Features & Reviews

It Came From the Sinosphere: Creative Comics Collection

July 17, 2012 by Sara K. 8 Comments

Pretty, isn’t it? Before you learn more about it, here’s some history for you to read!

A Brief Demographic History of Taiwan

Tens of thousands of years ago, Taiwan was not an island, and stone age people walked from Fujian to Taiwan. Then, when sea levels rose, Taiwan became an island. Thousands of years ago, Austronesian people showed up in Taiwan. It is unknown what relationship they had with the people already living in Taiwan, but the most likely scenario is that they married each other and had kids.

In the 17th century, Europeans (primarily the Dutch and Spanish) colonized Taiwan. They never arrived in sufficient numbers to have much direct impact on Taiwan’s demographics. But the era of European colonization was the first time Han Chinese (mainly from Fujian and Guangdong) arrived in Taiwan in large numbers. And since the vast majority of the Han Chinese migrants were male (at least during the early waves of migration), if they wanted to marry or have babies, pairing up with the women who already lived there was often their only option. The same applied to the few Europeans who showed up in Taiwan, of course—at all points in Taiwanese history there have been far more white males than white females present on the island (including today).

The next time a different outsider group showed up in Taiwan was when Japan took over Taiwan in 1895. Strangely, unlike all previous migrations, the Japanese did not have lots of babies with the people already living in Taiwan, though they did of course have a few babies, which is why some Taiwanese people claim Japanese ancestry. After WWII, almost all of the Japanese people living in Taiwan left.

Then after WWII many people fled from China to Taiwan, and unlike previous waves of Han Chinese migration, these immigrants were not primarily from Fujian or Guangdong. They brought a new language, Mandarin, to Taiwan (previous Han Chinese migrants spoke Minnan or Hakka). Like most immigrants to Taiwan, they married the local people and had babies.

The most recent wave of migration to Taiwan has been coming from Southeast Asia—Phillipines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. And I recall reading somewhere that 20% of all marriages in Taiwan today are between a Taiwanese person and a Southeast Asian immigrant. It seems the Southeast Asians are carrying on the old Taiwanese tradition of immigrants having babies with locals.

It should be apparent by now that Taiwan is really different from Korea and Japan. Korea and Japan can point to centuries of unified, independent rule, whereas Taiwan has never been an independent and unified nation, not even today (at least not officially). If you ask a Korean or Japanese person what ethnicity they are, they will answer “Korean, obviously” or “Japanese, obviously.” If you ask a Taiwanese person what ethnicity they are, the answers can get really complicated.

And this raises the question … what is Taiwanese culture? Is there something unique about Taiwanese culture which cannot be found in any other culture, or is Taiwanese culture just an extension of some other culture?

I cannot tell you what Taiwanese culture is, and I have heard Taiwanese people answer this question in many different ways. But I see a lot of parallels between Taiwan today and the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. Much of the work of artists in the United States from that era was to hash out what exactly the culture of the United States was. And today, many Taiwanese artists are hashing out the question of what Taiwanese culture is. Which finally, finally brings me to the main topic.

Creative Comic Collection

Creative Comics Collection is Taiwan’s best-selling manhua magazine-anthology. By “best-selling” I mean “it sells a lot more copies than the Taiwanese edition of Shonen Jump.” I am not sure there are any American comic book magazine-anthologies which out-sell the American edition of Shonen Jump (please correct me if I’m wrong). While I don’t have sales numbers, I heard that Creative Comic Collection even out-sells the collected volumes of some of Shonen Jump‘s flagship titles, such as Bleach (though I must note this not mean there are more Taiwanese people reading Creative Comics Collection than Bleach—the vast majority of Taiwanese manga-readers would rent, not buy, Bleach, whereas Creative Comics Collection is generally not available for rent).

And, I will say this for Creative Comics Collection—it is unlike any other comic book magazine-anthology I know about. Star Girls, which I discussed in a previous post, is clearly modeled on Japanese shojo magazine-anthologies. However, Creative Comics Collection is not modelled on anything I know of. It is an entirely different beast than the entire universe of Japanese magazine-anthologies (at least based on reading Magazine no Mori—I suppose there might be Creative-Comics-Collection–esque magazines in Japan which Erica simply has not discussed).

So what is this model? It’s very simple—presearchers at the Academy Sinica team up with young artists and illustrations, and make illustrations and manhua together.

How an Issue is Set Up

Each issue of Creative Comics Collection (which from now on I’m just calling CCC) has a theme—for example, Myths and Legends, Labor, Seasonal Festivities, and so forth. Most or all of the content of that issue uses that them.

The first section of an issue of Creative Comics Collection is dedicated to color illustrations and various articles about the theme. Often, there is a color manhua or illustrated story followed by a collection of illustrations from different artists around a theme. This is actually my favorite part of the magazine because of the color, the variety of styles, and the various ways they express the themes. For example, there was one color feature where the artists had to depict various historic sites in Taiwan as comic book characters.

This is Fort San Domingo in Danshui as a comic book character:

Fort San Domingo was used by the Spanish, Dutch, and British … in other words, it has European colonization written all over it (in fact, the two puppets the character is holding represent Holland and Spain fighting each other).

This is a residence built for the Japanese imperial family in Taichung:

The writing and the diagrams explain the drawing and which aspects of the drawing represent which aspects of of the original building.

After the comics comes the bulk of the issue—black and white comics accompanied by articles from the Academic Sinica.

The academics present some research to the artist, and then the artist bases a short manhua story on the research. The academic writes a short article to follow the short manhua. The manhua stories generally run about 30-40 pages long, and the articles run about 2 pages long. They explore various aspects of Taiwan—ecology, Austronesian heritage, Chinese heritage, Japanese heritage, and so forth. Each issue has about 8 manhua/articles.

Artwork

It is rather difficult to discuss the artwork, because even though there are some regular contributors, each issue has a different set of artists. However, there is a heavy Japanese influence everywhere. This is not surprising. Since Taiwan’s earlier manhua tradition was suffocated to death by censorship (ah, martial law), today’s manhua artists only have Japanese artists, not their Taiwanese predecessors, as their role models. Unlike the manhua found in Star Girls, which tends to track Japanese art styles so closely that I can date a Star Girls manhua by looking at the same things I would use to date a Japanese manga, the artists in CCC do not seem to be bound to following Japanese styles. Instead, they are exploring their own style.

Looking through the issues, I do notice a trend.

These are all from the first issue:

Notice that there are a variety of styles, with an experimental vibe running beneath most of them.

These are all from the most recent issue:

Not as much variety in style as in the first issue, and certainly not as much of an avant-garde atmosphere. It might be inevitable that as a magazine-anthologies matures, the art style settles down.

Overall, I prefer the art of the early issues because of the greater variety and the freshness, but I also appreciate that the magazine is building a stable of maturing artists—some of whom I like a lot—while still keeping room for more artists to come on board.

Stories

And …here is CCC‘s weak point. The stories are not terrible. They are generally just not, well, very memorable. The typical CCC story is ordinary person finds unusual thing, learns more about unusual thing, and then has an ephiphany (the unusual thing, of course, is the subject of the academic’s article). Even though I don’t particularly like Kokai’s drawing style (Kokai is one of CCC‘s regular contributors) I generally like her storytelling more than the other artists because she at least puts a little pizazz into the plot. But generally, I prefer the manhua where they throw the story to hell and just focus on drawing up Taiwanese esoterica in imaginative ways.

That said, the stories (being short) go by quite quickly and balance out the academic articles nicely. Light manhua – academic article – light manhua – academic article, and so forth, makes for a better reading experience than pure light manhua or pure academic articles.

Still, my favorite section is the still the color illustrations in the beginning because they often don’t bother with storytelling in that section, instead focusing on CCC‘s strengths—a variety of art and … Taiwanana? What am I supposed to call the Taiwanese equivalent of Americana?

Availability

Availability in English … ha ha ha.

Well, a few of the manhua stories don’t have dialogue, so I suppose somebody literate in English can read them just as well as someone literate in Chinese. Some manhua stories are “available” online at the CCC website, but the resolution is so bad that I can’t read them, so if you want to look, it does not matter what language you’re literate in (or not).

CCC is quite easy to acquire in Taiwan. I’m sure it’s harder to acquire elsewhere.

Conclusion

Like I said, this is a strange beast, so I am not going to say it should be licensed, at least not in the traditional sense. Nonetheless, I think it would be nice if they translated some of the manhua and features into English and put them online on the offical CCC website so that people outside of Taiwan could get a taste of what it’s like.

It is no secret that Japanese manga dominates the Taiwanese comic book scene, and most Taiwanese people are hardly aware of local manhua (this is partially because the most commercial Taiwanese manhua packages itself just like Japanese manga, so the casual reader may not notice the difference). However one thing Japanese manga cannot do for Taiwanese readers is reflect Taiwanese culture. While I think Star Girls manhua sometimes reflects Taiwanese culture in interesting ways, it’s generally subtle and would not satisfy somebody who really, really wants to see Taiwan embodied in comic book form.

And that is the craving that CCC fills. It is Taiwanese in your face. Taiwan practically drips from its pages.

An avant-garde depiction of a Formosa magpie in a sailor suit

Like this page, which depicts a badass Formosa magpie (the Formosa magpie is often used as a symbol of Taiwan).

It might be difficult for relatively privileged people to understand this. However, if you have had trouble finding stories which reflect people like you and the culture you live in, the craving for such stories can be quite powerful.

So, I have a question for you:

Would you like to discuss specific artists from CCC in future columns?

Next time: Autumn’s Concerto, AKA Next Stop, Happiness (idol drama)

One of the reasons Sara K. enjoys living in Taiwan is that it is the crossroads of East Asia. Japan, Korea, China, Phillipines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand … it all comes together in Taiwan. She thinks it is not a coincidence that Taiwan is both the crossroads of such different cultures … and is the most queer-tolerant and least-sexist place in Asia (that has more to do with Asia generally being homophobic and sexist rather than Taiwan being wonderful in that regard … but Sara K. does not know of any other place in Asia where the head of state publicly attended a gay pride parade).

