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20 January 2014 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: January 13-January 19, 2013

My News and Reviews

There were three posts at Experiments in Manga last week, only two of which were mine. First up was my review of Negi Banno’s S.S. Astro, Volume 1, a yonkoma manga about a group of young, twenty-something high school teachers. Sadly, the series was canceled before a second volume could be released. The review is the second manga for my Year of Yuri review project. My other post last week is a part of my continuing efforts to track down manga podcasts. Discovering Manga: Podcasts, Part 3 takes a look a three ongoing podcasts that started in 2013. Also last week, I was happy to welcome Jocilyn Wagner as a guest to Experiments in Manga with her review of Hiroki Ugawa’s Shrine of the Morning Mist, Volume 1.

On to interesting things found online! Alexander Hoffman posted a Lessons from the Crater Project over at Manga Widget, which is a great summary of the events surrounding the Kickstarter project for Osamu Tezuka’s The Crater. The Daily Dot has an excellent overview of the debate over Zoë Hange gender in Attack on Titan, which has apparently become rather heated in some circles. Opening Ceremony took time to talk to the wonderful folks behind Massive—New-to-OC Brand MASSIVE on Husky Gay Asian Erotica. I also particularly enjoyed reading Tony Yao’s post The Beautiful Negativity of Seinen over at Manga Therapy.

One last thing: Usamaru Furuya’s birthday is on January 25. In honor of that, I’m declaring this week Usamaru Furuya Week at Experiments in Manga. Basically, it’s an excuse for me to get around to reviewing the rest of his manga, which I’ve been meaning to do ever since I hosted the Usamaru Furuya Manga Moveable Feast a couple of years ago. So, I’ll be posting a whopping five reviews this week! I hope you enjoy.

Quick Takes

Arisa, Volume 12Arisa, Volume 12 by Natsumi Ando. Since its beginning Arisa has gone through so many disconcerting twists and turns, how is it possible that the twins look so utterly happy on the cover of the final volume? For the most part, I was satisfied with the ending of Arisa. Things aren’t resolved as happily as the cover might imply, which I find appropriate considering the darker aspects of the story. And I wouldn’t want everything to be tied up neatly. Once again though, some of the plot twists are a little ridiculous and over-the-top. I’m all for heightened drama, but I also like it to at least make some logical sense. Admittedly, Arisa can be a bit of a mess. Even so, I really enjoyed reading the series. Also included in this volume is a rather silly side story that takes place before the events of the main series. In this case it’s Arisa posing as her sister instead of the other way around. The results are amusing though not particularly believable. Granted, at this point I’m not expecting Arisa to be particularly believable anyway.

Eyeshield 21, Volume 28Eyeshield 21, Volumes 28-31 written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. I’ve discovered that, for some reason, I really like sports manga, even when that sport is something that I’m not particularly interested in in real life. For example, American football. Yet here I am thoroughly enjoying Eyeshield 21, completely caught up in the Deimon Devil Bats’ fight to reach the Christmas Bowl. And a fight it is. These volumes focus on the game between the Devil Bats and the Hakushu Dinosaurs with an emphasis placed on football as a combat sport. (I’ve actually never really thought of football that way before, so that was an interesting take on the sport for me.) The Dinosaurs have a habit of intentionally sending their opponents to the hospital, so it’s a fairly rough game. The face-off between the two teams also shows just how far Sena has come as a player since the beginning of the series. Once a weakling pushover, he’s now become much more confident in his abilities and in himself. I’m very excited to read more of Eyeshield 21.

Hetalia: Axis Powers, Volume 4Hetalia: Axis Powers, Volumes 4-5 by Hidekaz Himaruya. I know just as many people who absolutely hate the Hetalia franchise as I do people who absolutely love it. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a rabid fan, but it is a series I follow. I do, however, generally prefer the anime adaptation over the original manga. For some reason, even though the anime and the manga both make the same jokes, I find the anime to be funnier. There are times that I just can’t seem to figure out what the punchline is supposed to be in the manga. The manga still can make me laugh, though, and I even occasionally learn a bit of history in the process, which I appreciate. The number of countries involved in Hetalia continues to grow with these volumes, including more female personifications which is nice to see. The Netherlands in particular seems to get a fair amount of page time this time, too. Hetalia does rely heavily on stereotypes for its humor, but I don’t get the feeling that they’re being used maliciously or to be deliberately offensive.

