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20 June 2011 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: June 13-June 19, 2011

My News and Reviews

I don’t have much to say news-wise about this past week, but I did post a couple of reviews. Oishinbo, A la Carte: Sake happens to be my first in-depth manga review for June. I love food and I love manga, so Oishinbo is a great match for me. The second review I wrote in part for the Japanese Literature Book Group—Kōbō Abe’s novel The Woman in the Dunes is a rather strange, but still compelling, story.

This week starts the Wild Adapter Manga Moveable Feast! I’ve been looking forward to this Feast since I love Kazuya Minekura’s Wild Adapter. Below, I have a few quick comments on the series as a whole. Later this week I’ll be talking a little bit about mahjong (it’s related, I promise) and will be reviewing the first volume in the series.

And one last thing! The dates and location for the next MangaNEXT manga convention have been announced: February 24-26, 2012 at the Sheraton Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. MangaNEXT is the only manga specific convention that I know of, so I’m going to make a concerted effort to get there in February. Believe it or not, I’ve never actually been to any sort of convention before.

Quick Takes

Jazz, Volumes 1-4 written by Tamotsu Takamure and illustrated by Sakae Maeda. The relationship between Naoki and Narusawa is extraordinarily unhealthy and abusive. While this certainly makes for intense drama, it is not at all romantic. I wouldn’t even call it a love story, even though the manga presents itself as such. The first two volumes handle the situation in an interesting way, focusing on the turmoil of the characters’ emotions. Unfortunately, the last two volumes don’t seem to work as well once they’ve fallen in “love” with each other. Things don’t work perfectly for them, and they certainly still have their ups and downs, but I have a hard time believing in their relationship.

Ohikkoshi by Hiroaki Samura. Blade of the Immortal is one of my favorite manga series and so I was interested in reading other manga by Hiroaki Samura. Ohikkoshi is the only other of his works currently available in English and I’m very glad that Dark Horse published it. It’s a delightfully quirky, absurd, and odd manga. The titular “Ohikkoshi,” a peculiar romantic comedy with over-the-top tendencies, is followed by two unrelated short stories: the bizarrely ludicrous “Luncheon of Tears Diary” and the autobiographical “Kyoto Super Barhopping Journal.” Samura has no problem with breaking the fourth wall, often to hilarious effect. While this collection doesn’t really present opportunities for epic battles, Samura’s artwork remains wonderfully kinetic.

The Other Side of the Mirror, Volumes 1-2 by Jo Chen. While marketed as and often called manga, technically The Other Side of the Mirror is a manhua from Taiwan. I am a huge fan of Jo Chen’s artwork and so when I learned that she wrote a comic, I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. While the artwork is quite nice, the narrative is a mess. The story has potential and there are some lovely moments, but overall it’s fairly muddled. I much preferred the short stories included in the two volumes. Maybe Chen just wasn’t ready yet for a longer, more involved work (“The Other Side of the Mirror” was one of her first comics.) I do like the illustrations, though.

Wild Adapter, Volumes 1-6 by Kazuya Minekura. Although Kubota and Tokito are the series main characters, each volume of this manga features a secondary character around whom the story is framed. It’s an interesting narrative technique and it actually works quite well. The character and personalities of the young men are slowly revealed through the others’ perspectives. And while the exact nature of their relationship is never explicitly stated or revealed and is the subject of much speculation, it is obvious that it is a very close and intimate one. Wild Adapter is unfinished at six volumes (and a few chapters), the series having been put on hiatus due to Minekura’s health. I really do hope to see more in English, but now that Tokyopop is no more it is unfortunately unlikely.

