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15 July 2013 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: July 8-July 14, 2013

My News and Reviews

Last week I posted two reviews. The first was for The Vast Spread of the Seas, the third novel in Fuyumi Ono’s fantasy series The Twelve Kingdoms. I’ve really been enjoying reading The Twelve Kingdoms and this volume was no exception. I also reviewed Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat, Volume 1. Originally published by Tokyopop, the recently established Chromatic Press has rescued the series and I couldn’t be happier. The new Chromatic editions also include some additional bonus content as well.

Elsewhere online: Xavier Guilbert has published his interview with Taiyo Matsumoto from the 2013 Toronto Comic Arts Festival. The most recent episode of the Comic Books Are Burning In Hell podcast focuses on Suehiro Maruo. Kodansha Comics is offering two digital samplers containing the complete first chapters of many of its series. The Real sampler collects chapters from Kodansha’s “real-life” manga: Arisa, Bloody Monday, Danza, Genshiken, Genshiken: Second Season, I Am Here, Kitchen Princess, Missions of Love, and Vinland Saga. The Unreal sampler includes chapters from Kodansha’s fantasy, science fiction, and supernatural series: @ Full Moon, Attack on Titan, Cage of Eden, Fairy Tail, Mardock Scramble, Ninja Girls, No. 6, Sankarea: Undying Love, and Until the Full Moon.

Finally, this week is the Yun Kouga Manga Moveable Feast! Melinda Beasi of Manga Bookshelf is hosting this round and has already posted a marvelous introduction. For my contribution to the Feast I’ll be reviewing the first Loveless omnibus later this week. Loveless was originally published in English by Tokyopop, but Viz Media rescued the license last year (which made me very happy.) Although I enjoy Loveless, I haven’t actually read any of Kouga’s other manga. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say about her work.

Quick Takes

Dog X Cat, Volume 1Dog X Cat, Volumes 1-3 by Yoshimi Amasaki. Junya and Atsu have been friends since they were young. They’re in college now and their friendship becomes a little more complicated when Junya lets it slip that he’s actually in love with Atsu. Dog X Cat might not have the most original plot—I’ve seen the friends becoming lovers storyline many a time—but the two young men have a charming relationship with each other and a lot of sex. (Dog X Cat is part of Digital Manga’s more explicit 801 imprint, after all.) Some chapters are told from Junya’s perspective while others are from Atsu’s. It’s nice to see both sides of their story. Dog X Cat is an ongoing series; the fourth volume is scheduled to be released in English in 2014.

Mardock Scramble, Volume 5Mardock Scramble, Volumes 5-7 by Yoshitoki Oima. I’ve read Tow Ubukata’s original Mardock Scramble, but somehow managed to forget how pivotal child and sexual abuse was to the plot. The manga handles it fairly well and hasn’t turned it into something titillating. One thing that I didn’t forget from the novels was the lengthy casino scene. In particular, nearly two hundred pages worth of Blackjack which sorely tried my patience. Although some of the finer details and plot complications are glossed over in Oima’s adaptation, I much preferred reading the two volumes of manga covering the same material. This left one volume for Oima to bring everything to a quickly paced, action-packed close. For the most part, Oima’s interpretation of Mardock Scramble largely succeeds.

No. 5, Volume 1No. 5, Volumes 1-2 by Taiyo Matsumoto. Only two volumes of No. 5 were ever released in English in print. However, the entire series is now available digitally (on a platform I can’t use). I’ve come to love Matsumoto’s work in general and I particularly enjoy No. 5. The story follows Number Five, a member of the Rainbow Council of the International Peackeeping Forces, a small group of people with superhuman abilities. He’s fallen in love and gone rogue and now his teammates must hunt him down. While Number One and the rest of the Rainbow Council try to maintain control of the situation, there are others who are making the argument that the group is obviously dangerous and should no longer exist.

Black Lagoon, Episodes 13-24 directed by Sunao Katabuchi. Although I still enjoyed the second half of Black Lagoon anime, for some reason that I can’t identify I didn’t like it quite as much as the first. The anime follows the manga fairly closely, but takes a few of its own liberties while keeping the same tone as the original. I do think that I still prefer the manga slightly more than the anime, but the anime is entertaining as well. Additionally, the action is a little clearer and easier to follow in the anime. And I continue to be impressed by the sound design. The Black Lagoon anime tends to be violent and bloody and even the protagonists aren’t really “good guys.” They can be just as vicious as the other people they come up against.

