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13 May 2013 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: May 6-May 12, 2013

My News and Reviews

Two reviews were posted here at Experiments in Manga last week. I took a look at Monkey Business: New Writing from Japan, Volume 3, the most recent issue in the international edition of the Japanese literary journal Monkey Business. I think I preferred the second volume slightly more, but the third volume was a great collection, too. Earlier in the week I reviewed The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: The Master of Gay Erotic Manga. This volume is the first collection of bara manga to be published in print in English. Tagame’s work is amazing, but it certainly isn’t for everyone. I’m thrilled that he’s finally received a major release in English.

And what was even more exciting? I spent the entire weekend at the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF)—I actually got to meet Tagame and Taiyo Matsumoto in person in addition to a ton of other fantastic creators. I’ll be posting about my TCAF experience later on this week, but I can tell you right now that I definitely plan on going again next year. It was amazing.

And speaking of Tagame, PictureBox has announced a new anthology scheduled to be published in 2014—Massive: Gay Erotic Manga And The Men Who Make It. It sounds like it will be a fantastic collection; I am ecstatic about its upcoming release! In other publishing news, Sublime Manga rescued the license for Ayano Yamane’s Crimson Spell for a print release. Media Blasters had previously published the first two volumes but they are now very out-of-print. Crimson Spell is my favorite of Yamane’s series, so I’m very excited about Sublime’s new editions; I’ll happily be double-dipping.

Elsewhere online, Heidi MacDonald article How Graphic Novels Became the Hottest Section in the Library at Publishers Weekly is a good read and touches on the role of manga in that evolution. It’s not very often that you see an article from Sports Illustrated talking about manga, but Ben Sin’s post Slam Dunk: How Japan’s Love of Basketball Can Be Traced Back to a Comic was republished on Sports Illustrated‘s culture blog. Finally, if you’ve not come across Ukiyo-e Search yet, it’s a phenomenal resource for Japanese woodblock prints.

Quick Takes

The Devil’s Trill by Sooyeon Won. The Devil’s Trill is the fourth and final volume in Netcomics’ manhwa novella collection, intended to feature prominent Korean creators. I haven’t read any of the other volumes in the series, but I picked up The Devil’s Trill because Won’s manhwa Let Dai left such an impression on me. For me, the highlight of The Devil’s Trill was Won’s lovely artwork. Lately I’ve found myself bored with vampire tales, and so the story of The Devil’s Trill didn’t really grab me. Plus, I prefer my vampires to be a little scarier and less romantic. However, I did like how the manhwa incorporates reincarnation and stretches across three time periods: 18th-century Germany, Berlin in the 1990s, and 2150.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks. I’ve been following Hicks for quite some time now, but her graphic novel Friends with Boys was the first of her long works that I read that wasn’t a collaboration. I loved it. The story follows Maggie as she enters a public high school, having previously only been home schooled. With three older brothers she grew up as somewhat of a tomboy. Oh, and she seems to be haunted by a ghost. The character designs and artwork in Friends with Boys are great; it’s also filled with all sorts of nerdy and geeky goodness. In part, I see the graphic novel as a celebration of being someone that society might call a freak, which made me very happy. The importance and strength of families (especially siblings) is also a prominent theme.

Kizuna, Volumes 4-6 by Kazuma Kodaka. The first half of Kizuna seemed to emphasize the drama and violence surrounding the characters’ yakuza connections. While this never completely disappears, the second half of the series shifts to addressing slightly more realistic issues and problems faced by the characters: homophobia, coming out to family, establishing lives together, and so on. Despite some inconsistencies in the quality of the art, especially early on, Kizuna has really grown on me. Kei and Ranmaru make a wonderful couple. They have their fights, misunderstandings, and disagreements, but they’re totally in love with each other and are physically very affectionate.

Otomen, Volumes 11-15 by Aya Kanno. I am still really enjoying Otomen although the series’ gimmick—”manly” men with “girly” interests—seems to be stretched a little too thin by this point. I think Otomen would have been more successful if Kanno kept the focus on the main cast instead of introducing so many side characters. Granted, I like the side characters, too, but the series may have benefited from a little more focus. Partly because there are so many characters, none of them have a lot of depth and tend to be fairly one-note even if they are endearing. I particularly enjoy how the series plays with gender expectations. Plus, Kanno includes plenty of nods and references to other series, like Utena and Golgo 13, which is fun. Otomen is a silly, lighthearted, and fluffy read for me.

