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12 November 2010 Leave a Comment

Tenken

Creator: Yumiko Shirai
U.S. publisher: One Peace Books
ISBN: 9781935548034
Released: September 2010
Original release: 2008
Awards: Japan Media Arts Award

When the 2010 English translation of Tenken by Yumiko Shirai was brought to my attention, I had a sneaking suspicion that I already knew about the manga. And indeed, after a brief investigation, I realized that I had previously seen it listed as the 2007 winner of the Japan Media Arts Award Encouragement Prize under the title Tenken-sai. At that point, I had no idea that an English edition was in the works. In fact, I didn’t really know anything about Tenken except that it had won the award. I wasn’t familiar with the English publisher, One Peace Books, either. But when I had the chance to sample the first few pages of the book and caught sight of the artwork, I knew that I needed to read the manga if for no other reason than the gorgeous illustrations.

Each year, towns across the country celebrate the Tenken festival and every fifty years the celebration is particularly large and involved. For the people who are still working to rebuild after the devastating Dirty War, the festival and the legend of Princess Kushinada is a source of hope. Manaka is the boss of the Sakamoto construction group and unknowingly hired a runaway who had been chosen to be the Princess Kushinada for a nearby mountain district’s festival. Kishima is returned against her will and Manaka chases after her despite her and other’s protests. Manaka soon discovers the terrible origins and meaning behind the Tenken festival’s traditions and Princess Kushinada’s sacrifice. He is determined to do everything he possibly can to save the woman he has come to love from her fate.

Shirai’s art in Tenken is simply stunning. Although I am unsure of the actual techniques used, I would describe the artwork as semi-realistic illustration done in ink and watercolor, but using only blacks and greys. The effect can be breathtaking. It’s not a style that I’ve seen used in manga or other comics very often, but it’s gorgeous. On occasion the action can be somewhat difficult to follow, almost as if there was a panel missing from the sequence, while at other times only a glance is needed to tell exactly what is going on. At first, I was unsure of what time period the story was set but it is soon revealed that these people are living in a post-apocalyptic society. Shirai’s attention to background details, like the ever present wind turbines and general sense of ruin, help to emphasize this. While beautiful, the artwork, like the story, can also be rather bleak but it is not without hope.

The Tenken festival is a very interesting celebration with a complex history. Just how complex isn’t revealed until the final chapters where reality, dreams, myths and legends all twist, turn, and entwine together, making it hard to say where one starts and the others end. Admittedly, it can be a bit difficult to follow and understand at times, but I found the syncretism between science and religion to be marvelous. For good or for ill, beliefs and traditions can be a powerful force. Manaka, who I would describe as a nonbeliever for much of the book, must confront these forces head on and come to the realization that there is some truth behind the superstitions. I thoroughly enjoyed Tenken, both the manga’s art and it’s story, but particularly the intersection of the divine and the mundane in a post-apocalyptic setting. One of my few complaints actually has nothing to do with Shirai’s work—One Peace’s English edition desperately needs a copy-editor. While the errors can be terribly distracting, the strength of the artwork and the story’s depth mostly make up for it. I’m very glad that I picked up this manga and can see myself enjoying it again.

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19 July 2010 Leave a Comment

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 1

Creator: Fumi Yoshinaga
U.S. publisher: Viz Media
ISBN: 9781421527475
Released: August 2009
Original run: 2005-ongoing (Melody)
Awards: James Tiptree Jr. Award, Japan Media Arts Award, Sense of Gender Award, Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize

Out of all her series so far, Ōoku: The Inner Chambers is probably the one that has garnered the most awards and nominations for Fumi Yoshinaga, including the first ever James Tiptree, Jr. Award given to a manga. Even though Ōoku was the first of Yoshinaga’s works that I learned about, I actually ended up reading, and thoroughly enjoying, several of her others before picking it up. The English edition of Ōoku is published by Viz Media as part of their Signature line. As of October 2009, five volumes of the series have been released in Japan and it is projected to run for a total of ten volumes. There is even a live-action adaption planned for October 2010. The release schedule is slower than most manga, only one volume per year, which results in some impatient readers, but also encourages the savoring of each individual installment.

After a brief introduction, most of the first volume concerns Yunoshin Mizuno. The year is 1716, more than eighty years have passed since the beginning of the Redface Pox epidemic; the male population of Japan has been reduced to nearly a quarter of what it once was. Out of necessity, women have taken on the roles previously held by men, including even the military rule of the country. In order to avoid an unwanted marriage and to best support his family, Mizuno decides to enter into service in the Ōoku, or Inner Chambers, of the Shogun. There, hundreds of men are kept and women barred except for the Shogun herself who may choose among the men for her concubines. Mizuno quickly realizes that life in the Inner Chambers is not exactly what he was expecting and finds himself caught up in others’ political maneuverings. The first volume also give a good picture of Yoshimune Tokugawa, the current shogun—a strong-willed woman not afraid to challenges the status quo.

Ōoku is more serious overall than most of Yoshinaga’s other work that I’ve read, but she still incorporates lovely moments of humor. Her artwork is as expressive as ever and I personally think it is some of her best. Backgrounds are slightly more detailed than I am used to seeing from Yoshinaga and her depictions of Edo era clothing are simply gorgeous. A few color plates are also included and are stunning. Viz’s presentation is beautifully done, although occasionally a panel is cropped a little too closely, and the larger Signature format shows off the artwork nicely. All of the main characters have distinctive looks and even the secondary characters show a good variety of design, something that Yoshinaga seemed to struggle with in her earliest works but here is executed elegantly.

As any good alternate history should, Ōoku incorporates historically accurate elements—such as Japan’s Edo era isolationism and the events surrounding the succession of the Shogunate—and gives them new meaning and reason. While the women are officially in charge, the men still have a tremendous amount of influence. Even so, Yoshignaga’s women are strong and can hold their own—the Baron’s smackdown of the Senior Chamberlain was brilliant, for one. Occasionally, Ōoku can be rather text heavy but the information conveyed is interesting and generally important. Unfortunately, the faux-Early Modern English is rather awkward when used. I think I understand what Viz was trying to do—capture the different levels of formality inherent in the Japanese language but no longer a prominent part of English—but they don’t quite pull it off; the language is distracting. But overall, the first volume of Ōoku is a strong start to the series. Beautiful, emotional storytelling accompanies beautiful, expressive art. I am very much looking forward to continuing the series—I love what I’ve seen so far.

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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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5 October 2007 Leave a Comment

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 2: Cry of the Worm

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781569713006
Released: March 1998
Original run: 1994-ongoing (Afternoon)
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

This second volume collects issues seven trough eleven of the Blade of the Immortal manga series being reprinted by Dark Horse. Manji has been infected by the kessen-chū, sacred bloodworms which give him both the blessing, and the curse, of immortality. Rin, whose family was brutally murdered, wants and revenge has hired him as a bodyguard for his exceptional swordsmanship.

Together they have been searching all over Edo for the whereabouts of the members of the Ittō-ryū, the maverick school of fighting that is responsible for the death of Rin’s parents. In particular, they hope to find Anotsu, the leader of the brutal faction. Instead, they find that Manji is not as unique, nor as invincible, as they believed. A talented and vicious swordsman, he is interested in only one thing—power.

While I enjoyed the introductory volume, Blood of a Thousand, I think that Cry of the Worm is even better. There’s a little less fighting (and not nearly as many of the gorgeous death mandalas) but certainly more plot and consistent story arc. And Rin still manages to get her self into some, interesting, situations. She and Manji are starting to develop more of a relationship than that of boss and hired-hand. I’m growing quite fond the both of them and look forward to the next installment in the series.

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