13 January 2016 1 Comment

Vinland Saga, Omnibus 7

Vinland Saga, Omnibus 7Creator: Makoto Yukimura
U.S. publisher: Kodansha
ISBN: 9781612628035
Released: September 2015
Original release: 2013-2014
Awards: Japan Media Arts Award, Kodansha Manga Award

I honestly believe Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga to be one of the best manga series currently being released in English. An epic tale of revenge, idealism, and the tremendous cost of violence, Vinland Saga is an incredibly engaging work with impressively compelling characters. In addition to being a personal favorite of mine, over the course of its publication the series has also won a Japan Media Arts Award and a Kodansha Manga Award among other honors. Kodansha Comics has been releasing Vinland Saga in English as a series of hardcover omnibuses. The seventh omnibus, released in late 2015, collects the thirteenth and fourteenth volumes of the manga originally published in Japan in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The seventh omnibus of Vinland Saga also includes two exclusives: the continuation of “Ask Yukimura,” where Yukimura responds to questions about the series, and a four-panel tribute comic by Faith Erin Hicks, another creator whose work I greatly admire.

After years of hard labor, Thorfinn’s freedom was near at hand until he and his fellow slave Einar became involved in an escape attempt. They helped Arnheid, Ketil’s favorite slave and mistress, aid her enslaved husband as he tried to run away from another farm. The attempt failed, resulting in multiple deaths. Now the three of them—Thorfinn, Einar, and Arnheid—must face the terrible consequences of their actions. Meanwhile, Ketil and his sons are returning from Jelling with King Canute and his finest warriors following close behind. In addition to dealing with his slaves, Ketil must also prepare for Canute’s inevitable attack before the farm falls into chaos. Canute plans on taking Ketil’s farm and wealth for his own in order to expand his kingdom, determined to create a paradise on earth for all who suffer from war and violence. Although he would prefer a peaceful resolution, Canute is more than prepared to stake his claim through questionable political maneuvering and force.

Vinland Saga, Omnibus 7, page 92Like so many of the other omnibuses of Vinland Saga, the seventh is brutal and at times even gruesome. The artistic detail and research that Yukimura has applied to the portrayal of the day-to-day lives of eleventh-century nobility, warriors, merchants, and slaves has also been applied to the battles and wars they wage. Men and women are beaten to the brink or point of death; limbs are severed; skulls are crushed; eyes are gouged out—Vinland Saga is an intense and violent series. But that violence isn’t idealized or glorified by Yukimura. Even while an individual’s martial skill and battle prowess are respected and admired, violence is shown to be the truly terrible and destructive force that it is, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Some of the most important themes in Vinland Saga revolve around violence, how it impacts people and society, and whether it can be avoided or whether humanity is trapped in a never-ending cycle of bloodshed.

In addition to the plot of Vinland Saga as a whole, violence and its effects are also crucial to the development of the individual characters. Many of them are trying to break free from the violence that pervades their lives, facing moral quandaries over how to enact their ideals. The characters of Vinland Saga aren’t safely philosophizing over what is ethical, they are literally risking their lives for what they believe in. But even when their ultimate goals are the same, they approach them differently. Canute is now in a position of power as king and will use any method necessary to ultimately achieve his earthly paradise. Thorfinn, on the other hand, is reluctant to use violent force in order to gain peace. And there are plenty of other characters in the series who fall somewhere between these two perspectives. Seeing the realistic interplay among all of these different worldviews in the series has been immensely engrossing. Vinland Saga is well-worth reading even in part, but I sincerely hope to see the rest of the series translated as well.

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11 January 2016 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: January 4-January 10, 2016

My News and Reviews

The new year is now well on its way, and I finally feel like I’m getting back into my writing groove; my regular posting schedule has mostly returned, though there might be a slight interruption in February. Anyway. In addition to the regular My Week in Manga feature, there were two other posts at Experiments in Manga last week. The first was the announcement of the Merman in My Tub Giveaway Winner which also includes a compiled list of some of the giveaway participants’ favorite manga that were released in 2015. The second post last week also happened to be the second in-depth manga review for the year—JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 1: Phantom Blood, Volume 3 by Hirohiko Araki. It’s such a ridiculous, over-the-top series, but I’m sincerely enjoying it.