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19 November 2012 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: November 12-November 18, 2012

My News and Reviews

Two reviews went up last week. The first was for Jirō Nitta’s historical novel Phantom Immigrants. It’s about Jinsaburo Oikawa, salmon fishing, Canada, and immigrant smuggling. The novel is somewhat difficult to find in print, but the translator has made a digital edition available. For the most part, I picked up Phantom Immigrants because I wanted to read more of Nitta’s work. (I read another of his historical novels, Death March on Mount Hakkōda, not too long ago.) The second review I posted was part of my Blade of the Immortal manga review project. This month I took a look at Blade of the Immortal, Volume 15: Trickster. Although I was a little disappointed with some of the fight scenes, I’m still enjoying the series.

Speaking of disappointment, Digital Manga has announced that it would be putting almost all of its print releases on hiatus (the exceptions are those works that were funded by Digital Manga’s Kickstarter projects). Digital Manga’s president Hikaru Sasahara stressed that the licenses haven’t been canceled, just that the print releases have been delayed. Digital Manga has also indicated that at least some of the titles will be available digitally before they’re available in print.

It’s a late notice, but Matt Blind has posted the call for participation for November’s Manga Moveable Feast to be hosted at Rocket Bomber later this week. It’ll be a short Feast, running from November 21 to November 25. Since the Feast will coincide with Thanksgiving in the US, we’re doing something a little different this month, focusing on manga that we’re thankful for, so do check it out!

And one last side-note: October’s manga giveaway winner Stephanie recently posted about winning at Rodeo Bucket (and said some nice things about Experiments in Manga, too)—Right-Brain Living & Winning!

Quick Takes

Battle Royale: Ultimate Edition, Volume 1 (equivalent to Volumes 1-3) written by Koushun Takami and illustrated by Masayuki Taguchi. I love Takami’s original Battle Royale novel, but it took me a while to get around to reading the manga. The loose English adaptation, which attempts to establish the program as a reality television show, is unfortunate; I wish the story had been left alone. I also wasn’t particularly fond of the more sexualized elements of the Battle Royale manga. And the manga’s program administrator is my least favorite version of that character. Taguchi’s artwork is at its best when portraying extreme violence and gore. The “ultimate edition” includes some great extras, including an interview with Takami.

Full House, Volumes 1-4 by Sooyeon Won. After reading Won’s manhwa series Let Dai, I made a point to seek out more of her work. I was looking forward to reading Full House. The first volume was okay, but I can’t say I enjoyed the series much at all except for the character designs. Even for a romantic comedy (at least that’s what I think the series is supposed to be), the plot makes little believable sense. The main character is an absolutely terrible person—she’s malicious, vindictive, and incredibly selfish for no good reason. I couldn’t bring myself to like her or to even feel sorry for her plight, which could easily be solved if she would simply be honest. Only the first four volumes of Full House were released in print in English but more are available digitally from Netcomics.

K-ON!, Volumes 2-4 by Kakifly. I’ll admit that I enjoy K-ON!. But although the first volume of the series made me tremendously happy, I wasn’t quite as taken with the rest of K-ON!. As a musician, I personally enjoy the series the most when music is somehow involved which, as it turns out, really isn’t all that often. As far as yonkoma go, K-ON! is fairly story driven which I can appreciate. Granted, there’s not much of a plot to the series. It mostly consists of a group of high school girls enjoying each other’s company; I don’t see anything wrong with that. At four volumes, I think K-ON! is just the right length. Yen Press also has plans to release both K-ON!‘s sequel K-ON! College and its spinoff K-ON! Highschool.

Secretary’s Love by Tohko Akiba. If I hadn’t picked up Secretary’s Love for a couple of bucks way back when Borders was shuttering its doors, I probably wouldn’t have gotten around to reading this boys’ love one-shot. It simply wasn’t a title that I was particularly interested in. And I was right. Secretary’s Love is incredibly boring. It could have been cute, but instead of focusing on Tanemura and Tanizaki’s relationship, Secretary’s Love seems to be more about their being secretaries. There’s not much romance to be found in the manga, mostly a few chaste kisses in the workplace and vague allusions to more carnal nocturnal activities. If it wasn’t explicitly stated, it would be hard to guess that the two men have been dating for eight years; there’s just no passion.

