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| Phoenix Vols 1-3 : 5 of 5 | |
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5.28.2008
7:32 AM | Link |
 When I saw that my favorite manga of all time, Osamu Tezuka's masterpiece Phoenix, was being released as an anime on DVD, I was both excited and skeptical. I waited until I finished all three DVDs before writing this review, and I have to say that I'm overwhelmed by the majesty of this series! The beauty begins with the opening credits, featuring incredible images of the history of life itself set to a wonderful orchestral theme, and the episodes include some narration at the beginning and end to properly set each tale within its broad scope. Of course, only a fraction of the original manga could be included, but they selected many of my favorite stories, set in both the past and future. Saruta is included as a character in each story, weaving them all together, and the animation (although a bit modernized) stays true to Tezuka's character designs and certainly to his ultimate message. The stories included are The Dawn (4 episodes in the past), The Resurrection (2 episodes in he future), The Transformation (1 episode in the past, the beautiful story of the cycle of the nun), The Sun (4 episodes in the past, about Inugami the human/wolf and the plight of ancient religion versus the rise of Buddhism), and The Future (2 episodes in the future, with Masato who becomes the last immortal human on Earth and witnesses the rebirth of the planet). I watched the entire series on the edge of my seat, eyes wide open to take it all in - I'm amazed they could actually bring the feel of Tezuka's work to animation so well! The selected stories truly communicate the awesomeness of life - that which never ends. Even though I rented this series, I'm incredibly tempted to buy it so I can watch it again, since it's definitely something I want in my collection, so I hope they release it as a box set soon. I can't recommend this series enough for Tezuka fans - you won't be disappointed!
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| Manga Mentions 5.08 | |
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5.15.2008
7:50 AM | Link |
 Another month, another five volumes enjoyed! I wish I had time to read more than that, because I can always use a manga escape every now and then. Here's this month's report!Monster Vol 10: Although my interest in this manga has toned down a little, it's still one of the most amazing suspense stories I've ever read, so even though I'm behind the current release, I still can't put a volume down once I start it! This time we're introduced to Grimmer, a new character who's a former spy investigating the creepy 511 Kinderheim experiments, and there really isn't much of Tenma to be seen. Johan's sister is getting pretty scary, though! Phoenix Vol 12: I was completely shocked to discover this bonus volume of my beloved Hi no Tori was available, since the last official story was Vol 11! This is a collection of serialized children's stories that star the Phoenix, mostly as a baby named Chirol, focusing on ancient Egypt and Rome, so familiar plots like the Trojan Horse are included. It was fascinating to read these light-hearted yet dramatic stories and still recognize the main characteristics of my favorite manga series! Death Note 13: On the subject of bonus volumes, here's another unexpected treat! This extra addition to this fantastic series is titled How to Read, and it's basically a encyclopedia of every detail, large and small, about the story. There are long discussions with the creators, detailed explanations about every plot twist, an exhaustive Death Note rules list, character studies, and so on - it's an obsessive geek's delight! The first Death Note pilot story is included as well, with the original idea that erasing a name would bring the person back to life! Nodame Cantabile Vol 4: I enjoyed this volume mostly because I was engrossed in the live-action drama of this series at the same time, so it's lots of fun to compare the plots as they unfold, but I'm definitely devoted to sticking with the manga all the way. This volume includes the Nagano Music Festival, with a quick and funny stop at the beach, plus an extra story about Nodame's childhood and her first piano teacher, which was really sweet. Yotsuba Vol 5: Finally, it was wonderful to get back to this gentle, heart-warming series again, which should receive simultaneous awards for "quickest read" and "most laughs out loud"! This time Yotsuba has fun star gazing, playing in the rain and at the beach, and gets fooled by a robot costume. Even though it's so simple, this series always makes me feel wonderful - its motto of "Enjoy everything" is so poignant and true! |
| Manga Mentions 4.08 | |
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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! |
| Manga Mentions 2.08 | |
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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!
