Saturday, November 14, 2009
But Do They Cover Victorian Oral Hygiene?
So what are the odds that CMX will publish this for us Emma completists?
Does anyone know what the format of the book is like? Is there much new material by Mori? Google's translation of the Amazon Japan page leaves much to be desired...
So what are the odds that CMX will publish this for us Emma completists?
Does anyone know what the format of the book is like? Is there much new material by Mori? Google's translation of the Amazon Japan page leaves much to be desired...
Labels: Emma, Kaoru Mori, Manga, Wish Lists
10:41 AM | |
Friday, November 13, 2009
Make Mine Mori!
David Welsh brightened my day with the thought of more Kaoru Mori manga that will hopefully one day be licensed for English audiences. Mori's latest manga is Otoyomegatari, and it looks like another lavish historical drama. Just look at this stunning illustration of the main character, Amiru:
If you're anything like me, you hardly ever think of the effort that goes into the entertainment you consume so quickly, so it was enlightening to watch videos of Mori at work. Here's part one of the painstaking process behind this captivating picture:
What really blew me away about Mori's process was the fact that (at least for this illustration) she did all of the screentone work by hand! I'd assumed toning was all done with computers nowadays.
Anyway, it was a delight to spend part of the day watching a talented artist at work, so thanks to David for pointing this out. (Make sure to check out all six parts of the series.) And to share the joy, here are some additional images I found while poking around the Fellows! site:
And for more Mori goodness, make sure to check out her blog! She often posts behind-the-scenes sketches, and she even shares the best vacation pics!
(My only worry is that CMX or other publishers may balk at publishing Otoyomegatari since it revolves around a twenty-year-old princess marrying a twelve-year-old prince and, according to this thread, the first volume depicts the bride sleeping in the nude with her young groom. But I was wrong about CMX being willing to show nudity in Emma, so who knows?)
David Welsh brightened my day with the thought of more Kaoru Mori manga that will hopefully one day be licensed for English audiences. Mori's latest manga is Otoyomegatari, and it looks like another lavish historical drama. Just look at this stunning illustration of the main character, Amiru:
And for more Mori goodness, make sure to check out her blog! She often posts behind-the-scenes sketches, and she even shares the best vacation pics!
(My only worry is that CMX or other publishers may balk at publishing Otoyomegatari since it revolves around a twenty-year-old princess marrying a twelve-year-old prince and, according to this thread, the first volume depicts the bride sleeping in the nude with her young groom. But I was wrong about CMX being willing to show nudity in Emma, so who knows?)
Labels: Kaoru Mori, Manga, Screentone, Wonky Process Stuff
8:41 PM | |
Friday, October 23, 2009
Savvy Signature Shoppers Save Significant $$$
As David Welsh pointed out, this is a huge week for new Viz releases. Just look at all the great new manga hitting shelves at the same time:
As David Welsh pointed out, this is a huge week for new Viz releases. Just look at all the great new manga hitting shelves at the same time:
- Real 6
- Vagabond (VIZBIG edition) 5
- 20th Century Boys 5
- What a Wonderful World! 1 & 2
- RIN-NE 1
Labels: Coupons, Manga, Shopping, Viz
2:10 PM | |
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Already Effusive Praise in Oishinbo...
...is growing increasingly exaggerated.
...is growing increasingly exaggerated.
Labels: Manga, Oishinbo, Phrases To Work Into My Everyday Conversation, Viz
9:47 PM | |
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Not The Brightest Blogger on the Block
I can't believe it took me this long to notice, but if you line up the first four volumes of the the VIZBIG edition of Vagabond on your bookshelf, the spines align to form a wonderful image of the central characters in the series:
In my defense, I never had any two volumes anywhere near each other before this weekend, as my manga are scattered throughout the house in various locations. Wait, that's not much of a defense, is it?
I'm assuming this is a new illustration for the VIZBIG editions? Heck, even if it's just a montage of previous published material, it's still beautifully done and makes the already attractive (and bargain-priced) books an even better value. Kudos once again to Viz's design team for their outstanding production values.
My only gripe: Shouldn't the books line up in reverse order since the material all reads right-to-left? That's how I'd been arranging all of my other unflopped manga on the bookshelf, at least.
I can't believe it took me this long to notice, but if you line up the first four volumes of the the VIZBIG edition of Vagabond on your bookshelf, the spines align to form a wonderful image of the central characters in the series:
In my defense, I never had any two volumes anywhere near each other before this weekend, as my manga are scattered throughout the house in various locations. Wait, that's not much of a defense, is it?
I'm assuming this is a new illustration for the VIZBIG editions? Heck, even if it's just a montage of previous published material, it's still beautifully done and makes the already attractive (and bargain-priced) books an even better value. Kudos once again to Viz's design team for their outstanding production values.
My only gripe: Shouldn't the books line up in reverse order since the material all reads right-to-left? That's how I'd been arranging all of my other unflopped manga on the bookshelf, at least.
Labels: Manga, Omnibus Editions, Takehiko Inoue, Vagabond, Viz
10:54 PM | |
Monday, August 03, 2009
Sci-Fi Cyberpunk and Space Opera at Their Finest
Hmm, should I buy this again?
I'd actually consider it if it's being published in right-to-left unflipped format. Sadly, no details on the Amazon product page. (And what the heck is "Akira (del Rey)"? Is Del Rey actually handling Kodansha's US releases now?)
Also, I'm really excited to see this is coming out:
After The Dude's last announcement, I wasn't sure if there was going to be a TPB collection of "Space Opera" so this is very good news.
Hmm, should I buy this again?
I'd actually consider it if it's being published in right-to-left unflipped format. Sadly, no details on the Amazon product page. (And what the heck is "Akira (del Rey)"? Is Del Rey actually handling Kodansha's US releases now?)
Also, I'm really excited to see this is coming out:
After The Dude's last announcement, I wasn't sure if there was going to be a TPB collection of "Space Opera" so this is very good news.
