Manga Bookshelf

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Reviews

The Right Way to Make Jump

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Most books about the manga industry fall into one of two categories: the how-to book, which offers advice on how to draw proportionate characters, plan a storyboard, and buy the right pens; and the how-I-became-an-artist story, which charts the emotional ups and downs of breaking into the manga biz. The Right Way to Make Jump takes a different approach, pulling back the curtain on the production process.

Our guide to the manga-making process is Takeshi Sakurai, an anxiety-ridden thirty-year-old who traded his dreams of becoming a professional manga-ka for a more predictable, less demanding life as an onigiri chef. Out of the blue, Sakurai receives a call from his former editor Momiyaxx-san about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “create a non-fiction manga” that explains “how Jump is made.” After much hand-wringing and angst—and a friendly nudge from his cheerful, patient wife—Sakurai accepts the assignment, embarking on a series of factory tours and interviews to learn the nuts-and-bolts of publishing an issue of Weekly Jump. His odyssey takes him to a paper mill at the foot of Mt. Fuji, the editors’ bullpen at Shueisha headquarters, and VIZ’s corporate office in San Francisco, where Sakurai gets a first-hand look at how Jump is localized for different markets.

The book is cheekily divided into ten “arcs,” each of which focuses on a specific production step. The most interesting sections focus on the manufacturing process, explaining why Jump uses colored paper and how the magazines are cut, assembled, and bound. For readers who love the Discovery Channel—and I count myself among them—these early chapters are a blast, as they are studded with weird, wonderful facts about paper and machinery. (Among the most interesting: Jump paper dust plays an important role in Tokyo’s sewage treatment program.) The later chapters, by contrast, are less effective, as the editorial staff’s answers to potentially interesting questions are couched in polite, vague language that offers little insight into what they do; you’d be forgiven for rolling your eyes when a Jump staffer offers an essentialist justification for not hiring female editors, or chalks up the order of each issue to ‘intuition.’

Where The Right Way really shines is in Sakurai’s use of clever visual analogies to help the reader grasp the most  intricate parts of the manufacturing process. In “Platemaking,” for example, Sakurai creates a muscle-bound figure who represents the resin plate, a key element in the printing process:

The figure’s transformation neatly embodies the basic principles of creating a positive from a negative by comparing the process to suntanning—something that readers of all ages can relate to from personal experience.

As informative as such passages are, The Right Way can be a frustrating reading experience. Some chapters are briskly executed, achieving a good balance between education and entertainment, while others focus too much on slapstick humor, unfunny exchanges between Sakurai and Momiyaxx-san, and shameless plugs for Weekly Jump. Sakurai’s sardonic tone—expertly captured by translator Emily Taylor—helps mitigate some of these issues, but can’t always goose the tempo when Sakurai frets and fumes about meeting his deadlines; joking about your own shortcomings can be an effective strategy for ingratiating yourself to the reader, but not when you’re using those jokes to pad your weekly page count.

The overall structure of the book, too, leaves something to be desired. Though the first chapters focus on how the magazine is printed, the later chapters tackle a seemingly random selection of topics—Jump Festa, recycled paper stock, cover design, reader contests—suggesting that no one anticipated how long The Right Way would run in Weekly Jump. A topic-of-the-week approach is fine when readers wait for each new installment, but it makes for a chaotic, sometimes repetitive reading experience when collected in a single volume. The most logical strategy for organizing the tankubon edition would have been to start with the editorial process and end with the printing; not only does sequential presentation have obvious explanatory value, it also lends the material a compelling narrative arc, something that The Right Way to Make Jump sorely lacks.

Despite these shortcomings, I’d still recommend The Right Way to Make Jump, as it offers an all-too-rare glimpse of manga publishing’s less glamorous aspects, highlighting the contributions of professionals whose efficiency, creativity, and diligence have made Weekly Jump into a global phenomenon.

THE RIGHT WAY TO MAKE JUMP • ART AND STORY BY TAKESHI SAKURAI • TRANSLATED BY EMILY TAYLOR • VIZ MEDIA • 208 pp. • RATED T, FOR TEENS

In Another World with My Smartphone, Vol. 16

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By Patora Fuyuhara and Eiji Usatsuka. Released in Japan as “Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni” by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Andrew Hodgson.

It is very telling – and a bit sad – that a chunk of this book is some of the best Smartphone prose I’ve seen in some time, and it’s the part narrated by someone else, with Touya absent. I do worry about the afterword, where the author and editor discussed cutting this bit as it did NOT feature Touya or his fiancees. I get the sense that we’re looking for different things in this series. Rest assured for Touya fans, though – if there are any Touya fans left – that he gets a lot to do here, including finding a lost heir to the throne, battling yet another evil and bonkers leader of a foreign country (this time, thankfully, not also taking out the rest of the country as well), and catching giant fantasy-world tuna. As for getting closer to his fiancees… well, thanks to Sue not knowing the basics, the fiancee horde learn about sex in this book. Perhaps more than they really wanted.

