Tag Archives: Viz

Review: House of Five Leaves, Vol. 4

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Getting halfway through a series and finding things to talk about can sometimes be quite challenging; with Natsume Ono’s work, it’s a fairly simple matter. It may be my love for her characters, her designs, and her writing, but the complexities are fascinating and are great for discussion.

Volume 4 introduces us to the cast again, and in this volume, introduces us to a new character, Ginta. Ginta is a self-styled negotiator, and works with a rival gang to help them negotiate hostage returns. He tries initially to insert himself into the gang, and after a first failed attempt, becomes more direct in his actions. He eventually succeeds, and ends up working with the House of Five Leaves.

Masterful character drama is not always about profound moments and sweeping changes; but at times, these things help bring tension and change to what could be a fairly noninteractive script. Clearly there is some of that in this volume of House of Five Leaves; the introduction of a new cast member, Ginta the negotiator, shakes up the crew, and a certain scene involving Yaichi, which I won’t spoil, also reveals a lot about the future tone of the series. There are also the quiet moments that I have come to expect from Ono in this series. Masa’s interactions with the whole cast are endearing at times, and he is an excellent focus on what has clearly become a very broad and complicated story.

But what is truly interesting about House of Five Leaves, and has been from the start, is Masa’s interaction with Yaichi. The tenuous “friendship” that they share, and their interaction here is beginning to be tested by Yaichi’s past, and Masa begins to feel the weight of Yaichi’s true feelings. To complicate the story further, Masa has begun to spend more time with Yagi, a police superintendent, which makes things difficult for the gang.

Ono’s art continues to be fantastic. I’ve written about her unique camera angles before, and I think she uses them to great effect in this volume. The story reads very smoothly, and the paneling allows the timing of the story to come across perfectly.

House of Five Leaves has always been about the build up, and we are inching ever closer to it in volume 4. I expect to see some big changes in the next 2-3 volumes, and I know that I am excited to read them.

Some Initial Thoughts On Barrage

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One of the most interesting developments of the past year is Shonen Jump Alpha, and more specifically, the end of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Bakuman. While the comics running in Shonen Jump Alpha are all of the long running variety (Bakuman, one of the shorter works in the magazine, finished at a  measly 20 volumes), they are bound to end at some point, and when they do, the question of what to add in their place is an issue.

In Japan, this is not a problem. New comics are being released all the time. New one-shots and new series are being debuted at every corner, so if a comic goes out of an anthology, it’s not a big deal; there are plenty of backups to work with the missing space. However, in the one major shonen anthology, Shonen Jump Alpha, losing a series means finding a replacement, and using a replacement that is likely to be a long-term success.

When Bakuman ended, the powers that be at Shueisha/Viz decided that the newest manga for Shonen Jump Alpha would be Barrage, by Kouhei Horikoshi.

Barrage is about a young boy named Astro who lives on the streets. After the planet’s prince finds Astro and determines that they are exact look-a-likes, he forces Astro to take his place, and become Prince Barrage, with all the rights, priveledges, and responsibilities therein (including using the Orgue, something like a magical spear of destiny that can only be wielded by someone with the power to become king). What follows is a battle/adventure manga with sci-fi elements rooted in the notions of the power of family that is not your typical shonen manga and the stock bravery and guts that are oh so typical. The story pulls deeply from The Prince and the Pauper, although character designs, especially the alien in the first chapter, seem like something straight out of a Final Fantasy Tactics game. Industrial landscapes and rundown cities and towns show the decay of a ruler unable to lead his people and the ruinous results of an alien invasion.

While the content is overly similar in the first few chapters, things start to brighten up and expand as the manga moves into later chapters. We are starting to see what motivates Astro, the intricacies of the Orgue, Astro’s mystical weapon, and the struggles of the people of Astro’s home planet. The supporting cast is small at this point – only Tiamat, the royal retainer/bodyguard has become a main fixture in the cast, but like most adventure manga, I am certain that we will be collecting more characters very soon.

Barrage is like a good chocolate chip cookie. It is warm, familiar, and satisfying, but not particularly original. While the originality may Barrage start to show itself in future chapters, we are still seeing what is assuredly a mostly stock introduction, and until the series really comes into its own and builds the cast, I expect that’s what we can continue to see. Overall, Barrage makes up for its lack of immediate inventiveness for a certain amount of technical prowess; the images are sharp, the illustrations are clean, and overall it’s a fun reading experience. I am reminded quite a bit of Toto: The Wonderful Adventure by Yuko Osada, which had a similar style and flavor. We shall see how Barrage differentiates itself in the months to come.

When I first started subscribing to Shonen Jump Alpha, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I did not read scans, so hopping into these series this far advanced was very strange to me. Seeing a new series from the get-go has been an excellent eye-opener to what Shonen Jump Alpha can be, and I hope more new series are in the pipeline for Viz’s digital anthology.

