7 September 2016 4 Comments

Manga Giveaway: Tokyo Ghoul Trio Winner

Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 1
Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 2
Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 3

And the winner of the Tokyo Ghoul Trio manga giveaway is… Briell Saunders!

As the winner, Briell will receive the first three volumes of Sui Ishida’s manga series Tokyo Ghoul as published in English by Viz Media. For this giveaway, I asked that participants tell me a little about their favorite half-human characters from manga. Kaneki Ken, the protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul, was mentioned a fair number of times, but he’s not the only well-liked half-human. Check out the giveaway comments for everyone’s details responses, and check out the list below for some of the manga that feature half-humans of various types.

Some of the manga licensed in English featuring half-humans:
Bleach by Tite Kubo
Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato
Ceres: Celestial Legend by Yuu Watase
Cirque du Freak by Takahiro Arai
Claymore by Norihiro Yagi
D.Gray-man by Katsura Hoshino
Dawn of the Arcana by Rei Toma
The Devil Is a Part-Timer by Akio Hiragi
Franken Fran by Katsuhisa Kigitsu
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi
Jiu Jiu by Touya Tobina
My Girlfriend Is a T-Rex by Sanzo
My Monster Secret by Eiji Masuda
Negima by Ken Akamatsu
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan by Hiroshi Shiibashi
Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki
Rin-ne by Rumiko Takahashi
Rust Blaster by Yana Toboso
That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! by Yoko Nogiri
Three Wolves Mountain by Bohra Naono
Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida
Übel Blatt by Etorouji Shiono
Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki by Mamoru Hosoda
YuYu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway and took the time to share your favorites with me. I hope to see you all again!

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5 September 2016 2 Comments

My Week in Manga: August 29-September 4, 2016

My News and Reviews

The end of August has come and gone, but there’s still time to enter Experiments in Manga’s most recent giveaway. This time around you all have the opportunity to enter for a chance to win the first three volumes of Sui Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul. (The winner will be announced on Wednesday.) Other than that, it was a fairly quiet week at Experiments in Manga. I was actually on vacation last week, too. I wasn’t online much, but I did catch that Viz Media will be releasing Hidenori Kusaka and Satoshi Yamamoto’s Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire manga as well as a Pokémon Pocket Comics box set.

Quick Takes

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Volume 5Kiss Him, Not Me!, Volumes 5-6 by Junko. The overall narrative of the last few volumes of Kiss Him, Not Me! has fallen into a noticeable pattern; the series focuses on Serinuma’s potential romantic interests one after another in turn, each of them becoming the subject of their very own mini story arc which briefly delves into their relationship with Serinuma and how they have changed (generally for the better) because of it. Much to my surprise, yet another character has been introduced who has developed feelings for Serinuma, though just how serious he is is somewhat ambiguous. Granted, it’s mostly because of him that everyone ends up confessing their own feelings to Serinuma. As for Serinuma herself, she still seems to be completely uninterested in romance, though she is enjoying having a larger group of friends. Kiss Him, Not Me! continues to be an over-the-top romantic comedy that doesn’t take itself at all seriously. Even when the basic story elements start to feel a little repetitive (such as when Serinuma goes on a date with each of her admirers) the series is unpredictable and varied enough that it remains both entertaining and engaging. The characters aren’t especially deep, and there’s plenty about the series that’s unbelievable, but Kiss Him, Not Me! is silly fun.

Tramps Like Us, Volume 10Tramps Like Us, Volumes 10-14 by Yayoi Ogawa. I am so glad that I made a point to collect Tramps Like Us when I did; the series is now very much out of print and unlikely to be rescued. (Although, considering the recent expansion in Kodansha’s digital offerings, there might yet be some hope there.)  I’m really not sure why it took me so long to actually get around to reading Tramps Like Us, because I ended up loving the manga and its characters. The basic premise is somewhat strange and the series frequently takes off on flights of fantasy, but somehow the emotions and relationship dynamics still manage to be incredibly real and relatable. The final volume of the series did feel a little rushed to me, and everything might have been tied up a little too nicely, but I still found the slightly bittersweet but predominantly happy ending to be very satisfying. Some of the developments weren’t really that surprising; it was only a matter of time before Sumire and Momo/Takeshi had to face what their relationship had become and actually do something about it. Although she has to give some things up, Sumire is able to find a balance between her career, home life, and love life that makes her happy. And I have to admit, although it might ultimately be a little idealistic, the ending made me happy, too.

Your Lie in April, Volume 8Your Lie in April, Volume 8-9 by Naoshi Arakawa. As a musician, I’m naturally drawn to manga in which music is featured in some way. And so, because music plays a very prominent role in Your Lie in April, the series immediately caught my attention. Arakawa captures the deep emotional connection a person can have with music remarkably well in Your Lie in April. My own relationship with music is a complicated one, so I’m glad to see that sort of complexity reflected in the manga as well. Generally, however, the series does tend more towards the angst associated with performance rather than the joy of music. Many of the characters are pouring their whole selves into their art; being a musician can be both a thrilling and terrifying experience. Effectively expressing oneself through music is a tremendous accomplishment, but frequently this is accompanied by fear and worry that one will never be good enough. Still, there are wonderful moments in Your Lie in April in which the characters are able to break through their insecurities. While music is an important part of Your Lie in April, probably even more important are the relationships between the characters, even if Kosei still seems oblivious to the fact that he means so much to so many different people.