In the Reverse World, there’s a brief Phrase battle, but aside from ominous foreshadowing it’s fairly inconsequential. The main thrust of the book is the survivors of a destroyed kingdom asking Touya to find the missing heir, who disappeared as a newborn infant. The heir turns out to be in the place they’d last expect, and also not particularly invested in returning to help get revenge on those who killed his parents and destroyed their kingdom. Meanwhile, a third kingdom is trying to invade, using its awesome Golems and its mad scientist leader, who does all but scream about how they laughed at him at the academy and is a literal brain in a jar by the end. Touya is his usual callous self in the battle with this guy, but of course we’re made to see that he’s super-duper evil so it’s all good. And of course more jokes about Touya’s genocides. LOL.

Thankfully, the last third of the book is excellent. Touya joins forces with the Guild of Adventurers to start an Adventurer Academy, where they can compete to see who deserves to level up. He also puts an inside person on the job, Sarutobi Homura, last seen as one of “those three ninja girls”. We’d seen her mostly be the loud one who acts least like a traditional ninja, and there’s a bit of that here, but for the most part she actually proves to be quite competent and cool. The other adventurers are very much “I don’t want to work with that guy” sorts, so there’s a lot of struggle, and we see them screw up quite a bit, especially when their “test” mission turns out to be far more dangerous than expected. Everyone gets a chance to be sympathetic, the fights are cool, and Touya and company are there to make sure no one’s really hurt. I would not mind more of these guys.

Unfortunately, In Another World with My Smartphone still stars Touya. But that’s fine, we’re mostly here to wallow in the trash. It’s just nice to get a really good meal once in a while.

Crest of the Stars: A War Most Modest

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By Hiroyuki Morioka and Toshihiro Ono. Released in Japan by Hayakawa Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Giuseppe di Martino.

When we left Jinto and Lafier, he was locked up in an evil Baron’s swank apartment along with the evil Baron’s sympathetic father. What follows for the next third or so of the book is a well-executed action movie, as we get escapes, chases, battles to the death, a clever use of propellant, and the two of them reunited and on their way once more. Unfortunately, it would appear that “drop Jinto off and continue on her merry way” is just not in the cards for Lafier, as the delay means that there’s now a huge war that they have to somehow get through. They’re able to evade pursuit in space, but that won’t last long, so they land on a planet that, it turns out, has just been captured by the enemy. Now they have to hide out, disguise the fact that Lafier is Abh, and try to get back off the planet and to safety. But they’re both smart kids. What could possibly go wrong?

It has to be said, the best reason to buy this volume is Jinto and Lafier’s pathetic attempt at being on the run. They are the worst wanted criminals ever, made even more silly when they hold up some joyriders and steal their car, then… hole up in the first inn they find for days at a time, thinking everyone will simply ignore them. This is very much played for laughs, though it’s more of a wry smile sort of laugh (that said, I was amused at Lafier trying subtly to convey to Jinto that she needed privacy to go to the bathroom, though I could have done without the author patting himself on the back in the afterword). By the time the resistance shows up to “kidnap” them, you’re ready to thank God that someone can save these idiot kids from themselves. Perhaps the crusty old cop who’s being forced to work with the planet’s new conquerors might help as well.

We get an origin story of the Abh here from Lafier, who’s rather matter-of-fact about it but it’s still pretty dark. There are also a few scenes away from our star couple, as we see the Empress of the Abh dealing with the human ambassadors “negotiating” with her, which goes about as well as you’d expect. You can see that the Abh are upset about Lafier’s supposed death, or at least as upset as Abh are allowed to get. And the war also seems to be coming towards them, though I suspect they won’t be so easily rescued. A lot of Japanese science-fiction has that old-fashioned space opera feel to it, and this is no exception. The Abh tend to be a fill-in for Japan at times, so it’s no surprise that they’re being shown as the good guys, but the author tries to make it clear how that appears to everyone else. It’s just the narrative sides with them.

Again, this is a good work of science fiction, and doesn’t feel like a light novel at all. It’s worth it as a real change of pace for those who are tired of isekai. Also, nice hat.

A Certain Scientific Railgun, Vol. 14

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By Kazuma Kamachi and Motoi Fuyukawa. Released in Japan as “Toaru Kagaku no Railgun” by ASCII Media Works, serialization ongoing in the magazine Dengeki Daioh. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Nan Rymer, Adapted by Patrick Sullivan.

Out of the ‘core four’ heroines in Railgun, Uiharu Kazari has probably gotten the least amount of focus time. She’s the hacker friend of the bunch, and would be the weakest esper except that Saten is a Level 0, and Saten is also outgoing whereas Uiharu isn’t. But we’re past the events of Index 15, where Uiharu stared down a dangerous Level 5 in order to protect a child (and got a broken collarbone for her troubles), so we know that she’s made of sterner stuff. As a result, she gets a bit of the spotlight in this volume of Railgun, though true to her character most of the “spotlight” is spent offscreen. A prison is trying to boast of its impregnability, and asks students to try to infiltrate it and free a prisoner. There’s a big cash reward, so Saten’s in, and Mikoto’s pride is tweaked, so she’s there as well. But how impregnable is it really?

