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Home Archives for Shizumu Watanabe
Ash Brown 29 August 2016 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: August 22-August 28, 2016

My News and Reviews

A new review was posted last week at Experiments in Manga! I’ve been meaning to get around to it since the book was first released back in February, but I’ve finally written up my thoughts on Know What You Want, written by Lianne Sentar. It’s a collection of short, sexually-charged side stories related to Tokyo Demons which is a series that I absolutely love. Reading Know What You Want isn’t necessary to understand the main series, but it does provide more character development, worldbuilding, and background information. Also, like Tokyo Demons proper, the stories can often be heartwrenching.

As for other interesting things found online: Two Tsutomu Nihei interviews were recently posted, one from Brigid Alverson for Barnes & Noble and one from Deb Aoki for Anime News Network. Taiyo Nakashima has a write up of a dialogue between Tetsuo Hara and Kentaro Miura for the Silent Manga Audition website. Publishers Weekly’s podcast More to Come recently featured Frederik L. Schodt discussing Osamu Tezuka. The second episode of the Translator Tea Time podcast is now available. Also at The OASG, eleven translators of anime and manga answer how they learned Japanese.

Quick Takes

Fantasy Sports, Volume 2: The Bandit of Barbel BayFantasy Sports, Volume 2: The Bandit of Barbel Bay by Sam Bosma. I adored the first volume of Fantasy Sports. While I was looking forward to the next volume, I was also a little afraid that it wouldn’t live up to expectations. Happily, The Bandit of Barbel Bay is just as good as the first Fantasy Sports. I actually may have somehow enjoyed it even more. After defeating an ancient mummy in an epic game of basketball in order to secure an impressive amount of treasure, Wiz and Mug are trying to return to the pyramid of the Order of Mages when they end up robbed and stranded in Barbel Bay. This time they will have to win an ultimate volleyball tournament if they want to escape with the treasure and their lives. All goes well until they must face the champions of Barbel Bay, a pair of twins with godlike powers who rule the court. The story definitely has its fair share of silliness, but there’s also something sinister about the Order of Mages that is slowly being revealed. The Bandit of Barbel Bay is fantastic. Bosma’s artwork and colors are great; the characters are wonderful (the twins in particular are highly entertaining); the comic’s sense of humor is marvelous. Fantasy Sports is an absolute delight and incredibly charming; I can’t wait for the next volume to be released!

Livingstone, Volume 3Livingstone, Volume 3 written by Tomohiro Maekawa and illustrated by Jinsei Kataoka. For the most part, Livingstone continues to be a largely episodic manga. However, there is also an underlying story about Amano and the truth behind his existence that seems to be taking some precedence. Livingstone is apparently only four volumes (for some reason I thought it was longer than that), so I suspect that the fourth volume will largely be devoted to Amano. I was actually a little surprised by some of the recent developments in Livingstone and their implications–either I completely misunderstood some of the worldbuilding in the series or the creators have completely changed what they originally established. Either way, while the ambiguity is a little frustrating, overall I do find the series interesting. The individual stories, all of which deal with death in some way, range from uplifting to depressing although the series does have comedic undertones. Kataoka’s artwork fits the tone of the series well, creating a vaguely unsettling and disconcerting atmosphere while still managing to convey the humor. (One of primary reasons I was interested in Livingstone to begin with was actually because of Kataoka’s involvement.) Livingstone is a kind of a strange and uneven manga, but I’m still curious enough to want to see how it concludes.

Real Account, Volume 3Real Account, Volume 3 written by Okushou and illustrated by Shizumu Watanabe. The end of the second volume of Real Account included a major revelation about Ataru and ended with a pretty major twist on top of that. Not everything thing has been explained yet about that particular development, but the third volume abandons Ataru entirely to follow a new lead, Yuma. The creators do mention that Ataru isn’t completely gone from the series, but he doesn’t make even a token appearance in the third volume. Yuma is understandably similar to Ataru in many key ways, but the sudden shift in protagonists doesn’t work especially well. Despite knowing a fair amount of Yuma’s backstory before the volume begins, readers aren’t given much opportunity to really empathize with him before he’s thrown into the same life-or-death game as Ataru. And while I understand why the series is emphasizing how alike Yuma and Ataru are, the first chapter of the third volume feels extremely repetitive. For those reasons, I didn’t enjoy this particular installment of the series as much as the two that came before, but the series is still intriguing and the social media-inspired games are clever (though I did feel a bit cheated by some of their solutions). And I did appreciate that the third volume showed more of what is happening outside of Real Account, too.

