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Angelic Layer, Vol. 1

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By CLAMP. Released in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in the magazine Shonen Ace. Released in North America by Dark Horse Comics.

Angelic Layer comes at a turning point for CLAMP, one where they had already shown how well they could succeed in the shoujo market and were trying to branch out and expand. And while they were still drawing X at the time they started this (and just wrapping up Card Captor Sakura), they clearly wanted a new challenge. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how well they succeeded – certainly this work is a decent enough diversion, and there’s never any desire to put it down or move on. But it doesn’t really grip you the way their best series do – and indeed, the way that their more successful series for a male audience, Tsubasa and xxxHOLIC, would later on. Angelic Layer is shonen, but it’s fluffy shonen.

If I want to be honest, there’s not even a whole lot about Angelic Layer that HAS to be shonen. Yes, the plot involves what basically amounts to a fighting tournament, but the fighters are mostly female, and they’re fighting using cute dolls, albeit technologically advanced fighter dolls controlled through willpower. But Magic Knight Rayearth was basically a series of ever-increasing battles as well. (Speaking of which, Rayearth apparently exists as an anime in this universe – Misaki’s Angel is clearly meant to be based off Hikaru from the series.) But the cute female lead who’s plucky but always optimistic, the vague romantic possibilities, the jealous rivals who want to take her out as soon as possible? This could easily have run in Asuka, except X already was taking its place.

The series has its heart in the right place, and clearly wants to be liked. Perhaps that’s why I’m not enjoying it as much as other CLAMP offerings – at times you feel it’s trying too hard. There are two wacky, comedy characters – Icchan, the mad scientist inventor of the Angels, and Misaki’s new female friend Tamayo – who are wacky! And funny! Oh so funny! Let us show you how wacky and funny and loud and funny they are! And it can be exhausting. The quieter, more sedate supporters of Misaki work much better.

That said, it also feels like I’m finding faults where I shouldn’t bother. As a light, fun comedy with lots of cool fights and amusing scenes, this fills its function perfectly. CLAMP are at the point in their careers here where they couldn’t really ruin a story if they tried. (That will change later – indeed, Angelic Layer gets made far more depressing retroactively if you read Chobits – but for now, it’s all smiles.) Misaki has enough things going wrong for her that we feel a need to see her win and be happy, but not so much that it verges into Pollyanna territory. And honestly, sometimes the wacky characters *are* funny, particularly Icchan and his sublime awareness that he gives the appearance of a creepy pedophile.

But there’s no depth to Angelic Layer at all, and depth is something that we’ve increasingly come to rely on CLAMP for (and get frustrated when it goes wrong). It’s a step forward into a new genre, but it’s still keeping too much of itself held back. If only it had an anime adaptation that took its good points and expanded on them? Hrm, that would be awesome…

Off the Shelf: Marginally glamorous

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MJ: I’m having an unusually domestic morning here on this gloomy New England Saturday—laundry, dishes, pet care, and general de-cluttering. It’s a little depressing, frankly, and I’d much rather be talking about manga.

MICHELLE: Pretty much the first thing I do every day is scoop the kitty litter. It’s an unglamorous life, to be sure.

MJ: It is, indeed. So, shall we glam things up a bit?

MICHELLE: I don’t know about glam, but I’ll do my best.

One notable read for me this week was volume 20 of Taeko Watanabe’s Kaze Hikaru, a series that began its run in the shoujo pages of Betsucomi in 1997 before transferring to Flowers when that josei mag came into existence. It’s the story of Tominaga Sei, daughter of a former bushi, who joins the Shinsengumi disguised as a boy to avenge her father and brother. Under the name Kamiya Seizaburo, she has been with the troop for several years now and fallen in love with her captain, Okita Soji, who is the only one who knows her secret.

This series is really a charmer, and I’m so grateful that VIZ is continuing to release it, even if at the rate of one volume per year. Watanabe breathes life and warmth into these historical figures, developing a cast of men who are simultaneously endearing and uncouth. I’m particularly fond of their flawed and idealistic leader, Kondo, who inspires intense devotion from Okita in particular. There are comedic elements aplenty (and plenty of guys who find themselves attracted to “Kamiya”), but there are also tragic ones. (I was seriously so affected by the events of volume eleven that I stayed away from the series for, like, two years.) Historical events are portrayed with admirable accuracy, but the focus is always on how this affects the characters.

In this particular volume, there are things happening in the wider world—Kondo has gone off with the member of the troop most likely to sow dissent—but the main plot revolves around Kamiya “disguising” herself as a girl in order to spy on a fellow believed to be an assassin. All this time, Okita has been staunch in his resolve never to fall in love, wishing to devote his life to Kondo, but this mission causes him to simultaneously worry about Kamiya and become even more conscious of her femininity. I love that Watanabe has taken her time in getting him to this point; it’ll only heighten the tearful squee when and if he finally admits he loves her. Seriously, I just got geekbumps typing that.

What makes this even more potentially awesome, of course, is that the vast majority of the Shinsengumi does not meet a happy end. With the series still running in Japan, and US readers so far behind now, I have to wonder whether we’ll actually see that here. But I most earnestly hope that we do.

I also most earnestly hope that you are one day able to read this series, MJ, for I think you would adore it.

MJ: I think I would, too, Michelle! And I’m especially anxious to pick it up, because though I’ve tired a bit of the whole “girl disguised as a boy” trope, I suspect that I’d love its execution in this particular series. Also, it sounds like there is some genuinely awesome heart-poundy squee to be had, which sends my romance-loving heart into spasms of true longing.

MICHELLE: If I recall rightly, I was a little dubious about the series at first because of its premise, and because Sei starts off as a bit of a hothead, but I’m glad I stuck with it. If VIZ ever transitions any series to digital-only status, I suspect Kaze Hikaru might be a prime candidate. So maybe that’ll be a way for you to catch up on it.

What’ve you been reading this week?

MJ: Well, fortunately, I’m in a position to bring on the glam!

This week, I allowed myself the pleasure of reading the first volume of Vertical’s new omnibus release of Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss, which of course is a long-time favorite for both of us.

For the uninitiated, Paradise Kiss tells the story of Yukari, a pretty, long-limbed senior at a prestigious high school. Yukari is dutifully studying for college entrance exams in order to fulfill her parents’ expectations, though she herself has no real love for academics. While “pretty” and “long-limbed” are not adjectives I’d normally use when introducing a book’s heroine, they are extremely relevant in this case, as Yukari’s journey begins with a sudden request from a group of fashion design students who scout her as a model for their final senior project. Though Yukari initially refuses, she is slowly drawn in by both the students’ radically different approach to their imminent adulthood and their charismatic leader, George. As her career interests shift and her relationship with George intensifies over the course of the first two volumes (included here in Vertical’s initial omnibus), tension mounts quickly in Yukari’s school and family lives, making some kind of breaking point pretty inevitable.

Since we’ve discussed this series here pretty extensively in the past, I’ll get right to the nitty-gritty of Vertical’s release. When it comes to manga trim size, bigger is nearly always better, and Vertical’s edition benefits heavily from its luxurious page size. The whole production feels elegant, from the silky cover texture to the book’s smooth paper. And though my scanner isn’t high-quality enough to offer any value in terms of demonstrating print quality, you can see from this set of contrasting scans that the trim size also allows us to see a bit more of the artwork in the margins of each page.

(Click images to enlarge.)


Paradise Kiss, Tokyopop Edition


Paradise Kiss, Vertical Edition

Vertical’s editions also include a brand new translation, which already demonstrates that it intends to be more up-front about things like George’s sexual kinks (even using the term “kink” regularly, rather than having Arashi repeatedly refer to him as a “pervert”). These are all good things. I’ve chosen these particular pages, however, to bring attention to some of the translation differences that work slightly *less* well for me than the TOKYOPOP editions did.

Though I don’t own the Japanese editions of this series (and wouldn’t be able to read them if I did), given what I know about the two publishers in question (and even just the aesthetic of the manga industry then versus now), I’m going to to out on a limb and guess that the TOKYOPOP translation is more liberally adapted than Vertical’s—by which I mean to say that there may be more license taken with the adaptation in favor of reaching an English-speaking audience. Many consider this type of heavy adaptation to be a negative thing, but I’ll admit that I often disagree.

