My Week in Manga: January 21-January 27, 2013

My News and Reviews

Last week was a very busy week here at Experiments in Manga—I was the host of the Moyoco Anno Manga Moveable Feast. For an overview of the Feast, you can check out the Roundup One, Roundup Two, Roundup Three, and A Final Farewell posts. In addition to my hosting duties, I also wrote a bunch of reviews: Happy Mania, Volume 1, Flowers & Bees, Volume 1, Sakuran: Blossoms Wild, Sugar Sugar Rune, Volume 1, and Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators. Not as many people turned out for this Feast as turned out for the Usamaru Furuya Manga Moveable Feast last year, but there were still some fabulous contributions. Thank you everyone for helping to make the Feast a success! I had a good time and hope others enjoyed it as well.

Vertical has opened it’s Winter 2013 Survey, looking for licensing suggestions and asking about fans’ buying habits and what they would like to see from Vertical in the future. Vertical followed this up with a post about the Early Survey Results, ending with the comment “Oh and remember this isn’t a popularity contest. The higher a title ranks, the more likely we will not be able to license it (various reasons).” Otaku Champloo’s Khursten wrote a great response looking at what some of those reasons might be and Vertical later expounded on the subject as well.

In other manga news, PictureBox has revealed the first two books in its new Ten-Cent Manga series: Shigeru Sugiura’s The Last of the Mohicans (which I already have preordered) and Osamu Tezuka’s The Mysterious Underground Men. I’m very excited to see more classic manga being translated into English, though I’ll admit that I’m getting a little burned out on Tezuka as brilliant as he can be.

Over at The Hooded Utilitarian, Ng Suat Tong takes a look at the recent release of Moto Hagio’s The Heart of Thomas and isn’t impressed—Heart of Thomas, Heart of Tedium. Although some of the points Tong makes are good ones, I don’t personally agree with all of them. However, I do think it’s valuable to consider the opinions, criticisms, and perspectives of others. Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith also took a look at The Heart of Thomas for Manga Bookshelf’s BL Bookrack feature. Their response to the work is closer to mine, but I hope to post my own review of The Heart of Thomas sometime in the near future.

Quick Takes

Kaoru Mori: Anything and Something by Kaoru Mori. This is a rather odd collection celebrating the ten years of Mori’s work since the debut of her series Emma. The volume feels like one giant omake, and in part that’s exactly what it is. There are a few delightful stand-alone short manga included, but about half of the volume is devoted to bonus materials and illustrations. The volume will particularly appeal to fans of Emma. If there’s one thing that this collection does it gets my hopes up that Yen might consider rescuing the license for Emma—I’d love to see a that series get the same deluxe treatment that this and A Bride’s Story has received—but there’s been no official news on that front.

Please Save My Earth, Volumes 15-21 by Saki Hiwatari. At last, I have finished Hiwatari’s shoujo science fiction epic Please Save My Earth. It did feel a little long and directionless in places, but I was very satisfied with how Hiwatari pulls everything together in the end. Overall, I really loved the series. In part, these final volumes explore Mokuren’s backstory and show previously established events from her perspective. This is certainly important, but I find the storyline that takes place in the present—how the characters are now dealing with their past lives as they are interfering with their current ones—much more compelling. By the end of Please Save My Earth the past, present, and future all collide in an exciting, action-packed finale which is followed by a quieter epilogue.

A Strange and Mystifying Story, Volumes 2-3 by Tsuta Suzuki. The first volume of A Strange and Mystifying Story felt a lot like a one-shot, but it ended up growing into a seven volume series. Unfortunately, only the first three volumes have been licensed in English so far. Personally, I’d love to see more. I enjoy the manga’s supernatural elements and Suzuki’s artwork. The second volume fills in some of Setsu’s history and his relationship with Aki. Much of the third volume focuses on the developing relationship between Tetsu and Kei (who stole the show in the first volume despite being a side character) which made me very happy. It’s the sweetest, most awkward romance that I’ve read in a while and I loved it.

Twilight of the Dark Master by Saki Okuse. I honestly don’t remember why I picked up this one-shot horror manga, though I must have had some reason. Perhaps it was because I had previously read Okuse’s other manga in English: Ghost Talker’s Daydream and Blood Sucker: Legend of Zipangu. I can’t say that I enjoyed Twilight of the Dark Master much at all. Reading it feels like being thrown into the middle of a larger, more complex story without any explanation. There might have been a coherent plot in Twilight of the Dark Master somewhere—something to do with oni, drugs, and organized crime maybe?—but I couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. Reading the author’s notes, it doesn’t seem as though Okuse thought the manga was very good either.