As for some of the interesting things I’ve discovered online recently: The news was previously leaked, but Dark Horse has now officially announced its two new manga licenses, Kenji Tsuruta’s Wandering Island and CLAMP’s RG Veda. I thought I had mentioned it a few weeks ago when it first launched (apparently I forgot), but Digital Manga’s boys’ love imprint Juné has a new Kickstarter project to publish four titles by Sakira in print. At least three of the four manga were Digital Manga Guild publications that were previously only available digitally. The project has already succeeded, but Digital Manga’s plan is to put a fair amount of the money pledged into restocking/reprinting some of its older, hard-to-find boys’ love titles. Finally, over at MangaBlog, Kate Dacey, Brigid Alverson, and Deb Aoki talk about some of their most anticipated manga of 2016, many of which happen to be some of my most anticipated releases as well.

Quick Takes

Itazura na Kiss, Volume 4Itazura na Kiss, Volumes 4-6 by Kaoru Tada. For the most part, I’m continuing to enjoy Itazura na Kiss. At this point in the series, Naoki and Kotoko are in college, each trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Kotoko’s infatuation with Naoki is the most important impetus for her to do just about anything, whether it be joining the tennis club, becoming a waitress, or trying her hand at office work. Normally, this would probably annoy me, but I appreciate her gusto, individuality, and willingness to follow through with what she’s started. Even though Kotoko is so incredibly focused on Naoki, her world actually doesn’t completely revolve around him and she’s not defined by him either, which I think is what makes her character work for me. Were it otherwise, I don’t think that I would enjoy the series nearly as much. Naoki continues to be aloof and more often than not a jerk. One particular instance in which Kotoko is unnecessarily treated very poorly could have been avoided entirely if he would have just had the courtesy to tell her what was going on, and there was no good reason for him not to. Thankfully, this sort of behavior isn’t romanticized or idealized in the manga.

Love in All Forms: The Big Book of Growing Up QueerLove in All Forms: The Big Book of Growing Up Queer edited by Serafina Dwyer. I follow the work of Kori Michele Handwerker who contributed to Love in All Forms which is how I first learned about the collection. I was also thrilled to discover that Jennifer Doyle, another artist whose work I enjoy, was also a contributor. The anthology collects fourteen comics by queer creators about queer children. Most of the creators were actually new to me, so I’ve definitely found some new artists to follow. As for the comics themselves, some of the stories are based in reality, while others are fantasy or science fiction, but they all deal with love and personal identity in one way or another. Many of the characters skew towards the feminine side of the gender non-conforming spectrum, but there’s a nice range of representation in the anthology with an emphasis on acceptance. Generally the stories tend to be fairly optimistic, which is marvelously refreshing. The name of the anthology might be a little misleading, or at least overly broad or ambitious, but it’s a lovely collection of beautifully heartfelt and touching queer comics.

Yowamushi Pedal, Omnibus 1Yowamushi Pedal, Omnibus 1 (equivalent to Volumes 1-2) by Wataru Watanabe. I’ve watched and enjoyed part of the Yowamushi Pedal anime adaptation, so I wasn’t especially surprised by any of the developments found in the original manga. Even so, the first omnibus was great fun and I enjoyed it a great deal. Onoda is a fan of anime and manga whose surprising natural talents and regular trips by bicycle to Akihabara using less than ideal equipment have granted him some impressive cycling skills. He doesn’t even recognize his own abilities, though, not at all identifying with the more athletically inclined students at his school. But after several curious turns of events, he finds himself joining the bicycle road racing club. Watanabe isn’t very subtle when working information about cycling and bicycles into the story, which can be a little jarring, but the manga is still entertaining and I really like the characters. I’m glad that Yen Press is taking a chance on a long-running sports manga (the series is already over forty volumes in Japan and is still ongoing) and I sincerely hope that Yowamushi Pedal is a success.

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8 January 2016 Leave a Comment

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 1: Phantom Blood, Volume 3

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Part 1: Phantom Blood, Volume 3Creator: Hirohiko Araki
U.S. publisher: Viz Media
ISBN: 9781421578804
Released: August 2015
Original release: 1988

Although I had been previously aware of the manga series for some time, my real introduction to Hirohiko Araki’s multi-generational shounen epic JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was in 2012 through the standalone spinoff Rohan at the Louvre. I then proceeded to read the third story arc Stardust Crusaders, at the time the only other part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to have been released English. It wasn’t until 2015 that Phantom Blood, the very beginning of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was translated, published in a beautiful hardcover edition under Viz Media’s Shonen Jump imprint. When Phantom Blood was originally collected in Japan it was released in five volumes between 1987 and 1988. However, in 2002 it was re-released in three volumes which is what Viz Media’s edition is based on. Phantom Blood, Volume 3, published in English in 2015, is largely equivalent to the fourth and fifth volumes of the original Japanese release.

