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Manga minis + a lecture

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Good morning, all! I have a couple of reviews in this morning’s Manga Minis, for volume three of Hitohira (see my reviews for the first two volumes here and here), and for DMP/June’s BL one-shot, Love/Knot.

So, something that keeps coming up between me and another reviewer dear to me is a deep insecurity about our own reviews that kicks in whenever we read something written by the other. I think her reviews have an incredible clarity and power of description that immediately tells the reader whether or not a book is something they want to read–something I feel entirely helpless to achieve. She thinks my reviews are thoughtful and especially insightful into the emotional world of the characters, which she envies on some level. Basically, she thinks her reviews are missing the “big picture” and I think mine are missing the point. Most of the time, I think we just admire each other in a very constructive way that inspires us both to do our best, but sometimes we become disheartened by our perception of our own skills, and that’s when I think I have to pull out some kind of lecture on the subject for both of us to listen to. This is my attempt at that lecture. …

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Crimson Hero 10 by Mitsuba Takanashi: B

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The six members of the Crimson Field High School girls’ volleyball team have come a long way and are now participating in the Newcomers’ Tournament, an important stepping stone to their ultimate goal, the Spring Tournament. They win their first two rounds handily, but are faced with a tough opponent for the third round. Meanwhile, Nobara and Yushin are still keeping their feelings for each other a secret.

Even though I am far from athletic myself, there is something about sports manga that I adore. Crimson Hero does particularly well at giving each teammate a moment to shine and in recent volumes, each of the supporting girls has improved her skills in some way or another. The matches are also a lot of fun and easy to follow. Frankly, I wish there were more of them.

I’m a little frustrated on the romance front, though. Nobara has liked Yushin for a long time, and was firm about this even when she realized that another boy, Haibuki, had feelings for her. Now, when Yushin has finally reciprocated, Nobara’s suddenly starting to be affected by Haibuki, thinking things like, “These days your smile messes with my heart.” I was really hoping this series wouldn’t go down this road; the fact that it seems poised to do so is disappointing.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

solanin

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Good morning, all! I’ve got a busy day ahead, but I wanted to point you to a review I posted last night, just barely making it in time for my self-imposed deadline (I love deadlines) in my column at Comics Should Be Good (reprinted here after the demise of CSBG), for Viz Media’s Eisner-nominated manga solanin.

I really liked this manga, but you know reading over my review again this morning… well, I think I said a lot of things I don’t actually believe. Heh. Because the truth is, I still do believe in following wild dreams. I don’t think adulthood is about accepting mediocrity and resigning yourself to a lifetime of meaningless jobs. I think maybe the only difference between me and the twenty-somethings in solanin is that I know it isn’t that simple. I know you sometimes have to endure the job you hate (or maybe find one you hate just a little less) in order to do the work and take the time required to pursue larger dreams. I know that letting go of the dreams of my youth isn’t the same thing as letting go of dreams in general–it’s just making room for new ones. I think it’s possible for dreams that appear crazy or unrealistic on the surface to actually be completely feasible as long as you’re willing to put in the work. And I don’t believe that we only have one chance in life to get things right, but that these chances turn up over and over again, ready to help us fulfill new dreams.

I guess I still believe that greatness is possible, and that I suppose I’m still clinging to my youthful notion that I was meant to contribute something meaningful to this world. I suppose that could be unrealistic, but I’ve never regretting believing it.

In any case… solanin. It is a beautiful manga with a lot to say, and I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone, and particularly to fans of western comics who I think might find it more palatable than a lot of other manga. Also, since it was just nominated for an Eisner, it’s a great time to encourage folks to pick this up! Enjoy. :)

solanin By Inio Asano Published by Viz Media

Twenty-something Meiko Inoue hates her office job, loves her underemployed boyfriend, and gets frustrated with the endless supply of vegetables her parents send her from home which just end up rotting in her fridge. After her boyfriend, Naruo, casually suggests she quit her job, she actually does (much to his surprise), though this brings her much less satisfaction than she’d hoped. Quitting provides relief but not direction, so amidst hours of mindless vegging and video games (while attempting to ignore impending financial doom), Meiko turns her focus on Naruo’s life by encouraging him to revive the rock band he left behind after college. Naruo’s child-like excitement as he finally lets himself indulge in an old dream is enough to invigorate both of them for a while, but eventually the reality of the adult world forces them to face their limitations head-on and evaluate what makes their lives worthwhile.

