Red Hot Chili Samurai Volume 2

July 29, 2010 — Zack Davisson

3.0 out of 5 stars No spice

Red Hot Chili Samurai Volume 2 (Kokaku Detective Story)

There are plenty of manga series that start off slow and pick up with the second volume. The first volume may be little more for a pilot, introducing the characters and laying out the tone and pacing without diving too much into the ongoing story. “Red Hot Chili Samurai” is not one of those manga.

The first volume was well-drawn but plagued with issues of convoluted story-telling, lack of clear plot, and lame gimmicks taken from other series. Author Katagiri didn’t seem to have much more than the idea of mixing the basic plot of the popular TV samurai drama “Mito Komen” with the cast of Samurai Champloo, and throwing in a chili-eating gag because as he says “there were so many characters eating sweets I figured a chili-eating character might be a good change of pace.”

All of these same problems are still here in volume two. The story barely continues over from the first volume other than having the same characters. The chili-eating Kokaku Sento is having ethical issues with his teammate Ento over whether or not they should be killing. Ento thinks that carrying a sword means having to kill, whereas Kokaku relies on his crane-tattoo to put the fear of the lord into his assailants without having to kill them. From there the itinerant hatamoto Shikki-sama comes back into Kokaku’s life, tracking down the son of a lord who has fled to live the simple life of a fisherman. At some point in time, Kokaku rides around on a motorcycle, created by the boy genius Tsumugi, everyone goes hunting for a cat and a potential assassin whose face looks like an ukiyo-e print, and Kokaku and Shikki get into a dance competition.

I have gotten more used to Katagiri’s angular faces and spiky hair, and the art on “Red Hot Chili Samurai” is improved. Katagiri draws a mean fight scene, with his characters exploding at each other rather than just facing off. He also has a way with kimonos and period ware which add to the over all style.

The problem is that although he is a good artist, Katagiri lacks storytelling skills. His panels are a convoluted maze, and there are floating dialog balloons attached to no one in particular so it is hard to keep track of who is talking to whom. Some attempt at character development is made, but it quickly fades to business as ususal. Kokaku goes through a minor crisis of confidence swiftly to be replaced by a full-page spread of him slipping his kimono off his shoulder to expose his tattoo and dropping his tagline “because I am the hero.”

It is series like this that make me wish there were more writer/author combinations in Japanese comics. Katagiri has all the drawing skills necessary to pull of a fun action-orientated adventure, but he can’t seem to be able to plot out a story or to write more than “cool scenes” that get everyone into combat as soon as possible.

Maybe things will pick up with the third volume, but so far the odds don’t look good.

Posted in Manga, Samurai, Tokyo Pop, Uncategorized. Tags: , . 1 Comment »

.hack//Link Volume 1

July 28, 2010 — Zack Davisson

 
4.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of the end of .hack

.hack//Link Volume 1

 
So this is how it ends huh? The long-lasting and ultra-popular “.hack//” finally comes to an end with the release of the final series, “.hack//link” (Japanese title “.hack//LINK Tasogare no Kishidan” or “hack//LINK Twilight Knights.”) Whether or not there will be any further releases only time will tell, but the official word is that the .hack universe comes to a close here.

Is the series closing with a whimper or a bang? Honestly, it is too soon to tell with the release of this first volume. There is potential for a cool story here, but also a potential for lameness. They are already steering towards disaster by lumping in every character that has appeared in the past series. It is nice to see old friends again, but it takes a talented writer to pull that off. Especially seeing as how all of those legendary names of yore are merely window dressing to the main story.

The adventure begins in the year 2020, and The World has been offline for two years following the events of .hack// G.U.. Gamer Tokio Kuryuu has been contenting himself with lesser games, saving his money in anticipation of the release of The World R:X, the re-booting of the most popular MMORG of all time. For all his skills at games, however, Tokio isn’t too smart as he didn’t anticipate R:X getting sold out on opening day. The day is saved by the arrival of Saika Amagi, a transfer student to Tokio’s school who not only coincidently looks just like the princess Tokio dreams of every night, but also has a special copy of The World R:X. She gives the game to Tokio, who is bodily sucked into The World and thrust instantly in the middle of a fight between the monocled Fluegel and the legendary leader of the Twilight Knights, Kite.

Tokio finds that he is no normal Player in The World. First off, he is physically in the computer simulation, able to feel and interact in a way no one else can. Secondly, Saika Amagi manifests in The World as well, and Tokio finds that far from being the hero in his own story, he is just a pawn to Saika’s whims.