Let’s take this scene, for example. Again, I’m guessing that the TOKYOPOP edition is more liberal with its wording here—choosing “friendly” over “good” for their flirty banter, and so on. But as the scene goes on, I have to admit that the Vertical translation simply doesn’t have the same punch. When I first read this series, Yukari’s final external/internal rant here pretty much blew my romantic heart to bits.

“You call that friendly? That’s not nearly enough to satisfy me. Don’t think the world revolves around you. I’ll make you so in love with me, that every time our lips touch, you’ll die a little death.”

I mean, that’s pretty awesomely dramatic. It’s strong. It’s… GAH. Yeah. That. The last line in particular is a romantic kick in the gut. In contrast, Vertical’s wording here, “I’ll make you so entranced you won’t be able to keep playing it so cool” just feels kinda… well… namby-pamby. And, frankly, kind of a mouthful. Even though I suspect it’s closer to the original meaning (folks in the know can tell me if I’m wrong), it’s just much weaker English prose.

Obviously, there’s a lot of trade-off, and overall I think Vertical’s adaptation may come out ahead. But these differences make me glad to own both versions of the series, so that I have the chance to experience both takes on it.

MICHELLE: I vastly prefer the TOKYOPOP interpretation of that scene, myself.

And, wow! Thank you for comparing these editions this way! I had been wondering whether I ought to keep my mismatched TOKYOPOP set, and now it is clear that I should. There’s room in my heart for both, I find.

MJ: Yes, well said! There is room in my heart for both as well. I highly recommend buying the lovely, new editions and also hanging on to the old ones. For a series this good, it’s worth the extra shelf space!

So, we also partook in a mutual read this week—another Vertical title, in fact. Would you like to introduce it?

MICHELLE: Sure!

The debut volume of Limit—a shoujo manga by Keiko Suenobu, also of TOKYOPOP’s Life—introduces readers to several female high school students. There are the cool ones—Sakura, the beautiful ringleader who despises “fugly” people, and her devotees—and the uncool ones, including Kamiya, a bookish and sensible girl, and Morishige, who’s rather weird. In between these groups floats Mizuki Konno, who is ostensibly part of Sakura’s group, but who is really just adept at going with the flow. She’s determined that being friends with the popular crowd will make her own high-school experience easier, so that’s what she’s doing, even though she secretly admires Kamiya’s kindness. When a bus accident on a school trip leaves Sakura dead and Morishige in charge, Konno’s capability for adapting is tested, as the girls face at least several days before rescue can be expected.

MJ: Well done, Michelle!

The series is being marketed as a mix of Lord of the Flies and Heathers, which is appropriate I suppose, but in a way I think it diminishes both its strengths and weaknesses. Despite its dark tone and heavy subject matter, Limit is in no way as thematically ambitious as Lord of the Flies, nor is it as sharply satirical as Heathers—and to be fair, I don’t think it’s attempting to be either. It does, however, have plenty of strengths of its own.

Limit‘s biggest asset at this point, in my opinion, is Konno, its difficult protagonist. I call her “difficult” because I think it’s really tricky to get an audience invested in a main character whose motives are so morally weak and self-serving, but when done well, this can be really freaking effective. As I say that, I realize this is actually one of the traits Limit indeed shares with Heathers, whose protagonist spends so much of her time participating in things she knows are shitty but keep her in the Heathers’ good graces. Author Keiko Suenobu is even more brutal with Konno, however, as she actively initiates cruelty (such as turning Kamiya’s kindness towards a collapsed man on the street into fodder for bullying) when she feels her position in the group weakening. Suenobu pulls it off, though, and as the end of the first volume comes to a close, I found myself secretly rooting for Konno, despite her questionable moral backbone.

MICHELLE: One of the things that got me to sympathize with Konno was that Suenobu immediately dives into her motivations, so that we know that she’s not unredeemably mean, but just trying to make it through school/life/etc. without getting hurt. Not everyone can manage that, but she can, so she’s taking advantage of the path that presents itself to her and not feeling too bad about it. I can’t really blame her for that, though of course some of the things this compels her to do are, as you say, shitty.

I also liked that Suenobu immediately assigns some imagery to Konno’s philosophy: the swimming goldfish and the crosswalk sign. The green light of the latter becomes a symbol for Konno going with the flow, reappearing when she’s participating in teasing Kamiya, for example. When she later realizes that Morishige is insane and that the trauma of this experience, even if she survives it, will forever prevent her life from being easy, the light reappears, this time stuck on red. That perfect little world is gone forever.

MJ: I’m glad you brought that up, Michelle, because that kind of imagery is one of the things that makes this book work so well. Actually, the artwork overall is wonderfully expressive and bold when it needs to be. I was impressed throughout by how powerful the visual storytelling is, and this was definitely a major factor in my enjoyment of the book.

MICHELLE: The swirling fishes at the beginning reminded me of Moon Child, actually, and I thought, “I bet MJwill like this art!”

MJ: You know me so well! Though it isn’t the artwork alone that sells me on this series, it definitely does a lot of the heavy lifting.

This is definitely an unusual shoujo release—at least here in North America—and it’s easy to see why Vertical picked it up since it fits in better with their catalogue than it would anywhere else, I think. I’m grateful they did pick it up, too. Though it’s the kind of premise I’d more often expect to see published in a shounen or seinen magazine (even with its all-female cast) it’s nice to see this story being told specifically for a female audience. This gives me hope, too, that we’ll see more nuance later on in characters like Morishige who, as the perpetually-bullied party, should be ultimately more sympathetic than she seems right now.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely curious to see how it plays out. Looks like it’s finished in Japan, too, with six volumes, so chances are good we’ll know the outcome by next summer. Maybe that’ll help soothe the woe over Life disappearing even before TOKYOPOP itself did.

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 09 September

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Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

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Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [379.1] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [369.0] ::
3. ↑2 (5) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [364.4] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [351.0] ::
5. ↓-2 (3) : Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 9 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [343.9] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Death Note vols 1-13 box set – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2008 [306.6] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [292.0] ::
8. ↑2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [288.4] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [270.7] ::
10. ↓-1 (9) : Vampire Knight 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [259.7] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 87
Viz Shonen Jump 86
Viz Shojo Beat 58
Kodansha Comics 47
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 38
DMP Juné 32
Dark Horse 21
Seven Seas 15
Vertical 13
Del Rey 11

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,015.6] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [680.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [512.3] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Highschool of the Dead – Yen Press [442.8] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Yu-Gi-Oh! – Viz Shonen Jump [433.9] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Soul Eater – Yen Press [427.6] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [416.6] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [390.2] ::
9. ↑5 (14) : One Piece – Viz Shonen Jump [383.2] ::
10. ↑5 (15) : Alice in the Country of Clover – Seven Seas [373.7] ::

[more]

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

5. ↓-2 (3) : Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 9 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [343.9] ::
8. ↑2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [288.4] ::
17. ↑2 (19) : Yotsuba&! 11 – Yen Press, Sep 2012 [229.2] ::
18. ↑9 (27) : Naruto 58 – Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2012 [219.2] ::
21. ↑3 (24) : Soul Eater 10 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [193.7] ::
22. ↓-7 (15) : Bleach 44 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [189.6] ::
23. ↑2 (25) : Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [189.2] ::
28. ↑23 (51) : Alice in the Country of Clover Cheshire Cat Waltz 2 – Seven Seas, Sep 2012 [179.3] ::
29. ↓-9 (20) : Bleach 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [179.2] ::
39. ↑50 (89) : One Piece 64 – Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2012 [157.8] ::

[more]

Preorders

12. ↑1 (13) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [249.8] ::
14. ↑15 (29) : Sailor Moon 10 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2013 [236.6] ::
16. ↑1 (17) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [229.8] ::
31. ↑4 (35) : Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise 3 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [170.1] ::
60. ↑11 (71) : Black Butler 11 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [119.3] ::
61. ↑4 (65) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [119.3] ::
66. ↑4 (70) : Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 2 vol hardcover box set [complete] – Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2012 [116.4] ::
85. ↑7 (92) : Omamori Himari 9 – Yen Press, Nov 2012 [101.6] ::
103. ↑32 (135) : Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus 4 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [90.6] ::
105. ↑11 (116) : Negima! 37 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [90.4] ::

