My Week in Manga: December 20-December 26, 2010

My News and Reviews

You would think that I would get a substantial amount of manga reading done since my winter break started last week, but I didn’t read quite as much as I expected I would (although, I have become obsessed with Berserk). Part of this is because my new glasses still haven’t come in. It’s also due to the fact that it’s the holidays and I had quite a bit of traveling to do. That, and I also received poi as a gift and have been spending many, many hours giving myself bruises and hitting myself in the head instead of reading. Anyway.

I’m currently running a manga and light novel giveaway for a Strawberry Panic Starter Pack. The winner will be picked on Wednesday, so you still have a couple of days to tell me about a yuri/girls’ love manga that you’ve read for a chance to win. I also posted the sixth part in my Library Love series which takes a quick look at manga that I’ve borrowed and read from my local library.

Quick Takes

Berserk, Volumes 1-17 by Kentaro Miura. It’s obvious from the very start that something terrible has happened to Guts, a brutal, one armed swordsman to make him the way he is. He isn’t really a very sympathetic character at the beginning. Most of the first half of the series explores his backstory and explains exactly how he got to be the way he is—savage, inhuman, and frequently more frightening than the demons he hunts. Berserk is incredibly violent and graphic, but I wouldn’t say it is gratuitous. It is however very intense, dark, and emotionally taxing to read. Occasionally the more comedic elements feel out of place, but I can confidently say that this has become one of my favorite series.

Gorgeous Carat, Volume 1 by You Higuri. I’ve read Higuri’s Cantarella before and so I already knew I enjoy her art style which features men with beautiful character designs and attention to details (especially with clothing and backgrounds). Gorgeous Carat is a historical fantasy adventure story that takes place in Paris during the turn of the century. I still like Higuri’s artwork, but the story of Gorgeous Carat really didn’t capture my attention except for the frequent use of whips. There’s a bit of jumping around in the plot that can be difficult to follow at times and some developments are hardly believable. So far, Gorgeous Carat mostly seems like an excuse to have pretty men in period clothing.

Happy Mania, Volumes 6-11 by Moyoco Anno. I wasn’t laughing as hysterically during the second half of Happy Mania as I did at the first half, but there were still plenty of moments that I found myself laughing out loud. Some of the story elements are frankly ridiculous, but they’re meant to be. It is this self aware humor, in addition to Shigeta’s general and constant insanity, that I like best about the series. This is probably also why I enjoyed the first half of the series more, since the second half is a bit more heavy and serious. But still, Happy Mania is a great series and I enjoyed it immensely. Anno frequently includes entertaining tributes to other mangaka and series (and I know I didn’t catch them all).

GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka, Episodes 1-9 directed by Noriyuki Abe and Naoyasu Hanyu. I’ve previously watched the GTO anime adaptation and more recently read the manga. One of my biggest complaints about the anime is that the consistency in character design is virtually nonexistent. You can always tell who someone is supposed to be, but they can look significantly different even in the same episode (and I’m not talking about the intentional art style changes used for dramatic effect). However, I do enjoy the anime and think it’s hilarious even though some of the situations can be a bit uncomfortable to watch, but this was also the case for the manga.