The volume opens with a lovely series of scenes where Uiharu takes Saten out on a date to try to cheer her up as she’s been down lately, and Saten admits (though doesn’t specify) that she’s upset about Frenda’s disappearance. (As with most yuri relationships in Railgun that don’t involve Kuroko, there is plausible deniability here, but the entire chapter reads as REALLY yuri if you ask me.) The majority of the volume, however, shows off the huge cast of Railgun that we’ve met over the last few volumes, as they’re also trying to get into the facility – along with some “new” characters, who readers of Index will recognize from the New Testament novels but we’re seeing in the timeline for the first time, who run the gamut from goofy to helpless to dangerous – well, actually, the goofy and helpless girls ARE the dangerous ones.

Everyone is busy using their powers to break into the facility, fight the robots that try to stop them, and get taken out by various scientific marvels, but it’s Uiharu who (we see, after the reveal that the contest is over) comes up with the best plan – hack the robots, hack the cameras, hack the security and waltz away with the prisoner. It’s a good reminder of how lucky we are that she’s on the side of the angels, and there’s a very amusing joke where she talks about donating all her winning to charity because after all, she can always hack into a bank for money anytime she wants. Unfortunately, there was a new “villain group” of students at the event, all of whom are traitors of some sort, and they’ve decided that their plan really needs someone like Uiharu in it. I smell a kidnapping coming up. In the meantime, let’s hope the wait for the next volume of Railgun isn’t as long as this one was.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Vol. 3

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By Rifuin Na Magonote and Shirotaka. Released in Japan as “Mushoku Tensei – Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu” by Media Factory. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Paul Cuneo. Adapted by JY Yang.

A lot of people had talked about the influence of Mushoku Tensei on other reincarnation isekais, and I must admit after the first two volumes I wasn’t seeing it. If anything, this series is more interesting for what it doesn’t do, as we see Rudy training up as a child, and at the end of this book he’s still only eleven years old or so. The subplot with Eris in the second volume also seemed fairly unique. But then there was that cliffhanger, with everyone and everything being scattered to the four winds. Unfortunately, we don’t find out anyone else’s fate (though there is a bit at the end that hints about why it happened), but the good news is Rudeus and Eris are fine. The bad news is that they’ve ended up in the middle of the Demon Empire, and their only companion is a Superd, whose mere presence is enough to reduce people to shaking terror. And the better (or worse) news is that this volume has them become… adventurers.

Yes, THIS is what everyone was talking about when they mentioned influence. The guild, the levels, its rules. Unfortunately, Rudeus is in a bit of a bind, as he’s got a plan to a) get back home, and b) restore Ruijerd’s reputation so that everyone does not scream and try to kill him on sight. (He has a tragic backstory.) This requires being a cool adventurer, but that takes lots of time and grinding. Fortunately (?), he has some advice from a god who speaks to him through his dreams (more things we’ve seen in other reincarnation books), and so is able to cheat the system a bit and Make.Levels.Fast. Unfortunately, Rudeus is still the combination of a precocious child and a shiny shut-in, so sometimes he has grand plans and they end up going very badly. It’s not till the end of the book that he works out how to handle their group of three, and by then they’re off to another city.

Rudeus is the highlight of the book, and the book is at its best when he’s seeing the consequence of a bad decision he’s made, usually involving someone dying. He’s having to grow up fast, and relying on his past life really isn’t helping here. After a couple volumes showing him as a child prodigy, he struggles with exhaustion, his magic isn’t always useful or effective, and he resembles what he is: promising but that’s about it. Eris does not fare quite as well here, for the most part remaining the hothead tsundere girl, though her swordsmanship is miles ahead of Rudy by now and she’s on her way towards being a legend. The debut here is Ruijerd, who is a good strong, silent type, and again at his best when he’s upset, such as when Rudy makes bad decisions and people die. I like him.

It’s clear that this book is the start of an ‘arc’, and I’m not sure when Rudy and Eris will be returning to what’s left of their home. Till then, though, enjoy a volume that’s a bit more like what you’ve read before but still worth reading.

Ao Haru Ride, Vol 6

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Ao Haru Ride Volume 6 by Io Sakisaka

I’m enjoying the way this series presents young romance with a sense of nostalgia mixed with compassion. Futuba’s heightened awareness of memory and lost time as she attempts to get to know Kou after not being in contact with him for years has her approaching school milestones with great introspection as she attempts to find just the right moment to confess her renewed feelings.

Ao Haru Ride 6

Complications loomed at the start of this volume, as it is clear that Kou has gotten himself a bit enmeshed with a former classmate named Narumi, who is leaning on him as her main source of emotional support. Narumi shows up at the school festival, and Futuba tries to figure out what sort of relationship she and Kou have. Futuba’s friends see through this situation and warn her of being too trusting. Kou continues to be motivated by jealousy, when he sees Futuba make a point of attending a performance from Kikuchi’s band, he also attends and they accidentally kiss. The fallout of this event dominates the rest of the volume as Futuba tries to figure out what it all means, if anything.

