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7 June 2011 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: May 30-June 5, 2011

My News and Reviews

I was away for most of last week and the beginning of this week in order to attend a conference for work. (NASIG for those of you who are curious.) I had a good time in St. Louis and learned lots of useful things, but this did mean I didn’t get as much manga and anime in as I would have liked. It also means that this week’s “My Week in Manga” is a bit late. Forgive me, but I needed to do laundry and sleep.

Fortunately for me, last week was one of my lighter weeks at Experiments in Manga. I announced the winner of the Oh, Ono! manga giveaway and manged to successfully schedule May’s Bookshelf Overload to post while I was away. I also added two new resources to the Resources page: The Fandom Post and Manga Bubbles. For your online reading enjoyment, I would like to bring your attention to Manga Artifacts: Pineapple Army by Kate Dacey over on The Manga Critic; it’s a much better look at the manga than my quick take below provides.

Quick Takes

King of RPGs, Volume 2 written by Jason Thompson and illustrated by Victor Hao. The second volume of King of RPGs was one of my most anticipated releases for 2011. I loved the first volume so it didn’t come as much of a surprise to me that I loved the second as well. Most of the plot centers on MMORPGs and tabletop RPGs in this volume but there are still plenty of references other geek cultures, too. My favorite parts are when the role-playing insanity bleeds over into reality. Shesh, more than ever, is the main focus of this volume. However, new characters are also introduced, including the noble gold farmer Baijin Gangshi who I fairly adored. I really hope to see more volumes of King of RPGs; it’s a riot.

Pineapple Army written by Kazuya Kudo and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. I primarily picked up Pineapple Army because of Naoki Urasawa’s involvement with the manga. In Japan, the series ran for eight volumes. You wouldn’t know this by looking at Viz’s single volume edition, though—it collects ten chapters selected from throughout the original series. They mostly stand alone, though I suspect there may be some recurring characters that I would have liked to get to know better. I’d like get to know the protagonist Jed Goshi better, too. I happened to particularly like his beefy character design and found his personality to be appealing as well. It will probably never happen, but I wouldn’t mind the rest of this series available in English.

Pretty Face, Volumes 1-6 by Yasuhiro Kano. It’s a ridiculous premise—Masashi Rando, high school karate champion, is nearly killed in a terrible bus accident. In the process of recovery, his plastic surgeon gives him the face of the girl he has a crush on since he only had her photo as a reference. Or something like that. Oh! And his crush just happens to have a missing twin sister, so Rando takes her place. Perhaps not too surprisingly, there is plenty of fan service, especially in the first few volumes although it does carry through the entire series. Narrative-wise, Pretty Face is very episodic and somewhat directionless, but there were a few moments here and there that made me genuinely laugh out loud.

Cross Game, Episodes 17-22 directed by Osamu Sekita. So, I still don’t really care about baseball all that much, but I do care about the characters of Cross Game tremendously. And since they care about baseball, I find myself at least interested in what is happening and cheer them on in their efforts. I’ve been very happy with how the characters are developing. I’m particularly fond of Azuma who turns out to be much more complicated person than he initially appeared. I’m also interested in seeing where the newer characters, like Mizuki and Azuma’s older brother, go. I’ll definitely be watching more of this series even if I don’t end up picking up more of Adachi’s original manga.

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2 May 2011 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: April 25-May 1, 2011

My News and Reviews

So, last week was the Rumiko Takahashi Manga Moveable Feast. I hope you all had a good time; I know I did! I even managed to devote each of my posts last week to the Feast in one way or another. I took a quick look a several of Takahashi’s manga and anime adaptations of her work. I also posted my second in-depth manga review for April: Mermaid Saga, Volume 1. And as a reminder, April’s manga giveaway, Return of Ranma, is for the first two volumes of Ranma 1/2. The winner will be announced Wednesday, so get your entries in!

Next month’s Manga Moveable Feast will feature Mitsuru Adachi’s Cross Game. Derik Badman at The Panelists will be hosting.

Quick Takes

7 Billion Needles, Volume 1 by Nobuaki Tadano. Based on Hal Clement’s 1950 novel Needle, the first two volumes of 7 Billion Needles are currently under consideration for the 2011 Eisner Award for Best Adaptation from Another Work. I haven’t read Needle so I can’t say how 7 Billion Needles compares, but I’m always glad to see manga nominated for comics awards. I’m impressed that this is Tadano’s debut work—the artwork, characterization, and pacing of the plot in the first volume are excellent. While mostly serious in tone, there are some great moments of humor. I find it interesting that becoming a host for an alien being actually forces Hikaru to become less alienated from her classmates.

