And the winner of the Historical Manga Giveaway is…Dawn H!
As the winner, Dawn will be receiving a new copy of Shigeru Mizuki’s award-winning, semi-autobiographical manga Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths as published by Drawn and Quarterly. The timing of this giveaway happily coincided with the Historical Manga Moveable Feast, and so I asked those entering to tell me about their favorite historical manga.
Normally, I would take this opportunity to compile a list of historical manga. But, depending on how one defines historical manga, that could end up being a very long list, indeed. So instead, I’d like to briefly ramble on a bit about the manga mentioned in the giveaway’s comments.
Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura
One of my first manga series and still one of my personal favorites, Blade of the Immortal is the current focus of my monthly review project. For all of my reviews for the series, check out the Blade of the Immortal tag or the individual links from the Review Index.
A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
It’s been a while since I’ve read A Drifting Life (a bit before I began Experiments in Manga). A massive tome, Tatsumi’s memoir looks at both the creator’s personal life as well as the cultural history of manga in Japan.
Drifters by Kohta Hirano
Most people I know prefer Hirano’s earlier series Hellsing, but personally I’m more fond of Drifters. It does take some outside knowledge of the series’ historical inspirations to fully appreciate the manga, though. Drifters is intense and doesn’t always make a whole lot of sense, but I do enjoy it.
Emma by Kaoru Mori
I unfortunately discovered Emma too late—it’s now out-of-print and hard to find in English. Fortunately my library had a complete set I could read. I really hope that the license is rescued because Emma is a wonderful series. (Yen Press, pretty please?)
The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio
Not only does The Heart of Thomas take place in a historical setting, it is also a historically important and significant work. I’m thrilled that it is now available in English, and Fantagraphics’ release is gorgeous. You can find my in-depth review here.
Kaze Hikaru by Taeko Watanabe
I actually haven’t read Kaze Hikaru yet, although I really have been meaning to. After all, Kate Dacey (who I admire greatly) has declared it to be her favorite shoujo manga. Plus, Shinsengumi!
Kids on the Slope by Yuki Kodama
I would love to read Kids on the Slope. Unfortunately, it’s probably unlikely that we’ll ever see the series licensed in English. But, at least we do have the anime adaptation.
Lone Wolf & Cub written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima
I am so glad that Dark Horse is re-releasing Lone Wolf & Cub in a larger format. The smaller editions are going out of print and, while cool, were difficult for me to read because of their size. Finally, I’ll have the chance to really appreciate and enjoy this extremely influential series!
NonNonBa by Shigeru Mizuki
Another award-winning, semi-autobiographical work by Mizuki, Nonnonba is a wonderful tribute to the woman who inspired his love of yokai. You can read my in-depth review of the manga here.
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga
Yoshinaga does some really fantastic things with history in Ōoku. I love the series even though the English translation is rather awkward. I’ve only reviewed three of the volumes so far (which you can find here or linked to from the Review Index), but expect to see more reviews from me in the future.
Sakuran: Blossoms Wild by Moyoco Anno
I personally think that Sakuran is one of Anno’s strongest works available in English. As I mention in my review, it’s one of the most realistic and honest portrayals of sex work in the Edo period that I’ve come across. And Anno’s color work is phenomenal.
Thank you to everyone who shared their favorites with me!
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