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11 June 2012 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: June 4-June 10, 2012

My News and Reviews

For most of last week I was in Nashville for a conference for work, which means I didn’t get nearly as much manga and anime in as I would have liked. Hauling large stacks of books through airports isn’t particularly fun, so I didn’t take much with me. Still, I managed to find time to get some reading in before I left. I also managed to post an in-depth review of The Bible: A Japanese Manga Rendition while I was away, the latest manga offering from One Peace Books. The Read or Die Giveaway Winner was announced last week as well. The post shares some favorite book loving characters and series, too, so please check it out.

Some exciting licensing news! Drawn & Quarterly will be releasing Shigeru Mizuki’s GeGeGe no Kitaro in early 2013. Rumor has it that it will be a “best of” collection, but no specific details on the publication have been released yet. Elsewhere online, CBLDF reported that both a manga and an anime have survived being challenged under Tokyo’s Youth Healthy Development Ordinance amendment. Although I’m not familiar with either work, this makes me very happy. And over at Yuri no Boke, Katherine Hanson has great a post about Yuri Characters Who Are Out To Family Members in Manga, which includes a couple of titles that are available in English.

Quick Takes

Fist of the North Star: Master Edition, Volumes 4-6 written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. I really do love this series. Post-apocalyptic, shirt exploding, martial arts mayhem, with a brooding hero…I can’t help but like it. I particularly enjoyed these volumes because they delve further into Kenshiro’s past. The overall story is starting to feel more cohesive and less “fight-of-the-week.” I also really liked Rei. He’s a great addition to the cast. He’s just as much of a badass as Kenshiro, but more emotionally unstable. Their personalities play off of each other nicely. I personally prefer the more realistic fights (and I use that term very loosely) in which Kenshiro’s opponents aren’t outrageously over-the-top.

Let Dai, Volumes 11-15 by Sooyeon Won. Let Dai is relentless and emotionally exhausting. The story is melodramatic, the narrative and dialogue is extravagant, and a lot of it is unbelievable, but the thoughts and feelings that the manhwa expresses are incredibly real. The scenes where Jaehee and Dai’s parents confront them about their sexuality hit very close to home for me. Let Dai is an epic. The characters actually grow and change as the story progresses. Events from the first volume that set everything into motion are never forgotten and are played through to the very end of the series. The youths in Let Dai have to face tragic circumstances, some of their own making, but society, adults, and even their own families have failed them, too.

Tokyo Zombie by Yusaku Hanakuma. I’ve read several of Hanakuma’s short manga, but Tokyo Zombie is the first book length work of his that I have read (it also happens to be his first long-form manga). Tokyo Zombie is a darkly comedic homage to the zombie genre, specifically zombie films. The manga incorporates and plays with many of the tropes that would be expected from a zombie story. Hanakuma also throws in plenty of his own quirky elements—pig surfing and professional wrestling, for example. Violent and grotesque, the manga quickly earns its “adults only” label. Hanakuma’s art style is deliberately crude, but it’s also rather charming somehow. Either way, it fits Tokyo Zombie perfectly.

Black Rock Shooter directed by Shinobu Yoshioka. The Black Rock Shooter franchise began with a single illustration by Ryohei Fuke. It went on to inspire music, video games, manga, and anime, including this eight episode series that aired on noitaminA. I probably wouldn’t have picked up the series had not someone made me sit down and watch the first three episodes. I didn’t think I would be interested in the life dramas of middle school girls, but I found the series to be oddly compelling even if its symbolism was terribly obvious. There is reality, but then there is psychological fantasy, too. The series has three major animation styles. The first one introduced is a visual feast that I’d really like to experience somehow other than streaming (my connection couldn’t keep up.)