As far as enigmatic yet troubled dark-haired shoujo male protagonists go, Kou is rapidly moving up my unofficial rankings. He has not yet reached the heights of Izumi Sano from Hana-Kimi, but who knows how I’ll feel by the end of this series. While his tendency to go hot and cold and engage in impulsive actions that cause Futuba to experience the torments of teenage angst, his background and his own emotional turmoil still make him sympathetic. There’s a hilarious sequence where Futuba keeps running away because she doesn’t want Kou to be able to see her face and he keeps running after her, eventually cornering her in a classroom where she proceeds to hurl maid costumes at him. Futuba again gets some key advice from her friends as she struggles to deal with her emotions. Kou disregards the advice of his friends who tell him, quite reasonably, that “You can’t save everyone!”

This volume of Ao Haru Ride concludes by pulling off an impressive narrative maneuver of making mostly everybody miserable, but all for very good reasons. Surely this will sustain the shoujo drama for several more volumes and I have to say I am willing to endure plenty of tears to eventually get some sort of happy ending, or somewhat wistful conclusion.

Stravaganza: The Queen in the Iron Mask, Vol. 1

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By Akihito Tomi. Released in Japan as “Stravaganza – Isai no Hime” by Enterbrain, serialized in the magazines Fellows! and Harta. Released in North America by Udon Entertainment. Translated by Zack Davisson.

Sometimes when you see manga brought over to North America in omnibus format, it’s because the series would be too long otherwise (see, for example, YowaPeda). Sometimes it’s because of financial considerations. Sometimes it’s because the series is only 2-3 volumes long so it makes sense to release it all at once. And sometimes it’s because the publisher knows that the series only really gets good at the second volume, and doesn’t want everyone to read the first one and then drop it like a hot potato. After reading Stravaganza, I’m fairly sure that this last one is the reason we start with an omnibus of the first two books. The first volume is not bad per se, particularly if you’re a fan of nudity. But the nudity seems to be the point of the book, and it doesn’t really impress. That changes when we start the equivalent of Volume 2, when suddenly things turn very dark and very violent.

Queen Vivian is the titular Queen, leader of a small Kingdom who wears a knight’s mask to disguise her face. She takes advantage of this by walking around the kingdom posing as a common adventurer, Claria, confident that the mask means no one will recognize her. This is annoying to her lady maid as well as her lead Knight, but what are they going to do? The Kingdom seems to be fairly isolated, and also has several species of monster living in its forest, including the Umber, whose snarling face can be seen in the background of the cover. The manga starts off with wacky antics, and while “Claria” is briefly in danger from the monsters, it gives every impression of being relatively lighthearted, including a “guess which of us is the queen” scene and tripping and falling out of her gown, revealing her breasts to her subjects. It was very much “for teenage boys.”

Then we hit the halfway point, and suddenly a huge herd of Umber are slaughtering everyone in the kingdom, climbing the walls to the castle, and looking for all the world like they’d stepped out of Attack on Titan. You sense there will be an arc where the kingdom unites to subdue the monsters, but these monsters are simply too overpowered and terrifying. In the end, they’re forced to flee the land after over 90% of its people are killed. The humor does not entirely go away (the Queen races forward ahead of everyone else, and is later found panting on the ground begging to be carried) and the nudity is still around, but there is a definitely “fun times are over” sense to things, which makes some plotlines such as the return of a lecherous old man from the first part (who’s far more dangerous – and lecherous – here) seem out of place.

I was interested enough in the first book to get another one, but it has to be said: the tone of this is all over the place. If you want a good action manga and don’t mind a lot of nudity, you might enjoy this, but be prepared to have it wander all over the place before it settles down.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 22

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

The plot continues from the last volume, with Koutarou, Theia and Yurika stranded away from the rest of the cast and needing to make their way towards them without getting caught by the military. The rest of the cast have little to do, though Ruth does meet her father, who is happy his little girl is maturing, and also happy she’s fallen for a guy, though Ruth has not quiet told him the “let’s share Koutarou” plan she and Theia have set up. And then there’s Elexis, Maya, and the rest of Darkness Rainbow, who are joining up with the military in order to pursue their own goals, only to find that the military’s “burn everything to the ground” strategy is inimical to their own desires and goals. With that in mind, can Koutarou and company trust Elexis and company long enough to save the planet from a killer virus? And is it time for Magical Girl Pretty Yurika to shine once more?

Most of the book is as good as always, though I wasn’t very much into the part where, to get through a city, Koutarou, Theia and Yurika have to disguise themselves as dogs and cats, something which sounds like it was written in order to create a color illustration more than anything else. More interesting by far was the plot with Elexis, Maya and Darkness Rainbow. They’ve been set up as the best of the villains we’ve had to date, and it’s because their goals are, while not the same as our heroes, at least not evil. Darkness Rainbow want a place to return to and freedom. Elexis regards the kingdom’s rule as a failure and wants it replaced with his own as he thinks it’s better. This is why one of the best scenes shows Elexis coming up against the military leader Vandarion and being overwhelmed by his presence – it helps to show us that a) this guy IS ready to do bad things, and b) he’s not going to be a pushover like Kiriha’s villains were..