Bullet Ballet directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. Goda, a successful commercial director, is completely taken aback by the suicide of his girlfriend of ten years. He can’t comprehend why she killed herself and has no idea where she even got the gun. He becomes obsessed with obtaining a gun of the same make and model—a desire that consumes him. But after reaching his goal his life becomes more complicated. In the process, he becomes entangled with a local gang and things can’t possibly end well for any of them. Filmed in black and white, Bullet Ballet is a visually interesting film even if it can be difficult to follow at times. I also happened to really like Chu Ishikawa’s industrial styled soundtrack

Tiger & Bunny, Episodes 8-12 directed by Keiichi Satou. The animation quality seems to be a little inconsistent in these later episodes, and the plot as well, but it is still a very fun series. I am very much enjoying Tiger & Bunny and I like the characters immensely. While the main plot is developing nicely, I particularly enjoy the side stories that feature a particular hero. In these episodes, we get a chance to learn a bit more about Origami Cyclone and Dragon Kid. I do wish Lunatic wasn’t pushed into the background so soon, though. There will be at least fifteen episodes to the series, but I hope to see more than that. I have a hard time believing everything will be able to be wrapped up satisfactorily in such a short period of time.

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16 March 2011 1 Comment

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 5: On Silent Wings II

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781569714447
Released: March 2000
Original release: 1995
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal was one of the first manga series that I began reading and remains one of my favorites. I love the depth of Samura’s characters, find the story compelling if a bit strange at times, and absolutely adore his artwork. The fifth volume, On Silent Wings II, is closely tied to the fourth volume, On Silent Wings, as the title suggests. The collected chapters were originally published in Japan in 1995. In 2000, Dark Horse released the English edition. Blade of the Immortal has been honored with a number of awards, including a Japan Media Arts award in 1997 and an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material in 2000. The more volumes of Blade of the Immortal that I read, the more I like the series, and so I was looking forward to reading On Silent Wings II.

Two years past, Rin’s parents were murdered and her mother brutally raped before her eyes by a group from a rogue sword school known as the Ittō-ryū. Seeking revenge, she hired Manji as a body guard and with his aid, many of the Ittō-ryū have been slain or severely injured. When they happen upon Araya—one of the members—at a festival working as a maker of bizarre masks, Rin has a decision to make. Already doubting herself after an encounter with Anotsu, the leader of the Ittō-ryū, Rin realizes that even those who commit terrible deed have those who love them. Araya has hidden his past from his only son and is raising him alone; Rin is reluctant to put his son through the same suffering that she herself experienced. Still, she is forced into a confrontation with Araya that very well may cost her her life is she isn’t willing to take his.

The two On Silent Wings volumes of Blade of the Immortal have shown significant character development of Rin as she continues to grow and mature as a person. She isn’t as naïve as she once was and realizes the circumstances surrounding her parents murders are complicated. She struggles with her conflicting emotions, wanting revenge while also wanting to see an end to the cycle of hate and violence. But even that desire is extremely optimistic and unlikely to come about unless the society that Rin lives in also changes. Rin is still in the process of comprehending and coming to terms with this. Manji serves not only as her body guard, but also as an emotional support simply by being their and allowing her to work these things out for herself. He is much more knowledgeable about the world and is familiar with the darker aspects of life that Rin has only glimpsed so far. Manji cares about Rin, not just because he has been hired to, and I enjoy watching their relationship develop and deepen.

As with the previous volumes of Blade of the Immortal, I can’t help but be impressed by Samura’s artwork. However, because of the method used to flip the manga to read from left to right, some inconsistencies are introduced and occasionally the flow of panels can be awkward. Fortunately, this doesn’t detract too much from the overall effect of the artwork. Samura continues to improve as an artist which can particularly be seen in his fight scenes. They are not only creative and interesting, but also easier to follow than in previous volumes. Moments of particular importance and impact earn gorgeous, full page spreads. On Silent Wings II is not a particularly good place to jump into Blade of the Immortal, especially considering how closely connected it is to the previous volume. Still, it is a great entry in the series with important character and plot developments as well as an opportunity for Manji to show off his badassery. I’ll definitely be reading the sixth volume, Dark Shadows.

