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8 July 2013 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: July 1-July 7, 2013

My News and Reviews

Well, I made it back from the American Library Association conference in Chicago and then promptly left to visit my family in Chicago for a few days. I was busy for most of June and the first part of July traveling from one place to another, so I’m looking forward to staying put for a little while. Even though I was all over the place last week, I did post a few things here at Experiments in Manga. First up was the announcement of the Dystopian Duo Winner. The post also includes a select list of dystopian manga that has been licensed in English. Next up was the Bookshelf Overload for June. And finally, I reviewed Sankarea: Undying Love, Volume 1 by Mitsuru Hattori, which is a weird romantic comedy and a rather unusual take on zombies. Coming next week is July’s Manga Moveable Feast which will feature the works of Yun Kouga. Melinda has posted the call for participation with more information over at Manga Bookshelf. For my contribution to the Feast, I plan on reviewing the first omnibus volume in Viz Media’s new release of Loveless.

Because I’ve been traveling I’m sure that I’ve missed all sorts of news, but I did manage to catch a few things. Sparkler Monthly, the digital multimedia magazine from Chromatic Press, has launched its website. Tokyopop and Rightstuf will be releasing the fourth and fifth volumes of Hidekaz Himaruya’s Hetalia manga this year. Digital Manga is teaming up with Tezuka Pro to publish all of Osamu Tezuka’s manga in English, focusing on digital releases with the possibility of some print releases. Vertical announced its licensing of Moyoco Anno’s autobiographical manga Insufficient Direction, which focuses on the mangaka’s relationship with her husband Hideaki Anno (of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame.) Earlier this year I hosted the Moyoco Anno Manga Moveable Feast, so I’m particularly excited for this license. Also, Viz made quite a few announcements, including the fact that it will be bringing Rumiko Takahashi’s manga Ranma 1/2 back into print in an unflipped, omnibus edition. I already own the entire series and probably won’t be double-dipping, but it’s exciting nonetheless. If I’ve missed any other recent manga news that you think I shouldn’t overlook, please do let me know!

Quick Takes

Junjo Romantica, Volume 7-12 by Shungiku Nakamura. In Japan, Junjo Romantica is currently an ongoing series. However, only the first twelve volumes were released in English. My opinion of the series hasn’t really changed much since the first six volumes. My favorite couple/story by far is still Egoist. Unfortunately, they don’t make as many appearances as I would like in these volumes. I’ve grown weary of the Romantica pairing—despite the progression in the plot, the characters barely see any development and I frequently feel that I’m reading the same material over and over. I do find Junjo Romantica amusing from time to time, but I’m not nearly as enamored with the series as many other people seem to be.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volumes 3-4 by Naoko Takeuchi. These two volumes of Sailor Moon close one story arc (The Dark Kingdom Arc) and begin another (The Black Moon Arc). Takeuchi tends to move things along pretty quickly. As a result, it can occasionally be a little difficult to follow the story. Often, things just happen because they need to happen and they aren’t always fully explained. Sometimes, the story elements don’t even make much sense. But even so, I do find Sailor Moon to be an enjoyable manga. I particularly like that it’s the young women in the series who are so powerful and that while they’re strong they’re not perfect. I’ve seen the story of the prince saving the princess so many times that it’s wonderfully refreshing to see their positions switched.

Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Utsubora, but the manga is marvelous. Both the artwork and the story are just a little disconcerting and unsettling. Utsubora is layered, dark, arresting, and sensual. I loved it. The manga begins with a young woman plummeting from a building to her death. Only two people are in her cell phone’s contact list: the famed author Shun Mizorogi and a woman claiming to be her twin sister. From there the story twists and turns, the apparent suicide somehow connected to Mizorogi’s most recent work. I sincerely hope that Utsubora does well; I would love to see more of Nakamura’s manga available in English.

Paradise Kiss directed by Osamu Kobayashi. The Paradise Kiss anime is a fairly straightforward and trimmed adaptation of Ai Yazawa’s original manga. Some of the story’s depth is missing and some of the details have been glossed over, but all of the most important aspects of the plot and character development are successfully included within twelve episodes. Although I do prefer the manga and found it to be more emotionally persuasive, overall the anime is really quite excellent. Unfortunately, the Region 1 DVDs are currently out of print and a little difficult to track down, but they’re definitely worth keeping an eye out for. The animation in Paradise Kiss is consistently great and the character designs are lovely—the eyes in particular are captivating.