Having arrived in Wind Knights Lot in pursuit of his adoptive brother Dio, Jonathan Joestar must first successfully defeat two of Dio’s strongest undead minions and then traverse a town with a population that is steadily being turned into a hoard of zombies before he even has the chance to confront his brother. The Dark Knight Blueford, who is filled with hatred for the world and loyalty to Dio, is determined to take JoJo’s life. The other knight, Tarukus, is also exceptionally skilled when it comes to dealing out death and takes great delight in it. Should JoJo and his allies manage to survive their encounter with these two undead foe, they face an even more formidable adversary in Dio. Having used an ancient stone mask to turn himself into a vampire, Dio has gained untold strength and powers. Fortunately, JoJo is a quick and talented study—under the tutelage of Baron Zeppeli he has been able to begin to master Hamon energy, the only thing other than the sun itself that can harm to Dio.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Part 1: Phantom Blood, Volume 3, page 147JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure truly is a bizarre series; Phantom Blood makes this very clear from the very start. From the characters’ weird anatomy and disproportionate musculature to the story’s strange mix of melodrama, horror, and fantastic martial arts, Phantom Blood doesn’t just strain readers’ suspension of disbelief, the manga completely shatters it. Entire backstories are revealed in the time it takes for characters to tumble down cliff sides; combatants continue to live on after suffering injures that even the undead couldn’t survive; fights quickly escalate to unbelievable extremes, opponents continuously outdoing and outmaneuvering one another. Although the “why” of what’s going on is sometimes questionable, even considering Araki’s pseudo-scientific explanations, most everything is blatantly narrated by the participants and observers, so it’s fairly easy to at least follow the “what” of all of the strangeness. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is admittedly ridiculous and absurd, but that’s part of what makes the series so entertaining.

Phantom Blood is a relatively short series, especially when compared to the later story arcs of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. While Phantom Blood is a complete story in its own right, if often feels even more like a prologue to the rest of the series, laying the groundwork for all of the weirdness and machismo to come. Phantom Blood introduces the noble Joestar family—Jonathan in particular being especially gallant and large-hearted, even towards his enemies—but even more important is the introduction of Dio, an extraordinary villain. As Araki points out in the volume’s author notes, what make Dio so terrifying isn’t his impressive powers or brute strength, it’s his stunning ability to control others. Dio is arrogant but extremely charismatic, gaining many willing followers and easily manipulating those who aren’t. Phantom Blood is frequently gruesome and grotesque, with over-the-top violence, outrageous story developments, and audacious, larger-than-life characters. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a peculiar work, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next arc, Battle Tendency.

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6 January 2016 1 Comment

Manga Giveaway: Merman in My Tub Giveaway Winner

Merman in My Tub, Volume 1And the winner of the Merman in My Tub giveaway is… Haley!

As the winner, Haley will be receiving Itokichi’s Merman in My Tub, Volume 1 as released in English by Seven Seas. Over the last few years, Seven Seas has impressed me with its ever-expanding catalog. In fact, the publisher as a whole was my pick of the year, and I counted some of Seven Sea’s more atypical licenses among my favorites of 2015. For this giveaway, I asked that participants tell me a little about their own favorite manga from 2015. Be sure to check out the giveaway comments for all of the details!

Some favorite manga released in English in 2015:
The Ancient Magus’ Bride by Kore Yamazaki
Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui
Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama
Attack on Titan: Before the Fall written by Ryo Suzukaze, illustrated by Satoshi Shiki
Case Closed by Gosho Aoyama
The Demon Prince of Momochi House by Aya Shouoto
Emma by Kaoru Mori
Even so, I Will Love You Tenderly by Kou Yoneda
Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito
Haven’t you heard? I’m Sakamoto by Nami Sano
Henshin by Ken Niimura
The Heroic Legend of Arslan by Hiromu Arakawa
Idol Dreams by Arina Tanemura
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu by Junji Ito
Livingstone written by Tomohiro Maekawa, illustrated by Jinsei Kataoka
Love Stage!! by Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou
Master Keaton by Hokusei Katsushika, Takashi Nagasaki, illustrated by Naoki Urasawa
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Noragami by Adachitoka
Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi written by by HaccaWorks*, illustrated by Nanao
Requiem of the Rose King by Aya Kanno
Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign written by Takaya Kagami, illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto
A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Oima
So Cute It Hurts!! by Go Ikeyamada
Your Lie in April by Naoshi Arakawa
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches by Miki Yoshikawa
Yowamushi Pedal by Wataru Watanabe
Yukarism by Chika Shiomi

Thank you to everyone who shared your manga favorites from 2015 with me! There are a few manga on the list above that I actually haven’t read yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to giving them a try. Here’s to a great 2016!