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30 June 2010 1 Comment

The Art of Blade of the Immortal

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781595825124
Released: May 2010
Original release: 2008

When I first discovered the existence of a Blade of the Immortal artbook, I was both thrilled and dismayed. Thrilled because Blade of the Immortal is one of my favorite manga series, the artwork being a major reason why. Dismayed because in 2008, the book had only been released in Japan as Glittering Waves: Collected Illustrations from Blade of the Immortal. Never should I have feared—the marvelous folks at Dark Horse, who publish the Blade of the Immortal materials in English, not only released the artbook in 2010 as The Art of Blade of the Immortal, but released it with additional, exclusive material. Even though I haven’t actually finished reading the series yet, I was still incredibly excited to finally be able to get my hands on a copy of the artbook. In fact, I think I may have even squealed.

The Art of Blade of the Immortal primarily collects materials from 1993 to 2004. (Hiraoki Samura mentions in his afterward that he hopes to be able to release a second artbook collecting material from later in the series’ run.) The book includes images from covers, chapter breaks, various promotional materials, posters, a piece created specifically for the book, and two close up photographs of Samura at work. There is also a photograph of either a woman’s back tattoo or skin painting—I’m not entirely sure which or what it is from, but it is very cool. Most of the images are of Samura’s pencil work, although there is a good selection of color work (primarily oil paintings, I believe) and a few ink pieces as well. In all, there is nearly 150 pages of gorgeous art.

The Dark Horse edition is quiet nice and includes thirty-four exclusive images, a foreword by Geof Darrow, and an afterword by Samura. (Japanese text is translated by Camellia Nieh.) The additional artwork collected includes illustrations from the Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword Demon novel written by Junichi Ohsako, images from the DVD slipcases from the anime’s release, and three colorized versions of art that previously appeared in the book, offering a nice subject for comparison. The index continues to list the artwork according to their Japanese publication and appearances whenever possible. While it would have been nice to have reference to the English editions included, some of the material was not made readily available outside of Japan, so this decision does make some sense.

I adore Samura’s artwork and I was not disappointed with The Art of Blade of the Immortal which presents it beautifully (as I am sure its Japanese predecessor Glittering Waves did as well). Samura’s figures are realistic with a hint of stylistic exaggeration which I find immensely appealing. My favorite by far has always been his pencil work which I find to be literally breathtaking. His paintings are also stunning, although I find some of the color choices a bit odd. Comparatively, I’m not as fond of Samura’s ink work, but there are some very lovely examples included in the artbook. However, I was somewhat surprised that none of Samura’s gorgeous “death mandalas” were collected. The paper quality is very good and the printing of the images are nice and crisp. Except for the photographs, plenty of gutter space is given so none of the art is hidden. Although, this does make for a somewhat awkward presentation for the two page spreads since the margin is retained and the images framed, but at least none of the details are lost. The spine and binding is designed in such a way that the book to easily remains open to any given page, making viewing quite a pleasure; I can sit and comfortably stare at Samura’s work for hours. I would definitely recommend The Art of Blade of the Immortal to any fan of the series but also to anyone interested in wonderful art wonderfully presented. I really do hope that a second volume will be released.

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19 January 2010 Leave a Comment

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 4: On Silent Wings

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781569714126
Released: February 1999
Original run: 1994-ongoing (Afternoon)
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

I have been reading (though unfortunately not reviewing) a lot of manga recently and can easily say that Blade of the Immortal remains one of my absolute favorite series. I like the story, love the characters, and continue to be impressed by Hiroaki Samura’s artwork. On Silent Wings is the fourth trade collection in the series. The story picks up shortly after where the previous volume, Dreamsong, left it—containing the short arc “Rin’s Bane” and the beginning of the “On Silent Wings” arc.

Rin’s quest to avenge the death of her parents and her search for Anotsu, the man responsible, continues. While waiting for the opportunity to waylay him as he travels from one city to the next, Manji has agreed to help train Rin to better defend herself and to improve her offensive skills. Rin must learn that battle in real life is vastly different than practice in a dōjō, something that Manji is exceptionally aware of. She must be both physically and mentally prepared to not only face Anotsu but his devoted and often fanatical followers of Ittō-ryū as well.