Moving Review: Otomen, Vol. 1

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Otomen, Vol. 1, Written and Illustrated by Aya Kano
Viz Media Shojo Beat
ISBN 9781421521862, 208 pgs.
$4.99 US digital (iPod & iPad only); $8.99 US

If you haven’t seen one of my moving reviews, please give a look at my last review of Monkey High, vol. 1. The results of a review are the following:

Keep: I liked the book enough to pack it up!
Donate: I liked it or think that others will like it, so I will donate it to the local library system
Trash: I didn’t like this book, and I wouldn’t donate it (eeek!)

One of the great new things about technology is the ability to have your books wherever you like as long as you have your digital device with you. While I certainly appreciate having a physical book and feeling the paper, smelling the ink, and experiencing the raw, unfettered joy of reading, I also enjoy being able to slip multitudes of books into my pocket, and the ability to read during downtime, long bus and car rides, and basically wherever I want. That is why when the Viz Manga App first hit the iPad shortly after the tablet’s debut, I was extremely excited. I would be able to take a whole stack of manga with me on the road. Now, with the iPod App, I can keep all my books between both devices and reread manga whenever I like.

Another good thing about the Viz Manga App is that allows me to check out series that I haven’t read or seen before at a discount price from their retail selling points, and that was good enough for me to check out the first volume of Otomen. Even more exciting, I picked up the volume during Viz‘s March Madness sale and got the first volume for a dollar; you can’t beat that price!

Otomen is a shojo manga about a high school boy named Asuka who is proficient in kendo and other martial arts and spends most of his time at school trying to be the manliest man possible – except that on the inside, he loves crochet, sewing, and cooking. In this first volume, we see him fall in love with Ryo, a girl who is fairly manly.

The premise of Otomen is really quite cute, but, without proper management, could have been pretty terrible. We’ve seen other manga with reversed gender roles (Ai Ore comes to mind) that have been schlock, and others (W Juliet, anyone) that weren’t really that… well, interesting. The whole premise would be fairly predictable, but a third main character, Juta Tanibacha, spices things up nicely as a mangaka who writes Asuka’s favorite manga series Love Chick (which is obviously based on Asuka and Ryo’s relationship, except their genders are reversed).

Despite previous attempts at this type of story, I think that Otomen is probably the best crafted that I have read. The characters are very well developed and the events in the plot, while a bit episodic, are also very basic and don’t try to complicate the general plot line. The first whole volume we see Juta crafting his manga while Asuka sputters about trying to work up the courage to ask Ryo out on a date. Seeing Juta help Asuka work through his problems and try to maintain friendship with his “muse” is really quite amusing, and still stays true to the idea of the story.The whole mangaka writing a story about two characters inside a manga is enjoyable meta-humor that I think is something rarely seen in shojo published in the US, and it is what makes Otomen such a great read.

The art is also wonderful – and yes, I realize that while I normally hate on the hearts, flowers, stars, and glitter, they are quite appropriate given the subject matter, and their use is never cloying, so I can put up with it in Otomen. The art is a subtle mix of shojo and shonen characteristics, which I liked, since there is plenty of “cool tough guy action” as well as stuffed bunnies and ornate bento lunches. I also appreciated the fact that Love Chick, the fictional manga-within-a-manga has completely different art than Otomen, which seems obvious, but is a nice touch.

As far as the digital delivery, Viz Media has done an excellent job with their manga app on the iPad and iPod. Books are easily downloaded and purchased in-app, and also easily read. While I dislike the fact that other tablet users and PC users are unable to access this content, it is a great delivery system for Apple devices. The cost per volume is also very acceptable, since at $4.99 I feel as though I am getting a pretty good deal for my entertainment dollar. Free samples allow you to view the first chapter of the fist volume of any series on the app, which is a good choice, and helped me decide to start reading Otomen. The advent of the Viz manga app will definitely not change my love for the written page, but I will most likely begin to follow specific series on the iPad because I am not necessarily that rushed to get them and I really like the price point. I am glad that Viz has entered the fray with this iPad/iPod app, and hope that they will continue to expand their offerings to other platforms.

As far as Otomen goes, I think it is great fun – it is whimsical and breezy and still has enough depth to satisfy those with tastes for more complicated stories. I am interested to see how the series will continue, especially with some of the hints at what could be some messy/complicated plot lines. I’m also interested in how Juta will play out as a mangaka – this part of the book is what really makes it tick, and I hope that we continue to see his progression as a character. Overall, Otomen is a great read that is cerebral enough to approach gender roles and identity and still has time for a “standard” shojo love story, an unusual mix that makes a really entertaining comic book. Highly Recommended.

Mover’s Ranking: Keep

It’s not hard to convince me to keep my iPad, and that’s one of the strengths of this type of content, but at the same time, even if I had the paperback books, I would be packing these up for my move. This is a manga you really need to read!

Review: The Story of Saiunkoku, Vols. 1-2

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The Story of Saiunkoku
Written by Sai Yukino and Illustrated by Kairi Yura
Publisher: Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line
Rated T for Teen
Historical/Shojo
US $9.99, CAN $12.99,
Vol. 1 ISBN 1421538342
Vol. 2 ISBN 1421538350

 

I have been reading quite a bit of shojo lately. I don’t think that my interests have changed all that much, to be honest. I still love Takahashi, and I am impatiently waiting for the next volume of Negima! to be released by Kodansha USA. Still, after putting off a few shonen series that I haven’t been following too closely, I realized that the bulk of my reading material was actually comics for girls. Which is fine with me, because, in the case of The Story of Saiunkoku, whatever sword-fight or display of power I could find in a shonen action/adventure, I also get in a more appreciable, subtle way with this odd-ball shojo love story.

