2 December 2012 2 Comments

Bookshelf Overload: November 2012

I managed to do a little better in November and not go too crazy with my manga acquisitions, but I still have some work to do. There were a few impulse buys of out-of-print or soon to go out-of-print manga (Tough, Here Is Greenwood, and Eyeshield 21), but most everything else was preordered or on super sale. Kate Dacey of The Manga Critic, which has now been retired, sent a bunch of review copies my way as well a stash of manga and manhwa for giveaways. (Thanks, Kate!) So what was particularly notable in November? The new Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind box set from Viz Media is gorgeous. The first print run sold out within a week, so I’m really glad that I preordered my copy. The first omnibus of Mari Yamazaki’s Thermae Romae was also released. It, too, received a deluxe treatment and looks fantastic. I was also happy to see the first film of the new Berserk anime adaptation released. I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet, but I plan to very soon. Lots of other great anime were re-released in November, too.

Manga!
Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love, Volume 2 by Yaya Sakuragi
Bunny Drop, Volume 7 by Yumi Unita
Eyeshield 21, Volumes 1-14 written by Riichiro Inagaki, illustrated by Yusuke Murata
Flowers by Usamaru Furuya
Here Is Greenwood, Volumes 1-9 by Yukie Nasu
Hero Heel, Volumes 2-3 by Makoto Tateno
Hero Tales, Volume 5 by Hiromu Arakawa
Jiu Jiu, Volume 2 by Touya Tobina
Limit, Volume 2 by Keiko Suenobu
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
Mr. Flower Groom by Lily Hoshino
Real, Volume 11 by Takehiko Inoue
Reiko the Zombie Shop, Volumes 1-6 by Rei Mikamoto
Thermae Romae, Omnibus 1 by Mari Yamazaki
Tough, Volumes 1-6 by Tetsuya Saruwatari
Umineko: When They Cry, Episode 1: Legend of the Golden Witch, Volume 1 written by Ryukishi07, illustrated by Kei Natsumi
Worst, Volumes 1-3 by Hiroshi Takahashi
X, Omnibus 4 by CLAMP

Manhwa!
Aron’s Absurd Armada, Omnibus 1 by Misun Kim
The Devil’s Trill by Sooyeon Won

Comics!
The Book of Five Rings adapted by Sean Michael Wilson, illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada
The Infernal Devices, Volume 1: Clockwork Angel adapted by HyeKyung Baek

Novels!
Edge by Kōji Suzuki

 Nonfiction!
The Monkey King: 72 Transformations of the Mythical Hero edited by Vincent Zhao
Professor Risley and the Imperial Japanese Troupe by Frederik L. Schodt

Anime!
Berserk: The Golden Age, Arc I: The Egg of the King directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka
Black Lagoon directed by Sunao Katabuchi
Ninja Scroll directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Serial Experiments Lain directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura

Filed Under: Bookshelf Overload
30 November 2012 Leave a Comment

Library Love, Part 12

Support manga, support your library!

Here’s what I’ve been reading:

Black Blizzard by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. When a train is derailed by an avalanche, two criminals on board make their escape. Handcuffed together, they disappear into the mountains under the cover of a blizzard. Black Blizzard was my introduction to Tatsumi. It also happens to be Tatsumi’s first full length, non-serialized graphic novel. Written in the late 1950s, it is one of the earliest examples of gekiga. Black Blizzard is a great read, even if the ending’s twist seems a little too convenient. But even so, the story is quickly paced and engaging. The English-language edition of Black Blizzard from Drawn and Quarterly also includes an interview with Tatsumi which is a nice addition.

Here Is Greenwood, Volumes 1-2 by Yukie Nasu. Okay, I’m really enjoying this one. Here Is Greenwood isn’t an outstanding series, but for the right audience (to which I apparently belong) it’s solidly entertaining. It has a large cast of quirky and offbeat characters. The residents of the “Greenwood” dormitory frequently find themselves in some fairly ridiculous and unbelievable situations, generally of their own creation. The main protagonist is Kazuya Hasukawa, a perpetually stressed out student at the prestigious all-boys Ryokuto Academy who Mitsuru Ikeda, the head resident of the dormitory, delights in tormenting. Here Is Greenwood is really funny stuff if you enjoy the absurd, which I certainly do.