Filed Under: Features, My Week in Manga Tagged: , , , , , ,
31 August 2016 25 Comments

Manga Giveaway: Tokyo Ghoul Trio

Not only is it the last Wednesday of August, it’s the last day in August which means it’s yet again time for Experiments in Manga’s monthly giveaway! This month you’ll all have the opportunity to win not one, not two, but three volumes of Sui Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul as published in English by Viz Media. The giveaway is open worldwide, too!

Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 1Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 2Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 3

Tokyo Ghoul has been doing very well for Viz Media. The first volume has currently been on the New York Times’ Best Sellers list for fifty-nine weeks strait. The eighth and most recent volume is currently at the top of that list, and other volumes are frequently found on it, too. While I haven’t followed the series closely beyond the first few volumes, there are still quite a few things I like about the manga. In addition to the series’ dark and gritty aesthetic, I particularly appreciate that the protagonist must come to terms with who he is, struggling to find his new identity after a near-death experience leaves him part-ghoul and part-human. In general I find explorations of personal identity to be engaging and Tokyo Ghoul‘s supernatural variation on the theme to be interesting.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win the first three volumes of Tokyo Ghoul?

1) In the comments below, tell me a little about your favorite half-human from manga. (If you haven’t encountered any half-humans, simply mention that.)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

Not too difficult, is it? Participants in the giveaway can earn up to two entries and have one week to submit comments. If you have trouble with comment form or if you prefer, comments can be sent directly to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com. The comments will then be posted here in your name. The winner of the giveaway will be randomly selected and announced on September 7, 2016. Best of luck to you all!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a 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: Tokyo Ghoul Trio Winner

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29 August 2016 Leave a Comment
26 August 2016 1 Comment

Tokyo Demons: Know What You Want

Tokyo Demons: Know What You WantAuthor: Lianne Sentar
Illustrator: Rem, Romy-chan, Tacto
Publisher: Chromatic Press
ISBN: 9780993861185
Released: February 2016

Ever since reading You’re Never Alone, the first novel in Lianne Sentar’s Tokyo Demons, I have been nearly consumed by everything even tangentially related to the trilogy. I find Tokyo Demons to be remarkably engaging and as the series has progressed I have become increasingly invested in both the story and its characters. Tokyo Demons has a small but very loyal fanbase, so perhaps it isn’t too surprising that it became one of the flagship titles not only for Chromatic Press and the Sparkler Monthly magazine but also for Cherry Bomb, an imprint that provides an opportunity for Sparkler Monthly creators to explore more mature, sexually-charged stories and themes. Know What You Want, released in 2016, is the first Cherry Bomb collection to be compiled. It brings together four Tokyo Demons Cherry Bomb stories–”Building Up,” “Coming Down,” “Never Again,” and “Save Me/Don’t Save Me”–originally published online between 2014 and 2015. The volume also includes illustrations by Rem and Romy-chan and collects “Once,” a related short story previously released in You’re Never Alone, and “Unsaid,” a comic illustrated by Tacto which was created specifically for Know What You Want.

Some of the stories collected in Know What You Want take place before the beginning of Tokyo Demons, effectively serving as prequels, while others actually take place during the events of the main series. Rather than being organized chronologically, the stories are arranged by character beginning with Ayase and Jo who are the two primary point-of-view protagonists of Tokyo Demons. “Building Up” shows Ayase consciously and subconsciously struggling to come to terms with her complicated and conflicted feelings for Kiyoshi while “Coming Down” delves into some of the more unfortunate parts of Jo’s past. The following three pieces–”Once,” “Never Again,” and “Save Me/Don’t Save Me”–form a triptych which turns to Sachi, a somewhat unexpected Tokyo Demons fan favorite, and more specifically to the shifting dynamics of his relationship with Kadoyuki. (Appropriately enough, Sachi is also the character featured on the collection’s front cover.) Know What You Want closes with “Unsaid” which examines Miki, another member of the series’ extended cast, and the painful ramifications of his devotion to Mitsuko.

"Coming Down"Know What You Want epitomizes what Cherry Bomb is all about. The content is mature but it has purpose and meaning behind it. While there is sex, the real focus is on the characters and their relationships with themselves and with one another. The stories collected in Know What You Want provide additional background details and greater insight into the characters and story of Tokyo Demons. The situations portrayed are alluded to within the novels, but reading Know What You Want isn’t at all necessary to understand the main series. Readers who aren’t interested in erotica can still enjoy Tokyo Demons without needing to delve into Know What You Want, but those who are will discover that the collection expands and deepens the already impressive characterization and worldbuilding present in the trilogy. To varying degrees, all of the stories in Know What You Want can stand on their own satisfactorily, but the collection is really intended for people who have read and who are familiar with Tokyo Demons–the stories lose some of their impact and underlying meaning if removed from the context of the series as a whole.

The Tokyo Demons Cherry Bomb stories have been affectionately termed miserotica by both their creators and fans and rightfully so. Know What You Want is an intentionally uncomfortable, heartwrenching, and heartbreaking collection. Many of the characters in Tokyo Demons are teenagers who come from broken or nearly nonexistent families and homes. They are young, awkward, and apt to make terrible but well-meaning decisions in their social and emotional immaturity. While they are strong in some ways they are fragile in others, understandably desperate for and terrified of intimacy and human connection. The characters of Tokyo Demons are all incredibly well-developed and relatable, but it’s Sachi with his heightened empathy who tends to be the character with whom I most personally resonate. Partly because of this, the fraught relationship between Sachi and Kadoyuki is one of my favorites in the series, so I’m happy to see it receive so much attention in Know What You Want. “Save Me/Don’t Save Me” is a particularly powerful and moving piece (I have honestly cried every time that I’ve read it), but the entire collection is a provocative exploration of the complexities of love, longing, and acceptance.

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