Labels: DCBS, Kodansha, Manga, Nexus, Steve Rude
10:50 PM | |
Friday, July 31, 2009
Symbolic Smudging or Stray Smearing?
Just got volume 4 of Pluto in the mail today. Once again, it was amazing read as all volumes in this series have been. But the reading experience was slightly marred by a printing problem — the spread on pages 34-35 had noticeable black smudges running down the middle:
Click to Signature-size!
Did anyone else have this problem in their copy of the book? I'm wondering how widespread the problem is. It's surprising because I generally associate Viz (particularly their Signature line) with top-notch production values. (If Viz were in the habit of giving out No-Prizes, I'd argue that the smudging was intentional to reflect the murky moral ambiguity the two characters are discussing in that scene.)
Just got volume 4 of Pluto in the mail today. Once again, it was amazing read as all volumes in this series have been. But the reading experience was slightly marred by a printing problem — the spread on pages 34-35 had noticeable black smudges running down the middle:
Click to Signature-size!
Did anyone else have this problem in their copy of the book? I'm wondering how widespread the problem is. It's surprising because I generally associate Viz (particularly their Signature line) with top-notch production values. (If Viz were in the habit of giving out No-Prizes, I'd argue that the smudging was intentional to reflect the murky moral ambiguity the two characters are discussing in that scene.)
Labels: Manga, Pluto, Printing Problems, Viz
1:32 PM | |
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Confessions of a Bleacholohic
As part of their outreach/rehabilitation program for lapsed bloggers, the fine folks over at Robot 6 invited me to participate in their "What Are You Reading?" feature this week. Luckily, Chris and crew caught me on a good week where I'd actually read a bunch of comics. In fact, I actually left out some of the books I'd read because I didn't want to drag the column out too long (and I still ended up being the most long-winded of the bunch). So here are some quick thoughts on other stuff I've read recently:
20th Century Boys volumes 2 & 3: I'm really digging this odd series by manga master Naoki Urasawa. I honestly have no idea where the story is going to go and I love that "anything could happen" sense of uncertainty. Although I'm enjoying it primarily on a visceral level, I'm also finding the question of how our childhoods inform and influence our adult selves more thought-provoking than I would have first guessed. And is it just me or do the scenes with the Friend and his brainwashed cult give anyone else literal goosebumps?
Flower of Life 4: I probably would have gotten more out of this series finale if I'd gone back and re-read the earlier volumes first, but I still really enjoyed this volume. I couldn't remember what was going on with a lot of the side characters (or even who some of them were) but I loved the directions manga-ka Fumi Yoshinaga took the main characters in. Oh, Majima, I will always admire the purity of your otakuness. I loved seeing the expanded details of Harutaro's family, especially the introduction of the manly Mrs. Hanazono. And I loved the way Yoshinaga included coming-of-age clichés into the story ("At that moment, I knew we'd probably never create another manga together again.") only to blast them to smithereens a couple pages later ("Of course I want to do another manga...it'd be a waste to give up now!"). Great, great stuff, and the whole series is highly recommended.
Division Chief Kosaku Shima volumes 1-5: Thanks to the generosity of superstar manga blogger Deb Aoki, I was able to read the full set of all five Kodansha Bilingual Comics editions of Division Chief Kosaku Shima and, man, they are everything I ever dreamed they would be and more. These salaryman business manga are like pure manga crack for fans who enjoy vintage/classic manga such as Crying Freeman and Oishinbo. These books have everything: Sex, sex, and more sex. Business intrigue and political maneuvering. Extended (hoo-boy, do I mean extended!) sequences on the intricacies of the wine trade. All this plus bilingual text! The only bad thing about these five books is that they leave me wanting more! C'mon, Kodansha! When are you going to set up shop in the U.S. and start publishing this whole crazy series (plus sequels and prequels) from the beginning? I can't stand it! I want more Shima!!! (Eep! I just realized I'm acting like Shima's sex-starved secretary Chizuru. What is it about salaryman Shima that brings out such insatiable lust in all who meet him?)
As part of their outreach/rehabilitation program for lapsed bloggers, the fine folks over at Robot 6 invited me to participate in their "What Are You Reading?" feature this week. Luckily, Chris and crew caught me on a good week where I'd actually read a bunch of comics. In fact, I actually left out some of the books I'd read because I didn't want to drag the column out too long (and I still ended up being the most long-winded of the bunch). So here are some quick thoughts on other stuff I've read recently:
20th Century Boys volumes 2 & 3: I'm really digging this odd series by manga master Naoki Urasawa. I honestly have no idea where the story is going to go and I love that "anything could happen" sense of uncertainty. Although I'm enjoying it primarily on a visceral level, I'm also finding the question of how our childhoods inform and influence our adult selves more thought-provoking than I would have first guessed. And is it just me or do the scenes with the Friend and his brainwashed cult give anyone else literal goosebumps?
Flower of Life 4: I probably would have gotten more out of this series finale if I'd gone back and re-read the earlier volumes first, but I still really enjoyed this volume. I couldn't remember what was going on with a lot of the side characters (or even who some of them were) but I loved the directions manga-ka Fumi Yoshinaga took the main characters in. Oh, Majima, I will always admire the purity of your otakuness. I loved seeing the expanded details of Harutaro's family, especially the introduction of the manly Mrs. Hanazono. And I loved the way Yoshinaga included coming-of-age clichés into the story ("At that moment, I knew we'd probably never create another manga together again.") only to blast them to smithereens a couple pages later ("Of course I want to do another manga...it'd be a waste to give up now!"). Great, great stuff, and the whole series is highly recommended.