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4 January 2016 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: December 28, 2015-January 3, 2016

My News and Reviews

Happy New Year, everyone! 2015 may now be over, but there is still time to enter Experiments in Manga’s last giveaway of the year for a chance to win Merman in My Tub, Volume 1 by Itokichi; simply tell me a little about your favorite manga released in 2015. As for the first in-depth manga review of the year, that particular honor goes to Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki’s Oishinbo, A la Carte: The Joy of Rice, which examines the heart and soul of rice in Japanese culture and cuisine. Finally, over the weekend, I posted December’s Bookshelf Overload, the first of what I expect to be many fairly lean months when it comes to book purchases.

Since I’ve been on holiday for the last week or so, I haven’t actually been online much, so I’m certain that I’ve missed out on all sorts of manga news, announcements, and articles. (Please do let me know of any that were particularly exciting!) However, I did come across a few things that made for interesting reading last week. For example, Jonathan Hammill, Tokyo Symphony’s Principal Horn player, wrote about performing and recording music for anime. (I’m a horn player myself, so I found this doubly interesting.) The Shojo Beat tumblr posted the first part of an interview with Arina Tanemura, with the second part to come. And Organization Anti-Social Geniuses has the 2016 update of it’s incredibly useful guide to reading digital manga legally.

Quick Takes

Nephilim, Volume 1Nephilim, Volumes 1-2 by Anna Hanamaki. It was the basic conceit of Nephilim that first brought the series to my attention. The Nephilim are a race of people who change sex and gender, revealing their true selves at night before transforming again in the morning. Should a human see a Nephilim’s true form, the Nephilim must either kill that human or else die of a curse themselves. (That last bit is apparently too inconvenient from a storytelling standpoint and is soon dropped, however.) When Abel is seen by Guy she is determined to take his life, but that was before she fell in love with him. Now she has a terrible choice to make since a romance between a human and a Nephilim would seem to be doomed from the very start. As far as I can tell, Nephilim was canceled after two volumes; I can’t say that I’m particularly surprised. Despite a vaguely promising start and intriguing worldbuilding, unfortunately the series ends up being a confusing, nonsensical mess with hardly a likeable character in it, somehow managing to become more and more cliche as unfolds even while incorporating unique elements. The artwork could be pretty at times, though.

One-Punch Man, Volume 1One-Punch Man, Volumes 1-3 written by One and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. For over a year, most of One-Punch man was only available in English digitally; it was only recently that it was finally released in print. I had been holding out, so I was glad when I could finally hold the series in my hand. I have been hearing great things about One-Punch Man since it first began and I was sincerely afraid that I would be disappointed when I read it. I was very happy to discover that the series lives up to its reputation. Both the writing and the artwork are excellent. The premise of One-Punch Man is that Saitama, at one point a miserable salaryman, has taken his hero training so far that he can now defeat any enemy with a single punch, once again leaving him bored and frustrated with life. He’s actually more worried about missing bargain days at the supermarket than he is about dying in battle. One-Punch Man is legitimately funny and the fight and action sequences are great. I’m actually rather impressed by how many different scenarios One has come up with for what could have been a very limited, one-shot joke.

Tale of the Waning Moon, Volume 2Tale of the Waning Moon, Volumes 2-4 by Hyouta Fujiyama. The first volume of Tale of the Waning Moon amused and entertained me, so I figured that I should read the rest of the short boys’ love series. The manga continues to be utterly ridiculous, although by the end it has become surprisingly weighty. In the beginning, the plot progression of Tale of the Waning Moon is highly influenced by role-playing games, complete with random old men giving clues as to what needs to be done next (I love this) and multiple side quests that must be completed before the main goal can be achieved. The goal in this case being uniting Ryuka with Ixto, one of the spirits of the Moon. The RPG elements become less prominent as the series develops although the fantasy setting remains. I generally preferred the goofier side of Tale of the Waning Moon; some of the more serious developments actually felt a little out-of-place and less convincing than the series’ comedy and silliness. But I did enjoy the manga overall. Though it had a dubious start, Ryuka and Ixto’s relationship is sincere in the end. I did, however, find that I was often more invested in the supporting cast and couples.

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