I Don’t Grok Ken Akamatsu

August 10, 2009 by 8 Comments

maochanI like to think I’m a well-read manga fan. I’m interested in a variety of genres—drama, mystery, action, sports, romance, fantasy, supernatural, et cetera—and I’ve even read the occasional title I wasn’t all that interested in for the purposes of a review and felt that I was broadening my horizons by doing so. It’s not manga, but heck, I even read Twilight! It is exceedingly rare, therefore, that I will give up on something partway through, but that is exactly what happened when I recently tried to read Mao-chan by Ken Akamatsu.

I’ve had problems with Akamatsu before. I admit that I’m not a big fan of the shounen harem romance story to begin with, but I did try to read both Love Hina and Negima! in the past and couldn’t get past the first volume of either. The latter, in particular, was so disappointing that it inspired me to write the following Amazon review back in 2004:

So, what we have here is a scene. Take a 10-year-old boy, surround him by girls, then spend 200 pages recycling the same dumb stuff to show off undies and boobs galore.

Now, it’s not that I am anti-fanservice. It’s usually just a side note to some plot, and that’s okay. But when it’s taking the place of the plot, it gets problematic. It seems like every five pages, one of the teenage girls is tripping over something so they can sprawl over Negi.

Several times, I contemplated just giving up reading it entirely, but I’d already invested time in it so I stubbornly persevered. I will not be following the rest of this series.

Sadly, only 6 of 17 people have found this helpful. Nobody likes a critic, alas.

My point is, though, that even though I didn’t like either of these series, I at least managed to finish the volume. Why was my experience with Mao-chan different? It’s not even a shounen harem story! Plus, I had both volumes, so there was the lure of the satisfaction of completing a series to compel me to carry on. And yet I couldn’t. The idea of spending even one more precious second of my life reading about a trio of wacky old guys, each boasting about how his eight-year-old granddaughter is the best one to defend the earth from cute aliens, was unthinkable.

Was the moe the problem? Partly, but I think the greater issue was simply that I couldn’t see in it the same things others saw. People whose reviews I respect—like Katherine Dacey and Ed Sizemore—have enjoyed the series and described it as “a funny and insightful satire of Japanese culture.” I did try to see the series in that light, but failed utterly; it just seemed inane to me. I must conclude that I simply do not grok Ken Akamatsu.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is there some creator or series that everyone else seems to like that you simply just don’t get?

Filed Under: Features

10, 20, and 30 3-6 by Morim Kang: B+

August 9, 2009 by 1 Comment

102030-310, 20, and 30 is a charming manhwa about three women, each in a different decade of life. Krumb is a widowed mother in her thirties; Rok, in her late teens, is Krumb’s daughter; and Belle, in her twenties, is Krumb’s niece and Rok’s cousin. As volume three begins, they’ve recently moved out of the spacious house that Krumb’s husband built and into an affordable-to-maintain apartment. Krumb has recently recovered from an illness, leading Rok to want to take on more of the caretaker role in the family. Meanwhile, Belle is spending most of her time doing nothing but loafing around and dreaming of possible careers without actually taking any steps toward making them happen.

Time is equally divided between the characters, and they all have their own plots involving personal growth. Krumb returns to work and must contend with a more demanding position, Rok is somewhat resentful of her mother’s fragility and 102030-4strives to be more independent, and Belle is still trying to figure out what she wants to do with herself. Each also has a man in her life with some mystery attached: Krumb’s boss proposed to her then disappeared on a trip to Hong Kong, Belle is being wooed by a financial consultant with a scheming (and shrewish) girlfriend, and Rok has unwittingly become an object of obsession for a teacher at the art institute where she has enrolled in a class.