Division Chief Kosaku Shima volumes 1-5: Thanks to the generosity of superstar manga blogger Deb Aoki, I was able to read the full set of all five Kodansha Bilingual Comics editions of Division Chief Kosaku Shima and, man, they are everything I ever dreamed they would be and more. These salaryman business manga are like pure manga crack for fans who enjoy vintage/classic manga such as Crying Freeman and Oishinbo. These books have everything: Sex, sex, and more sex. Business intrigue and political maneuvering. Extended (hoo-boy, do I mean extended!) sequences on the intricacies of the wine trade. All this plus bilingual text! The only bad thing about these five books is that they leave me wanting more! C'mon, Kodansha! When are you going to set up shop in the U.S. and start publishing this whole crazy series (plus sequels and prequels) from the beginning? I can't stand it! I want more Shima!!! (Eep! I just realized I'm acting like Shima's sex-starved secretary Chizuru. What is it about salaryman Shima that brings out such insatiable lust in all who meet him?)
Labels: Guest Blogging Elsewhere, Manga, Reading Diary, Salaryman
4:53 PM | |
Monday, June 08, 2009
Gee, Thanks for the More Expensive, Lower Quality Manga, Tokyopop
Back in April I was wondering what readers would get for the extra dollar they'd be spending on Tokyopop manga titles. At the time, I fantasized about Tokyopop following DC's example and having backup features in each book. I realized such a bonus was unlikely, writing: "I'm assuming the price increase won't be accompanied by any additions to the manga volumes, like better paper stock or color inserts." Boy, how right I was. In fact, not only are there no added perks to offset the price hike, but Tokyopop went the other direction and gave us shoddier production values that cost more.
Comparing Sgt. Frog 17 to the previous volume, I noticed the following declines in quality:
For me, the first flaw is the most critical. Complaining about paper quality might seem nitpicky, but it was noticeable right away, as soon as I grabbed the book out of the shipping box. The book felt flimsy. It also felt thinner, something confirmed by placing it next to an earlier volume of the series:
The cheaper (ha!) paper also affected my reading experience: I noticed several spots where I was distracted by details from the opposite side visible through the page I was reading. The below scan gives a pretty good indication of what this looks like:
Click to Super-Snow-Keroro-size!
Compare that scan with one from the previous volume. (I generally touch up scans a bit to improve the contrast, but the scan from volume 17 was unsalvageable using my usual tweaks.)
I don't know if the combination of price increase plus decreased product quality will be enough to cause me to drop the book, but it's certainly not helping. Has anyone else noticed this with other Tokyopop titles? Is this a one time fluke or Tokyopop's new cost-cutting direction?
UPDATE: I always forget to use Google to see if others are noticing the same things I'm complaining about. Here's a thread at Anime News Network where several posters complain about the same problems with other Tokyopop series. And one poster quotes a Tokyopop rep as explaining:
Another poster quotes something a TP Associate Publisher supposedly wrote over on Amazon:
Back in April I was wondering what readers would get for the extra dollar they'd be spending on Tokyopop manga titles. At the time, I fantasized about Tokyopop following DC's example and having backup features in each book. I realized such a bonus was unlikely, writing: "I'm assuming the price increase won't be accompanied by any additions to the manga volumes, like better paper stock or color inserts." Boy, how right I was. In fact, not only are there no added perks to offset the price hike, but Tokyopop went the other direction and gave us shoddier production values that cost more.
Comparing Sgt. Frog 17 to the previous volume, I noticed the following declines in quality:
- Cheaper, thinner paper stock.
- No glossy color pages at the beginning.
- No more shiny "metallic ink" cover.
- Sloppy editing / quality control standards.
For me, the first flaw is the most critical. Complaining about paper quality might seem nitpicky, but it was noticeable right away, as soon as I grabbed the book out of the shipping box. The book felt flimsy. It also felt thinner, something confirmed by placing it next to an earlier volume of the series:
The cheaper (ha!) paper also affected my reading experience: I noticed several spots where I was distracted by details from the opposite side visible through the page I was reading. The below scan gives a pretty good indication of what this looks like:
Click to Super-Snow-Keroro-size!
Compare that scan with one from the previous volume. (I generally touch up scans a bit to improve the contrast, but the scan from volume 17 was unsalvageable using my usual tweaks.)
I don't know if the combination of price increase plus decreased product quality will be enough to cause me to drop the book, but it's certainly not helping. Has anyone else noticed this with other Tokyopop titles? Is this a one time fluke or Tokyopop's new cost-cutting direction?
UPDATE: I always forget to use Google to see if others are noticing the same things I'm complaining about. Here's a thread at Anime News Network where several posters complain about the same problems with other Tokyopop series. And one poster quotes a Tokyopop rep as explaining:
I understand your concern. Paper, printing, freight has increased in price over the past ten plus years we have been in business. One of our competitors announced last week that they are raising prices higher than we did. We felt in order to keep the price of our manga down, we would change paper and only incease the average price by only 1 dollar. The other paper we used has not only increased in the cost but is getting harder to get. Sorry if there are spelling errors. I'm home sick and I'm usung my Bberry. Thanks, AllysonI know what's she's trying to say and I feel like a jerk for mocking something someone wrote while sick, but I love the juxtaposition of "in order to keep the price of our manga down" ...we decided to raise prices. Oh, and print them on crappier paper. Corporate double-speak for the win!!
Another poster quotes something a TP Associate Publisher supposedly wrote over on Amazon:
I wanted to address a few of the comments on this thread. The paper we had been using prior to the stock you're discussing was only available from one mill, and suffice it to say, this didn't offer us a lot of flexibility with negotiating scheduling, pricing, etc., so we've been exploring other options. The new paper is different, of course, as you noted - our current printer let us know that other graphic novel publishers are inquiring about and using this paper, too. Now we are in the process of gathering feedback from consumers and other partners, and I appreciate all the candid comments as we assess its future. (BTW, our cover stock has not changed - it's still 10pt C1S - but perhaps the different paper gives it that impression.)It also turns out that this was something the eagle-eyed Johanna Draper Carlson spotted in one of her reviews way back in February:
On another note, I haven’t checked out a Tokyopop volume in the past few months, and I was very surprised to note that the price of this volume has gone up (books this size used to be $9.99) while the quality has gone down. The newsprint-like paper feels cheap and unsubstantial, and it looks muddy. The resulting product seems unsubstantial and is unpleasant to read.Reminder: Next time, do the Google research before wasting time writing your own redundant post.