The Story of Saiunkoku is a period drama based on light novels written by Sai Yukino, and it focuses on the headstrong and wily Shurei. Born of a noble family, her intelligence and strong will have made her a perfect candidate for public office – except she is ineligible for said office because she is female. Booooo sexism. Instead, her destitute family is offered a large sum of money when one of the emperor’s advisors asks Shurei to be the emperor’s consort. Shurei is quick to agree.

The Story of Saiunkoku opens with a the sort of clockwork style these types of shojo stories are known for, but The Story of Saiunkoku manages to do a bit better than most because it does not take itself too seriously in all the right places. Sai Yukino seems to be adept at changing the tone of the book in natural and yet unexpected ways that make the series fresh and unpredictable. The cast of characters is also quite interesting; we get a mix of old and young advisors, family members, and servants that are all written well.

One of the driving forces of The Story of Saiunkoku is the idea of ambition. It is Shurei’s ambition that leads her to be come a consort for the emperor, and it is Ryuki’s supposed lack of ambition that leads her to him. The ambitions of court advisors lead to some very dramatic and quickly-paced chapters in volume two, which in the end make for a great read. I think the ambition of The Story of Saiunkoku is the sort of tone that the entire series gives off. The art is beautifully detailed, and the language is smart and a little old fashioned without being “Fakespearean” like another historical drama I read *coughOokucough*. The Story of Saiunkoku is an ambitious shojo manga, and it ends up meeting its ambitions in the first two volumes. Frankly, it is a gem in the wave of new releases this year, and should not be missed by anyone who likes a love story or a period drama.

Review: Tegami Bachi, Vols. 1-3

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Having moved all over the country for the better part of a year working one-month stints as a pharmacy student, I have come to appreciate the postal system. It has often been a physical link to family and friends when I was in an unfamiliar location. When everything was an unknown to me, I was always able to get a good-luck letter or care package in the mail, send a post-card, thank you note, or birthday wish. That sense of closeness despite my distance from what I know and care about has been a source of comfort in some pretty dreary times. The lengths that the postal service will go in order to deliver packages to me has also impressed me, especially during this harsh and unforgiving winter. However, just because I like getting mail and I don’t complain all of the time about the post office being a government-sponsored monopoly doesn’t necessarily sell me on a manga that is focused on these ideals. But, they say you can write comics about anything, and Tegami Bachi is one that does its darnedest to prove it.

The series features a young man named Lag Seeing in a perpetually dark world called the Amberground. Man-made stars are the only source of light in the world, and the rest of the Amberground is darkness and Gaichuu, monsters made of plate metal and bad intentions. In order for people to communicate with one another, they must send letters using the Letter Bees, a group of men and women who valiantly traverse through dangerous territory in order to make sure mail and other packages reach their intended destinations.

The setting is vibrant and beautiful. Hiroyuki Asada is an excellent illustrator, and uses the thick black lines and swaths of black and white to infer depth and shadow, instead of specifically drawing it. This is unlike most art in manga, where the artist uses screen tones or cross hatching to develop depth. The art really sets Tegami Bachi apart from other books in the Shonen Jump imprint.

It is unfortunate that the writing that accompanies the great art of Tegami Bachi is not nearly as strong. This book took a while to get going, and while the setting adds a lot of interesting twists to the story, for now, it seems like the only things happening in the book are:

1.    Killing Gaichuu
2.    Crying
3.    Delivering Letters
4.    Proclaiming that Lag is going to work hard and become the Head Bee
5.    Some combination of the above

While the specific missions have a bit of backstory, they aren’t that interesting, and Lag Seeing is one of the least interesting heroes in a shonen manga currently being published in the USA. Far more interesting is the enigmatic and talented Gauche Suede, a character who delivers Lag to his family in the boonies from the City, and becomes Lag’s role model and reason for joining the Letter Bees.

Asada is not talentless when it comes to writing. He adept at slipping little notes of discord into moments that wouldn’t normally have them. He drops hints about things not necessarily being as they seems, so a sense of ambiguous foreboding as well as the bizarre premise of the book keeps you turning the pages. He also has the ability to create truly touching stories, and while he hasn’t hit all the right notes with some of his more poignant tales, he has gotten fairly close.

Tegami Bachi is a bit of a mixed bag, but it proves that you can write a manga or a comic about anything. I love flipping through the pages and looking at all the wonderful art; that said, I can’t recommend it for those who need their shonen manga to have a strong main character or find Lag’s crybaby antics annoying. Still, Tegami Bachi has a sort of unique charm not normally found in shonen manga, and Asada’s writing may improve over time, so for now, I will keep reading.

