I reviewed the first volume of this well-regarded series for Comics Should be Good. Check it out!
20th Century Boys 1 by Naoki Urasawa: A
February 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Desire by Maki Kazumi and Yukine Honami: A-
February 24, 2009 by 1 Comment
From the back cover:
A quiet and shy member of the school’s art club, Toru is quite a contrast to his best friend Ryoji, who is a handsome, loud and brash jock. Toru has harbored a crush on Ryoji for the longest time but hasn’t confessed his feelings for fear of rejection. But from out of the blue, Ryoji suddenly admits that he gets “aroused” whenever he looks at Toru. Curious about this feeling, Ryoji proposes that he and Toru sleep together. Though appalled at the thought of having just casual sex, Toru’s attraction towards Ryoji makes the proposition enticing nevertheless.
Review:
Desire, published by DMP in 2004, was one of the first boys’ love manga I ever read. I liked it very much, but I’ve been a little hesitant to reread it for fear it wouldn’t live up to my initial impression. Happily, I needn’t have worried. Even after a reread with more worldly manga eyes, I still think it’s one of the best around, even though there are certain elements I’m not thrilled with.
It’s the story of Toru Maiki, who’s harbored feelings for his friend Ryoji for a long time. When Ryoji suggests they sleep together as an experiment, Toru goes along with it with the idea that it’ll help him get over Ryoji to see how “wrong” it is. Things don’t go as planned, however, and it becomes a regular thing between them. Toru can’t say no to Ryoji, but his heart is breaking at having a physical relationship with the one he loves without his feelings being reciprocated.
There are many things I like about the story. I like that Toru and Ryoji were friends for a long time even before the story starts. I like the strong characterization—instead of merely supplying eye candy of two pretty boys smooching, the writing helps one to see Toru and Ryoji as well-developed individuals. I like that Toru and Ryoji’s friend plays a big role in the series. The expressive art fits the emotional material well. And I like how Toru suffers and really thinks things through. It’s a very painful situation he’s in, but his eventual acceptance of his feelings for Ryoji is all the better for being hard-won.
I don’t like how pushy Ryoji is, though. Several scenes border on non-consensual when Toru is protesting and Ryoji is insistent. That’s definitely part of Ryoji’s character, as is the very frank and open way in which he discusses his fixation on Toru, but it’s still bothersome. I’m not sure he would’ve stopped even if Toru hadn’t eventually relented.
All in all, Desire is far more thoughtful than the usual boys’ love fare. One grows to care about the characters and empathize with Toru’s plight. Those who are tired of silly or over-the-top boys’ love stories ought to give it a try.
Romantic Illusions by Reiichi Hiiro: C
February 23, 2009 by Leave a Comment
When Yu Igarashi was a child, his mother told him no one would ever love him. In response to this traumatic event, Yu’s mind created two additional personalities who would love him instead. Now an adult, Yu works part-time in a florist’s shop while one personality, Kaname, is a high-powered attorney and the other, Ryo, is a nocturnal playboy. All of the personalities can talk to each other and the fact that Kaname and Ryo occupy the left side of Yu’s brain means that they can use his right hand to ravish him whenever they like, even when he’s the one in charge of his body. When Yu begins to fall in love with Sugo, a flower shop patron and psychiatrist interested in Yu’s case, his other personalities object and refuse to approve of the relationship.
Romantic Illusions is described by the author as “a very light multiple personality comedy,” which is a fairly apt description, aside from the comedy part. I personally didn’t find it funny, but can’t deny that it’s full of wacky complications, especially when each of Yu’s personalities finds a lover of his own. The only time I laughed was when Sugo declared his love for Yu by saying, “I love you. Will you be my boyfriend?” I don’t think I was supposed to be amused by that, but he sounded so like an 8th grade girl that I couldn’t help it. There’s also one bit in one of the chapters that might be disturbing to some, as we’re introduced to a character with multiple personalities that originated as a result of childhood sexual abuse.
While Romantic Illusions may gain some points for having a unique premise, overall the best that can be said about it is that it’s mildly diverting.
Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.