Labels: Companies in Trouble, Complaints, Manga, Sgt. Frog, Tokyopop
12:18 AM | |
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Hot Online Monkey Sex
Over at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson praises Viz's recent forays into digital distribution of content. Like Lori, I think Viz has done a nice job of putting together their online manga reader. I know some are critical of the Flash interface, but I find it unobtrusive and smooth. Best of all, the art and lettering stays crisp and readable no matter how I resize the viewer (something that doesn't work very well on other companies' online offerings, such as Marvel's digital comics, which always look jagged and rough no matter what resolution I view them in). I also like that Viz's viewer allows you to use the left and right arrow keys to navigate through their manga.
In other online manga news, Top Shelf is offering a 22-page preview of Love's Bride, a Yoshihiro Tatsumi story that will be appearing in the upcoming Ax anthology. It's more of a straight-forward, old school presentation, meaning it's a series of static images that you can't resize rather than a dynamic Flash viewer (which some people will prefer but I dislike, especially when trying to read on my laptop). And the preview cuts off midstory, so we never get to see the pathetically lonely loser put the brassiere and panties on the female monkey he busted out of the zoo and have sex with it. (Man, and I thought the sex scene with Lassie in Abandon the Old in Tokyo was disturbing.)
There are no losers like Tatsumi losers.
Over at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson praises Viz's recent forays into digital distribution of content. Like Lori, I think Viz has done a nice job of putting together their online manga reader. I know some are critical of the Flash interface, but I find it unobtrusive and smooth. Best of all, the art and lettering stays crisp and readable no matter how I resize the viewer (something that doesn't work very well on other companies' online offerings, such as Marvel's digital comics, which always look jagged and rough no matter what resolution I view them in). I also like that Viz's viewer allows you to use the left and right arrow keys to navigate through their manga.
In other online manga news, Top Shelf is offering a 22-page preview of Love's Bride, a Yoshihiro Tatsumi story that will be appearing in the upcoming Ax anthology. It's more of a straight-forward, old school presentation, meaning it's a series of static images that you can't resize rather than a dynamic Flash viewer (which some people will prefer but I dislike, especially when trying to read on my laptop). And the preview cuts off midstory, so we never get to see the pathetically lonely loser put the brassiere and panties on the female monkey he busted out of the zoo and have sex with it. (Man, and I thought the sex scene with Lassie in Abandon the Old in Tokyo was disturbing.)
There are no losers like Tatsumi losers.
Labels: Ax Anthology, Manga, Online Comics, Pure Patheticness, Top Shelf, Viz, Yoshihiro Tatsumi
4:35 PM | |
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Separated at Birth? Japanese Hipster, Meet American Hipster
OK, so it's really the top part that's similar, but seeing the cover of Inio Asano's upcoming What a Wonderful World made me think immediately of the cover of Daniel Clowes' Ghost World. Who knows what other eerie similarities the two books will share?
 |  |
OK, so it's really the top part that's similar, but seeing the cover of Inio Asano's upcoming What a Wonderful World made me think immediately of the cover of Daniel Clowes' Ghost World. Who knows what other eerie similarities the two books will share?
Labels: Fantagraphics, Manga, Separated at Birth, Viz
10:21 PM | |
Monday, May 18, 2009
Yen Press To Re-Release Yotsuba Volumes 1-5
My blog-fu has been week lately, so I apologize if this is already widely known but it looks like Yen Press has acquired the license to re-release the first five volumes of Yotsuba (previously published by ADV). Yen's Yotsuba series page now lists eight volumes, with the first five all showing a September 2009 release date. And on Amazon the first five volumes show a Sept. 15, 2009, which is also when volume 6 is supposed to come out. So I hereby christen Sept. 15, 2009 as Yotsuba day!!
My blog-fu has been week lately, so I apologize if this is already widely known but it looks like Yen Press has acquired the license to re-release the first five volumes of Yotsuba (previously published by ADV). Yen's Yotsuba series page now lists eight volumes, with the first five all showing a September 2009 release date. And on Amazon the first five volumes show a Sept. 15, 2009, which is also when volume 6 is supposed to come out. So I hereby christen Sept. 15, 2009 as Yotsuba day!!
Labels: Manga, Release Dates, Yen Press, Yotsuba
11:50 AM | |
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Mystery of the Missing Manga Mother
I was thinking of mothers in manga today, spurred by David Welsh's Twitter topic of #mangamoms. I was thinking that Ranma's mother must fall into the same "absent mother" category so many other series belong to, although I noticed that neither Ranma nor Genma (his father) ever brought her up, so she wasn't really a motivating factor in terms of either character or plot. And then this afternoon I happened to read Ranma ½ volume 20, which features the return of Ranma's long-lost mother, Nodoka Saotome. It turns out Ranma never knew his mother; his father, fearing that a mother's nurturing would weaken the boy, removed Ranma from their home and began his strict martial arts training at a very young age. And Genma never mentioned Nodoka because he had made a promise to her that if he failed in toughening up Ranma to become a true "man among men" then both he and the boy would commit seppuku. Given Ranma's condition, Genma had reason to worry.
It was a fun story, and an interesting coincidence to run across it on Mother's Day. Rumiko Takahashi came up with an inventive way to dramatize (or is that satirize?) the tension that frequently exists between grown children and their mothers. Obviously, Ranma wants his mother's approval, but his fears that her disappointment will take an especially harsh tone cause him to hide the truth from her. Rather than be open and honest with his mother, he crafts a convenient lie that he thinks will be easier for her (and him) to bear. Ah, fiction has such a wonderful way of exposing what is often ignored or suppressed in real life.
