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26 September 2011 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: September 19-September 25, 2011

My News and Reviews

All right! Another week! And what sorts of goodies did I have for you all? First off was my review for Spice & Wolf, Volume 4. Isuna Hasekura’s light novel that is. (It also happens to be the 100th review posted on Experiments in Manga!) I haven’t delved into the manga version because I’m happily content with the novels. I also posted a review for Natsume Sōseki final novel and masterpiece Kokoro. I’ve been meaning to read it for over a year now. Fortunately, it was chosen as the September/October 2011 selection for the Japanese Literature Book Group. I’d also like to mention a review for Diana Wynne Jones’ novel Howl’s Moving Castle that I posted over on my book review site Experiments in Reading. If you’ve only seen the anime adaptation, which I have a quick take for below, you’re missing out on some great stuff.

And, as promised, a few interesting things that I’ve recently come across online. I don’t know much about the dance performance TeZukA other than the fact that I would really like to see it. Helen McCarthy, author of The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, has a few things to say about it on her blog—TeZukA: bridges and doors. The BBC also has a few photos of the production which just make me want to see it eve more—In pictures: Manga meets contemporary dance in TeZukA. Over on Tofugu I came across a nice, concise introduction to the Takarazuka Revue, another performance group that I would love to see—Gender Bending Thespians Confuse and Amuse. Finally, the Young Adult Library Services Association had a great post over on their blog—Graphic Novelists You Should Know — Manga Edition. I heartily support their choices and recommendations.

Oh! If you happen to be in the Southeast Michigan area this coming weekend, Sunday is the Japan Festival in Novi. I went as a visitor last year and had a great time. This year I’ll actually be performing with my taiko group! The event is free and a lot of fun.

Quick Takes

Les Bijoux, Volumes 1-5 written by Jo Eun-ha and illustrated by Park Sang-sun. I really liked the conceit that the characters and their personalities and powers were based on various precious stones. I also liked that the main character changes between genders, although I don’t think it was handled as well as it could be. I get the impression that the series had to end earlier than the creators intended; it shows as they have to cram too much plot into the final volumes. Had they been given the chance to thoroughly explore their world and characters, I think Les Bijoux could have been great. As it is, the narrative is too choppy and requires the reader to fill in too many blanks. I did like the art though, and the men are very, very pretty.

Library Wars, Volumes 3-6 by Kiiro Yumi. I really wish this series was better than it actually is. I do still like it, though. Dojo by far is my favorite character. We get to see a bit more of his backstory in these volumes, which made me happy. It’s been obvious to readers (and to most of the other characters) since the beginning that he’s Iku’s prince although she hasn’t realized it yet. I’m starting to warm up to Iku a little, but it frustrates me that her passion often makes her look so damned incompetent. Her constant need to be rescued by Dojo makes for extremely repetitive scenes which is unfortunate. Although, it does mean Dojo gets more appearances which I’m always okay with. I’d really like to read the original light novels.

Love Attack, Volumes 1-2 by Shizuru Seino. Chiemi’s about to be expelled for fighting when her teacher makes a deal with her. If she can get her classmate Hirata to shape up, her record will be cleared. One flying kick to the face later, he’s in love and the two become the scariest couple in school. It’s the first serious relationship either of them have been in, and they are delightfully awkward with each other. I loved the first volume of Love Attack but didn’t like the second one nearly as well. The second volume was very silly and, while entertaining, the tone of the story just changed too much for me. The series is up to thirteen volumes in Japan and is still ongoing; Tokyopop managed to publish the first six.

Cross Game, Episodes 23-50 directed by Osamu Sekita. Even though I don’t really consider myself a fan of basball, I got incredibly caught up in and anxious over the games in Cross Game. I think I may have even cheered out loud on several occasions. The series keeps you guessing right up until the end whether or not the team will make it to Kōshien. I could honestly see the story going either way. Despite the palpable intensity of many of the baseball games, Cross Game is not a fast paced anime by any means. The plot and character development is slow and deliberate and yet it remains engaging throughout. The series is very good. Even if you’re not a sports fan, I’d still recommend giving it a try.

