One Piece 36
February 8, 2010
Eiichiro Oda – Viz – 2010 – 56+ volumes
See, I told you I’d be back with more in a week. Two volumes this time, continuing in the saga of Water 7 and Who Shot Iceburg.
There’s lots of politics at play, more than we’ve had to deal with so far in the series. Rather than the usual “This man is bad and is doing bad things, stop him,” we have a more ambiguous plot on our hands here. Why are the Straw Hats being blamed for the attempted assassination of the mayor of Water 7? Why does he swear it was Robin that did it? Why does he seem to have it in for Robin, aside from that? Lots more questions come up by the end of the volume involving the World Government, the use of legendary weapons, secret agencies at work within the realms of the government, the identities of some of the shipwrights in the Galley-La company, and what makes Franky so super.
There’s not much to say about this volume that doesn’t give too much away. Aside from the brief continuation of the fight with Franky and the shipwrights letting Luffy know he’s not welcome anymore, there’s lots of sitting around on rooftops and gathering information about what’s going on. Towards the end, there’s a big night raid set up to try to reach Iceberg once again, with plans to infiltrate by both the mystery assassins and the Straw Hats, with a massive army of the Galley-La men defending. There’s not much of a fight here, and it’s really more of an information gathering exercise in the end, but we still learn an awful lot about what’s going on here, and it leaves off in a very interesting place for next time.
I love Franky. He wears no pants, has an open Hawaiian shirt, sports a pompadour, is a cyborg powered by cola he keeps in a fridge in his stomach, and calls everything “super.” Part of me suspects that he’s supposed to be vaguely American, and if that’s the case, he’s even funnier. I also thought it was a really strange detail to include when the two square-hairdo girls with him seemed to be walking sideways to a musical beat in order to avoid being blown over by the wind and storm that’s blowing up around the city.
I do have one question, but it’s a vague spoiler, so let me mark it out here. Not that I’ve been at all careful about spoilers concerning One Piece, but still.
spoiler…
spoiler…
spoiler…
spoiler…
I… skipped over this whole part years ago after being so saddened by Usopp and Luffy’s fight, so I am completely unaware of the way the story works here aside from how things come out on the other side. So, Robin is part of CP9, who is stealing Tom’s plans for the Pluton weapon. But… Robin knows all about Pluton already, since she’s seen the plans for it at Alabasta. She also knows about Leviathan, another weapon, since she’s seen the plans for it at Shandora. Is this a hint that she’s not all bad, or not really cooperating with CP9? Obviously she’s not, since she comes out on the other side of all this a Straw Hat, and I assume her silence on the matter through this entire book is another hint. I know we weren’t supposed to forget that she had seen the plans for these weapons, because she states it pretty plainly when she finds the glyphs. I suppose I should just wait patiently and find out in future volumes like a good girl.
More explanation, more forward momentum in the story, and a flashback by way of explanation should happen next volume.
Also, I can’t remember if I mentioned this last volume, but I can’t believe that it took me as long as it did to realize that the weird trees in the Gedatsu title page story were supposed to be an onsen mark, of sorts. I love that they stay there through the entire story, taunting you with the fact they were there from the first page.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Black Sun, Silver Moon 5
February 6, 2010
Tomo Maeda – Go!Comi – 2008 – 7 volumes
Continuing on with the color theme of the past 24 hours, I recently bought the last three volumes of this on sale, and no time like the present to finish it off.
I still don’t really care for it. The parts showing Shikimi’s past were mildly interesting, though still didn’t grab me, and now that we’ve gone back to the back-and-forth of everyday with Shikimi, Grey, Laz, and Taki, my interest has pretty much flown out the window. I just don’t really care for any of the characters, and can’t get into the little comic asides and banter between the characters.
The overall plot chugs on, though, with a major revelation about Taki. It seems like this might go in an interesting direction, and the story takes its time to unveil it, but then… it doesn’t really change anything at all around the house. There’s one moment where it seems like the dynamics might change, but then they don’t. This still has the potential to go somewhere, and I do have higher hopes for the final story arc starting next volume. But boo, Black Sun Silver Moon. You’ve got all the right ingredients and just aren’t mixing them together right.
I also just… hate Laz. I hate her so much. What is she still doing there? She sort of facilitates the discussion about Taki’s true nature, but that would have come out anyway since Grey figures it out himself. She continues to insist she is a man and beg Shikimi to go out with her. She plays no other role. I just… can’t figure out what her role in the story even is.
