| Home |
| About |
| Archives |
| Links |
| Japanese |
| Anime |
| Arts |
| Books |
| CDs |
| Disney |
| DVDs |
| Games |
| Japanese |
| Jpop |
| Life |
| Manga |
| Movies |
| Pals |
| Photos |
| Poetry |
| Trips |
| Videos |
|
Latest Flickr
|
 Feed |
| Manga Mentions 4.08 | |
|
4.03.2008
6:41 AM | Link |
 Although I'm trying not to buy any new books until I finish what I already own, manga is an exception to that rule, since I have to keep up with my ongoing series, and I just think of them as comic books anyway! I've decided to format Manga Mentions as separate mini-paragraphs this time, so we'll see how it looks.Genshiken Vol 9: This final volume was a nice end to the series, although the first arc of the plot was overall much better than the second. The new American character who "speaks" Japanese only by quoting anime and manga was pretty funny (and thank goodness there are explanations to all the references!), but the incredible "silent chapter" was the best part, where Madarame almost confesses to Kasukabe - such a nice bittersweet moment! Dr. Slump Vol 14: As usual, this was a super-fast read, finally bringing an end to the Dr. Mashirito saga, which was funny all the way. There's a hilarious plot about Arale discovering she has a "pee-pee" when her head is installed on Obatchaman's body, plus a big reveal at the end - Midori is pregnant! I still miss the days before Slump was married to her and just chasing her around, though. Buddha Vol 8: Reading this final volume of another Tezuka masterpiece was really sad, since I definitely didn't want it to end! Many previously stories are all tied together, ending the sagas (and lives) of many characters. There's a wonderful sub-plot about Sudatta the beggar that's particularly touching, and Buddha tells the rabbit parable from the first volume again. Reading this series has really taught me a lot about Buddhism and life itself! Kaze Hikaru Vol 8: Now that I've finished Buddha this may be my favorite series, since I'm always fascinated by not only the detailed Japanese history, but also the deep look into these characters' lives. This volume is a perfect example, which takes a break from the main storyline to look at the childhood of Soji, showing how he was molded by knowing the future captain and vice-captain of the Shinsengumi as a boy. xxxHolic Vol 10: This volume went by too quickly, but the artwork is even better than usual. There are several dream sequences where Watanuki is helped by the spirit of Doumeki's grandfather, and Himawari-chan's bad luck secret is finally out in the open! |
| Robot Vol 3 : 3 of 5 | |
|
2.22.2008
7:43 AM | Link |
 It's been a very long time since I read the previous volume of this "super color comic" manga series, but since I enjoyed the previous two books I thought I should keep going, especially since it took so long for this one to be published in the US! Unfortunately, Volume 3 isn't quite as good as I had hoped, but I still enjoyed studying the artwork, which is filled with detail. Robot allows manga artists to really stretch out and create things with quality they could never afford on a regular manga series, so sometimes they just produce beautiful paintings with hardly any story at all, such as a beautiful fantasy look at life in a fishbowl. My favorite story this time is about a dream-seller who helps a lost girl find her father by trading his services for her dream, which has a nice touching plot that's a welcome contrast to some of the other bloody and gross stories in this volume. I remembered the Hemohemo characters from last time, and enjoyed more of their frightningly cute meaningless adventures, but I had forgotten some of the other plots since it had been so long. It would have been nice to follow Sedouka better, which seems like a great story (of course, I could read it again since I still have the other volumes, but I'm lazy and I want to move on to other books!). Although Robot has been fairy successful in Japan, I'm not sure how it's doing in the US, based on how far behind the publishing schedule seems to be. It's definitely a completely adult experience full of bizarre situations, so maybe American audiences don't quite get into it. I suppose I'll try out another volume someday to continue with my set!
|
| Manga Mentions 2.08 | |
|
2.04.2008
7:17 AM | Link |
 Even though I'm reading more non-comic books lately, it's always nice to fill in the gaps with some of my favorite manga! Believe it or not, I actually started out this round re-reading Phoenix Vol 2, because a few years ago it was only available in an extra large book format, so I wanted to get this volume in the standard size to match the rest of my collection. I know, that's a little crazy, but I loved re-reading this story again, and the love of Tamami the Moopie is still so moving! Since I can never get enough Osamu Tezuka, I made my way through both Buddha Vol 6 & Vol 7, and I'm still amazed by the incredible storytelling and artwork, as well as the inspiring plot and characters. The main introduction this time is Ananda, a thief who kind of has a deal with the Goddess Mara (pretty much the devil), and Buddha confronts her to save Ananda's life, after which he becomes a monk (who is always plagued by his evil past) and eventually Buddha's trusted disciple. The story of Prince Ajatasattu is also amazing, and both volumes contain fascinating illustrated sermons with beautiful imagery. I'm totally in love with this series, so it's going to be sad to finish up the next and last volume! Hikaru no Go Vol 11 was refreshing, since I had been away from this story for a while, and it was nice to see Hikaru pass the pro test after his big battle with Ochi, and there are some nice intellectual interludes with Sai. Finally, I enjoyed Nodame Cantabile Vol 3 - I'm reading this series slowly, even though each volume goes by so fast! The main plot involves the S Orchestra's rehearsals of Beethoven's Eroica symphony (this series is great when you enjoy classical music as I do!), and Chiaki finally learns a lesson about personal expression in performance - not much romance this time, but the story is still really engaging!
|
| Manga Mentions 12.07 | |
|
12.30.2007
7:24 AM | Link |
 These mini-reviews are a little late, since I finished these five volumes before the Christmas holiday, but I need to write about these now before I start reading new ones! Monster Vol 9 continues this incredible series with some dramatic action in a big library fire, as Tenma finally tries to take down Johan, while Johan's sister starts to put it all together. This volume also includes a reproduction of the mysterious children's book, which is pretty creepy! After all the suspense, Dr. Slump Vol 13 provided some great humor, featuring Caramel Boy 004 (renamed Obotchaman), who looks like Astro Boy and falls in love with Arale! It's totally hilarious, but I wish there had been more of Senbei's usual hentai antics. To my surprise, To Terra Vol 3 was the end of the series (I had no idea it was so short), but the finale was awesome with some massive space battles and interesting ends for the main characters Keith and Jomy. Overall, the story was a little weird, but I still enjoyed it, so I might check out more of Takemiya's work. Kaze Hikaru Vol 7 was fantastic as always, introducing me to more Japanese history (such as the huge battle and resulting fire in Kyoto known as kinmon no hen), as well as keeping the emotion going with a new romance for Vice Captain Yamanami (who's new lover happens to know Sei's secret!). Finally, I''s Vol 15 brought this long romance series to an end with a stalker confrontation, as well as tying up loose ends with the girl next door, but after reading this story for so long, I thought the finale was a little rushed, and it took no less than a coma for Ichitaka and Iori to finally get together!Labels: manga |
| Embarrassing reading | |
|
12.08.2007
2:35 PM | Link |
 I'm really getting into holiday mode, which means relaxing a little more and enjoying things like reading! I've been catching up on some actual books lately, but of course I'm still reading manga, too. Besides the regular volumes I like, I'm still a faithful subscriber to Shojo Beat - my embarrassing little pleasure! Every month I enjoy finding what happens in all the stories (and I definitely skip over the girly beauty tips!) - I still haven't forgiven them for getting rid of Nana, but the current line-up is pretty good. The best by far is Honey & Clover, which always makes me laugh at the antics of these crazy art school characters, and I think Crimson Hero is pretty inspiring. I didn't like Vampire Knight at first, but it's starting to grow on me! I know that I'm supposed to be reading Shonen Jump since I'm a guy, but I can't help it if I'd rather read emotional stories instead of all that ninja crap! Now if I could only read it on a train, it would feel more like Japan - maybe when Austin light rail opens I'll have to give it a try!Talking about manga reminds me of anime, and I recently enjoyed the full-length Black Jack movie on the Sci-Fi Channel! Black Jack is one of Osamu Tezuka's characters that I'd like to know more about, but he's just barely been available in the US, so I was surprised this movie was on. The dub was terrible, of course, but the plot and the animation were pretty nice! I wish the movie was more about why Black Jack became a renegade surgeon and his relationship to Pinoko, but it was still cool to watch anyway. |
| Manga Mentions 10.07 | |
|
10.24.2007
7:18 AM | Link |
 Wow, it's been a long time since my last Manga Mentions, but I finally managed to squeeze five more volumes into my schedule recently, so here we go! As promised, I focused on "serious" manga this time around (no high school romances!), starting with Hikaru no Go Vol 10, which was mostly filled with the series of games needed for Hikaru to become a pro, as his confidence is lost and gained again, while Akira decides to tutor his opponent as a way of learning more about his rival. xxxHolic Vol 9 had some nice culture references about New Years dreams, and a spooky girl who sees spirits in a cherry tree, but unfortunately didn't have the philosophical edge I've enjoyed in past volumes. Kaze Hikaru Vol 6 was bursting with Japanese history, including the incredible battle at Ikedaya that was better than watching a movie! The combination of romance and history make this manga something I can see myself reading again when it's all over. And now for two more Osamu Tezuka masterpieces! Buddha Vol 5 skillfully weaves the tales of many characters from past volumes (such as the warrior Tatta), while also focusing on the now-enlightened Buddha's sermons, even illustrating their stories with great impact! Finally, Phoenix Vol 11 is the bittersweet final volume of the greatest manga series ever written, weighing in at 400 pages, even though this story is a continuation of the previous volume! There's quite a bit of future/past jumping this time (all executed with brilliant cinematography), with an incredible message about religious conflict. I will definitely be reading the entire Phoenix saga again someday!
