Reviews

By Aya Shouoto. Released in Japan as “Junketsu + Kareshi” by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Aria. Released in North America by Yen Press.

In general, when I’m reading a manga I am looking for an entertaining story that draws me in and makes me want to read more. The originality of that story, however, is way down on my list of necessities. I don’t need a title to be different from all those other titles, I just want it to be well-told. So don’t take it the wrong way when I say that there really isn’t much that is original in this series at all. The author is quite familiar to these shores, as Kiss of the Rose Princess, which runs in Asuka, came out a month or so ago. This is a more serious story so far, though there are light-hearted moments. But for the most part, as I went through I was quite happy with what I was reading, even if I kept thinking “This reminds me of Vampire Knight” or “This is just like Millennium Snow”.

Kana is a tomboy-ish heroine, popular at school, who seems to be good at everything, to the point where she joins three clubs a day to help out, then just as swiftly leaves. Of course, this is actually the result of not one but TWO tragic pasts – as a child, she was in a fire that took the life of two twins she was best friends with, and later, while running track, a delinquent’s misfired prank (also involving fire) results in a broken leg AND ligament tear, ending her career. So she’s at a loss in regards to life. The delinquent is still around, trying to make amends as he clearly is starting to fall for her, but that doesn’t seem to be where this story is going. No, instead she runs into one of the twins, now alive – and a vampire!

I frequently joke about titles being licensed only because there are vampires in it, but they’re a popular fictional genre, allowing readers to indulge in forbidden sexuality and darkness. The scenes of Aki (said vampire) biting Kana are drawn sensuously, and you can tell that there’s more pleasure than pain at work here. There’s a certain amount of subservience here – Aki declares Kana is his thrall, and describes her as his “food”. But the narrative starts pushing back against that fairly quickly – he’s clearly acting distant to cover up his feelings, and when he gets into a fight with Jin (the delinquent I mentioned earlier), Kana shows that she will not be content to simply stand there. Actually, the way she stops the fight is really clever, and my favorite part of the book.

There’s a lot of plot hints dropped here that I’m sure will play out in future volumes. Jin transformed into a wolf-man hybrid towards the end (see why I mentioned Millennium Snow?), Aki’s twin Eriya seems to be alive but in some sort of stasis (or perhaps evil?), and we see someone who seems to be either Aki’s boss or enemy clearly dislike what he’s doing (because of course vampires have rules that cannot be broken.) That said, the series (just ended in Japan) is 10 volumes long, so I imagine we’ll get our answers soon. There’s a lot of stuff you’ve seen before in this series, but it’s told well, and for me that’s what matters. Recommended, particularly if you like supernatural romance.

By Naoki Urasawa, Hokusei Katsushika, and Takashi Nagasaki. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialized in the magazine Big Comic Original. Released in North America by Viz Media.

A long awaited release on these shores, this is the sort of title that you’d have expected to be licensed back in the old Viz days of the early to mid 90s, filled with Crying Freeman and Mai the Psychic Girl. The series had an anime in the 1990s, but by then the fashion for seinen had passed, and it’s taken a resurgence, helped by the cult popularity of 20th Century Boys and Monster, to see the series out here at last as a deluxe Signature edition. There’s also some question over the actual creation. When it came out in the late 80s, it was credited to Katsushika as the writer and Urasawa as the artist. After Katsushika’s death, Urasawa claimed that they’d fought early in the series, and from that point Urasawa did the story himself, a viewpoint which has led to some criticism. Also, the third author on the cover is the writer for the CURRENT Master Keaton revival, which started in 2012, and which… isn’t this. (As with many Signature releases of older works, this is a release of the Japanese re-release, which may have updated art/storylines.)