Tokio is pitted against a group known as Schicksal, an 8-member team of powerful players each with their own specialty. They are seeking the Chrono Cores held by the main heroes from previous .hack series, and it is up to Tokio to get in their way. When Kite is taken out of the way, the Schicksal next attack Tsukasa (Hack//Sign) and then in turn Haseo the Terror of Death .hack//Roots). Both Tsukasa and Haseo have been returned to their original, sullen and violent selves, as it is revealed that possession of the Chrono Core slowly eats away at your memories.

I am not really sold on Tokio as a protagonist. If this was just a little side adventure he might be alright, but if this series is truly the final entry in the .hack universe then I want someone a bit cooler. Tokio is pretty much a standard-issue “scrappy kid.” His character design is ridiculous, with giant spiky red hair that looks fine in The World but not so much when he is at school. We are told is incredible at video games but we don’t every really get to see his skill as he pretty much gets smacked around in The World R:X.

Not much is known about Saika at the end of volume one, other than that she has some power over The World and appears to possess a magic skirt whose main attribute is to fly up and show her fan service in every single appearance. A pin-up of Saika at the end of the book by animator Kazuhiro Takamura carries the tag-line “No shame in panties!” and that pretty much sums up Saika’s role in the story.

The Schicksal are an interesting bunch with great character designs who I am looking forward to hearing more about. Anyone who can take out Kite in only a few pages is not someone to be messed with. The character Geist has probably the coolest design in the book, and I hope his character lives up to the design.

Having Tokio bodily enter The World is an interesting concept that I wonder how it will work out. One of the things I enjoyed about .hack was how they were playing a game, and the few glimpses we got of the “real lives” of the characters added depth to an otherwise stereotypical fantasy story. In “.hack//link”, there is just The Wold, unless Tokio finds his way out
Posted in Manga, Tokyo Pop. Tags: , . 2 Comments »

Happy Cafe Volume 3

July 21, 2010 — Zack Davisson

3.0 out of 5 stars Tastes great, less filling

Happy Cafe Volume 3

You know how you can love one cupcake, and maybe another, but by the third one the sweetness starts to get to you? It still tastes good, but that initial delight of the first bite is fading, and you find yourself wanting something with a little more substance.

Unfortunately, that seems to be what is going on with “Happy Café.” Although I loved the first two volumes, which were little more than light and frothy fun featuring the kind of wacky cast that couldn’t exist outside of a manga, with this third issue the taste is starting to turn. I can’t really put my finger on what it is; Things are pretty the same as the last two volumes. But volume three is somehow less satisfying.

It might be that volume three has no real story, just a sequence of unconnected vignettes. The volume starts out with Uru taking Shindo and Ichiro home for dinner to meet her parents, and the usual misunderstandings occur. Uru’s mom is egging her own to hook up with one of the guys, while her step-father is over-protective. Next up some of the girls at school see Uru walking with Shindo and Ichiro, and after seeing how hot they are the Café Bonheur becomes a hot hang-out which doesn’t please Uru at all. Then it is time for more misunderstandings as Uru goes to visit the Abekawa brothers at their home, and after that Uru’s sixth grade cousin comes to town to confess his love for her. The last two stories are the origin of Ichiro’s strange sleeping habit, and Uru helping a lost young boy find his way home.

Volume three is definitely not bad. There are some great gags here, and Matsuzuki’s expressive artwork is still is good as ever. She has a way of drawing Uru’s smile that gives me an equally big grin every time I see it. The “Lil’ Ichiro” scenes are fantastic, showing Ichiro as a young boy. Fortunately, the Abekawa brothers don’t appear as much so their ridiculously translated accents aren’t there to bother me.

Matsuzuki has created some great characters, and I really enjoy jumping into her world of happiness where there are few problems that can’t be solved by a really tasty treat, but she can’t expect to keep interest up by serving up the same dish every time. Even though the previous two volumes were filled with equally fluffy filler I am ready for a more filling story to begin. I am hopeful that the story starts to pick up with volume four, but Matsuzuki is going to have to go deeper story-wise to keep me coming back.

