From Eroica With Love 9
Posted: June 29, 2007 Filed under: From Eroica With Love 23 Comments »Unlike Guru Guru Pon-chan, I DID save this one. I have to savor this series like a fine wine. I was going to save this until September, when the final volume in the “Seven Days in September” storyline comes out, but silly me, I put it right next to my bed, where I have to look at it every night. The Earl, his call was too great. I don’t feel too bad now that I know CMX is running this slightly more frequently than twice a year. Three times a year still isn’t too fast, but for a series which I am sure is not selling, it’s fine by me as long as they can keep cranking it out.
I read this before going on a long road trip, so I don’t think I was in the right frame of mind. I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I usually do, but that certainly wasn’t the volume’s fault. Within the first few pages, the Major and Mischa get drunk and beat each other up in a really incredible bar fight, complete with childish name-calling (“boild octopus” and, with my hat off to the editor, “Taterbach”). It takes all of the Major’s men to get him out of his soiled barfight clothes. The Major is duly embarassed. Of course, when the Earl hears that the Major can be undressed when he gets a few drinks in him, he tries that… except it backfires, and it turns out that the Earl undresses himself when he gets a few drinks in him.
That’s right, Dorian does a STRIPTEASE. A drunken striptease. Marry me, Yasuko Aoike.
These things are not even part of the plot! The plot is okay, and doesn’t move very far in this volume (NATO and the KGB team up to boss Eroica around, basically he’s got to steal the report from the oil baron he ripped the paintings off from in the story before this one), but it’s dressed up in so much man/man flirtation, with some desperate stabs at heterosexuality made by some characters, it’s easy to forget why you’re reading. Well, no, those things actually don’t take over the plot. It does those things while coasting through it’s globetrotting madcap adventures, perfectly balancing the flirtation and the action between the dashing Earl and the grumpy Major. It’s just SO GOOD.
It also gets away with a surprisingly base level of juvenile humor. The “Taterbach” nickname is a good example, another is a really funny scene where it seems the Alphabets are making fun of the size of James’ manstuff off camera. James in general is a good example, because he hasn’t really been referred to by name by anyone in a long time… just “it.”
PLEASE READ THIS SERIES. I may say this a lot, but I mean it this time. In fact, this is the only time I mean it. For God’s sake, READ THIS SERIES.
Isn’t this series wonderful? It’s my favorite in the world. ^-^
I’m always happy to encounter someone else who reads this series. I mean, I’m constantly paranoid that CMX is going to cancel it, because like you, I feel that only a small number of people read it. Such a shame, huh?
Gah! No no no no…they can’t cancel it. O__O If they do, I might just self implode.
It’s something I worry about, but they haven’t yet, and haven’t given any indication that they’re going to, so it’s really just me being a paranoid fangirl. Actually, it’s coming out (ever so) slightly quicker now, which is good news.
I’d be destroyed if they canceled either this or Swan. Both are just SO GOOD and high quality.
And somehow, I missed the other two comments on this post. Sorry guys, and thanks for dropping by ^_^;
Same here! I’ve read 7 volumes of Swan and only one of Eroica, but they’re both really good! I found Volume 1 of Eroica by total accident in a comic store sale with TPBs knocked down by 90%. It was a great find, especially ’cause I can’t find it in any stores at all. I have never seen it on a store shelf. Which is quite sad, because it’s brilliant. ^^
I know! I’ve never seen Eroica in any store, which is a total crime. I’ve seen more volumes of Swan in stores than Eroica. I actually somehow came up with a full set of the current volumes of Swan after scouring the city of Chicago for close to an entire day, but at no point, not even in the CMX-friendly stores that carried ancient ballet manga, did I see From Eroica with Love.
I had to order the newest volume online. The wait for it to arrive is killing me.
I’m actually waiting on a Cromartie bundle pack that I ordered from Right Stuf at an insanely low price ($10 for a DVD, book, AND art box? Sold!) but I am definitely looking to buy either Swan or Eroica any way I can get them. ^^ Most stores don’t carry much CMX stuff, though, you’re right.
okay. i tired to order this series through borders but the bitchy lady on the other line was all like “it looks like we have volumes 1, 8,9 and 10 and the rest would have to be used copies”. which is all lies..but whatever. i found them online for 7.19$ deepdiscount.com for discounted manga people!! so when i get a credit card i’m going to start my collection. i love old manga.
This is a good place to start, because it’s the best old manga ever.
What about Lupin? And Astro Boy? Do they fall short of Queen–I mean King Dorian? XD
Dude, totally. I think Astro Boy can be pretty fun, and I like Lupin a lot too, but those both show their age in their humor and action sequences, among other things. This one doesn’t so much, even though it still looks extremely seventies. Plus, this one’s aimed at women while those two are aimed at men and/or boys, so I’m just sort of hardwired to like this one better anyway.
