Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 2 by Brian K. Vaughan: A

May 25, 2008 by 3 Comments

From the back cover:
While Buffy is busy trying to uncover the mysterious new Big Bad known only as “Twilight,” Giles takes on a mission of his own that will require a Slayer who can handle a little dirty work. He recruits the notoriously rebellious Faith for an undercover job that demands her well-known penchant for violence. She must infiltrate the estate of a rogue Slayer and put a stop to this girl’s evil deeds no matter the cost.

Review:
This collection includes issues 6-10 of the series. The first four comprise Vaughan’s Faith arc that lends its name to this volume as subtitle—”No Future For You.” The last issue is a stand-alone written by Joss himself.

I’m current with the monthly issues of this series (up to 14 now), and I have to say that “No Future For You” is definitely my favorite arc thus far, which is a little weird since Vaughan was never a writer for the show. He really nails Faith, though, and all of her dialogue and inner thoughts ring true. I especially like her perspective on the conflicts she’s had with Buffy and her relationship with Mayor Wilkins. Here’s an excerpt:

Evil scumbag. That’s what most people think of the last guy who put me in a dress. But I don’t know. Dude may have been a bit of a snake… but he wasn’t a dog. Everybody thinks he was, like, exploiting me or whatever, but that’s not how it felt. So I totally get how chicks can get mixed up in the wrong crap. Even today, it’s still hard to look back at my time with that guy…and feel anything but loved.

Pretty awesome stuff. Vaughan also does well with the other characters, who both speak and act perfectly in character. I’m fascinated by the dynamic between Faith and Giles, especially in the scene where he mentions his own youthful rebellion and how they’re not so unalike, but the best is probably Buffy jumping to the absolute worst conclusion about Faith’s involvement with the rogue Slayer. It’s not only a very Buffy thing to do, but it also cuts Faith deeply to see that she will probably never really be trusted by Buffy, despite her various attempts at redemption.

Not so awesome, alas, is Georges Jeanty’s art. I’m not so miffed about it as this guy, but Faith really does look pretty awful in some panels. I realize that spot-on likenesses are not necessarily the artist’s goal, but she often looks like several different people per page, and each only marginally reminiscent of Eliza Dushku. I will, however, say that in more recent issues, Jeanty has drawn some truly exceptional panels of Willow.

Issue 10, “Anywhere But Here,” is important in its own right, featuring Buffy and Willow on a mission together and providing many answers, including where the funding for the Slayers came from and the current state of Willow’s relationship with Kennedy. Back at home, Dawn also finally discloses (to Xander) how she ended up gigantified. This is the kind of significant personal interaction I was missing in the first Buffy-centric arc, so I’m very pleased to get such a nice chunk of it here.

I really hope Vaughan writes an arc again soon or, even better, starts up a spin-off starring Faith and Giles. Sad to say, I would actually prefer that to the current arc that’s underway at present.

Filed Under: Comics, Media Tie-In, Supernatural Tagged With: ,

Dororo 1 by Osamu Tezuka: B

May 25, 2008 by 6 Comments

Book description:
Dororo is Tezuka’s classic thriller manga featuring a youth who has been robbed of 48 body parts by devils, and his epic struggle against a host of demons to get them back.

Daigo Kagemitsu, who works for a samurai general in Japan’s Warring States period, promises to offer body parts of his unborn baby to 48 devils in exchange for complete domination of the country. Knowing the child to be deficient, Kagemitsu orders the newborn thrown into the river.

The baby survives. Callling himself Hyakkimaru, he searches the world for the 48 demons. Each time he eliminates one, he retrieves one of his missing parts. Hyakkimaru meets a boy thief named Dororo, and together they travel the countryside, confronting mosters and ghosts again and again.

Review:
This was my first time reading Tezuka. Although I have a couple of other things by him, the shounen adventure qualities of Dororo made it seem a more accessible starting point.

While I enjoyed the volume overall, I ended up liking the beginning more than the middle or the end. The setting for Daigo’s bargain was immediately atmospheric and interesting. The second chapter recounted how baby Hyakkimaru (who looked kind of like Jack Skellington) was found by a doctor who raised him and fitted him with snazzy prosthetics.

