed by them. It’s utterly impossible for me to root for this romance, but perhaps I was never intended to, as the short stories rounding out the volume explore different “what if” pairings for Alice.

That said, Alice in the Country of Clover isn’t outright bad. I definitely smiled a few times at the humor, and can see myself checking out the next Clover installment, Cheshire Cat Waltz, which Seven Seas is publishing next month.

MJ: I suppose my feeling here is that you’ve perhaps sold me on Alice in the Country of Hearts rather than on this sequel, which sounds… not bad, but probably not worth prioritizing over better manga.

MICHELLE: And, like you, perhaps I meant to, but I feel bad about it! I definitely hope that people support Seven Seas by checking out the Clover titles.

And now… the special request. A few weeks ago, you reviewed the tenth volume of Pandora Hearts in our Bookshelf Briefs column, and we received a comment from Releona, who said she’d like to see it featured in an Off the Shelf column, as she was interested in our thoughts on it in greater detail.

Your wish is our command, Releona!

MJ: Since I’ve already done a review of sorts, would you like to get us up to speed on the series’ plot at this point?

MICHELLE: I’ll take a shot at it, though Pandora Hearts is one of those series that makes sense in the short-term but is not exactly clear in terms of its long-term plot trajectory.

Oz decides that the best bet for restoring Alice’s lost memories would be to visit Sablier, scene of a great tragedy a century before. Separated as they approach the epicenter of the disaster, Oz, Alice, and Gilbert see illusions from the past, each of which introduces some intriguing twists to the story, mostly in the form of answers about how the tragedy came to be. All of this is quite interesting, but mangaka Jun Mochizuki is adept at making the story about the characters, so the most compelling aspects are sympathizing with the character who brought about the tragedy as well as watching Gilbert angst oh-so-prettily about his memories and the possibility of being driven mad by them.

Probably I could read a manga that was all about Gilbert angsting prettily, but it sure was nice to get a little more shape to the story at this point.

MJ: Most readers by now have probably figured out that I’m a big fan of this series, and given that I’ve gone on in rapturous delight about its costuming, it’s probably a given that I’d happily read a whole manga about a prettily angsting Gilbert as well. But I certainly agree that this volume was a balm for the muddled brain. Not only was it a relief to understand Gil’s full history at last, but it also helped me to despise another character much, much less. And really, I wouldn’t have thought that could happen. Though probably I now hate Glen Baskerville much, much more.

Also, though Alice takes a back seat in this volume, the scene in which she confuses a kiss with a bite on the cheek is one of her most charming moments.

MICHELLE: It was, though I was startled to see how very obnoxious she was in the past. She may actually be a better person without her memories, which I’m sure is Mochizuki’s intent. Speaking of nice moments, I was also very happy that Oz actually feeling free to complain about something for the first time was given the significance it deserved. Gil desperately needs to be needed, and Oz still relying on him in a crucial moment brings him back from dangerous thoughts that still seem to be plaguing him, even at the volume’s end.

In addition to Gil’s violent impulses, another thing I’d like to see Mochizuki explore soon is Jack’s relationship to Alice and how much it influences Oz’s feelings towards her. In fact, this ties in to another important reveal in this volume, namely why Jack was consigned to the Abyss to start with.

I suppose my bottom line is, “this volume is not to be missed.” Not that I would advocate missing any of them, really.

MJ: Oh! And another thing that was a fairly big deal in this volume is Oz’s increasing ability to become one with the B-Rabbit. It was frightening, for sure, but pretty interesting.

And yes, I agree. This volume is not to be missed. It’s a substantial payoff for some of the confusion we’ve endured (amidst all the beauty) thus far.

Readers, if you (like Releona) have any special requests for Off the Shelf, feel free to let us know!

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 1 April

June 7, 2012 by Matt Blind Leave a Comment

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↑1 (2) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [455.8] ::
2. ↓-1 (1) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [451.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [419.5] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [406.1] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [403.8] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [387.5] ::
7. ↑3 (10) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [372.6] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [349.4] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [335.8] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Black Butler 8 – Yen Press, Jan 2012 [286.6] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 75
Viz Shonen Jump 73
Tokyopop 72
Viz Shojo Beat 50
Kodansha Comics 43
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 35
DMP Juné 24
Seven Seas 17
Vizkids 15
HC/Tokyopop 14

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,157.7] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [885.6] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [669.6] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Black Butler – Yen Press [607.4] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Pokemon – Vizkids [525.2] ::
6. ↑2 (8) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [496.8] ::
7. ↑9 (16) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [456.6] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Black Bird – Viz Shojo Beat [440.9] ::
9. ↓-2 (7) : One Piece – Viz Shonen Jump [435.8] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [398.2] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

2. ↓-1 (1) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [451.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [419.5] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [387.5] ::
12. ↑1 (13) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [278.5] ::
13. ↓-1 (12) : One Piece 61 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [264.2] ::
15. ↑9 (24) : Pandora Hearts 9 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [262.5] ::
16. ↓-7 (9) : Black Bird 13 – Viz Shojo Beat, Mar 2012 [257.6] ::
17. ↓-1 (16) : Bunny Drop 5 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [252.8] ::
18. ↑8 (26) : Spice & Wolf (manga) 6 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [248.7] ::
19. ↑99 (118) : Bleach 39 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2012 [245.6] ::