Despite being filled with battles and fights (indeed, one of Darkness Rainbow decides to help our heroes because a planet with everyone dead from a virus is a planet where she can’t FIGHT EVERYONE!), Rokujouma’s main success continues to be showing how a harem romance does not need constant conflict between either the fiancees and the heroine or the fiancees and each other to tell a good story. Everyone gets along. Yurika may whine, but she stops immediately when it’s something that she’s best at – indeed, stopping the virus bomb may be her finest hour to date. Likewise, Koutarou and Theia get into a stereotypical “tsundere yells and hits hero” fight, but they’re both hitting each other, and it’s actually a way to make her calm down and blow off steam, and everyone knows it. We’re at the point in the series where “there’s a wacky misunderstanding!” is not needed anymore, and that’s the main reason this is still so good.

We’ve caught up to where the “fan releases” were before J-Novel Club’s unique license, so I expect that the next few volumes may come out in clumps – indeed, I may review them in clumps. Till then, despite being 22 volumes and counting, this is still a series everyone should check out to see a Battle Harem done right.

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 11

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By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu. Released in Japan as “Yakusoku no Neverland” by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Satsuki Yamashita.

The cover of this volume, which shows Emma defeating Leuvis by his metaphorically shattering into glass shards, sort of makes her look like a witch given that his hat is right above her. Certainly I’d argue her determination has reached almost supernatural levels, even for a Jump hero. The kids and Lucas are faced with the fact that their plans worked but Leuvis is JUST THAT TOUGH so is coming after them anyway. Clearly time to punt and retreat. But no, Emma knows that this is the best time to try harder. He’s partly blinded and has shown his regeneration is imperfect, they need to bring the hammer down. And it works. Leuvis was a sadistic asshole, but he also made one of the more thrilling villains of the series, and his death gets a nice montage and him praising humans as “the best” before he goes. Oh yes, and he also slices Emma through the stomach with his Freddy Kreuger hands, leaving her too at death’s door.

Now, I think the average reader knows that The Promised Neverland is not going to kill off its heroine like this. But the book is titled “The End”, and the chapter with that title has Emma having a near-death experience as she tries to force herself to get back up despite life-threatening wounds. We see the kids of Grace Fields encouraging her, Krone talking about how weak she is, and finally Norman and Isabella reaching out to help her stand once more. That said, she does spend much of the latter half of the book unconscious, and the others have to take up her ideals for her, as they argue whether it’s safer to try to escape with everyone or to leave behind those who are so injured the journey might kill them. Again, the idealistic choice wins but it is debated, and I like how this series wears its heart on its sleeve but also shows why it chooses to do so every step of the way.

Meanwhile, that geezer has a name! It’s Yugo, and the reunion he has with Lucas is touching. In addition, while events in this book means there is next to no humor, I did crack a smile at Yugo returning to the rest of the Grace Fields children with Emma’s body and immediately being thought of as her killer. See, this is what happens when your plan to kill someone goes awry! But things work out, and Emma is now awake, and Goldy Pond is destroyed. More importantly, we have a new goal for the second half of the series – make a new pact with the demons that does not involve the children farms. That’s a tough row to hoe, especially given that the villains are also going to be gunning for them harder. Can they escape and find the supporters? More importantly, can they find Norman?

This continues to be one of the best Jump series I’ve read in years. A must-buy.

The Poe Clan, Vol. 1

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Since its debut in Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, Moto Hagio’s The Poe Clan has proven almost as enduring as its vampire protagonists, living on in the form of radio plays, CD dramas, a television series, a Takarazuka production, and a sequel that appeared in Flowers forty years after the series finished its initial run. The Poe Clan’s success is even more remarkable considering that Hagio was in the formative stages of her career, having made her professional debut just three years earlier with the short story “Lulu to Mimi.” Yet it’s easy to see why this work captivated female readers in 1972, as Hagio’s fluid layouts, beautiful characters, and feverish pace brought something new to shojo manga: a story that luxuriated in the characters’ interior lives, using a rich mixture of symbolism and facial close-ups to convey their ineffable sorrow.

The Poe Clan‘s principal characters are Edgar and Marybelle Portsnell, the secret, illegitimate children of a powerful aristocrat. When their father’s new wife discovers their existence, Edgar and Marybelle’s nursemaid leads them into a forest and abandons them. The pair are rescued by Hannah Poe, a seemingly benevolent old woman who plans to induct them into her clan when they come of age. The local villagers’ discovery that the Poes are, in fact, vampirnellas (Hagio’s term for vampires) irrevocably alters Hannah’s plans, however, setting in motion a chain of events that lead to Edgar and Marybelle’s premature transformation into vampirnellas.

Though my plot summary implies a chronological narrative, The Poe Clan is more Moebius strip than straight line, beginning midway through Edgar and Marybelle’s saga, then shuttling back and forth in time to reveal their father’s true identity and introduce a third important character: Alan Twilight, the scion of a wealthy industrialist whose confidence and beauty beguile the Portsnell siblings. In less capable hands, Hagio’s narrative structure might feel self-consciously literary, but the story’s fervid tone and dreamy imagery are better served by a non-linear approach that allows the reader to immerse themselves in Edgar’s memories, experiencing them as he does: a torrent of feelings. Furthermore, Hagio’s time-shifting serves a vital dramatic purpose, helping the reader appreciate just how meaningless time is for The Poe Clan’s immortal characters; they cannot age or bear children, nor can they remain in any school or village for more than a few months since their unchanging appearance might arouse suspicion.