[more]

Manhwa

565. ↑4 (569) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [16.0] ::
618. ↓-22 (596) : Time & Again 6 – Yen Press, Jul 2011 [14.0] ::
619. ↓-2 (617) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [14.0] ::
727. ↑18 (745) : Time & Again 5 – Yen Press, Mar 2011 [10.0] ::
731. ↑20 (751) : Time & Again 3 – Yen Press, Jul 2010 [9.8] ::
735. ↓-10 (725) : Time & Again 1 – Yen Press, Dec 2009 [9.5] ::
802. ↓-13 (789) : Time & Again 2 – Yen Press, Mar 2010 [7.6] ::
837. ↓-11 (826) : Let Dai 11 – Netcomics, Feb 2008 [6.9] ::
1006. ↑26 (1032) : One Thousand & One Nights 11 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [4.0] ::
1062. ↑62 (1124) : One Thousand & One Nights 9 – Yen Press, Dec 2009 [3.5] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

19. ↓-3 (16) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [213.8] ::
121. ↓-40 (81) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [79.7] ::
140. ↑86 (226) : Loveless 9 – Viz, Sep 2012 [73.9] ::
149. ↓-17 (132) : Samejima-Kun & Sasahara-Kun – DMP Juné, May 2012 [72.4] ::
189. ↓-13 (176) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [58.1] ::
201. ↓-52 (149) : In These Words – 801 Media, Jun 2012 [55.3] ::
214. ↓-16 (198) : His Arrogance – 801 Media, Dec 2008 [54.2] ::
217. ↓-34 (183) : The Man I Picked Up – DMP Juné, Aug 2012 [53.0] ::
236. ↓-146 (90) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [48.1] ::
246. ↑24 (270) : Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love 1 – SuBLime, Aug 2012 [46.0] ::

[more]

Ebooks

9. ↓-1 (8) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [270.7] ::
30. ↓-2 (28) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [170.4] ::
32. ↓-1 (31) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [169.6] ::
41. ↓-5 (36) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [156.0] ::
55. ↑2 (57) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [128.7] ::
63. ↔0 (63) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [117.9] ::
69. ↑15 (84) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [114.2] ::
75. ↓-14 (61) : Haruhi Suzumiya Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 13 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [110.7] ::
86. ↓-4 (82) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [101.3] ::
107. ↓-4 (103) : Naruto 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2011 [89.6] ::

[more]

Limit, Vol. 1

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“The world doesn’t suffer fools or fugly people” — so says Sakura, the most popular student in class 2-4. Sakura is a classic Alpha Girl: pretty, manipulative, and confident that at fifteen, she’s discovered the secret to being successful. (“Both studies and make-up. They’re real important for enjoying life, you know?” she informs her pal Konno.) Though Sakura’s friends may not like her, they recognize her power and follow her example; when Sakura declares that the awkward, quiet Arisa Morishige should “die,” Sakura’s friends are all too quick to agree.

The dynamic between Sakura’s clique and Morishige is dramatically reversed, however, on an annual school trip to “exchange camp,” where second-year students spend a week roughing it in a rural setting. En route to camp, a bus accident kills most of the class, leaving a handful of survivors stranded in the wilderness. The remaining members of Sakura’s clique soon discover that their nasty antics have demoted them from the A-list to the D — a demotion that, in their new, desperate circumstances, has potentially deadly consequences.

In a more cynical frame of mind, I might describe Limit as “Lord of the Flies with chicks,” but that cheeky brush-off doesn’t quite do justice to Keiko Suenobo’s story. Her principal characters are just as concerned with survival as William Golding’s private-school boys were, but the girls’ internal power struggles are less a exploration of Hobbesian philosophy than an extreme dramatization of the cliquish behavior found in Japanese high schools. In other words, it’s Mean Girls… with weapons.

Entertaining as that sounds, Limit suffers from a crucial flaw: Konno, the narrator, isn’t very interesting, as her primary role is to be an inoffensive reader surrogate. Konno is pretty and smart enough to be a member of Sakura’s clique, but passive enough that her behavior won’t elicit criticism from most readers; Konno is never portrayed as a ringleader or enthusiastic participant in Morishige’s degradation, though she clearly joined Sakura in harassing Morishige. That’s a mistake, I think, because it permits the reader to side too readily with Konno when the tables are turned, ignoring the fact that Morishige’s rage stems from being bullied on a daily basis by Sakura and Konno.

The other survivors are a more compelling lot, even if each neatly slots into a well-established role: The Principled Outsider, The Timid Girl, The Frenemy. That Suenobo endows each of these girls with more humanity than those roles require is testament to her skill as a writer. Volume one’s most moving scene, for example, belongs to Ichinose, Sakura’s best friend. Though she and Konno have moved in the same social circles, the bus accident reveals that Ichinose views Konno as a rival for Sakura’s friendship. Ichinose’s desperation at being “traded in” for the smarter, prettier Konno is palpable, and the rawness of her angry confession is one of the few moments in the script that doesn’t feel like a rote portrayal of mean-girl politics.

Perhaps the strongest element of Limit is the artwork. Suenobo’s meticulous efforts to dramatize her characters’ inner turmoil reminds the reader that Limit ran in Bessatsu Friend, not Weekly Shonen Magazine. Konno and Ichinose scream and cry as lustily as any character in Cage of Eden, but Limit‘s characters register a much fuller range of emotions than just fear of being lost or eaten; Konno and her fellow survivors are by turns angry, jealous, gleeful, miserable, spiteful, bitter, remorseful, and fearful — of one another. By far the most dramatic example is Morishige, who morphs from cringing, sweaty scapegoat to demonic avenger; her once dull, shark-like eyes are suddenly animated with a fierce, nasty sense of purpose, and she moves with a speed and deliberation that surprise her classmates.

Suenobo also demonstrates a flair for staging action scenes. The bus accident is depicted in a brief but effective sequence that makes creative use of camera angles to suggest the severity of the crash. Likewise, Suenobo firmly establishes how desperate the girls’ situation really is; in a few carefully drawn panels, the reader readily grasps the geographic obstacles to rescue, from sheer cliff walls to impenetrable woods. That no one’s cell phone works feels like an unnecessary touch, given the care with which Suenobo sketches out the crash site and its environs.

If the story is, at times, a little uneven, or ungenerous to Morishige, Limit still shows considerable promise. Suenobo makes good use of her teen-survivor premise to explore the politics of bullying without being too mawkish. At the same time, however, Suenobo manages to write a scary thriller that’s sophisticated and suspenseful enough to sustain an adult’s interest; the story’s occasional Grand Guignol touches add a welcome dash of camp, preventing the story from sinking under the weight of its Very Important Message. I can’t imagine what will happen in volume two, but I’m looking forward to reading it… with the lights on. Recommended.

Review copy provided by Vertical, Inc. Volume one will be released on October 9, 2012.

LIMIT, VOL. 1 • BY KEIKO SUENOBO • VERTICAL, INC. • 176 pp.

Manga the Week of 10/3

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It’s a first week of the month, folks. You know what that means. But let’s start with not-Viz stuff.

Kodansha has a new volume of Fairy Tail, continuing its alternate world journey. And they’ve got the oddly numbered Ghost in the Shell Volume 1.5, which is still 176 pages, in case folks were worried.

Vertical has the debut of its new re-release of Paradise Kiss, this one in larger trim, 3 omnibus volumes and a new translation. The manga is fantastic, anyone who hasn’t read it yet should go get it. And Arashi no longer speaks like a Brit. There’s also the new Drops of God, leaping ahead to discuss wines from ‘the new world’, and also possibly the last volume unless sales get really really good. And GTO is up to his 5th volume of 14 Days in Shonan, the halfway point.

