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22 July 2013 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: July 15-July 21, 2013

My News and Reviews

Last week I posted two in-depth manga reviews here at Experiments in Manga. The first review was for Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal, Volume 23: Scarlet Swords. Now that Manji has made his escape from the dungeons under Edō Castle the series has started to focus a bit more on the Ittō-ryū once again, which I’m happy to see. My second review last week was my contribution to the Yun Kouga Manga Moveable Feast. I took a closer look at Viz Media’s new release of Kouga’s Loveless. I had previously read Loveless when Tokyopop published the first eight volumes years ago, but Viz’s first omnibus quickly reminded me why I find the manga so peculiarly compelling.

Last week was also the San Diego Comic-Con. Seeing as it’s clear across the country from me and it’s unlikely that I’d ever be able to handle such a huge event, I wasn’t in attendance. However, I did pay attention to some of the news and announcements coming out of SDCC. I was most interested in Haikasoru’s plans for a graphic novel adaptation of All You Need Is Kill (I reviewed the original a few years ago), a new translation of Battle Royale (I reviewed the previous translation a few years ago, too), and a collection of essays on Battle Royale. In other news: Viz is relaunching the Viz Kids imprint as Perfect Square; Kodansha is adding more shoujo titles to its catalog, including some Del Rey license rescues; and Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys won its second Eisner Award this year.

Oh! And the next Manga Moveable Feast will soon be upon us! Khursten of Otaku Champloo is hosting August’s Feast early in the month in order to coincide 8/01 (a.k.a. “yaoi day.”) Khursten’s calling it a fujojo fiyaysta and the Feast will be focusing on boys’ love and yaoi. So, join us from August 1 to August 10 for a good time, giveaways, and more!

Quick Takes

Honeydew Syndrome, Volumes 1-2 by New Shoe. I thoroughly enjoyed Honeydew Syndrome, particularly it’s quirky and true-to-life characters. Initially released as a webcomic, the boys’ love series was later collected in print in two volumes with additional bonus content. The first volume focuses on the somewhat awkward relationship between Metis and Josh which only gets its start after Josh hauls out and punches Metis in the face. The second volume partly overlaps with the first—some of the same events are seen from different perspectives—and focuses on their friends. Honeydew Syndrome doesn’t really have a driving plot; instead, it’s much more about relationships (and not just the romantic ones.)

Saiyuki Reload, Volumes 1-3 by Kazuya Minekura. Though the manga changed names, magazines, and demographics, Saiyuki Reload is a direct followup to Minekura’s Saiyuki. While I enjoyed the slightly ridiculous Saiyuki, for some reason Saiyuki Reload doesn’t seem to be clicking as well with me. Despite a few flashbacks delving into Sanzo’s past, these early volumes just don’t feel like they’re going anywhere with either the story or the characters. It’s as if Sanzo and his crew are simply playing their previously established roles; the character development seems to be missing. However, the artwork in Saiyuki Reload is more polished than that in Saiyuki. (It is a more recent series after all.) The action sequences tend to be clearer and easier to follow, too.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: The Power of Negative Thinking, Volumes 9-10 by Koji Kumeta. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei was originally released in English by Del Rey, but it is one of the series that Kodansha now continues to publish. It’s a slow seller—there hasn’t been a volume released in over a year—but I can understand why. The series tends to be episodic, has a very specific sense of humor, and the sheer number of cultural references it uses makes the series challenging to translate and adapt. Despite the fact that I often find Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei to be hilarious in a darkly absurd way, I can only read a volume or two at a time without it feeling like a chore. But I do like the series and am glad that it’s available.

Here Is Greenwood directed by Tomomi Mochizuki. Based on the shoujo manga series by Yukie Nasu, Here Is Greenwood is a six-episode OVA. Although it is a mix of strict adaptation, new material, and slight re-imaginings of the stories in the original, the anime stays very true to the tone of the manga. I read and enjoyed Here Is Greenwood and I enjoyed the anime as well, but I don’t think that it will hold much appeal to those who aren’t already familiar with the characters. Here Is Greenwood is fairly episodic but the stories all revolve around the perpetually stressed-out high school student Kazuya Hasukawa, his oddball dorm and class mates, and the often absurd situations they find themselves in. The series is quirky and funny and made me laugh on several occasions.