Posted in Manga, Tokyo Pop. Tags: , , . 2 Comments »

Disappearance Diary

July 13, 2010 — Zack Davisson

 
4.0 out of 5 stars Getting away from it all
 

Disappearance Diary

Manga artist Hideo Azuma is famous for two rather ignoble reasons. In 1979, with the publication of his underground self-produced comic “Cybele” he created the controversial “lolicon” genre featuring sexualized (although cartoonish) images of young girls that still exists in Japan today. Ten years later, in 1989 at the height of his success and popularity as a manga artist, he left work for pack of cigarettes and didn’t return, escaping for a year to live a life free from pressure as a homeless person.

“Disappearance Diary” (a literal translation of Japanese title “Shissou Nikki”) is the story of the second ignoble reason.

Azuma was overcome by the pressures of success, by the demands of deadlines and the politics of publishing houses and their domineering editors. He was committed to several ongoing weekly and bi-weekly series, yet unable to turn down requests from editors for fill-in stories for their magazines due to threats that the editors would then withhold work from him altogether. Azuma had a wife who worked as his assistant, and the two of them would pull all-nighters rushing to get work of dubious quality out the door. The only relief came from alcohol binges that left Azuma hung-over and in even less of a mood to continue in a job he was increasingly hating. So on the spur of the moment he left, abandoning job, wife and responsibility to sleep in the mountains and gather food and drink from the garbage cans.

“Disappearance Diary” covers the three times in Azuma’s life that he disappeared from society. The first diary, “Walking at Night” is about Azuma’s 1989 escape where he lived in the mountains outside of town and learned the skills necessary to survive without money or home. Azuma was eventually caught by the police and returned to his wife a year later due to a missing person’s report. He went back to work drawing manga, but then two years later he disappeared again (Diary #2: “Walking Around Town”), this time becoming a manual laborer working on broken gas pipes and living in a shared apartment with other day laborers. Caught again after a year and returned to his wife (this time captured for riding a stolen bicycle), Azuma’s final disappearance came in 1998 when his alcohol abuse caught up to him and he became a full-fledged physically dependent alcoholic, suffering from visual hallucinations and forcibly hospitalized by his wife for recovery and treatement (Diary #3: “Alcoholic Ward”).

While all of this seems terribly depressing, when chronicling his disappearances Azuma has done so in a light-hearted and comedic tone. Azuma doesn’t really have it in him to tell stories of angst and suffering, so instead there is a quirky tale of a miscreant who is tasting the freedom of lack of responsibility while still being aware of the depths to which he has sunk. Azuma says right at the beginning that “This manga has a positive outlook on life, and so it has been made with as much realism removed as possible.”

And this is a funny comic, if you like your humor dark. Told in a the cartoony art style that is Azuma’s trademark (but without any of his lolicon stuff, so don’t expect to see that here), it talks frankly about homeless life, about the best places to scrounge garbage to eat, about how to forage for cigarette butts and leftover alcohol, and about the problems of going to the bathroom when all you have eaten is foraged wild vegetables, and how a bottle of used tempera oil comes in handy in such occasions. Azuma is fairly inventive, using leftover vinegar to pickle cabbage before it goes rotten, creating a stove from an old crate and some tin cans and other crafty touches that make homeless life better. He admits that he hit his lowest when he stole food from another homeless person. His life as a day laborer is more straight forward as he works through the ranks and advances in jobs, getting training in the methods of gas-pipe laying and dealing every day with the personalities who make day-labor their career. A funny section in this diary is when he can’t resist the temptation to send in a comic strip to the gas labor’s newsletter, and his strip is printed. When he is finally arrested, one of the police officers is a fan of Azuma’s work and recognizes him, asking him for a sketch before letting him go.

The “Alcoholic Ward” is where Azuma’s disappearance diary turns much darker, and the humor evaporates. Both the homeless life and day-laborer life were Azuma’s choices, and there is a cavalier sense of freedom in running away from the pressure of responsibility, but when he gives his life over to alcohol demons emerge to haunt him at every corner. He comes close to death, and works his way to recovery, but even Azuma’s comedic style cannot complete mask the horror he must have experienced.

I dearly loved this comic. Azuma’s art style and humor were perfectly matched to the story. I am really glad he decided to do this as a biographical comic and not featuring a cat as originally intended. It definitely would have lost some of its power.