Review: Saturn Apartments, Vols. 1-2

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I’m writing this review crammed into the back of a Jeep Liberty. We’re on the road, traveling to see my little sister for her 20th birthday. The car is packed to the gills with presents and people. Things are pleasant, but if someone decides to pass a little gas, we will be having some serious problems. Likewise, we’re very physically close, and on this dark, country road, things are a bit claustrophobic.

I imagine that this feeling is similar, if a bit off in scale, to the feeling felt by the people in Hisae Iwaoka’s Saturn Apartments. After the entire Earth is deemed a nature preserve, mankind relocates to a manmade ring that humans put into orbit. It contains living space for all the world’s remaining humans, as well as fields and fisheries and everything needed to maintain human life. Broken into three parts, the top of the ring contains the rich aristocracy, the middle level contains public works and fields, and the bottom contains power plants, sewer systems, fuel cells, and apartments for the poor and middle class. The one thing that is missing in all of this is natural sunlight.

That’s where Mitsu comes in. He and his company, a guild of window washers, depressurize, don spacesuits that protect them from UV radiation, and go out onto the surface of the ring and wash windows for the elite upper-level dwellers. They risk life and limb to provide a vanity for the obscenely rich, and in return, make a living wage.

In a sense, Saturn Apartments is very much like a series published by TokyoPop during the manga boom, Planetes, in that it shows what everyday people doing their not-so everyday jobs because of a specific scientific advancement. What makes Saturn Apartments interesting is that you get to see how humans become conditioned in these strange situations. People become stratified based on what level they come from. Humanity is segregated, and clothing styles are remarkably different based on the level they are in. People from the bottom levels are discriminated against, and have a hard time getting jobs in the middle and upper levels. It’s a very interesting social examination based around a unique social stressor.

Mitsu, unlike most protagonists for manga series, is no heroic boy looking to change the world. He is very content to fall into the status quo, to start a job in the profession that killed his father, and to become a part of a society that at best commiserates with his difficult position, and at worst thinks of him as a piece of trash. That’s what makes him such an interesting character to read. He has his battles that he has to fight. He tries to make a difference in people’s lives, but he does it in his own way, washing people’s windows, and sometimes, looking in on their lives from above.

Saturn Apartments has one of the more unique art styles of the series in Viz Media‘s Sig IKKI line. People have round, expressive faces, their bodies are like tubes, and unlike other manga in the line, this series looks more like a comic you would expect Fantagraphics or another indie comics publisher to release. I like the change in style, and it fits the subject matter. Saturn Apartments is a very relaxed, simple story, and the relaxed, simple art complements it nicely.

It is hard to get too worked up about Saturn Apartments, mostly because it doesn’t get too worked up itself. Saturn Apartments doesn’t try to wow you or philosophize. It just wants to show you the life a boy who washes windows, and maybe a bit extra about life and the tenacity of humanity, if that happens to come out in the wash. It is because of this simple goal that the series excels so well – as a piece of slice-of-life fiction, Saturn Apartments is able to look at life in a way that few other manga can, in the way that it wants to.

Saturn Apartments is a fine piece of fiction, leisurely and pleasant, and while it isn’t something I’m excited to run out and buy as it is released in paperback, it is fine experience over a warm drink by a crackling fire. If you are looking to step back from the wild world of regular manga and relax a bit, Saturn Apartments will gladly be your cup of chamomile tea.

Where All The Good Books At? My My Appraisal of Kodansha’s Release Slate

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When Kodansha first announced their slate of series that would be released this summer, I was excited. Here was a new company taking over from Del Rey, and since the manga was coming straight from the publisher, it would be easier to get more obscure titles, more josei and seinen, and other manga oddities into print. I was excited to see some of the work from Morning and Afternoon, and I was hopeful that Kodansha would exceed my expectations of Del Rey acting in their stead.

They released their announcements list in mid-December, and since then I’ve been doing a fair bit of investigation into Kodansha‘s announced title list. There are a few titles that were getting reprinting (which I will get to in a minute), but there were a slew of new titles that I had never heard of. Let’s take a second to review what we know (and my first impressions).

Cage of Eden and Bloody Monday, (two series I’ve already done workups on) look to be some of the stereotypical manga that Del Rey is/was known for; overly complicated shonen titles with plenty of fan service (see Negima!, in comparison). Both Bloody Monday and Cage of Eden promise something other than the shonen stories that dominate Viz‘s Shonen Jump lineup, but that does not necessarily make them good reading.

Little information is available about two of Kodansha‘s other series, Deltora Quest and Mardock Scramble. Deltora Quest is a completed ten volume shonen fantasy about an Evil Shadow Lord, Seven Magic Seals, and the giant battle between GOOD AND EVIL, which honestly just sounds like a bad The Dark Is Rising. Mardock Scramble is a bit of an enigma, since its promise of cyberpunk noir seems at least a bit more interesting than a bad redo of a Susan Cooper novel, but information is scant. We do know that Viz‘s Haikasoru imprint printed the novel this manga is based on. However, my experience with adaptations of previous series seems to indicate that this will probably not be all that great.

Other titles are similarly uninteresting. Animal Land by Mokoto Raiku, the author of Zatch Bell, looks pretty poor. I wasn’t a fan of Zatch Bell, and I doubt that this series will get much traction in the shonen community. Another Pheonix Wright, Ace Attorney manga is also going to print. Weeeeeee.