What is this, then? It’s been called “Indiana Jones manga”, but I’d compare it to another 80s icon, MacGyver. Taichi Keaton is a former SAS soldier turned freelance insurance investigator for Lloyd’s of London. He looks into wrongful death claims, art forgeries, and archaeological digs, all the while finding trouble and managing to maneuver his way out of it by virtue of his amazing survival skills. Sadly, he’s not nearly so competent in his personal live, being divorced and having a teenage daughter, Yuriko, who seems to find her father admirable and aggravating in equal measures.

I understand her frustration. Keaton is a man who it’s easy to admire but hard to like. His lax personality was highly popular at the time, and makes a nice change from, say, Golgo 13 (a series Katsushika also wrote for) or Crying Freeman. These days I think a reader might find it trying, especially his obsession with his ex-wife getting together with someone else (we never see the wife, and actually it occurs to me that Yuriko may have made the whole thing up to attempt to spur him into action). Later in the volume we see Keaton’s father, whose name he disavows (he takes his mother’s last name), and he’s also an eccentric, frustrating individual, who Keaton probably takes after more than he’d like. Keaton as a man seems mostly half-baked and half-hearted.

The series is on firmer ground with the mystery stories, which much of the time turn into spy stories. Master Keaton began in 1988, at the tail end of the Cold War, but feels more like an early 80s tale, with the Communists still exerting their hold behind the Iron Curtain. I wonder if we’ll see that change as the series went on – it lasted till 1994. The first few chapters are not fleshed out enough – Keaton is the sort of story that requires a bit of room to breathe, particularly with all the exposition, and it’s no surprise that it’s the multi-chapter works that are the best in the volume.

Master Keaton, in the end, is classic seinen. If I said this was a mystery series in Big Comic Original in the late 80s, the well-read manga fan would likely be able to predict precisely the types of stories you’d see here. But it’s very well-told, as expected from Urasawa, and when he’s not getting involved in personal business, Keaton makes an excellent investigator. I’ll definitely be picking up more.

Yukarism Volume 1 by Chika Shiomi

I’m always excited for the first volume of a new Shojo Beat series comes out, but I was SUPER EXCITED for Yukarism because I’ve enjoyed previous works from Shiomi so much. My absolute favorite of her series so far is Night of the Beasts. I thought that Yukarism had an interesting premise, so I was very curious!

The couple embracing on the cover of the first volume isn’t a couple, it is the same person in a current and previous life. Yukari is a young teenage genius of an author, producing books set in the Edo period with vivid historical detail. His new classmate Mahoro is fascinated by him, coming up with excuses to stop by with homework or treats when he’s absent from school due to a writing binge. Yukari recognizes something in Mahoro, but when she has a conversation with him, her expectations of talking to a author dedicated to his readers are derailed. Yukari seems to approach the world with a significant amount of detachment, perhaps because he’s haunted by memories from a previous life. When Yukari notices a scar on Mahoro’s wrist, he’s catapulted into the past and wakes up as a courtesan in the Edo period named Yumurasaki. Here, Mahoro’s previous life was as a man named Kazuma who serves as Yumurasaki’s protector.

Shiomi’s art is lovely. The character designs for Yukari and Yumurasaki look like male and female aspects of the same person. The shift in detail in the backgrounds from the sparse modern day to the elaborately decorated Edo period is a treat to see. There are little moments of physical comedy scattered throughout the book, because when Yukari travels to the past he can’t be as graceful as Yumuraski and finds himself overbalanced by headgear and teetering off his shoes. Kazuma is terrified when he sees Yumurasaki casually sitting like a teenage boy with his legs spread apart.

Yukari approaches his sudden experience of his past life like an adventure, but he doesn’t yet seem to be emotionally affected by living Yumurasaki’s life. He’s unconcerned by how his odd behavior might affect her relationships, and his attitude seems to be much more that of a writer observing details than someone who is invested in actually experiencing his life. Yukari’s encounters in the past end up giving him insight into the present, as a tormented girl who works in Yumurasaki appears in the present with psychological issues due to the trauma of her forgotten previous life. Yukari is able to use the knowledge he gained as Yumurasaki to help her.