Hissing 4-5 by Kang EunYoung: B
February 23, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Da-Eh Lee is an aspiring manhwa artist and takes her work seriously. Her feisty attitude attracts the attention of two highly sought-after boys in school—Sun-Nam, who is kind at heart but tries to act tough, and Ta-Jun, who is listless, taunting, and angsty simultaneously. After many antagonistic encounters, Da-Eh and Sun-Nam begin dating, but just as things seem to be going well, Sun-Nam realizes that the half-brother he’s been searching for (the product of his father’s affair with another woman) is Da-Eh’s little brother, Da-Hwa.
Hissing was a hard series for me to get into at first; I was turned off by the blond and sultry looks bequeathed to practically every male character (including ten-year-old Da-Hwa) and by the disjointed nature of the narrative. Somewhere along the way, though, it really grew on me. Certain things still annoy me—Da-Eh’s reaction to the big revelation of the family connection is pretty nonsensical, for instance—but overall, I enjoy it. Da-Eh and her admirers remind me a bit of Tsukushi Makino and the F4 from Boys Over Flowers, which may be part of the appeal. Hissing can also be amusing, but not so much in these two volumes, which are more serious in tone.
It’s also hard not to sympathize with Da-Hwa. Neglected by his family but solicitously eager to earn their attention, he doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere and always blames himself when things go wrong. Even though he appears less often than the other characters, he really is the heart of the series.
Hissing definitely has its flaws, but they grow less glaring with time. The fact that I disliked volume one but am now eager to read the sixth and final volume is proof of that.
Review copies provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.
Hissing 3 by Kang EunYoung: B-
February 21, 2009 by Leave a Comment
From the back cover:
Despite the fact that Ha-Ra seemed to look a lot like Da-Eh, Sun-Nam is now getting sick and tired of her. And all he can think about is Da-Eh. Meanwhile, Ta-Jun cannot stop picking on Da-Eh, which seems to be the only way to forget his forbidden feelings for his own cousin. Confused? Wait until the family history slowly reveals itself!!
Review:
For the past two volumes, giraffes (perhaps toy ones) have appeared on the covers. I was thinking that perhaps somebody’s name means giraffe, but then Da-Eh and Sun-Nam (the main characters) coincidentally started talking about the meaning of their names, which shot that theory out of the window. Now I have no idea why they’re there.
I’m starting to like this series, even though it has some flaws. I don’t really know what the character of Ta-Jun brings to the story, for example. He likes to taunt and torment Da-Eh, and moons about over his cousin, whom he seems to have feelings for. He says angsty things and is kind of a jerk and… that’s it. I’m also not too keen on the girl that Sun-Nam had been dating, and the fact that she’s probably going to exact revenge on Da-Eh in some fashion because she and Sun-Nam start going out in this volume.
I do like Da-Eh and Sun-Nam, though. And I’m interested in the fallout from the revelation that Da-Hwa is half brother to Sun-Nam and Da-Eh. Poor Da-Hwa puts on a brave face when told of his parentage and agrees to meet his half-brothers, but secretly wishes the man he’s known as his father had told him not to go. He’s only in this volume for, like, eight pages, and still Da-Hwa’s plight is what resonates most strongly with me.
Hissing 2 by Kang EunYoung: B-
February 21, 2009 by 1 Comment
From the back cover:
Sun-Nam doesn’t really know what this feeling is, but he just simply cannot get Da-Eh out of his mind. But she doesn’t seem to be interested. So instead, he starts going out with a girl he thought looked a lot like Da-Eh; but who knew she was such a wench? Meanwhile, Da-Eh meets Ta-Jun, who seems like nothing but trouble. Will these two both manage to survive their complicated relationships?! Read this second volume of the series and find out!
Review:
I really should start a hall of shame for inaccurate back cover blurbs. This one ignores the fact that Da-Eh met Ta-Jun on multiple occasions in the first volume. Oopsies.
This volume is a lot better than the first one. After introducing Sun-Nam’s annoying brothers last time, they are barely present here, allowing the story to focus on the main characters instead. I’ve also reconciled myself to the fact that all the boys look similar. Similar, but not indistinguishable, and that’s what really counts. The translation is also much better, with only one glaring error. (“Reoccurring” is not a word, folks.)
Some of the flaws from the first volume are still present, though, like the propensity of characters to make random angsty comments (“If I’m laughing, it might be to mask the tears.”) and the hyperactive nature of the narrative, as it spends only a few pages on each scene before jumping to another one.