Monster Hunter Orage is probably the most interesting of the series announced, but only because it is written by Hiro Mashima, the author of Fairy Tail.

Until the Full Moon, which is a boy/boy romance about a half vampire/half werewolf is getting a reprint. It was originally printed by Broccoli Books back in 2005, with excellent production values and a high price tag. I’m not sure what this reprint is supposed to represent, but it is one of the only shojo series that Kodansha announced in December. I am sure that some look at Broccoli‘s releases with fondness, but that was quite some time ago. Many new manga readers have never even heard of Broccoli Books. While I am happy to see Kodansha bring back this title, which is both bizarre and interesting, I don’t know how well its old-school art will be handled by a new audience.

Likewise, it is good to see Gon getting reprinted, but this will be the third time the series has been printed, and there’s only so much Gon a guy can take.

If you couldn’t tell already, I am not that impressed with Kodansha‘s announced releases. They all seem like fine titles for a certain crowd, and I’m sure that they will sell copies. I just don’t see a whole lot of value in them.

I haven’t read any of these announced series, and so I can’t doom them to mediocrity immediately. It is not as if these series are all going to be bad, but all of them are very… predictable. In a shrinking market where all series need to pay for their costs, printing “safe” series makes for an adequate return on investment, and I suppose that’s what the business of comics is all about. Unlike Viz, which has Pokemon, Naruto, and Bleach to give them some extra funds with which to print more experimental titles, Kodansha does not have that built up business. Theoretically, they don’t have as much financial room to work with. Realistically, Kodansha can publish whatever it pleases, but we are discussing business here, and Kodansha is not necessarily in the “make Alex happy” business.

Kodansha has time to develop its properties and generate some sales this summer. I think it’s probably a bit hasty to ask them for miracles as soon as they come out of the gates – at the same time, if Kodansha is going to just print the same old Del Rey manga, there’s no reason to get excited about them printing titles like Drops of God or Saint Young Men.

Note: Thankfully, we have publishers like Vertical Inc. to publish Drops of God! Check out my reaction here!

Still, comics like Saint Young Men are the reason why I was excited that Kodansha was starting its own imprint in the USA to begin with. I suppose my expectations are a bit too high. I wanted more complex, adult series to be released here in the States, and I am a bit disappointed that we don’t have any evidence of that yet from Kodansha.

Review: Itsuwaribito, Vol. 1

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Viz Media rolled out a few great new shonen series under their Shonen Sunday imprint in 2010. One Shonen Sunday imprint, Cross Game, a baseball manga by Mitsuru Adachi, made my Best of 2010 list for its excellent pacing and natural slice-of-life storytelling. In addition to the new series released in 2010, The Shonen Sunday imprint looks to continue putting out new work in 2011. Two new series recently were released as part of the Shonen Sunday imprint – the horror/action/suspense manga Kurozakuro (which I will review next week), and the historical action manga Itsuwaribito.

Itsuwaribito is a manga about lying, or more appropriately, about a chronic liar named Utsuho. After telling a group of bandits the truth about where he lived, one of those stereotypical “great shonen tragedies” occurs, and Utsuho vows never to tell the truth ever again. After an introduction to Utsuho and his background, he sets out on a journey to help people with his lying.

There are a few things that separate Itsuwaribito from other shonen manga currently on the market. The most recognizable is its penchant for violent action. Other shonen manga have a tendency to have violence, blood, and gore; series like D.Grey-man thrive on this sort of content. Most of these series are more serious in tone than Itsuwaribito, though. When Utsuho throws a bomb at a group of bandits, their deaths are shown pretty graphically as he shouts out a chipper, “I was lying!” to the dying fools. I am not necessarily saying the violence is over the top, but the depictions of violence in this book are at an extreme contrast with the personality of the main character, which makes the violence a little more unsettling.

Another interesting trait of Itsuwaribito is its use of companion characters for Utsuho. Although things aren’t very far along in the first volume, Utsuho only has a single companion, a fluffy talking raccoon-like pup called a tanuki named Pochi. He is adorable and his trusting attitude and naivety are a good foil for the jaded Utsuho. He is the star of multiple scenes, and his little side observations about what is going on in the story are funny and cute.

For a shonen story, Itsuwaribito holds its own fairly well in the first volume. Its introduction seems a little standard, but for a comic that has to make its name in a busy anthology like Shonen Sunday, you can expect things to be more or less the same in most introductions. Itsuwaribito delineates itself from other shonen manga quickly with its use of the lying theme and Utusho’s penchant for poisons, explosives, and other trickery make it more interesting than it really seemed like it would be at the beginning.

The art is fairly standard shonen fair. Yuuki Iinuma has an affinity for extra screen tone in his action sequences and panelling, but the result isn’t unpleasant like it could be. The line-work is pretty thin, which give Iinuma’s characters a sort of slender look, and also makes his villains a little creepier. The panel composition is also fairly good, and the book reads fairly easily.

