Basara 23
Posted: March 18, 2009 Filed under: Basara 8 Comments »While the cover of this book does have a lovely portrait of Asagi, I have to say the effect is ruined with the advisor on the back cover picking his nose.
I… was actually kind of curious how the story continued on from here. I know the last… two or so volumes are supplemental stories, but after the last volume, I could not imagine the story carrying on another three volumes. Even after the stuff that’s set into motion after the battle in this volume, I can’t see that carrying on for two more volumes. Hmm.
My favorite part was certainly the beginning of the volume. As Shuri is struggling after the battle with Hiiragi, Tatara watches and thinks about all the terrible things he’s done, like burn her viliage, behead her brother, and striking out Ageha’s eye for no reason. Amidst this, Shuri lectures his army, who is dismayed that he has led them to their deaths. He tells them not to follow him like sheep, that he told them to come only if they wanted to, and that from then on, they were to think for themselves and the King of Japan was officially relinquishing the country to Tatara. It’s not really shown what Tatara thinks of this, but the implication is that Shuri is telling her to think for herself and not do what everyone else tells her to do, such as hate the Red King. It’s quite a powerful scene.
Immediately after, there’s another really nice scene with Asagi. Asagi wept after Shuri’s battle, apparently because of the outcome. He claims he would rather Shuri have died. Then he… receives a summons from the White King. He asks Sarasa to make a choice for him, and even though she seems to make the choice that would please him most, he goes off… and becomes the Blue King in Kyoto, betraying both armies.
Sigh. I can’t figure this out, though his intentions don’t seem to be the same as Ginko and Ukon’s, who seem to want him in order to hold the city under a King. He actually doesn’t seem to favor them at all, and gives Sarasa a rather passionate parting kiss. So… what he’s doing doesn’t make any sense. Again. I’d like to think his intentions aren’t evil though, since he no longer feels like a bad guy.
Asagi basically holds Kyoto hostage as king, and none of the residents are allowed to leave under threat of… torching the city, basically. Good thing Ageha is on the inside, working for the greater good. Ageha faces off against the Yarogumi, along with some allies, though this battle carries over into the next volume.
The Red King and Tatara have a temporary truce, though there is still a lot of hate for him in Tatara’s army. They all assume that the pair will ally temporarily to retake Kyoto, then fight to the death. They don’t really get any alone time, and towards the end, Sarasa just decides to run off and see what Asagi is up to. I guess that’s one way of doing it.
I can’t imagine the stuff with Asagi taking that much time, though. Maybe King Ukon and Ginko will be dealt with, then maybe a lot of time will be spent on Sarasa and Shuri and their aftermath? I think I would like that a lot, actually.
We Were There 3
Posted: March 18, 2009 Filed under: We Were There 3 Comments »This series still reminds me a lot of Sand Chronicles. Both are very quiet and understated, and rely more on small events in day-to-day life rather than big dramatic events to drive the plot. Both also have a character death hanging over one member of the couple that quietly influences everything.
This volume is full of little hints of larger things to come. Takahashi is friends with Takeuchi, Yano’s friend, and it’s clear that Takeuchi has a crush on Takahashi (or Nanami, as I will call her, because the Takahashi/Takeuchi names tripped me up a bit while I was reading). Yano also seems to be both bad about keeping secrets from Nanami and jealous of secrets she keeps from him, even if they are as innocent as shopping for a Christmas present. He also seems to have something for his old girlfriend’s younger sister, which is unfortunate because I like the relationship between Nanami and Yano so much.
As Michelle pointed out in her review of volume 2, this series has really, really shoujo-y art. I think it has a lot to do with the shooting stars screentone that appears frequently. It would be laughable if the series didn’t do absolutely everything with a straight face. The first page is pretty shoujo-y, with the star screentone broken out over a full page once again with some fairly girly dialogue.