I did like the unrelated short story at the end of the volume. It was about a strange artist and the neighbor who tries to help him. It had just the right touches of supernatural and sadness, and while fangirls could certainly read a lot of things between the main characters, it also never turns into a BL story, which I liked. It was nice. I wonder if some of her other work is more like this story, “Red Shoes,” than Black Sun, Silver Moon or Beyond My Touch.
Black Jack 9
February 6, 2010
Osamu Tezuka – Vertical – 2010 – 17 volumes
Ah, I knew I had one more series with “black” in the title.
One of my favorite, if slightly far-fetched stories in the volume involved a couple at a hospital who decided to marry despite each having a slow-acting terminal condition. The woman had a form of leukemia, while the man had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which I didn’t recognize until Black Jack shortened it to ALS. It didn’t occur to me that Lou Gerhig’s Disease might not be a worldwide term for it. But Black Jack helps out a Russian doctor who knows the real secrets of suspended sleep/cryogenic freeze that keeps people alive and brings them back when there is a cure for their disease, and after badmouthing the couple as a med student, Black Jack remembers them later in life. Aww.
There was a strange story towards the end of the volume about a surgery that Black Jack botched twice and the stubborn patient that doesn’t value his life and refuses a third and final surgery. I liked the ridiculous and over-the-top ending, a similar one happened earlier in the series.
Also in this volume, Black Jack confronts Iriomote Wild Cats, incompetent doctors that have to perform surgery on him, terrorists that try to blow up his house, a couple other terrorists and gangsters, sharks, and a not-so-angelic Astro Boy. I’ve already read this story in Astro Boy, and I still don’t like it even after reading a good chunk of Black Jack. The ending doesn’t make any more sense this time around. I mean… why? Why do that to the little boy? How cruel.
One of the first stories in the volume is about Pinoko coming down with an incurable illness. Even though I was 100% certain that Pinoko wouldn’t die, it was still a very touching story. I still think Pinoko is quite creepy, but it is very touching that Black Jack cares about her so much. One Pinoko joke puzzled me thoroughly, though. She and Black Jack are performing a complex surgery in another story, and she says she can stay awake because she stayed up watching “woots” the other day. Black Jack asks, “As in ‘yay?’” and Pinoko replies “not ‘woot,’ ‘Woots!’” She always speaks with an impediment, and is probably talking about “Roots” here, which fits in with the Black Jack time frame, but… is Black Jack referring to what I think he is?
But yes, Black Jack keeps delivering the good stuff. From the first story about a teacher trying to use verbal abuse to motivate his students to the stories about his ethics and when he will and won’t accept payment, to the incredibly interesting and detailed cases he covers (in addition to ALS, we also see icthyosis, rare heart conditions, and one or two other oddball ailments), Black Jack keeps delivering the good stuff nine volumes in. It’s probably not for everyone (the moral situations are still ambiguous and nonsensical sometimes, and the stories don’t vary that much in structure, though the subject matter keeps them interesting and entertaining), but it’ll keep me entertained for a long time to come.
And for the record, Lamp is in here twice. Once he is killed away from the storyline and discovered later, which makes him angry, and later he gets to have a prominent role and wear a beard.
Black Bird 3
February 6, 2010
Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2010 – 9+ volumes
Hmm… maybe I can keep going with the “Black” theme tonight. Do I have another new volume of anything that starts or contains that in the title? Let’s see.
Anyway, Black Bird. I like this series way more than I think I should, but again, it just pushes all the right buttons for me. It’s super-dramatic, but from the standpoint of outside forces affecting the couple rather than the couple continuously doubting each other. There seems to be a constant real threat to both Misao and Kyo, though I know this is a shoujo manga and neither are going to really die. More surprising is when someone else does, something that is quite uncharacteristic… normally this type of series is all about making friends of the enemy. And again with my weaknesses. Kyo is a tengu demon, and a kind of ruler among them at that. I just love my demons. I also love stories about demons/Gods who take brides, of which there are surprisingly more than a couple.
I liked that Misao and Kyo grew even closer in this volume. Most of Misao’s doubts about their relationship disappear, and the only thing left is the lingering dread about what will happen when she finally agrees to be Kyo’s bride. I do like that the “marriage” is an inevitability now, and I have that to look forward to. Other types of demons, vying for either Kyo or Misao, are still trying to separate them, though after the display at the end of the volume, it seems like the story may move past that.