I was thinking of mothers in manga today, spurred by David Welsh's Twitter topic of #mangamoms. I was thinking that Ranma's mother must fall into the same "absent mother" category so many other series belong to, although I noticed that neither Ranma nor Genma (his father) ever brought her up, so she wasn't really a motivating factor in terms of either character or plot. And then this afternoon I happened to read Ranma ½ volume 20, which features the return of Ranma's long-lost mother, Nodoka Saotome. It turns out Ranma never knew his mother; his father, fearing that a mother's nurturing would weaken the boy, removed Ranma from their home and began his strict martial arts training at a very young age. And Genma never mentioned Nodoka because he had made a promise to her that if he failed in toughening up Ranma to become a true "man among men" then both he and the boy would commit seppuku. Given Ranma's condition, Genma had reason to worry.
It was a fun story, and an interesting coincidence to run across it on Mother's Day. Rumiko Takahashi came up with an inventive way to dramatize (or is that satirize?) the tension that frequently exists between grown children and their mothers. Obviously, Ranma wants his mother's approval, but his fears that her disappointment will take an especially harsh tone cause him to hide the truth from her. Rather than be open and honest with his mother, he crafts a convenient lie that he thinks will be easier for her (and him) to bear. Ah, fiction has such a wonderful way of exposing what is often ignored or suppressed in real life.
Labels: Manga, Mother's Day, Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi, Surprisingly Deep Comedy
9:58 PM | |
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Love Manga
Inspired by this post listing the (highly controversial and debatable) 25 greatest superhero romances (via Kevin Melrose), I wondered: What are the greatest romances in manga? Here is my short, not-at-all-thoroughly-researched-or-considered list:
UPDATE: David Welsh corrects an oversight on my (and Tite Kubo's) part by giving quiet hunk Chad of Bleach fame the ultimate cross-series companion. Go check it out; I think you'll agree it's perfect and that we need to convince David to start writing the tale of their epic romance immediately.
UPDATE #2: Valéria Fernandes comes up with her own list (Google-translated version), and it's a nice balance to my shonen-heavy list as hers focuses more on shojo and josei series.
Inspired by this post listing the (highly controversial and debatable) 25 greatest superhero romances (via Kevin Melrose), I wondered: What are the greatest romances in manga? Here is my short, not-at-all-thoroughly-researched-or-considered list:
- Hoshino & Negishi (Love Roma)
- Ichigo & Rukia (Bleach)
- Ichigo & Orihime (Bleach)
- Haruo & Kingoro (Club 9)
- Hanamichi & Haruko (Slam Dunk)
- Giroro & Natsumi (Sgt. Frog)
- Tamama & Keroro (Sgt. Frog)
- Momoka & Fuyuki (Sgt. Frog)
- Kaneda & Kei (Akira)
- Emma & William (Emma)
- Kelly & Doug Stowner (Emma)
- L & Light (Death Note)
- Ichigo & Uryu (Bleach)
- Rukawa & Hanamichi (Slam Dunk)
- Ranma & Akane (Ranma ½)
- Yoshimori & Tokine (Kekkaishi)
- Daigo & Ms. Ochiai (Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M)
- Tomie & the male half of the human population (Tomie)
- Keiichi & Belldandy (Oh My Goddess!)
- Sachiko & Masato Azuma (With the Light)
UPDATE: David Welsh corrects an oversight on my (and Tite Kubo's) part by giving quiet hunk Chad of Bleach fame the ultimate cross-series companion. Go check it out; I think you'll agree it's perfect and that we need to convince David to start writing the tale of their epic romance immediately.
UPDATE #2: Valéria Fernandes comes up with her own list (Google-translated version), and it's a nice balance to my shonen-heavy list as hers focuses more on shojo and josei series.
Labels: Character Couplings, I Like Numbered Lists, Lists, Manga, Romance
11:42 AM | |
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Thankfully, Others Are Producing Actual Content In Honor Of Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week
David Welsh goes straight to the source and gets some answers from Viz's Senior Editorial Director, Elizabeth Kawasaki, about the details of the simultaneous release of RIN-NE online. He asks some of the questions I was wondering, including:
David also asks something many Rumiko Takahashi fans have been wondering about: Will any of Takahashi's series other than InuYasha be given the VIZBIG treatment?
I wish David had asked about the flipped vs. unflipped issue, or perhaps it was but Viz chose not to address it. In any event, looking forward to tomorrow's online debut to see how the material is presented!
David Welsh goes straight to the source and gets some answers from Viz's Senior Editorial Director, Elizabeth Kawasaki, about the details of the simultaneous release of RIN-NE online. He asks some of the questions I was wondering, including:
WELSH: Will the translated, online chapters be available free of charge? How long will a given chapter be available on the site?So make sure to read the new chapters quickly each week, because they may not be available for long!
KAWASAKI: The chapters will be available for a limited time for free at TheRumicWorld.com. We're still working out the schedule details.
David also asks something many Rumiko Takahashi fans have been wondering about: Will any of Takahashi's series other than InuYasha be given the VIZBIG treatment?
WELSH: Takahashi's series are perennially popular, but a lot of them are really sprawling. Does VIZ Media have any plans to put any of her titles in VIZBIG format?Spoken like a true Senior Editorial Director!
KAWASAKI: We don't have any news to announce as of yet. Fans should definitely keep checking TheRumicWorld.com for all Rumiko Takahashi updates!
I wish David had asked about the flipped vs. unflipped issue, or perhaps it was but Viz chose not to address it. In any event, looking forward to tomorrow's online debut to see how the material is presented!
Labels: Letting Others Do The Heavy Lifting, Manga, Rumiko Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week, Viz, Viz's Plans for World Domination
11:38 AM | |
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week
Do you ever stop to think about how many amazing things are out there that you have no idea about, or that you might have some vague notion of but don't realize how much you'd love if you took the time to investigate them?
It's a question that's been floating around in my head ever since I "discovered" Rumiko Takahashi a couple weeks ago. How could I have been oblivious to the awesome, prolific output of this incredible manga creator for so long?