The only problem I had with “Disappearance Diary” is that maybe Azuma left out too much in wanting to make the story light-hearted and positive. I respect that outlook, and I wouldn’t have enjoyed the comic nearly as much if it had been doom and gloom, but I couldn’t help but wonder what else happened? There are two interviews with Azuma included in this comic, and in both he hints at real terrors he experienced that never appear here. And what about his wife? Was she really OK with these occasional year-long disappearances? Did she just wait at home faithfully for Azuma’s return? We don’t get to know.
Posted in Manga. Tags: . 3 Comments »

I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow, Vol. 1

July 9, 2010 — Zack Davisson

5.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Shizuro Oguro, Manga Artist

I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow, Vol. 1

I am not quite sure how to classify “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow.” Is it a comedy? A slacker-drama? Auto-biographical? All I really know is that it is completely brilliant.

The story begins with our hero, Shizuro Oguro. Overweight, forty years old and a fifteen-year employee of a job he hates, Shizuro is in a classic mid-life crisis. Unsure of what he wants to do, but completely sure he doesn’t want to keep living like he is now, Shizuro quits his job and does…nothing. Sits around in his underwear and plays video games. A month into his new jobless status, and with his father and daughter giving him a hard time, Shizuro has an epiphany about his future. He will become a manga artist.

The fact that Shizuro has never drawn before, got only Ds in art in school, and generally knows nothing about being a manga artist isn’t going to get in his way. With his new life decided, Shizuro sets to it with all the lack-of-dedication that a forty-year old slacker can bring to the table. To keep money in his pockets, Shizuro gets a job at a local fast-food burger joint, and has a variety of misadventures in his quest for publication.

When I flipped the first pages of “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow,” (Japanese title: “Orewamada Honkidashiitenaidake” of “I Just haven’t Done My Best Yet.”) I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I did. The artwork is somewhat primitive and lacking in detail, and the whole thing is unpolished. The comic looks like something that would appear in an underground `zine rather than as a published book. As I got into the story however, and saw how artist Shunju Aono played with surface colors, with perspective and characterization, I saw that this unpolished nature was a conscious choice that added to the story rather than just a lack of skill. The series has a definite and unique look to it.

The real treasure here is the characters. Shizuro is a total slacker, without too many redeeming qualities other than his greatest talent, which is accepting the flaws in others without judging. Because he is such a loser himself, he doesn’t put anyone down for their choices. In one scene, when he is feeling a bit frisky and so heads to a local brothel for recreation, then runs into his high school aged daughter working there, he doesn’t freak out, but just checks in with her to make sure she is OK. When one of his co-workers turns out to have a shady past involving prison, he just blows it off and invites the guy out for drinks. All of this made me love Shizuro myself, and want to cheer him on. He is a supportive guy with a kind heart, and he deserves some success of his own.

“I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow” is all about personal relationships. Shizuro and his father. Shizuro and his daughter. Shiziro and his agent. Shiziro and his co-workers. Shiziro and himself. There is no action to speak of, unless it is in brief panels where, Walter Mitty-like, Shiziro dreams of himself as an athlete or successful manga artist. Oh, and he gets into a fistfight with God. Can’t forget about that. But that one isn’t a daydream.

Just like life, there are some funny bits here, some sad stuff, some triumphs and some defeats. It is hard to put my finger on what I loved about this comics so much, but there is a lot here to love. Props to translator Akemi Wegmuller who did a great job and delivered some great lines. (“Well you fathered the Stupid Fool, so you are a Stupid Fool too Dad!” “Look, you’ve been stuck in a rut your whole life. It’s been one long slump Sonny”)

Along with the main story, there is a bonus story “To Live” that has Shizuro coming across a young woman attempting suicide due to her past as an adult video actress. In typical Shizuro fashion, he befriends her and watches out for her, completely unconcerned with her past or suicidal tendencies. I hope that this character will reappear, and it actually seems like she could be a good romantic interest for Shizuro (again with great dialog “You want to make out?” “No I don’t” “Mm..of course not.”)

Quirky. Realistic. Funny., Sad. “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow” is many things, and all of them good.

Posted in Manga. Tags: , . 1 Comment »

The times of Botchan volume 1

June 23, 2010 — Zack Davisson

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely brilliant historical/biographical comic

The Times of Botchan volume 1 (of 10)

Botchan is my favorite work of Japanese literature. Funny, insightful, at times both light-hearted and mournful, it is a perfect novel. Still completely relevant today, “Botchan” is the one book that I recommend everyone read before moving to Japan in order to learn the culture. The author, Natsume Soseki, is considered one of the greatest authors of Japan, and in was featured on the thousand-yen note for years.