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24 December 2012 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: December 17-December 23, 2012

My News and Reviews

It’s the holiday season and I’m doing all sorts of traveling, but I did manage to post two reviews last week. The first was for the historical novel An Alaskan Tale by Jirō Nitta. Only three of Nitta’s novels have been translated into English; An Alaskan Tale was the first to be published, but I ended up reading it last. An Alaskan Tale, based on a true story, is about the life and adventures of Frank Yasuda, a Japanese in Alaska in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I also reviewed MiSun Kim’s yonkoma-ish manhwa Aron’s Absurd Armada, Omnibus 1. I was actually surprised by how much I ended up enjoying the volume, and look forward to the next omnibus, scheduled to be released June 2013. Later this week, December 26 to be exact, the Hikaru no Go Manga Moveable Feast will begin! I’ll be reviewing the first volume of Hikaru no Go as part of my contribution. I’ll probably also be using the Feast as an excuse to talk about mahjong in manga again (having previously written about Mahjong, Kubota, and Wild Adapter.) The 26th is also the last day of Akadot Retail‘s End of the World Blowout. This is the best sale I’ve ever seen on Akadot: 45% off of orders of $60 or more, which also qualifies you for free shipping if you live in the United States. Simply use the code xmas2012 at checkout. Last year I posted Finding Manga: Akadot Retail which has some tips about finding and buying manga through Akadot.

Quick Takes

The Crimson Spell, Volumes 1-2 by Ayano Yamane. There don’t seem to be many fantasy-oriented boys’ love manga available in English. The Crimson Spell is one of the few that I have read. It was also my introduction to the work of Ayano Yamane. Even though only two of the four volumes were ever released in English, The Crimson Spell is my personal favorite Yamane manga. I enjoy the fantasy setting, Yamane’s beautiful artwork, the drama and sword fights, the outlandish characters, and the healthy dose of humor that the series incorporates. I also like that sexual energy is tied so closely to magical energy, which ends up being a perfect excuse to include plenty of explicit sex scenes.

Genshiken, Omnibus 1 (equivalent to Volumes 1-3) by Shimoku Kio. I missed out on Genshiken when it was being released by Del Rey Manga, and so was excited to get a chance to read it when Kodansha began releasing the omnibus editions. Genshiken is probably best described as an otaku slice-of-life comedy. Kanji Sasahara is a university freshmen who has never had the confidence to pursue his interests until he joins a club filled with other otaku who act as his guide to the wonderful world of fandom. Genshiken covers a lot of ground: dōjinshi, Comiket, cosplay, models, video games (including porn games), and more. While I wasn’t blow away by the first Genshiken omnibus, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters. I look forward to reading more of the series.

Here Is Greenwood, Volumes 6-9 by Yukie Nasu. I really enjoyed Here Is Greenwood. I wouldn’t call it a spectacular manga, but I’m glad that I read the series. I was consistently entertained by its offbeat characters and goofy humor. Here Is Greenwood is a funny and even heartwarming series. I like the guys of the Greenwood dormitory quite a bit. The manga is mostly episodic, but these last few volumes introduce an overarching background story and love interest for the series’ main protagonist Hasukawa. Not surprisingly, he has even more to be stressed out about now than when the series first started. And though he’s able to begin to stand up for himself, he still has pranks pulled on him on a fairly regular basis.

X, Omnibus 4 (equivalent to Volumes 9-12) by CLAMP. For me, X is a series that’s so bad it’s good. I have to admit that I love the manga in all its melodramatic glory, but it really is a ridiculous series. Not ridiculous as in funny, but in how incredibly over-the-top it is. The cast of characters is huge and more and more characters continue to be introduced. None of the characters are particularly well-developed, but I do like them. The plot is a mess and doesn’t always make a lot of sense despite the fact that what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen is constantly being rehashed. Because of this, the story doesn’t go anywhere fast. But I still find the series to be engaging. I like the omnibus releases of X. I don’t think I’d have as much patience with the single volumes.

Slam Dunk, Episodes 24-38 directed by Nobutaka Nishizawa. At this point, I’ve seen more of the Slam Dunk anime than I’ve read of Takehiko Inoue’s original manga, so I can’t really compare the two. I’m still enjoying the anime, though. Basketball is the main focus of the series, but I’m glad to see that all of the delinquents are still getting some screen time. (Mito is probably my favorite character in the entire series.) The basketball team has a fair number of delinquents on it, too, including the series’ lead Sakuragi. Except for his enthusiasm and comic relief, I’m not entirely sure what purpose he serves on the team yet, but I am very fond of him as a character.