|
| Manga Mentions 8.07 | |
|
8.18.2007
7:59 AM | Link |
 Today's Manga Mentions begins with an amazing ending! Death Note Vol 12 is the finale to the huge story of Light Yagami, and it's been a great story overall (although the battle against L was much better than against Near and Mellow). I think it's difficult to end a plot about an anti-hero, but this volume certainly delivers (although it's mostly huge Sherlock Holmes style explanations of how both sides tricked each other). Next, I enjoyed Nodame Cantabile Vol 2, which introduces some fun new characters, including a gay percussionist and a genius German conductor who likes to scam on his girl students (these characters appeared in the Nintendo DS game, which makes much more sense now!). To finish off this set of five manga, I blazed through some shoujo, starting with Video Girl Ai Vol 5, where Ai is living with Yota again but doesn't have her memories back yet, and the troubles with Nobuko continue. Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution Vol 3 was actually pretty boring, even though a new little sister character (who looks like a boy, of course) was introduced. Finally, Suzuka Vol 4 gets serious with some interesting character development between Akitsuki and Suzuka, which is a complete turn-around from all the crazy fan service in the earlier volumes, and Honoka-chan is definitely getting into the love triangle now, which is great since I like her more than the title character so far! I promise my next five volumes will be more than just high school romances!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 7.07 Part 2 | |
|
7.22.2007
11:29 AM | Link |
 It's manga time again! First up is Yotsuba&! Vol 4, which I was completely shocked to discover, since after the first three volumes were published in English, this title completely disappeared for months and months (I was even desperate enough to buy the next couple volumes in Japanese, but I'm really happy to have English translations to compare them with!). As usual, Yotsuba is completely laugh-out-loud funny, and in this volume she does some shopping, goes on a fishing trip, and gives some hilarious heartbreak advice! Densha Otoko Vol 3 finishes up my favorite version of the popular story, with a nice sub-plot about one of Densha's net friends being real-life friends with Hermes' sister, and the actual end of the story is really sentimental and well done. Buddha Vol 4 gets even more interesting because of some fascinating side characters, such as the wise yet goofy Assaji and the misunderstood giant Yatala, and Siddhartha finally achieves enlightenment at the end of this volume. I''s Vol 14 focuses mostly on Aiko (the girl next door) who is developing a crush on nice guy Ichitaka, while Iori's manager keeps sabotaging things (causing me to yell at the manga while reading it!). Finally, Death Note Vol 11 moves slow (certainly the norm recently), but is definately heating up for the final showdown in the very next volume! Light and Near are ready to face-off, now that they have discovered practically everything about each other. There's nothing like a huge cliffhanger to keep me interested!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 7.07 Part 1 | |
|
7.06.2007
5:09 PM | Link |
 I got a little confused with my last Manga Mentions post, since I had forgotten to write about some other volumes that I had read previously. Anyway, this is kind of a catch-up post, since the manga just keeps on coming! I'm still enjoying the saga of Ichitaka and Iori in I''s Vol 13 (though it feels like it should finally end soon), and it's been interesting comparing it to Video Girl Ai (by the same mangaka). Sticking to romance, Kaze Hikaru Vol 5 reslly starts developing since Saito realizes he loves Sei (setting up a love triangle), and continues with more historical information, including katakana techniques this time. Kaze Hikaru is a brilliant story, and it's tough to keep waiting on the next volume! Death Note Vol 10 starts off a little boring, because the rules are getting a little ridiculous at this point, and too much time is spent in long thought baloons, but things get better at the end with the introduction of some new characters to help Light. Buddha Vol 2 (yes, I have already mentioned Buddha Vol 3) was spectacular not only because of Tezuka's incredible artwork, but also because of the emotional situations of young Siddhartha's princehood, resulting in his rejection of his family to become a monk. Finally, I broke down and read Nodame Cantiable Vol 1, both because I enjoyed the Nintendo DS game and because Mikie is such a fan, and I really enjoyed it. All of the classical music mentions really make it interesting for me, and following the lives of music students is a great change from the usual high school romance!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 6.07 | |
|
6.19.2007
6:55 AM | Link |
 Manga continues to be my "escape of choice", so I've quickly burned through another five volumes recently! Continuing the new series I've started, To Terra Vol 2 was another really interesting chapter, culminating in a battle between Jomy and Keith (with some spaceship conflict thrown in!), plus the introduction of a kind of "super Mu" with incredible powers. Suzuka Vol 3 was a much more straightforward romance this time around (not much embarrassing fan service at all), revealing Suzuka's grief over a friends's death, plus the new character Miki to give Akitsuki more headaches. Things are picking up again in Video Girl Ai Vol 4, since a new video girl enters the picture (or I should say, exits the TV!), and Yota and Nobuko have some wonderful doki-doki scenes. Monster Vol 8 is another masterpiece, which is essentially a long setup for the next volume, since Tenma is actually planning to kill the evil Johan during a library dedication ceremony. Finally, I really enjoyed Osamu Tezuka's Buddha Vol 3 (the manga I'm most proud of reading right now), where Siddartha has his first experiences as a monk (and actually receives the title Enlightened One from a king), as well as a fantastic time-jumping side-story about a boy raised by wolves (connected to characters from the past volumes). Time to read some more!