Thinks I did like include the continued focus on Da-Eh’s dream of becoming a manhwa artist. Not only do we see her working on storyboards and things, she’s also so fixated on it that when other girls in class are gossiping about the antics of a popular boy, Da-Eh is completely oblivious. Later, when said popular boy, Ta-Jun, drags her off to hang out with him, it kind of reminds me of Boys Over Flowers. Popular (presumably rich) boy picks the feisty girl who wants nothing to do with him rather than all the other sycophantic beauties he could be wooing.
There’s also development on the plot concerning Da-Eh’s younger brother, Da-Hwa. (Who, by the way, is completely adorable. He has fangirls at his elementary school and everything. I want to kick Da-Eh for treating him so crappily, though.) It seems that Da-Eh’s mother and Sun-Nam’s father had an affair and the result was Da-Hwa. Sun-Nam has encountered the kid a few times, but so far Da-Eh is in the dark. I find that I am actually looking forward to seeing how this story plays out, which surprises me considering I had such an adverse reaction to volume one.
Fairy Tail 5 by Hiro Mashima: B
February 19, 2009 by 1 Comment
From the back cover:
Gray’s old training companion Reitei Lyon is trying to revive a calamity demon, but doing so will make their former master’s sacrifice meaningless! What’s the secret of Gray’s past, and why does he keep taking off his clothing? Gray is revealed (metaphorically speaking) in this pivotal volume!
Review:
You know, there are things one sees in Fairy Tail that one is simply not going to see in any other manga. I’m talking about stuff like a gigantic flying rat carrying a bucket of poisonous jelly and a cow-man squaring off against a malicious tree. Sometimes, things are so cracktastic that one just has to admire them.
I actually liked this volume more than the last one, perhaps because I’ve moved past the foolishness of their embarking upon a quest that could get them expelled from the guild and become invested instead in their successful completion of the task at hand. The variety of magical abilities continues to be one of the most enjoyable parts for me, and I’m particularly glad to see Lucy’s skills increase in this volume. She’s by no means a match for Natsu or Gray magically, but both of them would have their butts handed to them by Erza, so there isn’t any annoying gender inequality going on.
Well, not in the realm of combat, anyway. There’s certainly a lot of fanservice in this volume, mostly on the chapter splash pages. In one of them, Lucy is wearing a sleeveless t-shirt that is held up by ginormous boobs and a prayer. The most egregious example, however, is an image of Erza wielding a sword while dressed in a négligée. Lucy’s garb is at least in character. Erza’s definitely is not.
We also learn more about Gray’s backstory, and I’m impressed with how deftly the flashbacks are woven in with the fighting in the present moment. It manages to be seamless but yet not confusing. I think partly this was achieved through pacing, as a little bit of information would be revealed at a time and when it seemed like the right time to switch back to the present, it would. The backstory itself isn’t much to get excited over, but the mechanics of it are really well done.
Case Closed 2 by Gosho Aoyama: B
February 19, 2009 by 1 Comment
From the back cover:
Conan must contend with the murder of a man who burns to death while the prime suspect has the perfect alibi; he helps a seemingly sweet and innocent girl look for her missing father; and he still has time to explore a haunted house with some of his new friends from elementary school!
All the clues are there—can you piece them together and solve these baffling cases before Conan does?
Review:
“All the clues are there,” it says. I would be highly surprised if I ever figure out one of these cases before Conan does, especially one with a ludicrously intricate method of offing someone.
I like this volume better than the first one. I think it’s because the three cases it contains are different from the kinds I’ve read so far. Instead of proving who did it and how (see above re: ludicrously intricate), they’re more about finding proof. In the first case, the prime suspect for a murder has the perfect alibi, so it’s up to Conan to disprove it. It’s actually a pretty fun story, even though I sigh heavily when Conan plays back a taped confession he’d obtained to the villain who’d just made it and is then surprised when the dude attacks him. Not so smart for a smart kid.
Later, a young girl claiming to be looking for her father is not what she seems. I would’ve enjoyed this story more if the back cover hadn’t given it all away by referring to her as “seemingly sweet and innocent.” This story also has some connections to the men in black who are responsible for changing teenage detective Jimmy into first grader Conan. The final chapters involve Conan and some first grade buddies investigating a haunted house and discovering its secrets.