Viz, of course, has its Viz blitz. On the Shonen Jump side we have Bakuman 15, Bleach 48 and 49 (which, hallelujah hallelujah, moves onto a new arc), Nura 11, Slam Dunk 24, Toriko 12, and Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds 3, which sounds like a RPG dice roll. Meanwhile, on the shoujo side, there’s Dawn of the Arcana 6, Devil and Her Love Song 5, Jiu Jiu 2, Skip Beat! 29, Stepping on Roses 8 (any shogi, let me know), and Story of Saiunkoku 8. There’s something for everyone, in other words. Well, unless you’re a hardcore ‘indie manga only’ person. In which case, look up for Vertical stuff.

So what are you getting? And can you finish it before New York Comic Con?

Adventures in the Key of Shoujo: Sailor Moon, Vol. 5

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Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 5 | By Naoko Takeuchi | Published by Kodansha Comics USA | Rated: T, Ages 13+

I’m trying to put into words the ideas I’ve discovered with this volume of Sailor Moon. In this volume, the fight between Wiseman and his Malefic Black Crystal and our heroes reaches its crescendo. Some of our heroes are not going to be returning, I’m sad to say, and one character who only recently got introduced is for the chop. As I said, it’s not easy trying to explain the ideas I’ve had bouncing around since I finished the volume. I guess if we’re boiling it down, it’s the idea of infinity and eternity. In my mind, Sailor Moon and her friends embody the idea of infinity. The idea of infinity is that there is no end to it, stretching out into an endless horizon. The Sailor Senshi are that concept in action. On first inspection there seem to be limits to their powers. Even after three of them being captured, Sailor Moon still finds an unending horizon of strength to fight back against the power of Wiseman and his planet, Nemesis.

As the fight against Wiseman heats up to include fighting against one of their own, the team has to—has to—find the inner strength to defeat an enemy who just won’t stop. And in turning to eternity, we see the concept in Wiseman. Here is an enemy who has been waiting for so long to destroy Neo Queen Serenity, 30th Century Crystal Tokyo, and the Earth in general that he has been bleached by the universe until only the hate remains. He could wait forever for his revenge, he just doesn’t want to. In this volume, despite the team fighting their hardest fight, Wiseman and his cronies just keep coming.

The core of this volume is the maturing of Chibi-Usa into a girl who isn’t just the daughter of the King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo. She drops the bratty act in this volume and becomes a person who has only an idea about who she wants to be. The people around her only want the best for her but if she doesn’t recognize that, events will destroy the people she loves. The way Takeuchi writes the relationship between Usagi and Chibi-Usa, initially I despaired that it would degenerate into catty, screaming sessions between them. But Usagi starts seeing her as her daughter rather than the Queen’s daughter (Usagi has, up until this point, been viewing Chibi-Usa as another person’s daughter and not hers) and this causes her to risk everything. The person who helps her see this, surprisingly, is Mamoru. Without his character taking the risk to trust Chibi-Usa, the way Takeuchi is going with this wouldn’t work.

That’s not to say there aren’t problems with this volume. The other Senshi get pretty much pushed to one side and I thought they were treated as kind of “We need Sailor Magic artillery! Quick, call up our reserves!” And after I’ve been introduced to them properly over the last little while, it felt a bit jarring. Another problem is Demande (yeah, remember him?). We’ve been given hints that he’s really unsettled by something about Wiseman. When his suspicions are confirmed, he quickly descends into madness. Completely. Totally. I really mean this, he just goes crazy and does the whole Andross from StarFox: “If I go down, I’m taking you with me!” After watching him be so measured for the last few volumes, his spiral into CrazyTown is positively Shakespearean.

The destiny angle comes up again in this volume and I must say, I’m trying hard to figure out if Takeuchi will ditch putting Usagi in peril anymore. The reason I say that is because we know she becomes Neo Queen Serenity, so putting her in danger doesn’t make any sense since we know she’ll be ok. Yes, I know that she could be put into a pocket dimension or into the far future but still, I would feel kind of insulted if the author tried to do this.

If nothing else, normally I should hate the fact that Takeuchi keeps trapping me in endless cycles of “New enemy! Even more effeminate than the last! Another Senshi is kidnapped! Another massive fight! Another defeat for the Senshi! Another stand-alone fight between the big Evil Cheese and Sailor Moon!” I really should be annoyed because she hasn’t changed the record once, but really the parts I like the most about the fights are the little moments when Usagi and Mamoru try and reconnect with each other. They’re the parts that reveal the most about these two lovers and the lengths either will go for the other. It takes skill to pull the wool over my eyes like that and still get me to come back. Yeah, like I’m that important, right?

No translation notes this time around but that’s OK, there weren’t really any moments that confused me. One thing I wanted to ask you guys about. A few of the pages in the book are blurry and smudged. Dialogue is also blurred, so it’s a printing issue. Is this affecting anybody else’s copies? Let me know, would you?

We are nearing the halfway point of the series and while I’m enjoying myself, the fact is that little voice in the back of my head is whispering “It’s almost half over!” This makes me a little sad because I don’t want the merry-go-round to stop. It has to, I know, still here I am. This is a fine entry and I can’t say anything more praiseworthy in life than that.

(After a two month hiatus, I’m back on the column! Apologies if you were wondering where I had gone. The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service MMF kept me busy so I decided to skip doing a column post for August. I’m up at full speed again and I’d like to know if there are any immediate recommendations you would suggest for after I end covering Sailor Moon.)

Higurashi: When They Cry, Vol. 19

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

This review has spoilers!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 18 volumes, meet our heroine.

The author talks in the notes for this volume about how he tried to keep Rika’s main character-ness a secret at first, with Keiichi, Rena and Shion getting all the attention. The Time Killing Arc was probably the one exception, and even that was 5 years before the main action. We’ve known Rika is much deeper than she seems, and that she can see/understand the constant resets in this world. But this is where the manga outright has her as the star. And while no one is going to pick up a new manga 19 volumes in, the first chapter does a decent job at setting up the ‘mysteries’ and ‘rules’ of the resetting worlds… even if it turns out to be wrong a lot.

By the way, the twin girl that Rika meets is Frederica Bernkastel, whose poetry we have been enjoying at the start of each arc. She is somewhat unimportant to the Higurashi series (we’ll only see her again at the very, very end), but is a far larger player in Umineko, which begins over here in two months… Also, Frederica, not Furude Rika. I don’t know how anyone could mix them up. :)

We do also meet another major character here – Hanyu, aka ‘Oyashiro-sama’. For a series that has combined moe and gore to such a large degree, it’s not as much of a surprise as one would think to find that their torture god is an adorable little girl who hates all the killing. Seeing her stomping her feet in rage at Takano’s insane ravings is quite funny. Possibly the only funny thing she gets to do in this arc – Hanyu is a drag, and ends up bringing Rika down with her. Downtrodden and depressed, she’s the one resetting the worlds, but it’s clear she has no confidence this one will be any different.

But oh, how wrong she is. This is what the previous 18 volumes have led to. Remember Higurashi is actually an adaptation of a game, where the player saw everyone make really, really horrible mistakes. And in this world, through the constant replays and reboots, they subconsciously learn from those mistakes, and make the right decisions. This is one of the more heartwarming parts of the volume. Seeing Keiichi give Mion the doll, seeing Shion treating Satoko like a little sister, Rena confessing that she got her dad help and a job… it’s great to see. And it has a wonderful capper, as who should show up in Hinamizawa but Akasasa. With his wife. Who is not dead. It’s pure happiness on a manga page.

And this is where hubris starts to hit Rika. After being so depressed for so long, seeing this is a world where everything is ‘perfect’ makes her a little too cocky. She goes to tell Tomitake and Takanao that they’re going to be killed… and they seem to believe her. She deliberately incites a gang to hit her… and it turns out she now has hidden bodyguards. So she gets the tiniest bit smug… and oh, does she ever pay for it. Because this is the Answer Arc for the MOST DEPRESSING ARC EVER, the Curse Killing Arc.