Filed Under: Features, My Week in Manga Tagged: Comics, Fantasy Sports, Jinsei Kataoka, Livingstone, Manga, Okushou, Real Account, Sam Bosma, Shizumu Watanabe, Tomohiro Maekawa
Ash Brown 18 July 2016 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: July 11-July 17, 2016

My News and Reviews

I finally did it! I actually managed to finish a longer, in-depth feature. The first since I announced the need to scale back on my blogging. It’s been about a month, the last in-depth post being my review of Yui Sakuma’s Complex Age, Volume 1. (Which I suppose thematically may have been oddly appropriate.) Anyway! Last week I posted a new Adaptation Adventures feature, this time focusing on the Mushishi manga, anime adaptations, and live-action film. I actually really enjoy writing these longer non-review features, so it made me very happy to be able to post a new one! The Mushishi Adaptation Adventures post is part of my (at one point monthly) horror manga review project. There’s only one more review to go, the final volume in Setona Mizushiro’s After School Nightmare, and then I’ll be able to bring the project to a close, so I’ll likely be focusing on that for my next in-depth post.

Elsewhere online, last week I came across a few interesting interviews: Oprainfall has a brief interview with Naoshi Arakawa, the creator of Your Lie in April, from Anime Expo. Crunchyroll posted an interview with Reo Kurosu, the producer of the newest Berserk anime adaptation, also from Anime Expo. And over at Okazu, Takarazuka Week begins with an interview with Ako Dachs, a former troupe member. Also, though not an interview, there is a free online course from Keio University that looks incredibly interesting: Japanese Culture through Rare Books. The class just started today, so there’s still time to register!

Quick Takes

Franken Fran, Omnibus 2Franken Fran, Omnibus 2 (equivalent to Volumes 3-4) by Katsuhisa Kigitsu. While I wasn’t quite as taken with the second omnibus as I was with the first, I am still enjoying Franken Fran a great deal and definitely plan on reading more of the series. It’s not nearly as fanservice-y a series as the covers might indicate, although there is still some amount of nudity and sexually charged imagery and themes. Sadly, I do know of some people who would likely enjoy the manga who are hesitant to try it simply because of the salacious nature of the cover artwork. For the most part though, Franken Fran is just good, wholesome(ish), gruesome fun. The series remains episodic, so knowing the basic premise is all that’s necessary to jump into most chapters. There’s not much character development at this point either. What Franken Fran does have is a fantastic and frequently dark sense of humor, oddly quirky yet likeable characters, and a bizarre charm. (I mean, even the Flying Spaghetti Monster makes a legitimate appearance in the second omnibus.) Franken Fran is a horror manga that’s fun and funny as well as gross and grotesque. The stories tend to be incredibly weird, but that’s also probably part of why the series is so engaging and entertaining.

Real Account, Volume 2Real Account, Volume 2 written by Okushou and illustrated by Shizumu Watanabe. I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed the first volume of Real Account, but I found that I appreciated its mix of life-or-death entertainment, psychological drama, and social commentary; I was very curious to see how the manga might develop. Real Account continues to be thought-provoking, encouraging readers to really consider the impact that social media has on individuals and society. The series isn’t especially subtle about it, though, and can be a little over-the-top and melodramatic. Online transgressions in the series can lead to someone’s literal death in Real Account, generally in a rather spectacular fashion. The series already has a huge body count and it doesn’t appear as though the rate of casualties will be slowing down any time soon. At this point the motivations and identities of the people behind it all have yet to be revealed, but the games that people are being forced to play are only becoming deadlier. The manga’s creators do go out of their way to ensure that the lead hasn’t yet killed anyone himself, but he most definitely benefits from others killing on his behalf.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Volume 5Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Volumes 5-8 by Miki Yohsikawa. Although I have been thoroughly enjoying Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, it’s been a while since I’ve actually read any of the series. These few volumes are generally playful, upbeat, and fun with plenty of kissing happening between all genders. I really like how Yamada’s circle of friends and acquaintances continues to grow without it exactly becoming a harem situation. Granted, the series’ basic premise does mean that sexual harassment occurs on a fairly regular basis. Thankfully, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches is most definitely fiction, and a comedy at that. However, if taken seriously, the occasionally forced and reluctant kisses, usually necessary for the story and played for humor, may very well be off-putting for some readers. But there’s all sorts of other silliness in Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, and the plot is progressing quite nicely, too. By the end of the eighth volume, the identities of all seven witches have been discovered. The fallout of this is unexpected and is accompanied by several plot twists and revelations. It feels as though the series’ first story arc is beginning to draw to a close; it should be interesting to see where things go from here.