Overall, I found this first volume very intriguing. I’m looking forward to seeing how the past continues to have an impact on Yukari’s present. Shiomi does a great job coming up with characters who have reticent but interesting personalities. Yukari really acts just as one would expect a teenage boy who used to be an elite courtesan of the past to behave. I’m also curious to see how the relationship between the more dynamic Yukari and the watchful Mahoro develops. Yukarism is a great new manga to kick off the new year!

By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen Press.

The novels are still running a bit behind the manga here in the West, so much of this review will be discussing how the light novel differs from the first two volumes of the manga that I’ve already reviewed. They mostly hit similar notes – Suguha’s crush on her brother is in full force, Asuna is still trapped in a birdcage, and Sougo is an over-the-top villain – but the ability of prose to let you get inside the heads of its leads allows for a greater depth than the manga had, particularly with Kazuto and Asuna. There’s also some nice discussion of Kazuto’s family beyond his sister, as we see his working mother, who he apparently got his obsession with games from. That said, once Kazuto becomes Kirito, we’re back to this series’ raison d’être, which is watching the boy do awesome things.

The contrast between Kazuto and his MMORPG self didn’t come across as much in the manga as it does here, and it may have been my favorite part of the book. Now that he’s not in Sword Art Online, we’re left with a young teenage boy who’s weaker than he’s been the past two years, unable to decide what to do with his life, and with the one thing he cherished more than anything – Asuna – still far away from him. After meeting Sugou, and hearing about Asuna’s arranged marriage, he almost completely falls apart, sounding nothing like the character we’ve known, not even after the death of Sachi in the previous volume. It’s only when he reached ALfheim Online, the successor to SAO, and can become Kirito again that things change. And change they do – Kirito was pretty confident in the first two books, but here he’s almost cocky, showing off his skills (ported over from SAO, for reasons unknown to him) and cleaning house.

As for Asuna, her POV also benefits the story. She goes through the same crisis that Kazuto did earlier in the book, being trapped with only the monstrous Sugou for company and not even being sure if her love is alive. Once Sugou attempts to break her will by saying he is (cartoon villains always seem to make this mistake), she gains new strength, and it’s immediately put to good use – her use of game mechanics and environment to find a way to escape her cage is brilliant, and shows that she’s more than just a prize waiting for Kirito to rescue her here. (Sugou also gets to be even more horrible here – the scenes of him touching her, trying to go far enough so that she’ll punch him and thus “justify” using his supposed mind control on her sooner, are true nightmare fuel.)

Suguha/Leafa is the new character here, and like the other two we enjoy getting inside her head. She’s startled at her brother’s sudden kendo skills, picked up by sheer muscle memory from his days in SAO. The family revelations, which he knew about but didn’t tell her about, also have thrown her off kilter, and that combined with the onset of puberty has led to her accepting that she has feelings for Kazuto – but she can see he’s clearly in love with Asuna. She’s very similar to her brother, and it’s no surprise that when she plays ALO in an attempt to understand what he enjoyed about it, she too got very good very fast and is one of the top players in the game.

If you hated the Fairy Dance arc of the anime, then reading the light novel will probably not change your minds. If you enjoyed aspects of it but felt it fell short, given this version a try. It may read like wish-fulfillment fanfic, but there’s nothing wrong with that if it interests the reader, and I’m still greatly enjoying Kirito, Asuna and Leafa’s adventures. This is a 2-part book, so in April we’ll find how things wrap up.

By Fujino Omori and Suzuhito Yasuda. Released in Japan as “Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka?” by Softbank Creative. Released in North America by Yen On.