|
| Manga Mentions 5.07 | |
|
5.23.2007
7:05 AM | Link |
 Here we go with five more blazing-quick manga reviews! Let's get the embarrassing stuff over with first. Suzuka Vol 2 was actually much tamer than the first volume, but I guess I'm really reading it because I hate not continuing once I start something. There's far less of the unsavory girls next door this time, leaving more time for Yamato and Suzuka to wonder what the other is thinking, so now I'll have to keep reading to find out if they ever start dating. Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution Vol 2 has the typical hot springs story, but balances it out with a pretty funny and heartwarming Christmas plot, so it's not too racy. Dr. Slump Vol 12 is hilarious as usual, especially with the final story of King Nikochan returning to his home planet, and there are also some funny photos of Toriyama making fun of his typical workday. Genshiken Vol 8 finally gets interesting again (previously I was a little disappointed in the second arc of this story), since Ogiue and Sasahara finally confess to each other (in more ways than one)! It's a nice weird love story about coming to terms with geeky obsessions that I really enjoyed. Finally I decided to start a new series with To Terra Vol 1, mainly because I was itching for more science fiction and the cover design was so cool! The plot has a fascinating beginning involving telepathic powers in a computer-controlled society, and this is a nice thick volume that kept me busy for a while, so I'm looking forward to the next one!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 4.07 | |
|
4.29.2007
2:08 PM | Link |
 Get ready for five more super-short manga reviews! Actually, Osamu Tezuka's Buddha Vol 1 deserves more words of praise than I have time for - I've kind of avoided this one, but now I'm so glad I'm reading it. Tezuka has the sheer talent to take on the life of Siddhartha in this gigantic series (each volume is so thick), and this first volume focuses mainly on fascinating side characters, the background of the castes of India, and incredible metaphoric teaching. Continuing with Tezuka, Phoenix Vol 10 covers the first part of the Sun story, which coincidentally deals with themes of the conflict between Buddhism and Shintoism in ancient Japan! The main character is a noble half-man, half-wolf who dreams of his future reincarnation, which is an incredible way to transition to the next volume. Now that the "serious" manga is out of the way, I also read Video Girl Ai Vol 3, which introduces a new cute girlfriend named Nabuko (and includes a weird segment in the "video world"), plus Ninen ga Shinobuden Vol 2, which was totally hilarious. There are so many jokes (most with culture notes) on one page that it reminds me of reading Mad Magazine! Finally, Kikaider 02 Vol 6 finishes this series, but strangely enough leaves the story hanging. There are some interesting flashbacks for Mitsuko, but overall the series was a little disappointing, even for a Kikaida fan like me!
|
| Manga Mentions 3.07 Part 2 | |
|
3.31.2007
6:20 AM | Link |
 How about another five volumes of manga? Let's start with the continuation of the two simultaneous series about our hero, Densha Otoko! Train Man Vol 3 brings the story to an end, and even though the art is still a little too crazy for my taste, the artist did a fantastic job of capturing the tension of the big love confession moment! Densha Otoko Vol 2, on the other hand, still has super-cute artwork (though I'm not too crazy about the cat-head people in the net world), and gets through the first and second dates. Video Girl Ai Vol 2 was an extremely quick read, but I'm definitely going to stick with this classic series until the end. In this volume, Ai gets "recalled" and we see the weird gods who let her come back to fulfill her mission. I''s Vol 12 (by the same creator as Video Girl Ai) spends the whole volume covering a sticky group hotel stay (lots of doki-doki sounds), but I think Iori gets too mad at Ichitaka when Izumi shows up (Izumi is so weird, but I like her determination). Finally, Monster Vol 7 is excellent as usual, even though Dr. Tenma doesn't show up until around Page 140 or so! Recently they have been focusing on other characters, and this time we have the tragic story of a detective who gets a little too close to the truth about Yohan. See you after another five volumes!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 3.07 Part 1 | |
|
3.10.2007
7:34 AM | Link |
 No matter how busy I get, it's always essential to escape into some manga, so here are the last five volumes I've enjoyed. xxxHolic Vol 8 has a really bizarre twist where Doumeki shares his eye with Watanuki (who lost his in the last volume), plus another appearance by the cute Zashiki-Warashi (I'm completely aware that none of this makes sense to anyone but manga readers!). Kaze Hikaru Vol 4 was wonderful, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorites, since I'm fascinated by the history and culture (intensely researched, actually!) that's wrapped inside this love story (and Sei's mistaken jealousy over Okita's sword was really sweet!). Monster Vol 6 was unique because the main character Dr. Tenma is almost completely absent, but taking the time to develop the character of his ex-fiance is one of the reasons this series is so mature. Death Note Vol 9 was a little disappointing, only because the rules of the note keep getting more obscure (who cares what happens if there are seven death notes in the human world?), and because Near and Mello together are taking the cerebral thing a little too far. Kikaida 02 Vol 5 was filled with some excellent artwork, and this time includes a second story (apart from the main series) that felt much more like an episode of the awesome TV show. I would have loved to see Jiro stop a moving train in live action!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 2.07 | |
|
2.02.2007
9:34 PM | Link |
 I've just finished another five volumes of manga, so it looks like it's Manga Mentions time again! xxxHolic Vol 7 definitely made me glad that I started reading this series, since I'm just now settling into the style of artwork and appreciating its beauty. Yuko-san is looking sexier all the time, and the stories continue to be spooky (especially one about a "living photo"). Train Man Vol 2, while being my least favorite of the current Densha Otoko versions, was still really cute, showing a couple more promising dates, but not focusing enough on the lives of the side characters on the internet. I''s Vol 11 finally gets around to the inevitable when Ichitaka and Iori actually figure out they love each other! But now Iori's potential idol career is taking off, so they have to hide their relationship from the public, which seems to be the next arc of this series. As if the original Gacha Gacha manga wasn't embarrassing enough, I still had to check out Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution Vol 1, which is about a guy who switches gender every time he sneezes. I'm sure they will explore every possible racy situation this will allow in this series, and I will blush every time! Finally, I absolutely loved Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix Vol 9, which contains two fascinating stories with karma themes. I especially enjoyed Strange Beings, which contains an incredible time loop plot. Tezuka's thought-provoking work definitely makes up for all the other goofy manga I'm reading!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 1.07 | |
|
1.27.2007
8:04 AM | Link |
 It's time for another Manga Mentions, since I'm continuing to follow too many series at once (it feels like I'm collecting comics again)! Death Note Vol 8 kept me intrigued with what seems to be the third arc of the story, and Near & Mello (successors to L and enemies of each other) are really creepy characters. I'm always amazed at the complexity of this manga, and I'm sure the original Japanese is unbelievably difficult! Dr. Slump Vol 11 was full of laughs as always, including the introduction of a second Gatchan, and a particularly funny story with X-ray glasses. I always look forward reading to Dr. Slump! The next three volumes are new titles for me (as if I need more to keep up with), starting with Suzuka Vol 1, which I've been tempted to try out for a while (based on some interesting reviews and cute cover artwork). The story is just OK so far, with a few ridiculous fan service scenes, but I"m going to read the next volume to see if the characters start developing a little more. Next I decided to read Video Girl Ai Vol 1, which is a much older manga by the creator of I''s (which I like so much), and it's definitely a similar story, except for the whole girl popping out of the video tape premise. You definitely know it's an old manga since there's no DVD technology yet! Finally, I read Black Jack Vol 2 (because I can't find Vol 1 anywhere, since it was translated around 1999), which is Osamu Tezuka's "two-fisted surgeon" character. The stories are pretty cool, with plenty of disgusting operation scenes and some scalpel-throwing action, as well as the usual intellectual, philosophical Tezuka undertones. I wish there were more translated stories!