Nana, Volumes 1-4 by Ai Yazawa. The first volume of Nana serves as a sort of prologue to the main series and can stand completely on its own. It introduces the two main characters and their backstories: Nana Komatsu, a young woman trying to establish her independence after one too many heartbreaks, and Nana Osaki, a punk singer working towards her success as a musician. The two women become roommates by chance more than anything else, but their friendship becomes very important to them. The characterization in Nana is phenomenal. All of the characters are complex and their relationships are complicated and messy. Nana has a sense of humor, but it’s really the human drama that makes the series.

Peace Maker Kurogane, Volumes 1-3 by Nanae Chrono. I’ve enjoyed manga with a basis in history for quite some time. More recently, I’ve developed a particular interest in the Shinsengumi. So, I was looking forward to giving Peace Maker Kurogane a try. Unfortunately, these early volumes just aren’t working for me. I have a decent handle on what was happening during the time period in which the series takes place, but I had a hard time following the plot of the story or even caring about what was going on. Things start to come together and get to be more interesting with the third volume, but I’m not sure that’ll be enough for me to track down the rest of the volumes that are available in English.

Filed Under: Library Love Tagged: , , , , , , ,
28 November 2012 13 Comments

Manga Giveaway: Music Manga Giveaway (Beck)

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

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged: , ,
26 November 2012 9 Comments

My Week in Manga: November 19-November 25, 2012

My News and Reviews

I was traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday last week, but I managed to post a review before heading off to my folks’ house. More specifically, I took a closer look at Kotaro Isaka’s award-winning novel Remote Control, which was published under the title Golden Slumber in Japan. I had high hopes for the book, and it started out great, but ultimately I found it to be rather frustrating. Last week was also November’s Manga Moveable Feast—A Thankful Manga Feast, hosted by Matt Blind at Rocket Bomber. I ended up getting a little more personal than I usually do here at Experiments in Manga, but I was happy with my contribution—Random Musings: A Note of Thanks for Wandering Son. (To be completely honest, posting it was a little nerve-wracking for me, too.) I believe next month’s Feast will be focusing on Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata’s series Hikaru no Go (which I love) and other game manga. I’m looking forward to it.

Quick Takes

Beautiful People by Mitsukazu Mihara. I’m rather fond of The Embalmer, so I figured I should look into the other works by Mihara that are available in English. Beautiful People is a collection of six short manga: “Princess White Snow,” “World’s End,” “Electric Angel,” “The Lady Stalker,” “beautiful people,” and “Blue Sky.” While the stories are technically unrelated, they all share a sense of melancholy and poignancy with just a touch of darkness. Mihara also tends to incorporate intriguing little plot twists into most of the stories. The six manga in Beautiful People range from magical realism and fantasy, to science fiction and post-apocalyptic settings, to stories that are grounded more in reality. It’s a fairly solid collection.

Blue by Kiriko Nananan. I had previously read a couple of Nananan’s short works, “Heartless Bitch” and “Painful Love,” which were collected in Secret Comics Japan; both pieces, and particularly Nananan’s artwork, left an impression on me. Blue is currently her only full-length work available in English. It’s a fairly simple story of first love: Kayako Kirishima is fascinated by Masami Endō, the girl who sits in front of her, and the two of them eventually become more than just friends. They obviously care for each other, but their relationship is troubled by jealousy and their inability to be completely honest and open with each other. Nananan’s artwork is simple yet striking. Blue has a reflective, poetic, and almost lyrical quality to it.

A Place in the Sun by Lala Takemiya. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting from A Place in the Sun, an anthology of five short boys’ love manga (“Topping Boys,” “Dustbin Space,” “Afraid to Love,” “My Manga Sensei,” and the titular “A Place in the Sun”), but I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t previously familiar with any of Takemiya’s work, but I enjoyed this collection. There’s not much external action in A Place in the Sun; most of the drama consists of the characters’ inner turmoil. The stories are unrelated but all feature quirky characters (which I tend to favor) and generally bittersweet endings. I appreciated that the resolutions to the stories were more complex than a simple “happily ever after.”