For those who see that title and roll their eyes, the commonly agreed on abbreviation, from the Japanese title, is ‘DanMachi’. We’ve seen a few of the cliched light novels with titles as long as their content in manga and anime format before, but this is really the first time we’ve seen one as a light novel. As you’d expect, the longer the title the more likely that this is a romantic harem comedy, and that’s true here. It’s also a fantasy, though, one closely connected to the world of role-playing games (though it’s not players trapped in a game, for once). I think that the fantasy gamers will likely find it easier to appreciate this title than the harem comedy fans, though both will find things to like and dislike. One thing I think everyone will agree on is that the cover blurb is pretty misleading: Bell stops being a ‘damsel in distress’ almost immediately.

That is where we start, however. Bell is our narrator for most of the book, though it does switch off when the author wants to tell scenes without his presence to a third person style. He’s young and naive, wanting to become an adventurer in order to meet girls and get a harem, but he mostly wants that because this is what his grandfather (now deceased) taught him was the way of all things. In reality, he can’t catch a clue when it’s thrust in his face, really. The other protagonist is his sponsoring god, in this world where gods have come down to the real world and form gangs of adventurers to entertain themselves. Hestia has only one adventurer – Bell – but it’s clear that she just needs to mature. It’s also clear that she’s head over heels for Bell, and is somewhat frustrated at his lack of interest. As the book goes on we see more women – the big sister trying to convince Bell not to be stupid, the young waitress with an immediate crush on him, another goddess who wants him mostly to amuse herself – but it’s apparent from the start who the ‘lead girl’ is.

The fantasy aspect fares better, though I don’t really game so it’s possible I’m missing stuff. Bell fights increasingly tough monsters, and when he defeats them gets gems to exchange for money, or ‘drop items’ that might be useful. It honestly takes a little while to get used to the fact that this is meant to be a real world – adventurers have their ‘stats’ printed on their back in runes, for goodness’ sake. But the fights are well-written and go fast, and there’s a nice feeling of suspense to them. The book read very quickly and smoothly, which was nice, and lacks a lot of the self-important narrating we’ve seen in other books this year. There’s also a surprising lack of fanservice – surprising as the color artwork inside the front cover is filled with it. Hestia gets the nickname ‘loli big boobs’, which is unfortunate, but other than that the emphasis here is on the story for the most part.

I may have made this sound more interesting than it is – there’s nothing here that really gets me fired up for another volume. But it’s pleasant enough, and a nice quick read. Harem fans will be annoyed at the obliviousness of the hero and the possessiveness of the heroine, because they always are. Fantasy fans might be entertained by the ‘RPG in real life’ aspect, though, and may want to give it a shot. And fans of the Durarara!! light novels or the Yozakura Quartet manga will recognize the artist. It’s also available digitally, and an anime is due out soon.

By Fuka Mizutani. Released in Japan by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Rakuen Le Paradis. Released in North America by Yen Press.

Sliec-of-life can be very difficult sometimes in the West, particularly if it also has romance in it. The genre tends to involve a laid-back quality, with lots of chapters devoted to normal kids doing normal things, and recalling the nostalgia of your teenage years. It’s the antithesis of a title like Naruto or Parasyte. But when done right, slice-of-life can bring a smile to your face, making you want to turn the pages faster so that you can bask in the warm glow of the cast’s feelings. Love at Fourteen is definitely slice-of-life done right; I lost track of the number of times I said “Oh my God, they’re adorable” about halfway through this first volume.

The premise of this volume will not seem unfamiliar to readers of another Hakusensha series, His & Hers Circumstances. Kanata and Kazuki are both the most admired kids in middle school, both having an air of ‘maturity’ about them that sets them above the pack. Of course, that maturity is also what keeps kids from getting too close to them. However, the pair have a secret – they’re childhood friends, and have been “acting” mature as it’s expected of them, when frequently they want to do nothing but relax and let their emotions hang out. The troubles start when the class points out, independently, how gorgeous Kanata’s hair is, and how deep Kazuki’s voice is, things which had never really occurred to two young teens who have hung out for years.