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17 December 2012 4 Comments

My Week in Manga: December 10-December 16, 2012

My News and Reviews

The end of the month and the end of the year seem to be approaching very quickly. But even with the chaos which accompanies that, I posted two in-depth reviews last week. First up was my review for The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind by Fuyumi Ono. I’m really enjoying the series; I’ll definitely be reading (and reviewing) the rest of the novels that were translated into English before Tokyopop’s implosion. I also reviewed Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal, Volume 16: Shortcut. My Blade of the Immortal review project is steadily progressing. At the rate the series is being published in English, I should be caught up in less than a year. Next week, beginning on December 26, is this month’s Manga Moveable Feast. This Feast will be focusing on Hikaru no Go and other game manga. I have a couple of things in mind that I’m working on, including a review of the first volume of Hikaru no Go. Elsewhere online, Comics Alliance has a fabulous introduction to the work of Shotaro Ishinomori—Shotaro Ishinomori Is A Big Deal: An Action-Packed Primer For New Readers.

Quick Takes

Blood Sucker: Legend of Zipangu, Volumes 5-7 written by Saki Okuse and illustrated by Aki Shimizu. I enjoyed the first four volumes of Blood Sucker and so was looking forward to reading more. The long, multi-volume flashback finally comes to an end with volume five. I’ll admit, I found the earlier volumes more compelling. It seems like important plot points and developments were either forgotten or lost along the way. But I still like Blood Sucker. It’s quickly paced and packed with gory action. The artwork is good, too, but occasionally difficult to follow during fights. Only seven of the twelve volumes of Blood Sucker were published in English, but it’s still probably worth tracking down for fans of vampires or action-horror.

Fist of the Blue Sky, Volumes 1-4 written by Nobuhiko Horie and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. Fist of the Blue Sky is a prequel to Fist of the North Star. The protagonist, Kenshiro Kasumi, is the uncle and namesake of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star. The two series are vaguely similar in tone with over-the-top scenarios, gang warfare, and fantastical martial arts, except that Fist of the Blue Sky largely takes place in Shanghai in the 1930s instead of in a post-apocalyptic world. Kenshiro has a sort of Indian Jones vibe going on at the beginning, but that seems to be quickly left behind as the series progresses. Fist of the Blue Sky ended in Japan with twenty-two volumes, four of which were released in English before Raijin folded.

Please Save My Earth, Volumes 1-7 by Saki Hiwatari. So far, I’m loving Please Save My Earth, the shoujo science fiction epic. Seven students in Japan discover that they are the reincarnations of seven alien researchers who died on the moon. This might seem like a silly premise for a story, but the manga is actually very engrossing. At first the students are fascinated and excited about their shared history, but slowly the guilt, memories, and emotions from their past lives begin to intrude upon their current lives, causing all sorts of difficulties for them. Sometime, the results are tragic. The artwork is a little rough at first, but steadily improves. I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Seven Days: Friday-Sunday written by Venio Tachibana and illustrated by Rihito Takarai. Seven Days is an absolutely beautiful story; I enjoyed it immensely. Because I loved the manga so much, a part of me wishes that there was more—it’s only two volumes long—but another part of me is completely satisfied. Seven Days is a fairly quiet and somewhat melancholy manga. In the first volume, Shino asked Seryou out almost accidentally. It was a joke and he certainly didn’t expect him to say yes. They’re only guaranteed to date for one week, and now that that one week is drawing to a close, both of them are conflicted. They’ve gotten to know each other better and neither one of them wants their relationship to end, but it can’t continue on like it has been, either.

Black Lagoon, Episodes 1-12 directed by Sunao Katabuchi. I was late to the Black Lagoon anime party and so missed out on the series’ initial release, which is why I’m so glad that both seasons are now available on DVD again. At this point, I think that I still slightly prefer the manga, but the anime adaptation is great. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the animation and sound design. Black Lagoon is a lot of fun, with violent and foul-mouthed protagonists, plenty of explosions and gun battles, and a dark sense of humor. I don’t find it to be particularly compelling as a story, but it is highly entertaining. I’m really enjoying watching the series.