Combat Commentary: Naruto (The Entire Series)

July 17, 2012 by Derek Bown 5 Comments

You know what the most disappointing thing is about Naruto?

It’s not the story that’s stagnated to the point of resembling a soap opera that’s passed its prime. Neither is it the considerably large female cast that gets absolutely no focus. Nor is it the fact that Kishimoto insists on focusing on the one character more mind-numbingly awful than the actual protagonist.

No, it’s that Naruto used to be good.

That isn’t to say that Naruto can’t be enjoyed by a very particular breed of person, but when considering the first three volumes of the manga I can’t help but wonder: What the heck happened?

As far as shounen fighters go, Naruto was something of a godsend in its early days. Rather than focus on two muscley men punching each other to death, Naruto had the audacity to focus on preteen children punching each other to death. With magic! And as anyone who has spent an extended amount of time around children can attest, this is an incredibly cathartic experience.

Rather than the admittedly much simpler, “Guy A punches Guy B very hard” repeated ad nauseum, Naruto instead had fights that were more about strategy and trickery. This led to a variety of intelligent ways in which Guy A could halt Guy B’s vital functions. Even with the addition of magic powers (Kishimoto can call it “chakra” and “chi” or whatever he wants, one’s inner energy does not give one the ability to shoot fireballs with one’s eyes!) Naruto remained intelligent and fast moving—a battle manga for the intellectual. Sort of.

(click images to enlarge)

But somewhere along the line Naruto lost its way. Focus was placed on the magic, rather than the clever ninja fighting techniques. Fights became longer and more repetitive. The biggest problem was the grave misuse of the sharingan powers. Rather than be satisfied with just two powers, Kishimoto decided at some point the sharingan needed to be so powerful that it made every other technique obsolete.

It’s a problem of escalation really. Dragon Ball experienced the same problem. After you introduce a villain that can destroy a planet, where do you go from there? By introducing a villain that can destroy planets—only he does it harder! The problem is found in most battle manga, and is a curse of the way in which manga is published. If a manga is clever and engaging then the readers will connect with it. And when they connect with it they want more. And when the readers want more the publishers squeeze the creator for everything he or she has, even if the creator’s best ideas dried out a long time ago.

It would be easy to dismiss Naruto as one of those comics that outstayed its welcome. The problem is that not only has Kishimoto never shown any signs of being close to done, but he’s single handedly responsibly for the downgrade in quality. Just like he decided Sasuke was the most engaging character anyone would want to read about, so he decided that magic eyeballs were the way of the future.

One of Kishimoto’s signature stylistic choices was having diagrams describing what happened in the action scene, as a kind of recap or to explain new techniques. I was never a fan of this, as it broke the flow of the story in favor of presenting information with more tedium than my entire undergrad program. For a while Kishimoto abandoned this—one of the only good decisions he’s made in the past few years I’d say. But as those who have been reading Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha know, Kishimoto recently brought that particular feature back—to describe yet another inane sharingan power. It’s as if Kishimoto realizes he doesn’t have that spark anymore, and so he’s reaching back to the early days of his manga. A note to the wise, perhaps try bringing back the engaging parts of your manga, not the one lousy thing that should have stayed buried.

As easy as it is to complain but not provide a solution to the problem, I’m afraid it’s too late for Naruto. The escalation has gone too far. Characters are capable of leveling mountains now—going back to throwing shuriken just won’t work. Which begs the question, why do they still bother carrying the things?

While I’m sure there are still those who read and enjoy the series, I for one have long since abandoned it to that depressing part of my mind where good manga go to stagnate. It seems that’s been happening far too often with current ongoing shounen manga. Bakuman had the right idea and got out while the getting was good.

My current negative opinion of the series isn’t going to stop me from reviewing later fights in, for some, excruciating detail. Please stay tuned, unless you like Naruto—might be a good idea to avoid those future reviews.

Bookshelf Briefs 7/16/12

July 16, 2012 by Sean Gaffney, Katherine Dacey and Michelle Smith 2 Comments

This week, Sean, Kate, and Michelle look at recent releases from Yen Press, Kodansha Comics, and VIZ Media.

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 10 | By Kyousuke Motomi | VIZ Media – It is interesting that, despite the fact that we are all rooting for Teru and Kurosaki to get together in the end, the fact that she’s still a student and he’s about 8 years older than her is never allowed to be forgotten. There’s that vague element of discomfort to the whole thing, which is why we’re happy that Kurosaki is never overly affectionate with Teru, even if everyone else is pushing him to be. As for Teru, here she finds that being the one always protected and always in danger sucks, especially when she gets beaten (literally) by Akira, who the author is clearly trying to show is a troubled child but we haven’t seen enough of his past to sympathize yet. Teru ends up wanting to get stronger and the the one who’s protecting. Admirable sentiment, especially as her friend Rena may be in trouble soon. We’ve caught up with Japan, so it will be a wait till the next volume, but always highly recommended. –Sean Gaffney

Fairy Tail, Vol. 20 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Nirvana is taken care of right at the very beginning of this volume, leading us to expect most of thee volume will be a ‘breather’ and more comedic. Not at all. From Jellal’s arrest (I’m sure we’ll never see him again, wink wink) to the fate of Wendy’s Guild, this is a volume filled with heavy emotional moments. And Mashima is very good at those, better perhaps than his big shonen fights. I particularly liked Natsu’s talk with Gildarts – the clueless mage asks about Lisanna, and Natsu’s reaction is like nothing we’ve ever seen before – clearly her death affected him greatly. (Gildarts himself is fun, being that powerful yet goofy ‘dad’ type the guild has needed for a while.) As the volume ends, though, we start a new arc, with Natsu and Wendy in a land filled with opposite-personality duplicates of everyone. No doubt hijinks will ensue. –Sean Gaffney

Kobato, Vol. 6 | By CLAMP | Yen Press – CLAMP has a long and not-so-proud history of leaving series unfinished: witness X/1999, Clover, and Legal Drug, three stories that never got the ending they deserved. I’m pleased to report that CLAMP provides a satisfactory resolution to Kobato, tying up all the plot threads in a manner that should appease all but the most cynical of readers. If the storytelling is lazy at times — and what says “lazy” more than characters explaining things to one another that they’d presumably know? — CLAMP wins points for its elegant, graceful artwork and warm-hearted portrayal of even the most difficult characters. Their redemption may strike some readers as unbearably sappy, but honors the story’s greater message of selflessness and courage. – Kate Dacey

Kobato, Vol. 6 | By CLAMP | Published by Yen Press – And so Kobato comes to an end. It actually wraps up better than I expected it to, though I would’ve vastly preferred the ending if the final chapter had been omitted. Even now, there are several elements of the story that still feel half-formed—I feel like it could’ve truly been compelling if only I could’ve cared about anyone, but I never managed to do so. And while I would stop short of saying it all feels rushed, CLAMP takes the shortcut approach of having large amounts of backstory conveyed via dialogue, which gets a bit tiresome. At one point, one of the characters, having been lectured at length about a past for which he was present, cries, “I recall it all!” I doubt CLAMP was making commentary on the awkwardness of the exchange, but that remark still prompted a snicker from me. Ultimately, not bad but not a keeper, either. – Michelle Smith

Rin-Ne, Vol. 9 | By Rumiko Takahashi | VIZ Media – I really wish that Rin-Ne had more obvious flaws and faults, as it’s just not quite dull or bad enough to justify my dropping it. At the same time, however, there’s so little substance here that it’s like reading air. There’s no forward plot momentum here – even when Rinne’s father appears again, it’s in a fairly comedic story about a dead ramen owner. What we get instead are basic short stories about ghosts who cannot pass on unless they have aired out their grievances. That said, one thing that Takahashi’s work has kept throughout, from UY to Ranma to now, is that humans are basically horrible jerks. The ghosts are petty and perfectly happy damning others to their fate, while the loved ones they left behind are cruel cheaters who didn’t care in the first place. It lends a tart air to this otherwise generic supernatural comedy. –Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 28 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – For those who wanted more focus on the not-quite-romance between Kyoko and Ren, this is the volume for you. A near-deadly car accident leaves Ren having post-traumatic flashbacks to his time in America, and at last we start to get an idea of what actually happened that broke him so much. I liked the fact that, even though Kyoko is once again his guiding light and moral conscience, he also relies on advice from his friend Rick, which is… actually used in a pretty funny way, but whatever seems to work for him. As for Kyoko, it seems to finally be dawning on her what her feelings for Ren are, and she’s none too happy about it. That said, things seem to finally be moving forward for those two, so no doubt Vol. 29 will be filled with hideous complications that will screw everything up. Just as we like it. –Sean Gaffney

Slam Dunk, Vol. 22 | By Takehiko Inou | Published by VIZ Media – This is one of those in-between volumes, where the excitement of the Prefectural Tournament has passed but the Nationals have not yet begun. A few important things happen, though, with the most significant being that Hanamichi finally seems to grasp that, at his present skill level, he’s nowhere near as good as Rukawa. When the rest of the team goes off to a week-long training camp, Hanamichi stays behind with Coach Anzai for some rigorous practice. Although I prefer the fast-paced, volume-spanning games, there is still something satisfying about a volume like this, in which intense hard work pays off with measurable, definitive progress. If only real life were as simple as sports manga! – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 10 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | VIZ Media – Jump manga, especially the type brought over here, tend to follow certain patterns. Thus you know that there’s going to be a volume or two – or four – that are 200 pages of nothing but fights. This doesn’t necessarily mean I have to like it, though, and this volume had me flicking pages quickly to try and see what would happen after our heroes eventually triumphed over the bad guys. Not to say there isn’t a bit of cost – Toriko has now lost an arm, and I wonder what plot contrivance will let it grow back – and Teppei is another in a string of powerful yet dumb/weird guys we’ve seen in this series. But this volume didn’t even have people eating food – it was just punching, punching, punching. MORE FOOD, PLEASE. –Sean Gaffney

Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz, Vol. 1

July 16, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Quin Rose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru, based on the game by Quin Rose. Released in Japan as “Clover no Kuni no Alice – Cheshire Neko to Waltz” by Ichijinsha. Released in North America by Seven Seas.