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| Embarrassing reading | |
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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 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy 1980s Japanese opening theme | |
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7.28.2007
12:28 PM | Link |
 Lately I have been watching a ton of Astro Boy (already four episodes today!), since I realy want to finish this DVD set before I move on to other things to watch. The show is really fantastic, as I've said before, and it's kind of cool absorbing each episode one after another, since you can really watch the characters grow and see all kinds of connections. There are so many great stories, such as the Greatest Robot in the World saga, all of the Atlas episodes, and even some guest appearances by other Tezuka characters, such as Black Jack and Princess Knight! Of course, now I've heard the theme song a billion times, but strangely enough, I couldn't find the actual Japanese lyrics with translation on the web, so I just did my own. I tend to translate more literally than poetically, since it helps me learn vocabulary, and it's amazing how even a simple song like this can contain idiomatic phrases and things. By the way, Astro's "real" name in Japanese translates to Mighty Atom. So, here's the Astro Boy opening theme from the 1980s anime!Japanese sora wo koete ra ra ra hoshi no kanata yukuzo atomu jetto no kagiri kokoro yasashii ra ra ra kagaku no ko juuman bariki da tetsuwan atomu mimi wo sumase ra ra ra me wo mihare sou da atomu yudan wo suruna kokoro tadashi ra ra ra kagaku no ko nanatsu no iryoku sa tetsuwan atomu English Passing through the sky, la la la Far off in the stars Go, Atom (Astro), To the limit of your jets! His heart is kind He's a child of science He has 100,000 horsepower Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) Listen carefully, la la la Be amazed! That's Atom (Astro) Don't be unprepared His heart is just He's a child of science He has seven powers Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) |
| Astro Boy Complete Collection : 5 of 5 | |
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7.20.2007
12:24 PM | Link |
 I've only watched about a fourth of this series so far, but since it's eight DVDs long I decided I should go ahead and write about it! Since I really love Astro Boy, I want to see all three animated series eventually, and I really enjoyed the most recent one, so I was happy to snag this set at a discount price. This is the second of the three series, broadcast in Japan in the 80s in color, and it was Osamu Tezuka's (the creator of Astro) favorite. In fact, he actually wrote all the scripts for the series, which is wonderful since the stories closely follow the original manga (even complete subplots like the heartwarming Robio & Robiette)! The animation is colorful though quite simple, but every now and then features some incredible space ship or robot designs, and of course the characters are completely true to Tezuka's artwork (then often even do the funny walk with outstretched legs that Tezuka fans will recognize right away!). The music has lots of cheesy 80s synth sounds, but the opening and closing theme songs are fantastic (and I hum the all the time, since I haven't found the Japanese lyrics yet). It's so cool to see Astro being built and coming to life for the first time, as well as the introduction of Astro's robot parents and cute sister Uran. Seeing these shows in the original Japanese is great, and I love hearing the cute things that Astro says when he fights (plus he's pretty handy with his "ass-guns" that you definitely never saw in the US!). So far this is just about as perfect as an Astro Boy cartoon can get, and I'm certainly going to enjoy watching the rest of the series!
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| Manga Mentions 6.07 | |
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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!
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| Manga Mentions 4.07 | |
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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!
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| Manga Mentions 1.07 | |
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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!
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| Phoenix: Nostalgia / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Lost World / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Nextworld Vol 1 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Astro Boy Vol 23 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Astro Boy Vol 22 : 3 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy Vol 21 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Phoenix: Resurrection / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy Vol 20 : 3 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Metropolis / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Astro Boy Vol 19 : 4 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy Vol 18 : 3 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy Vol 17 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Astro Boy Vol 16 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy Vol 15 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy Vol 14 : 3 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Phoenix: Karma / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Astro Boy Vol 13 : 4 of 5 | |
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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!
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| Astro Boy Vol 12 : 3 of 5 | |
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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.
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| Phoenix: Yamato/Space / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
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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 future stories are moving backward!). I'm all set to read the next volume, which I already have, but after that I'll be suffering until the fifth book is released!