[more]

Preorders

21. ↓-6 (15) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [230.6] ::
22. ↓-5 (17) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [227.1] ::
36. ↑26 (62) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [176.5] ::
59. ↓-4 (55) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [146.0] ::
65. ↑25 (90) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [136.4] ::
70. ↑13 (83) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 – Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [126.1] ::
83. ↑28 (111) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [114.3] ::
87. ↑8 (95) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [111.4] ::
89. ↑131 (220) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [109.6] ::
106. ↑8 (114) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [97.0] ::

[more]

Manhwa

375. ↓-22 (353) : Bride of the Water God 9 – Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [30.9] ::
695. ↓-129 (566) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [12.7] ::
702. ↑ (last ranked 18 Dec 11) : Angel Diary 7 – Yen Press, Oct 2008 [12.4] ::
706. ↑134 (840) : Priest Purgatory 1 – Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [12.0] ::
725. ↑317 (1042) : Ragnarok 1 – Tokyopop, May 2002 [11.5] ::
806. ↓-136 (670) : INVU 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2009 [9.1] ::
856. ↑327 (1183) : March Story 3 – Viz Signature, Oct 2011 [8.0] ::
965. ↑ (last ranked 4 Mar 12) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [6.3] ::
1107. ↑ (last ranked 11 Mar 12) : JTF-3 Counter Ops (ebook) – RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [4.3] ::
1402. ↓-80 (1322) : March Story 2 – Viz Signature, Apr 2011 [1.7] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

56. ↓-3 (53) : Maelstrom (ebook) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jun 2011 [150.0] ::
64. ↑7 (71) : Ice Cage (ebook) – Yaoi Press, Feb 2012 [137.5] ::
66. ↑34 (100) : Treasured Prince – Yaoi Press, Mar 2012 [134.5] ::
87. ↑8 (95) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [111.4] ::
106. ↑8 (114) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [97.0] ::
112. ↑414 (526) : Love Knot – Tokyopop Blu, Mar 2010 [87.9] ::
138. ↑ (last ranked 4 Mar 12) : Jazz 4 – DMP Juné, Feb 2007 [73.0] ::
144. ↓-67 (77) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [71.0] ::
145. ↑1534 (1679) : Shards of Affection – DMP Juné, Dec 2008 [70.7] ::
154. ↓-45 (109) : Ambiguous Relationship – DMP Juné, Mar 2012 [68.9] ::

[more]

Ebooks

3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [419.5] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [349.4] ::
11. ↑14 (25) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [279.0] ::
12. ↑1 (13) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [278.5] ::
24. ↓-4 (20) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [210.7] ::
48. ↓-14 (34) : Blue Exorcist 2 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2011 [156.6] ::
49. ↓-9 (40) : Bleach 37 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [155.7] ::
51. ↓-19 (32) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [154.9] ::
52. ↑4 (56) : Naruto 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2011 [153.1] ::
56. ↓-3 (53) : Maelstrom (ebook) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jun 2011 [150.0] ::

[more]

Subtitles & Sensibility: Seattle International Film Festival 2012, Part One

June 7, 2012 by Jaci Dahlvang 4 Comments

The Seattle International Film Festival is my favorite time of year, and by far the best opprotunity to see Asian film in Seattle. In fact, within the festival there is a dedicated program, titled Asian Crossroads, which this year contains 24 features from 13 countries. I am seeing as many as humanly possible, and am excited to share them all with you!

Here are the first four, from South Korea, Cambodia, Japan, and Hong Kong.

* Countdown is the strong first feature from Huh Jung-ho. It’s a character-driven classic action film, starring Jeong Jae-young as a debt collector who learns that he has liver cancer and ten days to live. Naturally, he brings all the skills that make him an excellent debt collector to the task of finding and securing a liver donor. And when he finds her, of course she has ties to gangsters.

Throw in some drama in his past that he can’t or won’t remember, and you have the formula for a well-paced, slick & snappy feature. A side note: if you’ve never seen a South Korean action film before, don’t be surprised at the lack of gun violence. It’s realistic, due to the country’s firearm regulations, and it’s frankly refreshing for characters to have to take each other on one-on-one rather than mowing down rivals in a spray of bullets.

* Golden Slumbers is a documentary on the golden age of Cambodian cinema, which is a challenge because virtually nothing remains of the actual films. Instead, director Davy Chou (grandson of film producer Van Chann) relies on the memories of those who directed, starred in, and watched the films. Together they visit the sites where films were shot and the cinemas they were projected in, which adds another layer to the piece: life in Cambodia today.

The interview subjects are upfront about the quality of the films (or the lack thereof!)pointing out that each had essentially the same melodramatic plot. However, what I found incredibly powerful was the impact they had on the collective memory. Even though the films no longer exist, the songs are still sung and the plotlines are effortlessly recited by people who saw them over 40 years ago. Destruction of art is heartbreaking, but to be so warmly and fully remembered is beautiful.

* Rent-a-Cat is easily the most charming film I’ve seen at the festival this year, and I am not even a cat person. I am assured that if you are a cat person, this film will make you explode with glee. If you are not a cat person, it just might turn you into one.

