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28 January 2013 Leave a Comment

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.

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17 December 2012 4 Comments

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.

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22 October 2012 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: October 15-October 21, 2012

My News and Reviews

Last week was apparently mountain survival week here at Experiments in Manga. I posted two reviews, both of which had something to do with life and death situations in the mountains. It wasn’t really intentional either; it just happened to work out that way. The first review was of Jirō Nitta’s historical novel Death March on Mount Hakkōda, which is about a disastrous military winter exercise known as the Hakkōda Mountains Incident that occurred in Japan in 1902. I first learned about the incident while reading Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt’s Yurei Attack!. Nitta has done his research; Death March on Mount Hakkōda is a chilling account. For my second review last week, I took a look Baku Yumemakura and Jiro Taniguchi’s The Summit of the Gods, Volume 1. The series is my favorite Taniguchi collaboration currently available in English. The artwork is phenomenal and the characters are compelling. In time, I plan to review the entire series.

This week is the Vampire Manga Moveable Feast! Anne at Chic Pixel is hosting for the very first time, so let’s all show some support. As part of my contribution to the Feast, I have a bunch of vampire manga quick takes below. Later this week, I will be posting a review of the first volume of Saiko Takaki’s manga adaptation of Vampire Hunter D. I’ll also be posting a review of the third volume of the English-language release of Yashakiden: The Demon Princess by Hideyuki Kikuchi. Although it’s not manga, Yashakiden most certainly fits in with this week’s vampire theme.

Quick Takes

Blood Sucker: Legend of Zipangu, Volumes 1-4 written by Saki Okuse and illustrated by Aki Shimizu. With vampires, organized crime, religious cults, and assassins, Blood Sucker has plenty of violent, bloody action going on. There is a plot, too, but the almost non-stop combat is more prominent. The series jumps into the middle of the action before launching into an extended flashback exploring the characters’ histories. The relationship between Yusuke and Kikuri does develop rather quickly, but there’s destiny and reincarnation involved so there is an excuse for the hasty progression. I actually really enjoyed Blood Sucker, so I’ll be tracking down the rest of the volumes that made it into English before Tokyopop’s demise.

Devil by Torajiro Kishi. In addition to Kishi, Madhouse Studios was involved in Devil, a full color Western-style comic created exclusively for Dark Horse. (Depending on how you want to define the term, Devil may or may not be considered manga.) Written as a four-issue mini-series, Devil is not particularly long. It’s a quick, vaguely entertaining read and the art style Kishi uses fits nicely. Set in a near future where the human race is succumbing to a virus that causes vampirism, the story follows two cops who serve on a special unit that deals with those who have been infected. The ending seems to imply that the government may have somehow been involved in the creation of the disease, but Devil isn’t long enough to explore this, so it feels like a halfhearted addition to the plot.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Volumes 13-16 by Hirohiko Araki. I can’t help it, I love this series. It’s stylish. It’s weird. It has great characters. And it’s a lot of fun. I’m sad that this is the only arc licensed in English, because I want to read more. Jotaro and the others have finally made it to Dio’s mansion in Cairo. Not much has been seen of Dio up until now, but he is one scary dude. Extremely powerful, and a vampire to boot, he has very few weaknesses. The showdown between Jotaro and Dio is fantastic—one of the greatest fight scenes that I’ve had the pleasure of reading recently. I like that the battles in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure aren’t just about brute strength; outwitting and outmaneuvering opponents is important, too. 

Pathos, Volumes 1-2 by Mika Sadahiro. Not surprisingly, two vampires taking charge of raising a human child to adulthood is not a good idea. The relationships that develop between the characters are intense and twisted. Dark passion and jealousy consume them. Pathos isn’t creepy because vampires are involved; it’s disturbing because the characters’ relationships are so unhealthy and warped. Technically Pathos is boys’ love, but it’s not at all romantic. Desire, lust, and attraction all play an important role the series, but love, despite what the characters might claim, is not to be found. Although provocative, the more intimate scenes in Pathos aren’t nearly as explicit as those in Sadahiro’s other series. Unfortunately, Pathos is plagued by plot inconsistencies.

Until the Full Moon, Volumes 1-2 by Sanami Matoh. Originally published by Broccoli Books, Until the Full Moon‘s license was rescued by Kodansha Comics and published with additional material. It’s a quirky, fairly episodic series about David, a vampire, and his cousin Marlo, a half-vampire/half-werewolf who, instead of transforming into a wolf under the full moon, changes from a man into a woman. Their parents, who may actually be the most delightfully absurd characters in the series, decide that they should be married to each other. Until the Full Moon is a short, amusing series, and I did enjoy it’s silliness, but it’s nothing spectacular. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll be following up with the sequel, @Full Moon.