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| Astro Boy Vol 11 : 3 of 5 | |
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6.28.2004
7:51 PM | Link |
 Parts of this book may have been the first Astro I ever read, since I remember some of these stories fairly well from my last visit to Japan. My pal Matt got me started on Astro (thanks to the books in his bathroom!), and then sent me his collection to get me started! There are three regular length stories in this volume, and one super short one (even though it's only a few pages, it still has heart). I really liked Bem, the robot bomb boy, who just wants to be peaceful - Astro has to help him escape from his evil makers, and poor Bem ends up sacrificing himself to save the earth! The next story is about a cool underground tank and the kidnapping of Mustachio, and the next is about a weird criminal who has returned from Mars with terrible powers. He can project electrical current and cause people to have heart attacks! Astro and Professor Ochanomizu hatch a great scheme to capture him, which involves faking the Professor's death (I knew it couldn't be true, but they fooled me!). Guess it's time to start the next Astro volume.
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| Astro Boy Vol 10 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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6.02.2004
6:19 PM | Link |
 I'm still enjoying reading the adventures of Astro Boy - they're just simple, exciting stories that add a bit of coolness to my day (and I usually read them in bits and pieces, which is really easy to do). This volume has four stories, which is a little more than the average volume, so each story is a little shorter, but still lots of fun. First, Astro battles Garon (a giant robot that Tezuka borrowed from another manga), and then Astro goes undercover to stop a drug pushing ring - he gets to wear a rubber "human" skin and pretend he's an addict and everything! The third story is pretty weird, since it reveals that the human race was created by aliens messing around with apes, and the last story is my favorite - Professor Ochanomizu builds "adult" bodies for Astro and Uran! It turns out to be just a plot for the bad guy to steal Astro's original boy body, but it's still kind of interesting to see a teenage Astro flying and fighting. At the end the "real" Uran wants the adult Uran to become her big sister, but she has to shed some tears since things don't turn out that way. The best part is that Astro and Uran decide that they like being kids best (just like me!).
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| Astro Boy Vol 9 : 3 of 5 | |
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5.22.2004
9:11 PM | Link |
 As always, Tezuka (in comic form) introduces the stories in this volume, and he explains that Astro has gone through several different looks over the years. These stories are from his "extra cute" stage, so he's a little shorter and rounder. There's a lot more comedy in general scattered throughout, with lots of one-liners that sometimes seem out of place, but they're funny, so I don't mind. The longest story is about someone who builds a Cleopatra robot (a sexy one, of course) so he can revive the Egyptian empire, but my favorite is about an accident with a matter transporter (just like in The Fly, which Tezuka admits was his inspiration). A rival scientist traps another scientist in limbo while his molecules are being transported (along with a rabbit, a fish, and a robot), so he becomes a bizarre ghost that can form as a mist from 3D televisions! The third story is pretty short, but it features Cobalt, a replica of Astro in every way, except his brain isn't as developed (so he seems kind of dopey). Astro gets hurt a lot in this volume - I think he has his arms ripped off more than once! Be more careful next time, Astro.
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| Phoenix: Dawn / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
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5.12.2004
7:45 PM | Link |
 I never dreamed that this volume of the Phoenix saga could be better than the last one (which is actually the second in the series), but I poured through this 340 page manga at top speed! Tezuka's Phoenix series is fascinating - it was designed to bounce back and forth between the extreme past and extreme future, eventually meeting in the middle at the present, presumably. This volume takes place in the distant past (the last I read was in the future), and it involves the pre-history of Japan, including epic battles, a mystical queen, and the friendship of a boy and his master (who is "reincarnated" in the future volume!). Of course, there are tons of other characters, and this book alone covers years and years of time - this is truly manga on a grand scale. The violence in this volume was pretty shocking to me (lots of death, killing animals, even babies), but it all works in a historical context. Through it all, the phoenix flies and is always reborn, preaching her message, "You must keep on living, because you have the right to!" I can't wait to keep reading this series as fast as they can translate them!