Filed Under: Features, My Week in Manga Tagged: Franken Fran, Katsuhisa Kigitsu, Manga, Miki Yoshikawa, Okushou, Real Account, Shizumu Watanabe, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
Ash Brown 16 May 2016 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: May 9-May 15, 2016

My News and Reviews

Despite being in Toronto for the majority of last week for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (which I should hopefully have a write-up about soon), I still managed to post a few things here at Experiments in Manga. For those interested in what sorts of manga and other books make their way onto my shelves, April’s Bookshelf Overload is now available. The feature used to be posted fairly early on in the month, but at least for the time being it’s more likely to appear sometime in the second week as I’m following a more relaxed posting schedule. Last week I also reviewed Philip K. Dick’s award-winning novel The Man in the High Castle which explores an alternate history in which Germany and Japan won the Second World War and occupy most of what was the United States. It’s a fascinating, thought-provoking, chilling, and frankly terrifying work.

A few interesting things that I came across online last week while I wasn’t wandering around Toronto: The lead lawyer of Rokudenashiko’s legal team wrote a nice summary and explanation of the recent verdict in her obscenity trial, including the next steps that will be taken in the case. (I reviewed Rokudenashiko’s What Is Obscenity? a couple of weeks ago; the manga is excellent, and I was thrilled to have the chance to meet Rokudenashiko at TCAF.) Over at Publishers Weekly, Brigid Alverson writes about Hachette and Kadokawa’s recently announced partnership and what it means for Yen Press. Finally, Leah Zoller and Kathryn Hemmann have started to post a series of articles at The Lobster Dance based on their panel The Sparkling World of 1970s Shojo Manga, which should be fantastic.

Quick Takes

Noragami: Stray Stories, Volume 1Noragami: Stray Stories, Volume 1 by Adachitoka. Even though I have fallen behind in reading the main series, I have been enjoying Adachitoka’s Noragami. I’m apparently not the only one as the manga has been doing quite well for Kodansha, enough so that the publisher also licensed Stray Stories, a multi-volume series of Noragami side stories. For the most part, the short manga of Stray Stories don’t appear to rely on the main Noragami storyline although it is assumed that readers are at least already vaguely familiar with the manga’s characters and basic premise. So far, Stray Stories reminds me a bit of Noragami‘s earlier, more episodic nature before the series’ overarching plot began to take precedence. The short manga collected in Stray Stories also tend to be more comedic than serious, which I greatly enjoyed. The first volume was a lot of fun, and I’m glad that there will be more side stories to come. Stray Stories allows Adachitoka to expand on the world and characters of Noragami in ways that wouldn’t make sense in the main series but that are still enjoyable in their own right.

RealAccount1Real Account, Volume 1 written by Okushou and illustrated by Shizumu Watanabe. I’ll admit, I actually wasn’t expecting all that much from Real Account, so I was a little surprised by how much liked the first volume of the series even if there were a few things that didn’t quite work and even if there was at least one minor plot hole. Quite a few manga seem to have come out over the last few years with a similar basic premise in which a group of people find themselves trapped in an online environment where they must survive. If they die onlie, they will die real world as well. In the case of Real Account, that online environment is greatly influenced by social media and the users’ survival depends on them having at least one follower. The titular “Real Account” is something closely akin to Twitter with a few additional elements, like games, mixed in. Some of the deadly games those who are being held hostage are forced to play are actually quite clever and highly psychological, relying on the unpredictable nature of human relationships when self-preservation is on the line. At this point in the series it’s still unclear who is behind it all and what their motivations are, but there is definite and not particularly subtle social commentary being made.

Sense & SexualitySense & Sexuality by You Higashino. Originally released in English in print as part of Media Blaster’s Kitty Media line, Sense & Sexuality is now available digitally from Sublime Manga. I haven’t come across very many manga that take place during Japan’s Taishō Era, but it’s a really interesting time period in the country’s history and one of the reasons Higashino’s boys’ love one-shot Sense & Sexuality was first brought to my attention. The manga follows the sexual conquests of Hanamura and Takakura, two close friends from noble families whose lives are filled with decadence, leisure, and hedonism. They have turned their romances into a game, betting on who will be the first to bed the various attractive young men they have identified as their targets. Eventually though, their sights are set upon each other. For the most part, Sense & Sexuality is fairly episodic. There’s just enough story to hold it all together, but what little plot there is simply provides the excuses needed for the manga’s plentiful and explicit sex. High literature it is not, nor does it need to be. I really liked Sense and Sexuality‘s setting, the characters have a bit more depth to them than it initially seems, and the manga can be surprisingly humorous even though I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as a comedy.

Filed Under: Features, My Week in Manga Tagged: Adachitoka, Manga, Noragami, Okushou, Real Account, Shizumu Watanabe, You Higashino

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