This series is quite good, and I think it’s safe to say that I enjoy this just as much and for the same reasons I enjoy Sand Chronicles. It’s different in its seriousness, its mood, its outlook… it’s just kind of a breath of fresh air as far as the usual high school shoujo romance goes. It’s definitely worth a read. I’ve got the first volume I still need to read, and I should probably do that just to see how hard Nanami worked to win Yano over.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Otomen 2
Posted: March 17, 2009 Filed under: Otomen 1 Comment »A question: if a shoujo manga uses common plot devices hand over fist, but has a voyeuristic side character that hangs around and talks about them being common plot devices and exclaiming over how useful they will be in his own popular shoujo manga, does that mean that the plot devices are being used for good or evil? Can I really hate a series that uses them while making fun of itself for using them? I mean… they’re still being used, but… I don’t know. There’s a weird meta level to this series that I’m still trying to wrap my brain around.
Admittedly, I think the amount of sparkles used in nearly every single panel of every page of this book excuses it from the common plot device trap, because the characters seem to delight in the situations so much. I mean, I don’t even need a light on in my room when I read this thing with the amount of sparkles and hearts and flowers radiating from it.
Also, I can’t recall the last Christmas chapter I read where the character had such an unhealthy fascination with yule logs. I’ve never heard that phrase used in a non-joke context, and yet Asuka repeats it like a mantra along with romantic candlelight when he lists elements of the perfect Christmas. And again, does that make it a joke? He’s pretty serious about it.
The plots to the chapters themselves are pretty simple. The first chapter features a boy who looks like a girl that starts following Asuka around to find out how to be more manly. The second chapter is a Christmas chapter. The third and fourth chapters are an arranged marriage plotline where Asuka has to think of a way out of marrying a girl that won’t make his mother think he wants to have a sex change. Well, the third one is really more common in the arranged marriage way more than the potential sex change way.
What I do know is that I love it. It’s extremely absurd, and while I do wish the plots were a little more original, the amount of sparkling men and the girls who appreciate them either as manly or girly is certainly appreciated. I was pretty much won over by the end of the volume, and I’m very excited about future volumes. I do kind of hope an overarching plot develops, or that we get to see more Love Chick and the impact it has on the story. I liked that whole “story warping back on itself to influence the characters further” element in the first one a lot.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Venus Capriccio 1
Posted: March 17, 2009 Filed under: Venus Capriccio Leave a comment »Mai Nishikata – CMX – 2009 – 5 volumes
I reviewed the first volume of this series at the Manga Recon, so you should check it out over there.
I liked this one, despite the fact it was riddled with cliches. A good main couple goes a long way sometimes.
Wild Act 1
Posted: March 17, 2009 Filed under: Wild Act 14 Comments »I picked this up for a dollar. I heard a bunch of people raving about it on a message board years ago when it ended, and I always kind of wanted to try it. Let’s see how successful I am at skimming it out of the used comic bins.
It’s hard for me to believe this only dates back to 1998. Shoujo art has changed so much since then! I would have guessed it was early to mid 90s, actually. The sad thing is that this looks dated, and I was actually into manga when it was first coming out in Japan. I don’t like to think enough time has passed since then that something can look dated.
Anyway. I was surprised at how much I liked the story. This is yet another shoujo series about acting, except, refreshingly, the heroine isn’t all that interested in being an actress despite being the daughter of a famous actress, being raised by a notable acting group, and being the object of desire for the hottest young actor around. No, she’s really more into an actor who died before she was born. So into him, in fact, that she goes around stealing his former possessions from people, which may or may not involve tiny pocket robots and beating up various perverts.
I was kind of surprised how quickly the relationship developed between the main couple. They both seem to be into each other, and it’s mutually understood by the end of the volume, so I’m kind of wondering where else that’s going. It’s still got a step or two before they officially become a couple, but they get over some drama pretty quickly and I can’t imagine it will take that long for them to be “official.” Of course, it will be nice to read a series where the main couple stays together for the duration, because those are kind of rare. And admittedly, as of the first volume, the romance is the least interesting thing about this series. It’s a great romance, but the plot is just inherently weird and more awesome. I mean… she breaks in and steals stuff that belonged to a movie actor that died 15 years ago. That’s really good enough for me.