Howl’s Moving Castle directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Howl’s Moving Castle is loosely based on a novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. Sophie has been cursed by the Witch of the Waste—although a young woman, she now appears to be ninety—and must seek the aid of the Wizard Howl to break it. While the basic premise, plot, and characters are very similar, Miyazaki takes the story in a very different direction. One of the most noticeable changes is the emphasis given to the war in Miyazaki’s version (he’s not very subtle about it at all.)  Howl’s Moving Castle is nowhere near my favorite film by Miyazaki, but I still found it to be enjoyable. I particularly liked the look and feel given to the castle itself.

Summer Wars directed by Mamoru Hosoda. I enjoyed Summer Wars immensely and am not at all surprised by the number of awards it has received. It has a great soundtrack, too. The Jinnouchi family is fantastic. Sure, there’s plenty of conflict, but they care for each other and are able to pull together when they need to. They all have distinct personalities, but good luck keeping everyone straight (there’s a lot of them.)While the anime’s not always very realistic, I didn’t really care and was thoroughly entertained. On the other hand, some of the problems caused by what basically amounts to “breaking the Internet” are very real. Visually, Summer Wars is a feast; it just looks great. The differences in style between the OZ network and real life are handled especially well.

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12 September 2011 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: September 5-September 11, 2011

My News and Reviews

I’m still recovering from last week’s misadventures, but that hasn’t stopped me from updating Experiments in Manga. Other than that, however, I don’t have much news. I announced the winner of the Joy of Josei manga giveaway. The post also includes a list of recommended josei and josei-esque manga licensed, so please check it out. There were some titles that I hadn’t heard of before that I look forward to giving a try. I also posted a review of Shogo Oketani’s semi-autobiographical novel J-Boys: Kazuo’s World, Tokyo, 1965 that I received from Stone Bridge Press through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. It’s not the most engaging book, but I did find it to be interesting and informative. Anyway, that’s all for now!

Quick Takes

Gravitation EX, Volume 1 by Maki Murakami. Fun fact: the first print volume of Gravitation EX was released simultaneously in Japan and in the United States. The series is still ongoing, but only the first volume was ever published in English. It’s hard to tell from only one volume, but Gravitation EX seems to be very different in tone than Gravitation. I’d be hard pressed to actually put my finger on what exactly makes it different, though. The randomness and craziness is certainly still there, but feels a bit forced. Almost all of the major characters from Gravitation make at least a brief appearance, although once again some of the personalities seem to have been adjusted or changed.

Redmoon, Volumes 1-6 by Mina Hwang. As far as I know, Redmoon is one of the first examples of manhwa to be released in English. The series is eighteen volumes long, but only the first six volumes were published by ComicsOne before the company went defunct. I’ll admit, I didn’t really start to enjoy Redmoon until the fifth and sixth volumes when the story follows a major flashback. Before that, the confusing plot lines with random introductions of characters from out of nowhere developed far too slowly for me to really take an interest. However, I did like the characters. Philar’s development in particular is handled well. He starts as a fairly carefree high school student but has to come to terms with the fact that he’s sharing his body with another entity.

Riot, Volume 1 by Satoshi Shiki. I have no idea where I picked up Riot or why I even have it because, really, it’s not very good. The series only lasted for two volumes before being canceled. The world-building is a mess; Shiki can’t seem to decide between dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic, straight up science fiction, or Western. This could be fun, but Shiki isn’t quite able to pull it off. He does manage to cram a lot plot threads in a single volume. Some have decent potential, but I get the feeling that he’s being too ambitious and would have done better to focus on just one or two elements. I did like character design for Billy (a.k.a. Billy the Kid), but most everyone else’s, especially the women’s outfits, are fairly ridiculous.