Solanin captures perfectly that particular time of life when each of us is first faced with the question of whether to pursue our heart’s wildest dreams or to instead seek happiness in less obvious places–that time when we determine whether we can (or must) succumb to a mediocre existence and what that even means in the first place. Is getting by day-to-day in the company of a familiar loved one enough, or must we strive for something grander–something that will outlast our meager human lifespan? These are issues that can (and do) persist throughout life, but there is something unique about those early years when it first becomes clear that it is even a question and the frequently paralyzing fear and uncertainty that goes with that.

While this could easily manifest itself in a self-indulgent angst-fest, fortunately mangaka Inio Asano addresses the subject with wry humor, simple honesty, and a real affection for his characters in their best and worst moments. He also avoids passing obvious judgement on their choices, letting their conflicted thoughts and frustrated lives stand on their own without (for the most part) inserting unnecessary drama into the mix. The downside of this is that the pacing occasionally suffers, particularly when the story shifts to focus on supporting characters, though this is a minor quibble at most. Meiko and Naruo are more than compelling enough on their own to sustain the story’s momentum, even through its slower patches. Asano’s understated sense of drama, bare-bones honesty, and thoughtful characterization take us back to a time when we all sought that intangible something–that soft, distant beacon in the murky haze of adulthood that, if only we could reach it, might somehow allow us to taste the exhilaration of freedom without leaving behind the comforts of home. He also reminds us of what most of us already know: the beacon is a mirage.

What this manga does not provide is escapism. There is no great purpose realized, no higher calling discovered, no deep secret revealed to carry the characters off into the sunset. Life’s perfect moments must inevitably pass into the mundane, and though this might suggest pessimism, that is not the tone of this comic at all, which is perhaps its greatest strength. If there is something profound to take away from solanin, it is that there is no universal measure for happiness or success, and that a life spent searching for something greater may ultimately have less meaning than one that is simply unexceptional.

One of the most striking things about this manga is the art, which is expressive, clean, and above all, distinctive. The character designs in particular display the same course honesty as the characters themselves, with realistic body-types and average looks. There is not a single overly-pretty character in solanin, which is surprisingly refreshing.

Originally published in two volumes in Japan, Viz’s release combines both into one double-length volume in the larger trim size characteristic of their Signature series, which includes two small sections of color pages, with a thick cover and high-quality paper, giving the book a nicely satisfying weight. Recently nominated for a 2009 Eisner award, this slice-of-life manga offers unique art, thoughtful characterization, and a refreshingly unromantic perspective on the transition to true adulthood.

Honey Hunt, Vol. 1

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By Miki Aihara
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

Yura Onozuka is a mousy high school student whose father is a famous film score composer and whose mother is a famous actress, leaving Yura in an awkward position at school where the other students expect her to be more of a “celebrity” type. Constantly struggling to hide her loneliness and alienation in order to maintain the “perfect” image of her family as portrayed by the media, Yura’s situation is made worse when her mother announces that she is filing for divorce, revealing to Yura the real lie behind her family’s image. With her father out of the country and her mother preparing to sell their family home, Yura is thrust out into the world on her own with no emotional support or direction. It is only when she discovers that her only friend has been carrying on an affair with her mother that Yura decides to try to “beat” her mother at her own game: acting. Taken under the wing of her father’s manager and fighting her own timid nature, Yura throws herself into the entertainment world, determined to show her mother her true worth.