Plus, bonus points for the pet flying squirrel. My friend has one that she carries around in a little pouch around her neck wherever she goes. It is literally the cutest thing I have ever seen. I like to imagine Yukino here doing the same thing with Kamui.
So yeah. A search is in order for the rest of this, I think.
Eyeshield 21 24
Posted: March 17, 2009 Filed under: Eyeshield 21 2 Comments »I reviewed this volume for the weekly installment of Manga Minis at the Manga Recon, so you can check out the review over there.
One wonders where the series is going after this game. I mean, I think it’s a given that they will win since the team to beat next is the Seibu Wild Gunmen, the only other team they lost to. But what after that? The Christmas Bowl? And then, the end? Hmm.
Also, I know this series pretends like there is a football player somewhere that looks good in a maid costume, but I don’t think this is true. I think one of the requirements to playing football is that you cannot look good in one, as a matter of fact. Sakuraba is no exception.
V. B. Rose 4
Posted: March 15, 2009 Filed under: V. B. Rose 8 Comments »I actually kind of hated this volume when I read it, but that was before I realized that I had read the volumes out of order. Reading volume 3 helped me remember that the light-haired boy was Mitsuya’s brother, and Nagare was introduced last volume as another love interest for Ageha. I kind of like him, he’s got sort of a Hana-chan vibe from Fruits Basket in that he has the power to give people the willies from miles away. I’m not going to pretend I don’t like that gag.
But the main reason I hated this volume was that I do not like the mutual relationship between Ageha and Yukari and how fast it’s developed. It’s one thing to have something minor going on between them, and it’s another thing for Ageha to have a crush on Yukari, but… Yukari is 22 and Ageha is a ditzy 16-year-old girl. The age difference is a big deal. I do not like it. And to add insult to injury, both of them are participating in a mock wedding in this volume, and loving every minute of it. It’s really kind of weird. Then they go on a date at the end of the volume.
I like the characters themselves though, and I like that the story balances out all the time that Ageha spends at V.B. Rose with stuff she does with friends her own age. Friends are usually neglected when a hero or heroine gets involved with something outside of school, and it’s rare to see those characters develop further. I also still really like the novelty of the series being about wedding dresses.
Well. I don’t think Ageha and Yukari are going to confess their feelings for one another anytime soon. The novelty of wedding dresses will carry me for at least a few more volumes, but… Ageha and Yukari’s relationship really does bother me.
Basara 22
Posted: March 15, 2009 Filed under: Basara 6 Comments »Okay. Taro’s story really does truly end at the beginning of this volume, but Ageha picks up his slack and tries to get word out about what it is that he’s found. It’s… sort of big, and sort of involves Tatara and the Red King falling directly into a massive trap. Tatara starts to guess that something’s not right, but it does take a warning from an entire owl family to clear out the battlefield and foil Hagiwara’s plot. And even then, Kikune has to do something extremely brave in order to save as many people as possible. But… apparently Shuri was aware of all this? Huh? And he knows all about Ageha and the Ape of Kyoto? Shuri’s some sort of mind-reader, I think.
There’s another really excellent Asagi scene, but it doesn’t quite compare with the one a few volumes ago. Asagi seems to be getting more and more depressed, and it’s always nice to see Tatara is able to pull him out of it in the end. My suspicions have mostly evaporated, since he seems about 100% on Tatara’s side. He and Tatara taking a stand against a bunch of soldiers while each had the other’s back was really great. And he seems to be appreciating everything he has in life. He’s showing all the signs of a good guy at this point. Ginko, on the other hand… well. She’s a great architect. Or something.
The entire last quarter of this volume is awesome, because it reveals Shuri’s intentions, and they are clever and everything that I could have hoped for from him. He explains his plans for the monarchy and the royal family, and then he faces off against Hiiragi. During this fight, we see flashbacks to almost every single instance of character development he’s had throughout the series… and then he reaches his goal. But not without horrible things happening. Tatara watches. It looks like the two of them are still going to face off, and it should go down next volume. But everything you could possibly want in Shuri, everything that’s been built up over the course of the entire series, is played out at the end of this volume. He is truly the king of kings.