See, when Rena turned to Mion and confessed the difficulties she and her dad were having, Mion told her family. Who are yakuza. Who responded by simply quietly killing off Mamiya, the woman blackmailing Rena’s dad. And with Mamiya now dead… Satoko’s uncle has come back home. This leads to the most chilling image of the volume, Satoko with a huge bruise on her cheek and empty eyes. We only have one problem to solve in this world, but oh, it’s a doozy.

But remember, people are learning from their mistakes, mostly. So even though Shion backslides a little, murder for once ISN’T an option. Instead, they go to child services. Who suck. Horribly. So they go back, with their teacher and principal. And fail again. It’s like beating your head against a brick wall, mostly as Satoko refuses to admit that she is being abused. (Well, maybe murder isn’t an option as it’s being taken off the table… the first thing Rika does is go to Takano and ask that her hired goons take out Satoko’s uncle. She should know better.) And Ooishi, despite getting a nicer introduction than usual, is not helping at all with his usual elliptical warnings.

By the way, there’s still the matter of who is killing Rika. When this first started in GFantasy in 2009, the games were finished. As was the anime. 95% of the people reading this knew who the main villain was. So you see the author cheating a bit, with perhaps a few more creepy villainous smiles than might be warranted. More on this later. It isn’t called the Massacre Arc for nothing, after all.

As you can see, there’s a lot going on in these first two volumes. I am pleased that Yen omnibused them. The next two aren’t out till December, but luckily we have Umineko in November. We switch from cicadas to seagulls… and also switch from a series searching for its happy ending to one where that may not even be an option.

It Came From the Sinosphere: The City and the Drama (part two)

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One of the main characters is making a funny face.

So last week, I introduced Black & White, one of the few idol dramas set in southern Taiwan, and the idol drama most closely associated with the city of Kaohsiung. This is a continuation of that discussion … starting with certain personal observations.

The Taiwanese Pride/Shame Complex

Two characters from the drama are laughing and embracing each other.

You all probably know this about the culture of the United States, but I’m going to spell it out to make the contrast with Taiwanese culture clearer.

The society of the United States is very proud. Proud to the point that it is unwilling to accept criticism, especially from outsiders. The United States is #1, regardless of objective evidence. It is difficult for the United States to pick up lessons from other societies. In other words, the United States goes beyond pride into the territory of arrogance.

Even in pockets of the United States such as, oh, San Francisco and Berkeley, which openly criticize “mainstream” American culture, getting people to accept criticism aimed at them is pretty tough. People in San Francisco and Berkeley are just as assured that they are #1 as anyone else in the United States, and I say that as someone born in Berkeley and raised in San Francisco.

Taiwan is different. In this respect, Taiwan is very different.

Taiwanese people are certainly proud of some parts of their society. They are generally proud of the local tea, for example. Many are also proud of how they have preserved “Chinese” culture (though how they define “Chinese” varies from person to person—some are proud of the continued use of traditional characters, whereas others are proud of the preservation of, say, Hakka culture, so one also has to be careful of what someone means when they say “Chinese”). Many are also proud of the beautiful local scenery, such as Yushan, the highest mountain in East Asia.

However, the two things which are most apparently successful to a casual outsider—the technology industry, and the development of democracy —tend to elicit more mixed feelings from the Taiwanese. It’s not that they aren’t proud of their achievements in technology and democracy (they are) but their awareness of the continuing problems in both tempers their attitude. Perhaps this is wise.

But when I bring up many aspects of their society—education, comics (manhua), child care, fashion, once in a while even the food (which mystifies me, as someone who prefers Taiwanese food to “mainstream” American food), Taiwanese people tell me that Taiwan is not [as good] as [some other society, particularly Japan, the United States, western Europe and, sometimes, South Korea or even China].

I think some of this is just being polite. In Taiwan, being boastful is considered rude, and the proper way to respond to praise is to claim that one does not deserve such praise.

On the other hand, Taiwanese often seem to feel they have been abandoned by the world. They aren’t a part of the UN; many people don’t know the difference between Taiwan and Thailand; and when they see media from the outside world (and they see a lot—the movies come from United States, the comics come from Japan, the TV dramas come from South Korea, etc.) they rarely see/hear Taiwan being mentioned. So when some Taiwanese people claim that Taiwan is not such a good place, I think I sometimes do perceive a lack of confidence which goes a bit deeper than common etiquette.

I think that this humility has its positive side. Taiwan the most gender-equal, queer-friendly, and religiously tolerant society in Asia, as well as having one of the lowest levels of inter-ethnic strife among multi-ethnic Asian societies. I think this can largely be attributed to the Taiwanese people’s willingness to admit that their society has problems (I don’t think it can be explained by democracy, since South Korea and Japan are also democracies yet are further behind Taiwan when it comes to gender equality and the treatment of queer people).

But just as having low self-esteem in oneself takes a psychological toll, having low esteem in one’s own society also takes its toll.

And for Taiwanese people who come from less privileged regions (in simplistic terms, anywhere outside of Taipei), the sense of shame seems to go just a little deeper.

Which Kaohsiung Is In the Drama?

The Kaohsiung featured in Black & White is the newly cleaned-up Kaohsiung, beautified by international designers, with trendy cafes, contemporary art, good public transit, and plenty of space for recreation. As the story progresses, the drama also addresses some of the less glamorous aspects of the city, such as homelessness and corruption. ‘

Pizi and Yingxiong outside a trendy cafe.

But what I found particularly striking was what was not shown in the drama.

In The Outsiders 2, there is a character from Kaohsiung, and the way they rub in that the character is from Kaohsiung is that all of his dialogue is in Taiwanese. It is part of idol drama logic that everyone from the south speaks Taiwanese. And when I ask (northern) Taiwanese people to describe southern Taiwan, one of the most common things they say is ‘everyone speaks Taiwanese’ or ‘Taiwanese is the main language’ or something along those lines.

Yet, in all of Black & White I don’t recall a single dialogue in Taiwanese.

I’m not saying there was zero Taiwanese in Black & White—most Taiwanese people put some Taiwanese words in their Mandarin speech—and there could have been some dialogue in Taiwanese which I simply missed. But I am confident that more English than Taiwanese was spoken in the drama.

And for a TV series which so prominently features southern Taiwan, that seems wrong.

Or is it?

I was just a visitor in Kaohsiung, so I didn’t get to observe the city in a deep way. I did notice that people in my age group would usually talk to each other in Mandarin—even if they had spent their entire lives in Kaohsiung, and they weren’t talking to me (I don’t speak Taiwanese). I needed interpretation into Taiwanese only once during my entire trip … and generally, I heard a lot more Mandarin than Taiwanese spoken (this may reflect the fact that I was mostly hanging around people in my own age group. When observing older people, I heard a lot more Taiwanese).

some people are playing some game on a table

This is a picture I took in Kaohsiung. I don’t remember what language they were speaking in, but they look like the kind of people who would speak in Taiwanese.

This drama is clearly aimed at the younger generation, as opposed to dramas such as Fated to Love You which are made for a wider age range. As such, I have to say that the choice of using Mandarin almost exclusively was appropriate.

Yet there is a broader issue at hand.

Sure, in Kaohsiung, I saw the shiny new stuff, including the cleaned-up Love river, the MRT system, the renewed harbor-side area, the parks, other recreation areas, etc. But I also saw some of the interesting old stuff. I stayed in Fengshan, an older area, and visited Cijin Island, a historic district, and the Zuoying district, which, aside from the shiny new HSR station, has the highest number of temples per squre kilometer of anywhere in Taiwan. These are all tourist draws (even Fengshan gets some tourist action because of the night market) … yet I don’t recall seeing any of it reflected in Black & White.

A Taiwanese deity walks in the street

This is a picture I took in the Cijin district.

Indeed, it seems that Black & White doesn’t show any aspect of Kaohsiung which is older than the Tuntex Sky Tower (completed in 1997). No historic districts, no Taiwanese language, no sign of heavy industry (Kaohsiung was once the center of heavy industry in Taiwan).

A picture of a temple

This is a picture I took in the Zuoying district.

Again, I must stress that I was just a visitor in Kaohsiung, I am not deeply familiar with the city, and that my thoughts are based on what I saw and heard. I’m sure I missed a lot.