Robot: Super Color Comic, Volume 1 edited by Range Murata. To me, Robot comes across more as an artbook rather than manga. It’s oversized and in full color. The first volume collects contributions from twenty different creators. Some of the works are one-shots or pinups while others are part of a continuing series. I was already familiar with some of the artists, Yoshitoshi Abe and Sho-u Tajima for example, but most were new to me. Many contributions are under ten pages, just enough to get a taste of what the creators can do. The storytelling varies tremendously in quality but the artwork is consistently top-notch. Granted, there is some unnecessary fanservice, too. But overall, Robot is a gorgeous collection to look at if not read.

Ultraman, Episodes 1-13. I’m surprised that I’ve never actually seen Ultraman until now. I’m really enjoying it so far. In case you weren’t already aware, Ultraman is a Japanese live-action television show, thirty-nine episodes, that was broadcast between 1966 and 1967. Ultraman in all its iterations continues to be a huge pop culture phenomenon to this day. The series focuses on the Japanese branch of the Science Patrol who are called upon to investigate odd and unexplained happenings. Inevitably, this leads them to confront the monster, or kaiju, of the week. The members of the Science Patrol are competent, but more often than not they need the aid of Ultraman. It’s a really fun show.

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22 November 2010 2 Comments

My Week in Manga: November 15-November 21, 2010

My News and Reviews

It was another pretty slow manga week for me news-wise, unless you want to count the fact that I spent almost my whole weekend reading the entirety of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. (I really hadn’t intended to do that, but I couldn’t help myself.) Otherwise, I wrote a review of Yukio Mishima’s popular novel The Sound of Waves and I finally got around to writing the post on podcasts that I’ve been promising. I wasn’t as happy or as thorough with it as I could have been, but I do plan on writing another podcast post, so I’ll try to do better next time. Also, for those of you interested in boys’ love/yaoi, be on the lookout for my next giveaway coming up soon.

Quick Takes

Monster, Volumes 1-18 by Naoki Urasawa. Urasawa is one of my favorite mangaka, and while Monster isn’t my favorite of his works it is still fantastically absorbing and has won its fair share of awards. Monster‘s plot and the relationships between characters are complicated but aren’t too difficult to follow if you’re paying attention. Granted, there are some things that are left a bit vague, even by the end of the series. Although I really liked Tenma, the main protagonist, I think my favorite character was probably Grimmer, an important side character. In fact, all of the characters are great, even the ones that only play small roles.

Satsuma Gishiden: The Legend of the Satsuma Samurai, Volumes 1-3 by Hiroshi Hirata. This manga series is incredibly violent and very graphic in its depiction, but it is also extremely passionate. It’s intense, to say the least. It doesn’t surprise me at all that Yukio Mishima was an admirer of Hirata’s work. Unfortunately, Dark Horse has only published the first three volumes of this six volume series, but it is definitely worth checking out even considering this. The chapters are somewhat episodic although closely linked so you still get a full story experience as the characters show the often brutal lengths they are willing to go to in order to preserve their honor and spirit as samurai.

Totally Captivated, Volumes 1-6 by Hajin Yoo. This manhwa boys’ love series starts out with a fair amount of comedy mixed in, and it never completely loses it, but it gets pretty serious by the end. I guess that’s bound to happen when you’re dealing with the mafia. Some of the plot developments are a bit of a stretch—I find it hard to believe that Mookyul and Ewon knew each other as kids—but it works. Admittedly, their relationship is not a particularly healthy one, but Ewon is able to hold his own against the controlling and violent gang leader pretty well. I do love how the rest of the underlings in the family adopt Ewon almost as if he were the office mascot. I enjoyed this series quite a bit.

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30 August 2010 2 Comments

My Week in Manga: August 23-August 29, 2010

My News and Reviews

I’ve become a reviewer for Netcomics! If you’re a manga blogger and are interested in reviewing and working with Netcomics you can send them an e-mail at info (at) netcomics (dot) com for more information. I had read several of Netcomics manga and manhwa titles before becoming an “official” reviewer and really enjoyed them.