Toriko, Episodes 1-13 directed by Akifumi Zako. I read and enjoyed the first few volumes of the Toriko manga, but I’m only now getting around to checking out the anime adaptation. It’s pretty great. Although some vegetarians and vegans may want to proceed with caution: at its heart, this is a show about battling, killing, and eating monstrous creatures and other extreme foods. Toriko is a highly skilled and sought after Gourmet Hunter who risks his life pursuing dangerous ingredients. He’s a marvelous character—a powerful, muscular fighter with a childlike delight in food and an immense respect for life. Toriko is outrageous and a lot of fun with great, ridiculous battles; I’m enjoying it immensely.

My Week in Manga: December 31, 2012-January 6, 2013

My News and Reviews

Probably the most important thing to take away from Experiments in Manga last week is the fact that I will be hosting January’s Manga Moveable Feast! This month, from January 20 through January 26, we will be focusing on the work of Moyoco Anno. I’d love to have as many people contribute to the Feast as possible, so please do check out the Call for Participation and the Archive.

Also announced at Experiments in Manga last week was the Shoujo Science Fiction giveaway winner. The post also includes a list of shoujo manga with science fiction elements that have been licensed in English. I revealed the ridiculous amounts of manga and anime I managed to acquire last month in December 2012’s Bookshelf Overload. Finally, I posted the first in-depth manga review of 2013! The honor goes to Ryo Hanada’s Good-bye Geist from Gen Manga. Even though some of the storytelling is a little awkward, I’m actually quite fond of Good-bye Geist as a whole.

Robot 6 posted quite a few previews and exclusives over this past week, including Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro from Drawn and Quarterly (which I’m looking forward to and already have preordered), Inio Asano’s Nijigahara Holograph from Fantagraphics (which looks amazing; I’ll definitely be ordering it), and the Western comics adaptation of Cyborg 009 from Archaia (which could either be great or go horribly wrong).

Elsewhere online, Noah Berlatsky of The Hooded Utilitarian wrote a great article on Moto Hagio’s The Heart of Thomas for The AtlanticThe Gay Teen-Boy Romance Comic Beloved by Women in Japan (Noah didn’t get to choose the article title). This led me back to an article I had forgotten about at The Hooded Utilitatraoin from a few years ago by J. R. Brown—1000 Years of Pretty Boys. Last week’s Jason Thompson’s House of 1000 Manga was particularly interesting, looking at The Greatest Manga Censorship Fails. Finally, I was recently reminded that The Golden Ani-Versary of Anime project has started. A group of anime bloggers are tackling anime’s timeline and devoting at least one post to each year beginning with 1963.

Quick Takes

Bad Teacher’s Equation, Volume 1 by Kazuma Kodaka. After reading the first volume of Bad Teacher’s Equation, I’m not entirely convinced that Kodaka knew what she was doing with the series at first. It also feels a bit dated, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bad Teacher’s Equation is boys’ love with shounen influences. There’s a lot going on that doesn’t quite mesh yet—delinquents, basketball, car chases, cross-dressers, host/ess clubs, fujoshi, awkward relationships, etc. But despite it’s random goofiness, or maybe because of it, I actually really enjoyed the first volume of Bad Teacher’s Equation. I’ve heard that the manga gets much better from here, so I’ll definitely be checking out more of the series.

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Volumes 1-4 by Tohru Fujisawa. It’s been a few years since I read Fujisawa’s original Great Teacher Onizuka manga, but I do remember enjoying it. Fujisawa isn’t really doing anything new or different with 14 Days in Shonan. The artwork might be a bit more polished and the supporting characters and location have changed, but Onizuka is still Onizuka. There are plenty of other parallels to the original series, too. 14 Days in Shonan takes place in the middle of Great Teacher Onizuka, during the summer vacation after Onizuka was shot by fellow teacher Teshigawara. 14 Days in Shonan is fairly easy to jump into even if you haven’t read the original manga. The story and characters are still outrageous, over-the-top, and highly entertaining.

Please Save My Earth, Volumes 8-14 by Saki Hiwatari. I am still loving this series. These few volumes spend quite a bit of time delving into Shion’s backstory. He’s an extremely tragic character. His past has twisted him so much as a person that, while it is easy to feel sympathy for him, it’s difficult to actually like him. As fascinating as Rin and the rest of the characters’ past live are, it’s how they are dealing with those memories and leftover feelings in their current lives that I find particularly engaging. Their past lives are causing more and more trouble for them. The story of Please Save My Earth has become increasingly complicated and involved; I’m very curious to see how Hiwatari will bring things to a close.