|
| Manga Mentions 12.06 | |
|
12.28.2006
10:56 PM | Link |
 Before my Christmas vacation, I had read four new volumes, and I've finished a fifth volume since I've been back (since it's almost time for another batch to come out), so it's time to mention some manga! Dr. Slump Vol 10 was really funny, especially since a new Chinese family has moved next door to Senbei and the gang (it's strange to see Chinese stereotypes in a Japanese manga!). Kaze Hikaru Vol 3 was wonderful, and I'm really ready for the next volume since the story is moving past where it ended in Shojo Beat. My cousin Clinton got me Kingdom Hearts Vol 3, which was cool to read - seeing Disney characters interact manga-style was really interesting! Genshiken Vol 7 wasn't quite as enjoyable for me as the earlier volumes - now that the club is mostly made up of new members, the tone of the story is really different (but it's still worth reading!). Finally, Monster Vol 5 continues to be one of the most fascinating dramas I've ever read, but it goes by so fast! This volume focuses on Johan's sister and other characters as well as Dr. Tenma, and the split-personality plot is really heating up. It can be a bit gruesome at times, but it's better than any movie I've seen in this genre!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 11.06 Part 2 | |
|
11.17.2006
8:15 AM | Link |
 It's already time for another Manga Mentions post, since I've finished five more volumes of fun stuff (since I've been reading to escape reality when I should be working on all the stuff I have to do from yesterday's post)! I finished xxxHolic Vol 6 and Vol 7, and every time I read it I'm glad I started this series (which was just on a whim during a lull between other releases). So many of the stories introduce me to cool Japanese superstitions and legends, which of course are all real in the manga world. The style of the artwork is really beautiful, and I typically read these cover to cover quickly since I can't help myself! I discovered yet another manga version of Densha Otoko, this time called Train Man: A Shojo Manga, which tells the whole story in one volume. I have to say this is my least favorite of the three versions, but it was still kind of fun seeing another take on the story. Kaze Hikaru Vol 2 was really enjoyable, even though I'm still just re-reading chapters from Shojo Beat - I'm hoping the next volume will get into some new plot twists. Finally, I''s Vol 10 finally allows Ichitaka and Iori to confess their love, but everything goes downhill from there (just what I expect from a high school soap opera). This volume has some great artwork of Tokyo at night during Christmas time, and I can't help enjoying this over-emotional plot, even if 90% of the dialogue is in thought balloons!Labels: manga |
| Manga Mentions 11.06 Part 1 | |
|
11.10.2006
11:05 PM | Link |
 No matter how busy I get, I still find time to keep up with my manga reading - seems like addictions always take priority! Anyway, I've decided that I'll make a quick WEBmikey manga post each time I finish another five volumes, just to keep things current with what kind of stuff I'm enjoying. So, welcome to the first Manga Mentions post! Besides enjoying the first volumes of two Densha Otoko series, I also finished Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix Vol 8 in record time, which was the second half of the Civil War chapter. This particular story was incredible as always, and now I can't decide which half of the saga I like better - the Japanese historical stories or the futuristic ones! Speaking of historical manga, I've read Kaze Hikaru Vol 1, which is about the famous Shisengumi, where a young girl pretends to be a guy to avenge her family. I started reading this every month in Shojo Beat, but then they dumped the series! Thankfully I can still get the collected volumes and see what happens (but I'm starting over at the beginning anyway). Midori Days Vol 8 finishes the complete series, which turned out to be really special, regardless of it's completely crazy subject, and Hikaru no Go Vol 8 continues with more action-packed Go matches (yes, that's a little sarcastic). This used to be my favorite series, but lately it's become a little dry, although I'm convinced things will get more exciting once Hikaru gets to face Akira again!Labels: manga |
| Robot Vol 2 : 4 of 5 | |
|
11.01.2006
10:25 PM | Link |
 After being so impressed with Robot Volume 1, I decided I'm going to have to collect this series of super manga/graphic novels, so I got the second book in the series right away (although it appears that Volumes 3 and 4 are going to be harder to find, so we'll see what happens). This book is just as beautiful as the first, filled with many continuations from the same artists who contributed before along with several entirely new pieces. I think Volume 1 had a few more brilliant segments, but this volume is certainly fantastic and kept my complete attention, so overall I enjoyed it even more! I would say there's a little less adult content this time, but what remains is a bit more intense. It's tough to pick single stories to mention, but I really enjoyed Delicious Adventures, which is about three young ants (who happen to look exactly like young human schoolgirls) venturing out of the anthill into the real world, and Sedouka, which is a fascinating continuing story with amazing traditional Asian art scenery and costumes. There's also another "storybook" tale called Eventyr that I really enjoyed, as well as several pages throughout the book that just require long moments of viewing to really appreciate. This experimental series is such a great idea - it's amazing to see manga artists stretch out into unexplored medium and genre!
|
| Tale of two denshas | |
|
10.28.2006
10:24 AM | Link |
 Since I enjoyed the Densha Otoko series and movie so much, I was really happy to see that two different manga series have finally been translated, and the first volumes from two different publishers are out now! I read them both back to back, and it's really fun to compare the two (just like it was fun to compare the series and the movie). The first one I read by CMX Manga has really cute artwork (which I love), so Densha and Hermes tend to look really young. There are a few changes to the story, too - Densha has a simple job stocking in a bookstore, for example. This version is also integrating the other netizens well (for example, one of them turns out to be the stylist who ends up cutting Densha's hair). The second one from VIZ Media took some getting used to, because the artwork style makes everyone tall with pointy-noses. However, the story is much closer to the drama I already know, and they seem to be using the original BBS posts much more closely (and do a great job of explaining Japanese emoticons!). The VIZ version gets all the way into the second date, but the CMX version ends right as the first date is beginning. I think I like the CMX version better, since it's a little more fresh, but I can't wait to keep following both of these!Labels: manga |
| Robot Vol 1 : 3 of 5 | |
|
10.13.2006
10:56 PM | Link |
 I've been intrigued by this book series for quite a while, so I finally decided to check out the first volume recently. Some reviews refer to this as manga, but it's much more than that. Robot is like a super-high quality graphic novel (very large format and full color), except that it features a collection of stories by many different artists with varied styles. Some pages are complete works of art that must have taken weeks to complete (with amazing, fully-rendered detail), while other stories have more traditional comic style drawings. The stories themselves are quite mixed, combining everything from humor to dark violence (this is definitely an adult book, but in a much more artistic sense - it's like Vermillion Pleasure Night in book form). I really enjoyed Picnic, a story of two girls in the future visiting what used to be Shibuya (now almost completely covered in grassy hills), and Hemo Hemo is a goofy tale about a weird cuddly animal. I also enjoyed Eventyr, written and illustrated like a fantasy storybook. Many of these stories will be continued in the next volume, definitely making me want to continue the series! Robot is a great showcase for artists to push themselves and create stories that might not work anywhere else, so I'm looking forward to seeing what other beautiful, fascinating, or disturbing things come next!