One of the things I do not like about Itsuwaribito is Utusho’s constant confessions. He pulls off these grand fibs and deceits, only at the last second to say, “I was lying!” or, “I was lying about lying.” Part of what is interesting about a character that is a compulsive liar is that you never truly understand if what he says is true or not. A confession here or there will help keep you on the level with the character and give you a sense of his morals, but constantly seeing him confess takes a little wind out of his sail. Hopefully, as the series progresses, this will stop. I’d prefer the ambiguity.

While Itsuwaribito isn’t perfect, it is a fun comic, and it is easy to enjoy the convoluted tales that Utusho spins, and the cute fluffy woodland creature he befriends. If Iinuma adds a few other cast members, or introduces some sort of idealistic crisis to Utusho and his resolve to continue to lie, I think this could be a pretty regular read for me. As it stands, I am ready to pick up volume two when it is released in April of 2011.

Or maybe I’m just lying.

This review is based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.

Review: 20th Century Boys, Vols. 8-9

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Life is always about patterns. In the pharmacy world, we look at physician prescribing patterns, dispensing patterns by geographical location, and pricing patterns based on trending legal proceedings. In manga, we see patterns in various genres – the shonen fighting manga, the shojo school-girl manga, all have similar formats that we know sell well, and work well in the Japanese market. Some series attempt to subvert or modify these patterns, which is part of their appeal (or the reason we don’t like them). Even authors follow patterns based on what they are interested in, or what they like to discuss.

Naoki Urasawa has a pattern that manifests itself all too frequently in his suspense and thriller manga – when he gets stuck, or doesn’t know how to work his way out of a problem that he has written himself in, he introduces new characters to his stories.

In 20th Century Boys, Volume 7, we see Urasawa flounder to produce a backstory for the Bloody New Years, and so he introduces a student Koizumi who looks too closely at the history books, and after consulting a homeless man, finds out that what she has been taught is all a sham put on by the Friends, as part of their work to control Japan and most likely the rest of the world.

Volume 8 continues this storyline by having Koizumi sent to a brainwashing camp for the Friends because she’s been poking around too much. Urasawa uses this detour to give out some more information about the surviving members of the “terrorist plot” against the Friends, but eventually he winds his way back to the main storyline, where Kana tries to unite the Chinese and Thai mafia against the Friends. It is an interesting development, and we learn more about Kenji’s original “Book of Prophecy” and another book, “The New Book of Prophecy,” as well as some hints about Kana’s mother.

It is hard to find bad things to say about Urasawa, but it is worth mentioning that 20th Century Boys is not as gripping a tale for me as was his earlier series, Monster. After the 7th volume, I fell off the band wagon, having only just read volumes 8 and 9. Still, when it is in my hands, 20th Century Boys reads so easily, and far too often, so quickly. His ability to pace his stories and hold out on key information makes his stories at times maddening, and I think that’s a great trait to have as a suspense writer. I want to be wowed, and if I immediately want to buy the next volume to see how things play out, I think that’s a sign that he’s a fine writer.

I also appreciate Viz and the production values for its Signature line of manga. The larger size and higher quality paper and inks make these volumes stand out on a bookshelf, and they are a real joy to read. The price point feels fair, and oftentimes these books are available from major retailers at a nice discount, so the price point is nearly the same between these books and their regularly priced $9.99 volumes.

Overall, things are going well in 20th Century Boys, and I don’t think that my opinion is going to change much as the series progresses. Still, Urasawa has a chance to mess up. I’ve heard that 20th Century Boys ends poorly, so I am waiting with trepidation for that train-wreck. For now though, things are still running smoothly down the tracks. There is no reason to not be reading 20th Century Boys; it is a solid thriller backed with a well-constructed dystopian framework, and with the 9th volume ending in such an interesting direction, it is possible that the series could get a lot weirder very quickly. I’m looking forward to find out if that is the case.

Life is always about patterns. In the pharmacy world, we look at physician prescribing patterns, dispensing patterns by geographical location, and pricing patterns based on trending legal proceedings. In manga, we see patterns in various genres – the shonen fighting manga, the shojo school-girl manga, all have similar formats that we know sell well, and work well in the Japanese market. Some series attempt to subvert or modify these patterns, which is part of their appeal (or the reason we don’t like them). Even authors follow patterns based on what they are interested in, or what they like to discuss. 

Naoki Urasawa has a pattern that manifests itself all too frequently in his suspense and thriller manga – when he gets stuck, or doesn’t know how to work his way out of a problem that he has written himself in, he introduces new characters to his stories.

In 20th Century Boys, Volume 7, we see Urasawa flounder to produce a backstory for the Bloody New Years, and so he introduces a student (GIRL NAME HERE PLZ) who looks too closely at the history books and finds out that what she has been taught is all a sham put on by the Friends, as part of their work to control Japan and most likely the rest of the world.

Volume 8 continues this storyline by having (GIRL NAME HERE PLZ) sent to a brainwashing camp for the Friends because she’s been poking around too much. Urasawa uses this detour to give out some more information about the surviving members of the “terrorist plot” against the Friends, but eventually he winds his way back to the main storyline, where Kana tries to unite the Chinese and Thai mafia against the Friends. It is an interesting development, and we learn more about Kenji’s original “Book of Prophecy” and another book, “The New Book of Prophecy,” as well as some hints about Kana’s mother.