Worst, Volumes 1-3 by Hiroshi Takahashi. It’s cruel that only three volumes of Worst were published in English; I doubt that any more of this thirty-volume and still ongoing series will be released in translation. Worst is a spinoff from Takahashi’s series Crows but stands completely on its own. I love Hana Tsukishima, Worst‘s protagonist. He’s seriously the nicest, most endearing guy that will ever beat the shit out of someone else. Worst is a quickly paced manga, moving from one story arc to the next without any hesitation. There is some humor, but the plot mostly focuses on the school and gang wars. The series is violent and the fights are actually pretty realistic. I liked Worst but there are a lot of characters and hierarchies to keep track of.

Filed Under: My Week in Manga Tagged: , , , , ,
23 November 2012 2 Comments

Random Musings: A Note of Thanks for Wandering Son

When the subject of November 2012’s Manga Moveable Feast was decided—manga for which we are thankful—at first I was at a loss as to what to write about. It was such an open-ended theme there were so many different directions in which I could take it. Seeing as Experiments in Manga is almost entirely devoted to manga and other Japanese literature, it probably already stands to reason that I am thankful for manga. (That in fact would be a very accurate assumption.)

However, it didn’t take me long to realize that there is one manga that I am truly and utterly thankful for with every bit of my being. I was pleasantly surprised and extremely excited when I learned that the series had been licensed in English by Fantagraphics. Every time a new volume is released I can’t help but express my gratitude to the publisher, and I do. Publicly. And repeatedly.

That manga is Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son.

I don’t generally share much about my personal life here at Experiments in Manga, but I have occasionally mentioned it here before: I’m queer. This marvelous, all-encompassing and somewhat ambiguous adjective applies not only to my gender, sexuality, and general personality, but to many other aspects of my existence as well.

Before leaving my hometown after graduating high school, I only knew one person who was openly gay. He was an underclassman and a friend of mine. How he was treated and how other friends I knew were treated when they came out after graduation certainly wasn’t conducive to me making a declaration of my own gender identity and sexuality. And I’ll admit, while I won’t deny that I’m queer, I’m still much more open about my queerness online than I am offline. I was well into my college career before I had the opportunity to even meet anyone who openly identified as trans*.

It wasn’t until reading Wandering Son that I have been able to so fully and completely identify with a fictional character in the same way that I do with Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki—the two young protagonists who are exploring their gender expression and identities. Shimura deftly approaches the material and her characters with incredible sensitivity and sincerity. With every new volume of Wandering Son that is released I am both thrilled and terrified because the manga hits so close to home for me. These kids are dealing with problems similar to the ones that I’m still working on to find the answers to for myself, and probably will be for quite some time.

I needed a story like Wandering Son growing up. I’ve only recently realized how crucial and important it is for young people to have characters that they can personally identify with in the media that they watch, read, and play. And you know what? It’s important for adults to be able to do the same thing, too, which is one of the reasons that I am so appreciative that Wandering Son exists. In part because I do so closely identify with Shuichi and Yoshino, I care about them immensely.

Wandering Son is about so much more than the “issues” surrounding sexuality and gender identity. It’s about these two wonderful kids growing up and discovering and establishing their own personal identities, even when those identities aren’t what society expects or demands from them. It’s about their families and friends who all have their own growing up to do. Ultimately Wandering Son isn’t so much about issues as it is about people. That, I think, is what makes it such an effective and emotionally compelling story.

I can only begin to express just how much Wandering Son means to me, but I can at least say this:

Thank you.

Thank you Fantagraphics for bringing Wandering Son to English-reading audiences.

And thank you Shimura-sensei for creating such a wonderful work.

I am eternally grateful.

This post is a part of A Thankful Manga Feast.

Filed Under: Random Musings Tagged: , , ,
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