With its sensational plot and romantic intrigue, Honey Hunt is pure, trashy soap opera of the very best kind. It’s impossible not to get hopelessly sucked in to shy, lonely Yura’s ugly duckling story, especially when she’s got all of the entertainment industry’s sharks circling around her. Her down-to-earth nature makes her the perfect relatable heroine and after just one volume her story is already insanely addictive. Beginning from a moment in one of the early chapters when Yura finally cracks and proclaims to a yard full of reporters the truth about her family and her parents’ treatment of her, resistance is futile.

Of course, Yura’s journey is not the only draw. The story’s supporting characters are well drawn in every sense, and perfectly suited to the petty, shallow world Yura has entered into. Yukari Shiraki, Yura’s beautiful, cold mother, is poised and graceful as she deliberately poisons her daughter’s life with a casual spite that says more about her own insecurities than Yura’s supposed deficiencies. The two characters being set up as Yura’s love interests–a pair of rival twin brothers–are delightfully attractive while displaying their self-centered motives and fatal weaknesses for all to see. Even Yura’s manager, who benevolently welcomes her into his home, is obviously using Yura to advance his own ambitions. Yet running through each of them all is just enough humanity to make their stories compelling enough to keep up with Yura’s.

The volume ends with a cliffhanger revealing that someone is already trying to sabotage Yura’s career, or at least the success of the show she is working on. It’s the kind of soap-opera ending that keeps the reader desperately longing for the next volume. With its tabloid sensibility, attractive art, and absorbing characters, Honey Hunt aims to be the ultimate teenage fantasy and its first volume gets things off to a strong start!

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at PopCultureShock.

Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 8

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By Yuu Watase
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: T+ (Older Teen)

In the wake of the previous volume‘s tragedy, Takiko and her warriors are taken in by the Odo, a diverse tribe made up of members from several smaller clans who joined together to rebel against the Rowuns and who, unlike most, believe in the legend of the Priestess of Genbu. Hidden away in the Nassal Forest, a holy refuge with power to turn away the uninvited, the Odo help prepare a ceremony for Soren which allows Uruki to find some peace and to renew his commitment to the Celestial Warriors and, more importantly, to Takiko. Takiko, more determined than ever to save Teg and bring him (along with Hagus) into the fold, camps out at the edge of the forest, waiting for Hagus to decide take a chance on her. Meanwhile, Uruki is visited by the oracle Tai Yi-Jun, who reveals to him the true fate of the Priestess of Genbu–a fate Uruki will do anything to prevent.

After giving poor Takiko a taste of some real jealousy (which of course she strives valiantly to overcome), this story’s primary romance begins to really soar, only to be struck down by Tai Yi-Jun’s revelation to Uruki. The only unfortunate thing about this volume is Uruki’s decision to reject Takiko (just after having reassured her of how much he cares) for the purpose of supposedly keeping her safe from a destiny she knows nothing about and which is absolutely hers to choose. It’s always maddening when someone takes it upon his/herself to limit another person’s choices “for their own good” and this is not made less maddening by the persons involved being fictional. While this is the kind of plot device to be expected in a shojo fantasy, honestly, Watase could have done better. Fortunately, there are enough truly lovely moments (stone warrior Namame’s faithful protection of Takiko, for instance, especially in the face of her supposed “rival,” is utterly charming) to more than make up for it.

Overall, this is another strong volume in a very engaging series that balances romance and adventure more deftly than most.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at PopCultureShock.

On The Shojo Beat

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I have a couple of reviews in today’s On The Shojo Beat column at Manga Recon, for volume 8 of Yuu Watase’s Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden (you can read my review of the previous volume here), and for the first volume of Honey Hunt, a new series by Hot Gimmick creator, Miki Aihara. It’s probably too early to really say, but Honey Hunt could potentially make its way on to my list of addictively readable shojo (thanks, David Welsh). It’s not of the same quality as something like NANA, but it is pure, trashy fun.