Rent-a-Cat stars Mikako Ichikawa (who has the best face at SIFF this year) as Sayoko, a lonely young woman who, you guessed it, rents out cats. Seriously. She walks along the river calling “rentaneko neko neko” through a megaphone, and rents cats to other lonely people. As it turns out, a lot of people are in the market for a low-commitment pet.

It’s hard to not watch a movie about what is essentially a crazy cat lady without being at least a little bit concerned. Will it judge her harshly? Will it devolve into a pat romance? Luckily, Rent-a-Cat ends not too cruel, not too sweet, but just right. Don’t forget to stick with it through the ridiculously cute illustrated end credits!

* I wanted to like Romancing in Thin Air, but I found it overwrought & sentimental. The latest from Johnnie To is not his first romantic film, though he is better known for his thrillers. I do remember loving his unconventional romance Turn Left, Turn Right at a previous festival, so this was a disappointment.

It opens with film star Michael (Louis Koo) being left at the altar. He decides to drink himself to oblivion, which turns out to be the Deep Woods Hotel. There he shouts a lot and smashes things, until he slowly begins to heal with the help of the mournful proprietor Sue (Sammi Cheng). She is in pain herself over the loss of her husband Tian, who went missing in the woods seven years ago.

The film does contain some nice ideas. I liked the metaphor of Tian’s piano, which had broken keys when he disappeared that Sue still refuses to fix, plus the whole image of the quiet danger of a forest where compasses do not work is lovely. The scene where locals are creating noise to help people find their way out of the forest is beautiful and will stay with me.

Overall the high drama and the too-pat meta ending outweighed the pretty cast and the even prettier scenery.

Combat Commentary: Fullmetal Alchemist Ch. 91-96 Armstrong(s) vs. Sloth

June 6, 2012 by Derek Bown 1 Comment

I don’t often fall in love with fictional characters…okay, that’s a lie, I do it all the time. Despite what I imagine most people would think, this does not usually happen because the character is drawn with very few clothes, or has over-developed sexuality. No, my feelings are more pure and entirely based on personality (with a small heaping of looks thrown in there).

The thing is, I tend to fall for very specific type of fictional woman—the type that would utterly terrify me in real life. Olivier Armstrong is one of those women. I can’t really explain why this happens, but what I can explain is why she’s a badass, and if she were real I’d willingly be her servant for life.

PS: I was thinking this would make a perfect Valentine’s Special…but…well, it’s a little late for that. So pretend this got published back in February.

What Happened?
As the rebel forces begin their assault on central, Major General Olivier Armstrong makes her move, capturing one of the inner circle generals. The Central forces target her as a high priority target and attempt to take her down. But they are impeded by the arrival of the Homunculus Sloth.

What Happens?
Olivier’s sword does little to no damage to the behemoth, and it isn’t until the arrival of Major Alex Armstrong that they are able to do some damage to Sloth. Just after the sibling pair deal the first serious blow, Sloth reveals his true ability, supernatural speed.

Sloth’s speed turns his body into basically an obscenely heavy bullet, as he is unable to control his trajectory after launching himself. Major Armstrong is able to use this to his advantage, by placing a stone spike right in Sloth’s path. This severely injures Sloth, but not enough to finish him.

The Armstrong siblings are surrounded by Central soldiers, who try to arrest them, but are attacked by the artificial humans. As Sloth breaks free from the spike, more Central soldiers arrive, and Olivier takes command of them. She organizes them to take on the artificial humans, while Alex focuses on Sloth. With his dislocated shoulder, Alex is unable to properly fight. The soldiers urge Olivier to go help him, but she refuses, knowing Alex is tougher than the soldiers give him credit for. He uses one of Sloth’s attacks to pop his shoulder back into place, and is able to start fighting Sloth back.

Sloth still won’t go down, and he continues to target Alex and Olivier. The soldiers try to hold him back and give the Armstrongs a chance to escape, but Alex refuses. It is at this point that Izumi and her husband show up. They, along with a reinvigorated Alex, give Sloth a thrashing to the point that he finally dies.

(click image to enlarge)

What Does it Mean?
What makes Fullmetal Alchemist stand out is that Arakawa isn’t afraid to break shounen tropes here and there. Usually fights in shounen manga focus more on one on one battles. Team battles like this one tend to be more the rare side. The fight also serves as more than just a way to eliminate one of the enemies. It serves as closure for the relationship arc between the two Armstrong siblings.

While Olivier’s opinion of Alex had been low the entire series, during this fight we see how she works. She may say Alex is worthless, but when it comes down to it she trusts him enough to remain focused on her own job. An effective fight scene needs to accomplish multiple things. At the most basic it needs to be cool to look at, but it also needs to provide this kind of character growth.

In team fights like this it may be tempting to say that one member of the team did more than the other. The bulk of the fighting is done by Alex, which could be construed as downplaying Olivier’s ability as a fighter. But there is no need to pull out the sexist manga card on this one, as the Alex and Olivier both fulfill specific roles that were previously developed parts of their characters.

Alex may not be able to beat Olivier in a one-on-one fight, but he is more suited for fighting with brute strength. And while Olivier has been portrayed as an exceptional fighter, that part of her is not emphasized as much as her ability as a leader. There is no need to give her character arc closure with a one-on-one fight, because her character is much more focused on leadership. And just as Alex gets his good fight, Olivier gets to show off her chops as a leader by taking command of two platoons of soldiers sent to capture her and fully gaining their loyalty.