The downsides… hm. I would say it’s not terribly ambitious. There are a lot of really great things about it, including all the stuff I mentioned above, but the characters and plot have very little going on outside the broad strokes. If you like the ideas, and you like a cute shoujo romance that’s well-done, than you’ll like this, but there’s not much to draw anyone else in. It’s pretty shallow, but very fun, and I’m finding myself more and more drawn in. One thing it does do well is its atmosphere and the use of its magical beings. I’m still having trouble keeping track of all the primary members of the Tengu team, but it’s not that important. When they fight against magical barriers and fox demons and snake demons and whatnot, it’s all good. Not… super-good, it’s not the best at demons and mythology, but it still effectively sets a mood, and I do like her art.
I think it’s a great series for shoujo fans to pick up, and it’s pretty easy to get into after a couple volumes, but be aware that it doesn’t try to dig at the deeper issues or anything like that.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Black Butler 1
February 6, 2010
Yana Toboso – Yen Press – 2010 – 8+ volumes
I don’t think I’ve ever been so simultaneously angry and fascinated by a first volume. I was pretty excited about this since a lot of people were hyping it up, but the first chapter made me want to throw the book away. A rich little boy with a staff of zany incompetents working for him and a very able butler with a secret at his beck and call serving a one-off guest… not my idea of a good time at all. Not my sense of humor, and not interesting enough to keep me coming back for an episodic story.
I’m happy I didn’t run across this in Yen Plus, because I would have never, ever given it another chance after that chapter. But since I had the volume, I kept reading. The second chapter was slightly better, but I still didn’t like it. While Ciel was developed into a more likable character, his fiancee was extremely annoying, and the continued mystery surrounding Sebastian coupled with the continual use of static background characters to crack stupid jokes got on my nerves. These characters got worse in the third chapter, but the story was much better, with Ciel getting kidnapped in a mofia plot that let the reader in on the full significance behind the Phantomhive Earldom and their role in English society. Then the fourth chapter, the second half of the kidnapping story… even better. Way better. We found out about Sebastian.
It’s… it’s a plot device I can’t resist. One of my weaknesses. I can’t help it. I won’t spoil it, because I was so delighted when I found out, but I hate myself for being so weak. A series can be the worst ever and use this… explanation/plot device/character type/whatever, and I will love it indescriminately. Now I want to read more of the series, too.
I also seem to have an inordinate fondness for many Square-Enix series. A lot of them use character types I really hate (for instance, the rest of the Phantomhive staff, who serve no purpose aside from terrible comedic relief and as some sort of guidepost for normalcy, I suppose), but the plots are usually supernaturally-oriented and eventually interesting and well-written. Nightmare Inspector is sort of the same way (though I only read two volumes, so I can’t vouch for how well-written the episodic plot was), and I loved Record of a Fallen Vampire almost as soon as I set eyes on it three or four volumes in. Fullmetal Alchemist too, which took me around four or five volumes to really get into. I didn’t realize this was a Square-Enix series until I was finished, but now I’m definitely curious to read future volumes to see where it goes.
I hated you so much, Black Butler, but you had me at the “d” word. You’ll have me for as long as you want me.
Rasetsu 4
February 3, 2010
Chika Shiomi – Viz – 2010 – 7+ volumes
Every volume of this series that I read brings me just a little bit closer to going back for Yurara. There’s not much incentive to reading the prequel, since I do not like Yako and most of what I like about this series is Rasetsu herself and the rest of the characters. But I find myself pretty pleased with every volume that I read, and I look forward to the new ones. There are still some things I don’t like about it (it’s very episodic, and while I like the stories, it feels like it would be much better if it carved out just a bit more story to tell alongside the romances and Rasetsu’s situation), but what would be huge detractions in other series are just part of Rasetsu’s charm.
I was sweating some of the early chapters in this volume. As we started to get hints of last volume, Rasetsu is leaning towards Yako. I rarely find myself in a situation where I’m not rooting for the main couple, since they are usually the best and most sympathetic characters. But… Yako is very standoffish and not nearly as charming as Kuryu, plus Kuryu is clearly taken by her. I wonder if we are supposed to know nice things about Yako that carry over from Yurara, but as it stands, he’s not the real winner between the two men in Rasetsu’s life. Kuryu is funny and very considerate, plus he’s got the best powers. It’s hard to see him get tossed aside in Rasetsu’s world in favor of Yako. But the calculating part of my brain says shoujo heroines almost always go for their first crush, and is Yako really going to come back from a series where he seems to have had his heart broken and not wind up with a happy ending? Bah. The scales balance out at the end of the volume, and I sincerely hope they are tipped in Kuryu’s favor after what happened on the last page, but things have also been set up to tip them back towards Yako. I am enjoying this way too much and am far too girly at heart.