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10 December 2012 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: December 3-December 9, 2012

My News and Reviews

Last week was another three post week here at Experiments in Manga! (In addition to the usual My Week in Manga, that is.) First up was the announcement of the Music Manga Giveaway Winner. The post also includes a list of manga that has been licensed in English that incorporate music. The other two posts were reviews. The honor of the first in-depth manga review of December goes to Dororo, Volume 2 by Osamu Tezuka. Dororo remains one of my favorite Tezuka manga. The second review posted was for Keigo Higashino’s mystery novel Salvation of a Saint. The novel is a part of his Detective Galileo series. Only one other novel in the series, The Devotion of Suspect X, is currently available in English, but there are plans to release A Midsummer’s Equation, as well. I’m a fan of Higashino’s work (so far, Naoko is my personal favorite); I’m looking forward to reading more.

It’s been a while since I’ve pointed out interesting things that I’ve found online, but I’m hoping to get back into the habit. Last week there were two things that particularly caught my attention. First of all, there’s another My Week in Manga in town! Melinda Beasi kicked off a new video feature at Manga Bookshelf—My Week in Manga, Episode 1. Over at Yuri no Boke, Katherine Hanson is reviewing Paros no Ken (Sword of Paros)—a three volume manga series which I’m fairly certain takes place in the Guin Saga universe. It will probably never, ever be licensed in English, but the reviews really make me want to read it. Also, Linda of Animemiz’s Scribblings has posted the call for contributions for December’s Manga Moveable Feast! This month’s Feast will feature Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata’s wonderful series Hikaru no Go as well as other game-oriented manga. The Feast will take place between December 26 and December 31.

Quick Takes

Here Is Greenwood, Volumes 3-5 by Yukie Nasu. Although I loved the first two volumes of Here Is Greenwood, I wasn’t quite as taken with these three volumes. I like the series best when it is being utterly absurd, and there wasn’t quite as much of that going on here. I still enjoyed these volumes, though; the series manages to make me laugh on a fairly regular basis. The various story arcs are fairly episodic and there doesn’t seem to be an over-arching plot to be concerned about, although the continued development of the characters’ personalities is important. All of the scenarios usually found in a series centering around a school are present here—ghost stories, school festivals, summer vacations, and so on.

Limit, Volumes 1-2 by Keiko Suenobu. For some reason I wasn’t initially going to pick up Limit (it might’ve been the schoolgirl angle), but I’m really glad that I did—the series is right up my alley. A terrible bus accident claims the lives of nearly an entire class of high school students on their way to a secluded campground. Five of the surviving girls team together while waiting to be rescued. Well, “team together” might be stretching it. The girls carry a lot of hostility and can barely get along. They’ll not only have to survive the situation in which they find themselves but survive each other as well. The power and relationship dynamics in Limit are intense and exceptionally well done. Limit can be brutally realistic at times. I’ll definitely be following the rest of the series.

Sensitive Pornograph by Ashika Sakura. Sensitive Pornograph is a collection of six short, unrelated boys’ love manga. The title story and “Trophies Belong In the Bedroom” (which were probably my favorite two), were later made into an OVA. “Please, Kiss Me” is one of Sakura’s older works. The artwork isn’t as accomplished as it is in the other stories, but it’s light fun. “Non-Adult Situations” seemed like something I’d read before. “Indirect Youth” is unfortunately rape-y, but still manages to have its cute moments. “Come Home” has a nice family-oriented twist to it. Published under Digital Manga’s 801 imprint there’s plenty of explicit, uncensored sex in Sensitive Pornograph, but there’s a bit of plot, too.

Thermae Romae, Omnibus 1 (equivalent to volumes 1-2) by Mari Yamazaki. Yen Press’ deluxe hardcover release of Thermae Romae is fantastic and the content more than lives up to its presentation. Yamazaki’s personal notes included after each chapter are also a delightful addition. Thermae Romae manages to be both extremely entertaining as well as somewhat educational. Lucius is a Roman bath engineer from the Hadrian era who has a tendency to slip, fall, and almost drown in the baths on a regular basis. This somehow causes him to time-travel to various baths and hot springs in modern Japan. Lucius transforms the bizarre experiences he has in Japan into architectural and bathing innovations upon his eventual return to ancient Rome.

Berserk: The Golden Age, Arc I: The Egg of the King directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka. Kentaro Miura’s Berserk is one of my favorite manga series, particularly the “Golden Age” arc. I was very excited about the new series of anime films. The first film is a decent adaptation. It moves very, very quickly, taking the story up through the assassination of Count Julius. Unfortunately, the pace does mean that the characters have lost some of their depth. However, most of the important plot points make it into the film. I wasn’t overly fond of the sequences that relied heavily upon 3D CG animation, although occasionally it is used to great effect. The fight choreography in particular is exciting and very nicely done.

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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.

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