Several more blogs have been listed in the News and Reviews section of the Resources page. First is All About Manga, written by Daniella Orihuela-Gruber, currently a freelance editor for Tokyopop. Manga Maniac Cafe is run by fellow manga fan and Michigander Julie. I recently discovered Tony Yao’s very cool site Manga Therapy which takes a look at the psychological aspects of manga, anime, and video games. Finally, the blog of one of my Twitter buddies, Ryu’s Dreams—I’m not sure how I missed that one the first time.

As for reviews posted this past week, I give you the first volume of the Spice & Wolf light novel series. Also this week, my first Library Love post features quick comments on manga that I’ve borrowed from the library. Over on my other book blog, Experiments in Reading, I have a review for Alex Bellos’ Here’s Looking at Euclid: A Surprising Excursion through the Astonishing World of Math. Although not related enough to cross-post the review here at Experiments in Manga, I mention it because the book has some interesting sections on Japanese counting, origami, Sudoku, soroban (Japanese abacus), and Japanese mathematicians, among other things.

Quick Takes

GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka, Volumes 1-7 by Tohru Fujisawa. I have huge admiration for teachers and what they do. Unfortunately, they don’t often get the respect and credit they deserve. Enter 22-year-old, ex-gang member Eikichi Onizuka who hates teachers but decides to become one, initially as an excuse to chase high school skirt. However, it turns out he makes an awesome, although unconventional, teacher who really cares about his students. Outrageous, often inappropriate, and utterly unrealistic, the manga is shaping up to be even better than the anime (which I thoroughly enjoyed as well).

Hikkatsu!: Strike a Blow to Vivify, Volume 1 by Yu Yagami. I enjoy crazy karate manga, so it makes sense that I would pick up Hikkatsu. Shota’s convinced that he can perfect the repair blow and on occasion pulls it off to great effect. Most of the time though he just ends up shattering things beyond recognition. The manga’s not particularly deep, but it’s funny with good comedic timing. Shota is definitely my favorite character although Asuka, introduced at the very end of the volume, is pretty bad-ass, too. The art and backgrounds tend to be rather busy, but I like Shota’s somewhat mopey character design. The characters are one-dimensional, and their single-minded focus makes them come across as a bit air-headed, but so far I don’t mind as long as the comedy is there.

Maiden Rose, Volume 1 by Fusanosuke Inariya. I’m almost surprised that this title wasn’t published under Digital Manga’s 801 division instead of the Juné imprint—the sex scenes are intense to say the least and Klaus has a tendency to be rather forceful. I feel bad for poor Taki who is obviously conflicted over their relationship. His reasons are revealed by the end of the first volume, much to the shock and dismay of Klaus. He never knew how much Taki was risking so that they could be together. The character designs are lovely, although the art occasionally has some minor continuity issues. The ending raises some questions about where Klaus’ loyalties lie. I’ll definitely be taking a look at the next volume.

Thirsty for Love written by Satosumi Takaguchi and illustrated by Yukine Honami. This one volume manga is mature and melancholy. Three high school boys are consumed by the loss of the girl they love and who loved them in return. The story is dark and heavy with complicated relationships. The three manage to find discordant comfort in each other, an intense mixture of love and hate as they grieve.  Honami is the same artist who worked on Rin! which I read last week, and I’ve really grown to like her style.

Kurau: Phantom Memory, Episodes 10-16. I have continued watching this wonderful anime since last week. The beginning of the series seemed a little more episodic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but this middle third of the series is much more cohesive plot wise. The strong characters are something that I love about this series. I still adore Kurau, Christmas is becoming more mature, and I was happy to see that their father plays an important role in story at this point. If you enjoy thoughtful science fiction, you should really give Kurau: Phantom Memory a try.

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