I was less than impressed with the first spinoff from the Alice books, Bloody Twins. This second one promises a much longer and more involved plotline – it’s 7+ volumes in Japan – and like the heart volumes has Alice bonding with a lot of people while clearly being romantically paired off with only one of them. Here it’s Boris, the Cheshire Cat of Alice’s dream world.

The premise, supposedly, of the ‘Clover’ world is that the player, playing Alice, did not actually pick anyone while playing the ‘Hearts’ game – which involved a love based on passion. So the world changes to the ‘Clover’ country, where Alice once again interacts with most of the cast she knows (Julius is gone, and I missed him), along with a few new characters, and tries to see if she can find a love based on ‘companionship’. The manga thus fairly unapologetically plots out one of the ‘routes’ you can take as Alice in the game.

What this means in terms of an actual manga plotline is that Alice is uprooted from her comfortable life at the amusement park (as I said, different world from the Hearts manga) and dumped into a lonely forest. Much of this first volume involves her fear and uncertainty at having her life turned upside down right after she decided to stay there and not return home to her sister. Luckily, she eventually finds Boris, and through a series of wacky situations, ends up staying at the Hatter’s place and getting a new job.

Like Bloody Twins, this manga is focused far more on the romance than the Hearts manga. Alice’s sister is mentioned once or twice, but the implication we get at the end of Hearts is never brought up. Instead, we get the Hatter, and the Twins, and above all Boris, all trying to get into Alice’s pants. I’d mentioned in Bloody Twins that there was a far more sexually suggestive air to the book, and that continues here – at one point the Hatter says ‘So maybe you’ll *stay* if I make you *come*’ and his implication is clear. Of course, this manga series – and the original games – were written for female fans, not male ones. As a result, the tendency to try to keep all the harem characters virgins so as not to offend male otaku is absent. Nothing actually happens here, but I would not be terribly surprised if Alice and Boris come together – so to speak – in the future.

This volume does tend to get a little aimless at times, and risks being as light and frothy as Bloody Twins was. The good thing, though, is that it’s not afraid to show how emotionally damaged all its cast is. Alice and Boris are both filled with doubts and unfulfilled needs, and can’t communicate well at all – part of Alice’s worries are that Boris doesn’t love her as much because he’s a cat deep down. Meanwhile, thankfully Peter White and Ace are both in this universe as well, and they’re as insane as ever – Peter is the worst stalker ever, and Ace always seems to be one step away from a mass murder spree. If the title can balance its romantic comedy elements with the discomfort at its heart, it should prove just as fun as the original.

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 10 June

July 15, 2012 by Matt Blind Leave a Comment

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [471.0] ::
2. ↑1 (3) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [420.8] ::
3. ↑1 (4) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [419.5] ::
4. ↑2 (6) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [395.0] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [376.0] ::
6. ↑17 (23) : Black Bird 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, May 2012 [341.1] ::
7. ↑21 (28) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [337.8] ::
8. ↓-6 (2) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [321.5] ::
9. ↑8 (17) : Bleach 40 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [320.6] ::
10. ↑4 (14) : Death Note vols 1-13 box set – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2008 [319.8] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 86
Yen Press 79
Viz Shojo Beat 61
Tokyopop 55
Kodansha Comics 43
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 35
DMP Juné 23
Dark Horse 16
Vizkids 13
Seven Seas 12

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,173.1] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [854.4] ::
3. ↑2 (5) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [674.6] ::
4. ↑16 (20) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [507.9] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [488.3] ::
6. ↑5 (11) : Black Bird – Viz Shojo Beat [483.3] ::
7. ↓-4 (3) : Black Butler – Yen Press [466.0] ::
8. ↓-4 (4) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [465.8] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Highschool of the Dead – Yen Press [462.1] ::
10. ↓-3 (7) : Negima! – Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [457.2] ::

[more]

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

5. ↔0 (5) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [376.0] ::
6. ↑17 (23) : Black Bird 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, May 2012 [341.1] ::
7. ↑21 (28) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [337.8] ::
9. ↑8 (17) : Bleach 40 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [320.6] ::
12. ↑22 (34) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 – Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [284.8] ::
13. ↓-3 (10) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [282.3] ::
21. ↓-2 (19) : Soul Eater 9 – Yen Press, May 2012 [262.4] ::
24. ↑2 (26) : Pandora Hearts 10 – Yen Press, May 2012 [244.8] ::
25. ↑5 (30) : Bleach 41 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [237.2] ::
26. ↑14 (40) : Omamori Himari 7 – Yen Press, May 2012 [215.7] ::

[more]

Preorders

11. ↔0 (11) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [295.0] ::
14. ↓-5 (9) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [280.8] ::
16. ↓-8 (8) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [276.7] ::
28. ↓-15 (13) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [210.4] ::
32. ↓-3 (29) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [189.7] ::
33. ↑6 (39) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [189.0] ::
46. ↑12 (58) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [141.3] ::
49. ↑21 (70) : Velvet Kiss 1 – Project H, Jul 2012 [138.0] ::
53. ↑11 (64) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [125.6] ::
74. ↑2 (76) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [106.7] ::

[more]

Manhwa

129. ↑102 (231) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [80.9] ::
176. ↑617 (793) : Priest Purgatory 1 – Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [65.3] ::
371. ↑159 (530) : Bride of the Water God 9 – Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [31.9] ::
524. ↑277 (801) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [21.0] ::
688. ↓-378 (310) : Ragnarok 1 – Tokyopop, May 2002 [13.9] ::
765. ↓-39 (726) : Toxic (anthology) 1 – Udon, Jul 2012 [11.3] ::
931. ↓-356 (575) : JTF-3 Counter Ops – RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [7.0] ::
1040. ↓-353 (687) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [5.2] ::
1285. ↓-391 (894) : Angel Diary 1 – Yen Press, Oct 2005 [2.8] ::
1514. ↓-401 (1113) : Jack Frost 2 – Yen Press, Nov 2009 [1.3] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

33. ↑6 (39) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [189.0] ::
53. ↑11 (64) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [125.6] ::
79. ↓-1 (78) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [103.4] ::
82. ↑26 (108) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 6 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [102.1] ::
108. ↑26 (134) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [90.5] ::
122. ↑21 (143) : In These Words – 801 Media, Jun 2012 [83.5] ::
123. ↑28 (151) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [83.2] ::
158. ↓-32 (126) : Love Mode 1 – Tokyopop Blu, Nov 2005 [70.8] ::
186. ↑659 (845) : Gravitation vols 3-4 collection – Tokyopop, Aug 2009 [62.9] ::
203. ↑84 (287) : Samejima-Kun & Sasahara-Kun – DMP Juné, May 2012 [58.0] ::

[more]

Ebooks

5. ↔0 (5) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [376.0] ::
18. ↓-3 (15) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [271.6] ::
23. ↓-7 (16) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [252.1] ::
32. ↓-3 (29) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [189.7] ::
34. ↑20 (54) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [183.6] ::
36. ↓-29 (7) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [179.2] ::
40. ↑13 (53) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [166.4] ::
42. ↑15 (57) : Haruhi Suzumiya Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 12 – Yen Press, May 2012 [157.4] ::
45. ↑29 (74) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [144.2] ::
56. ↑49 (105) : Naruto 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2011 [124.9] ::

[more]

Off the Shelf: Communicable Crankiness

July 14, 2012 by MJ and Michelle Smith 5 Comments

MICHELLE: Hey, MJ! What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?

MJ: Um. A carrot?

MICHELLE: Um, yeah. That’s it.

MJ. Well, huh. Uh. Read any good manga this week?

MICHELLE: I did! I spent the week conducting a massive catchup marathon of Natsume’s Book of Friends, and while I now lament that it took me so long to really immerse myself in the gentle beauty of this fantastic series, it was nonetheless a lovely experience to luxuriate in a dozen volumes!

The twelfth volume came out earlier this month and features mostly episodic stories, though not without personal consequence for Takashi Natsume, a lonely teenage boy with the ability to see yokai. First, he helps a yokai read an old, damaged letter from a human. Next, there’s a story about an old lady yokai who thought Natsume’s grandmother (who bound yokai to her by writing their names in the Book of Friends) was a yokai. And then Natsume gets captured in a jar and taken off as tribute to a newly awakened god, whereupon his friend Tanuma (possessed of a very limited supernatural sensitivity) steps up to attempt to rescue him.

I really loved getting to see Tanuma in action in this volume, and though everyone will probably roll their eyes when I say this… I could help but notice the Buffy parallels! You’ve got a teenager with a powerful supernatural ability that he’s not supposed to tell anyone about—and who is worried that knowledge of this information will put the people that he cares about in harm’s way—who has managed to make a couple of friends and struggles with how much to tell them, how much to let them be involved, and guilt when they end up getting hurt while trying to help. It’s unusual for someone with this gift/curse to maintain such friendships, but Natsume is determined to try.

And, of course, the episodic tales themselves are often quite nice—I love that Natsume is unable to ignore anyone in need of help, including yokai—and I positively adore Nyanko-sensei, the powerful yokai who acts as Natsume’s bodyguard. He took up this role because Natsume promised he could have the book if Natsume died, but it’s obvious that Nyanko really cares for him. It reminds me of Wesley and the Dread Pirate Roberts in Princess Bride, where Roberts adheres to the formula of threatening to kill Wesley, but he never really does because he’s grown fond of him. Nyanko-sensei protests too much that he’s only there to inherit the book, methinks.

To sum up, I have now been converted into a major Natsume fangirl.

MJ: Oh, I’m so glad you’ve become a fan! I’m actually several volumes behind in this series now, but it’s long been a favorite, for many of the same reasons you mention here. I’m especially anxious to read that story involving Tanuma.

Also, I too am exceedingly fond of Nyanko-sensei. It doesn’t hurt that he usually looks like a really cranky cat.