To me, Black & White‘s depiction of Kaohsiung seems shallow. While it thoroughly explores the new Kaohsiung, it shows almost nothing of the old Kaohsiung. And since, as a causal visitor, I still managed to see some of the old Kaohsiung (and not necessarily on purpose), the makers of Black & White must have made an effort not to show any of that. And that absense sticks out to me.

It’s almost as if they are trying to hide the old Kaohsiung.

The Effect on the City … and the People

So far, I have been talking about how the city has influenced the drama. But how has the drama influenced the city?

Based on my observation, quite a bit.

While more people have seen Fated to Love You, I have seen Taiwanese people express much more enthusiasm for Black & White. And I think it’s because it’s helped fill in a hole in their psyche.

I don’t want to spoil the story but, so I’ll just say that, even though Pizi and Yingxiong are now star cops in the Kaohsiung police force, they had previously suffered neglect. Their confident exteriors cover up psychological wounds which haven’t fully healed. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for Taiwan as a whole, and southern Taiwan more specifically. Taiwan now has shiny tall buildings, sophisticated electronics manufacturing, and is a cultural exporter (Ang Lee is the best known cultural export in the United States, but there are many others who are well known, in one way or another, in many Asian countries). Yet in spite of all of the smartphones, DSL lines, and other high tech, many places still don’t have a modern sewer system. This kind of juxtaposition feeds into the pride/shame complex I have observed in Taiwanese people.

I think, by validating their experiences, this drama resonates with Taiwanese people who had to leave their hometowns for economic reasons, as well as the people who stayed behind and directly suffered from this neglect. In other words, it resonates with the majority of the (younger) Taiwanese population.

And the city itself has taken the drama and run with it. I could see Black & White paraphernalia all over the place, including stuff produced directly by the city government.

Availability in English

The DVD set has English subtitles, and is available for sale at YesAsia.com (among other places). It’s a bit pricey, but then again, it is cheaper than a round-trip full-fare high-speed train ticket between Taipei and Zuoying.

Conclusion

I travelled to Kaohsiung with friends who live in Taipei, but who have family ties to Kaohsiung. When they got their Kaohsiung transit cards, they were excited to see that all transit cards had a Black & White theme. They visited some places specifically because some scene from Black & White had been filmed there (whereas I generally had to see the interesting old traditional stuff on my own). Being with them shaped the way I viewed the city … and the way I view this drama.

Indeed, I think the fact that, not only was their city featured in an idol drama, but in one of the highest-quality idol dramas every made, means more to the people of Kaohsiung than all of trendy cafes and public art spaces.

This drama has helped lower the shame and increase the pride Taiwanese people feel towards their society and, by extension, themselves. And that is why it is important.

Next Week: Fluffy Fluff Fluff

This was the hardest post yet for this column. Sara K. simply must write something very fluffy for next week (otherwise, she would have to go on hiatus). She is also afraid that she has grossly misinterpreted Taiwanese culture, and that this post will haunt her forever. On the other hand, if she never said anything at all due to fear of exposing her misinterpretations, she would never blog. On a completely different note, she saw monkeys today. Wild monkeys. In the wild. That happens once in a while in Taiwan.

Bookshelf Briefs 9/24/12

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

Attack on Titan, Vol. 2 | By Hajime Isayama | Kodansha Comics – This grim and downbeat story continues to intrigue almost despite itself, as we see humanity battle against the seemingly unstoppable titans. Luckily, they are helped out this time by a mysterious titan who turns against its own, tearing them apart in messy ways. The revelation of the titan’s identity is not as much of a surprise as the author wants, I think, but still well done – particularly Mikasa’s reaction. The main problem with this series, though, continues to be the artwork – I simply can’t tell many of the characters apart, and their being soldiers in the same uniform isn’t helping. At one point I thought I saw one of the soldiers we knew shoot himself in the head, only for it to turn out to be another, similar crew-cut soldier. A character guide at the front of the volume is no help – it only has the three leads. -Sean Gaffney

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 7 | By Kazue Kato | VIZ Media – One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about Blue Exorcist is Kazue Kato’s ability to tell an intricate story while still providing enough points of entry that a newcomer can follow what’s happening. In volume seven, for example, we learn more about Mamushi and Todo’s true purpose in stealing the Impure King’s eyes. Though these scenes are more emotionally engaging for a well-informed reader, a newbie can readily grasp the basics: Kyoto will be toast if the Impure King’s seal is broken. You don’t need to know much else to appreciate Kato’s smart pacing, crisp artwork, and flair for the grotesque; the Impure King looks like the unholy love child of InuYasha‘s Naraku and AKIRA‘s Tetsuo, and haunted me for several days after I’d finished the volume. Still highly recommended. -Katherine Dacey

Durarara!!, Vol. 3 | Created by Ryohgo Narita, Character Design by Suzuhito Yasuda, and Art by Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – Durarara!! is 50% great, and 50% irritating. The good parts involve Celty, a headless Irish spirit who rides through Tokyo on a sleek motorcycle; Celty is tough, funny, and more human than the high school students, thugs, and evil scientists who also inhabit her world. Her quest to be reunited with her head provides the story’s best comic and dramatic moments, including an agonizing scene in which she must decide whether to reclaim it from its new owner. The not-so-good parts involve the rest of the cast, none of whom behave like real human beings. The worst offender is Namie Yagiri, whose obsessive interest in her younger brother crosses the line between eccentric and just plain icky. More frustrating still is how labored these scenes feel; a judicious trimming of secondary characters and subplots would make Durarara!! a more consistently entertaining series. -Katherine Dacey

Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations, Vol. 2 | By Kenji Kuroda & Kazuo Maekawa | Kodansha Comics – As with Volume One of this series, the only regulars from the games are Miles and Detective Gumshoe, which makes me sad. Things are simply less silly here, as Miles doesn’t have everything go wrong as much as Phoenix does. The first case is fairly straightforward and obvious, though I loved Miles casually pointing his finger and saying ‘Objection” to an officer, as if he uses it in conversation all the time. The second case is stronger, with a better gimmick – the so-called Gentlemen Thieves. It also has a Maya/Kay surrogate in Monet Kreskin, and a very clever solution – I had figured out half the mystery, but not the other half, and the revelation was quite well done. Mystery fans will enjoy this as a quick, non-filling read.-Sean Gaffney

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 11 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – One thing I’ve always loved about the Yotsuba series is that the title character is not presented as a weirdo in a world of normal people. Yotsuba can do strange things, yes, but less so as the series has gone by – she’s no longer prone to climbing telephone poles, and is content to buzz around the neighborhood with a camera. Likewise, the adults and teens all have quirks of their own, from Fuuka’s strange sense of humor (which also seems to drive her relationship with Shimau – sorry, Miss Stake) to Yotsuba’s father’s tendency towards overacting. I’ve even grown to tolerate Yanda, their annoying friend, who is growing more tolerant of everyone messing with him – and in fact seems bothered by Yotsuba’s inability to do so because of depression. Lastly, Asagi is the best big sister ever. That is all.-Sean Gaffney

GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Vol. 4

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By Satoko Kiyuduki. Released in Japan by Houbunsha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat. Released in North America by Yen Press.

It may seem like forever, but in reality we’re getting two new volumes by Kiyuduki-san this fall, with this and the 3rd Shoulder-A-Coffin Kuro. This series ended up being far more popular in Japan (much to the consternation of Western fans, who I think prefer the darker Kuro), probably due to its dynamic – let’s face it, if every series you do with cute high school girls living their ordinary lives sells well, you’re going to want more of that. The artist does use this fourth volume to provide a bit more depth and characterization than we’d seen previously, though.

This series has always been compared with Sunshine Sketch (and not just over here – Japanese fanartists cross the two series over a lot), but GA is far more serious about its art. Previous volumes have dealt with color choice, textures, and lettering. This one has the color pages dealing with fashion from early to modern, and the chapters cover topics like the best way to convey water, how to get your model to not pose stiffly, and (in the best sequence) Kisaragi losing her glasses and seeing the rest of the cast as indistinct, vegetable-like shapes. For a 4-koma cutie series, the artist is not afraid to experiment within its boundaries.