Hagio’s artwork further reinforces the dreamlike atmosphere through inventive use of panel shapes and placement, with characters bursting out of frames and tumbling across the page, freeing them from the sequential logic of the grid. In this scene, for example, Hagio uses these techniques to depict an act of impulsive violence—Alan pushes his uncle down a flight of stairs—as well as the reaction of the servants and relatives who bear witness to it:

While the influence of manga pioneers like Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori is evident in the dynamism of this layout, what Hagio achieves on this page is something arguably more radical: she uses this approach not simply to suggest the speed or force of bodies in motion, or the simultaneous reactions of the bystanders, but to convey the intensity of her characters’ feelings, a point reinforced by the facial closeups and word balloons that frame the uncle’s crumpled body.

Her method for representing memories is likewise artful. Through layering seemingly arbitrary images, she creates a powerful analogue for how we remember events—not as a complete, chronological sequence but a vivid collage of individual moments and details. In this passage, Hagio reveals why one of Edgar’s schoolmates has confessed to a theft he didn’t commit:

The final frame of this passage reveals the source of Killian’s pain: he witnessed another boy’s suicide. But Killian isn’t remembering how the event unfolded; he’s remembering the things that caught his eye—birds and branches, feet dangling from a window—and his own feelings of helplessness as he realized what his classmate was about to do.

As ravishing as the artwork is, what stayed with me after reading The Poe Clan is how effectively it depicts the exquisite awfulness of being thirteen. Alan, Edgar, and Marybelle feel and say things with the utmost sincerity, so caught up in the intensity of their emotions that nothing else matters. Through the metaphor of vampirism, Hagio validates the realness of their tweenage mindset by depicting their existence as an endless cycle of all-consuming crushes, sudden betrayals, and confrontations with hypocritical, dangerous, or bumbling adults. At the same time, however, Hagio invites the reader to see the tragedy in the Portsnells’ dilemma; they are prisoners of their own immaturity, unable to achieve the emotional equilibrium that comes with growing up.

One final note: Fantagraphics deserves special praise for their elegant presentation of this shojo classic. Rachel Thorn’s graceful translation is a perfect match for the imagery, conveying the characters’ fervor in all its adolescent intensity, while the large trim size and substantial paper stock are an ideal canvas for Hagio’s detailed, vivid artwork. Recommended. 

This post was updated on August 23rd with more accurate information about the current status of The Poe Family‘s serialization in Flowers. Special thanks to Eric Henwood-Greer for the correction!

THE POE CLAN, VOL. 1 • ART AND STORY BY MOTO HAGIO • TRANSLATED BY RACHEL THORN • FANTAGRAPHICS • 512 pp. • NO RATING

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online: 3rd Squad Jam: Betrayer’s Choice (Part 1)

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By Keiichi Sigsawa and Kouhaku Kuroboshi, based on the series created by Reki Kawahara. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

You know the drill by now. This is Keiichi Sigsawa’s version of Gun Gale Online, meaning for the most part depth of characterization and plot is left at the door. Last time we at least had the real world threat of Pitohui threatening to kill herself, this time we don’t even have that, and our two teams of two join up to form a terrifying team of four, because there’s another Squad Jam, and the same people are going to be around for it. Llenn is there to see if she can finally have her battle against her gymnastics team friends; Pitohui is there because she wants to fight Llenn but will settle for this instead; M is there because Pitohui is there. and Fukaziroh is the comedy relief. This time around there’s a new rule added, but we only get to see that at the very end of the volume, so for the most part we’re here to see action scenes of LPFM (their team name) kill a lot of people. And they do.

We don’t see much of the quartet’s real world selves except at the start, where we find Karen has been avoiding GGO because a) school is happening; b) she did what she wanted to do with Pitohui and doesn’t have a concrete goal; and c) she’s still weirded out by Elza kissing her. But nothing is going to stop Elsa doing this again, even if she’d rather be fighting Llenn. The rest of the book is the Squad Jam itself, taking place on an island that’s rapidly sinking into the sea, meaning the squads have to keep moving to the center or they will die. Assuming they aren’t shot or blown up by their competitors. M, the leader this time around, holes the group up in a disused railyard, and while Llenn serves as bait (she’s fast, she won’t get killed.. probably) sets up a trap for everyone who’s going after them. And there are a lot of folks going after them, as they’re the favorites.

Of course, there are a few others we do get some development for, notably Shirley, the hunting girl from the last book who almost (but not quite) killed Pitohui. The frustration at her being unable to do this has led to her honing her skills in GGO to a terrifying degree, making her own explosive bullets and becoming a feared sniper. And there’s also Clarence, still female despite the name and the bishonen appearance, who also pulls a 180 from the previous Squad Jam where she was nice enough to give Llenn her ammo as she’s dying. Here Clarence is… well, let’s just say not as nice, but she’s certainly having fun. The battle between Clarence and Shirley may be the highlight of the volume, and I also ship them a bit now.