The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai. The 14th Dalai Lama isn’t a bad manga by any means, it just wasn’t as good as I was hoping it to be. It doesn’t really seem to have a strong narrative flow to me. Instead, it’s almost as if the manga is simply an illustrated time-line and listing of facts. I think I was hoping for something a little more engaging. However, I did find Saiwai’s simple art style to be very appealing. Also, kudos for the inclusion of a bibliography. The 14th Dalai Lama makes for a fine introduction to the historical events surrounding Tibet and the Dalai Lama. The manga doesn’t focus on any one aspect in depth but provides a broad overview of the situation. I could easily see this book being used as a text in a history class.

20th Century Boys, Volumes 3-6 by Naoki Urasawa. One of Urasawa’s great skills is the ability to give a reader just enough information to be able to follow the story and want to know more about what is happening without seeming to reveal anything about what is actually going on. Some plot elements stretch credibility, but the story is addictive and has great characters. I’m particularly fond of Kenji and Shogun and…well, just about everyone. What I really like about 20th Century Boys is how Urasawa plays with the manga’s chronology and the characters’ memories. The various threads are slowly being brought together and it’s fascinating to watch how the different timelines interact with one another.

Café Latte Rhapsody by Tōko Kawai. This was a sweet and sort of goofy boys’ love one shot. Not goofy as in funny, but more like cute and awkward (very awkward). I initially picked up the manga because the main character, Hajime, works in a bookstore. He has a bubbly and likeable personality. Keito, on the other hand, unintentionally scares people away until they take the time to get to know him. The two turn out to be very good for one another as they both have self esteem issues to work through. I do wonder if Keito is actually in love or if he’s just attaching himself to the first person he feels completely comfortable around. Granted, that can often be the same thing.

Mermaid Forest directed by Masaharu Okuwaki. Last week I read Rumiko Takahashi’s Mermaid Saga and fell in love with it. So I decided to track down another version of the work. It’s not quite as effective as the source material, but Mermaid Forest is a pretty good adaptation and offers some new details. The thirteen episodes (although only the first eleven were aired on television) cover all but one of the stories from Mermaid Saga. Overall, I liked the character designs but didn’t find the animation itself to be particularly notable, although it gets better as the series progresses. They did attempt to tone down some of the blood and violence, particularly in the early episodes, but the visual adjustments aren’t convincing.

The Taste of Tea directed by Katsuhito Ishii. This is such a strange and surreal film. The Taste of Tea has won quite a few awards. I probably didn’t totally get it, but I did enjoy watching it immensely. The cinematography is beautiful and the visuals are marvelous. The Haruno family is made up of some very unique and colorful individuals but they obviously love one another despite their differences. It’s often difficult to say exactly where reality starts and ends and to what extent their stories are true and what is made up. But when all is said and done, it doesn’t really matter. The film is entertaining, touching, and heartfelt. I really like the Harunos—they seem to be a family that would be fun to know in real life.

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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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1 November 2010 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: October 25-October 31, 2010

My News and Reviews

Yeah, so I had great plans for this weekend, and hardly accomplished any of them. I was going to update the Resources page, write up a review of Yumiko Shirai’s Tenken, work on my podcast post… Instead I ended up cleaning out my car before taking it to the shop, playing hours upon hours of boardgames, and reading a bunch of manga and graphic novels that were due back at the library. (Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira is really good, by the way.) So, yeah. I’ll try to catch up this week and do everything I’ve been promising to do for a while now.

My Gay for You? post from a couple weeks back is still getting quite a number of hits which makes me happy. Thank you to Brigid Alverson from MangaBlog and Alex Woolfson of Yaoi 911 (and also one of the original panelists) for helping to spread the link. I also announced the results of my second manga giveaway—Mushishi Madness Winner (congratulations again Brent!)—and posted Library Love, Part 4 which features manga that I’ve been reading from my local library.

Quick Takes

Astro Boy, Volume 3 by Osamu Tezuka. Although by now I am quite familiar with Astro Boy and Osamu Tezuka, I have actually read very little of the original manga series. I specifically picked up the third volume because it contains the story “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” which was the basis for Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto manga. Pluto is a very interesting character and antagonist; it’s hard to really call him a villain. I’m always impressed by how Tezuka, even in a manga primarily aimed at kids, creates many layers to his stories. There’s a reason “The Greatest Robot on Earth” is one of the most beloved and influential Astro Boy story arcs.

Embracing Love, Volumes 4-5 by Youka Nitta. Although there are a few annoying translation problems with this series, it is still one of the best yaoi manga that I’ve read. I adore reversible couples, and Embracing Love is one of the few series that I know of available in English that feature one. Iwaki and Katou have settled into their relationship and are now living in a house together. Their careers are also going well—both have moved on from adult films and have been accepted by the more mainstream media. Of course, some people are more interested in how they might be able to cause strife and scandals between the two men whether for personal gain or revenge.