|
| Manga messages | |
|
9.13.2006
10:35 PM | Link |
 I've polished off another seven volumes of manga, so it's roundup time again! Azumanga Daioh Volume 4 was so wonderful, and I'm sad there's no more to read - I wish it could go on and on, but I guess the girls had to graduate from high school eventually (but now I'm watching the anime again!). Monster is possibly my favorite dramatic manga right now, and Volume 4 was fantastic - I also discovered that there are 18 volumes of this masterpiece, so it's going to be years before I finish! My other favorite is still Death Note, and Volume 7 finally gets the story back on track with Light as the true Kira. So much of this story is told through thought balloons (quite necessary!), so it has the most words of anything I'm reading now, which is the total opposite of Kikaider 02, since Volume 4 is still mostly battle panels (but with more story than the last volume). Dr. Slump Volume 9 was really funny with a long honeymoon story (Senbei's proposal was hilarious, too), and I''s Volume 9 continues with its usual doki-doki magic. Finally, xxxHolic Volume 4 had a terrific plot about two sisters and how their lives are affected by the power of words, and I have to say the message behind the story really hit me - I think it's the first time a manga has actually got to me and really made me think. See, I knew all this reading would pay off!Labels: manga |
| Two weeks, seven volumes | |
|
8.17.2006
11:57 PM | Link |
 Even though my last manga roundup was only a couple weeks ago, I've been reading so much lately that I need to write one again right away! I've read xxxHolic Vols 2 and 3, and it's really growing on me - I like the way the artwork flows, and the work that goes into it is amazing. The spooky storylines are fun, too, though I don't care too much about the crossover subplots (but I did like the cameo of Chi's "ears" from Chobits!). I really enjoyed Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix Vol 7, which is part one of the Civil War chapter - the Japanese history is fascinating and this is one of the thickest volumes yet! Kikaider 02 Vol 3 was pretty good - I really like the dramatic upgrade of the story (it's so different that the TV series), but this volume was almost all fighting scenes, which are interesting to look at, but manga without dialogue just goes by too fast. Midori Days Vol 7 was fun as always, but I'm guessing it has to wind down soon, and I finished Azumanga Daioh Vols 2 and 3, which is just about the most enjoyable light-hearted manga ever - I'm going to be so sad when I finish Vol 4, which is the last one!Labels: manga |
| Manga time again | |
|
7.31.2006
8:11 PM | Link |
 Guess it's time for a quick manga roundup again! Recently I've read Hikaru no Go Vol 7, which is definitely interesting, but lately it hasn't held my interest as intensely as before. I think it should either pick up the pace with Hikaru's progress, or maybe start another subplot or two. Anyway, maybe it's just a mid-series lull. Genshiken Vol 6 was funny enough to read in a single sitting, and I'm really wondering how the story will change since a few of the characters have graduated. I think Sasahara's sister is hilarious, so I hope she keeps showing up. I'm also in the middle of Phoenix Vol 7, which is downright huge and magnificent! Finally, I started reading the Azumanga Daioh manga, mainly because I had a Borders coupon that I had to use, but I'm so glad I picked it up! Of course, I love the anime, but the manga is charming in a totally different way! Almost the entire thing is written in small four-panel strips, so it ends up feeling like reading Peanuts to me. It's fun to see the source for a lot of the gags in the anime, but of course there are lots of fun strips that are totally new to me. It's the perfect anime to read for five minutes before you have to leave the house or something - I'm definitely getting the whole series!Labels: manga |
| Manga roundup XL | |
|
7.05.2006
10:59 PM | Link |
 I haven't written a manga roundup in a little while, but it's definitely that time again since I've finished about eight new volumes recently! I read a blurb about Ninin ga Shinobuden in NewType, and since I was craving some more light, funny stuff, I decided to order it (for some reason, they don't carry this publisher at my Barnes & Noble). I really enjoyed it - it's got a lot of Dr. Slump type humor (with awesome cultural references), but definitely has a Ranma feel (no crazy transformations, though - maybe Shinobu just reminds me of Shampoo!). I also started xxxHolic, since I had heard so much about it, and I've never read a Clamp manga before (even though I'm a big fan of the Chobits anime). It took a chapter or two to interest me, but the sub-plot about getting rid of bad habits was really intriguing. Death Note Vol 6 was incredible, and it looks like the tangent with the new "corporate" Kira is going to end, which is great! Monster Vol 3 keeps the story chilling - I can never put it down once I start reading. It's definitely getting a Kung-Fu kind of storyline, with the gifted surgeon, wanted by the police but tracking down a killer, wandering from town to town saving strangers - he even has a sidekick now. I''s Vol 8, Midori Days Vol 6, and Gacha Gacha Vol 4 were all good, and Dr. Slump Vol 8 was just as fun as always. It's a good thing I bought a new small bookshelf for all this stuff - I'm sure it will be overflowing by the end of the year!Labels: manga |
| Growing manga collection | |
|
6.08.2006
10:09 PM | Link |
 It's been a while since my last manga update, so I'm sure you're wondering if I've been keeping up on my favorite series. (Of course, you know I have!) My manga collection has been growing so fast that I need to buy another bookshelf for them! Even though I'm reading lots of series, there's always a lull when I've read all of the latest volumes, and during those times I can't help shopping for something new to try. I like reading the reviews in Newtype USA (they're always too positive, but at least they give me a clue!) so I know what to try, and that's how I found Monster. This is an incredibly dramatic story about a Japanese surgeon living in Germany who saves the life of someone that ends up being a serial killer! It's suspenseful stuff, and I've read the first two volumes, each in one sitting! Death Note (up to Volume 5) has been exciting as usual, taking really dramatic plot turns that totally change the feel of the story, but I still love it - I think Monster and Death Note have both surpased Hikaru no Go for my favorite manga! On the fun side, Midori Days and Gacha Gacha are still funny, and I always look forward to Dr. Slump, too (especially because it feels like nostalgic Japanese pop culture, and I can't help rooting for poor Senbei). Reading manga is so much fun!Labels: manga |
| Phoenix: Nostalgia / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
|
6.03.2006
11:45 PM | Link |
 Since I'm a huge fan of Osamu Tezuka's majestic Phoenix (Hi no Tori) series, I was definitely sad to read what I thought was the last volume to be published in English, over a year ago. But recently I was super-surprised to find this new volume at my comic book store, and now I've discovered that there are two more volumes on the way this year! I can't express how happy I am, since this series is so amazing, and this latest volume is simply fantastic. It's hard to imagine the work that Tezuka put into this saga, since this story alone is over 400 pages - that's a mighty manga! The plot tells of a couple who have left Earth to live alone on their own planet, and quickly have to take drastic measures to stay alive, even to the point of incest and cannibalism just to keep going. When Romy and her sons are at the end of their rope, the Phoenix takes over and brings a moopie (an alien race we meet in other volumes) to the planet so they can mate and start a new hybrid species. From there the story takes a huge turn as Romy decides she wants to return to Earth, and their incredible journey eventually involves a few cameos from other characters in the series. It's definitely hard to summarize such a long story in a short review, but it's a dramatic tale of survival, loyalty, and exploring the meaning of life. The artwork is wonderful, with beautiful space vistas, barren worlds, and interesting characters. This story captured me for several hours of non-stop reading, so I'm eagerly looking forward to the next volume!