Speaking of which, one series starring Noda, the flakey and eccentric girl, shatters the fourth wall in what turns out to be a long dreams sequence (which surprised me, as usually it’s Kisaragi who gets those sorts of stories). Noda, by the way, enjoys teasing Namiko, the straight woman of the group, about her weight and her larger chest. It was entertaining seeing that Namiko is starting to fight back in a deadpan way, and seeing Noda getting all upset is quite amusing, given she’s normally so hyperactive and cheery. Speaking of Namiko, she may be the perfect oneesama character to keep everyone else in check, but apparently her home ec skills show she’s not ready to be a perfect Japanese housewife just yet.

As for the third-year group that’s our secondary cast of GA characters, they get some nice spotlight time as well. Awara ends up wandering into said home ec class, and gets corralled into helping Kisaragi and Namiko make pasta. We also learn her eyesight is exceptional, almost preternaturally so. This is a contrast to the bespectacled Uozumi, who not only needs glasses but turns out to be color-blind (which, this being GA, leads to a discussion of how color-blind people see art and what Van Gogh painted). And in the final chapter of the volume, we see the sickly Tomokane brother, having passes out in the sun (his being sickly has been a plot point throughout) musing on the relationship between him and his sister (also Tomokane – the artist has deliberately avoided giving them first names) and how they contrast perfectly with each other. Not to mention how his sister apparently has psychic powers to know when he needs her help…

As I noted above, there are a ton of cute girl 4-koma series out there, even in North America. Most need something beyond the initial gimmick to keep you reading. And besides the bond between the cast members, humor, and occasional bits of character development, this series simply makes you more interested in art, and how artists see things. It’s great fun, and I’m pleased that we finally have the 4th volume. It’s coming out very slowly in Japan, though, so it may be a while before we see it again.

GTO: The Early Years, Vol. 14

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By Toru Fujisawa. Released in Japan as “Shonan Jun’ai Gumi” by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Vertical.

One of the things I’ve always liked about the GTO franchise, be it Shonan Jun’ai Gumi or GTO or Shonan 14 Days, is its insistence on taking responsibility for your own actions while at the same time not letting that destroy your dreams. Onizuka choosing to become a teacher may have had a lecherous motivation at the start, but it’s been proven time and time again that his ability to motivate jaded young minds and make them see there are other ways is second to none. And it’s also seen here in the earlier title, as we meet Nao Kadena, a former young punk who drove around in fast cars and on fast bikes (because there was nothing else to do, of course) who is now returning as a teacher in order to motivate these kids to get better grades… by any means necessary.

Onizuka here is fairly admirable throughout. Even if he’s attracted to Nao and thinking with his genitals as usual, he still notes that there’s something off about her, and resolves to dig a bit deeper and find out (and if he happens to see her naked, well, bonus). It’s this desire to understand and help others that makes him such an attractive shonen hero, and helps us to understand why girls actually do fall for him.

Then we have the second half of the book, which opens with a scene which reminds you why, even if he has a lot of girls falling for him, he’s still a virgin. After being mocked by Ryuuji, who is off for a secret date with Nagisa (still locked up by her parents, I believe), Onizuka decides to lose his virginity once and for all. So he climbs 12 stories up to Shinomi’s apartment, breaks into her bedroom, removes her panties and prepares to rape her in her sleep. Now, I know this was meant to be played for comedy. I also get that Shinomi woke up, beat the shit out of him, and that everyone regards him as a complete idiot for these actions. But holy crap, Shonen Magazine! What kind of heroes are you rolling out here?

Of course, we can also guess he probably wouldn’t have been able to go through with it. When he meets up with a genuinely cute girl later at a karaoke bar, who seems to be almost too good to be true. Taking her to a love hotel, he confesses his desire, and she’s willing to sleep with him… but is clearly doing it because he wants to, not due to any feeling on her part. This stops Onizuka cold, and he walks out, noting that he wants his first time to have some sort of love behind it. (That sound you heard was my neck breaking from the whiplash from three chapters ago to this point.) This touches her, and so over the course of the next few days the two begin a genuine romance – much to Shinomi’s annoyance (yes, she still has a crush on him despite everything).

Of course, the final pages seem to indicate that this romance won’t last. I’m not actually sure if this will end in a comedic way or will be another ‘Onizuka saves a lost soul and teaches them to dream again’ sort of climax. We will see in Vol. 15, the final volume in the series. Till then, enjoy Onizuka, seen here at his best and worst.

Comp Ace, Where the Moe Things Are

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When people casually refer to Japanese manga magazines as “phone books” they are commenting on the general size, thickness and paper quality of the things. And of these phone book-sized magazines, there are few as impressively phone book-like as Monthly Comp Ace. One of the many Kadokawa Shoten magazines designed to generate highly popular anime franchises and massive amounts of related goods, Comp Ace magazine reaches an impressive 900+ pages all for a mere 780 yen ($9.97 at time of writing).

Manga series from the likes of Comp Ace rarely become licensed properties, and when they do, they more often perplex than delight. This is due to the specific qualities of the 4-panel comics that run in the magazine, comics which are designed to cater to the hardcore anime, manga and gaming otaku of Japan. Lucky Star is probably the most globally well known-of these series. Lucky Star actually made it over to western shores as an anime – that did not do nearly as well in the west as it did in Japan, where it *still* inspires fans to make pilgrimages to the town where it is set – and as 8 volumes of manga which suffered at the hands of poor translation at the beginning and bad management throughout it’s time on shelves.

Manga that runs in Comp Ace is far more likely to do well in game form, as the audience for this magazine are gamers at their core. Idolmaster: Xenoglossia, many of the Fate/ series, Cardfight! Vanguard, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes and many other games have graced Comp Ace‘s pages as manga.

Lastly, and to some extent most successfully here in the west, many of the franchises whose spin-off manga runs in Comp Ace, are well-known to westerners as anime series. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Vivid, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Gurren Gakuen-hen, Macross Frontier, Kiddy Girl-and Pure, Canaan, all have had some anime presence here in the west.

Comp Ace is part of the Comptiq set of magazines for the same audience, many of which include the same series or cross-overs of series. The website for the magazines is: http://www.comptiq.com/ Each individual magazine is given a cover page with a list of contents, and there is a general news link for the site and specific series are highlighted on the menu.  Interestingly, these magazines often come with goods as extras. I picked up this copy of Comp Ace for the fan with an intimate picture of Fate and Nanoha from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, (a series of which I am a fan, despite myself. ^_^;)

The problems with the translation of these manga to English are severalfold. The in-jokes are crafted for Japanese fandom, many of the rituals and habits of whom are alien to western fans, and the 4-panel comic format is about as funny in Japanese as Sunday paper comic strips like Blondie are in English. Many of the series in Comp Ace tend towards the eroticization of pre-pubescent girls, in extreme displays of moe art. Female nudity is copious and unrealistic. In fact, despite the fact that I follow a few of the series in Comp Ace, reading it always leaves me with the feeling of needing a shower.