Futaba-kun Change, Volume 1: A Whole New You! by Hiroshi Aro. I have not laughed so hard from reading manga in a long time. The premise isn’t particularly unique—Futaba changes genders at inopportune moments—but Aro’s manga is hilarious. From the wrestling team captain who’s constantly overcome by emotion, to the absurdly epic nosebleeds, to serious “What the hell?” moments, there’s plenty here to love or hate. There’s also plenty that people might take offense to—incestuous overtones, pornography, less than flattering representations of people and stereotypes. So far though, the manga doesn’t take itself too seriously which is what makes it work. I know that I want to read the rest.

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volumes 1-8 by Naoki Urasawa. This was actually a reread for me—Pluto is one of my absolute favorite manga and is one of the reasons I’m so obsessed with the medium now. Urasawa, who is also one of my favorite mangaka, has taken “The Greatest Robot on Earth” and made the story and characters his own. Urasawa also makes references to many of Tezuka’s other works as well (Black Jack gets a cameo for one). Like Tezuka, Urasawa has created a tremendously layered, approachable, and emotionally authentic work. The result is fantastic and it’s not surprising that the series has won several awards and has been nominated for even more. 

Right Here, Right Now, Volume 1 by Souya Himawari. After hiding out in an abandoned temple, Mizuo finds himself whisked away to the Sengoku or Warring States period of Japan. There he is honored as the Living Buddha of the Yamako army. Takakage, one of the leaders of the army and the clan’s heir, has become quite fond of Mizuo. Mizuo also admires Takakage and misses him terribly once he returns to the present day. When he is finally able to return to the past, he finds Takakage changed and a very different person than he remembered. I quite enjoyed this first volume and appreciate that Himawari’s Feudal Japan and characters have some real conflict to deal with.

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23 August 2010 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: August 16-August 22, 2010

My News and Reviews

Obviously, my biggest news for the week was the launch of Experiments in Manga. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m very excited about it. Probably no one else really cares all that much, but it makes me happy. You can read about the release here: Announcing Experiments in Manga!

Also, the site’s search bar only seems to return results for posts published after August 18, 2010. This kinda defeats the purpose of having a search and so I’m working on getting this fixed as soon as possible. Fortunately, everything posted before August 18, 2010 can be found linked to from the Review Index.

Reviewed this past week was Miyuki Miyabe’s novel Brave Story. It’s a great story, if a bit long, with a very good translation from Alexander O. Smith. I also talked a bit about my 365 Days of Manga Loot. The contest is still running, so if you live in the United States you should go enter.

Quick Takes

20th Century Boys, Volumes 1-2 by Naoki Urasawa. Urasawa is one of my favorite mangaka so it was a no-brainer that I would pick up his most recent series to be translated into English. The plot is slowly revealed and it’s hard to know where he’s going with it, but its good. There are also some wonderful bits of nostalgia as characters reflect back on their childhood. I particularly like the character of Kenji and his design. Obviously this very normal guy is going to be caught up in whatever happens to unfold.

Gravitation Collection, Volume 5 (equivalent to Volumes 9-10) by Maki Murakami. Up until now I’ve really enjoyed the craziness that is Gravitation, but for whatever reason this volume just didn’t do it for me. The insanity is still there but it seems to have lost its originality and is knowingly repeating itself. A slew of new characters have been introduced while older characters have unfortunately been left by the wayside. The artwork is more polished than in previous volumes, but I’m not sure that necessarily is a good thing. I almost prefer the earlier, more spastic style—it fit the story.

Rin!, Volumes 1-3 written by Satoru Kannagi and illustrated by Yukine Honami. Originally intended as a single volume, the story ended up becoming three. I’m not sure if it’s because of the translation, but the first volume feels really disjointed and fragmented but the subsequent volumes improve. It’s a sweet story, more about Katsura learning to have confidence in himself than the boy/boy romance, although that’s there too. Honami’s art is lovely and her layouts are wonderful. I love kyūdō (even if I hardly know anything about it) so I like the series for that if nothing else.

Kurau: Phantom Memory, Episodes 1-9. I first learned about this anime series while perusing the TV Tropes Bifauxnen entry. It’s good science fiction with believable relationships. I have developed a huge crush on Kurau (as to be expected) and Christmas is adorably cute without being annoying. The two of them are wonderful together. It’s nice to see a competent, likeable over-twenty woman as a lead character. I’ve really liked what I’ve seen of the series so far and am looking forward to watching the rest.

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