(click image to enlarge)

The end of the fight is a bit disappointing, because the two are unable to win without being saved by the Curtises. A better ending would have been to go the more archetypal route of having Alex and Olivier pull through to the very end and finish Sloth off. To have two outside forces aid them this far into the battle does unfortunately diminish their success. Fortunately this is a minor complaint, as the moment is executed with plenty of style and comedic callbacks with Alex and Mr. Curtis.

Ultimately the final fight against Sloth works because the bond between the two siblings is more important than their ability to defeat their enemy. They had prior victories, and in the end it did not take a final victory to cement their character arcs. The important development occurred during the fight, so the weak ending can be forgiven.

Manga the Week of 6/13

June 6, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

Despite my irritation at Diamond for not shipping half of Viz’s releases this week (at least I got Ouran 18…), I am here to tell you about next week.

Dark Horse has the 11th volume of the Evangelion spinoff Shinji Ikari Raising Project. At the rate it’s going it should pass its original source soon in length. I’m sure it will have far more heartwarming romantic comedy moments as well – the original Evangelion manga really doesn’t have time for that these days.

Digital Manga Publishing debuts a new BL office romance, Same Difference. It looks like it might be lighthearted, always nice to see. There’s also the 4th volume of Bad Teacher’s Equation, and the 6th volume of the fancy Deluxe version of Kizuna.

Seven Seas has the first of a new spinoff series from Alice in the Country of Hearts, as this time she ends up in the Country of Clover. The cast seems to be similar, though, and I’m sure it will share the reverse harem datesim genre that its parent series had. There’s also the 12th volume of Dance in the Vampire Bund, which sadly does not seem to feature a cameo from Christie High Tension. :)

There’s also two new titles from Viz’s BL line Sublime. Honey Darling and Three Wolves Mountain come out with covers that make me immediately wary, but perhaps the cute boys are slightly less cat-eared inside the volume. In any case, it’s great to see Viz dipping its toes into the BL genre.

Anything that interests you this week? Or, like me, are you still waiting for half your Viz order?

Nonnonba

June 6, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Shigeru Mizuki. Released in Japan as “Nonnonba to Ore” by Chikuma Shobo. Released in North America by Drawn & Quarterly.

It feels somewhat odd that after reading Nonnonba, a semi-autobiographic epic by the creator of Gegege no Kitaro, the man who is known worldwide for his amazing yokai tales and characterizations, that I found the yokai in it the least engaging part. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are some spectacular spooks here. My favorite was probably Azuki-Haraki, who looks as if he had been drawn by guest artist Robert Crumb. But though there are yokai and supernatural elements throughout, the reason this is such a famous title – it’s gotten many accolades ever since its first publication in 1977 – has been its human characters, in particular Shigeru himself.

There are several main plotlines that flit through Shigeru’s life as he grows older in this volume. His flighty father’s continued schemes to chase his dream – and unemployment that inevitably follows. The young child gangs that roam the streets, which seem to be undecided as to how serious they are – especially after their new leader has Shigeru ostracized. His grandmother – the titular Nonnonba – moves back in with them after the death of her husband and is very much what you’d expect, dispensing good advice, acting as a nanny/doctor, and occasionally dealing out exposition on yokai.

One of the main things I noticed, though, was the series of girls approximately Shigeru’s age who arrive, seeming to be potential love interests, and then move on. At first this is sudden – “Oh, she died of the measles a week ago”, and you accept it as part of what being a child in 1930s Japan was like. Then we meet a sickly girl who enjoys Shigeru’s drawings, and given she has ‘doomed’ written all over her (if this were a Western comic she’d be dying of consumption), one can briefly raise an eyebrow. Then, in the last third of the book, we meet Miu, a young girl who is part of a ‘family’ moving into a haunted house – and can also sense nature and the supernatural in an almost psychic way. I was fairly sure she would die as well – the color pages at the start made me think they were all going to the land of the dead – but her fate is far more realistic, fitting in with the darker tone of the 2nd half of the book.

Still, the book itself is not depressing. Life is something that has to be accepted, in all its facets. Mizuki is an expert at capturing his childhood in a way unfettered by preciousness or overanalysis. There’s also a bit of eerie prescience here – Shigeru reforming the teen gangs to ‘pacifism’ is all very well and good, but I kept being reminded that this group of kids would be going off to war in a scant few years. This is probably why Shigeru the child has an emphasis on pacifism – and why the ostracized gang eventually joins him over the dictatorial leadership of the stronger Kappa (Kappa being a nickname, he’s not a yokai).

I wasn’t as blown away by this as I thought I would be – Gegege no Kitaro remains the title I want to see here the most – but it was a nice, solid autobiography, mixing reality and fantasy in such a way that each complements the other. There’s a lot of extremely flawed human beings here, including Shigeru, but the overall mood is one of nostalgia and remembrance.