It is hard to find bad things to say about Urasawa, but it is worth mentioning that 20th Century Boys is not as gripping a tale for me as was his earlier series, Monster. After the 7th volume, I fell off the band wagon, having only just read volumes 8 and 9. Still, when it is in my hands, 20th Century Boys reads so easily, and far too often, so quickly. His ability to pace his stories and hold out on key information makes his stories at times maddening, and I think that’s a great trait to have as a suspense writer. I want to be wowed, and if I immediately want to buy the next volume to see how things play out, I think that’s a sign that he’s a fine writer.

I also appreciate Viz and the production values for its Signature line of manga. The larger size and higher quality paper and inks make these volumes stand out on a bookshelf, and they are a real joy to read. The price point feels fair, and oftentimes these books are available from major retailers at a nice discount, so the price point is nearly the same between these books and their regularly priced $9.99 volumes.

Overall, things are going well in 20th Century Boys, and I don’t think that my opinion is going to change much as the series progresses. Still, Urasawa has a chance to mess up. I’ve heard that 20th Century Boys ends poorly, so I am waiting with trepidation for that train-wreck. For now though, things are still running smoothly down the tracks. There is no reason to not be reading 20th Century Boys; it is a solid thriller backed with a well-constructed dystopian framework, and with the 9th volume ending in such an interesting direction, it is possible that the series could get a lot weirder very quickly. I’m looking forward to find out if that is the case.

The 2010 Manga Widget Gift Guide

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Continuing in the tradition of holiday gift giving, especially since some folks have already started to share gifts with friends and family, I have another addition to the list of manga gift guides that have been published this holiday season. Much like last year, I’m keeping most of my categories and picking out some new books for manga fans to try out.
But first – I will not be doing a “Best of” list this season – that list is this gift guide. The books I liked the best are the ones I will encourage you to buy. If you aren’t prepared to gift them, buy yourself a present with the gift card Aunt Sue got you. A good book is better than a Christmas sweater.

Manga Widget Notice: Please note that my list is inclusive of all series, books, and other media currently in and out of print – I did not want to limit myself to this year’s releases. Also know that this list represents my opinion, and not the golden guide to purchasing this season.

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Mainstream Comics fan

You’ve got someone on your list who loves The Fantastic Four or Watchmen, but hasn’t gotten into manga yet. Help them figure out what the manga craze is all about with a few of these seinen comics.

#1) Biomega, Vol. 1; Viz Media Sig IKKI: MSRP $12.99 – From the writer of the acclaimed action-thriller BLAME! comes Biomega, a series featuring a deadly virus that threatens to consume humanity, badass motorcycle stunts, a talking sniper bear, and some pretty spectacular graphics. Part of Viz Media’s Sig IKKI line, this book has an oversized format that is more akin to a normal comic book page size.

#2) DEMO; Vertigo Comics: MSRP $19.99 – Technically not manga, DEMO is what I like to give people before giving them a volume of manga. DEMO is a beautiful collection of short stories written by Brian Wood and illustrated by the extremely talented Becky Cloonan. One of the highlights to this series, besides the fact that it is awesome, is that it comes in black and white. Some comics readers need a transition, and DEMO can be an excellent one. Plus, it’s just good comics.

#3) Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service; Dark Horse Comics: MSRP $10.95 - Sometimes the dead need help to move on to the afterlife, and that’s the job of the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. Part Sooby Doo, part gristle, part Buddhist comedy, this is a series that defies traditional explanation and is a great book for those who like their humor a little dark.

#4) Gantz, Vol. 1; Dark Horse Comics: MSRP $10.95 – This made my list last year, and for good reason. This dark thriller combines super-human strength, erotic visuals, and some pretty fucked up imagery into an entertaining comics smash-fest. If Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is the filet of manga, Gantz is certainly the junk food. Not for little kids, but if you’re buying for a 18+ friend, this is worth a shot.

One-Shot/Comix

While plenty of indie manga is published in Japan each year, not much of it makes it across the Pacific to be translated and published in the USA. The stuff that does eventually make it is a bit of a grab-bag, but there’s a lot out there to love.

#1) AX, Vol. 1, A Collection of Alternative Manga; Top Shelf MSRP $29.95 – From the obscure to the obscene, AX defies all conventions. As a collection, it has both the sublime and the bizarre contained between its covers, sometimes in the same stories. As a collection, it is almost 400 pages of indie manga, and it’s a pretty quick read.

#2) A Drifting Life; Drawn & Quarterly: MSRP $29.95 -The manga-style autobiography of one of the most influential manga writers, Yoshihiro Tatsumi. The man revolutionized manga in the 1950s by developing the gekiga style of manga – blunt, sometimes traumatic slice-of-life stories that explored the real lives of Japanese citizens after WWII, and the dark underbelly of the booming industrial power that it would become. A repeat from last year, but still a powerful book that deserves to be on every comics lover’s shelf.