Because there are so many plots going on at once, the story tends to cut between them quickly and frequently, which can take a bit of getting used to. They also frequently intertwine, often in ways that show the characters in their best light. For example, Belle, who is often selfish and annoying and who might be fairly intolerable if the protagonist of the piece, shows what a good person she can be as she protects Rok from her creepy stalker or fights to wrest Krumb’s investments out of the grasp of the corrupt financier (once she figures out his game). In general, all of the characters look after each other and a feeling of warmth presides.

102030-5My one complaint with how the plots are handled is that the most dramatic moments themselves are never shown. In volume five, Krumb learns that her boss is alive but handicapped and goes to meet him. The meeting itself is not shown, and it’s not until a few chapters later, when she’s talking about it with her sister, that we actually glimpse anything of what went on with them. A similar thing happens in volume six: Belle answers the phone, says, “Mom? What’s wrong?”, and the next thing you know everyone’s talking about how her stepfather died and his will has been altered, et cetera. It’s a little frustrating, but I also love that the story focuses on what happens after the big drama has passed, as everyone tries to figure out what to do next to move on from the experience.

Art-wise, 10, 20, and 30 is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. The style is simple, more like something you’d expect from a comic strip than a manhwa, but it does have moments when it’s quite attractive. Panel layout is strictly in the rectangle family, though at least it’s not the same rigid grid applied page after page. I do like how many chapters end on successive panels of each woman in a similar wistful 102030-6moment, like gazing out at the first snowfall of the year or enjoying a Christmas celebration in each other’s company.

As volume six concludes, the story is beginning to wrap up. Gradually, the women are beginning to grow. Krumb is starting to stand up more for what she wants, Belle has grown up a lot and finally seems to be taking some responsibility for her life, and Rok has noticed her mother’s renewed strength and become more accepting of her. There are a few things left to make the ending a truly satisfying one, though, so I’m eager to see what the seventh and final volume brings.

Review copies provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Manhwa Tagged With:

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga: A

August 8, 2009 by 4 Comments

From the back cover:
In Edo Period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country’s men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun’s Inner Chamber…

Review:
After a mysterious illness wipes out most of the young men in Edo Period Japan, women step up to take over the roles traditionally filled by men, becoming laborers, merchants, heads of families, and even shogun. Over time, the illness grows less virulent, but remains a common threat, resulting in a population made up of four times as many females as males. Healthy men are prized—families use them as pawns to negotiate alliances, and it’s tough for the average woman to secure a husband, requiring her to visit a brothel if she wishes to have a child.

It’s into this world that Mizuno Yunoshin (name order left intact!) is born, the son of an impoverished family of the samurai class. He’s in love with his childhood friend, Nobu, but because she is of the merchant class, they are not considered a good marital match. Rather than assent to marry someone else, Mizuno instead goes into service in the Ōoku, the Inner Chambers of the shogun’s palace—where many men are kept either for the purpose of becoming concubine to the shogun or for serving those who have been deemed worthy for that honor—which will award his family enough money to perhaps attract a suitable husband for his sister. The majority of the volume focuses on Mizuno learning of the Inner Chambers’ elaborate customs as well as his unexpected rise in rank when he happens to catch the eye of the senior chamberlain.

If I had to pick one word to describe Ōoku, that word would be “intrigue.” In the noun sense of the word, Ōoku delivers abundantly, as jockeying for position within the Inner Chambers is the favorite past-time. There’s some fairly elaborate scheming going on that takes the plot in unexpected and interesting directions. And, of course, in the verb sense of the word, Ōoku intrigues readers by not being easily classified as a simple gender reversal tale.

Instead, it emphasizes the fluidity of the notion of gender, showing how males in a certain situation can exhibit traditionally feminine attributes while females can possess qualities that are generally regarded as masculine. The new shogun, Yoshimune, is an absolutely fascinating example. In this world, where women reign, Yoshimune’s intelligence and political savvy have flourished, and she is a very effective ruler, making unorthodox decisions and sidestepping the ploys of her underlings, all while frequently sating her robust sexual appetite. Her advisor, Hisamichi, is also wonderful, with a mild-mannered countenance that conceals the full extent of her cleverness. Towards the end of the volume, Yoshimune begins to question why it is that women in power are required to adopt manly names, so that it appears in historical records as though they have been men all along. I’m eager to see what will happen next!