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 25 March

June 5, 2012 by Matt Blind Leave a Comment

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↑1 (2) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [446.9] ::
2. ↓-1 (1) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [441.4] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [438.4] ::
4. ↑2 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [419.8] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [408.5] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [403.5] ::
7. ↑1 (8) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [357.0] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [347.4] ::
9. ↑1 (10) : Sailor Moon Codename: Sailor V 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [342.2] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Black Butler 8 – Yen Press, Jan 2012 [292.3] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Tokyopop 71
Viz Shonen Jump 70
Yen Press 70
Viz Shojo Beat 50
Kodansha Comics 38
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 36
Seven Seas 22
DMP Juné 21
HC/Tokyopop 15
Vizkids 15

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,148.1] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [901.6] ::
3. ↑1 (4) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [668.6] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Black Butler – Yen Press [602.6] ::
5. ↑3 (8) : Pokemon – Vizkids [521.3] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Black Bird – Viz Shojo Beat [474.8] ::
7. ↓-1 (6) : One Piece – Viz Shonen Jump [453.2] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [393.0] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Negima! – Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [382.6] ::
10. ↑10 (20) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [369.0] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

2. ↓-1 (1) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [441.4] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [438.4] ::
11. ↓-2 (9) : Black Bird 13 – Viz Shojo Beat, Mar 2012 [291.2] ::
12. ↔0 (12) : One Piece 61 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [286.3] ::
14. ↑2 (16) : Bunny Drop 5 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [273.3] ::
16. ↓-3 (13) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [268.8] ::
19. ↑7 (26) : Spice & Wolf (manga) 6 – Yen Press, Mar 2012 [227.6] ::
20. ↑32 (52) : Pokemon Black & White 6 – Vizkids, Mar 2012 [223.7] ::
21. ↓-3 (18) : Gate 7 vol 2 – Dark Horse, Mar 2012 [223.3] ::
22. ↑1 (23) : xxxHolic 19 – Kodansha Comics, Feb 2012 [215.3] ::

[more]

Preorders

4. ↑2 (6) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [419.8] ::
15. ↔0 (15) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [270.0] ::
18. ↓-1 (17) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [242.4] ::
34. ↑28 (62) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [173.3] ::
42. ↑48 (90) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [161.9] ::
46. ↑9 (55) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [155.3] ::
48. ↓-1 (47) : Negima! 34 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [153.6] ::
66. ↑7 (73) : Warriors SkyClan & The Stranger 3 – HarperCollins, Apr 2012 [136.0] ::
68. ↑50 (118) : Bleach 39 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2012 [134.1] ::
76. ↑7 (83) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 – Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [120.2] ::

[more]

Manhwa

302. ↑ (last ranked 18 Dec 11) : Angel Diary 7 – Yen Press, Oct 2008 [40.3] ::
452. ↓-99 (353) : Bride of the Water God 9 – Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [24.8] ::
525. ↑315 (840) : Priest Purgatory 1 – Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [19.8] ::
696. ↑ (last ranked 4 Mar 12) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [12.5] ::
713. ↑329 (1042) : Ragnarok 1 – Tokyopop, May 2002 [11.9] ::
820. ↑363 (1183) : March Story 3 – Viz Signature, Oct 2011 [8.8] ::
936. ↓-266 (670) : INVU 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2009 [6.5] ::
1000. ↓-434 (566) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [5.5] ::
1160. ↑ (last ranked 11 Mar 12) : JTF-3 Counter Ops (ebook) – RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [3.6] ::
1322. ↓-407 (915) : Arcana 4 – Tokyopop, Mar 2006 [2.3] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

45. ↑8 (53) : Maelstrom (ebook) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jun 2011 [155.3] ::
63. ↑8 (71) : Ice Cage (ebook) – Yaoi Press, Feb 2012 [139.5] ::
72. ↑28 (100) : Treasured Prince – Yaoi Press, Mar 2012 [125.7] ::
75. ↑32 (107) : An Even More Beautiful Lie – DMP Juné, Jan 2012 [120.8] ::
78. ↑17 (95) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [117.3] ::
119. ↓-42 (77) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [90.6] ::
121. ↓-7 (114) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [88.4] ::
135. ↑31 (166) : Little Butterfly Omnibus – DMP Juné, Feb 2010 [78.5] ::
147. ↓-38 (109) : Ambiguous Relationship – DMP Juné, Mar 2012 [73.3] ::
149. ↑1349 (1498) : Vassalord 4 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [73.0] ::

[more]

Ebooks

3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [438.4] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [347.4] ::
13. ↑12 (25) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [276.5] ::
16. ↓-3 (13) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [268.8] ::
24. ↓-4 (20) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [205.6] ::
35. ↑47 (82) : Amazing Agent Luna 1 – Seven Seas, Mar 2005 [168.9] ::
37. ↓-3 (34) : Blue Exorcist 2 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2011 [167.9] ::
40. ↓-8 (32) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [162.5] ::
41. ↓-1 (40) : Bleach 37 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [162.4] ::
42. ↑48 (90) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [161.9] ::

[more]

It Came From the Sinosphere: The Outsiders 1 & 2

June 5, 2012 by Sara K. 9 Comments

Hi everyone. This is a new column on comics, novels, TV shows, films, and who knows what else from the Chinese-speaking world. As a resident of Taiwan, I’m going to put a disproportionate emphasis on Ilha Formosa, but I’m not going to restrict myself to it. For this first post, I am looking at a Taiwanese idol drama: The Outsiders.

Even though The Outsiders is not based on the S.E. Hinton novel, like the novel, it is a story of gang youth getting into more trouble than they bargained for.