|
| Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind : 5 of 5 | |
|
4.25.2006
8:05 PM | Link |
 On my trip to Los Angeles, I took the final two volumes of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and I read Vol 6 on the way, and then the massive Vol 7 (it's almost twice as long as the other books!) on the way home. I really enjoyed this entire series! Of course, Miyazaki's own artwork is simply fantastic, full of incredible action and emotional content - it's amazing to me that someone so respected for his animation also took the time and effort to produce such a long and incredible manga. I really enjoyed the color fold-outs in each volume (although Vol 7 doesn't have one), since not only do they have a great image of Nausicaa herself, but they include a cool map or diagram on the back. The story is so much more sweeping and immense then that I ever could have imagined after watching the anime (although I do want to watch it again now!). I really enjoyed Nausicaa's long "dream sequence" when she's in a kind of coma, since the images she sees of newly restored and healthy nature are so wonderful. Her interaction as the "mother" of the huge god warrior is also touching and so cool - this entire concept was completely removed from the anime (which really only covers the first two volumes, but includes a few quick takes from the rest of the story for completeness, I suppose). This entire series is beautiful and amazing, and I feel refreshed and happy from finishing it!Labels: manga |
| Old manga, new manga | |
|
3.15.2006
11:04 PM | Link |
 Time for another quick look at the manga I'm reading! As far as continuing series, I've finished Hikaru no Go Vol 6, Dr. Slump Vol 6, and I''s Vol 6 lately (you can definitely tell I started those series at the same time, since they're all on the same volume number!). Hikaru no Go is still the most interesting, but I''s has some new life now that Itsuki has moved away so Ichitaka can focus on Iori (ah, romance). I read the manga version of Kamikaze Girls, which was quite different than the movie (I wonder if the movie or the manga is more like the original novel?), and it includes a fun sequel story, too. Finally, I started Death Note, which is completely unlike any manga I would normally read, but the artwork is by the same artist who draws Hikaru no Go, so it's fantastic. I'm officially sucked into the story, too, even though it's kind of creepy!Labels: manga |
| Manga madness | |
|
2.09.2006
8:25 PM | Link |
 My manga collection is really growing, so it's time for another update on what I've been reading. I love browsing the manga shelves at Barnes & Noble or Dragon's Lair, and I usually check them out a couple times a week. After doing some studying and drinking coffee, it's a great reward to buy a new manga! I've been keeping up on all the series that I've started so far, and trying not to start any new ones (just so I can keep the plots straight!), but I had to start Kikaider Code 02, since all those fun Kikaida DVDs I watched are still fresh on my mind! So far the story is really cool, making the saga much more serious and updated - I've read Volume 1, and bought Volume 2, which already has Hakaida on the cover! I'm still laughing at Dr. Slump (just read Volumes 4 and 5), and Nausicaa is becoming truly fascinating, since the story has become so much larger than it was in the movie. I've also read Midori Days Vol 3, Genshiken Vol 4, and Gacha Gacha Vol 2 (I have to admit, Gacha Gacha is by far the winner in the fan service department, but it always makes me laugh out loud!).Labels: manga |
| More manga | |
|
12.01.2005
10:31 PM | Link |
 Yes, I'm still sneaking in some time to read manga during the getting-busier-all-the-time Christmas season! I've made it through four books lately, including Yotsuba&! Vol 3, which had some funny fireworks stories (it meant so much more since now I've seen hanabi in Japan!), Genshiken Vol 3, which is so good for the soul of an otaku who longs to be understood (he he), and I''s Vol 3, which was much less embarrassing to buy than the last volume, since the cute girl on the cover was wearing more than a bikini this time. I also really enjoyed the manga version of Socrates in Love, which is a dramatic story about a girl with leukemia and her boyfriend. The novel by Kyoichi Katayama was a huge bestseller in Japan, and the manga version is really well done - dramatic and tragic. Pretty soon I'm going to start the new Kikaida manga - I hope it's as cool as the Kikaida DVDs!Labels: manga |
| Lost World / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
11.13.2005
6:30 PM | Link |
 Since I wasn't really overwhelmed by Nextworld (even though I love Astro Boy, of course), I wasn't in a hurry to buy Lost World, which is a really early Tezuka work, originally published in part in the 1940s! But I still keep lots of books on my Amazon wish list so I can throw them in with other items to get free shipping, and that's why I ordered this one. The title of the story refers to finding a world full of dinosaurs, but in this case it's actually another planet called Mamango, which was formed from a piece of the earth, so it has the same evolutionary development. Just like in Nextworld, the heroes are supporting characters from Astro Boy - Mustachio is there to solve the mysteries, and Kenichi is pretty much the hero, although he's a musclebound scientist rather than a school kid! The art work is pretty simple with not much going on for scenery. The whole thing really feels like a Betty Boop style cartoon, everything from the character poses to the weird jokes. At the end of the book there's a huge crowd scene where Tezuka includes tons of other American cartoon characters, including the Disney favorites, Warner Bros. stars, and even Popeye (who actually gives a speech!). Lost World was fine to read piece by piece, but I definitely wouldn't call it a masterpiece.
|
| Itsumo manga o yonde imasu | |
|
10.27.2005
6:43 PM | Link |
 I guess it's time for another manga update! Sometimes I feel like I could read manga all the time - there's just something about it that's relaxing and really fun. It's easy to have a book with me and read a few pages here and there, or in bed before I go to sleep, but it's even better to spend a full hour enjoying a story or two. I love getting to know the characters and wondering what's going to happen next! Anyway, since I last wrote what I've been reading, I've continued with more volumes of I''s, Dr. Slump, Nausicaa, Genshiken, and Hikaru no Go (which is still my favorite, and I was going crazy waiting for Volume 5 to come out!). I've also started a couple more that I saw in a manga sampler - Gacha Gacha (a hilarious story about a dual personality girl), and Midori Days (which is the weirdest story ever, about a guy who's right hand transforms into a living girl - I'm not making this up!). It's great to browse the big manga shelf at Barnes & Noble, because there's always (without fail) a kid or two camped out on the floor reading all the latest stories. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my addiction!Labels: manga |
| Manga, email, links | |
|
9.01.2005
8:37 PM | Link |
 Time for another post about a few random topics! First, a little about manga - I wish I had tons of free time to just sit and read manga. It's so relaxing to read fun stories with interesting artwork, and it reminds me of my younger days of comic book addiction. I just finished Yotsuba&! Vol 2, which was absolutely great (and unfortunately reads so quickly!), and I'm getting hooked on Genshiken, too, which is pretty fun to read since the story is about an otaku club that I would certainly like to join. After enjoying three issues of Shojo Beat, I decided I had to subscribe, and I'm not ashamed to be reading what is essentially teenage soap opera stories! When I was in Japan, I saw lots of Nana displays (mainly because of the upcoming movie), and I thought it was cool that I knew about the story, thanks to Shojo Beat.Today I received the most ridiculous email ever! Some guy who wants to buy curb feelers for his wife's car was searching the web for info, and he was actually offended that my goofy opinion on the subject was coming up in Google, rather than stores selling those things. I guess he has no idea how search engines work or what a blog is or any concept of self-expression on the web! Well, his three paragraphs of carefully worded statements definitely gave me a good laugh, and now that I'm mentioning curb feelers again, I'm sure this post will be in other potential curb feeler owners' faces. Here's a few quick links I want to mention: I've been using Last.FM for a long time now (it's tallied almost 6,000 tracks of my iTunes listening), and they recently updated their site design. It looks really cool, so take a look at my listening and try it out yourself! Next, I've recently discovered nihongo.3yen.com, a seriously cool site for Japanese language knowledge! The info is categorized well, and I can't wait to dig through it further. Finally, a new link to WEBmikey! Metroblogging San Francisco had a post about a local circus performance, and they actually linked to one of my circus reviews (see the link "motorcycles circling inside a globe-shaped cage"). I love being linked! Labels: manga |
| Nextworld Vol 1 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
6.08.2005
7:19 PM | Link |
 Since I finished the Astro Boy series, I wanted to start reading Black Jack to take on more Tezuka, but the first volume was unavailable on Amazon for some reason (it's back now), so I ordered Nextworld instead. The story starts out right away with Mustachio and Kenichi from the Astro stories - it's fun to see familiar characters in a new setting. I have to say that I had trouble getting into the book - the plot involves lots of characters and moves really fast, so things aren't clean-cut like an Astro story. The artwork is also pretty rushed - no detailed cities or anything (though there are some awesome crowd scenes with a million things going on!). Still I had a good time reading it, and I'm going to have to buy the next volume since the story isn't finished here! The story involves atomic testing that has created a new species called Fumoon that are superior to humans (though only a few inches tall), set against the backdrop of several counties (one is the Uran Federation, which sounds funny to Astro fans!) who go to war over whether nuclear weapons should be regulated or not. I guess my main disappointment is that the story moves so quickly that you never get to know the characters (at least not yet). The Phoenix series is much better at that, but maybe Nextworld Vol 2 will be better.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 23 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