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19 September 2011 2 Comments

My Week in Manga: September 12-September 18, 2011

My News and Reviews

I’m pretty happy with my posts from last week. The first was the first in-depth manga review for September, Hitoshi Iwaaki’s Parasyte, Volume 1. I really like Parasyte and highly recommend it; I find it to be an engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking manga. You can find my quick take for the entire series from last year here. My second post last week was also manga related—Finding Manga: Akadot Retail. It’s part of a recurring feature here at Experiments in Manga where I focus and give suggestions on places to find and buy manga. If you don’t want to take the time to read the entire thing, just jump down to the bottom of the post and you’ll find some quick tips. Anyway, that’s it for now! I promise next week to start pointing out some interesting online reading again. I’ve gotten out of the habit of doing that.

Quick Takes

Black Lagoon, Volumes 6-9 by Rei Hiroe. With the publication of the ninth volume, the English edition has caught up with the Japanese releases. These four volumes include the longest story arc in Black Lagoon to date, “El Baile de la muerte,” which lasts for nearly three and a half volumes. I really enjoyed the first five books of Black Lagoon, but I found that this story arc tried my patience. The characters can never just come out and say what they’re trying to say, hiding everything in metaphors. I still like the manga, though. My favorite characters are the crew of the Black Lagoon. While they play an important role in this arc, they really aren’t seen that much which rather disappointed me. I want more Rock!

Bloody Monday, Volume 1 written by Ryou Ryumon and illustrated by Kouji Megumi. I really wanted to like Bloody Monday, but the first volume just didn’t work for me. It might be because I’m familiar with some of the capabilities of modern technology, but the bad guys come across as kind of stupid when they’re taken by surprise by what Takagi can do. (They’re like, “It cannot be!” while I’m like, “Well, duh.”) And they’re supposed to be the masterminds behind some nefarious plot. Even that plan isn’t clear yet, although it probably has to do with causing the deaths of a lot of people. But why, and who is involved, has still yet to be revealed. The creators also work in some inexplicable panty and cleavage shots without even really trying to make the fanservice a legitimate part of the story.

A Bride’s Story, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori. The first thing I noticed about A Bride’s Story was its art. Each panel is stunning in the amount of detail that Mori puts into it. And unlike some artists I’ve seen, the detail feels natural and isn’t overwhelming. It’s simply the way it should be. Mori’s ability to tell a story with art alone is also impressive; many scenes have little or no dialogue at all. I am enjoying getting to know the Eihon family along with Amir, who has just married into the group. She’s considered an old bride at the age of twenty. With gorgeous artwork and gorgeous storytelling, I’m really looking forward to reading more of A Bride’s Story. Additionally, Yen Press’ hardcover releases are beautiful.

Cruel to Be Kind by Guilt | Pleasure. Guilt | Pleasure is Jo Chen’s boys’ love circle. Cruel to Be Kind is a companion volume to the web-novel of the same name (which can be read here). This yaoi dōjinshi collects the illustrations for the web-novel (some, but not all, of which are available to view online), an illustrated side story (which I actually like better than the primary story, although it doesn’t make as much sense without it), a sketch journal from the original incarnation of Cruel to Be Kind which is very different from the current version, a brief interview with the creators, and a few guest illustrations. The printing is of very high quality and, of course, Chen’s artwork is, too.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Season 1, Part 2 (Episodes 17-28) directed by Seiji Mizushima. If an anime series makes me want to cry when one of the character dies, it must be doing something right. The plot and characters in Fullmetal Alchemist continue to develop nicely as new twists and characters are introduced. I’m particularly fond of Sheska, once a clerk at the First Branch of the state library but now an indispensable member of the military’s intelligence division and an absolute bookworm. The already established characters also have some fine moments, Maes Hughes in particular, and more is revealed about Roy Mustang’s motivations. The Elric brothers, too, continue to grow.

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25 October 2010 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: October 18-October 24, 2010

My News and Reviews

I currently have a manga giveaway going on that ends on Wednesday, October 27 (this week)—Mushishi Madness. No one has entered yet, which makes me very sad. Mushishi is a great series and I want to share the love! So, come on, get your free manga.

I haven’t updated the Resources page in a while, but I have been collecting links and have found some great new (to me) sites. I’ll try to get most of those added this week. I’ll also be creating a new section for podcasts, so if you know of any good ones, let me know.

On Friday I posted my personal response to the Gay for You? Yaoi and Yuri Manga for GBLTQ Readers panel held at NYAF/NYCC. Deb Aoki has posted the transcript of the event. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, you should. I’m rather proud of myself and this post and am very happy to see the number of hits it’s been receiving. Thank you to David Welsh of The Manga Curmudgeon and Melinda Beasi of Manga Bookshelf for helping to get the link out there. I’d also like to thank everyone for the kind comments, support, and encouragement I received after posting it.