The Story

Three orphans, Ah Hao, Shanzi, and Ah Qi, are sworn brothers and have taken care of each other (with the guidance of a sympathetic police officer) since they were children. Ah Hao and another student at their senior high school, Xiao Yanzi, fall in love with each other. The problem is that Ah Hao, along with his sworn brothers, are poor and “delinquent,” whereas Xiao Yanzi is a sheltered piano student from a nice upper-middle-class family.

Things go downhill from there. Hong Dou, a tough girl with a crush on Ah Hao, threatens violence if Xiao Yanzi gets too close to him. Xiao Yanzi’s parents do not approve of Ah Hao, and put a lot of effort into keeping them apart. Shanzi eventually also finds himself in love with Xiao Yanzi. And we’re not even halfway through the plot.

Ah Hao is unusual in that he is a male lead in an idol drama who is poor. For real. He’s not secretly the son of the CEO of some large corporation or otherwise high-ranking man. Even male leads who are merely upper-middle class are not too common in idol dramas. But this is not the only way in which The Outsiders is an atypical idol drama.

In most idol dramas, the main couple runs into a problem and they overcome it and become closer, then there’s a bigger problem and they overcome that and become even closer, and so forth. At first, it looks like The Outsiders is following the same pattern—Ah Hao and Xiao Yanzi run into problems and deal with them. But instead of gaining strength, resilience, and confidence, the very opposite happens. They bond with each other and their faith in themselves becomes more and more precarious. It eventually dawns on the viewer that this might not end well.

So, is The Outsiders a tragedy, or is this a setup for a grand climatic recovery where Ah Hao and Xiao Yanzi’s love for each other conquer all? The answer to that question, of course, is a spoiler. But regardless of the outcome, the mere fact that The Outsiders goes so far into dark territory makes it stand out from other idol dramas.

Acting

The actor who stands out the most, to me, is Ady An as Xiao Yanzi. It’s not because of her acting—though I think her acting is alright in this drama—it’s her looks. It’s not so much that she is pretty (she is, of course, pretty) as that she is blessed with looks which light up on camera. She is also blessed with the best role. Out of all of the characters in the drama, it is Xiao Yanzi who grows and changes the most. Come to think of it, her acting in this drama actually is pretty good since I found Xiao Yanzi’s character change convincing.

The actor who I admire the most based on ability is Xie Chengjun as Ah Bao, the main villain. Ah Bao’s dialogue is more like the way TV villains talk than real people, and his sidekick, Laoshu, is quite irritating because of the writing. However, Xie Chengjun managed to make Ah Bao a bit more like a human being with his performance. He sometimes downplays the role, making Ah Bao seem all the more chilling, while punctuating his performance with violent bursts of energy. I think the intensity and believability Xie Chenghun brings to the role saves the character from mediocre writing.

The acting in The Outsiders does not excel as much as the acting in, say, Mars. Still, I think most of the actors generally perform adequately.

The Music

Considering that one of the main characters is a piano student, it should no come as no surprise that music is an important part of this drama. In fact, The Outsiders has the most eclectic selection of music of any idol drama I’ve seen. Naturally, there are many piano pieces throughout the show, well-chosen to contribute to the atmosphere of the drama. Furthermore, the drama includes a Tsai Chin song (Tsai Chin was a very popular Taiwanese singer in the 1980s). I am not a Tsai Chin fan, but I appreciate that the song fits the mood, and I appreciate that they decided to include some older pop music.

The best known song in this drama is most likely the ending song, “Lydia.” It is a song by FIR, one of Taiwan’s most popular pop bands. You can hear what kind of song it is in the first few seconds, where the opening strings are joined by an underlying rock beat. The song breathlessly ascends in pitch … at least the lyrics seem breathless due to the creative use of Mandarin. For example, here’s a part of the lyrics:

He left (you still) bear, not having left, your own heaven
After the wind-drying there can remain rainbow tear light

If the translation does not make sense, it’s because the lyrics in Chinese do not entirely make sense to me and I tried to keep the translation as literal as possible. For people who are really interested in the song, there is a gloss of the lyrics into English at Chinese Tools.

The song fits the story, as it expresses passion rising, without pause, pushed by a strong beat, just as Xiao Yanzi and Ah Hao are pushed forward at a pace faster than they can handle.

Fighting

I really like the violence in The Outsiders. Yes, romance comes before action, but the action is still pretty good. First of all, I like the free, raw, unrestrained energy. It really feels like violence. One reviewer claimed that the fights were not choreographed. As someone who knows a few things about fight choreography, I know the fights actually are choreographed, but they feel like they are not. I also like the atmosphere—broken windows, dark alleys, abandoned buildings. The best thing, of course, is that the characters are vulnerable. Many action flicks forget to include the vulnerability. The fighting in The Outsiders is short and to the point, but a short fight in which Xiao Yanzi (the piano student) gets hit by a baton makes a deeper impression on the viewer than 30 minutes of inconclusive fighting by invincible heroes.

If you want to get a feel for the fighting, watch the opening to Outsiders 2 – it shows quite a bit of fighting.

And, of course, people who cannot watch brutal violence on screen should avoid this drama.

Outsiders 2

Much of what I have to say about The Outsiders also applies to The Outsiders 2, so I will stick to comments which only apply to Outsiders 2.