This volume is a very quick read and contains neither the insanely elaborate plots nor the “Conan impersonates an adult to reveal the solution” that I was getting tired of. Conan also receives a lot of new gadgets from Dr. Agasa, and those are fun to see in action, too, even though it’s highly improbable that a soccer ball, even one kicked by a foot wearing super-powered sneakers, could ever fell a tree.
One Piece 3 by Eiichiro Oda: B-
February 18, 2009 by 2 Comments
From the back cover:
Sure, lots of people say they want to be the King of the Pirates, but how many have the guts to do what it takes? When Monkey D. Luffy first set out to sea in a leaky rowboat, he had no idea what might lie over the horizon. Now he’s got a crew—sort of—in the form of swordsman Roronoa Zola and treasure-hunting thief Nami. If he wants to prove himself on the high seas, Luffy will have to defeat the weird pirate lord Buggy the Clown. He’ll have to find a map to the Grand Line, the sea route where the toughest pirates sail. And he’ll have to face the Dread Captain Usopp, who claims to be a notorious pirate captain… but, frankly, Usopp says a lot of things…
Review:
I didn’t like this volume quite as much as the last, even though I got what I wanted in one respect—the fighting with Captain Buggy wrapped up and Luffy and crew began to sail and explore. Now that they have a proper navigator with some sense, they’re out to gather supplies and such, since to enter the Grand Line unprepared and in their little tubs of boats would be foolhardy indeed. I wonder if, in this series, the shounen tradition of the powerup will be adapted to the acquisition of bigger and more seaworthy vessels.
The first three chapters of this volume comprised Luffy’s fight with Captain Buggy. In the first one of these, the dialogue consisted almost solely of lines like “Chop-Chop Quick Dodge,” “Gum-Gum Sickle,” and “Chop-Chop Harpoon.” Toss in a handful of exclamation points for each. It was, as ever with this series, pretty silly, but still entertaining. I did snicker a few times, at least.
There were a couple of other funny things in this volume, too. As the main characters return to Nami’s boat, some thugs who had been laying in wait emerge, and it seems like we’re about to have another series of battles. Until they recognize Zolo, that is, and run away. I also am enjoying the instructions in the back of each book for making little paper props for the series. Here’s an approximate quote from the one in this volume:
You’ll need: scissors, glue, etc.
You won’t need: Tea. (Please don’t go to the trouble.)
I guess mostly what I didn’t like were some boring bits. In the middle of Luffy and Buggy’s fight, Buggy lapses into a flashback about how he used to know Captain Shanks, which I thought was dull. Also, some later chapters featuring a mendacious village youth were rather yawn-inducing, as well. Not bad, no, just kind of meh. I think there was actually one chapter (24) where nothing actually happened at all.
One Piece 2 by Eiichiro Oda: B
February 17, 2009 by 1 Comment
From the back cover:
As a kid, Monkey D. Luffy vowed to become King of the Pirates and find the legendary treasure called the “One Piece.” The enchanted Gum-Gum fruit has given Luffy the power to stretch like rubber—and his new crewmate, the infamous pirate hunter Roronoa Zolo, strikes fear into the hearts of other buccaneers! But what chance does one rubber guy stand against Nami, a thief so tough she specializes in robbing pirates… or Captain Buggy, a fiendish pirate lord whose weird, clownish appearance conceals even weirder powers? It’s pirate vs. pirate in the second swashbuckling volume of One Piece!
Review:
I don’t know about the rest of you, but sometimes I just get a major hankering for some shounen. One Piece satisfies this requirement admirably, offering wacky villains, inexplicably absorbing combat scenes, unsinkable optimism, and a strong sense of camaraderie.
Luffy and friends must face off against Captain Buggy who, along with his crew, is terrorizing a port town. Buggy has eaten another of the devil fruits (Luffy at the Gum-Gum fruit, which gives him the ability to stretch like rubber), which lets various bits of his body fly off and attack of their own volition. It actually reminds me of something out of Tezuka, to see a cartoony disembodied arm fly over and stab someone. Buggy also has some bizarre lieutenants, including a furry guy with the ability to control animals and a sword-swallowing acrobat who has a plethora of attacks based on circus tricks.
Yes, it’s silly, but it’s a great deal of fun. There are also heartwarming things that make me like the characters, like the way they avenge a dog whose deceased master’s shop gets destroyed. Lest one thing they’re soft, however, they also do manly things like slice their own wounds to prove their toughness or something. I’m not sure what all that was about.
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