Comp Ace, from Kadokawa Shoten: http://www.comptiq.com/indexca.html

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 2 September

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Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

##

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↑1 (2) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [423.0] ::
2. ↑1 (3) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [417.5] ::
3. ↓-2 (1) : Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 9 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [407.1] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [392.0] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [369.8] ::
6. ↑4 (10) : Death Note vols 1-13 box set – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2008 [345.6] ::
7. ↓-1 (6) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [325.5] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [309.6] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Vampire Knight 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [308.1] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [305.0] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 89
Viz Shonen Jump 88
Viz Shojo Beat 60
Kodansha Comics 49
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 36
DMP Juné 30
Dark Horse 18
Seven Seas 14
Vertical 13
Viz Signature 11

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,128.5] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [717.4] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [646.6] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Yu-Gi-Oh! – Viz Shonen Jump [524.3] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Highschool of the Dead – Yen Press [508.5] ::
6. ↑5 (11) : Soul Eater – Yen Press [474.0] ::
7. ↑3 (10) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [467.3] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [458.7] ::
9. ↓-2 (7) : Black Butler – Yen Press [411.8] ::
10. ↓-2 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [411.5] ::

[more]

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

3. ↓-2 (1) : Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 9 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [407.1] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [305.0] ::
15. ↓-2 (13) : Bleach 44 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [261.0] ::
19. ↑4 (23) : Yotsuba&! 11 – Yen Press, Sep 2012 [238.6] ::
20. ↓-3 (17) : Bleach 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [238.3] ::
24. ↑17 (41) : Soul Eater 10 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [216.1] ::
25. ↑9 (34) : Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [211.9] ::
27. ↑19 (46) : Naruto 58 – Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2012 [202.1] ::
38. ↓-9 (29) : Omamori Himari 8 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [180.8] ::
40. ↓-12 (28) : Bunny Drop 6 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [175.4] ::

[more]

Preorders

13. ↑6 (19) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [268.5] ::
17. ↑3 (20) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [248.6] ::
29. ↑7 (36) : Sailor Moon 10 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2013 [201.3] ::
35. ↓-2 (33) : Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise 3 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [189.0] ::
65. ↑5 (70) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [128.7] ::
70. ↑4 (74) : Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 2 vol hardcover box set [complete] – Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2012 [126.0] ::
71. ↑40 (111) : Black Butler 11 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [124.6] ::
92. ↑11 (103) : Omamori Himari 9 – Yen Press, Nov 2012 [106.4] ::
116. ↑4 (120) : Negima! 37 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [95.8] ::
129. ↓-5 (124) : Velvet Kiss 2 – Project H, Nov 2012 [87.7] ::

[more]

Manhwa

569. ↑11 (580) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [17.8] ::
596. ↑10 (606) : Time & Again 6 – Yen Press, Jul 2011 [16.5] ::
617. ↔0 (617) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [15.8] ::
725. ↓-26 (699) : Time & Again 1 – Yen Press, Dec 2009 [11.5] ::
745. ↓-29 (716) : Time & Again 5 – Yen Press, Mar 2011 [10.8] ::
751. ↓-33 (718) : Time & Again 3 – Yen Press, Jul 2010 [10.5] ::
789. ↓-41 (748) : Time & Again 2 – Yen Press, Mar 2010 [8.9] ::
826. ↑13 (839) : Let Dai 11 – Netcomics, Feb 2008 [7.8] ::
1032. ↑83 (1115) : One Thousand & One Nights 11 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [4.2] ::
1056. ↓-44 (1012) : One Thousand & One Nights 7 – Yen Press, Apr 2009 [4.0] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

16. ↓-7 (9) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [261.0] ::
81. ↑9 (90) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [116.6] ::
90. ↑11 (101) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [106.8] ::
132. ↓-34 (98) : Samejima-Kun & Sasahara-Kun – DMP Juné, May 2012 [86.5] ::
149. ↓-7 (142) : In These Words – 801 Media, Jun 2012 [80.5] ::
176. ↓-8 (168) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [69.5] ::
183. ↑96 (279) : The Man I Picked Up – DMP Juné, Aug 2012 [66.2] ::
198. ↓-18 (180) : His Arrogance – 801 Media, Dec 2008 [61.5] ::
219. ↓-10 (209) : Alcohol, Shirt, & Kiss – DMP Juné, Mar 2007 [56.3] ::
226. ↑94 (320) : Loveless 9 – Viz, Sep 2012 [54.9] ::

[more]

Ebooks

8. ↓-1 (7) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [309.6] ::
28. ↓-3 (25) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [201.9] ::
31. ↑1 (32) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [192.4] ::
36. ↑2 (38) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [183.1] ::
57. ↓-1 (56) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [142.1] ::
61. ↓-2 (59) : Haruhi Suzumiya Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 13 – Yen Press, Aug 2012 [132.6] ::
63. ↑5 (68) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [130.8] ::
82. ↓-25 (57) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [115.8] ::
84. ↑11 (95) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [114.7] ::
103. ↑11 (114) : Naruto 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2011 [99.8] ::

[more]

Manga the Week of 9/26

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The last week of the month this year has always been rather sad and winsome, but that doesn’t mean all is lost! See what we have for you next week!

For those of you who were unable to kick in for DMP’s Kickstarter Project, Barbara is now here in comic shops to beguile you! This Osamu Tezuka manga is part of his ‘brilliant yet screwed up’ period, and is well worth a read. DMP is also releasing The Tyrant Falls in Love Vol. 7, which apparently does not need a Kickstarter in any way.

Kodansha Comcis has a trio of releases. Deltora Quest hits Volume 8 (are they still questing for Deltora, I wonder?), the 2nd Genshiken omnibus is out (with Vols. 4-6, and introducing Ogiue), and Miles Edgeworth shows us that he can investigate just as much as Phoenix Wright, even if his cast of silly characters continues to be just Gumshoe.

That’s it. What’s on your wallet’s mind?

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 4

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A Devil and Her Love Song has been one of 2012’s best surprises. Though the series uneven — and sometimes a little silly — its heroine is one of the most memorable in the Shojo Beat canon. Maria Kawai looks like a mean girl on the surface: she’s pretty and unsparingly blunt, pointing out her classmates’ insecurities with all the delicacy of Dr. Phil. Yet Maria’s bull-in-a-china-shop demeanor reflects her own uncertainty about how to be the kind of person who’s liked for who she is, not the kind of person who’s admired for telling unpleasant truths. And that makes her interesting.

Early in volume four, for example, Maria confronts queen bee Ayu in the bathroom, where she finds Ayu primping for the television cameras. When Maria questions Ayu’s behavior — “But you look the same,” she tells Ayu — Ayu is furious. Maria, however, persists — not because she wants the embarrass a rival, but because she wants to share a hard-won piece of advice. “If someone likes you, or wants to get to know you, it’s not because of how you look,” she tells Ayu. “It’s because you show them how you feel.”

Ayu’s subsequent behavior, however, points to one of the series’ weaknesses: characters have epiphanies with whiplash-inducing frequency. (Saul would never have made it to Damascus if he fell off his donkey as many times as Maria’s classmates do.) Though some of these epiphanies feel genuine, many are contrived: would an alpha girl suddenly confess her feelings to a cute boy in front of all her friends, risking public rejection? Or the class darling admit that she’s actually a nasty manipulator, risking her popularity? Those are nice fantasies, but not very plausible ones; Tomori is working too hard to convince us that Maria’s classmates secretly wish they could be more like her, and not giving group-think and fear enough due.

The series also relies heavily on shopworn gimmicks to advance the plot. The arrival of a television crew in volume three, for example, serves no useful purpose; they disappear for long stretches at a home, only to materialize when the plot demands that someone bear witness to the class’ antics. Maria’s long-running feud with her teacher, too, feels more like an editor’s suggestion than an original idea. To be sure, a student as outspoken as Maria might infuriate a certain kind of adult, but her teacher’s cartoonish behavior renders him ineffective; his actions seem too obvious, too ripe for exposure, for him to pose a real threat to Maria.

Where A Devil and Her Love Song shines is in Maria’s one-on-one interactions with other students. These scenes remind us that everyone is wearing a mask in high school — even Maria, whose sharp comments are as much a pose as Hana’s forced cheerfulness. Though Tomori nails the mean-girl dynamic in all its exquisite awfulness, the best of these exchanges belong to Maria and Shin. Their will-they-won’t-they tension is certainly an effective narrative hook, but what makes these scenes compelling is their honesty. Tomori captures her characters’ body language and fitful conversations, which unfold in fragments, silences, and sudden bursts of feeling, rather than eloquent declarations.

I don’t know about you, but that’s how I remember high school, as a time when I had flashes of insight and bravery, but a lot more moments of cringe-inducing stupidity, cowardice, or tongue-tied helplessness. That Tomori captures adolescence in all its discomfort while still writing a romance that’s fun, readable, and sometimes endearingly silly, is proof of her skill. Now if she could just ditch the television crew and the evil teacher…

Review copy provided by VIZ Media.

A DEVIL AND HER LONG SONG • BY MIYOSHI TOMORI • VIZ MEDIA • 200 pp. • RATING: TEEN (13+)