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28 May 2012 4 Comments

My Week in Manga: May 21-May 27, 2012

My News and Reviews

Last week was the Oishinbo and Food Manga Moveable Feast, hosted by Khursten over at Otaku Champloo. Both of my posts last week had something to do with the Feast. First, I reviewed Oishinbo, A la Carte: Ramen & Gyōza, the third thematic Oishinbo collection to be released in English. I’m a foodie, so I really enjoy the series. My second post was Random Musings: Oishinbo and the Romance of Food in which I ramble on a bit about food, couples, and relationships.

Not too long ago, I read and reviewed Otaku Spaces,  written by Patrick W. Galbraith with photography by Androniki Christodoulou. Recently Néojaponisme posted a three part interview with Galbraith about the book and otaku in general. It’s lengthy, but a good read. Elsewhere online, David Letters has an engaging article about Crying Freeman, sex scenes, and such at 4thletter!—Cartoonishly virile, absurdly smooth: The Crying Freeman Story. Finally, RightStuf announced the next book in their print-on-demand manga service, the eighth volume of Bizenghast by M. Alice LeGrow.

Quick Takes

Bus Gamer: 1999-2001, The Pilot Edition by Kazuya Minekura. Toki, Nakajyo, and Kazuo are complete strangers that are hired to work together in a game of corporate espionage taken to the extreme. As far as I know, Minekura hasn’t been able to continue the Bus Gamer series although she has expressed interest in doing so. I’d love to see where she takes things; Bus Gamer has a solid start. The plot is a little bizarre, but I like the characters. I’m particularly fond of Kaz. He has some darkness in his past but has turned out to be very good natured and endearingly flaky. Although it’s only been hinted at so far, each of the young men have their own reasons for participating in what has become a deadly game.

Let Dai, Volumes 6-10 by Sooyeon Won. Dai absolutely terrifies me. Although no longer the leader of the Furies gang, he can still be incredibly violent. He does show brief moments of gentleness, but for the most part he scares the hell out of me (and quite a few of the other people in Let Dai.) And yet, he has this strange allure; people can’t help but be drawn to him, for better or, more often than not, for worse. One of the things that makes Let Dai so compelling, and so difficult to turn away from even though it’s almost traumatizing to read, is the complexity of the characters’ relationships and interactions. Some of the power dynamics are very strange. Occasionally the series can be a little melodramatic and angsty, but the resulting tragedies are very realistic.

Wonton Soup, Volumes 1-2 by James Stokoe. I was recently introduced to some of Stokoe’s current illustrations and was so smitten that I immediately sought out any and all of his published works, which is how I discovered his short series Wonton Soup. Johnny Boyo is famous for his culinary talent but he left that life behind to become a space trucker instead. Wonton Soup is a pretty gimmicky series, one of the characters even comes out and declares it as such, but there are some moments of brilliant entertainment mixed in. I much preferred the first volume to the second simply because it focuses slightly more on Boyo’s crazy cuisine. Ultimately, there’s not much substance to Wonton Soup, but Stokoe’s art is great.

Bodacious Space Pirates, Episodes 1-11 directed by Tatsuo Satō. Don’t let the title or the length of the skirts fool you, Bodacious Space Pirates is not at all the fanservice fest it looks like it might be. Instead, it’s an entertaining coming-of-age space opera that focuses on characters and storytelling. If anything, the story might be a little too innocent; the crew of the Bentenmaru are some of the nicest, most wholesome pirates I’ve ever seen. Still, I’m enjoying the show tremendously. Marika, a first-year in high school, discovers that she is the daughter of a space pirates after her father passes away. Even more surprisingly, she has been selected to succeed him as captain. Bodacious Space Pirates was such a fun, pleasant surprise. I’ll most likely pick up Sentai’s release.

Gin Tama, Collection 1 (Episodes 1-13) directed by Shinji Takamatsu. I’m a fan of Hideaki Sorachi’s original Gin Tama manga, so I was surprised how long it took me to warm up to the anime adaptation. Both series are quirky with plenty of absurd humor. The sheer amount of Japanese cultural references makes them a hard sell for a casual audience since they’re not immediately accessible. Additionally, the first two episodes of the anime require that the viewers already be familiar with the manga in order to make any sense of it at all. But eventually, the anime started to work for me. I found myself laughing at the jokes, even the ones that I already knew, and I genuinely had a good time watching the show.