MICHELLE: I like it best when he actually acts like a cat, like getting distracted by butterflies, etc. There’s a really cute random illustration in this volume where Midorikawa-sensei has depicted him sleeping atop a wall with several other feline companions. It’s very cute.

Anyway! What’ve you been reading this week?

MJ: Well, I may not be a cat, but I’m definitely feeling cranky.

My first read this week was the penultimate volume of La Corda d’Oro, Yuki Kure’s manga adaptation of the romantic video game of the same name. I’ve generally been a fan of this sweet little reverse-harem series, even with its blatantly ridiculous ideas about classical music (particularly violin repertoire) and its thin, supernatural plot. Most of the characters are genuinely likable, and even when they fall into very standard types (which most of them do), they’re quite fun.

In volume fifteen, emotionally stiff violinist Len finally came to terms with his feelings for the series’ heroine, Kahoko—a surprise to no one, as it’s been obvious for a while which boy in this harem was likely to get the girl. In the latest volume (sixteen), Kahoko begins to finally recognize her feelings for Len, and while this is no surprise, either, its consequences managed to make me actually angry with this series for the first time ever.

Having determined not to tell Kahoko that he would be leaving the country on the very same day she is to play in an important music competition (relationship decisions have never been his strong suit), Len unfathomably blurts out the news on the evening just before Kahoko’s performance, sending her into a loop of anxiety and confusion at the moment she needs it least. What pushes me over the edge, however, is Kahoko’s near-sabotage of her own performance in favor of wallowing in emotional turmoil, which plays just about as wrong with me as it possibly could. For while I realize that the story of a teenager prioritizing her feelings for a boy over a personal dream she’s worked her ass off to achieve is probably more realistic than most of us would like to acknowledge, I think it may have finally eclipsed my tolerance for the series’ lack of devotion to its subject.

Of course, I also realize that the problem may be mine, as perhaps it’s been quite clear all along that the story’s real subject is Kahoko’s romantic dreams rather than her musical aspirations, but it still kinda pissed me off.

Scold me if you must.

MICHELLE: Oh, that would piss me off, too! I will say, though, that this series is definitely capable of provoking some strong emotions in you: here you’re angry, but I remember an earlier plot revelation that actually made you cry.

MJ: *sigh* It’s true. I’m really a sucker for this kind of series, overall. I suspect I won’t be able to resist the final volume, even after this.

So, our final selection for the week is something we both read. Would you like to introduce it?

MICHELLE: Alrighty.

From the creator of Clean Freak, Fully Equipped (long-time readers might recall I talked about this series in the past) comes Jiu Jiu, an extremely generic and unfunny tale of a misanthropic demon hunter named Takamichi who has some angst that results in her ignoring the two half-human half-demon wolfish pups that have been placed in her charge until they turn three, whereupon they proceed to enroll in her high school and sleep nude in her bed.

Over and over again, she leaves them behind for some reason, they whine, she realizes they care about her, or only want to protect her, or something like that. It’s all incredibly disjointed with disorienting shifts in time, and for the life of me, I cannot understand why a hot mess like this gets licensed but 7SEEDS does not.

Sheesh, now I’m cranky!

MJ: Wow. So succinct. And so true, sad to say.

While I’d say my reaction against Jiu Jiu wasn’t quite so violently negative, it certainly was not good. Jiu Jiu does have a few strong points—or at least potential strong points not yet fully realized. Though Takamichi is irritatingly hung up on the notion that she must protect herself by not caring for anybody (is anyone else as tired of that song as I am?), she’s potentially a kick-ass heroine with a fairly kick-ass job. And while I could go the rest of my life without reading yet another introduction of her wolfy companions, Night and Snow (this series really suffers from exposition repetition), the artist does an eerily fantastic job of drawing teenaged boys who actually look and act like dogs. Seriously, it’s kind of impressive.

Trouble is, none of the series’ potential strong points have been actualized fully enough to make up for the fact that so far the story seems to have no direction whatsoever, unless you count the rather disturbing possibility that Takamichi’s increasingly, uh… horny pups may eventually molest her in her bed.

MICHELLE: Exactly. And you’re right, their more canine moments are the best in the volume. I despair, though, that a character who has explicitly stated he passed the high school entrance exams then proceeds to mistake a bra for a pair of glasses. High-larious.

Takamichi herself is not particularly likeable, and I don’t like the art, either. In fact, one particularly ridiculous pose (page 59) made me laugh and say aloud, “Oh my God, what?!” These factors together make it extremely difficult to hope that it will improve in future volumes.

MJ: Ha! I laughed at the very same pose!

There are some (again) potentially interesting musings here and there about the nature of Takamichi’s job and her feelings about her young protectors becoming killers, but these are too brief to make an impact. Probably the one thing that got me through it all was the cuteness of puppy!Night writing in his diary. Ultimately, though? Not cute enough.

MICHELLE: I’m afraid I must conCUR. Harhar.

MJ: And on that note… better luck next time? Let’s hope so.

Sakuran

July 13, 2012 by Katherine Dacey

The oiran, or Japanese courtesan, is a product of seventeenth century Japan. Like the geisha who eclipsed them in popularity, the oiran were not simply prostitutes; they were companions and performers, trained in a variety of arts — calligraphy, music, flower arranging — and prized for their ability to converse with powerful men. Though confined to the official pleasure districts of Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka, they were highly visible, formally parading through the streets in elaborate costumes, attended by a retinue of maids. As a potent symbol of the new, hedonistic culture of urban Japan, the oiran were frequent subjects of ukiyo-e, or “floating world” prints. Artists such as Suzuki Harunobou emphasized the oiran’s refinement, the rarefied world in which they operated, and, in their more explicit shunga prints, the bodily pleasures they offered.

Moyocco Anno’s Sakuran presents a less romanticized image of the oiran, documenting one girl’s rise from maid to tayuu, or head courtesan. We first meet Kiyoha as an eight-year-old child: orphaned and undisciplined, she chafes against the strict rules inside Edo’s Tamagiku House, making several unsuccessful attempts to escape. Shohi, Kiyoha’s mistress, is one of the few people to recognize Kiyoha’s potential: not only is Kiyoha quick-witted, she also boasts a porcelain complexion and delicate facial features, both highly prized assets in a courtesan. Shohi’s method for grooming Kiyoha for her new role is less tutoring than hazing, however, a mixture of slaps, insults, and mind games designed to teach Kiyoha to behave in a more dignified fashion.

Anno’s artwork is uniquely suited to the subject matter: it’s both starkly ugly and exquisitely beautiful, capable of conveying the anger and suffering beneath Kiyoha’s carefully manicured appearance. When we first meet Kiyoha, for example, Anno draws her as a “dirty little turnip” with a snot-stained face, unkempt hair, and an ill-fitting yukata. Though Kiyoha undergoes a remarkable transformation over the course of the manga, we are frequently reminded of what she looked like when she first arrived at Tamagiku. Kiyoha’s face contorts into a grotesque, child-like mask whenever she feels wronged or vulnerable, and she frequently reverts to a feral posture when eating, as if her bowl might be snatched from her hands.

In this sequence, for example, twelve-year-old Kiyoha interrupts a transaction between a shinzu (the lowest ranking courtesan of the house) and a lecherous customer. Kiyoha’s motives for intervening are unclear, since her relationship with the shinzu in question is never carefully delineated. As she tussles with the customer, however, we see Kiyoha’s childhood survival instinct emerge in full force, overriding Shohi’s etiquette lessons:

One of the things this sequence also emphasizes is the discrepancy in power between the low-ranking courtesans and the house clientele; any violation of established protocol could result in severe reprisal. Anno infuses this scene with special urgency by using blunt, contemporary speech in lieu of the archaic language that verisimilitude might demand. It’s a welcome departure from the tortured, Fakespearian dialogue that plagues the otherwise brilliant Ooku: The Inner Chambers, focusing the reader’s attention on visual signifiers of class and gender — eye contact, body language, clothing — rather than honorifics and awkward syntax.

Perhaps Anno’s greatest achievement is her ability to capture her characters’ physical beauty and sensuality without reducing them to objects. Even the most erotic images are carefully framed as business transactions: the dialogue reminds us that the oiran are performing for their customers, creating an illusion of sexual and emotional intimacy for the sake of money, while their customers’ grim expressions and sweaty bodies remind us of their determination to get the most bang for the buck (so to speak).

If Sakuran sounds like a hectoring treatise on prostitution, rest assured it’s not. Anno creates a vibrant, fascinating world, teeming with people from every walk of life. Though her female characters have limited agency, they nonetheless find opportunities to exert influence over their customers, improve their social standing, and choose their own lovers.

Kiyoha embodies all the contradictions and complexities of her environment: she’s impetuous, competitive, and unmoved by her peers’ hardships, yet she has a great capacity for feeling — and transcending — pain. That Kiyoha is, at times, a repellant figure, does not diminish her appeal as a character; we appreciate the mental toughness that her job demands, and admire her efforts to push back against its limits. It seems only fitting that the story ends not with the outcome that a modern reader might choose for this fierce woman, but with one that reflects the heroine’s own clear-eyed understanding of what she is. Highly recommended.

Review copy provided by Vertical, Inc.

SAKURAN • BY MOYOCCO ANNO • VERTICAL, INC. • 308 pp. • RATING: MATURE (VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE, AND SEXUAL NUDITY)

Olympos

July 12, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Aki. Released in Japan by Ichijinsha, serialized in the magazine Comic Zero-Sum. Released in North America by Yen Press.

Yen Press has occasionally taken a flyer on short series that they can release as omnibuses, things that are somewhat off the beaten path. Sometimes this works out well (Dragon Girl), sometimes not so well (Sasameke). Olympos, a josei series about a petulant god and his captive human, seems to fall somewhat between those two camps, though I am ultimately pleased to have read it.