Expect a few more additions to my recent shojo review binge on this blog over the next couple of weeks, as well as a nice new burst of shonen (beginning with last night’s review of Hikaru no Go, vol. 15). Later!

Battlestar Galactica: Echoes of New Caprica by Emily Salzfass et al.: C+

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The beginning of Battlestar Galactica’s third season found the majority of what’s left of humanity living on New Caprica, a planet that had seemed like their salvation until the Cylons arrived and the occupation began. Some people joined resistance groups while others collaborated with the enemy to protect themselves and their families. Eventually, they were rescued, though no one lived happily ever after. With the exception of one story taking place during the occupation, the focus of Battlestar Galactica: Echoes of New Caprica is the effect the experiences of New Caprica have upon the survivors even after the planet is left behind.

“Teacher’s Pet,” story by Emily Salzfass and art by Chrissy Delk, takes place during the occupation. Former president Laura Roslin is working as a teacher and many of her lessons serve as a celebration of the history and culture of the now-destroyed colonies. The Cylons get wind of her curriculum and aren’t at all happy, but Roslin refuses to back down, even as she confronts the possibility that one of her students may be the informant.

Though the climactic moments are a little muddled, “Teacher’s Pet” is the best in the volume. Its tone is appropriately grim and there are moments where character voices seem spot on. One line from Roslin, “I’m a big girl; I can handle risk,” perfectly evokes her calm yet steely resolve. The art is not as successful as the writing, however. Characters are usually recognizable even though they don’t look like much like the actors that portray them (the Eights bear no resemblance to Grace Park, for example) but there was one random schlubby guy that I kept seeing in the resistance meetings that I couldn’t identify. I kept wondering who he was until he finally made an expression I recognized. Who was this mystery man? Chief Tyrol. Hardly a minor character.

“Shelf Life,” story by Richard Hatch (the actor who plays the story’s protagonist) and art by Christopher Schons, is set immediately after the colonists have been rescued from New Caprica. Vice President Tom Zarek is temporarily in control of the government and seeks to exact punishment on collaborators by creating small cells of trusted individuals who will try and execute them. These events do play out in the television series, but here we see more of Zarek’s perspective as well as how his decisions impact his oldest friend.

Some of the dialogue is a little cheesy (“When will we humans ever grow up?”) but the story isn’t bad. I appreciate that some small details from the show are included, such as Chief Tyrol’s tendency to be the last to cast his vote during the trials. Like “Teacher’s Pet,” however, the artist fails to capture many of the actors’ likenesses. For some time I thought they’d got the members of Galactica’s cell (The Circle) wrong because I couldn’t tell two female characters apart. Too, every scene has the same sort of dingy grey look to it, even those taking place on Colonial One (the President’s ship), which has a cleaner and brighter interior than a battlestar.

I found “Visitation,” story by Mike Wellman and art by Anthony Wu, to be the weakest of the three stories. While on New Caprica, Kara “Starbuck” Thrace was held captive by a Cylon and made to believe that her ovaries had been used to create a daughter. She becomes attached to the girl only to run into her actual mother after the evacuation from the planet. Now she encounters the girl again, living in unsavory conditions, and absconds with her.

My objection to the story isn’t that the events are implausible—the show certainly went to the “Starbuck is mentally unstable, does something crazy, and treats those who care about her like crap” well often enough—but because it’s simply a retread of the kind of thing we’ve seen before on the show quite a few times already. “Visitation” also had the strangest art of the lot. I understand an artist wanting to pursue their individual style and all that, but when I’m staring in puzzlement at an unidentifiable, weird-looking, block-headed dude who is then addressed as Helo, played by the undeniably hunky Tahmoh Penikett, then there is a problem.

The bottom line: If you’re a BSG fan who’s missing the show already, you could do worse. I found it kind of nice to revisit these characters at an arguably simpler time.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Good news & bad news

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Just a couple of things for today. First the good news, PopCultureShock is having a Naruto giveaway, mainly to help jump-start our new discussion boards over there. Here’s the announcement from Manga Recon with links to the PCS announcement and the boards. It’s always tough getting new forums up and running, so I hope some of you will go join in!

