Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind 3 by Hayao Miyazaki: A

October 2, 2008 by 1 Comment

From the back cover:
Humanity, in its hubris, has precipitated a devastating environmental disaster. Flourishing industrial civilizations have been swallowed up by the Sea of Corruption, an enormous forest of fungi that releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air. Nausicaä, a compassionate young princess, and her allies battle to heal a wounded world and its inhabitants…

Now Nausicaä embarks on an inner, spiritual journey to the very heart of the Sea of Corruption, where she discovers its surprising secret! Compelled to share her discovery, she returns to the land of the living. But then she accidentally awakens a God Warrior, a biotechnological abomination of the war known as the Seven Days of Fire, from its stasis. And now the monstrous, yet childlike, God Warrior thinks Nausicaä is its mother!

Review:
I have no idea what those last two sentences are on about, because that did not happen in this volume. What does happen is that the environmental threat comes to a head, bringing many epic scenes of noble insects on their way to sacrifice themselves to neutralize a man-made mutant mold. Nausicaä nearly loses hope then regains it, and winds up being worshipped by a people who’re universally reviled.

There isn’t as much political stuff this time around, but that must be in the next volume, because now that things have kind of settled on the environmental front the big problem that’s left is the two crazies in charge of the warring nations. As a result, Kushana doesn’t appear much, but when she does, she is a complete badass. Seriously. I was tempted to bust out a scanner at one point just to have evidence to support my claims.

One thing I wanted to point out specifically is how well Miyazaki conveys a character’s thoughts with just a glance. There’s one nice sequence where Nausicaä is standing in a section of purified forest, spores floating about her, and the focus shifts to her young male companion, who’s watching her with a small smile on his face. It’s obvious just from that how he feels about her.

There’s not a lot I can say about this that I haven’t already. It’s really, really good and I’m extremely happy that I heeded all the recommendations I read. I hope someone will heed mine!

Filed Under: Manga, Sci-Fi Tagged With:

DVD 1-2 by Kye Young Chon: A-

September 30, 2008 by Leave a Comment

DVD reminds me of some various and random things—Ai Yazawa’s NANA, the short-lived and cult favorite TV series Wonderfalls, and the pilot for the BBC show Being Human—while managing to be something fresh and original. It’s true that I have not read a great deal of manhwa, but DVD is the finest example of Korean comics craft that I have yet encountered.

DVD is the story of Ddam Shim, who has been dating handsome Sajang Min for three years, right up until he breaks up with her over dinner, saying there are certain things about her that he just can’t stand anymore. For instance, Ddam sees illusions, from clusters of grapes floating overheard to chatty cows on the train and rebellious shadows that get blown free in a windstorm and run off. She also seems to be incapable of feeling cold, and Sajang postulates that she might not be completely human.

Heartbroken Ddam decides to commit suicide and blows her remaining money on some pretty things for herself. On the tag for a bra she finds a phone number and, after some deliberation, calls it and makes arrangements to spend her last day on earth with that person. The number belongs to Venu, a very handsome guy with a boob fetish who believes his looks to be a handicap and aims to lead as pointless a life as possible. He makes his living by selling story ideas to novelists and manhwa-gas while his best friend DD—an uncouth punk with a thing for long eyelashes—is a DJ. They meet up with Ddam and, in short, begin to change her life.

Venu and DD are fun characters, and their relationship is entertaining. Even though they often engage in immature or violent behavior, they have some entirely random conversations that appeal to my love of the absurd, such as the best techniques for spitting and whether hairy feet would be useful in winter. I may disapprove of some of their actions, but they’re trying to cheer Ddam in their own inept way and that helps to balance their faults. Ddam is far from a cipher, but so far, she’s still numb from all that’s been happening and spends most of her time reacting to events around her.

I also really like the playful style in which the story is told. It lapses frequently into flashbacks, daydreams, Ddam’s illusions, and Venu’s stories, many of which are quite amusing. With some creators, such a juggling act might result in something incomprehensible, but Chon has a sure hand and keeps things on track. The mystery and evolution of Ddam’s illusions are particularly interesting—especially as they begin to involve real physical objects and become visible to others—and the second volume ends on a cliffhanger with a lot of intriguing possibilities.

The art style is pretty angular, with all of the main male characters possessing a set of heavy black eyebrows and everyone receiving highly slanted eyes and pointy chins. I’d swear that Sajang and Venu have nearly the same face, but their styles and expressions are so different that there’d be no chance of mistaking one for the other. DD is also particularly expressive, and I admire Chon’s skill in conveying his feelings and reactions so clearly.

So far, only two of DVD‘s eight volumes have been published in English. With DramaQueen’s currently uncertain status, a future for this title seems unlikely, which is truly a shame. Still, there’s a lot to like in the volumes we do have, and they’re worth a read, even if we’ll never know how it all turns out in the end.