The problem with making a sequel to The Outsiders is that the ending does not lend itself to a sequel. The writers get around this problem by setting The Outsiders 2 during the 5-year gap in The Outsiders. However, this setup limits what they can do with the story since they have to keep things consistent with the first drama. For example, they cannot do much to get the characters from the first drama to grow and change beyond what is shown in the first drama. Because of these limitations, The Outsiders 2 largely revolves around some new characters. Because I know the new characters do not show up in The Outsiders, I figured out pretty quickly that things do not end well for them.

In a way, the constraints are good, because they forced the writers to be more subtle about how they handled the characters. Considering the constraints in place, I am impressed that the main characters had as much development in The Outsiders 2 as they do. Nonetheless, Outsiders 2 does not manage to have the resonance of the first drama.

Huīsè Kōngjiān (“Gray Space”) is one of my favorite idol drama theme songs. It’s the song I linked to in the “Fighting” section. It is not so much the song itself as the way it fits the clips chosen for the opening and the way it fits the overall atmosphere of The Outsiders. The ending song, Nǐ Shuō (“You Say”), is also lovely. Whereas “Lydia” is the more popular song, I like that these two songs are quieter and feel more melancholy.

Overall

For all its flaws, The Outsiders is one of the most memorable idol dramas I have seen. I think what makes it stick out more than anything else is that it has some truth. I am not saying that it is realistic—it is most certainly not—and I’m not saying all of it is true (the villains in particular are not true to life). But there is enough truth to make an impression.

First of all, The Outsiders is almost entirely filmed in humble, ordinary neighborhoods (even the neighborhood of Xiao Yanzi’s faimly feels very ordinary). Many idol dramas are set in posh houses or tourist destinations. That’s not a bad thing—I have a lot of fun trying to identify locations—but it reflects fantasy, not the way most people in Taiwan live.

Most idol dramas are a retelling of Cinderella—humble girl gets swept up by wealthy guy and he takes care of her problems. However, most women, Taiwanese or not, are not going to get swept up by princes, let alone have their problems solved by them. This does not stop Ah Hao from trying to be Xiao Yanzi’s prince.

And that is the core conflict in their relationship. Ah Hao wants to be Xiao Yanzi’s prince, but Xiao Yanzi wants to be his partner. Their relationship gets even more strained when it becomes apparent that Shanzi wishes to be Xiao Yanzi’s partner, and a girl who really wants Ah Hao to be her prince appears. This is a problem that happens in real life, and it is this aspect of the story which stays with me the most.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to legally watch The Outsiders with English subtitles. Somebody ought to license this drama.

Next time: The Book and the Sword (novel)

Sara K. is not sure whether or not she will be able to make witty remarks about her life every week, but she will try. Since she is recovering from a cold, she certainly does not feel very witty right now.

Bookshelf Briefs 6/4/12

June 4, 2012 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney and Katherine Dacey 1 Comment

This week, Michelle, Kate, and Sean look at recent releases from Viz Media, Yen Press, and Sweatdrop Studios.

Ai Ore!, Vol. 5 | By Mayu Shinjo | Viz Media – Ai Ore! in its fifth volume is pretty different than its first. Almost entirely gone is Akira’s manipulative/disturbing behavior (though he’s still fixated on making Mizuki “his”), which is definitely a good thing, and the series has settled into a fairly generic romantic comedy groove. Unfortunately, it seems like Mayu Shinjo may already be out of ideas, since we’re treated to yet another “Mizuki thinks Akira has secretly been gay all this time” bout of melodrama. I continued to be disappointed that Mizuki, who occasionally looks ravishingly boyish, is not a cooler and stronger character, but it’s pretty much a lost cause at this point. Still, even though I stop short of calling Ai Ore! good, it is compulsively readable, and I see myself finishing out the series, though I’m not looking forward to the beachy hijinks advertised for the next volume. – Michelle Smith

Bamboo Blade, Vol. 13 | By Masahiro Totsuka and Aguri Igarashi | Yen Press – There’s some big surprises here, though many of them were signposted earlier. TV Savant Erina is not who she appears to be, and it’s her backstory and growth that is the focus of this volume. The reason that it’s her, by the way, is that Tama loses – genuinely and honestly. This is exactly what her coach has wanted all along, and now we get to see what she will gain from it. Tama has always sort of done kendo as it’s expected of her. Now she sees true kendo passion – both from Erina and from Ura Sakaki, whose delusions of sentai are finally thrashed out of her in one of the most awesome sports battles I’ve seen in a long time. So we’ve one volume to go, and I’ve no doubt that volume will have Tamaki finally seeking the real reason she fights kendo matches. Highly recommended. –Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 8 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – I sense that Tsubaki-san was told be her editors at Hana to Yume around this point in the manga that the series was a success, and in no danger of ending soon, so it was time to break out the new characters and plot complications. There’s a sense of gearing up for the next big battle here. Unfortunately, as always, Tsubaki’s plotting always seems flaky and scattered. So we get a chapter giving a bit of depth to the main villain, then some background for Takaomi, then a whole passel of new minor villains (some even female – gasp!) are introduced, and then Mafuyu’s two suitors find out about her relationship with Takaomi. There’s some fun stuff here – I was, as always, laughing a lot throughout – but Tsubaki needs a stronger editor than the ones Hakusensha provides. –Sean Gaffney