Then for the bad… AmazonFail. Wow. Having just signed up this blog as an Amazon Associate maybe three days ago, I was pretty dismayed to discover that I was inadvertently promoting a corporation that would do something like this. For the three people left on the internet who don’t know, Amazon has stripped its sales rankings from what appears to be mainly LGBT-themed books, labeling them as “adult” content, despite the fact that many of the books contained little to no sexual content at all, and plenty of books with explicit (heterosexual) content remain ranked. What this means is that these unranked books do not come up through their search engine, and in fact, if you do an Amazon search for “homosexuality” now, most of what comes up are books on how to “cure” or prevent it. Amazon claims this was a “glitch,” despite the fact that people were initially told that this was new official policy.

Obviously this is disgusting and if they don’t turn this policy around very soon I’m going to remove every link to Amazon from this blog, because there is no way I’m going to support that. Fortunately, the entire internet is outraged, which may hopefully effect change. Over at AnimeVice, Gia has a post about how/if this affects the manga industry (ETA: check out Kuriousity‘s as well). I also liked Danielle Leigh’s message to her students, EREC’s response to Information Week’s statement, “…it’s premature to blame Amazon” (thanks, gloss), and this article from Jezebel. ETA: Also, this is pretty interesting, and makes me think I’ll be switching away from being an Associate really soon. Sad.

For now I’ll say, don’t click those Amazon links. Hopefully I won’t need to say it for long.

Crimson Hero 9 by Mitsuba Takanashi: B+

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From the back cover:
Just when Nobara is set to play with the Eagles against the men’s team at Central Sokai University, Yushin shows up on campus! Has he come to make a play for Nobara?

Review:
At last! I love seeing good things happen for characters I like, and this volume is immensely satisfying in several important ways. Nobara gets her first taste of victory when the beach volleyball team manages to beat the elite college team, though I am kind of getting annoyed with all of these games that go all the way to the very final point. I guess that’s supposed to show how hard the struggle was? There’s also some awesome stuff between Nobara and Yushin.

But the very best stuff actually happens when Nobara returns to Crimson Field. In her absence, one of her teammates, Kanako, a relative newcomer to volleyball, has been training really hard. She’s proud of her new skills and shows them to Nobara, who is appropriately impressed. Alas, the coach is more interested in what Nobara has learned to do and is dismissive of Kanako, who’d been receiving personal attention up ’til that point and whose goal was to become better than Nobara.

Nobara realizes later, upon seeing the tattered state of Kanako’s equipment, just how hard she’d been working and refuses to accept Kanako’s resignation from the team. There’s this great scene where they meet up in a café or something. Kanako says, “I’m not going to lose to you!” To which Nobara replies, “I’m not going to lose to you, either!” Then they both break out in tears. There’s one panel of the two of them sobbing away with the sound effect “Waaaaah” going across it. It’s wonderful, funny, and in character, too. I think I read that sequence over, like, four times.

And, as if all that weren’t enough, the Newcomers’ Tournament (which has some bearing on the attendees for the Spring Tournament somehow) begins and the Crimson Field girls handily win their first game. It’s a feel good volume all around.

Crimson Hero 8 by Mitsuba Takanashi: B-

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From the back cover:
Coach Shima sends Nobara to train with the men’s team at Central Sokai University. However, these college guys have no intention of letting a girl join their practice—unless Nobara can find a way to gain their respect.

Review:
It took me this long to start to get tired of reading this series, which is probably a compliment. And really, this volume is pretty decent. Nobara is training with a beach volleyball team and learning to see her skills—like her amazing jumping ability—objectively. Her teammates are rather silly, but overall these chapters are pretty fun. In fact, they’re very shounen, with lines like, “I’ve got to become stronger!” and “There’s got to be an attack only I can do!”

