The end of the month approaches, which means it’s time for another manga giveaway here at Experiments in Manga! Keeping with tradition (it’s happened twice before now, so it totally counts as tradition!), November’s giveaway is for multiple volumes. In this particular case, I will be giving away a set of the first four volumes of Harold Sakuishi’s manga series Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad as published by Tokyopop. As always, the giveaway is open worldwide!
Although I currently work as a librarian, my background is actually in music. Music continues to be one of my great loves. And when it is combined with another of my great loves, namely manga, I can hardly resist. When manga incorporates music into the story, it earns bonus points with me, even if the rest of the manga leaves something to be desired. I’m always on the lookout for music-themed manga. I like it all, from classical to rock and everything in between. Beck is an example of a music manga done well; the series even won a Kodansha Manga Award in 2002. Sakuishi knows his alternative and indie rock and uses his knowledge to the series’ advantage. Unfortunately, only twelve of its thirty-four volumes were ever released in print in English. But it’s still a series worth checking out.
So, you may be wondering, how can you win the first four volumes of Beck?
1) In the comments below, tell me about your favorite music-themed manga. If you don’t have a favorite music manga one or you’ve never read a manga that incorporates music, just mention that.
2) For a second entry, simply name a music manga that hasn’t been mentioned yet by me or by someone else.
3) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).
And there you have it! Each person can earn up to three entries for this giveaway. You have one week to submit your comments. If you have trouble leaving comments (Blogger sometimes has issues), or if you would prefer, you can e-mail me your entries at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com. I will then post the comment in your name. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on December 5, 2012. Rock on!
VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address, link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.
Contest winner announced—Manga Giveaway: Music Manga Giveaway
1) I love how Nana incorporates music into the series. While it’s not the central theme of the series, I think it still plays enough of a role to count as a music-themed one (they even released music CD soundtracks for the manga long before the anime/live-action movie!)
2)Nodame Cantabile is also a wonderful series where music is a central theme. Love it!
3)Also posted about it on my twitter @bunnycartoon!
I can’t say I have a favorite music manga. I can actually only recall reading one manga that had any sort of musical focus, and that is Solanin. And to be honest, I didn’t even really like it that much.
I think it would have helped if I could actually experience the music that was happening in the manga. For instance, I really loved the Nodame Cantabile anime and the Kids on the Slope anime because I got to hear the music that the characters were so into.
1) My favorite music-themed manga is Nodame Cantible, and I am so sad that Kodansha isn’t publishing it right now. I am hoping for it to be published by JManga in the future.
2) No one has mentioned K-On! yet, and while it’s more cute moe girls than music, the band is a central part of the storyline.
Posted on behalf of AmhChic (sorry Blogger is being silly!):
One of my all-time favorite mangas is Sakamichi no Apollon or Kids on the Slope, which tells the story of two very different childhood friends in post-WWII Japan who meet and build an inseparable bond through their love of music, jazz specifically. The artwork, the writing, and most importantly the music come together to bring to life a story that is impossible not to be moved by. Reading the manga and watching the anime, which has a brilliant soundtrack that I play over and over again, also heightened my appreciation for jazz. If you haven’t read the manga or see the anime – do!
1) My favorite music manga is Nodame Catabile. All the characters are wonderful, and playing the music mentioned in the manga while you’re reading it makes it 5x better.
2) Other music manga: Me and the Devil Blues. I’m still vaguely disappointed that it got cancelled sans conclusion.
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1) My favorite music manga would have to be Nana. Too bad it’s currently unfinished as Ai Yazawa has been sick and left the series on a cliffhanger. =(
2)I also have a soft spot for Full Moon o Sagashite by Arina Tanemura. It was one of the first series I ever finished, and I still reread it to this day.
3)Tweeted as @KenshinGirl
1. I’ve only read a bit of Nana (I would have read more but my library had the most random volumes) and sadly I think that’s the only music manga I’ve actually read. I have seen the anime for Kids on the Slope, Beck, and the first season of Nodame Cantible (the weird dub, held off on the other two in case they popped up legally as well but no such luck) and I’d like to read the manga for all three, fingers crossed that Viz gets KotS and that JManga picks up and continues both Beck and Nodame!
EDIT: Oh yeah I have read Full Moon as well xD
2. Erm, does Pichi Pichi Pitch (Mermaid Melody) count? I think that was one of the many many series my friends and I tried out in high school, I felt kinda bad since it was a magical girl series but I didn’t really like it…..
3. Tweet here! https://twitter.com/WanderinDreamr/status/274337217961410561
Posted on behalf of Ben Jonas:
1) I don’t really have a favorite musical manga… in the traditional sense. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has villains named after famous musicians/bands- does that count?
2) In the third volume of Ballad of a Shinigami, there was one story about a rock musician trying to overcome the death of his girlfriend, which has prevented him from performing on stage.
1) I can’t say I have a favourite music manga but my favourite anime, Eureka Seven, has many music references and a stellar soundtrack.
2) I haven’t seen anyone mention Soredemo, the one about the maids but that’s a very loose connection to music
I can’t say that I recall reading a music manga yet, but I’m intrigued to see how something so auditory might get translated into an inherently silent medium. The closest I suppose I can think of would be some of the food manga I’ve read, which isn’t really close at all. Or maybe Scott Pilgrim, which isn’t manga and only tangentially about music. But I am definitely open to try new (to me) forms of comics!
1. Solanin by Inio Asano – coming-of-age meets indie rock dreams revisited. A lovely, realistic recollection of early 20’s angst.
2. Detroit Metal City – it just rocks so hard \m/
1. I was coming over to say that I have a soft spot for Detroit Metal City as a music manga. What can I say, I like silly things! Fistbump to Danice for mentioning it!
2. …and no one has mentioned Gravitation???
3. I tweet as @librarywise, for getting in touchness.
When I think of music manga I like my mind often jumps to the anime because my memories of the way the music sounds is so integral to my enjoyment.
1) Nodame Cantabile is by far my favorite music manga. Maybe it’s because I played piano (very badly) when I was little and I know so many music majors and musically inclined people that I find so many aspects of it beside the music relatable (definitely chocked up on stage before *winces*)
2) No one has mentioned Solfege, right? While there’s questionable aspects to the manga that keep it from being a favorite of mine (not a fan of teacher/student romances and the way the particular relationship happens really creeped me out) Yoshinaga’s expressive facial expressions work so beautifully conveying the emotions of the characters when they sing.
3) @tungwene