White BrandWhite Brand by Youka Nitta. Although I didn’t realize it until reading the afterword, apparently White Brand was Nitta’s first collection of boys’ love short stories. I’ve now read several of Nitta’s manga, but it seems that they tend to be fairly hit-or-miss for me. Despite Embracing Love actually being one of my favorite yaoi series, none of Nitta’s other works have really grabbed me. That hasn’t especially changed with White Brand, though I did like it more than The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy. White Brand collects five short boys’ love manga. I’m not sure if it was an intentional or not, but a recurring theme throughout most of the stories is opposites. “White Brand” is about cousins with different color skin tones. “Teal End” is about two men from different countries. “Exhibition Painting” features men from very different classes and walks of life. “One Size Fits All” is somewhat frivolous story about a tall model and a much shorter man. “Hasta la Vista, Baby” is the only story that this play on opposites isn’t immediately obvious.

MushishiMushishi: Sun-Eating Shade directed by Hiroshi Nagahama. I won’t lie—I love both the Mushishi manga and the anime. I was very excited when the special episode was announced and thrilled when Crunchyroll picked it up so that I could actually watch it. Although about twice as long as the individual episodes of the anime series, Sun-Eating Shade matches the tone, atmosphere, and ambiance perfectly. I was very happy to see that the same animation style was kept for the special episode. The backgrounds are still gorgeous, the music is still haunting, the pacing is still relaxed and unhurried. Mushishi has always been a rather episodic series, but I liked how Sun-Eating Shade made references to and loosely tied together several stories adapted in the first season of the anime. If someone didn’t enjoy the original anime series, there is nothing in Sun-Eating Shade that will change their mind. But established Mushishi fans (like me) probably won’t be disappointed with the special episode. I’m looking forward to the second season of Mushishi a great deal.

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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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1 November 2010 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: October 25-October 31, 2010

My News and Reviews

Yeah, so I had great plans for this weekend, and hardly accomplished any of them. I was going to update the Resources page, write up a review of Yumiko Shirai’s Tenken, work on my podcast post… Instead I ended up cleaning out my car before taking it to the shop, playing hours upon hours of boardgames, and reading a bunch of manga and graphic novels that were due back at the library. (Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira is really good, by the way.) So, yeah. I’ll try to catch up this week and do everything I’ve been promising to do for a while now.

My Gay for You? post from a couple weeks back is still getting quite a number of hits which makes me happy. Thank you to Brigid Alverson from MangaBlog and Alex Woolfson of Yaoi 911 (and also one of the original panelists) for helping to spread the link. I also announced the results of my second manga giveaway—Mushishi Madness Winner (congratulations again Brent!)—and posted Library Love, Part 4 which features manga that I’ve been reading from my local library.

Quick Takes

Astro Boy, Volume 3 by Osamu Tezuka. Although by now I am quite familiar with Astro Boy and Osamu Tezuka, I have actually read very little of the original manga series. I specifically picked up the third volume because it contains the story “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” which was the basis for Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto manga. Pluto is a very interesting character and antagonist; it’s hard to really call him a villain. I’m always impressed by how Tezuka, even in a manga primarily aimed at kids, creates many layers to his stories. There’s a reason “The Greatest Robot on Earth” is one of the most beloved and influential Astro Boy story arcs.

Embracing Love, Volumes 4-5 by Youka Nitta. Although there are a few annoying translation problems with this series, it is still one of the best yaoi manga that I’ve read. I adore reversible couples, and Embracing Love is one of the few series that I know of available in English that feature one. Iwaki and Katou have settled into their relationship and are now living in a house together. Their careers are also going well—both have moved on from adult films and have been accepted by the more mainstream media. Of course, some people are more interested in how they might be able to cause strife and scandals between the two men whether for personal gain or revenge.

Futaba-kun Change, Volume 1: A Whole New You! by Hiroshi Aro. I have not laughed so hard from reading manga in a long time. The premise isn’t particularly unique—Futaba changes genders at inopportune moments—but Aro’s manga is hilarious. From the wrestling team captain who’s constantly overcome by emotion, to the absurdly epic nosebleeds, to serious “What the hell?” moments, there’s plenty here to love or hate. There’s also plenty that people might take offense to—incestuous overtones, pornography, less than flattering representations of people and stereotypes. So far though, the manga doesn’t take itself too seriously which is what makes it work. I know that I want to read the rest.