When I saw Jiro Taniguchi and Natsuo Sekikawa’s “The times of Botchan,” I originally thought that it was going to be a manga adaptation of the famous novel. But it is so much more.

While I love “Botchan,” I have never thought too much about the writing of “Botchan,” of the story behind the story. I have never thought about the process behind Soseki’s writing of the novel, so different from his works like I Am a Cat and Kokoro. That is the story that Taniguchi and Sekikawa explore in their comic “The times of Botchan.”

Volume one opens with Soseki sitting on his front porch, staying at his famous stray cat, and contemplating a new novel. Soseki was feeling caught in the Meiji era, and time when Japan was transforming from one kind of nation to another, achieving technological advances in weeks what had taken other countries centuries. The nation was emerging from the two hundred and fifty year period of isolation known as the Edo period, and was in a full-fledged identity crisis. The clash of the old and new, of tradition and innovation, of country and city, of Eastern and Western, all of this Soseki sought somehow to embody in his short comic novel.

To help process his ideas, and just to be social, Soseki meets with a group of young writers who wish to study at his footsteps. In “The times of Botchan,” Soseki wanders the streets of Tokyo with these young writers, taking a little something from each of their personalities that will eventually end up as a character in his book.

Do you need to have read “Botchan” to appreciate “The times of Botchan?” I don’t think so. Aside from Soseki’s musings the story doesn’t delve too deeply into the events of the novel. It would help to have at least a familiarity with Meiji period Japanese literature, as many of the characters are famous names from that time. Ogai Mori (Vita Sexualis) is a character, as is a personal favorite of mine Lafcadio Hearn (Kwaidan) and there is a great scene where Soseki reacts to the news that his return from London has pushed Hearn out of his professorship with Tokyo University as the pressure to expel foreign influences grows.

I thought Taniguchi and Sekikawa’s “The times of Botchan” was just brilliant. Everything about the book, from the art style to the pacing to the subject matter are far removed from what is typically thought of as “manga.” Jiro Taniguchi’s art is highly detailed, sometimes being drawn from famous photographs that I recognize, yet with an obvious influence of Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) in the facial expressions of his characters.

What was originally supposed to be a short two-volume collaboration between Taniguchi and Sekikawa, “The times of Botchan” blossomed into a ten-volume series that goes beyond the titular novel and into an exploration of literature in the ever-changing Meiji period. Frankly, I can’t wait to read the rest of the series, and it is no wonder that publisher FanFare / Ponent Mon received an impressive seven Eisner Award nominations in 2010. This is high-quality literate comics.

Posted in Japanese History, Japanese Literature, Manga. Tags: , . 3 Comments »

Kitaro’s Heaven and Hell

June 22, 2010 — Zack Davisson

 
5.0 out of 5 stars A Guided Tour of the World’s Heavens and Hell
 
 

If you wanted to learn more about the various heavens, hells and other assorted forms of afterlife in Japan you could either crack the spine on the through and scholarly Death and the Afterlife in Japanese Buddhismor instead hop on the Dead Man’s Train with Kitaro, Nezumi Otoko and Medama Oyaji for a guided tour through all death has to offer.

“Kitaro’s Heaven and Hell” by legendary yokai professor Mizuki Shigeru is a tour not only though the various death-realms of Japan but also such places as Mexico, Hawaii, China, Tibet, Europe and the folklore traditions of various countries. All of the entries are accompanied by Mizuki sensei’s glorious artwork, mostly in black-and-white line work but with occasional red and orange highlights.

The rough set-up for this book is when a girl at school dies suddenly, and her classmates contact Kitaro to go to the afterlife and get her soul back. Kitaro still has his ticket for the Dead Man’s Train, so he goes to try and get her back. While they are in the neighborhood, Kitaro, Nezumi Otoko and Medama Oyaji decide to go on a walking tour of the afterlife. First they head through Japan’s realms, such as Takama no Hara (High Plain of Heaven) where the original gods descended from, and Ne no Kuni (The Root Land) which is one of the oldest concepts of where the dead go, before trekking across the map to foreign shores.

I am an avowed Mizuki Shigeru fan, with a huge collection of his works, and “Kitaro’s Heaven and Hell” stands out not only as a testament to his ability to visualize and put to paper abstract concepts of the afterlife but also for his scholarship as a folklorist. The book is part of a recent series by publisher Shogakukan including “I am a Yokai Professor” that mixes his comic strips with single page illustrations. This comic is all original material, with only one or two comic strips and the rest full page drawings of the afterlife. His style of detailed backgrounds mixed with up-front cartoony characters is seen to full advantage, and the book is simply beautiful.