After a very well-handled fakeout of an opening, where we get teased about who the actual protagonist is supposed to be, things settle down. Ganymede, who people may recall from mythology, has been taken from his life and brought to a beautiful yet empty ruin, where he lives in stasis and occasionally has cross words with the god who has orchestrated all this, Apollo. The rest of the omnibus features Ganymede’s interaction with these gods, and Apollo’s attempts to amuse himself, which ultimately end up telling us more about the latter than the former.

The art style used here is very pretty and shoujo-esque. Deliberately meant to evoke androgyny, I found myself throughout the series forgetting that I wasn’t dealing with two women here. Even Poseidon, who is supposed to be big, burly and the masculine ideal, has a face that is very female. Of course, gender doesn’t really matter here – there’s no actual romance, except for the false start with Heinz and his doomed love. Still, the feminine faces are another way of showing that we’re dealing mostly with gods rather than man.

Easily my favorite part of the story was one that did not involve Ganymede at all. Instead, we flashback to a time when Apollo saw a temple being built in his honor, and began to interact with the sacrifice that had been offered to him. He refused to accept her, so she essentially hung around until he did. Iris, the sacrifice, is portrayed as a bit of a bubblehead, but her sweet and earnest devotion is rather cute, and you enjoy seeing Apollo open up to her, even if this leads to an inevitable conclusion.

By contrast, the weak point in the volume is Ganymede, who at the time we meet him has mostly grown rather resigned and bitter about his fate. There’s nothing particularly wrong with his conversations with Apollo, which tend towards the philosophical in regarding the nature of man and gods, but he does not stand out the way that the other gods (and Iris) do. Ganymede may be the focus of the book, but the show is clearly Apollo’s to steal.

I always enjoy seeing Japan dealing with Western mythology, and this is pretty well done. There’s a lot to think about here, involving Apollo’s relationship with Artemis, Poseidon’s desperate attempts at social climbing, and Zeus hovering above all, as unknowable to the other gods as they are to mankind. I do wish that the author had found a better way to go about conveying these ideas besides having everyone sit around and blithely discuss it. Don’t get me wrong, the discussions can be fascinating, but the utter lack of forward movement – even in the end, the manga simply stops rather than reaching a climax – makes the whole thing rather dry and dull, a bit like a textbook of Ancient Greece.

Manga the Week of 7/18

July 11, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

Diamond may still be shorting me on manga every single week, but despite that I continue to bring you this list of what’s out next week. This week I combine Midtown’s list (missing a title arriving at my store) and my own comic shop’s (missing one on Midtown’s list). Both, ironically, from the same publisher.

Kodansha has its usual list of titles Diamond gets one week later than everyone else, for some reason. We have Fairy Tail 20, which wraps up one arc only to send us barreling directly into another. Negima 35 continues to feature the giant final battle to save the magic world, with lots of posturing and counter-posturing. Sailor Moon 6 kicks off the S arc, and you know what that means… fans complaining about the romanization of the Outers’ last names, that’s right. (I’m joking, please don’t actually do so.) And Shugo Chara-chan 4 are no doubt more wacky and hilarious 4-koma adventures of the cast of Shugo Chara. (It’s harder to do these for titles I don’t read, I admit.)

Sublime has two new yaoi titles. Awkward Silence is by Hinako Takanaga, who has had everything in the world licensed over here. Honestly, this summary reads like it could be a generic shoujo manga, were the leads not both men. There’s also Punch Up! by Shiuko Kano, whose premise at least features grouchy construction workers. I’d go for the latter over the former (what with all my experience in reading BL, of course.)

In Viz’s regular line, we’re up to Vol. 21 of 20th Century Boys, as things pound relentlessly towards a climax.

And there’s July’s pile of stuff from Yen Press. Midtown doesn’t show The Disappearance of Nagato-Yuki-chan, but my shop’s getting it in, so I’m counting it here. For all those who want a kinder, gentler Haruhi series with less world saving and more adorable, this is for you. There’s also Durarara!! Vol. 3, which Midtown lists but my store does not. The striking covers of DRRR always appeal, but the manga artist has shown a deft touch with the plotting as well.

In other Yen series, Book Girl and The Wayfarer’s Lamentation is the 5th in the series, and may actually finally get into the mysterious past of Konoha’s in greater detail. 13th Boy hits Vol. 12, which dovetails nicely with 20th Century Boys hitting Vol. 21. Black Butler is up to double digits for this satanically popular series (see what I did there? I should write ad copy). There’s new High School of the Dead and Pandora Hearts, and the 2nd volume of Is This A Zombie? is there for those not driven off by Vol. 1. The other big debut this week is Vol. 1 of spinoff series Soul Eater Not!, which is serialized day-date by Yen Press as part of their Yen Plus online magazine. Should be fun. (Twilight Vol. 2 is also listed, but as this came out in October everywhere else, I’m not sure why.)

That’s a lot of great stuff! What are you getting?

The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 2

July 10, 2012 by Katherine Dacey

Do you remember the first time you tried to impress someone on a date? I do: I was fifteen, and thrilled that an older boy had invited me to dinner. (He drove a Mazda two-seater and quoted lines from Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire, which, in 1988, made him a god.) My strategy for wooing him was to describe, in excruciating detail, the nuances of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka, from the opening tableau to the final notes. I was convinced that if he could see my passion for something as dark and powerful as that ballet, he’d understand who I really was, and fall in love with that person. (Needless to say, we didn’t go on a second date.)

Kasuga, the earnest hero of The Flowers of Evil, finds himself in a similar situation at the beginning of volume two: Saeki, the classmate whom he’s loved from afar, has finally consented to go on a date with him. As they wander the aisles of his favorite bookstore, Kasuga confesses to Saeki that Baudelaire’s Fleurs du Mal “changed how I see the world. I felt as though I’d been an ignorant fool my whole life.” It’s a cringe-inducing moment — not because Saeki mocks Kasuga, or recoils from him, but because Kasuga has exposed himself in such a clumsy, sincere, and godawful manner.

That sincerity is nearly his undoing. Throughout the volume, Nakamura goads Kasuga about Saeki, reacting with fury when Kasuga asks Saeki to enter into a “pure, platonic relationship” with him: how dare he pretend to be normal? Nakamura then redoubles her efforts to reveal Kasuga’s “perversion,” currying favor with Saeki while pouring poison in Kasuga’s ear. But to what end? The final scene of the manga offers some interesting, and surprising, hints at Nakamura’s true agenda while suggesting that Kasuga might, in fact, have more in common with her than he’d care to admit. I won’t reveal what happens, but will venture to say that “orgiastic” is an apt description of those last glorious, frenzied pages.

Review copy provided by Vertical, Inc.

THE FLOWERS OF EVIL, VOL. 2 | BY SHUZO OSHIMI | VERTICAL, INC. | 168 pp.

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 3 June

July 10, 2012 by Matt Blind 1 Comment

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [447.2] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [411.8] ::
3. ↑2 (5) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [402.0] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [391.0] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [358.0] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [295.8] ::
8. ↑2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [291.5] ::
9. ↑3 (12) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [286.5] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [283.0] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 82
Viz Shonen Jump 74
Tokyopop 59
Viz Shojo Beat 58
Kodansha Comics 39
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 32
Seven Seas 21
DMP Juné 18
Dark Horse 15
HC/Tokyopop 15

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,132.7] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [840.9] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Black Butler – Yen Press [611.2] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [606.1] ::
5. ↑4 (9) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [551.9] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [509.8] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Negima! – Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [429.1] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Highschool of the Dead – Yen Press [424.1] ::
9. ↓-4 (5) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [422.4] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Avatar: The Last Airbender – [multiple publishers] [393.2] ::

[more]

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

5. ↓-1 (4) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [283.0] ::
17. ↑31 (48) : Bleach 40 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [250.1] ::
19. ↑18 (37) : Soul Eater 9 – Yen Press, May 2012 [246.4] ::
23. ↑58 (81) : Black Bird 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, May 2012 [224.8] ::
26. ↑6 (32) : Pandora Hearts 10 – Yen Press, May 2012 [215.6] ::
28. ↑10 (38) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [207.7] ::
30. ↑81 (111) : Bleach 41 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [198.7] ::
34. ↑18 (52) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 – Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [182.1] ::
35. ↑14 (49) : Puella Magi Madoka Magica 1 – Yen Press, May 2012 [178.6] ::

[more]

Preorders

8. ↑2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [291.5] ::
9. ↑3 (12) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [286.5] ::
11. ↑22 (33) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [261.9] ::
13. ↓-4 (9) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [258.4] ::
29. ↑24 (53) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [199.1] ::
39. ↑1 (40) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [177.6] ::
58. ↓-4 (54) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [139.7] ::
62. ↑74 (136) : Naruto 58 – Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2012 [134.3] ::
64. ↓-2 (62) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [126.4] ::
70. ↑25 (95) : Velvet Kiss 1 – Project H, Jul 2012 [113.6] ::

[more]

Manhwa

231. ↑138 (369) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [52.2] ::
310. ↑11 (321) : Ragnarok 1 – Tokyopop, May 2002 [39.6] ::
530. ↓-58 (472) : Bride of the Water God 9 – Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [21.5] ::
575. ↑189 (764) : JTF-3 Counter Ops – RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [19.4] ::
687. ↑181 (868) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [14.4] ::
726. ↑148 (874) : Toxic (anthology) 1 – Udon, Jul 2012 [13.0] ::
793. ↓-249 (544) : Priest Purgatory 1 – Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [10.5] ::
801. ↓-121 (680) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [10.3] ::
894. ↑179 (1073) : Angel Diary 1 – Yen Press, Oct 2005 [8.0] ::
1113. ↑149 (1262) : Jack Frost 2 – Yen Press, Nov 2009 [4.0] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

39. ↑1 (40) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [177.6] ::
64. ↓-2 (62) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [126.4] ::
78. ↓-2 (76) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [105.5] ::
108. ↑196 (304) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 6 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [84.9] ::
126. ↑175 (301) : Love Mode 1 – Tokyopop Blu, Nov 2005 [79.3] ::
127. ↑1833 (1960) : Gravitation vols 11-12 collection – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [79.0] ::
134. ↑23 (157) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [77.0] ::
143. ↑227 (370) : In These Words – 801 Media, Jun 2012 [73.5] ::
145. ↑152 (297) : Silver Diamond 8 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [73.3] ::
151. ↑23 (174) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [70.4] ::

[more]

Ebooks

5. ↓-1 (4) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [295.8] ::
15. ↓-2 (13) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [253.8] ::
16. ↔0 (16) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [250.6] ::
29. ↑24 (53) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [199.1] ::
33. ↓-8 (25) : Maximum Ride 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [190.2] ::
36. ↓-8 (28) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [178.3] ::
43. ↓-12 (31) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [175.8] ::
52. ↑6 (58) : Naruto 1 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [148.2] ::
53. ↑13 (66) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [148.1] ::

[more]

It Came From the Sinosphere: Cheerful Wind

July 10, 2012 by Sara K. 3 Comments

About the Title

This film has quite a few titles in English. Cheerful Wind is the title used by the IMDB, yet Play While You Play is the English title on my DVD. The Mandarin title is Fēnger Tītà Cǎi (風兒踢踏踩) which roughly means ‘The Wind Tip-Tap Steps’.