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18 March 2013 3 Comments

My Week in Manga: March 11-March 17, 2013

My News and Reviews

Two reviews for you all this past week! First up was my review of Edogawa Rampo’s novella Strange Tale of Panorama Island. I enjoyed it quite a bit and am now even more excited for the release of Suehiro Maruo’s manga adaptation of the story, which looks like it will actually be published this year. (I’ve been waiting since 2009.) The second review posted was my monthly Blade of the Immortal review—Blade of the Immortal, Volume 19: Badger Hole. In this volume the women of the series get a moment to shine before the introduction of a new character diverts readers’ attention.

The biggest manga news from last week is that the digital manga service JManga will be shutting down. JManga7 is already gone, but more information regarding JManga’s closure (termination schedule, refunds, FAQs, etc.) can be found here. I personally never got around to using JManga (I still have plenty of print manga keeping me busy), but I am still sad to see the service go.

In happier news, Kuriousity takes a quick look at a couple of One Peace Books’ upcoming manga: Black Bard and Smuggler. Smuggler was previously published by Tokyopop, but Black Bard is a new English license. I’m actually somewhat interested in both titles, but especially in Black Bard since it will be an omnibus release and has a music connection, too. Over at All About Manga, Daniella Orihuela-Gruber takes on a 30 Day Yaoi Challenge. Check out the first post/review to learn more about the project and what’s in store for Daniella and All About Manga readers.

Quick Takes

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, Omnibus 2 written by Satoru Akahori and illustrated by Yukimaru Katsura. Hazumu is still trying to get used to being a girl, but in the second omnibus she has even more pressing concerns to deal with. While I vaguely enjoyed reading Kashimashi, it hasn’t really left much of an impression. As strange and original as Kashimashi tries to be, it ends up feeling very derivative. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not, but Yasuna (one of the love interests) reminds me a lot of Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura in both character design and personality. Seven Seas also made the bizarre decision to include the translation notes for the entire series in the second omnibus.

Paradise Kiss, Part 3 by Ai Yazawa. I continue to be impressed by the characterizations and complicated relationships found in Yazawa’s manga. Her characters come complete with flaws and are much more interesting because of it. In Paradise Kiss I was particularly pleased to see Yukari’s development and growth as a person. In the beginning, she frequently annoyed me, but as she matures I found her to be a more sympathetic character. Part 3 of the series also spends a little bit of time exploring Isabella’s backstory, which made me happy. (This also includes seeing George as a dapper young boy.) I was very satisfied with the ending of Paradise Kiss. It might not be the happily ever after that some readers hope for, but I think it was the right one and true to the characters.

Solanin by Inio Asano. In the afterword, Asano describes the characters of Solanin as “just your average 20-somethings,” with nothing particularly noteworthy about them. Meiko is a recent graduate who hates her office lady job. And so she quits, even though her savings won’t last that long. Her live-in boyfriend Naruo is faced with a similar dilemma: he doesn’t mind his job as an illustrator, but he would be much happier if his band could make it big. Searching for their place in the world, Meiko, Naruo, and their friends aren’t quite ready to become adults. Solanin is largely a melancholic work, but it has just the right touch of humor and hope to keep the manga from becoming too depressing.

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai by Stan Sakai. In 2009, Sakai celebrated the 25th anniversary of his marvelous series Usagi Yojimbo. As part of that celebration, Yokai was published as a standalone graphic novel. Although Yokai is written in such a way that newcomers to the series can approach it, established fans will probably appreciate it more. Fans of yokai will also get a kick out of the volume as Usagi encounters a fair number of yokai before the story is through. Which, considering the title, probably isn’t that surprising. What sets Yokai apart from the rest of Usagi Yojimbo is that it is Sakai’s first story to be completely hand-painted in watercolor. The volume also includes a nice interview with Sakai discussing a little about yokai the creation of the work.