A few of my favorite pages were the ones I was the least familiar with, such as the legend of the “Kamui Village” from the native Ainu people of Japan, and the “Kigou Market” in China where the ghosts go shopping after dark. There is at least one familiar folk legend, that of Urashima Taro and the Dragon Palace, drawn in Mizuki’s unique style. His European depictions come straight out of Dante, and his depiction of China’s holy island Houto is as spellbinding as any ancient Chinese ink scroll.

“Kitaro’s Heaven and Hell” is a great addition to my Mizuki Shigeru library. I learned quite a lot from it as well as just marveling at Mizuki’s art.

Posted in Japanese Religion, Manga. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »

Portrait of M and N Volume 2

June 17, 2010 — Zack Davisson

4.0 out of 5 stars I am your sandbag of love

Portrait of M and N Volume 2 (Portrait of M & N)

 I have learned never to give up on a manga after the first volume. Far too often, the first volume serves as a sort of “pilot” for the series, doing little more than introducing the characters and themes but it isn’t until the second volume that the story actually begins.

That is exactly how it is with “Portrait of M & N Volume Two.” Although I enjoyed the bizarreness of volume one, with the twisted take on a masochist in love with a narcissist, I didn’t see how the story could be sustained over the six-volume series. It seemed like the shock-value would soon fade away and that there wasn’t enough here to carry the story. Fortunately, with volume two author Tachibana Higuchi (Gakuen Alice) decided to focus more on the characters and less on their specific perversions which makes for a much more interesting story.

By now, we have the required love triangle of Mitsuru (the beautiful masochist), Natsuhiko (the even more beautiful narcissist) and Hijiri (the “cool guy” embarrassed by his terror of dogs). Mitsuru and Natsuhiko know each other’s secrets, but only Hijiri and Mitsuru are aware of each other’s true nature. Hijiri has been blackmailing Mitsuru into blocking dogs from coming near him, but Natsuhiko is unaware of this and becomes jealous of their relationship.

Volume Two has two scenarios familiar to almost all high school romance comics. First off, Natsuhiko’s mother is concerned about her son’s lack of interest in girls (due to his obsessive narcissism), and so Natsuhiko decides to bring Mitsuru home in order to get his mother to let off on the pressure. Mitsuru sees this as a chance to ingratiate herself into Natsuhiko’s family, but somehow Hijiri swings an invitation as well, and is determined to drive a wedge between the two. Next, it is time for Sports Day at school, and the sport is dodgeball. This is a nightmare for Natsuhiko and Mitsuru, who fear having their secret natures shown to the entire school should a stray ball strike them in the wrong way. One smack in the face by a dodgeball would have Mitsuru groveling on the ground begging for someone to use her and abuse her, and the slightest damage to Natsuhiko’s perfect face is more than he would be able to deal with.

With volume two I am really hooked with “Portrait of M & N” and looking forward to seeing how the series plays out. Rarely have I seen a love story with such completely flawed characters, both of whom are absolutely consumed by their dual natures. Mitsuru seems like a perfect girlfriend, pretty, sweet and attentive but Natsuhiko has to live with the knowledge that she would debase herself and completely give herself over to be used by anyone who causes her pain. Mitsuru, on the other hand, is fully in love with Natsuhiko and even has marriage plans, but she must live with the fact that she will always be second-place to Natsuhiko’s own reflection, and that he would rather kiss himself in the mirror than kiss her.

Hijiri is the only character who seems out of place. His fear of dogs just isn’t on the same level as Mitsuru and Natsuhiko’s obsessions, and that makes him a bit boring. I realize that there needs to be someone standing between Mitsuru and Natsuhiko to create drama, but I wish his secret had been something more dramatic.

Like with volume one, this second volume of “Portrait of M&N” has a back-up story that takes up about one-forth of the comic. Also by author Higuchi, “Ghost Story under the Cherry Blossom” is another tale of twisted love, of the ghost of a murdered high school student who falls in love with the floating spirit of a boy in a coma. What will happen when the boy awakes from the coma? I felt this was a compelling little ghost story with an ending that seems happy but when you think about it is very dark and depressing.