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14 May 2012 3 Comments

My Week in Manga: May 7-May 13, 2012

My News and Reviews

So, I finally got around to reading Hiromu Arakawa’s manga Fullmetal Alchemist. I really enjoyed the first anime series (I haven’t watched Brotherhood yet) but I think that the manga might be even better. I took a look at the first omnibus and loved it. I also reviewed the last volume of The Guin Saga to be published in English, The Marches King by Kaoru Kurimoto. I’ve become quite fond of the series, so I wish there was more available in translation. It’s nice to have the first major story arc, though. And then there’s always the anime, even if it isn’t as good. I’ll probably make a point to review The Guin Saga: The Seven Magi manga now that I’ve finished the translated novels.

I reviewed Math Girls by Hiroshi Yuki soon after Bento Books published the novel in English last year (it was their debut release). I rather enjoyed the book. The second volume of the series will be published later in 2012. Bento Books also recently began a Kickstarter project to release the manga version of Math Girls. The translation itself is already completed but they need a bit of a financial boost in order to finish up the English edition of the manga. I hope the project is successful; I’d really like to see this niche manga made available.

And for a couple of other interesting things online: Erica Friedman of Yuricon and Okazu has posted videos for a five part series about yuri. Completely unrelated, if you’re interested in how the March 11 earthquake affected libraries in Japan, the National Diet Library has released a report on the subject. Part of the report, “The Great East Japan Earthquake and Libraries,” is available as a pdf in English. The report is fairly extensive and isn’t necessarily for casual reading, but it is one of the definitive resources for information about libraries and the earthquake.

Oh, and one final heads up! May’s Manga Moveable Feast, featuring Oishinbo and other foodie manga and hosted by Khursten Santos at Otaku Champloo, will begin on the 22nd!

Quick Takes

Brody’s Ghost, Book 1 by Mark Crilley. I picked up Brody’s Ghost on a whim. I’m glad I gave the series a shot, though. In fact, I liked the first volume so well that I immediately went out and bought the next two available books in the series. Brody is a very average guy (at least, he thought he was) who has caught the eye of a ghost. She’s determined that he will be the one to help her track down a murderer. The story is fairly average so far, but I’m really enjoying Crilley’s artwork. He has created a futuristic, rundown, urban environment that works marvelously well. My only real complaint is that the book is so short, well under a hundred pages. Still, I’m looking forward to continuing with Brody’s Ghost.

Flowers & Bees, Volumes 1-7 by Moyoco Anno. Komatsu wins a prize—I have never seen a character go through so many different hairstyles within the course of a single series. Even though it is completely different in so many ways, Flowers & Bees reminded me a lot of another of Anno’s manga, Happy Mania. Both series feature protagonists with extremely bad luck when it comes to love and who tend to overreact and freak out over the smallest incidents. The humor in Flowers & Bees is manic, raunchy, and cruel, frequently bordering on offensive, but I still found it to be hilarious. The second half of the series does sober up a bit, but not by much. The epilogue to the series seemed tacked on and unnecessary, but it was nice to see where many of the characters ended up after the series proper.

Let Dai, Volumes 1-5 by Sooyeon Won. So far, Let Dai is a very intense manhwa series. I wasn’t expecting it to be as violent as it is, but perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised since one of the main characters is a notorious gang leader. There’s also quite a bit of manipulation and intimidation. Dai, the aforementioned gang leader, is vicious and terrifying and yet his charisma makes him captivating and strangely alluring to others. Jaehee, who was once a straight-laced student, has been caught up in Dai’s influence. Their relationship is complicated to say the least. At this point, I really can’t imagine anything turning out well for any of the people involved; the series has a very ominous atmosphere.

Princess Jellyfish directed by Takahiro Omori. As someone who is rather socially awkward, a lot of Princess Jellyfish hit pretty close to home for me. Amamizukan is an apartment building home to a group of women, all of who are some sort of otaku. Tsukimi, one of the residents, has her life thrown into turmoil when she meets the cross-dressing son of a politician. Princess Jellyfish is leisurely paced, paying more attention to characters’ development rather than intricate plots. The anime finds a decent place to stop in the story, but it’s not much of an ending as almost nothing is actually resolved. I loved Princess Jellyfish, it’s a wonderful series, but it leaves me wanting more. I’d like to read the manga upon which it was based.

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