Uzomuzo edited by Adam Pasion. Uzomuzo is a comics collective based in Nagoya, Japan made up of a group of international creators. The Uzomuzo book came about as a result of a Kickstarter project. Included in the collection are twelve hour comics, short stories, jam comics, and Kickstarter commissions. Most of the book is in English, but there is some untranslated Japanese as well. The contributors to Uzomuzo originally hail from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Uzomuzo is an interesting and somewhat curious collection of alternative and experimental comics and manga. I was particularly intrigued by the improvisational jam comics in which a different artist was responsible for each panel, riffing off of whatever came before.

King of Thorn directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama. Although I quite enjoyed Yuji Iwahara’s King of Thorn manga series, I do remember it being somewhat convoluted. The animated film adaptation is no less bewildering. In fact, it may even be more so. The film and the manga start out very similarly, but by the end they’ve gone in different directions. The pacing of the film seemed a little awkward. In the beginning, it’s almost tortuously slow, so the ending ends up having to be rushed in order to fit all of the plot twists in. Ultimately, I wasn’t always entirely sure what was going on, but there were some nice action sequences and the animation was pretty good, too. I do prefer the manga, though.

Manga Giveaway: Shoujo Science Fiction Winner

And the winner of the Shoujo Science Fiction manga giveaway is…Helen!

As the winner, Helen (who also runs the great reviews blog Narrative Investigations) will be receiving a new copy of the first volume of Saki Hiwatari’s shoujo science fiction epic Please Save My Earth. I love science fiction and have a particular fondness for shoujo science fiction, especially “old-school” manga. For this giveaway, I asked entrants to tell me about their favorite shoujo science fiction manga. For all of the responses, please check out the Shoujo Science Fiction giveaway comments. And as is often the case, here’s a list of manga!

Shoujo licensed in English with science fiction elements:
A, A’ by Moto Hagio
A.I. Revolution by Yuu Asami
Absolute Boyfriend by Yuu Watase
Aqua by Kozue Amano
Be with You written by Takuji Ichikawa, illustrated by Sai Kawashima
Ceres: Celestial Legend by Yuu Watase
Chicago by Yumi Tamura
Clover by CLAMP
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, illustrated by Majiko
Corrector Yui by Keiko Okamoto
Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star by Cain Kuga
Darkside Blues written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, illustrated by Yuuho Ashibe
Demon Sacred by Natsumi Itsuki
A Drunken Dream and Other Stories by Moto Hagio
Earthian by Yun Kouga
The Empty Empire by Naoe Kita
Four Shōjo Stories by Keiko Nishi, Moto Hagio, and Shio Sato
Guru Guru Pon-chan by Satomi Ikezawa
Hands Off! by Kasane Katsumoto
Himeyuka & Rozione’s Story by Sumomo Yumeka
Heroes Are Extinct!! by Ryoji Hido
Immortal Rain by Kaori Ozaki
Jyu-Oh-Sei by Natsumi Itsuki
Kamui by Shingo Nanami
Karakuri Odette by Julietta Suzuki
Library Wars: Love & War by Kiiro Yumi
Mikansei No. 1 by Majiko
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days by Fumino Hayashi
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse by Mingming
Please Save My Earth by Saki Hiwatari
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi
Replica by Kemuri Karakara
They Were Eleven by Moto Hagio
Tokyo Mew Mew written by Reiko Yoshida, illustrated by Mia Ikumi
Tower of the Future by Saki Hiwatari
Trinity Blood by Kiyo Kyujyo
Twilight of the Dark Master by Saki Okuse
Vassalord by Nanae Chrono

I was saddened and a little surprised to see how many of these are now out of print, but there’s still plenty of manga here that’s worth tracking down even if it’s difficult to find. Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway; I hope to see you again for the next one!

Manga Giveaway: Shoujo Science Fiction (Please Save My Earth)

The end of the December approaches, as does the end of the year (although it looks like we avoided the end of the world), so it’s time for Experiments in Manga’s final manga giveaway of 2012! This month you will have the chance to win a new copy of the first volume of Saki Hiwatari’s shoujo science fiction epic Please Save My Earth. As always, the contest is open worldwide!

When I was younger, I was constantly reading science fiction. Now that I’m older I read a bit more broadly when it comes to genre, but I still love science fiction. It’s probably not too surprising that my love of science fiction impacts my manga reading as well. I’ve discovered that I have a particular fondness for shoujo science fiction. In the United States, young adult science fiction is generally aimed towards young men. I think it’s marvelous that science fiction intended for young women, in this case shoujo manga, exists and has been translated. When it comes to shoujo science fiction, I personally love the classic manga by Moto Hagio and Keiko Takemiya. (Granted, both of the works by Takemiya that are currently available in English are technically shounen.) But I do enjoy more contemporary works as well. What I particularly like about the shoujo science fiction manga that I have read is the focus given to character development within the context of the stories.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of Please Save My Earth, Volume 1?