It all started back in February when David Welsh wrote a Flipped column recommending ten humorous manga series. I'd read all but two series (Maison Ikkoku and Your and My Secret) so I added those books to my "to read" list. I was able to track down the first volume of Maison Ikkoku via ILL, so that was my first exposure to Rumiko Takahashi. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed, but there was something about her work that appealed to me.
Several weeks after that I was browsing through the manga section at the local library and stumbled upon a copy of Ranma ½ Volume 1. What the heck, I thought, I may as well give this a shot.
I was immediately hooked.
Since then, I've been adding subsequent volumes of Ranma to my request queue. (At the moment I have volumes 11 through 17 sitting on my nightstand, just waiting for volume 7 to finally arrive so I can continue consuming this delightful series.) I've also been investigating her other series available in English, but the turnaround time on ILL requests has been painfully slow. I've been hoping to do a "Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week" for a couple weeks now, but I was putting it off in hopes of having more of her work under my belt before beginning. However, I decided to launch the theme week today anyway for two main reasons:
In the meantime, here are a couple links to get you started if you're similarly inexperienced when it comes to Takahashi:
Do you ever stop to think about how many amazing things are out there that you have no idea about, or that you might have some vague notion of but don't realize how much you'd love if you took the time to investigate them?
It's a question that's been floating around in my head ever since I "discovered" Rumiko Takahashi a couple weeks ago. How could I have been oblivious to the awesome, prolific output of this incredible manga creator for so long?
It all started back in February when David Welsh wrote a Flipped column recommending ten humorous manga series. I'd read all but two series (Maison Ikkoku and Your and My Secret) so I added those books to my "to read" list. I was able to track down the first volume of Maison Ikkoku via ILL, so that was my first exposure to Rumiko Takahashi. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed, but there was something about her work that appealed to me.
Several weeks after that I was browsing through the manga section at the local library and stumbled upon a copy of Ranma ½ Volume 1. What the heck, I thought, I may as well give this a shot.
I was immediately hooked.
Since then, I've been adding subsequent volumes of Ranma to my request queue. (At the moment I have volumes 11 through 17 sitting on my nightstand, just waiting for volume 7 to finally arrive so I can continue consuming this delightful series.) I've also been investigating her other series available in English, but the turnaround time on ILL requests has been painfully slow. I've been hoping to do a "Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week" for a couple weeks now, but I was putting it off in hopes of having more of her work under my belt before beginning. However, I decided to launch the theme week today anyway for two main reasons:
- This week sees the launch of Takahashi's newest manga series, RIN-NE. And it's not just any old regular manga launch, either. This is a simultaneous release in both the U.S. and Japan, with the U.S. chapters being serialized online at Viz's new official Rumiko Takahashi site, The Rumic World. (Not to be confused with the wonderful old unofficial fan site, Rumic World (note the non-existent definite article).) So this week seems like a good week to celebrate Rumiko Takahashi.
- I realized that I have a bad habit of never getting around to once-exciting ideas that I put off too long. For example, sifting through my drafts folder, I found that I never published my "Best of 2008" post. So I decided that it would be better to forge ahead with this idea while I was still enthusiastic about it rather than risk it never happening.
In the meantime, here are a couple links to get you started if you're similarly inexperienced when it comes to Takahashi:
- Wikipedia page
- Rumic World (Seriously, go visit this site and bookmark it now! I've barely even scratched the surface of this wonderful reference site. Check out their excellent timeline!)
- Urusei Yatsura (AKA Lum) 1978-1987 (34 volumes; incomplete and out-of-print in the U.S.)
- Maison Ikkoku 1980-1987 (15 volumes) - 10-page online preview available at Viz
- Mermaid Saga 1984-1994 (4 volumes)
- One-Pound Gospel 1987-2007 (4 volumes) - 8-page online preview available at Viz
- Ranma ½ 1987-1996 (38 volumes)
- InuYasha 1996-2008 (56 volumes)
Labels: Manga, Rumiko Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week, Viz
11:49 PM | |
Friday, April 17, 2009
Unexpected Announcement Excitement
Your buried-in-a-tiny-font-footnote-at-the-bottom-of-a-long-post news of theday week month year decade (blown up to a size befitting its importance):
Kate, were you aware of this???
OMG, PLEASE let this happen. Dark Horse, how many copies of the omnibus do I have to promise to buy for this to become a reality? Kristy, can you provide any more context or details about this possibility? How likely is it? Is it just a theoretical possibility or something they're actively considering? WAUUUUGH! How do we make this happen???
Your buried-in-a-tiny-font-footnote-at-the-bottom-of-a-long-post news of the
From Kristy Valenti's Sakura-Con report (via Brigid Alverson).[3] Although, for the record, I was the most excited about the possibility of an omnibus edition of Makoto Kobayashi's Club 9.
Kate, were you aware of this???
OMG, PLEASE let this happen. Dark Horse, how many copies of the omnibus do I have to promise to buy for this to become a reality? Kristy, can you provide any more context or details about this possibility? How likely is it? Is it just a theoretical possibility or something they're actively considering? WAUUUUGH! How do we make this happen???
Labels: Club 9 Omnibus Watch, Dark Horse, Getting My Hopes Up, Manga, Things You Discover When You Read All The Way To The End, What's The Term For A Reverse Boycott?, Why Wasn't I Informed of This Already?
3:52 PM | |
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Sensational Character Find of 2009
Introducing... Lil' Ropey!
A young Blair Witch, before settling on
sticks and branches as her preferred media.
"Run, run as fast as you can!
You can't catch me, I'm the braided hemp man!!"
Ropey throws the penalty flag on the ayakashi team's flagrant foul.
Ropey may look all cute and cuddly,
but he will mess you up if you cross him.
Special BONUS sensational character find! And if you think Lil' Ropey is tough, wait til you get a load of his big brother, Lariat Lad!
"The rope that walked like a man!!"
Is it too early to hope for a volume of side stories devoted to the amazing Rope Brothers?
All images from the awesome Kekkaishi volume 15, which also features a creepy Medusa muppet, Dark Shogun Warrior, and nightmare-inducing black boxes.