4.30.2005
6:01 PM | Link |
 Say it isn't so! I've just finished the complete Astro Boy series - all 23 books. I can't believe it's over. What will I do without Tetsuwan Atom to keep me company in the pockets of spare time throughout the day? This last volume is filled with short, short stories (even shorter than the last volume!), plus one medium length tale. Most of these were published in the 80s in Shogaku Ninensei (Second Grader) magazine, so they are simple fun stories full of jokes (and really enjoyable to read!). There's an excellent afterword which explains the various attempts made in the past to publish all of Tezuka's Astro stories, and confirms that this set definitely includes all of it (which gives me a sense of accomplishment). It's interesting that Tezuka himself compiled everything, determined the order of the volumes (putting his favorite stories first), and drew all the wonderful introductions that I loved so much in the other books. I think my favorite story here is Giant Uran, where another scientist turns our little cutie into a huge version with Astro's special powers! The long story is called The Silver Tower, and includes a scene where Astro uses his ass-guns to shoot off his own arms so he can escape - where else can you see that kind of drama? Farewell, Astro! I'll have to start another manga series soon.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 22 : 3 of 5 | |
|
4.16.2005
8:47 PM | Link |
 I can't believe I'm coming to the end of the Astro Boy series of books! This volume actually has twelve short stories in it (some as short as a single page!), so Tezuka is definitely wrapping up this collection by gathering some pretty obscure tales. In a few of the stories, Astro is only a guest star, but the stories are still cool because you get to see some of Tezuka's other styles of drawing and story-telling. The first story Astro Returns is the longest, which describes how Astro is rescued and repaired after his tragic ending in the old TV series - variations of this same story were written by Tezuka several times, I think, but this one includes the creation of the Sphinx in Egypt! Some tales have screwball titles like Slippery Catfish in Imminent Danger, but I think my favorite might be You're Guilty, which is actually a Black Jack story (my first time to read this character). Astro appears as a real boy, so it's kind of like he's an actor playing a role. The last story called The End of Astro Boy is really amazing and dramatic, although Tezuka assures us in the intro notes that it's really not the end!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 21 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
|
3.18.2005
6:45 AM | Link |
 There's seven stories in this jam-packed volume, which is a big departure from the multi-part epics from a few books ago. A couple of the stories don't really count, though, since they were originally part of a manga that came with 3D glasses, so there are huge panels with lots of "popping-out" action and not much story content (although one of them does include a visit from Dr. Saruta from the Phoenix saga - nice crossover!). The other stories are really early in Tezuka's Astro work, and several include the first appearance of some supporting characters like the bully at Astro's school and the Inspector. The reason I really enjoyed this volume, though, is because Astro falls in love in the story Sea Serpent Island! It's so cute that he doesn't want the girl to know he's a robot - at the end she believes he's died and he watches her walk away from a window. So bittersweet! In another story Astro is the commanding officer on a manned mission to Mars, and in another there's a Frankenstein robot that must be stopped (plenty of exploration of human/robot interaction here, of course). There's one more short story where Astro begs Ochanomizu to give him the emotion of fear (so he can enjoy ghost stories), but Astro soon realizes that it becomes a real problem when he has to battle. I can't decide if I like the short or long stories better - they have such different pacing, but they're both fun!
|
| Phoenix: Resurrection / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
|
3.10.2005
9:04 PM | Link |
 This is the fifth volume of this incredible series that has been translated, and I have no clue when or if the next volume will be released! It's so amazing how Tezuka accomplished the difficult task of making each story stand alone, yet connected them all through such a huge timeline (and of course, the appearance of the Phoenix herself, through strangely she has her smallest role yet in this story). The plot jumps back and forth between past and future, mimicking the way each volume jumps on a larger scale, but generally follows a man named Leon who is murdered, but brought back to life via medical technology. In his new brain and body he sees organic life as grotesque, but robotic life as beautiful, so he falls in love with a robot named Chihiro. The plot unfolds to uncover the reason he was murdered (related to the Phoenix!), and then follows a strange course to connect him to Robita, the companion of Dr. Saruta, a character who has appeared in most of the other volumes. The artwork is amazing, including lots of future city scenes which I love, plus several large spreads of action scenes and explosions. There are some touching moments, too, and plenty of questions to ponder about humanity when you've finished the book. Please publish more volumes, Viz!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 20 : 3 of 5 | |
|
2.04.2005
8:58 PM | Link |
 It took me a long time to get through this volume in tiny doses, because I've been reading so many other things lately. I got my wish after reading Volume 19 - this volume also contains only two long stories (rather than many short tales), starting with the continuation of the big plot twist of the last volume, where Astro turns bad! The mean Astro frees the entire robot population and carries off his robot family's house to an island to start his robot nation, but they are met there by a weird Aztec-like tribe (whose leader also happens to be a robot). Then sweet little Uran turns evil (oh, the horror!), but finally everything becomes normal again somehow. The second story is about a weird 4th dimensional being called Meeva, who can bring things from the past to the future when he is in physical pain (pretty strange!). Dr. Tenma captures Meeva because he wants to bring back Astro from the past the moment he was born (April 7th, 2003) so he can keep him for himself, but of course his plan fails when Meeva brings back ancient Japan from 10,000 years ago - when it was still under the sea! This was an exciting volume overall - it looks like the next volume is back to lots of small stories, which will be nice after these epics.
|
| Metropolis / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
|
12.28.2004
9:28 PM | Link |
 I made sure to keep this Christmas gift handy for my trip home from Oklahoma City, and I ended up reading the whole thing in the Dallas airport and on my second flight. This is one of Tezuka's earlier works from 1949, before Astro Boy, so I was really interested in it. I was pretty surprised to find characters from Astro in the story - Mustachio and Kenichi are both here and play a major part in the plot! I watched the anime movie of this book quite a long time ago, but now that I've read the original I don't see much resemblance at all. The main character of the story is fascinating: an artificial being named Michi who is neither male nor female (when other characters talk about him, they switch between feminine and masculine pronouns even in the same sentence). As in most Astro stories, the themes are man's use of technology, the rights of robots and man-made life, and the possible dangers involved. There's not as much futuristic city views as I would like, but the crowd scenes are truly amazing works of art! There's a nice discussion of the story at the end by Tezkua himself, making a nice ending to a great book.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 19 : 4 of 5 | |
|
12.10.2004
6:17 PM | Link |
 After several volumes in a row with lots of short stories, this book is essentially one huge novel-length adventure! The story is called Blue Knight, and in the Cartoon Tezuka introduction he explains that it was written when his editor forced him to make Astro more "mean" (more smashing and so on). Of course, his popularity dropped after the change, but it's interesting to read this story and see how it was done! I've seen a version of this tale on the new animated series, but the book version is better, I think. Blue Knight is a mysterious robot (on a robot horse) who fights humanity because he wants robots to form a sovereign nation. When Astro's parents are taken away (because they are thought to be "bad" robots), Astro joins Blue Knight in order to save them! Even Uran and Cobalt get in on the action. One book isn't enough - this story is continued in the next volume! After Dr. Ochanomizu gets Tenma to help repair Astro (after a big battle), Astro gets really mean, punches up everything, and flies away! I hope the next volume is one long story, too, and that Astro comes to his senses at the end!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 18 : 3 of 5 | |
|
11.22.2004
8:58 PM | Link |