From that point on, things were a bit more episodic, with varying degrees of success. It was interesting to see how Dororo probably influenced shounen tales to come. For example, a skilled swordsman and his companion(s) must wander around, collecting bits of something from a whole bunch of demons. These demons enjoy terrorizing innocent villagers. Hmm, what does that remind me of? One difference I appreciated was that the villagers in this series actually take part in fighting off the monsters, and they’re also not particularly welcoming of the freakish Hyakkimaru and the thieving Dororo after the battle’s been won.

Much suspension of disbelief is required for this series, and it was kind of weird which things I just accepted and which bugged me. For instance—a baby born missing 48 body parts not only survives but somehow possesses special sensory abilities enabling him to see, hear, and speak telepathically. Okay, fine. His foster dad is able to perform surgery on him and fit weaponry inside his prosthetic limbs (swords in his arms and poison spritzer thingies in his legs). Sure, why not? But then when Hyakkimaru is somehow able to bend the arms with swords inside, my illogic detector went, “Hang on just a minute!”

I’ll definitely be reading the rest of this series; there are only 2 more volumes, anyway. Now that flashbacks and such are out of the way, I hope that we’ll see more of the collection of Hyakkimaru’s missing bits, though I still have no idea what to expect when he’s succeeded in getting them all. He doesn’t seem to have a goal beyond that at this point.

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

Basara 27 by Yumi Tamura: B+

May 20, 2008 by 4 Comments

From the back cover:
In this special collection of side stories, join Sarasa and Shuri after the war, as they rebuild Japan and travel the world together. In the distant Huang Empire, Sarasa is infected with a fatal disease—but will Shuri betray the Huang Emperor to save her? And when the new Japanese government is beset with turmoil, it’s up to two children to convince a reclusive hermit named Hayato to lead his country.

Finally, Yumi Tamura offers a glimpse of life before the apocalypse… before the ruined world Sarasa knows… before the beginning of Basara!

Review:
What I like about how Tamura envisioned these appendices is that they feel like natural extentions of the main story. She didn’t have to manufacture some conflict for Shuri and Sarasa that was insulting to them, like inserting some new vixen who’s a threat to their relationship. Instead, it’s a story about guilt and atonement, adjusting to the needs of another person, and making amends by doing something with one’s life.

The tale with Hayato also isn’t useless fluff, since he’s dealing with anger towards Tatara who seemingly deserted them all and whose absence led to the creation of a government that didn’t fit the revolutionaries’ ideals. Shuri and Sarasa’s kids make an appearance, and they’re cute enough, but the best is Motomichi, all growed up and looking incredibly like his dad. I especially like the panels where Hayato looks into the young man’s eyes and thinks “I killed your father.”

The rest of the stories are really, really short and don’t contribute a great deal to my enjoyment of the book either way. The last one, though brief, does end on a good note for the series, however.

Now Basara is really over. Sniff.

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

Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE 17 by CLAMP: A-

May 18, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Book description:
One of the travelers is about to die, and the only way to keep that from happening is to make a deal with Yuuko the witch. The price has lasting repercussions for the others—one must be responsible for the saved life while another is sent out into the inhospitable ruins of Tokyo on a quest… alone.

Review:
It’s not a surprise that when CLAMP does shounen, they don’t do it like everyone else. In most shounen series I’ve read, characters aren’t allowed to undergo such fundamental changes as have occurred in these last couple of volumes of Tsubasa. There’s also lots of rather subtle character growth and interaction, too, especially between Fai and Kurogane. I love every scene where these two are together—okay, part of it may be “squee, they’re so in love!” but there’s a lot more to it than that. Fai’s struggle to stay remote and unconnected is particularly fascinating to me.

There’s not a whole lot of focus on what’s going on with Syaoran, since there were more immediate things to deal with, like wishes and their prices. Sakura, however, gets a lot of attention. Upset by how often people are getting hurt on her account, she decides to pay the price of one of the wishes on her own, and exhibits some surprising toughness. I’m a little unsure of where this grit came from, honestly, but the chapters focusing on her quest are pretty neat. I’m impressed by how well the story was conveyed in a 99% nonverbal fashion.

The ending is super sweet, and ties back in to Fai’s issues in an understated way. Again, I urge people not to judge this series based on its early volumes—I think it’s starting to become one of my favorites by CLAMP.