Posted in Manga, Tokyo Pop. Tags: , . 1 Comment »

Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho Volume 4

June 17, 2010 — Zack Davisson

 
4.0 out of 5 stars The cat is out of the bag
 

Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho Volume 4

Big things happened in volume 3 of “Animal Academy.” Yuichi Takuma realized that he was not a human after all, but is a transformed fox who was so good at transforming that he forgot his animal nature. Leaving the Morimori Academy, Yuichi hugs Neko with eyes full of tears, implying the hidden feelings he had for her. And then he is gone.

If you are new to “Animal Academy,” it tells the story of Neko Fukuta, a human being so bad at school that she was rejected from every High School in the country. She finally manages to be her way into Morimori Academy, only to discover that the school is actually a place to train transformed animals how to pass as human beings. Neko is allowed to stay at the school on the condition that she not reveal her status as a human, and instead pretends to be a transformed cat in order to fit in with the other students.

Volume four deals with the aftermath of Yuichi’s abrupt revelation and departure. Yuichi, who thought he was a human, bonded with Neko who is now faced with a crisis of confidence. If there is no place in Morimori Academy for a fox who thinks he is a human, how can there be a place for a human pretending to be a cat? Her roommate Miko is not helpful, because appearances aside Miko is a true cat and thus unconcerned with little beyond her immediate pleasure. Miko was jealous of the bond between Yuichi and Neko, and is less than bothered to see him go.

Finally, Neko decides she can not live a lie, and reveals to Miko her secret, that she is a human, then flees Morimori Academy just like Yuichi. What happens next makes up most of the story of volume five, as Neko finds it is not so easy to return to the human world, and the rest of the transformed animal students of Morimori Academy have to decide what to do and how to process Neko’s leaving.

“Animal Academy” is a series that I enjoy far more than I should. A shojo comic sliding on the edge of being a kodomo comic, the stories are not deep or complex, and the message is simple. However, artist Moyamu Fujino crisp and clean art style and simple storytelling make the odd situation compelling. I love how her students act like transformed animals, instead of just cutesy humans with animal ears. Miko in particular is a cat through and through, with all the good points and selfish nature that entails.

If you are a follower of “Animal Academy,” then you are going to enjoy volume four. The series tone and character is maintained, and the developments between Neko and the rest of the gang help to further the overall story. There are still some plot points left unresolved at the end of volume five, but it is a very satisfying addition over all.
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Alice in the Country of Hearts Volume 3

June 15, 2010 — Zack Davisson

5.0 out of 5 stars Curiouser and curiouser

Alice in the Country of Hearts Volume 3

With each volume of “Alice in the Country of Hearts” I find myself getting further and further drawn into the story. There are mysteries here, and some interesting characters that are deepening with each volume.

This issue starts with Alice still residing at the house of the Clockmaker Julius Monrey, where she is fascinated by Julius’s job of repairing the broken clocks that serve as the ticking hearts to the people of Wonderland. As violent as the fantasy world is, so long as the clock has not been broken Julius can bring them back to life and send them out again. But a peaceful respite is not in Alice’s future, as Peter the White Rabbit comes a’calling, and this time he has a trick up his sleeve that Alice will not be able to resist. From there, she is whisked off to the castle of Vivaldi the Queen of Hearts where she hears something of the nature of Wonderland and the Queen’s past.

I liked the character-focus of volume three of “Alice in the Country of Hearts.” In stead of the usual march of characters, Alice spent some private time with just a few characters allowing for development of both character and story. Peter White’s transformation into a cute anthropomorphic rabbit was funny, as was Alice’s acceptance of Peter in that form. The Mad Hatter Blood Dupre continues to want Alice and yet simultaneously hate her for the feelings she pulls out of him. There is one scene that is particularly intense, and reminds the reader that Dupre is a bad guy, not matter how smooth he might look. The Queen’s revelation about her past, and her role and the nature of The Game was interesting, as was Alice’s slow acceptance of Wonderland. Obviously each of the characters is compelled to desire something from Alice, but what each of them desires is not so obvious.

I thought the translation for volume three was a lot smoother as well, and I am even becoming used to Peter White’s rhyming speak. Pulling off a rhyming character is very difficult, and it looks like the translator is getting more comfortable with it as well as with other character’s dialog.

“Alice in the Country of Hearts” moved up a notch with volume three from “good but not great” to “something I am eagerly looking forward to the next release.” I hope the continuing volumes follow this trend of character development over action, as that seems to be a real strength of the series.

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