Artistically, Yoshinaga’s distinctive style is deceptively simple; one might think that without elaborate designs to distinguish so many dark-haired, similarly garbed men, keeping them straight would be a problem, but it actually never is. Also, I’m particularly fond of the way Yoshimune is drawn; her haughty expressions manage to simultaneously capture her senses of humor and of self-importance. My one complaint here is that though Mizuno is often described by other characters as being handsome, he really doesn’t look it.

Published under the VIZ Signature line, Ōoku has the beautiful packaging generally afforded titles in that imprint, with French flaps, color pages, and a gorgeous vellum title page. Even the “You’re reading the wrong way!” page has been given a classy facelift. I applaud the adaptation for retaining the proper order of names, but am less enamored of the choice to render the dialogue in a very formal sort of English. I get that VIZ must’ve been trying to recreate the feel of the original, but it’s a bit distracting at first. Thankfully, I did get used to it eventually. It’d be a shame to let something so trivial mar one’s enjoyment of so excellent a work.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Alternate History, Josei, Manga Tagged With: , ,

The Adventures of Young Det 3 by Gyojeong Kwon: B+

August 7, 2009 by 2 Comments

youngdet3-125Book description:
Two adventure-loving boys from the country set out on their quest to defeat the evil dragon that threatens the world. Det and Osen battle their way to glory, finding romance and the life of heroes along the way.

Review:
Having left Ogean, their small village, behind, friends Det and Osen are traveling toward Dedeil, a large city where they hope to “make it big.” The first village they come to is beset by dog-headed monsters, however, so they stop a while and use some knowledge imparted by their hometown’s sorcerer to help the villagers defend themselves against the creatures. Things aren’t much better at the next town, where giant, corpse-faced birds are plucking off the populace one by one. Det and Osen again help out but the volume abruptly ends in the middle of a nocturnal skirmish.

This volume feels more like a medieval fantasy novel than either of the earlier ones in the series, mostly due to all the traveling and the encounters with mystical beasts. Actually, it reminds me a little of an RPG, a resemblance definitely not lost on Gyojeong Kwon when he/she writes, “The tempolite, Fore, has joined Det on his journey! Party level +1!” While Det and Osen (though mostly Det) are still determined to make their way to Dedeil, they aren’t adverse to pausing and helping people in need, resulting in a pace that is best described as unhurried.

As a result, there is time for plenty of small moments, like testing to see whether a certain plant stem, when burned, really can repel the monsters, or talking about Det’s feelings for the girl he left behind in Ogean. The friendship between Det and Osen is warm and secure; not only do they look out for each other, they also clearly admire one another’s particular qualities and skills. Even though they may appear to be your typical “odd couple,” with Det being more outgoing and Osen more reserved, Kwon never portrays their relationship in so simple a manner. Their personalities do make for some funny moments, though, like these final lines from chapter eight when they’ve finally seen the gruesome faces of the giant birds up close.

Det: By the way, that face is a real gag.
Osen: Yeah. A little bit.

Besides a nicely nuanced story, The Adventures of Young Det also offers gorgeous art from Gyojeong Kwon. Aside from just being generally beautiful, I find that backgrounds and scene composition provide a stronger sense of place than I usually encounter in manga. Too, Kwon is adept at drawing all sorts of people, especially at depicting age in a way that goes beyond simply taking a young-looking character and drawing some lines under his eyes.

The one major complaint I could make about this volume is that it doesn’t move the overall story forward much, but I suspect that taking the time to set groundwork will pay off in the end, just as the lengthy explanations of the magical system did in earlier volumes.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Manhwa Tagged With:

Manga Marching Orders, 8/7/09

August 7, 2009 by 45 Comments

parasyte1It’s time for a confession: I am a terrible hoarder. There are so many awesome series being released these days and so I buy them, but because I don’t read very fast (and also read other things, go to work, have a life, etc.) things tend to pile up in a rather alarming way. My self-imposed rule about reviewing each volume separately wasn’t helping matters any, either.