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

Boys Over Flowers 10 by Yoko Kamio: A-

May 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Rich boy Tsukasa returns to Japan after he discovers the true identity of Tsukushi’s “Kinsan.” Tsukushi herself is having trouble accepting his identity. Then Kinsan invites Tsukushi to a swank party where they bump into Tsukasa, who causes a major scene when Kinsan declares his intentions toward Tsukushi! Still desperate for money, Tsukushi goes to Tsukasa who comes up with a plan that everyone can benefit from. That is, if Tsukushi can win a beauty contest…!

Review:
Even though it’s obvious that Tsukushi should not go out with Kinsan (and I hope she doesn’t, ‘cos that would annoy me), this arc with him is still really fun because it prompts all sorts of great scenes between Tsukushi and Tsukasa. I can’t help but love when Kinsan tells those gathered at a party he’ll introduce them to the girl he wants to marry and Tsukasa goes “Tell me that’s not you!” I also love that Rui seems to be helping the two of them now.

And, as silly as the beauty contest is, it’s actually shaping up to look quite fun. After Tsukushi’s dad borrows from loan sharks and loses all the money at the track, she has to go and ask Tsukasa for the loan, which is a pretty big deal. Then he broaches the topic of the contest and, having been challenged by some Kinsan-lovers previously regarding it, she gets fired up enough to enter it. Tsubaki actually comes to good use here by offering to tutor her, Princess Diaries style.

So, yeah, it’s all kind of crazy, but it’s back to the kind of crazy that I like.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Boys Over Flowers 9 by Yoko Kamio: B

May 15, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Tsukasa is headed for New York to break away from his Tokyo life, but just before leaving Rui whispers something to him. When this news finally sinks in Tsukasa goes into another one of his frenzies. Financial troubles weigh heavy on the Makino family as Tsukushi’s father is out of a job. It becomes clear that they are completely dependent on her marrying a rich boy from Eitoku Academy. A new boy enters the scene! He is a bit of a nut, but is determined to help Tsukushi.

Review:
This volume was better than the last, since it had no wacky basketball hijinks, and was evenly enjoyable throughout, but nothing really stood out as special. The best bits were, of course, the scenes between Tsukushi and Tsukasa, particularly when she found out he was intending to leave the country. I also liked that she realized that he was partly responsible for helping her get over Eitoku’s weird atmosphere and be herself again.

The plot where Tsukushi meets another boy who helped her find a part-time job was okay, but I was annoyed he turned out to be yet another rich kid. Thinking Tsukushi was getting duped by this guy, Tsukasa also returned. This was way too soon, in my opinion. I would’ve liked to see her miss him at least a little more. But then I guess that might prompt her to decide on her feelings, and there are 27 more volumes so you know she can’t be doing that now!

A few odd things in the text also caught my attention. I can’t compare it to the original, but one scene where Rui discussed his intentions regarding Tsukushi didn’t seem to jive with his later actions. There were also a few typos. My favorite was where some creepy dudes locked a door as a “precatution.”

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

7SEEDS 2 (Japanese) by Yumi Tamura: A-

May 12, 2008 by 3 Comments

Book description:
A strange man on the island who helped free Arashi and Natsu from some carnivorous plants gives them a clue as to why they find themselves in this predicament—it’s not a kidnapping, it’s “a government project.” The four castaways decide to climb a rocky outcrop from which they can survey their surroundings and get an idea of what is going on and where they are. But what will be waiting for them up there?

Review:
The story progresses nicely in this volume. Some answers are revealed regarding the government project, a few additional castaways are discovered, and the group decides to leave the dangerous island. The larger cast and the communal goal brought a Basara-like feel to the proceedings.

And just as the first group is launching out to sea, we meet another group of castaways in the same situation. One of them is Hana (who looks a great deal like Sarasa), the girlfriend of Arashi in the first group (who looks a great deal like Shuri). Natsu has a bit of a crush on Arashi, but Hana is far more worthy of him. It’s kind of interesting to not want the heroine to get the guy, though I guess Hana qualifies as co-heroine by this point.

I actually find this second group more interesting so far. Their circumstances are similar—more with the giant, predatory insects—but Hana’s smart and resourceful and also has to confront a lecherous guy who thinks he’s in charge, which makes for better reading than a timid girl freaking out about giant crocodiles.

One of the best things about the story is that now that the groups know about the project (though some don’t entirely believe it), they’re coming to wonder how many years have actually gone by since they were frozen and are driven to get away from the islands and find out what’s become of Japan and the world. I’m really looking forward to seeing how that plays out.