Vampire Hunter D, Volumes 2-5 by by Saiko Takaki. I still haven’t read any of the novels in Hideyuki Kikuchi’s series Vampire Hunter D, but I have been following the manga adaptation to some extent. So far, each volume of the manga adapts one of volume of the original series. Other than that, I can’t say how the two series compare. For the most part, the different volumes stand alone. Except for a few minor reference to previous volumes, the eponymous D is really the only thing that ties them all together. I quite like D. He’s a dark, handsome (well, beautiful may be the more accurate term), brooding anti-hero. I also like how the series blends all sorts of elements and genres together—Western, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and more.

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3 August 2011 2 Comments

Manga Giveaway: Ghost Talker’s Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the Ghost Talker’s Giveaway is…beckafly!

As the winner, beckafly will be receiving a brand new copy of the first volume of Ghost Talker’s Daydream written by Saki Okuse, illustrated by Sankichi Meguro, and published by Dark Horse. For this giveaway we talked about manga with absurd premises. Normally, I would just refer you to the Ghost Talker’s Giveaway comments, but since there were so few entries this time around I’ve decided to include them in this post.

Now, on to some ridiculous manga!

Justin shares some thoughts on Shinji Saijyo’s Iron Wok Jan which can get pretty crazy indeed:

Ooh, this is interesting. I haven’t read too many out of bounds manga, but one that did get me was Iron Wok Jan—the amount of sheer ridiculousness of the products they get cooked (Whether it was just normal fried rice to custard soup with sheep brains), and how precise everything had to be that made it taste good, and addition to the cast of characters who are sometimes annoyingly stubborn, I was mystified yet entertained at the same time^^ Would love to see this manga in print again, but alas…

beckafly’s favorite absurd manga is X-Day by Setona Mizushiro and specifically mentions the side story “The Last Supper”:

My favorite absurd manga has to be [X-Day].There’s a side story in there where farm animals become people and are used for medicine. The actual story is kind of normal except for the blowing up the school bit.

phoenixphire24 mentions Takashi Hashiguchi’s Yakitate!! Japan. I haven’t read this one yet, but I’ve been meaning to give it a try:

My favorite ridiculous manga premise is for one of my favorite manga: Yakitate Japan. People that use their skills as bakers to fight in competitions with bread. And their bread can do crazy things to the judges, like transform them. And everything is a pun. Damn, I love that manga.

And there you have it! Some potentially absurd manga worth tracking down.

Also, a heads up: I’m thinking about moving from a monthly giveaway to a giveaway every other month. I haven’t decided yet, though. If you care one way or the other, please let me know!

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27 July 2011 4 Comments

Manga Giveaway: Ghost Talker’s Giveaway

The end of July is fast approaching, meaning it’s time for another manga giveaway! This month you all will have a chance to win a brand new copy of Saki Okuse and Sankichi Meguro’s Ghost Talker’s Daydream, Volume 1, published by Dark Horse. It’s a mature title (it even comes shrink-wrapped), so please only enter if you are over the age of eighteen! And, as always, the giveaway is open world-wide.

Occasionally, I come across a manga that has a setup that just seems so strange and bizarre that I can’t pass up the opportunity to give it a try. One such manga is Ghost Talker’s Daydream. The series features a protagonist that works as a dominatrix and a sex writer in addition to being employed as a necromancer and dealing with ghosts. Oh yeah, and she’s also an albino. Taken separately, these elements aren’t all that unusual, but put them together and they make a somewhat odd premise for a manga. I had to read it. Another manga that I had a similar reaction to after learning about it was Nanae Chrono’s Vassalord. Gay cyborg vampire working as a mercenary for the Vatican who wants to be a priest? Sign me up. Sometimes these outrageous sounding manga fail miserably while at other times the creators manage to pull off sometime fantastic and unique.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of Ghost Talker’s Daydream, Volume 1?

1) In the comments below, tell me a little about a manga, good or bad, that sounds utterly absurd and ridiculous when you try to describe it to someone (and that hasn’t been mentioned yet.)
2) 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).

You may earn up to two entries for this giveaway and there’s only one week to get your comments in. If you have trouble leaving comments, feel free to e-mail me at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll make sure they get posted. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on August 3, 2011.

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: Ghost Talker’s Giveaway Winner

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