Introducing... Lil' Ropey!
A young Blair Witch, before settling on
sticks and branches as her preferred media.
"Run, run as fast as you can!
You can't catch me, I'm the braided hemp man!!"
Ropey throws the penalty flag on the ayakashi team's flagrant foul.
Ropey may look all cute and cuddly,
but he will mess you up if you cross him.
Special BONUS sensational character find! And if you think Lil' Ropey is tough, wait til you get a load of his big brother, Lariat Lad!
"The rope that walked like a man!!"
Is it too early to hope for a volume of side stories devoted to the amazing Rope Brothers?
All images from the awesome Kekkaishi volume 15, which also features a creepy Medusa muppet, Dark Shogun Warrior, and nightmare-inducing black boxes.
Labels: Face-Kicking, Kekkaishi, Manga, Sensational Character Finds
10:32 PM | |
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
8 Things I Loved About Emma 8
1. Seeing Eleanor recovering from her shabby treatment at the hands of William, and even possibly finding a new love interest. One of the hardest things about rooting for William and Emma to end up together was knowing that Eleanor would be hurt in the process. William's predicament wasn't in any way Eleanor's fault, and Eleanor never did anything to make William suffer or prolong his separation from Emma. Like William, Eleanor was mainly a victim of strict societal expectations and conniving familial machinations. Of course, I'm sure Kaoru Mori purposely made Eleanor sympathetic and likeable so the obstacles between William and Emma were that much more difficult and heartbreaking. So it was gratifying to see that the possibility of a "happily ever after" ending exists for Eleanor as well. (I also liked that one of Eleanor's last lines that I initially misread as "I'd like to become Mrs. Liebe" actually said "I'd like to become like Mr. Liebe" (emphasis added); to me, it showed that Eleanor has moved beyond the narrow goals set for her by her parents (marry someone of standing) and is now thinking of who and what she wants to be.)
2. Seeing Kelly Stowner's happy but tragically short-lived marriage to her husband Doug. I'd have to go back and re-read the series to see what was said about Mrs. Stowner's marriage, but the depiction of the relationship here was tender and romantic. It almost made me bawl my eyes out!
3. The visual tour of The Great Exhibition. It was a stunning, scrumptious, artistic tour de force. The whole time I could hear Mori saying, "Why did I ever decide to draw this? Why did I ever decide to draw this?"
4. Seeing newspapers being put to such good use. The newspaper industry should commission Mori to do a campaign about the rich, full life cycle of newspapers, detailing the 1001 things you can do with newsprint!
5. The naughty Frenchman. Say no more, squire! Say no more!
6. Seeing a young person who's going through life a little aimlessly, not sure what she wants to do, without it coming across as depressing or self-indulgent. It's also enlightening to know that young people in different time periods went through similar bouts of doubt and indecision.
7. More Mori omake!!! Oh, Kaoru Mori, I think I'm in love with your diminutive, self-deprecating caricature.
8. Knowing that there's an Emma 9 and an Emma 10 coming with even more side stories about the various characters from this delightful, enchanting series.
1. Seeing Eleanor recovering from her shabby treatment at the hands of William, and even possibly finding a new love interest. One of the hardest things about rooting for William and Emma to end up together was knowing that Eleanor would be hurt in the process. William's predicament wasn't in any way Eleanor's fault, and Eleanor never did anything to make William suffer or prolong his separation from Emma. Like William, Eleanor was mainly a victim of strict societal expectations and conniving familial machinations. Of course, I'm sure Kaoru Mori purposely made Eleanor sympathetic and likeable so the obstacles between William and Emma were that much more difficult and heartbreaking. So it was gratifying to see that the possibility of a "happily ever after" ending exists for Eleanor as well. (I also liked that one of Eleanor's last lines that I initially misread as "I'd like to become Mrs. Liebe" actually said "I'd like to become like Mr. Liebe" (emphasis added); to me, it showed that Eleanor has moved beyond the narrow goals set for her by her parents (marry someone of standing) and is now thinking of who and what she wants to be.)
2. Seeing Kelly Stowner's happy but tragically short-lived marriage to her husband Doug. I'd have to go back and re-read the series to see what was said about Mrs. Stowner's marriage, but the depiction of the relationship here was tender and romantic. It almost made me bawl my eyes out!
3. The visual tour of The Great Exhibition. It was a stunning, scrumptious, artistic tour de force. The whole time I could hear Mori saying, "Why did I ever decide to draw this? Why did I ever decide to draw this?"
4. Seeing newspapers being put to such good use. The newspaper industry should commission Mori to do a campaign about the rich, full life cycle of newspapers, detailing the 1001 things you can do with newsprint!
5. The naughty Frenchman. Say no more, squire! Say no more!
6. Seeing a young person who's going through life a little aimlessly, not sure what she wants to do, without it coming across as depressing or self-indulgent. It's also enlightening to know that young people in different time periods went through similar bouts of doubt and indecision.
7. More Mori omake!!! Oh, Kaoru Mori, I think I'm in love with your diminutive, self-deprecating caricature.
8. Knowing that there's an Emma 9 and an Emma 10 coming with even more side stories about the various characters from this delightful, enchanting series.
Labels: CMX, Emma, I Like Numbered Lists, Kaoru Mori, Manga
6:22 PM | |
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Gotta Get 'Em All!
My latest manga obsession has been Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi. It's a fast-paced, hilarious, and completely addictive manga series. As soon as I finish one volume, I can't wait to pick up the next one. Luckily, there are two things in my favor: (1) the series is complete, so I don't have to wait for long publishing gaps between volumes; and (2) my local library has all thirty-six volumes "in stock," so getting the next volume is as easy as submitting a new request online. I've made it through the first six volumes so far and have requested through book seventeen so I have a large stack on hand to plow through.