1) In the comments below, tell me about your favorite shoujo manga with science fiction themes. If you don’t have one, or you’ve never read shoujo science fiction manga, just mention that.
2) For a second entry, simply name a shoujo science fiction manga that hasn’t been mentioned yet by me or someone else.
3) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

It’s as easy as that! Each person can earn up to three entries for this giveaway. You have one week to submit your comments. If you have trouble leaving comments (Blogger sometimes has issues), or if you would prefer, you can e-mail me your entries at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com. I will then post the comment in your name. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on January 2, 2013. Best of luck, and have a fantastic new year!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address, link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced—Manga Giveaway: Shoujo Science Fiction Winner

My Week in Manga: December 10-December 16, 2012

My News and Reviews

The end of the month and the end of the year seem to be approaching very quickly. But even with the chaos which accompanies that, I posted two in-depth reviews last week. First up was my review for The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind by Fuyumi Ono. I’m really enjoying the series; I’ll definitely be reading (and reviewing) the rest of the novels that were translated into English before Tokyopop’s implosion. I also reviewed Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal, Volume 16: Shortcut. My Blade of the Immortal review project is steadily progressing. At the rate the series is being published in English, I should be caught up in less than a year. Next week, beginning on December 26, is this month’s Manga Moveable Feast. This Feast will be focusing on Hikaru no Go and other game manga. I have a couple of things in mind that I’m working on, including a review of the first volume of Hikaru no Go. Elsewhere online, Comics Alliance has a fabulous introduction to the work of Shotaro Ishinomori—Shotaro Ishinomori Is A Big Deal: An Action-Packed Primer For New Readers.

Quick Takes

Blood Sucker: Legend of Zipangu, Volumes 5-7 written by Saki Okuse and illustrated by Aki Shimizu. I enjoyed the first four volumes of Blood Sucker and so was looking forward to reading more. The long, multi-volume flashback finally comes to an end with volume five. I’ll admit, I found the earlier volumes more compelling. It seems like important plot points and developments were either forgotten or lost along the way. But I still like Blood Sucker. It’s quickly paced and packed with gory action. The artwork is good, too, but occasionally difficult to follow during fights. Only seven of the twelve volumes of Blood Sucker were published in English, but it’s still probably worth tracking down for fans of vampires or action-horror.

Fist of the Blue Sky, Volumes 1-4 written by Nobuhiko Horie and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. Fist of the Blue Sky is a prequel to Fist of the North Star. The protagonist, Kenshiro Kasumi, is the uncle and namesake of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star. The two series are vaguely similar in tone with over-the-top scenarios, gang warfare, and fantastical martial arts, except that Fist of the Blue Sky largely takes place in Shanghai in the 1930s instead of in a post-apocalyptic world. Kenshiro has a sort of Indian Jones vibe going on at the beginning, but that seems to be quickly left behind as the series progresses. Fist of the Blue Sky ended in Japan with twenty-two volumes, four of which were released in English before Raijin folded.

Please Save My Earth, Volumes 1-7 by Saki Hiwatari. So far, I’m loving Please Save My Earth, the shoujo science fiction epic. Seven students in Japan discover that they are the reincarnations of seven alien researchers who died on the moon. This might seem like a silly premise for a story, but the manga is actually very engrossing. At first the students are fascinated and excited about their shared history, but slowly the guilt, memories, and emotions from their past lives begin to intrude upon their current lives, causing all sorts of difficulties for them. Sometime, the results are tragic. The artwork is a little rough at first, but steadily improves. I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Seven Days: Friday-Sunday written by Venio Tachibana and illustrated by Rihito Takarai. Seven Days is an absolutely beautiful story; I enjoyed it immensely. Because I loved the manga so much, a part of me wishes that there was more—it’s only two volumes long—but another part of me is completely satisfied. Seven Days is a fairly quiet and somewhat melancholy manga. In the first volume, Shino asked Seryou out almost accidentally. It was a joke and he certainly didn’t expect him to say yes. They’re only guaranteed to date for one week, and now that that one week is drawing to a close, both of them are conflicted. They’ve gotten to know each other better and neither one of them wants their relationship to end, but it can’t continue on like it has been, either.

Black Lagoon, Episodes 1-12 directed by Sunao Katabuchi. I was late to the Black Lagoon anime party and so missed out on the series’ initial release, which is why I’m so glad that both seasons are now available on DVD again. At this point, I think that I still slightly prefer the manga, but the anime adaptation is great. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the animation and sound design. Black Lagoon is a lot of fun, with violent and foul-mouthed protagonists, plenty of explosions and gun battles, and a dark sense of humor. I don’t find it to be particularly compelling as a story, but it is highly entertaining. I’m really enjoying watching the series.