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volumes 1-8 by Naoki Urasawa. This was actually a reread for me—Pluto is one of my absolute favorite manga and is one of the reasons I’m so obsessed with the medium now. Urasawa, who is also one of my favorite mangaka, has taken “The Greatest Robot on Earth” and made the story and characters his own. Urasawa also makes references to many of Tezuka’s other works as well (Black Jack gets a cameo for one). Like Tezuka, Urasawa has created a tremendously layered, approachable, and emotionally authentic work. The result is fantastic and it’s not surprising that the series has won several awards and has been nominated for even more. 

Right Here, Right Now, Volume 1 by Souya Himawari. After hiding out in an abandoned temple, Mizuo finds himself whisked away to the Sengoku or Warring States period of Japan. There he is honored as the Living Buddha of the Yamako army. Takakage, one of the leaders of the army and the clan’s heir, has become quite fond of Mizuo. Mizuo also admires Takakage and misses him terribly once he returns to the present day. When he is finally able to return to the past, he finds Takakage changed and a very different person than he remembered. I quite enjoyed this first volume and appreciate that Himawari’s Feudal Japan and characters have some real conflict to deal with.

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25 October 2010 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: October 18-October 24, 2010

My News and Reviews

I currently have a manga giveaway going on that ends on Wednesday, October 27 (this week)—Mushishi Madness. No one has entered yet, which makes me very sad. Mushishi is a great series and I want to share the love! So, come on, get your free manga.

I haven’t updated the Resources page in a while, but I have been collecting links and have found some great new (to me) sites. I’ll try to get most of those added this week. I’ll also be creating a new section for podcasts, so if you know of any good ones, let me know.

On Friday I posted my personal response to the Gay for You? Yaoi and Yuri Manga for GBLTQ Readers panel held at NYAF/NYCC. Deb Aoki has posted the transcript of the event. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, you should. I’m rather proud of myself and this post and am very happy to see the number of hits it’s been receiving. Thank you to David Welsh of The Manga Curmudgeon and Melinda Beasi of Manga Bookshelf for helping to get the link out there. I’d also like to thank everyone for the kind comments, support, and encouragement I received after posting it.

Quick Takes

Black Lagoon, Volumes 1-5 by Rei Hiroe. Black Lagoon opens with what has to be my favorite first panel ever—a close-up of a salaryman taking a hard punch to the face. From there, the action and mayhem hardly ever stop. It’s violent, over-the-top, sometimes ridiculous, and sometimes rather dark, but man is it a fun ride. I like this series best when either Revy or Rock are on the scene. Revy is a gun-toting badass with an extremely foul-mouth and viscous attitude. She’s kinda scary in a psychotically awesome sort of way. Rock on the other hand, the aforementioned salaryman, seems like he won’t last too long as part of the underworld but he’s a lot more reslient than he first appears.

Cat Paradise, Volumes1-2 by Yuji Iwahara. At Matabi Academy a small group of students, along with their cats, have been chosen to protect the school and the world against the evil demon Kaen and his minions. The superpowers granted to each pair is based on what suits them best, something that they can do better than anyone else. In the case of Yumi, that’s creating outfits for her cat Kansuke, much to his embarrassment and dismay. How can you not love magical knitting that gives a cat human form so that he can fight monsters? So it might be a little silly, but the series is extremely entertaining and I can’t wait to read more.

Embracing Love, Volumes 1-3 by Youka Nitta. Iwaki and Katou are rival porn stars that end up sleeping together as part of an audition for a mainstream film. Straight Iwaki, whose career is waning, at first can’t stand the younger, more successful Katou but ends up developing feelings for him. In addition to having to deal with career problems and media scandals, the two will also have to confront their families about their choices. Nitta includes plenty of sex scenes for the two, none of which feel out of place. Katou’s carefree nature plays nicely against Iwaki’s more restrained personality. This is seriously one of the best yaoi series that I’ve read and I really hope that someone rescues the license.

Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa has directed some brilliant films, including Seven Samurai, one of my personal favorites. A few years before that he directed Rashomon, which won an Oscar in 1951 for Best Foreign Language Film. A woman is raped and her husband murdered while traveling through the woods. Three days later the women, the assailant, the dead man (through a medium), and a woodcutter who happened across the scene give their testimony at the local court. But they each give a different version of the events and each has a reason to lie or hide truth of what actually happened.

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