And so they start to realize they’re in love with each other, and are not quite clear how to deal with it. What follows are a series of chapters with lots of heavy blushing, frustrated desires, and sweet reunions. The drama is minimal, mostly as these two don’t make their own drama. “Acting” mature has been the norm for so long that they find they’ve actually *become* mature. What’s more, it’s never stated outright, but I suspect like most Japanese middle schools open relationships are heavily frowned on, so all this has to be kept a secret, which is a pain when you’re having trouble keeping your hands off each other.

I had thought that there was going to be a bit of drama towards the end of the volume, as one of their trysts is observed by Nagai, the class troublemaker. However, before he can start an obvious blackmail attempt he is quickly caught up in problems of his own, stemming from the class music teacher, who’s trying to get him to stop being truant and start singing. I’m a sucker for teachers who can wrap teens around their fingers, and so this was possibly my favorite chapter, and I really hope we see the two of them in the next volume.

In the end, though, this is really Kanata and Kazuki’s series, and there’s an abundance of them to enjoy here. It’s early on, and we haven’t even had a first fight chapter. Things are developing slowly and sweetly, as you’d expect from two kids who’ve known each other so long and now have to redefine each other… and themselves. The book has little definitions interspersed throughout on puberty and developing a sense of self, and you can see our leads develop accordingly. Most importantly, after reading this you will have the biggest goddamn smile on your face you’ve ever seen. Highly recommended.

By Atsushi Ohkubo. Released in Japan by Square Enix, serialized in the magazine Shonen Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press.

I had thought that this was the final volume of the series, but apparently not, as there’s an unscheduled Vol. 5 that is likely waiting for a sufficient distance from the Japanese release. It’s unclear whether the plot of the manga will follow the anime, which had already finished (with Ohkubo’s advice) before this ended. That said, we have here a manga that still has the same problems which the first volume possessed, but is also adding some new ones, such as whether a typical ‘yuri’ fan is supposed to enjoy the series or be really pissed off about it, and how much serious plot you can have in a moe slice-of-life type manga before it really starts to feel out of place.

Please note that by yuri fans I mean MALE yuri fans, the sort who would be quite happy to see the pairings end in a threesome, and who aren’t put off by the chapter of Meme running around naked that we see here. That said, fanservice isn’t everything, and I think most modern yuri fans are finding that the traditional tease just isn’t enough. Kim and Jackie are another good example – there’s lots of suggestion here that Jackie is in love with Kim, and some hints that Kim might one day return it… but this takes place before Soul Eater, where Kim and Ox become a couple. There’s no there there, it’s done solely to be ‘cutesy’ in a harmless way. Likewise, anyone who thinks that the ‘who will Tsugumi choose?’ plotline might actually involve genuine love and emotion has to be appalled at the aforementioned scene with the girls trying to sleep on a very hot night, which, fanservice aside, seems to show off the ‘immaturity’ of the girls for those who want a safe out.

That said, the other suggested romance in the series, that of Tsugumi and Akane, also seems to have vanished, and the manga is happily settling into focusing solely on our three heroines. There is also, among the jokes and 4-koma, a suggestion of the deeper ongoing plot. Eternal Feather is still recovering from her brainwashing two volumes ago. More importantly Meme’s memory issues, which have been used for comedy to this point, are getting to be a bigger and bigger issue, one that causes genuine concern. The final scene of the book is heartbreaking, as Tsugumi tears into Meme for what she sees as an annoying quirk (Tsugumi dealing with grief over a dead pet right now), but then stops seeing Meme expressing real sadness that she forgot something important again. It’s been vaguely implied she’s a mole for the villain, and I wonder if this is connected to that.

Soul Eater Not! is doing its best to try to appeal to a broader otaku market here, but it feels too pandering, to be honest, and could use more seriousness and heart. It still has some strengths – Anya has developed into the most sensible character of the bunch, and is a far cry from the tsundere princess she started as – but really, Soul Eater fans are better off with Soul Eater, and moe/yuri fans can find material that will give them better jokes and a better payoff than I expect this to have.