Three People

I picked this film because it brings together three of the most important people in Taiwanese pop culture: Chiung Yao, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Fong Fei-fei.

*****

Chiung Yao

Chiung Yao is the most popular writer of Chinese-language romance novels ever. I think she’s also Taiwan’s most popular female novelist ever. Many of her works have been adapted for TV, some of which are available on DVD even though they are over 30 years old. It is rare for a 30+ year old Taiwanese TV series to be available on DVD, which demonstrates just how popular Chiung Yao is. Furthermore, the 1998-2003 Chinese TV series adapted from her novel Princess Pearl, aka My Fair Princess, is the most popular Chinese-language TV series ever.

I’ll be honest; I haven’t read any of the novels or watched any of the TV series. Yet. But Chiung Yao’s position in Chinese-language pop culture is so important that I have to read at least a few of the novels and watch a few of the TV series if this column is to have any credibility. So I assure you, I WILL read some novels / watch some of the TV shows, and write about it here.

Naturally, none of her novels are available in English, because publishers apparently think there is no commercial potential in translating the works of the most popular romance writer in the Chinese-speaking world into English.

I am not clear what Chiung Yao’s involvement with this film is. The DVD claims that she is the original creator and that she ‘supervised’ the film, but this is not adapted from any of her novels, nor did she write the screenplay. Maybe she created the plot, or maybe she just let the film use her name to sell more tickets.

*****

Hou Hsiao-hsien

Out of all of the people involved with this film, Hou Hsiao-hsien is the best known outside of Asia. He is one of Taiwan’s most famous filmmakers. His best-known work is City of Sadness, set in the town of Jiufen (Jiufen also inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, and thanks to City of Sadness and Spirited Away Jiufen is constantly packed with Taiwanese and Japanese tourists). Hou Hsiao-hsien’s films get discussed in film schools around the world, put on “films to see before you die” lists, and played at international film festivals.

This film was made very early in his career—it’s only his second feature-length film. Nonetheless, his distinctive, low-key style is already apparent.

*****

Fong Fei-fei

If you created a list of “Five Most Important Taiwanese Singers of All Time,” Fong Fei-fei would definitely make the list. Frankly, I think she would belong on the “Three Most Important Taiwanese Singers of All Time” list too. She also happens to be one of my favorite Chinese-language singers. It was a big deal in Taiwan when she died earlier this year, and I wrote my own blog post about it.

Unlike Chiung Yao and Hou Hsiao-hsien, whose families fled China after WWII, Fong Fei-fei’s family had been in Taiwan for centuries, and she herself had been born in Taoyuan county (hey, I live in Taoyuan county!). Even after becoming a star, she stayed in touch with her working-class roots, and that is part of why she is so beloved.

Even though she is best known as a singer, she got her big break in show business as an actress, not a singer. That break was being cast in the TV show A Pair of Swallows Fly (燕雙飛), for which she sang the theme song. Even after establishing her singing career, she continued to accept acting roles, including the leading role in this film.

The Story

Xinghui is a photographer. She lives with her boss/boyfriend, Luozi, a producer of TV commercials from Hong Kong. However, her feelings for him a bit … lacking. While on a trip to Penghu to shoot a commercial, Xinghui meets Jintai, a flute-playing medic who lost his eyesight in a car crash while driving an ambulance. The two establish a rapport which only deepens when they happen to run into each other in Taipei. After an operation, Jintai can see again, and follows Xinghui to the countryside when she has to act as a substitute teacher for her brother. There, Jintai asks Xinghui to marry him. Meanwhile, Luozi plans a trip to Europe with Xinghui—knowing that travelling in Europe has been Xinghui’s dream.

So, does Xinghui run off to Europe with Luozi, or does she stay with Jintai in Taiwan?

The Theme Song

I really like the theme song for this film (which, by the way, was sung by Pauline Yeung and Kenny Bee, NOT by Fong Fei-fei herself). There are several other songs in the film, but the theme song is the clear winner. In fact, I like this song so much I translated the lyrics into English:

The wind blows and blows,
The clouds float and float,
The branches climb outside the window,
The little orioles are all adorable.

The wind steps on by,
The clouds step on by,
Knocking on the doors, asking,
‘Is my friend there?’

Spring’s footsteps come leisurely,
Yet quickly will be tip-tap stepping,
Young friends are tip-tap stepping,
And the world brims with love.

Charm

This film excels at charm. The story moves quite slowly and quietly, focusing more on highlighting how playful life can be instead of driving a plot forward.

For example, in the opening scene, they are shooting a commercial at a place where it is written “TAKING PICTURES IS FORBIDDEN.”

Xinghui and some men by a wall which says 'Taking Pictures is Forbidden'

The writing on the left side of the picture says “Taking pictures is forbidden.”

This is actually quite common in Taiwan—there are many places where the use of cameras is restricted for military reasons. I imagine these places would be especially common in Penghu, where this scene is set, because it is one of the most fortified places in Taiwan.

Speaking of military locations, one of my favorite scenes is where Xinghui, Jintai, and some children are playing hide-and-seek in an abandoned fortification (I am guessing that it is from the Japanese era, but I’m not sure).

Right at the beginning of the film, there are children who are setting up a dung bomb as a prank to play on a passerby.

However, the kids get the timing wrong, so the dung bomb explodes on them instead.

This boy is a victim of his own dung bomb.

Then, it is revealed that this is actually being filmed for a laundry detergent commercial. And because there was something wrong with this shot, they have to look for a cow so they can get more cow dung for more shots.

The dung bomb scene turns out to just be a film set.

It’s all just a film in the process of being shot.

I also cannot help notice that Xinghui wears at least five different hats during the film. Fong Fei-fei is known as the “Queen of Hats,” and I am pretty sure that is why Xinghui is wearing so many stylish hats during the film.

On Blindness

I am not comfortable talking about this because a) I have been sighted my entire life and b) I do not know much about the experience of blind people in Taiwan, but I am also not comfortable ignoring this.

There are times in the film when people treat blind!Jintai as an object instead of as a person with agency. I find it plausible that some Taiwanese people treat blind people this way (there is a reason why Taiwan has disability rights activists), so I do not fault the film for showing this. However, the film depicts this as being cute … and I do not think it’s cute.

There is also, of course, the fact that Jintai regains his sight during the film. On the one hand, the film depicts Jintai being fairly content as a blind man, which is an improvement over stories where blindness is depicted as being TEH MOST TRAGIC THING EVAAAAR!!!! On the other hand, the film does not explain why Jintai decided to have the operation, since the underlying assumption is that all blind people want to be sighted. I have no objection to people having operations to restore their eyesight, or to having this happen in stories, but I do object to the underlying assumption that this is the only way to address blindness.

Speaking of blind people and movies … Tommy Edison is a good film critic.

Nostalgia

This film was made in 1981, so it gives me a chance to see how much Taiwan has (not) changed.

The scenes set in Taipei in particular brought feelings out of me. The Taipei scenes are set in and around Taipei Main Station, which is the same area I lived in when I lived in Taipei. The train station itself has been completely rebuilt since the movie was filmed … yet some of the trains are still the same! Yep, some train cars from the 1980s are still in service today in Taiwan.

Taipei Train Station does not look like this AT ALL today.

I was also impressed by how little February 28 Peace Park has changed since the 1980s, even though the name of the park itself changed (in the film, it is called “New Park”).

That bridge, on the other hand, looks just the same today as it did in the 1980s.

Availability

I have this film on DVD. My DVD does not have English subtitles. I suspect there is no DVD with English subtitles. That said, this is a Hou Hsiao-hsien film, so there may very well be a film society out there which has a copy of this film with English subtitles.

Conclusion

Is it a great film? No. Is it a good film? Yes. I enjoyed watching it. Part of my pleasure came from recognizing different parts of Taiwan and Taiwanese culture, but even if I couldn’t tell Taiwan from Thailand I think I would have still enjoyed this quiet, whimsical film.

Next Time: CCC Manhua Anthology

Sara K. rather enjoys going to abandoned military sites in Taiwan. Recently she visited the coastal town of Shenao where she went to an area formerly restricted by the military—and saw cool-looking network of tunnels left by the military within the unusually-shaped rocks (she did not go inside because the entrance to the tunnels said “Danger: Do Not Enter”).

Not By Manga Alone: Supreme and other drawings

July 9, 2012 by Megan Purdy and Sean Gaffney 1 Comment

Chicks dig comics, Sean is the world’s foremost Kliban expert, and Wonder Woman was originally named Suprema. But you knew all of that already, right? Welcome back to Not By Manga Alone!

This month Sean pushes onward and upward, in his quest to read all the Kliban ever—this month he checked Two Guys Fooling Around With The Moon And Other Drawings off his list. Megan meanwhile, goes meta with The Comic Book History of Comics and Chicks Dig Comics.