Soul Eater, Vol. 9 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – Soul Eater is another title, like Oresama Teacher, that is finishing one plot and getting ready to gear up for another. It, however, handles this much better, with plot threads from Vol. 6 onwards just now starting to pay off. The focus here is on our three meisters, rather than their weapons, and I was impressed with how the manga handled Black*Star, everyone’s favorite insufferable talented jerk. We get a lesson seemingly set up for teaching him humility and learning to hold back for the sake of the others – then it turns out this is a fakeout, and that it’s Maka who has to learn not to hold her fellow student back. Finally, our team goes off on its next big battle, where they’re acting as backup for an increasingly unstable Doctor Stein – and they promptly disobey his orders and charge in to the rescue. Kids, sheesh. Good shonen fun. –Sean Gaffney

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 7 | By Kaira Yura and Sai Yukino | Viz Media – The ongoing hazing and abuse of Shurei and Eigetsu sort of percolates along through this entire volume, driving many plots but not quite coming to a head – no doubt that will happen in the next volume. Instead, we get to see that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ seems to be the moral lesson for the entire cast – the villains always seem to overplay their hands by overdoing things and making fast, impetuous choices. Our heroes, meanwhile, are the picture of calm and serenity, even when they’re being arrested for favoritism or held captive so as not to testify at a trial. Of course, one can be *too* serene and unreadable – there’s a great story here about Koyu’s frustration with his lord, and being unable to tell the difference between not caring and not wanting to hold back. It’s all about the small, quiet moments here. –Sean Gaffney

Sun Fish Moon Fish | By Morag Lewis | Sweatdrop Studios – Set in the fictional kingdom of The Thousand Island Archipelago, Sun Fish Moon Fish tells the story of Anciarin, a court mage who’s falsely accused of murdering Archipelago’s royal family. The premise is certainly ripe with potential, but the execution is wanting; Morag Lewis’ character designs have a faintly unnatural quality to them, with enormous, wide-set eyes and perpetually surprised expressions. The dialogue, too, tacks between medieval formality and modern-day casualness, with one character demanding, “What’s your beef?” and another making reference to “teams,” as if he were a S.W.A.T. captain. If the art and dialogue are sometimes amateurish, Lewis shows considerable promise as a writer; Sun Fish Moon Fish is briskly paced and skillfully plotted, giving equal time to Anciarin and Iashar, the soldier tasked with bringing the mage to justice. An ambitious, though uneven, work. – Katherine Dacey

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 3

June 4, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Toru Fujisawa. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Vertical.

After an action-packed 2nd volume of GTO, it’s time to take a breather and get back to some lighter stuff before we gear up for the next broken teen who Onizuka has to save. And hey, didn’t Shiratori-san say that there was someone else who worked at the White Swan? Who was even prettier than her? Could this possibly be the overture to… some romance?

Well, no. This is Eikichi Onizuka, so whenever romance rears its ugly head, he turns into the immature idiot that he is. (Yes, he’s also a heartwarming badass, but hey, facets.) First he tries his hand at seducing Shiratori-san via some red wine, which is a little creepy but it becomes clear that he’s not really going to follow through on it unless she’s awake and willing… okay, no, it’s creepy no matter what. Then when she falls asleep, he falls back on peeping on the other caretaker in the house, who we haven’t met before… or so we think. Much to his surprise and ours, the other caretaker turns out to be his old not-girlfriend Shinomi Fujisaki, who is, as you might imagine, displeased at Onizuka ogling her nude.

It’s great seeing Shinomi back in the storyline, as she makes a good love-interest contrast to Azusa Fuyutsuki from the GTO series proper. Whereas Azusa tends to be ‘he’s sort of a weirdo, but I can see the good heart inside of him’, Shinomi is very much in the ‘I’ve always seen the good heart, but WHY IS HE SUCH A FREAK’ school of lovers. As you might expect, Onizuka walking back into her life after disappearing years ago confuses the hell out of her, and she responds via violence in the best tsundere way. (Onizuka, who is very similar to her, responds by changing the subject and being over the top goofy, which we’ve already seen tends to be his way of avoiding serious issues.) I don’t expect much to be resolved here – this takes place during GTO proper, which didn’t resolve any romances – but it’s sweet to see them reunite.

As for the rest of the manga, we’ve resolved the parental problems that Miki had, and now that we know that she was merely the easiest ‘villain’ to take down, we know it’s only going to get worse. So we get a flashback to another resident of the White Swan, Ikuko, and her abusive mother, who was so bad social services had to step in. This is probably one of the best written parts of the entire volume, as it really gets into the ambiguous feelings kids have when their loved ones abuse them – and the stoic acceptance that it’s their fault for not being “good enough”. I’m not sure we’ll see more of Ikuko’s life later on, but I do hope that she manages to come to terms with her upbringing.

Then there’s Seiya, who would appear to be the next ‘project’ for Onizuka to fix. And once again, we see how Onizuka works – forcing the kids to ‘go too far’ in order to show them that deep down they really don’t want to take the final steps towards darkness. All of these manga – GTO, Shonan Jun’ai Gumi, and this spinoff – stem from the same genre of Japanese manga, which are about teenagers and family, and how much they feel abandoned and helpless. If Onizuka can help these kids reconnect emotionally, on any level, he’s going to do it. And it would appear that the fourth volume will be another action-filled one.