Now that I have finally managed to convince myself that it isn’t “cheating” to review things en masse, I’m ready to tackle a few of the shorter but complete series that I have sitting around the place. Trouble is, they all look equally wonderful and I’m not sure where to start. I could use some marching orders.

Here’s where you come in. Every couple of weeks, I’ll post five options that I think I could be in the mood for. I’d love it if you’d chime in in support of your particular favorite, and maybe say a little bit about why you love it. Whichever option has the most supporters—or perhaps merely the most eloquent and persuasive ones!—will be what I undertake to read and review before my next post of this ilk.

So, here we go with this week’s options.

1. Parasyte — The eighth and final volume of this sci-fi series has just come out. They certainly look spiffy in my (not so) little pile!

2. Paradise Kiss — I know, I know. What kind of Ai Yazawa fan am I, anyway? I did read the first volume once a long time ago but inexplicably never continued.

3. Antique Bakery — And now I’m truly hanging my head in shame, because although I think I’m only missing one of Fumi Yoshinaga’s English releases, I’ve been woefully remiss on actually reading the durn things.

4. After School Nightmare — I had better read this soon or else I’ll end up getting spoiled!

5. Planetes — A sleeper hit about a team of space debris collectors that seems to offer a greater focus on the characters rather than traditional sci-fi trappings.

See what I mean about tough choices? Please ease my burden and give me some direction!

Filed Under: Features

Click 6-8 by Youngran Lee: B-

August 5, 2009 by 2 Comments

I’ve decided to absolve myself from the entirely self-imposed edict that I review each volume of a series separately and start offering multi-volume reviews on this site. The final three volumes of Click seemed like an ideal place to start, since it was getting to be challenge coming up with new things to say about each volume when taken individually.

The romantic angst ramps up as we approach the conclusion, with Jinhoo realizing he has feelings for Joonha (and, believing Joonha is male, proceeding to be melodramatic and tortured about it) and Heewon being depressed because of her own pathetic behavior regarding same. (Meanwhile, Taehyun’s family resolves to learn the true gender of the person who has captivated his heart. I hesitate to include that in the angst category, though, since it’s pretty pointless and boring.) One has to wonder why all of these characters are in love with Joonha, since she’s only somewhat less of an ass now than she used to be.

In any case, Joonha seems to feel about equal affection for them all (judging by a conversation with her father at the beginning of the seventh volume) and they all know about each other too, resulting in fisticuffs between Taehyun and Jinhoo at one point. Jinhoo, the presumed favorite, breaks up with his girlfriend, Hyejin (whom he realizes he cares for but has never truly loved), and finally, finally comes out and asks Joonha, “Why does everyone say you’re a girl?” Alas, it’s here where the series takes a turn for the dramatastic, for as Joonha begins to respond to the question, Jinhoo’s phone rings with news that Hyejin’s entire family has been in a car accident. Dun dun dunnnn.

From that point on, the kooky just keeps on coming, with two of the contenders for Joonha’s affection removing themselves from the picture for pretty much unnecessary reasons. The way the two scenes parallel each other is kind of interesting, though, and I finally have some sympathy for (okay, this is a spoiler, but did anyone really think this person would be the one?) Heewon who was feeling like a dupe for ever falling in love, but who now seems to be more at peace with the way things happened. There’s also an entirely random kidnapping that made me laugh out loud, it was so ridiculous.

I’ve seen where some have found the ending of this series to be unsatisfying, and I can see where they’re coming from. My problem’s not with the ultimate pairing, though, but rather with how it was carried out. Like Beauty Pop, instead of actually showing the protagonist confessing her feelings to the person of her choice, the story instead jumps forward in time a few years to a point where they’re a recognized couple already. What a cheat! Plus, they’re not acting much differently than they ever did, and it seems to have taken four years for any kissing to transpire!