Alas, there are also some lame, kind of retconny moments. Nobara having a particular childhood hero has never been mentioned before, but suddenly we are told she had one and turns out to be, of course, Ryo, the guy she’s been sent to train with. Worse, though, is that Nobara goes practically bonkers during a typhoon and rushes out to the beach to physically hold onto one of the posts holding up the net so that it won’t get destroyed because she must become stronger and all of that. She later explains that she often goes nuts during storms on account of the childhood trauma of being locked in a storage room during one. Normally Nobara is not the type of heroine to have a “too stupid to live” moment of such magnitude. It was pretty crapulent.

Anyway, it is at least clear that Nobara is improving. I look forward to seeing how her new skills will translate on the court.

Crimson Hero 7 by Mitsuba Takanashi: B

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From the back cover:
Nobara’s drive to get the girls’ volleyball team ready to qualify for the next Spring Tournament has tensions running high. Have Nobara’s dreams finally outgrown those of her teammates?

Review:
Yay, volleyball once again takes precedence over romance! This volume begins with the girls team in shambles, reeling from yet another defeat, and Ayako telling Nobara that they’re not like her and never really believed they could make it to the Spring Tournament (Nobara’s big dream). After a brief stint at a special training camp makes Nobara realize that it’s her own team that she wants to play with, she returns and the team gets itself together. Training begins in earnest, with the new coach leading the girls through intensive drills.

The problem is that Nobara’s simply enjoying playing so much that she’s not trying her hardest in the practice games. I love that the other girls are worried about her talents going to waste and are working hard to try to challenge her. Finally, at the end of the volume, Nobara realizes that she isn’t pushing herself, and departs to go study with some surfer guy who I can only assume is a volleyball guru of some sort.

With things mostly stable on the girls’ team, it’s up to the boys to provide the drama. Alas, I found this segment of the volume pretty boring. Basically, now that the third years have retired to focus on their college entrance exams, the second years are feeling overshadowed by the new crop of talented first years and quit in a huff. Yushin is ultimately the hero. No big surprise there.

This volume is better than the last, but still isn’t as exciting as it could be. Hopefully there’ll be another fun game before too long.

Crimson Hero 6 by Mitsuba Takanashi: B-

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From the back cover:
Haibuki, jealous of Nobara’s crush on his teammate, Yushin, finds it hard to concentrate on volleyball, and both boys end up benched during a game. Now their coach has ordered Nobara to stay away from both of them!

Review:
There are some cute moments in this volume, but mostly it’s kind of disappointing, the middle pair of chapters especially. In the first of these, the training camp is done so everyone’s participating in a “night of fright” test of courage kind of thing. I actually giggled at Yushin’s nonreaction to a gorilla-headed guy bursting from some shrubbery (“Woah.”), only to groan some moments later when Nobara fell victim to the dreaded “girl on test of courage falls off hitherto unnoticed cliff and requires rescue by love interest(s)” plot. Seriously, so lame.

The next chapter after that is a major downer, as the girls acquire a coach who is apparently trying to motivate them by making them think they’re morons for having high aspirations or something. Also, there’s a lot of talk going around the volleyball scene about Nobara’s talent and how she’ll never achieve anything being stuck on a mediocre team. This is kind of painful to read, since I want the team to be succeeding already, but it’s true that they still can’t quite manage to keep it together and win a game. I do appreciate the consistent characterization of Ayako, who has always been the one who had the most trouble believing that the team really does have a chance to become something great.

At some point during all of this, the boys fail to win nationals but rank in the top eight. I would’ve liked to’ve seen some of that, but we really just see them walk on a court and are then told the results.

Anyway, I really want to see the girls start winning soon. I guess perhaps Takanashi figured that the audience would be expecting this win—and I was—so decided to subvert the standard pattern and give them further obstacles to surmount. I’m just already impatient for some feel-good triumph!