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| Astro Boy Vol 8 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
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4.27.2004
5:56 PM | Link |
 This volume of my favorite robot hero contains Part 3 of the time-travel saga and wraps it up nicely. It contains lots of great moments in Astro's early life - the construction of his robot parents (who are mysteriously stolen by Tenma so he can teach Astro's robot mom to be just like his "real" Mom) and Astro's first days in school with Mustachio. The big story here is that some weird mold aliens from space are saved by Astro, so they decide to grant him a wish. Astro wants robots and humans to live in peace as equals, so the aliens make an announcement to a world to "scare" humanity into passing robot laws granting them rights! The insect girl Scara is reunited with her husband from two volumes ago, which ties up all the loose ends. There's another story at the end of this volume about a robot who goes on a rampage killing other robots because his head (which contains a powerful weapon) was stolen. The story ends sadly, and the last page is Astro crying over his defeated opponent - quite an emotional image. We could all learn from a robot boy who even loves his enemies.
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| Astro Boy Vols 6 & 7 : 5 of 5 | |
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3.21.2004
8:05 AM | Link |
  These two volumes of the Astro Boy series go together as one fantastic story, which I think is my favorite so far (at least, I read these two volumes the fastest, because I couldn't put them down!). As usual, a cartoon Tezuka introduces the story, where he explains that this story is kind of a continuation and re-imagining of the end of old Astro Boy television series. The amazing thing about this tale is that Astro is thrown back in time to Japan before robots are invented - there are lots of incredible moments, such as meeting Dr. Ochanomizu when he still had hair, trying desperately to make a robot work for the first time! The main plot device is that there's no way for Astro to be "refueled" in this world of the past. At one point (after a touching sub-plot in Vietnam) he actually "dies" and is found by a friend from decades earlier, who spends all of his company's money to start-up Astro with only a few day's energy. In Volume 7 (which actually features Astro's "ass guns" on the cover!), the time-traveler Astro finally crosses paths with the newly-born Astro, so he must be completely destroyed to prevent a time paradox! At that point the story becomes the first days of Astro and Dr. Tenma, and I can't wait for it to continue to the next volume!
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| Astro in action | |
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1.17.2004
10:16 AM | Link |
 Yokatta! The latest Astro Boy cartoon series (produced in Japan, of course) has finally started on Kids WB. I just watched the first episode and I totally loved it (looking past a few goofy, but very slight, changes for the American audience)! The animation is really beautiful - the backgrounds of the incredible futuristic city are just fantastic, and all of the characters are completely true to Tezuka's design. It was so exciting to watch Astro learn how to fly, and especially cool to see things that aren't shown in the books, like how his boots slide open and transform into his rockets. Now I have a new reason to enjoy Saturday mornings! Doyoobi no Asa ga suki desu!
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| Phoenix: A Tale of the Future / Osamu Tezuka : 5 of 5 | |
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1.16.2004
8:58 PM | Link |
 Since I visited the Osamu Tezuka Museum in Japan, I've been reading some of the incredible works Tezuka produced (starting with Astro Boy, thanks to my pal Matt!). Outside the museum is a beautiful statue of the Phoenix, an amazing bird that looks powerful and compassionate at the same time, so I put the book on my Amazon wish list, and received it as a Christmas gift. I was completely blown away by this story, not only on an artistic level, but philosophically as well! Many of the underlying themes from Astro Boy are brought out here in full force, and I just couldn't stop reading - from the very beginning I had to find out more and more about what this story was actually about. The cities and civilization in the far future are fascinating, and the completely sweet and beautiful Tamami is so touching - I love characters that represent purity. To my surprise, I found out that this is only one of several volumes of the Phoenix saga, so I'm going to have to read those as soon as possible!