* * * * *

Two Guys Fooling Around With The Moon And Other Drawings | By B. Kliban | Workman Publishing – After seeing Kliban’s two collections of Playboy cartoons, going back to the sketchbook collections is a relief. Not that they were bad, per se, but this feels like the real, unrestrained Kliban. Ugly, grotesque caricatures; sexual humor too risque even for Playboy; and of course a combination of wordplay and art like no other. The art in particular attracted me this time. It’s quite bold, with strong, thick lines and absolutely no attempt to make the characters and situation anything other than funny. In fact, in many ways the funny art helps to relief a few of the more controversial comics. Again, Kliban has no patience for corporate America or art critics, and both get savaged here. And even if Kliban wrote sexual punchlines for Playboy, some were a bit too weird even for them. The “earmuffs” gag, notably, features a self-portrait of Kliban as its focus—possible wish-fulfillment, if it weren’t so bizarre.

That’s what you really read these collections for. There’s a bit of sexual or political humor, but for the most part all this is just strange. Far stranger than anything The Far Side or Fusco Brothers ever hoped to come up with. There’s a series of Johann Sebastian Bach puns that are deadpan in their simplicity. There’s a couple using a sheet of plywood as if it was a swimming pool. There’s a clever variation on the “child won’t eat his vegetables” situation. It’s not perfect—several gags are here simply to pad out the book, or are simply TOO strange, and Kliban can be sexist at times. But again, this isn’t an author whose books you read just to laugh out loud, although you will several times here. But more often, you may cock your head to one side and go “huh?” Some gags need a bit of figuring out first, which is what B. Kliban is best at. – Sean Gaffney

* * * * *

The Comic Book History of Comics | Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey | IDW — Near the end of The Comic Book History of Comics, Van Lente says, “The industry might not survive. Should it?” It’s a smart and important question. Van Lente is talking about the great content industry boogie man, the digital revolution, and more specifically, torrents. Comics downloads probably do, as he argues, eat into the Big Two’s profits. They probably eat into their potential profits too, which is an even more ominous prospect for the health of the supposedly dying American comics industry. There’s a generation of comics fans who expect everything to be free—because in their experience, everything IS free. Downloading is easier than visiting a comic book store, especially in remote or rural areas. Downloading illegally is easier than navigating that weird digital back catalog thing Marvel offers. Comixology though, is easy to use and it’s cheap. And there are new and interesting ventures. Last week’s launch of MonkeyBrain Comics sent paroxysms of joy and terror through the industry, and for good reason. Cheap, high quality, creator-owned, digital indie comics? My god! The industry might not survive. Should it?

The Comic Book History of Comics traces the medium from its origins in newspaper cartooning, through the funnybook explosion, the crippling era of post-war censorship, the various booms and busts of a newly superhero-oriented industry, to the the challenges the industry faces today: the slow decline of the direct market, and the digital revolution. While this is a history of American comics, Van Lente and Dunlavey make smart—and necessary—visits to the British, French, and Japanese traditions. You can’t talk about American horror and fantasy comics without mentioning Metal Hurlant (and it needs to be said: Metal Hurlant is just the best). You can’t talk about the 90s grim and gritty trend, or the explosion of female readership, and the push into bookstores without talking about the “British invasion” of creators like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Warren Ellis. And frankly, you can’t talk about contemporary comics without talking about manga.

The book is pretty much delightful. Dunlavey’s pencils, layouts, and numerous visual quotes make it a fun and easy read. And while Van Lente’s clearly done his research, and has serious and important things to say about the industry and the medium, his tone is breezy, more pop history than academic—and thank god. He quickly and efficiently leads us through the shift from newspaper funnies to funnybooks, as not just a thing that happened, but a radical shift for both creative and business reasons. He keeps the focus both on the ongoing creative transformations within the medium and its presentation—panels, subject, art style—and the economic factors both intersecting with and driving those changes. Why did so many early anthologies have a “house style”? Well, so the artists would be replaceable! Why did horror and crime comics all but disappear for a while? Why was Batman so milquetoast, for so long? Well, because of the comics code. And also because of the subsequent shrinking of the market, and the retreat of publishers into the few things that did still sell—namely, goofy, semi-nostalgic superhero stories. This dual narrative is crucial, because you can’t talk about the history of commercial art, without talking about the commerce.

The Comic Book History of Comics is at its best when covering the great moments and movements in comics history—at its worst, perhaps, when dealing with contemporary issues. Also—what do you really want to say about Stan Lee, guys? There’s a bit of an untold story there, as the famous writer/editor/huckster is depicted as a blithe kind of sinister—maybe the rat, who torpedoed Simon and Kirby’s scheme to working for both Timely (later renamed Marvel), and for themselves on the side—definitely an egomaniac who stole Kirby’s thunder—but was it intentional? Is Stan the badguy? A vaudevillian self-promoter and hack? Or was he just another overworked, underpaid cog in the comics machine, who stumbled into fame and found that he liked it? This is unclear. Unlike the rich, layered depiction we get of Kirby, Bill Gaines, and so many other comics heroes and villains, Stan Lee is little more than a mustache, a pair of glasses and a grin. Van Lente and Dunlavey don’t shy away from making judgements—Disney: definitely a visionary, also an epic asshole—but Lee is left a bit of a mystery.

Another issue is the treatment of digital comics piracy. The Comic Book History of Comics rigorously researched—I say, as a non-expert—and packed with anecdotes and data (no annecdata). This is a big part of why it’s such a fun read. But this fades away, necessarily, when dealing with contemporary issues. It’s hard to talk about comics distribution and the demographics of the readership right now, because the data isn’t very clear or very deep. How much does piracy cut into publisher’s profits? We don’t know. What percentage of the readership is female? We… don’t really know that either, because the direct market can’t give us reliable figures, and the Big Two have only recently started surveying their readers. And too, as any pundit will tell you, contemporary commentary and predictions are hard. I mean, I think ventures like MonkeyBrain Comics are the next big thing, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the publisher will be a minor footnote of history. It’s easier for Van Lente to organize the history of comics into broad themes and movements than to do the same with a transformation that’s still unfolding.

We don’t know if the industry as we know it is going to survive. And should it?

Of the early days of sweatshop comics, one creator says, “We wanted to be splendid, somehow.” That’s kind of the takeaway for me. The Comic Book History of Comics is the story of an artform still creating itself, while also paying the bills on time. And while I’ve maybe lingered more over its flaws than its virtues, it is splendid. Like Tom Spurgeon says in the introduction, this is necessary book. We need this history of comics—more and many varied histories of comics. So basically this. More of this. – Megan Purdy

* * * * *

Chicks Dig Comics | ed. Lynne M. Thomas and Sigrid Ellis | Mad Norwegian Press — It’s not actually a comic. It’s a book of essays and interviews about comics, chicks who work in comics, and chicks who love comics. I initially picked up the anthology because I’m, you know, a pretty loud geek feminist, and because of Kelly Thompson’s essay. (I’m preparing to interview her, so it was kind of a twofer). I have a lot feelings about Chicks Dig Comics, and they’re decidedly mixed.

To begin with, audience. Or, what is this book’s intended audience? I’m not sure, and the book doesn’t seem to be either. In the foreword, the editors say, “The title of this book describes a phenomenon so manifestly self-evident that we find it difficult to come up with more to say on the topic.” This stopped me short. Is the book intended for chicks who already dig comics? Chicks who would perhaps like to try out comics, and maybe also dig them? “The industry”? Guys who dig comics, who haven’t yet internalized the fact of female readership? I’m not sure. Compounding this confused messaging is the cover design. I read this book at work—during lunch, boss, I swear—at school, and on transit. Everyone wanted to know what I was reading. Everyone thought I was reading some adorable shoujo adventure story. The cover is attention grabbing, and that’s great. Not so great that even after checking out the title and subtitle, they couldn’t figure out what it was. Who is this book for? I don’t know. (These are the questions that keep me up at night…) That said, having checked out Chicks Dig Timelords and similar books, I have to admit that this kind of cover may be a genre convention—unfortunately, the intended “serious! also fun!” tone didn’t translate well to the uninitiated.

The anthology opens with an introduction by Mark Waid and an essay by Gail Simone. While I don’t object to the presence of men in a book billed as “A Celebration of Comics By the Chicks Who Love Them,” I have to wonder at the choice of a guy to introduce the topic. It reads less passing of the torch, than sop to the potential male audience, or an “all clear” for any potential male readers. “Mark Waid digs that chicks dig comics. Also Greg Rucka and Terry Moore.” Gail Simone’s essay hits many of the same points as he does. Both are personal retrospectives of the changing demographics of the industry and fandom. Basically, “When I was a kid not that many girls read comics, and now lots of girls do, and that is great.” All of which is true. When Mark and Gail were kids, girls weren’t a particularly visible or catered to segment of the comics reading population. Because of this thematic repetition, I’m left wondering why the editors didn’t lead with Gail’s essay. Is the book indeed for guys? Did they want a big name to anchor the book?

But this is all about the framing—you want to know about the content. A few of the essays are too brief or too light, and a couple of them are eminently skippable, but many are fantastic. The interviews and retrospective essays especially bring it. Carla Speed McNeil on how she broke into comics, and self-publishing then and now—fascinating! Terry Moore on the “why” of drawing—yes! Sara Ryan’s essay in script form—fantastic! The unevenness of the book made it a not always fun read, but there’s enough solid stuff here to make up for the bad. Sara Ryan’s Nineteen Panels About Me And Comics is tight, neatly constructed, quick, and genuinely interesting. I turned it into a recs list—her passion made me passionate about titles I haven’t even read. Jan Van Meter’s Vampirella: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Page Turn is the comics-reader origin story I didn’t know I was looking for. It’s about monsters and horror and the closed world of childhood, in which horror fiction can be not just scary stories but hope—hope for justice, hope for yourself, hope even, for lesser monsters—and hope that one day, we too might be sexy space vampires with cute boyfriends. And that Kelly Thompson interview I got into this for? Awesome.