Click continues to be a fast read through to the end, and while the endless drama is part of it, the art’s another big factor. The page layouts tend to be pretty simple, with large panels and not a lot of backgrounds to stall the eye. This presents a problem, though, because without any pace-slowing, transitional panels, one can be zipping through a brief scene with Taehyun’s family and suddenly, disconcertingly, turn to a page on which Jinhoo is dramatically announcing that he’s postponing his return trip to New York. It happens fairly often and is jarring each time, like zooming along the interstate then suddenly slamming on the brakes.

Ultimately, I’m glad I read Click. Yes, it could be cheaply manipulative and ridiculous, and no, I didn’t much like any of the characters, but it was a fun ride all the same.

Filed Under: Gender Hijinks, Manhwa Tagged With: ,

Tsubasa: Those with Wings 2 by Natsuki Takaya: C+

August 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment

tsubasawings125Oh, if only Tsubasa: Those with Wings were as good as its gorgeous cover suggests!

Former thief Kotobuki and her companion/love interest, erstwhile Army officer Raimon, are still searching for Tsubasa, a legend rumored to grant wishes. But first, they must slog through an excruciatingly dull plot about the Army enlisting the help of Raimon’s gun-smuggling foster father to destroy orphanages as part of a nefarious and nebulous plan. The most ridiculous moment occurs when Kotobuki spews a little bit of Shojo Heroine Optimism™ at one of the officers in charge, causing the woman to finally realize, “Hey, killing orphans is murder!”

The rest of the volume is somewhat better, despite the introduction of far too many new characters, as Kotobuki and Raimon team up with some others to pursue Tsubasa clues in a ruined 21st century city known as “the cursed forest.” First, they must infiltrate a fancy party (given by a guy who evidently stole Yuki Sohma’s body) to learn how to deactivate an electric barrier preventing entry to the forest. Once they’ve made it inside, they encounter the Akito of the piece, a colonel who is obsessed with Raimon and has implanted a bomb in his brain to prevent him from leaving the country. He’s pretty crazy, which certainly livens things up.

While there are some moments that are actually good, they are overrun by messy plotting, cryptic hinting, lame gags, and angsty backstories for everyone (even robots). I’m left with the itch to go at the thing with a cleaver, hacking off all the excess bits in search of a better story that might lurk within.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

A Strange and Mystifying Story 2 by Tsuta Suzuki: C+

August 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment

strangemystifying2Akio’s family is cursed with illness, but they also have a protective guardian beast who will appear if summoned and grant a wish. Akio summons the beast—an amorous, wolfish sort whom he names Setsu—and wishes to be cured. After Setsu accomplishes this with his own brand of sexual healing, Akio finds he doesn’t want Setsu to disappear, so wishes for him to stick around. Now Akio is feeling a bit insecure, since he isn’t sure how Setsu feels about that request. Apparently, he can’t just come out and ask.

In this volume, we learn more about Setsu’s past. Once upon a time, he was a human named Shinra who encountered a magical creature called Bansho and merged with him (this is a bit of a pun, since shinrabanshou is a Japanese idiom meaning “all things in nature”). Initially, he had some control over Bansho, but relinquished this to save one of Akio’s ancestors, of whom he was very fond. Setsu is far more likable in these chapters than he ever is in the main story, where he can be very crude. The juxtaposition of his interesting backstory with a flashback chapter of some icky* more-or-less nonconsensual sex is particularly jarring.

Akio’s reluctance to simply ask Setsu questions is frustrating, as well, and one wonders on what basis he can possibly claim to love a creature he hardly knows. Still, I can’t help kind of liking this series, since it at least tries to have a plot and features an art style that doesn’t look like every other BL title in existence.