Filed Under: Manga, Sci-Fi, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

7SEEDS 1 (Japanese) by Yumi Tamura: B+

May 11, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Book description:
The last thing Natsu remembers is going to sleep in her own bed. She awakes on a sinking ship in the company of three strangers, each with no memory of how they got there. After managing to reach a deserted island, the four need to overcome their differences and work together to find out about the inhospitable, strange island where nature appears totally out of balance. What happened? How did they get there? And will they be able to survive?

Review:
Yumi Tamura’s Basara is one of my favorite manga series, so I was really interested in reading 7SEEDS, a series she began in 2002.

The premise is an interesting one, though comparisons with the TV show Lost are probably inevitable. This first volume mainly covers the four castaways exploring the island, discovering that most living things—animal, plant, or insect—really really want to eat them, and being suspicious of one another.

The heroine of the piece is Natsu, and she’s a little annoying so far, as she’s very timid and seemingly unable to think for herself. There’s two guys—the nice Arashi and the not-nice Semimaru—who are both really afraid of bugs. My favorite character so far is the ruthlessly practical Botan, who seems to have more of an idea of what’s going on than any of the others.

Tamura does well with dramatic moments—the frequency of thunderstorms on the island helps to furnish ominous lightning as needed—and it’s never dull, though it’s pretty much just setup so far. The art is essentially unchanged from Basara and though Arashi looks a great deal like Shuri and Natsu like Kikune, they’re still distinct enough in expression that I don’t think one would confuse them. I really like how Botan is drawn; her competence just radiates.

I’m sure Basara wasn’t a hot seller for Viz, but I hope they or some other company will license 7SEEDS for American release someday. We need more good sci-fi shoujo!

Filed Under: Manga, Sci-Fi, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Boys Over Flowers 8 by Yoko Kamio: B

May 9, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Tsukasa wants Tsukushi and Rui expelled from Eitoku Academy, and he challenges them to a basketball showdown. Later, thanks to Tsukasa’s sister Tsubaki, Tsukushi and Rui are forced to spend a night together. But Rui confesses to Tsukushi that he is still unable to forget about Shizuka.

Review:
…

A basketball showdown?! The girl you love has “sliced [your] heart into ribbons” by smooching your friend, and you challenge them to a basketball showdown?! It turns out that it’s actually Tsubaki’s idea to settle the issue with sports and it’s Rui who suggests basketball, but it’s ridiculous nonetheless. Thankfully the participants realize this, and the game itself isn’t that bad.

Tsubaki has another brilliant idea later—let’s make the new couple who haven’t boffed yet spend the night in a room together! This stupid notion does lead to something good, as Rui admits to Tsukushi that he doesn’t really know how he feels about her and can’t forget Shizuka. Tsukasa, of course, thinks they did the deed.

So, I dunno. Some good things happened in this volume, but Tsubaki and her suggestions just inject a dose of dumb that I don’t particularly care for and make the moments worth getting excited over fewer and farther between.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Boys Over Flowers 7 by Yoko Kamio: A

May 8, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Upon Rui Hanazawa’s return from France, Tsukushi’s feelings for him also return. Together, they share a tender moment that is witnessed by Tsukasa. Tsukasa is consumed with rage and swears vengeance upon both of them in spite of the well-meaning interference by his recently arrived infamous older sister!

Review:
Ah, the wonderful angst. One really has to be in a certain mood when reading this series, I think, and allow oneself to be swept along in the story’s momentum. It’s really more affecting that way and greater than the sum of its parts.

I absolutely love the fallout from Tsukushi’s kiss with Rui. She realizes how much her actions have hurt Tsukasa, and is stricken with remorse, realizing too late how much his good opinion meant to her, now that she’s lost it. She tells herself Rui is the one she chose, but can’t help comparing the two of them and finds, on an awkward date, that she can’t loosen up and be herself around Rui. All of this is great.

What’s somewhat less great is the entrance of Tsukasa’s sister. As a character, I suppose I like her fine, but her propensity to wallop on her brother gets annoying. I get the impression it was supposed to be funny, but it fails. The volume also ends on a cliffhanger that I’m not sure will lead to something I’ll like—Tsukasa pledges to get Rui and Tsukushi expelled, but I’d much rather read passionate discussions between he and Tsukushi than about threats to her academic career.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,
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