But of course this is Part 1 of 2, and the 2nd book promises to be even better thanks to the rule implemented at the end, which gives Pitohui her fondest desire. We’ll see how it shakes out next time. Expect lots of gunfight scenes.

Middle-Aged Businessman, Arise in Another World!, Vol. 1

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By Sai Sumimori and Ichijirushi. Released in Japan as “Around 40 Eigyou-man, Isekai ni Tatsu!” by Kodansha. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Taishi.

To a large degree these new isekai titles that we’re seeing are playing to a crowd who knows what it wants. There is, at least here in North America, a relatively loud contingent who are sick of isekai and moan and groan when they see more of it, but the fact is isekai sells a ton, and there are readers who want more and more of it. The same goes for so-called overpowered characters. Hate on Kirito if you must (and he’s not even a good example of the type), but folks love to read about newly isekai’d folks who suddenly find they can do anything. I have excellent news for those of you who like said characters: in this book, we get an entire family of them. That said, I also have good news for those who dislike these types of characters: for the most part, we stick with the father, and he rarely busts out his god powers, preferring instead to trust in what he’s really good at: sales and marketing.

We first meet our hero, Shousou, as a sad-sack 28-year-old salaryman who’s not very good at much of anything. In the pouring rain one evening, he runs into a beautiful goddess who’s experiencing life on Earth. Faster than you can say “Oh My Goddess”, the two go back to his place and fall into bed. Thirteen years later, they’re married with a family, and he’s now a huge success thanks to brimming with confidence after… well, boning a goddess. And he’ll need that confidence, as one day he and his entire family are transported, house and all, to another world. There, another goddess (who is far less impressive than his wife, a running gag) informs them that it was an accident but it will be at least a year till they can be returned. Shouzou has to provide for his family, but adventurer is a job that would keep him away from the home for weeks on end. So he joins a down-on-its-luck guild as their sales manager, promising to make them the top guild in the city within a year.

Lest you think that Shouzou’s sales pitch is his only power, rest assured he has power out the wazoo thanks to his goddess wife (who helpfully explains that sex with a goddess every day will do that to a mortal). But it’s mostly for emergencies like when he has to slap a dragon to get it to go away and such. For the most part, this really is Shouzou dealing with a fantasy world guild the way a marketer would, and using clever ideas to move forward. It’s actually the main reason to read the book, and a lot of fun. I do wish we’d seen more of the family – having been the catalyst of all this, his wife is content to sit back and be sweet for the most part, though the three daughters do get tiny subplots showing off how a combination of their heritage and being in a fantasy world means they’re all superhuman as well.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Shouzou is dynamic and fun, the guild employees are nice, and even the stereotypes, such as the ojousama teenager with princess curls and the arrogant third son who lashes out when he can’t get his way are relatively harmless compared to other examples of those types. The second volume is the final one, though as with a lot of light novels I do wonder if it has an actual ending or just stops. I will definitely want to find out, though.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 19

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By Mizuho Kusanagi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Yona” by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by JN Productions, Adapted by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane.

After last volume’s tragic Zeno backstory, I was ready for a change of pace, and I ended up getting two. Bad things happen when Sinha is possessed by a former Bluer Dragon seemingly out for revenge, and our heroes end up in a cave filled with the spirits of the unquiet dead, which are drawn in a very creepy way. It could almost be horror… were it not for the fact that these are some of the funniest chapters of Yona to date. Every third page seems to have a new and better gag. Sinha’s possession is taking as him entering a “rebellious phase”, Yun’s Team Mom personality is constantly called into the light and dragged around for all to see (rice balls!), Hak, who has the dead pressing against him so hard he’s feeling weak, assumes that waking up in Yona’s embrace means he’s having one of THOSE dreams; and of course we get “hold on to me” as an excuse for a giant group hug. It’s wonderful.

It’s also only half the book, though the other half is a bit more serious (save for the discussion of why Su-Won hasn’t gotten married yet, which is a strange combination of hilarious and incredibly awkward). Yona and friends meet up with Riri and her bodyguards, who are still trying to protect the Water tribe by ferrreting out the source of the drugs still filtering into the cities. Well, Riri is, the other two are just following her and trying to ensure she doesn’t get kidnapped or killed or anything. This is actually a much bigger job than they’d like, especially as Ayura is still injured, so the bodyguards hire Yona and company to help protect her and also find out what’s going on. Of course, Yona being the type of series it is, this leads to a cliffhanger where she and Riri are captured by the bad guys, but if there’s one thing Yona has taught us to date it’s that this is not a series where the heroine stays put and waits to be rescued.

Another fantastic scene involves Yona and Riri discussing Su-Won, what he’s doing for the countries, and what Yona’s actual goal is. She’s seen what her father’s rule was like, and what Su-Won is doing, and has come to an understanding about it, though that doesn’t necessarily mean accepting it. But she still thinks that Hak will never forgive Su-Won, and I suspect she’s right there. There’s also a bit of romance, as Yona and Riri spend the night in bed together./. wait, wrong romance. Yona gives Hak a charm, and is clearly in love with him but unaware of her feelings. Hak, on the other hand, is very much aware of his feelings, but is not going to be doing anything about them anytime soon and is content to simply be by Yona’s side. I can’t wait till this eventually boils over.