The palpable excitement and impatience I experience between volumes of Ranma caused me to reflect on other manga series that were similarly addictive. For example, I distinctively remember buying the first four volumes of Death Note in one bunch and being unable to stop reading (and re-reading) them. And I remember buying a full set of Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M off eBay after I got hooked reading the first volume from the library. (And once I got the books I remember reading the whole series over a feverish weekend.)
All of which makes me wonder: What is the most compulsively addictive manga series? I've listed some of my top contenders for The Most Addictive Manga, EVER in the poll below, but feel free to write in your own vote.
What qualities make a manga irresistibly addictive? Having the entire series available at your fingertips definitely helps fuel a relentless reading binge, but here are some other factors that help make a series helplessly habit-forming:
My latest manga obsession has been Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi. It's a fast-paced, hilarious, and completely addictive manga series. As soon as I finish one volume, I can't wait to pick up the next one. Luckily, there are two things in my favor: (1) the series is complete, so I don't have to wait for long publishing gaps between volumes; and (2) my local library has all thirty-six volumes "in stock," so getting the next volume is as easy as submitting a new request online. I've made it through the first six volumes so far and have requested through book seventeen so I have a large stack on hand to plow through.
The palpable excitement and impatience I experience between volumes of Ranma caused me to reflect on other manga series that were similarly addictive. For example, I distinctively remember buying the first four volumes of Death Note in one bunch and being unable to stop reading (and re-reading) them. And I remember buying a full set of Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M off eBay after I got hooked reading the first volume from the library. (And once I got the books I remember reading the whole series over a feverish weekend.)
All of which makes me wonder: What is the most compulsively addictive manga series? I've listed some of my top contenders for The Most Addictive Manga, EVER in the poll below, but feel free to write in your own vote.
*** UPDATE: If you're curious what series people are writing in for "other,"
I've exported the full results here and I'll update intermittently. ***
**** UPDATE 4/16: 64 votes so far, half of which are write-in suggestions.
Click here to see all the other series readers can't put down! ****
***** FINAL UPDATE 4/19: 75 votes, 37 for other series.
(Well, one write-in was for Akira, so 36 "other" votes.)
Click here to see the full list of suggested series.
One Piece was the most popular write-in, with 5 votes.*****
I've exported the full results here and I'll update intermittently. ***
**** UPDATE 4/16: 64 votes so far, half of which are write-in suggestions.
Click here to see all the other series readers can't put down! ****
***** FINAL UPDATE 4/19: 75 votes, 37 for other series.
(Well, one write-in was for Akira, so 36 "other" votes.)
Click here to see the full list of suggested series.
One Piece was the most popular write-in, with 5 votes.*****
What qualities make a manga irresistibly addictive? Having the entire series available at your fingertips definitely helps fuel a relentless reading binge, but here are some other factors that help make a series helplessly habit-forming:
- Cliffhangers. The most addictive series know how to hook readers with great cliffhanger endings. For example, in the latest volume of Bleach, we're left with Orihime facing one of the most relentless Arrancars all by herself. How will she protect herself? How will she even manage to survive? Arrrrrrgh! It's going to be a long wait until June 2nd!!
- Exciting art. Compelling series also feature dramatic, energetic art propels you along as you read the story. Once again, look at Bleach as an example: Go back and look at how Tite Kubo ratchets up the tension and urgency of action scenes by tilting panels, layering on the speed lines, and zooming in on key aspects of the fights.
- Sprawling cast of characters. This might seem counterintuitive, but I believe that series with larger casts are actually more likely to engage readers' imaginations than those with smaller casts. I'm not sure why this would be, but here are several possible reasons:
- It's more immersive. Adding a large, well-defined cast of characters makes a series feel like it takes place in its own real world.
- It allows multiple entry points into the series. Having multiple characters gives you multiple perspectives on events in the manga, so you're not just stuck seeing everything from the grim loner's point of view.
- It allows the creator the flexibility to play around so he or she doesn't grow bored. If everything had to be from one character's perspective, that could get old fast, so having lots of characters allows the manga-ka to try different things and stretch his or her creative muscles every now and then (especially if said manga-ka is fond of coming up with crazy character designs).
- It keeps you reading for the next appearance of that obscure, single-appearance character you fell in love with back in volume four. When are we going to see more of Don Kanonji, huh?
- More pairings for your fanfic. Well, not necessarily just for fanfic, but having a large cast of characters allows for endless possible match-ups (in multiple senses of the term). For example, in Ranma, I was amused when all of Akane's wannabe suitors ganged up on Ranma. And it was fun to watch Shampoo's great-grandmother Cologne train Ryoga in order to defeat Ranma. Related to the first sub-point, it extends a series' believability/plausibility when you can imagine the various characters interacting with each other in various ways. (OK, get your minds out of the gutter! Sheesh!) Of course, the danger is that things can become too complicated, requiring a flowchart just to keep all the characters and their relationships with each other straight.
- Modulating moods. Many long-running manga series are able to successfully move from action to comedy to romance and other varied moods. Again, this might seem counterintuitive — won't the shift to comedy antics dilute the intensity of the action? — but I believe if done well, such variations in tone actually help a series prolong its appeal. After all, if a series is nothing but non-stop fighting, how do you continually up the ante? Stopping to engage in some romance or drama can help keep the action feeling fresh. If you never stop to catch your breath or focus on quiter character moments, you'll probably grow exhausted with endless battles.
- A great hook, plus plenty of satisfying subplots. All of the addictive manga have a great core concept that you can easily boil down to a single sentence or two. Boy genius finds magic notebook that kills anyone whose name you write in it and proceeds to eliminate evil from the world. Star martial artist is cursed to switch genders when doused with cold water, which leads to complications when living with his betrothed fiancee and her family. It also helps if the series mixes long-running storylines with shorter subplots to be developed and explored later. (Series that offer more stand-alone chapter-sized stories, such as Mail or Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, are great but generally not as addictive as manga that have long-running arcs threading through the entire series) Again, varying things up will likely hold reader interest longer over time.
Labels: Bleach, Lists, Manga, Nested Lists, Polls, Ranma 1/2
3:33 PM | |