^^ As am I. Osamu does have a tendency to write for men, as evidenced by just about everything he’s written, excluding Princess Knight, of course. *shrug* I liked Buddha, Ode to Kirihito, and Phoenix, so I can’t really say anything though. XD
Yeah. Astro Boy’s just meant for little boys. I like just about everything else I’ve read from him, except maybe Lost World.
True. Out of Nextworld, Lost World, and Metropolis, I’ve only read Metropolis, but it seemed pretty good. I read it so long ago I’ve forgotten what it was about though. >< My favorite of his would have to be Buddha, though. I would love to read more Phoenix, but in my current situation (only one volume at library and none on bookstore shelves) I may have to wait til I’m un-lazy enough to order it from Right Stuf.
I think there’s one more volume of Phoenix coming out, and I want to read the last three together since I think they’re all the “Sun” part of the story. I’ve got Buddha on my shelf, but I’m waiting to finish Phoenix since I hear it’s kind of easy to cross the two in the memory since they’re both kind of epic, and he does use a lot of the same characters.
My favorites so far have been Ode to Kirihito and Apollo’s Song, far and away. He’s great at doing bizarre, short series, and they really appeal to me. I’m looking forward to MW.
Buddha is…nothing short of amazing. It’s edged out a victory in my mind over Ode to Kirihito, just because Siddhartha is a great main character. And all the priests are hilarious. XD I was browsing your collection at LibraryThing (very expansive, by the way, I even noticed an Eroica artbook from Akita. Foggi approves. ^^) and noticed that you have the hardcover edition. The jackets are awesome.
I would at least start Buddha while you’re waiting. The timeline jumps maybe 10-15 years into the future following the first book, and the characters age very well. ^^ The supporting character (not the blond one, the black haired one) looks almost Astro Boy-ish as a child. Except he’s no where near as nice. ^^
The spines of the hardcover editions are really why I had to have them. It took me awhile to find the sixth volume, but I desperately needed the spine image to be complete.
I also bought “Seven Seas, Seven Skies” by Yasuko Aoike, but alas it is in Japanese and far beyond my current level of comprehension (which I should have suspected since it’s aimed at an older audience, but it was still a blow). It’s a shame, because it stars Klaus and Dorian’s ancestors, the man in the Eberbach heirloom painting and the pirate relation that Dorian occasionally mentions. Their names are, amazingly enough, Luminous Red Benedict and Tyrian Persimmon.
…XD Tyrian Persimmon? That is hilarious. And Luminous Red Benedict…:D
I just… I wish I could read it. I wish more of her series were available in English. Most of the other ones are relatively short, and a lot of them tie together. “Seven Seas Seven Skies” is one volume, and there’s a two-volume series called “El Alcon” which is just about Tyrian. “Sons of Eve” is kind of a silly music series starring three boys with some brief tie-ins with a few characters from Eroica, including Agent G and James, and is six volumes, I think. There’s a six-volume series starring Agent Z, called Z, and there’s even a one-volume series that’s mostly about a mission Klaus goes on.
Eroica does make me wish for more things, but I’m quite happy as long as it keeps coming out.
AGH! Did you hear? (This is totally ontopic, we are discussing Tezuka) VERTICAL IS PUBLISHING THE ENTIRE RUN OF BLACK JACK. *gasps in total shock* AH THIS IS AMAZING!!!
Yeah, I just heard about that earlier today! I was just thinking last week that it was really weird that someone hadn’t picked up what is, for all intents and purposes, Tezuka’s most popular adult story. I’m so pumped. The Viz editions from a long time ago were pretty awesome, but the fact we get huge bunko volumes covering the entire run of the series is just beautiful. Thank you, Vertical.
Yes, ARIGATOGOZAIMASHITE!!!
I want to go out and buy it so badly. As well as Apollo’s Song and MW. Hopefully, this will signal more releases of Tezuka’s stuff by Vertical in the years to come, like the White Lion, Princess Knight, etc. ^^
Viz may have some sort of claim on Princess Knight since they recently published a bit of it in Shoujo Beat, but maybe they just had temporary rights or something, I have no idea how that situation works.
Other than Black Jack, the only other three Tezuka works I’m really wishing for right now are New Treasure Island (which I’m sure isn’t very good by modern standards, but is probably worth a look for the historical significance), Rally Up Mankind, and Rainbow Parakeet. I’ll take anything I can get though, and I’m sure there’s dozens of titles I haven’t even heard of that are very awesome.