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31 December 2012 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: December 24-December 30, 2012

My New and Reviews

Last week was the last full week of the year! I’m looking forward to what 2013 might bring. Today ends the Hikaru no Go/Game Manga Manga Moveable Feast. I had two contributions for the Feast this time around. Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata’s Hikaru no Go is a fantastic series; I was excited to see it selected for the Feast. For my first contribution, I reviewed the first volume of Hikaru no Go. Keeping with the Feast’s game theme, I also posted some random musings on mahjong manga. I love mahjong, and it’s very unlikely any mahjong manga will be licensed in English, but references to the game can be found all over the place in manga. Not related to the Manga Moveable Feast but also posted last week was the final manga giveaway for the year. There’s still time to enter for a chance to win the first volume of Saki Hiwatari’s shoujo science fiction epic Please Save My Earth!

I was also saddened to learn last week that Keiji Nakazawa, survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and creator of Barefoot Gen, passed away from lung cancer at the age of 73. In the past, I reviewed both the first volume of Barefoot Gen and Nakazawa’s autobiography Hiroshima: The Autobiography of Barefoot Gen. Jonathan Clements also recently reprinted his interview with Nakazawa from a few years ago. Nakazawa and his work will be missed.

Quick Takes

Blood Lad, Omnibus 1 (equivalent to Volumes 1-2) by Yuuki Kodama. I wasn’t planning on reading Blood Lad, but I recently heard some good things about the series. For the most part, Blood Lad was a lot of fun. But it’s a pity that the plot hinges on what is probably the weakest element in the entire manga—Yanagi Fuyumi, a human girl who’s fallen into the demon world. Unfortunately, she’s all boobs and no personality. But I do like the rest of the characters, particularly Staz, a vampire who’s obsessed with human, and specifically Japanese, pop culture. I was a little surprised that Blood Lad is a seinen series; it feels more like shounen to me. I’m not in a rush to pick up the next omnibus, but I certainly wouldn’t turn it away, either.

Blue Spring by Taiyo Matsumoto. I sought out Blue Spring specifically for the story “Mahjong Summer,” but I also happen to be a fan of Matsumoto’s work in general. I really liked this collection of loosely related stories about the delinquent, disillusioned, and apathetic students of Kitano High School. The teachers don’t care about what’s going on at the school and the students care even less. They are bored with school and life and seek out ways to occupy themselves before entering adulthood: playing dangerous games, getting involved with gangs and yakuza, showing off and talking shit, and so on. The school itself is rundown and covered with graffiti both inside and out. There’s a touch of the surreal to Blue Spring which is one of the things that makes the manga work so well.

Paradise Kiss, Parts 1-2 by Ai Yazawa. I don’t have a particular interest in fashion which is one of the reasons I haven’t picked up Paradise Kiss until now. It really is a shame I took so long because the series is fantastic. Yazawa excels at writing characters. They all have their histories and faults. They’re not always likeable, but they always come across as real people. I’m particularly fascinated by George in Paradise Kiss. He’s a hard person to read, and there’s a reason for that. He’s manipulative and a bit twisted, but he’s been damaged and hurt in the past, too. After reading part of Nana and now first two-thirds of Paradise Kiss, I am extremely impressed by Yazawa’s work; she is a phenomenal creator.

The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy by Youka Nitta. Embracing Love is one of my favorite boys’ love series, and so I was looking forward to trying another work by Nitta. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I was particularly impressed by The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy. Although I liked the story’s setup—two diplomats navigating their affair and liaisons, taking both personal and political risks in order to do so—I ended up fairly bored with the manga as a whole. And, except for a few brief moments, I wasn’t really feeling any chemistry between the two men, either. Apparently, The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy is the beginning of a series; there’s at least one more volume, but it doesn’t appear to have been licensed in English.

Hikaru no Go, Episodes 1-15 directed by Shin Nishizawa. I love the Hikaru no Go manga, but up until now haven’t seen any of the anime adaptation. I’m enjoying the anime, but the manga is definitely the superior of the two. The art and pacing of the story are better in the manga and the anime isn’t as forgiving if you don’t already understand go. Granted, the anime does teach a little more about the game than the manga does. It even includes short go lessons with professional player Yukari Umezawa (who was also the supervisor for the manga) at the end of each episode. Sai seems to have lost much of his cute side, which made me a little sad; his serious nature is more prominent in the anime.

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