Quick Takes

Black Lagoon, Volumes 1-5 by Rei Hiroe. Black Lagoon opens with what has to be my favorite first panel ever—a close-up of a salaryman taking a hard punch to the face. From there, the action and mayhem hardly ever stop. It’s violent, over-the-top, sometimes ridiculous, and sometimes rather dark, but man is it a fun ride. I like this series best when either Revy or Rock are on the scene. Revy is a gun-toting badass with an extremely foul-mouth and viscous attitude. She’s kinda scary in a psychotically awesome sort of way. Rock on the other hand, the aforementioned salaryman, seems like he won’t last too long as part of the underworld but he’s a lot more reslient than he first appears.

Cat Paradise, Volumes1-2 by Yuji Iwahara. At Matabi Academy a small group of students, along with their cats, have been chosen to protect the school and the world against the evil demon Kaen and his minions. The superpowers granted to each pair is based on what suits them best, something that they can do better than anyone else. In the case of Yumi, that’s creating outfits for her cat Kansuke, much to his embarrassment and dismay. How can you not love magical knitting that gives a cat human form so that he can fight monsters? So it might be a little silly, but the series is extremely entertaining and I can’t wait to read more.

Embracing Love, Volumes 1-3 by Youka Nitta. Iwaki and Katou are rival porn stars that end up sleeping together as part of an audition for a mainstream film. Straight Iwaki, whose career is waning, at first can’t stand the younger, more successful Katou but ends up developing feelings for him. In addition to having to deal with career problems and media scandals, the two will also have to confront their families about their choices. Nitta includes plenty of sex scenes for the two, none of which feel out of place. Katou’s carefree nature plays nicely against Iwaki’s more restrained personality. This is seriously one of the best yaoi series that I’ve read and I really hope that someone rescues the license.

Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa has directed some brilliant films, including Seven Samurai, one of my personal favorites. A few years before that he directed Rashomon, which won an Oscar in 1951 for Best Foreign Language Film. A woman is raped and her husband murdered while traveling through the woods. Three days later the women, the assailant, the dead man (through a medium), and a woodcutter who happened across the scene give their testimony at the local court. But they each give a different version of the events and each has a reason to lie or hide truth of what actually happened.

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20 August 2010 Leave a Comment

Random Musings: 365 Days of Manga Loot

Jason Thompson, author of the hilarious King of RPGs, Manga: The Complete Guide, and reviewer for Otaku USA, is currently running a contest and review series called “365 Days of Manga” over at Suvudu (scroll down, the entry form is in the right most column—one winner is chosen per day and you can enter once a day until you win). The contest is getting close to it’s end, but if your entry is selected, you win five free manga from Jason’s collection along with the opportunity to receive five more by posting your picture with your loot. (Official rules)

I won without even knowing it. I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to get an e-mail notification but instead, a package full of free manga just magically appeared on my doorstep. I was not going to complain.

So, what did I get?

The first thing I pulled out was Yuki Urushibara’s Mushishi, Volume 6 which really confused me since I already own the entire run of Mushishi—this was before I realized what was going on and that I had won. Mushishi is a fantastic series, by the way. Next out of the package was Koichi Ohata’s M.D. Geist, complete in one volume, and the first edition of No Need for Tenchi!, Volume 11: Ayeka’s Heart by Hitoshi Okuda. I wasn’t particularly familiar with either of those titles, although I vaguely remember a Tenchi anime airing on Cartoon Network at some point. I also received a volume from the notoriously bad .hack manga franchise, .hack//4koma by Koichi Sumimaru, which actually manages to be funny at times (at least if you’re a gamer and I more or less am). Finally, lurking in the depths of the package, I discovered  Kurohime, Volume 6 by Masanori Ookamigumi Katakura. It’s part of an highly episodic series rumored to be cheese-tastic, so I looked forward to trying it out.

Like a good little manga addict, I posted my photo online and wouldn’t you know it, another package full of free manga magically appeared on my doorstep, this time containing Love Hurts by Suzuki Tanaka and Black Lagoon, Volumes 2-5 by Rei Hiroe. I must admit, as excited as I was to win the first time, I was absolutely thrilled with my second package; I really wanted to read Black Lagoon but hadn’t coughed up the cash for it yet and I’ll certainly never turn down yaoi. So, yeah, very happy with my free manga.

Thanks, Jason!

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