The stories in this volume differ a little from the usual assignments. Most of them contain a lot of character development and backstory. One develops the romance between Yako and Rasetsu, one sees an increase in Yako’s power, one shows us Kuryu’s past, and another deals with Rasetsu’s demon putting in an appearance. There is only one real client, but his story feeds directly into the story of Kuryu’s past.
Great stuff. It’s still not quite A list, but I’m enjoying it immensely as a supernatural-tinged romance. I’m definitely on board til the end at this point.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Ludwig II 2
February 3, 2010
You Higuri – June – 2009 – 2 volumes
I’m not sure what took me so long to read this volume, I was completely taken by the first. The second was a little harder to get into at first since I let so much time elapse, but then I remembered what was so great. The ethereal atmosphere, the sense of danger surrounding Ludwig, his completely romantic nature contrasted with the dirty politics played around him, his strong desire to live only in a world of beauty and opulence as in a fairy tale, and his strange, strong bond with the head of the stables Hornig. It’s absolutely beautiful, the art is amazing, the story is well-told, and the characters are just… immortal, I suppose. It really is spectacular and romantic and everything a shoujo manga should be.
I still say its interesting that it was published as a June manga. While Ludwig is gay, and part of the plot is that Hornig is one of the few things that keeps him sane and connected to reality and part of his haphazard fantastic personality is bedding other men, the story has a great deal of tact regarding the latter, and we only see a handful of panels in flagrante and nothing graphic. The romance isn’t really the most important part of the story, and it’s negligible that he prefers men. But I suppose it doesn’t work as a DokiDoki title either, and the general DMP line seems like its more for shounen, so maybe June was just the best fit.
I need to take back part of what I said, since romance is a major part of the story. But unusually, it’s not romance between characters, but rather the romance surrounding Ludwig himself. His romance with Hornig is bittersweet and well-developed, but it’s Ludwig’s persona that makes this story worth telling. His relationships with others, even with Hornig, are secondary to what is happening to Ludwig in this volume.
One of my favorite devices was Ludwig’s drive to find a particular actor, only to realize that this person is a figment of his imagination. Ludwig calls this character “the embodiment of the age,” but it later comes to symbolize his developing madness. I thought that was one of the best devices I’ve ever seen, especially since Ludwig is never portrayed as particularly mad. People that dislike him mostly do it because he only cares for his opera and romantic fantasies and building beautiful castles. He does have a talent for ruling, but just prefers not to, and the wars and power struggles in Germany only make him sad.
The story is not without its weaknesses. A large caveat, and one that I can see bothering a lot of people, is that most of the dialogue is absorbed with developing the mystique surrounding Ludwig. There’s not really a plot, the story is mostly driven by his difficulties in expressing his feelings to Hornig and the random snatches of politics we get from time to time. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but I can see how some people might be bothered by the frequent and lengthy descriptions of Ludwig’s fantasy world.
It really is lovely, but probably not for everyone. I would encourage fans of over-the-top dramatic romance to pick it up. It’s a real treat, and it’s made me a permanent fan of You Higuri. I’m surprised it’s such an early work of hers. She didn’t write Cantarella, but I’m looking forward to reading some of her other, later work now.
B.O.D.Y. 8
February 1, 2010
Ao Mimori – Viz – 2010 – 15 volumes
Let me say this again: I am a complete and total masochist for reading this series. It is shoujo crack, certainly, but not the good stuff like Peach Girl or Hot Gimmick or Gakuen Prince, where it’s trashy and you’re kind of ashamed to read it, but it’s so good that you’ll keep reading and not think too hard about it. B.O.D.Y. is like that. I have to keep reading. Except all the drama is literally just misunderstandings between Ryoko and Ryunosuke. If they talked to each other more, there would be no series. It’s super-dark too, and I’m just… there’s a voice in my head screaming “broach the subject!” the entire time I’m reading it. The characters never do, and then they just continue to think that they cheat on each other. Bah. Of course, maybe Ryunosuke won’t fall into that trap as quickly as Ryoko, but that’s a cliffhanger for next volume, which I will most certainly pick up.