It’s undeniably true that women are present in the comics industry and fandom, in a way they weren’t in the recent past (remember, girls and women were big comics consumers before and after WW2!). We’re a loud demographic, sometimes angry, sometimes overjoyed. And slowly, even the Big Two are starting to get that our money too is good money. Those are, as the editors point out, self-evident facts. I love that a book like Chicks Dig Comics exists, and I hope that there will be more books like it. – Megan Purdy

Bookshelf Briefs 7/9/12

July 9, 2012 by Katherine Dacey, Michelle Smith and Sean Gaffney 3 Comments

This week, Kate, Michelle, and Sean look at recent releases from VIZ Media and Vertical, Inc.

Case Closed, Vol. 43 | By Gosho Aoyama | VIZ Media – In the latest volume of Case Closed, Conan and the gang solve three mysteries: one involving a lost cell phone, another involving a toy company president, and yet another featuring a bomb-wielding maniac. The stories are a little hit-or-miss, relying heavily on surprise twists that few readers will be able to anticipate from the available clues. Of the three, “One Demon Among 53,000” is the best, a crisply executed beat-the-clock thriller in which Conan must find a terrorist who’s threatening to blow up Koshien Stadium during the national baseball championships. Smart pacing and effective jump cuts convey the urgency of the situation, making it all the more frustrating that volume 43 ends without resolving this promising storyline. Guess I’m on the hook for 44! – Katherine Dacey

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 4 | By Rei Toma | Published by VIZ Media – While this volume doesn’t play up my favorite aspect of Dawn of the Arcana—Nakaba’s inner struggle between her loyalty to her protector, Loki, and her burgeoning feelings for her new husband, Caesar—as much as I would like, it’s still quite an important volume. Nakaba’s influence on Caesar continues to be profound, and when he learns that his father is planning an attack on a village of Loki’s people, he sets out to foil the plan. Meanwhile, Nakaba begins to explore her powers of foresight and starts to think she may be able to use it to help people, only she can’t tell Caesar because the king would execute her if he were to catch wind of her ability. She’s shaping up to be a strong and capable heroine, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here! – Michelle Smith

The Drops of God, Vol. 4 | By Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto | Vertical, Inc. – The moment that Shizuku won the battle for the first Apostle, I was ready for the second battle to be Issei’s. He has to be a formidable foe, after all. To that end, he gets the bulk of the character development here, going to the Tibetan desert in order to find the perfect inspiration and also to acquire another love interest (in a sequence which is both heartwarming and laughable in its cliche). Shizuku, meanwhile, seems the odd one out this time – in a volume that is filled with lovers reconnecting and familial bonds, he can’t even understand why Miyabi seems so grumpy when he notes they’re just colleagues. No surprise, then, that he ends the volume with need of some serious soul-searching. Hopefully he’s found it by the next omnibus, which jumps ahead about a dozen or so volumes. –Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 8 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – The kami conference wraps up quickly here, and I liked that they did show Kayako again just to have a bit of closure. The bulk of the volume, however, deals with Kurama and his tengu family, as Nanami and Tomoe get involved in a tortuous succession battle. There are sprinklings of the main romance here and there, but for the most part this volume works like many of the previous ones – a new character meets Nanami and takes an instant dislike to her, only to eventually fall for her on account of her gumption, stick-to-it-ive-ness, and general main character syndrome. I don’t expect Jiro to be any different, especially as he’s already noting the differences between men and women. Provided you haven’t grown weary of everything revolving around how swell Nanami is (she needs more obvious flaws), this series still entertains. –Sean Gaffney

La Corda D’Oro, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Kure | VIZ Media – This dating-sim-cum-manga would be a true guilty pleasure if Kahoko, the heroine, wasn’t such a dithering idiot. Alas, her doormat behavior and lack of focus make her an unlikely candidate for classical music greatness, as she spends more time mooning over cute guys than she does practicing her etudes. In volume sixteen, for example, she nearly flops in competition because she’s become utterly preoccupied with aloof but handsome violinist Len. Len’s big revelation — and the fallout from it — could have been handled in five or ten pages, but Yuki Kure milks it for nearly three chapters, treating us to repeated scenes of Kahoko blushing, stammering, and playing sour notes as she frets about Len. Worse still, these scenes feel like they’ve been pilfered from earlier chapters; even the characters seem bored with their lines, sleep-walking through an all-too-familiar tournament scenario. Wake me up when the backstage backstabbing resumes! – Katherine Dacey

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 12 | By Yuki Midorikawa | VIZ Media – For the most part, this manga is content to be a series of short one-shots and two-parters dealing with the yokai world, and the new yokai Natsume has to deal with. We have seen him slowly starting to open up, however, and the three-parter here shows how it’s affecting both him and Tanuma. This is the classic ‘if I’m not close to them, they won’t be in danger’ hero dilemma for Natsume, but we not only see Tanuma’s side – wanting to help but feeling completely inadequate about it – but also Nitori’s, who it is implied made his choice earlier in life and is trying to ensure Natsume does not duplicate it. There’s a lot more action here as well, as if the increase in emotions lends itself to a faster, more frantic pace. Loneliness has plagued Natsume’s life as it did his grandmothers. Can he stop the cycle? Addicting. –Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 9 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – It’s great to see Tsubaki’s abilities improve with each volume. In particular, the focus issue she’s always had is almost entirely absent here, mostly due to the fact that there’s only one real plot here – the attempt to crush Okegawa. It’s his story more than Mafuyu’s here, which is why he takes her out right before the final battle – and also why he is seemingly finally allowed to see through her disguise. Okegawa is fantastic here, as we see that being a bancho is not just about thugging it up, but almost a military calling – planning the battle, caring for your subordinates. And loving a good fight as well, of course. Lest you think that this is a serious volume, however, fear not – the author can’t go three pages without sticking in something hilarious, with this particular volume ending in what amounts to a giant pie fight. I still like this series better than most. Listen to me, though, as I’m the correct one. –Sean Gaffney

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 18 | By Bisco Hatori | Published by VIZ Media – I read the first volume of Ouran back in June 2006, so getting to this final volume has been a six-year journey. Staying true to itself to the end, the conclusion is simultaneously so silly it’s positively ridiculous and so sunny that it’s pretty endearing. I’d say this is a satisfying ending for the most part, though the special side story, about Kyoya’s ambition and his thoroughly Slytherin family, was really kind of dull. I wanted more Tamaki and Haruhi cuteness! Throughout the volume, Hatori includes illustrations and sidebars about the futures of various characters, and some of those are adorable, and we also get one final cameo by Mori’s chicken! I can’t adequately express how much I love that durn chicken. Not without flaws, but still recommended. – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vols. 10-11 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | VIZ Media – The latest installments of Toriko illustrate what’s bad — and good — about this goofy series. Whenever the story’s focus shifts from food to fighting — as it does in volume ten — Toriko becomes a dreary slog, filled with ugly characters engaged in sadistically violent combat. Making these battle scenes even more tedious is the dialogue, as bad guys pause to outline their plans, or explain the source of their power, thus providing Toriko an opportunity to gain the upper hand. When the story focuses on food and friendship, however, it’s a cheerful, if occasionally stomach-churning, parody of Iron Chef, as Toriko and his sidekick Komatsu scour the globe in search of rare ingredients. For my taste, there’s too much combat and not enough cuisine in Toriko; even the reappearance of master chef Setsuno, one of the series’ most memorable characters, wasn’t enough to erase the memory of volume ten’s endless wrangling. – Katherine Dacey

Hetalia Axis Powers, Vol. 3

July 9, 2012 by Sean Gaffney

By Hidekaz Himaruya. Released in Japan by Gentosha, originally serialized as an online webcomic. Released in North America by Tokyopop in association with Right Stuf, Inc.

For the first time in over a year, I get to review a new Tokyopop book. And naturally, it’s the third volume of Hetalia Axis Powers. It was a runaway bestseller, so it makes sense that it should come back. The translation for it had already been done, given it was scheduled to ship a mere month after TP initially went under. And, being one of the company’s few Gentosha books, I imagine the renegotiations were easier than with a company like Kadokawa or Akita, who might inquire about the 7-8 other abandoned titles that there is little interest in reviving.

The quality of the book itself is a huge improvement over the first two, at least production-wise. The paper is thicker and more durable, there are color pages, and it simply feels more ‘quality’ than the almost xeroxed feel of the first two volumes. As for Himaruya’s art, it’s always going to look a bit dashed off, as that’s just what he does, but it does look a bit clearer here than in prior books.

The series is less about World War II than ever before, but that’s absolutely fine. History buffs may like Hetalia, but in the end it’s not particularly written for them. It’s a goofy comedy starring a bunch of (mostly) guys who do dumb things around each other, and happen to be nations of the world. There’s a bit less reliance on stereotype here (though still a lot – don’t think it vanishes) as we have grown to know the characters and therefore the author can rely on simple character-based gags, such as tomboy Hungary not realizing that she’s a girl, or Japan’s crushing disappointment that Switzerland does not look like Heidi at all.

This is not to say that there aren’t plenty of historical strips, they’re just used as setup for the most part. Probably the best in the book is the analysis of the alliance between Poland and Lithuania in the 15th and 16th century, which also gives us a chance to see some actual action in the series, however brief, as the two nations battle against Prussia and Sweden (what an odd pairing. Are their fanfics? … yes, of course there are.) At times the history/gag comic balance can be upset a bit, but it’s mostly unintentional. When Prussia comes across an older Hungary lying beaten against a tree with clothes torn open, the unpleasant implication is that she was just raped by Turkey. While this is not entirely out of place given the actual history that happened between the two, it jars in a comic that mostly has a light touch with catastrophic world events.

There are a few new nations introduced here (including another rare female, Belgium), and some get a bit more development, such as the Nordics. But for the most part the main cast of 3 Axis and 5 Allies remain the focus, and they have lots of goofy times. Several of the gags fall flat, but the book reads quickly, and in the end you read it with a smile on your face more often than not. That said, this is only recommended to those very familiar with the series, and would be a wretched starting point for newbies. Let’s hope it sells well enough to get a Vol. 4… and perhaps inspire some other license rescues?