Notably, Asagi takes what happens harder than Sarasa does. That only makes me like him more.
Slam Dunk 3
Posted: March 15, 2009 Filed under: Slam Dunk 12 Comments »This is one of the kings of Shounen Jump manga. I believe it’s still probably around 3rd most popular of all time sales-wise and popularity-wise. This is its second chance in English, after Raijin folded all those years ago, and I’m curious as to what makes this better than any other sports manga ever (with the possible exception of Mitsuru Adachi, who is king of baseball manga). On another random note, it’s hard to believe that this is drawn by the same person who does Vagabond. I’m always impressed by artists who have the ability to draw stories for different audiences like that.
It’s a pretty standard setup, with a punkish kid joining the sports team to impress a girl, but I wonder if it was standard at the time or if other series have cribbed from this one since. For instance, apparently they have to reach the finals by the end of the year, presumably so that the graduating seniors have a shot at it. I only read one other sports manga currently, but Eyeshield 21 also uses the very same threat throughout the series.
Sakuragi is a really interesting main character, and a reasonably funny guy. Not having read the first two volumes, there’s a few pieces I’m filling in that I’m not quite sure of. Did the captain of the basketball team let him win during their 1-on-1, for instance? He seems to be bragging about it quite a bit in this volume, but also can’t do a layup and seems generally clueless when it comes to playing basketball. The captain seems to appreciate his attitude as far as being excited about basketbal goes, which is nice.
Now, Sakuragi seems to have joined the team to impress the captain’s sister, who is in love with the team’s star player. She’s quite nice to him, and it’s a bit unusual to see the girl the hero wants to impress giving him the time of day so early on. If the trend in sports manga is to be believed, she may just drop off the face of the earth after a few volumes though.
This volume was dedicated to showing how much Sakuragi practices to keep up with the rest of the team, has him slowly mastering the layup technique, and then leads into their exhibition game with a local rival. Pretty standard sports manga stuff, but again, Sakuragi’s pretty entertaining, so it’s fun to read about whatever it is that he’s doing.
Do I feel like going back for the early volumes? Well, not really, but I probably would if I wasn’t reading Eyeshield 21. I may read a volume or two after this though, just to see what the games are like. I’m sure I’ll easily be won over if I read too many more volumes, but that’s just par for the course for any really good Jump series.
V. B. Rose 3
Posted: March 14, 2009 Filed under: V. B. Rose 1 Comment »I read volume 3 and 4 out of order, unfortunately. Volume 4 left me with an extremely negative impression, so I think I enjoyed this volume a little less than I would have otherwise.
What I didn’t like about volume 4 was that 22-year-old Yukari had a crush on 15-year-old Ageha, which I could not justify in my mind. It’s okay for Ageha to have a crush on him, but recriprocating it is not okay in my mind. But more on that next time.
This volume is more about Ageha dealing with her feelings for Yukari and him sort of… showing hints of affection and showing signs that his feelings may be headed in the same direction as hers. Hints are fine for me, and I like his casual and somewhat thoughtless (in a good way) affection as reciprocation for Ageha’s feelings.
I liked the dynamic the two had in this volume a lot, actually. Ageha’s crush reaches mammoth proportions when Kuromine tells her Yukari doesn’t tolerate part-timers asking him out (or rather, part-timers always wind up quitting after asking him out and being rejected since he tends to make things awkward afterwards). The joking relationship between the two of them, and Ageha’s ability to see through Yukari’s somewhat gruff and pointed personality and reciprocate with her own quick emotions in most situations is very enjoyable.
Yukari’s family situation is revealed in this volume. He’s got a little half-brother and a mother with a history. His little brother is a duplicate of him, and Ageha takes to the little guy right away. The woman in charge of the dress shop next door is also tied strangely into things.
There’s a cute scene at the end where Yukari swoops in to rescue Ageha at one point. I kind of liked that, too, if only because it was a pretty girly shoujo scene, and I take great pleasure when those are done right.
I really did enjoy this volume though, and would have enjoyed it a lot more had I not read the fourth volume first. More on my problems with the series tomorrow, though.