The volume starts off with a simultaneous love confession for both Ryunosuke and Ryoko. Ryunosuke’s is the one that gets the focus in the first half of the volume, since it involves the former tutor/current teacher that was introduced last volume. Lots of hand-wringing and ridiculous baiting by the teacher gets Ryoko all worried, but this time, Ryunosuke is indulgent and pretty understanding. I do like Ryunosuke, since he acts more like a real person than Ryoko, and this particular storyline did raise my opinion of him quite a bit. I think it’s little scraps like this that keep me coming back and not giving up entirely. I mean… Ryunosuke’s not all bad, maybe things will get better once he and Ryoko learn to communicate? Haha. Ha. Yeah.
Once that minor fire is extinguished, the boy who confessed to Ryoko takes center stage. This situation could have been easily avoided if Ryoko had just said something, ANYTHING to Ryunosuke before things snowballed like they did. Bah. Then the teacher gets in on it… and I hate this teacher so much. She just… she would be fired if this was how she actually acted. Adults just don’t do this type of thing. Clearly I strive for only the most realistic characters in my manga.
Infuriating as always, but man. I’ll keep reading. I mean, Ryunosuke just walked in on a bad situation at the end of this volume, and I have to see how that works out, right? That probably sounded a bit mean-spirited, but despite how I meant that, the answer is “yes, yes I do need to know how ditzy Ryoko gets pulled out of this sticky situation.”
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
V. B. Rose 7
February 1, 2010
Banri Hidaka – Tokopop – 2009 – 12 volumes
I reviewed this for the weekly Manga Minis column at Manga Recon, so you can check it out over there.
I’m finally completely in love with this series. After all my talk about not liking the main character and the main couple just not doing it for me, I was hanging on their every awkward moment. The wedding dress design parts are still a huge bonus too, though there’s less of that in this volume (more later, though, since they’re preparing for a show). Ah. Good stuff.
Ouran High School Host Club 13
February 1, 2010
Bisco Hatori – Viz – 2009 – 15+ volumes
Sigh. I just want the story to get to the point. I can tell it’ll get there eventually, but it’s going at an agonizingly slow pace. There are a few major things that happen in this volume. Big things for both Haruhi at the beginning and Hikaru at the end of the volume, and we also learn something important about Tamaki in between. The chapters that go along with Haruhi’s revelations are adorable and play the plot point up just enough. They are incredibly enjoyable, and are funny, sweet, romantic, and completely in-character for all involved. There’s also an adorable scene between she and Tamaki that was worth the price of admission for the volume by itself.
I guess I can’t complain too much about those aspects of the story, but still… there are a lot of side stories that go along with these things, and new plot points are emerging that make it seem like the plot still has a ways to go before I’ll get to see what I want. And in the end, it’s kind of silly to criticize a shoujo manga for not getting the main couple together. I mean… that’s what they do. They get the main couple together, and then end. That’s why I read them.
Even so, ski trips aren’t always on the agenda, but that’s what happens here. Granted, the ski trip is where the important plot point concerning Hikaru happens, but even so… though lots of character development happens, it’s still part of Haruhi’s new agenda to “experience more.” If all that stuff has to happen, I guess it’s okay that it’s at a ski trip, and it’s really not filler at all… but it kind of feels like it anyway. But only because it is a ski trip.
There’s also a bit of an explanation as to why Tamaki is such a late bloomer, but it’s a silly one, and I was disappointed that it was the reason even though it makes sense in the context of the story. To make up for it, we get a chapter about young Tamaki’s move to Japan. It was hilarious and made me love Tamaki even more, if that’s even possible. The other thing about this volume is that we are right on the edge of Tamaki character development, and to see him looking serious, or sad, is uncharacteristic and quite striking. He’s a good happy character, so to see him sad is doubly effective story-wise, I think.
But… yeah, I’m still ridiculously addicted to this series. It’s funny and romantic and I’ve even grown attached to the huge cast of characters, something I generally hate. And it looks like there’ll only be plot and character development from here on out, and… I’m sure the slow and thorough development this series takes will be good for me in the end, and put it way above the average shoujo series. When Tamaki and Haruhi get together, it should be very sweet indeed.