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| Astro Boy Vol 3 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
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11.06.2003
10:29 PM | Link |
 The Astro Boy manga series continues with one of the coolest and longest stories: The Greatest Robot in the World. An evil sultan creates a super-robot named Pluto, built for the sole purpose of destroying the best robots from all over the world. Of course, one of those robots is Astro! There are plenty of battles, but also some great plot developments, such as Astro being modified to one million horsepower so he can face Pluto! There's also some funny scenes with Astro's sister, Uran, who feels sorry for Pluto, since it's not his fault that his orders are to fight everyone. The second story in this volume is short, but pretty interesting. A crazy professor makes a machine that emits "crazy rays", causing all machinery to go berserk. Save us, Astro! I love reading a long series - with 18 volumes in all, I have many adventures ahead of me!
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| Astro Boy Vol 2 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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10.16.2003
10:30 PM | Link |
 My pal Matt, who introduced me to Astro Boy, recently went crazy and decided to send me his books - I'm very grateful, because now I can continue to enjoy this great series! This volume has some fun stories dealing with the rights of robots, who have become full-fledged members of society. There's a great scene where Astro switches heads with a robot president to help him make a speech (because his brain has been removed, of course). Next, a cool robot magician is framed by a rival human magician who makes a duplicate robot to commit crimes, and finally a robot sister puts her mechanical brain into a race car for her beloved brother (who never knew his sister was a robot). The imaginative things that robots can do with their interchangeable Lego parts is really entertaining! I'm looking forward to more adventures in Volume 3!
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| Kimba Vol 1 : 3 of 5 | |
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9.01.2003
9:38 PM | Link |
 After visiting the Osamu Tezuka museum in Japan, I thought it would be fun to watch some old anime by Tezuka's studio. Kimba was produced in the 60s, so it's definitely sub-Speed Racer in quality, but pretty entertaining. I was also really interested in comparing the story and characters to Disney's The Lion King, because I've read about lots of similarities - I can definitely see what they mean, too! There's a baboon kind of like Rafiki, the villain is called Claw (instead of Scar) and his cronies are hyena, and there's even scenes where Kimba looks into the night sky to ask for his late father's advice. The story itself is much different, and includes much more interaction with humans (Kimba even travels to Paris in one episode!). The theme song is cool, too - I'll be humming it for days!
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7.31.2003
10:36 AM | Link |
 We walk to the Osamu Tezuka museum, our first attraction of the day. Tezuka is the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney - his cartoon characters are seen everywhere and known by everyone. The museum has a kind of Hollywood feel to it, with cement footprints and handprints of all of Tezuka's characters outside. The displays inside are really great, and we watch a funny movie in the theater, play some video games, and shop in the gift shop (which is full of special "birthday" merchandise, since Tezuka's most popular character, Astro Boy, was "born" on April 7th, 2003).
Next we make a quick stop at the Takarazuka Review gift shop, in search of photos of women with mustaches! The Takarazuka Review is an extremely popular theater show where all parts are played by women, including male roles. The gift shop was full of posters, including a "Gone with the Wind" scene that was pretty funny. I noticed advertisements for the Review on nearly every train for the rest of the trip. We take a train back to Osaka and have fun in Umeda Station, where I spent a lot of time during my 2000 Japan trip, so I recognized lots of things like "Big Man" (a jumbo television playing ads and music videos) and the excellent Miyazaki store. We have ramen and gyoza for lunch, then shop at Kiddieland, a huge collection of toy stores full of wonderful stuff, including many Disney toys not available in the US! There's so many toys that I'm overwhelmed and can't decide what to buy, but I end up with a set of small Mickey and Minnie robots. |
| Astro Boy Vol 1 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
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7.30.2003
10:36 PM | Link |
 During my recent trip to Japan, my pal Matt introduced me to his latest obsession: Astro Boy. Astro is pretty much Mickey Mouse in Japan - he appears on billboards and trains, and there are all sorts of merchandise available with his smiling face. Matt had several English translations of the original manga (Japanese comic books), so I thought I would start reading them, too. The first volume was a lot of fun, mostly filled with one story about evil cyborgs created from the nervous systems of dogs (because a complete robot could never be evil). Astro is really cute and loyal, honest and true, and he manages to utilize his rear-end machine guns several times! The stories go by very quickly, but they're so much fun that I think I'd like to collect all of the books. Astro is cool!
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