This collection definitely moves at a slower pace than the previous books. Most of the development occurs internally as characters, particularly Rin, are forced to examine their actions and motivations. There is significantly less action—swordplay taking the backseat to exposition—but the confrontations between characters are still intense, if a bit strange. Where Dreamsong was primarily about Maki, the incredibly skilled swordswoman of the Ittō-ryū, On Silent Wings returns the story’s focus to Rin and, to a lesser extent, Manji. Rin must make difficult decisions about what she is doing and why—decisions that are made even more difficult as she begins to understand Anotsu’s point of view, what he is trying to accomplish, and how the society she lives in has only exacerbated the problems he is trying to correct. The path she has chosen to follow is not an easy one, and she is beginning to seriously doubt herself.

As I’ve come to expect from Blade of the Immortal, I absolutely adore the artwork in all its beautiful and bloody detail. Amazingly enough, I think that Samura’s skill has in some ways even improved in On Silent Wings. Particularly, panels with action maintain their intensity while showing more clarity and less confusion. Somewhat unfortunately, this volume does not grace us with any of Samura’s gorgeous death mandalas, but I suspect that we will certainly be seeing more in the future.

While there may not be much action and fighting to further the plot, there is certainly a fair amount of character development going on in On Silent Wings. Rin and Manji’s journey did seem a bit aimless to me at this point. Even having recently reread Dreamsong I wasn’t quite sure exactly what they were doing or where they were going. Because of that, the almost chance encounter between Rin and Anotsu felt like it came out of nowhere. The book also seemed to be missing, though not entirely, the humor that is scattered throughout the earlier volumes, making this installment particularly heavy going. I still very much enjoyed On Silent Wings and looking forward to continuing Blade of the Immortal with On Silent Wings II.

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7 January 2009 Leave a Comment

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 3: Dreamsong

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781569713570
Released: February 1999
Original run: 1994-ongoing (Afternoon)
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

After being recommended to me by my favorite comic shop, the manga Blade of the Immortal quickly became one of my favorite series. Despite this fact, I’ve been reading through it at a rather slow pace (we’ll just say that I’m savoring the story and art, not to mention my continuous re-reading). Dreamsong is the third trade paperback issued by Dark Horse, collecting issues twelve through eighteen. While Dreamsong continues Manji’s search for redemption and Rin’s quest for vengeance, the story arc primarily focuses on Makie Otono-Tachibana and, in the process, reveals more of Kagehisa Anotsu’s background.

Maki is as deadly as she is beautiful, rivaling even Anotsu, leader of the renegade Ittō-ryū school, in her extraordinary skill. Having first met when they were children, their paths have brought them together once again. A disgrace to her family, Makie has little left but a life as a pleasure woman and her blade. Taking her place next to Anotsu as a swordswoman of the Ittō-ryū, he asks her to kill Manji before Manji can kill him. He is keenly aware of Rin’s vow to avenge her parents’ deaths and Manji’s besting of many of his followers as they search for the man ultimately responsible. But, with Makie, Manji may have finally met his match.

The artwork, though extremely graphic and violent, is exceptional in its beauty. The gorgeously penciled illustrations not only serve to further the story, but many are also works of art in their own right. A few oddities do pop up, due mainly to how the layout was adapted from the original Japanese publication for English speaking audiences, but these usually aren’t too bothersome. Occasionally it is difficult to discern exactly what is going on in a particular panel, but it actually makes sense stylistically as this only tends to happen during battles when there’s quite a bit of action going on. Blade of the Immortal begs not only to be read, but to be looked at. I’m definitely a fan of the series and Samura’s visual style and artistic prowess plays a large part of that.

Dreamsong is my favorite collection so far (granted, I’ve only read three of them up to this point). Maki was wonderful and I do hope she returns in future story-arcs. With exceptional artwork and fantastic characters, Blade of the Immortal is easily one of the best manga series I’ve read, though it did take me a few volumes to really get into it. But now, I can hardly wait to read the next trade paperback, the first part of On Silent Wings.

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