* Believe me, you’re glad I spared you the details.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Boys' Love, Manga, Supernatural Tagged With: ,

Sayonara, Mr. Fatty!: A Geek’s Diet Memoir by Toshio Okada: B

July 31, 2009 by Leave a Comment

sayonara125When Toshio Okada, co-founder of Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion, among others) and Japanese pop culture expert, began to wonder exactly why he was so overweight, he decided to analyze his eating patterns in the hopes of discovering an explanation. What he found was that the simple act of recording what he ate helped him to lose weight. This revelation led to the development of his own method, which he calls the Recording Diet. In Sayonara, Mr. Fatty!, Okada describes the six stages of the Recording Diet while incorporating advice and anecdotes from his personal weight loss journey.

Just to be clear about things, even though this book is written by a renowned otaku, it is still 99.99% about his experiences losing 110 pounds in a year. The references to Japanese pop culture are scant and confined to sentences like, “If I had the time to exercise, I’d rather use it to read manga and watch anime.” For the most part, it’s a lot like any other self-help book. There are some sections that tell you things you already know (“It can be a mistake to follow a celebrity’s style without considering whether it suits you”) and others devoted to proving why the Recording Diet is superior to various other ways to achieve weight loss. Okada tries to make his method sound fun and easy, touting its applicability for “people who are not good at exercise, who are sedentary and fond of reading books and thinking deeply.”

As a geek who has dieted off and on for years, I did indeed find some of Okada’s insights useful—I particularly like how he differentiates between people who eat because the brain desires the experience (D-types) and those who eat only when the body needs sustenance (N-types)—and can see myself recalling them in future. Some of his advice was a bit confusing, however. At one point he says, “Don’t exercise while you’re losing weight!” only to later write, “Exercise is another recommendation.” I think the difference depends on what stage of the diet one happens to be in at the time, but these boundaries are not always clearly delineated. One might think one is in the final stage (Orbit), for example, but upon testing one’s ability to quit eating a favorite dish when the body signals fullness, find that one is actually still a couple of stages back (Cruising).

The bottom line: if you’re a geek who’s looking for a self-help diet book to which you might relate, then Sayonara, Mr. Fatty! may be for you. If you just want to read about a guy who helped introduce the world to Shinji Ikari and Nerv, however, you’ll probably be disappointed.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Books, Memoir, Nonfiction Tagged With:

Bleach 28 by Tite Kubo: B

July 29, 2009 by 3 Comments

bleach28From the back cover:
Ichigo, Chad and Uryu are determined to rescue Orihime from Aizen’s vile machinations. But though the Arrancars’ fortress is in sight, the would-be heroes must first pass Tres Cifras—the land of the disgraced Arrancars, who see destroying Ichigo and his friends as a way to redeem their honor!

Review:
There were times as I read this volume that I stopped and thought, “You know, this is completely ridiculous.” Like when Aizen, after making sure that his Espadas (the highest-ranked of the Arrancar) have had their tea, announces that Hueco Mundo has been invaded by Ichigo and friends. He basically tells them it’s no big deal, and to go back to their palaces and wait for the enemy to come to them. If they’d fight en masse, they could wipe the floor with Ichigo-tachi in, like, 2 minutes, so this is obviously advised only so that we can have a nice long arc in which the Espadas are defeated one at a time.

There were also, however, times when I thought, “Ooh, this is cool.” The Espadas look pretty nifty, and because there’s all this special energy in the air, Uryuu’s badass new skills are even more impressive. (Also, I was reminded anew of his similarities to Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.) There’s the dramatic appearance of a couple more friends, as well, but really the best moments are between Orihime and Ulquiorra, her Arrancar captor who I’d swear has begun to admire her quiet bravery. I want to see more of them than I do anything else at this point.

I might be more peeved about the ridiculous moments if I were actually buying and collecting Bleach, but since I’m not, I can simply like it for the things it does get right.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Manga, Shounen, Supernatural Tagged With: ,
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