So another stellar volume of Yona of the Dawn. You know the drill. Buy it.

Toradora!, Vol. 6

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By Yuyuko Takemiya and Yasu. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jan Cash & Vincent Castaneda. Adapted by Will Holcomb.

Sadly, I’ve caught up with when I started to review the manga version of this series, hence the annoying 2 at the end of the URL. In the meantime, we were always going to get a book devoted to Kitamura at some point, and this is the book. Like Minori, he’s a seemingly goofy and eccentric friend, though his iss more genuine and less of a mask than Minori’s. The start of the book sees him devastated by a (hidden to the reader) declaration from Sumire, the current Student Council President. Unfortunately, after he snaps out of it he seemingly goes off the deep end, dying his hair blond and stating he’s not running for student council. thus shocking the entire school. Ryuuji and Taiga may be the only ones who can help him, but what is that help going to entail, and will it mean that the new student council president actually has to be Taiga?

That’s Sumire on the cover, and I suspect that fan opinion of her may be divided. She’s shown to be a flawed character whose reasons for doing what she did are in character but also immature. Unfortunately, we’re not shown that till the very end of the book, in a fantastic and brutal fight with Taiga (which ends with Taiga suspended for two weeks); till then, we’re told over and over again how perfect she is, and when she’s not absent from the book she’s making the situation worse. I liked her arc, but many might think “too little too late”, especially as she’s seemingly also written out here. Speaking of divided opinion, Kitamura gets this book for character development, but just like Sumire that involves being an immature child for most of the volume, doing things like “becoming a delinquent” as a cry for attention from someone who won’t give it to him. You sort of which Taiga would have beaten him up as well, though that’s not going to happen.

Much better handled are the rest of the main cast. Minori is still clearly recovering from the events of the last book, and still trying to find her feet around Ryuuji. I have suspicions about that, but will save it till it’s more obvious. Ami is simply fantastic, being at her bitchy arrogant best while also showing that she too is changing, though she’s not very happy about it at all. (Minori and Ami is a fan ship, and there’s a nice, if short, scene here for that ship). And then there’s our main couple, Taiga and Ryuuji, who have not yet realized that they love each other but both have independently realized that they can’t imagine living without each other. The series is now in its second half, so we need to start heading towards endgame. Taiga too has matured… though perhaps not enough to avoid getting suspended for beating the shit out of a fellow student.

So an excellent volume of Toradora… except that the two characters at the center of it are being very difficult and stubborn. Still worth reading.

One Piece, Vol. 91

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By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz. Translated by Stephen Paul.

Oda is very fond of writing chaotic scenes, and the last few arcs have all consisted of “start slow, then work to lots of chaos’. But the period of slow starts is decreasing, and we’re barely halfway into this volume before Luffy, reuniting with Zoro, is doing things at his own pace and upturning everything, mostly as we’re present in another country where evil bad guys are lording it over everyone while the poor and downtrodden starve. And, let’s face it, beating up those evil bad guys doesn’t really get old. It is worth noting, though, that Luffy has matured a great deal since the start of the series, and particularly in the last few arcs. Sure, he still doesn’t listen to anyone and does his own thing, and He’s still happy-go-lucky, but his reaction to Otama’s condition and the state of the country itself show a maturity that I really like seeing in him. You’re starting to see him turn into someone who CAN be the Pirate King.

This is the first time in ages that we’ve had the entire Straw Hat crew assembled, but aside from Zoro, the rest of the “missing” crew from the last few books remain missing here. But that doesn’t mean we’re not making new friends and introducing old ones. Otama is the cute and spunky little girl who made a promise with Ace years ago and now finds that Ace isn’t able to fulfill it. But that’s why Luffy is here. There’s also Okiku (get used to the O- prefix), a samurai who is gorgeous and also really tall, but does not let that get in the way of excellent sword skills and wanting to protect people. Trafalgar Law is around, still trying to achieve things quietly and sanely and still running into Luffy making that impossible. And we also have Basil Hawkins,k the fortune-telling pirate who seems to be working for the bad guys here, and who briefly gives Luffy and Zoro a run for their money till the cards say they get away.

And there are also some classic Oda scenes here. For everyone who thinks that the man is losing his touch, I urge you to take a peek at Holdem, a member of the Animal Kingdom Pirates who has a living Lion Head on his stomach, and the fact that the lion head proceeds to, when annoyed, punch Holdem in the nuts… forgetting that they are also the lion’s own nuts. That sort of goofy, juvenile gag requires a fantastic imagination. And it’s not just used for gags. The revelation towards the end of the volume as to the fate of Kin’emon and his compatriots, and where they really come from, is the sort of thing that you might protest breaks the story a bit if it weren’t handled with the deftest touch. And yes, there’s also Kaido, who really deserves that cliffhanger with an amazing two-page spread appearance showing off “I am the villain” vibes.

91 volumes in, One Piece has started a new arc that has me riveted already. I wonder how many volumes it will be? (Answer: many, many volumes.)