 Wow, I'm amazed that I'm still going strong with Astro Boy, after finding out about these books about a year and a half ago. They really are perfect little books for a quick five minute reading session at any time, and it's nice to always be in the middle of a story. This volume has five short stories, but only one has a cartoon Tezuka introduction. The Robot Spaceship reminded me a lot of a plot from the last volume, since it's about smaller robots who combine to build a larger robot (in this case, a complete spaceship, rather than a destructive giant robot!). Then there's a pretty cool Dracula story, which is fun since Astro's friends have major roles. Then there's Atlas, a meanie robot who has "Omega Factor" installed, which allows him to betray the usual robot nature to never hurt humans! The last two stories are super-short, so the plots seem really rushed. I couldn't believe it when the only thing that could stop some monsters from eating the city turned out to be candy! It's pretty funny to see helicopters dumping gallons of sweet red bean soup. I hope the next volume has a little more emotion and less smashing!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 17 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
11.09.2004
5:58 PM | Link |
 I finished this volume pretty quickly, so I'm either reading faster or spending more time in the bathroom! Actually, I read a bunch of this on the plane flying home from Los Angeles - it's kind of nice to read a complete Astro Boy story in one sitting rather than piece by piece. This one has five stories, and while some of them are really interesting, I'd say one or two are pretty underwhelming. My least favorite is The Face in the Rock, which is really short and silly, involving a little exploding robot called the Fireball Kid. I thought Gademu was the clever story of the volume, because it's cool that one of the bad guys goes places with a bunch of servant robots who join together to create a giant robot monster! Space Parasites is interesting because things like trees and rats become dangerous enemies, and the other stories include some nice Tezuka introductions, plus a good scene of Astro refueling, which is always good for a laugh.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 16 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
|
10.31.2004
11:16 PM | Link |
 I don't usually rate Astro Boy books more than a 3, but this volume includes the fantastic tale of Robio and Robiette. If you haven't figured it out from the title, this is a robotic Romeo and Juliet with Astro in the middle! Two old inventors are constantly competing against each other, so the robots they build are constantly fighting. Robiette's brother is even named Chibolt (who is Tybalt from the play, of course), and the end is tragic but sweet, as expected. The other stories in this volume are longer than usual, and include lizard aliens living in a spooky swamp, animals fighting to preserve nature, and a guy who sends out explosive balloons that look like Astro Boy to make everyone hate robots! (Why anyone would think a robot would send out balloons of himself is beyond me, but folks can be pretty silly in these stories.) This volume is totally worth it for Robio and Robiette - definitely enjoyable to Shakespeare fans like me!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 15 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
10.20.2004
9:18 PM | Link |
 I wonder how they chose which stories to include in each volume of these Astro Boy books? It's amazing to me how they mix things up so there's always a story to answer what ever question I'm thinking of - this time I was wondering about the earliest appearances of Astro, and this volume includes Ambassador Atom, the first story ever! Cartoon Tezuka introduces many things in this volume, and he explains how Astro really wasn't the main character until he became popular and his publishers asked him to make the story about our favorite robot boy. Ambassador Atom focuses mostly on Ken, one of Astro's school friends, but the plot really involves a kind of parallel humanity of aliens (a matching person for every one of us on Earth) who come to live with us, and the resulting food crisis! The three other stories in this volume are all really good, too, including the excellent Gas People, another early tale of Astro's robot parents. Astro even starts the story by giving us a walking tour of the Ministry of Science and all the cool machines (it's only a few pages - I wish there were a whole story just for the tour!). Looks like I won't be tiring of Astro anytime soon!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 14 : 3 of 5 | |
|
9.12.2004
11:30 AM | Link |
 I love stories about the early days of characters, so this particular Astro Boy volume was a great one! My favorite story was about Uran, Astro's super-cute sister, just after she was made (Astro's brother Cobalt is there, too). Astro has to take them around the city and teach them things, and of course they get into all kinds of trouble. Uran sees a "roboting" match (like robot prize-fighting) and ends up sneaking away from school to become a major contender! There's another long story about an alien robot who can read robot minds (ponder that one a while!), and then some shorter stories about horse people and giant snails. Lots of variety in this volume! There are a few pages at the end where cartoon Tezuka talks about Astro's beginnings, too - all about how Tezuka decided to give Astro emotions and a family so readers could relate to him. An excellent collection of stories!
|
| Phoenix: Karma / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
|
8.20.2004
9:24 PM | Link |
 This latest tale in the Phoenix series (actually the fifth story) is considered by many to be the best of the whole set, and I can definitely see why. The story is set in 8th century Japan and tells how the lives of Gao, a thief and murderer who becomes a Buddhist priest, and Akanemaru, the famous sculptor of the Great Buddha at Nara, intertwine and affect each other. The story is masterfully crafted (with almost no humorous interjections), with tons of emotion and fantastic pacing - it was tough for me to not read it all at once, but I wanted to make it last! The Phoenix herself only appears in visions to the two men, but she shows glimpses into other volumes of the story (both past and future). Since I've read a little bit about Buddhism (while studying Beat poetry), I was fascinated to see that this story explains Buddhist philosophy better than anything else I've read! The artwork is beautiful, featuring many of Tezuka's reproductions of ancient Japanese art and culture. I simply can't say enough about this book - it certainly blows away the last volume, which was already wonderful! I'm going to go crazy waiting for the next one.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 13 : 4 of 5 | |
|
8.10.2004
6:08 PM | Link |
 This was a particularly good Astro Boy volume because 90% of it is one long story called Zoloman's Jewels, about a strange "organic" robot who rises up out of a lake to search for a precious stone called the Teardrop of Serius. Astro is joined by three other cool robots to help protect the stone - Tezuka was so imaginative when it comes to thinking up different kinds of robots! I especially liked one who carries a bag of different noses that he snaps on for tools and weapons. The story takes a bizarre turn when we discover that the stone is a miniature world! Astro and Dr. Ochanomizu are shrunk down, and in their adventures on the world, the Doctor is killed - I couldn't believe it! (Nothing to worry about, though - of course!) After this great long story, there are a couple of short ones, including a touching tale about a robot who is built to lie to his dying mother. At the very end is a brief history of Tezuka's first Astro ideas and works - I always enjoy when he draws himself talking to the audience, so I'm glad they included these pages in this volume!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 12 : 3 of 5 | |
|
8.03.2004
6:40 PM | Link |
 This book has another great round of Astro Boy adventures, that I read slowly over time (usually in the bathroom, the traditional Astro Boy reading place). There are four stories here, starting with a long one called Roboids (who are some weird life form that want to study Earth and destroy all the regular robots!). There's a cool guest-star robot named Box who has a few special powers that he can use only once, and after he uses them all, he'll be destroyed. Some of the powers are pretty goofy, like shooting out his eyeballs like missiles (which leaves him blind!), but I still liked the concept anyway. Astro discovers how to teleport to the Roboid ship and makes friends with a little Roboid boy, but then has a final confrontation with the boy's father, the Roboid commander! The next story is a short murder mystery, and then there's a weird one called Youth Gas that features Astro's brother, Cobalt - they even have to fight (since they are in rival schools)! Astro pretends to be destroyed and later shows up as a robo-Ninja. The final story is pretty goofy, but fun - all the robots go crazy because they are receiving TV signals from another planet as dreams. There are no Tezuka cameos in this volume, unfortunately.
|
| Phoenix: Yamato/Space / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
|
7.19.2004
7:12 PM | Link |
 This volume of the truly epic Phoenix saga contains two stories, unlike the first two books, which had one story each. As I've said before, the Phoenix series bounces back and forth between the distant past and far future, so we have a story from each timeframe. The story from the past centers around a mysterious half-complete burial mound in Asuka, Nara prefecture (which I assume is real), and tells the tale of early Japanese history involving the mound. The story is great and really dramatic, but Tezuka goes absolutely crazy with the "humor injections" - they are in so many places that the drama begins to fail. Still, it's great to see an old man tell how he survived from the last volume (keeping the continuity), and seeing the Phoenix freely offer her blood of immortality. The second story has less humor, so it's far more dramatic and interesting. It has to do with a crew on a lifelong space journey, who has to eject into solo escape pods. They can talk by radio, which makes for some amazing page layouts as we follow each person's capsule and their conversation. Finally they land on a planet, where we hear how the Phoenix was involved (of course), and see how Saurta becomes disfigured (as he appeared in the last volume - remember the fu |