#3) The Quest for the Missing Girl; Fanfare/Ponent Mon: MSRP $25.00 – Jiro Taniguchi is one of Japan’s best writers, known for his powerful stories and well-developed characters. Recent releases include A Distant Neighborhood, which has been released in two volumes. The Quest For The Missing Girl is a powerful, 300+ page one-shot that examines the power of guilt and pride on a backdrop of mountain climbing, and it’s perfect for anyone who likes a gripping suspense story.

Classics

These could be powerful manga from years past, or new work breaking out of the comics scene in Japan; either way, these comics are breathtaking and a must read for any manga fan.

#1) Pluto Vol. 1; Viz Media Sig IKKI: MSRP $12.99 – A repeat from last year’s gift guide, the last volume of Pluto, volume 8, was published at the beginning of 2010. Last year I said that Pluto was the series of 2009. Pluto, throughout its run, delivered a powerful and consistent message filled with excellent characterization and suspense, and may well be one of the best series published in 2010. The series is a true wonder, and a great gift for anyone who appreciates Astro Boy, or for anyone who likes a good

#2) Chobits Omnibus, Vol. 1; Dark Horse Comics: MSRP $24.95 – CLAMP is the one supergroup that has had its manga published by almost every publisher in the USA, but its recent releases have tended to be from Dark Horse. A reprint of the series that made its first Enlgish debut in 2002, this omnibus is a great chance to introduce fans of xxxHolic and Tsubasa to an older CLAMP title.

#3) Ayako; Vertical Publishing: MSRP $26.95 – Tezuka, the God of Manga, does it again with this creepy, realistic portrait of post-war Japan and the perversion of the Japanese family and its values. A beautiful book, and one of my favorite manga of 2010, Vertical has printed another of Tezuka’s powerful symbolic manga in a format that is both beautiful on the shelf, and while reading.

Foodie Manga

Everyone loves food, and mangaka love to write about it. Check out these picks for fun food-based manga.

#1) Not Love But Delicious Foods; Yen Press: MSRP $10.99 – Fumi Yoshinaga’s love letter to the Tokyo food scene, this manga gives readers a glimpse into the various places to eat around Tokyo. An excellent gift for someone looking to do a little overseas travelling this season, but also just a good read.

#2) Toriko; Viz Media: MSRP $9.99 – Viz loves to print its food manga, and this book is no exception. Toriko, unlike other food manga, is not just about the meals, but rather, what it takes to get the ingredients to make masterful cuisine. Zany with just the right amount of Pokemon-like “gotta catch ‘em all” to keep you entertained, this is the shonen food comic of the season.

#3) The Antique Bakery, Vol. 1; Digital Manga Publishing: MSRP $12.95 – A repeat from last year, Antique Bakery is a fun comic with a lot of spirit from the great Fumi Yoshinaga. Yoshinaga-sensei loves food, and this, along with  Featuring some of the best looking sweets ever illustrated, Fumi Yoshinaga’s Antique Bakery is part (gay) love triangle, part baking manga.

All Other Manga

Whether you’re into ninjas, love triangles, magic swords, or space travel, these manga are sure to please. I’ve picked a wide variety of books this year, so try something new this Christmas!

#1) Bunny Drop; Yen Press: MSRP $12.99 – Other reviewers have called this the humor-less Yotsuba&!, but it actually is a cute, realistic drama that watches a new adoptive father take over the care of his grandfather’s illegitimate daughter. Unlike Yotsuba&!, also published by Yen Press, this series is more suited to the serious reader, but its charm will win over even those just looking for a laugh.

#2) Arata The Legend; Viz Media Shonen Sunday: MSRP $9.99 – There are plenty of good shonen titles available for purchase this holiday season, but the best new shonen series in my opinion is from the famed Yuu Watase. It follows two different boys named Arata from different dimensions who have been transported in space and time, and now must face the problems the other had in their own dimension. A great fantasy series with a hint of The Labyrinth.

#3) Itazura na Kiss, Vol. 1; Digital Manga Publishing: MSRP $16.95 Itazura na Kiss is probably one of my favorite series in print right now, for multiple reasons. Seen as a sort of genesis for some of the shojo tropes that we’ve become accustomed to here in the US, Itazura na Kiss finally has made it to Western shores in an omnibus format, which is competitively priced and great reading.

#4) Twin Spica, Vol. 1; Vertical Inc: MSRP $10.95 – Of all the titles any manga fan should read this year, Twin Spica should be the one. It is both poignant and fun, and it manages to be heartfelt and interesting at the same time. Bonus points for being about space travel. Vertical has done a great job with the translation and the books look great.

#5) Cross Game, Vol. 1; Viz Media Shonen Sunday: MSRP $19.99 – While normally I’m not a huge fan of sports manga, Cross Game really won my heart this year with its slice of life storytelling and excellent character development.  A story about high-school baseball, Cross Game also examines the lives of a few young students as they grow and mature. Written by Mitsuru Adachi, one of the masters of manga, this 3-volume omnibus is both a good deal and a good read.

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Well, that’s it for this year. Hope you find your friends (or yourself) some new manga this holiday season. Happy hunting!

 

EDIT: Apparently some of the links were not going to the right books. This has (hopefully) been fixed.