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

Filed Under: Manhwa Tagged With:

Boys Over Flowers 18 by Yoko Kamio: B+

September 26, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
When the Makino family’s finances hit rock bottom yet again, they decide to move to the countryside so Tsukushi’s father can earn a living as a fisherman. Poor Tsukushi is left behind in their apartment to try her hand at independent living. A few guests stop by, one most unwelcome—Tsukasa’s mother! Tsukushi stands up to the domineering woman, effectively declaring war. Then a housewarming gift from the F4 wreaks havoc on the apartment, leaving Tsukushi homeless! Will anyone take her in?!

Review:.
It feels pretty weird to pass the end of the story I know from the anime and still have half of the series left. I suppose that’s not all that unusual—Fruits Basket and Kare Kano are in the same boat—but the Boys Over Flowers anime was twice the length the others were, and still didn’t cover everything. I must say, I much prefer how things ended with the Shigeru situation in the manga; the end of the anime was pretty silly as well as rushed and unsatisfying.

The plot continues to be entertaining, though sometimes stretches the limits of plausibility just a little too much. I’m not sure how I feel about Tsukushi working as a maid in the Doumyouji mansion. On the one hand, I’ve heard that these next ten volumes or so are someone’s very favorite, and on the other, it just screams “shoujo trope” to me. Tsukasa is also being dense about what she’s doing there, and that annoys me, too.

I really liked Rui and Tsubaki in this volume. There’s a great scene where Rui and Tsukushi are heading home after spending the night at Shigeru’s villa. She’s lost in thought, so he has fun poking her face and fixing her hair in silly pigtails and stuff. I guess Tsubaki didn’t really do anything particularly awesome, but she did tell the story of her lost love that was hinted at in a recent volume, which I appreciated.

It’s strange not knowing what’s coming; I hope I like it.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Boys Over Flowers 17 by Yoko Kamio: A-

September 25, 2008 by 1 Comment

From the back cover:
Tsukushi and Tsukasa get some quiet time together after they escape the mess of his birthday party, but this quiet can’t last for long. Tsukasa’s feelings for Tsukushi have at long last been made clear, but Tsukushi is more confused than ever about her feelings for him. Meanwhile, Tsukasa’s domineering mother, Kaede, is brewing up plans to keep them apart forever, and she might have found just the thing to do it when she introduces him to his new fiancée!

Review:
Lots of interesting things happened in this volume. Essentially, Tsukushi encouraged Tsukasa to go for it with Shigeru—who was offering on a silver platter everything Tsukushi had denied him, saying, “I can fall in love with you if you want”—and he was so peeved at her he actually did it.

I loved seeing Tsukushi’s hurt reactions to witnessing them together, and was significantly weirded out (in a good way) by the scene where he kissed the other girl. In other romantic rival plots I’ve read, the male lead never seems to actually go that far though, to be fair, he only did it once Shigeru bullied him into it.

The best thing about the relationship, though, was that it provided Tsukasa some room for growth. Although he could’ve easily taken advantage of Shigeru, he didn’t. That’s not really anything new for him, true, but it showed him in a good light nonetheless. The truly significant outcome was when he told her she just wasn’t the one, he was actually able to apologize (something he has had issues with in the past) and seemed to have true sympathy for her pain. Progress!

I also really loved the scenes between Tsukushi and Rui in this volume. Although some latent attraction might still exist, they acted more like friends, with Rui coming to her aid and helping her to relax and laugh amid tense situations. She said, “I no longer feel tortured and frustrated anymore, when I’m with him. Even if my feelings for him can no longer be called love… I think I’ll always like Rui Hanazawa.” Aww.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Short Program 2 by Mitsuru Adachi: B+

September 23, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Love and life are programmed in
* Is the life of a cute, young private detective on the line?
* Can love be found only half-way down the line?
* Will life change in a coffee shop?
* How can an earthquake shake up a relationship?
* Is destiny all it’s cracked up to be for a baseball loser?
* Will a playwright balance loyalty against love?
* Was it really that great in the good ole’ days?
* Can a manga artist watch baseball and meet deadlines?

Review:
Eee! I got to read this without spending $60+ on it! Thank you WorldCat!

I didn’t enjoy this collection quite as much as the first. I think the primary reasons were that many of the stories were really short and also that many of them featured baseball. I know Adachi is a big fan, but it kind of got to the point where I’d groan inwardly if the title page for the next story featured a kid in a baseball cap.

My two favorite stories had nothing to do with baseball. The first, “Spring Passes,” tells the story of a guy who had been persuaded to give a friend a lift on his motorcycle and then had a wreck. There was more to it than that, and though it was kind of predictable, I still liked its melancholy feel.

The other I particularly liked was called “The Road Home” and was told in two parts, each featuring a little boy that found himself whisked to another time, one forward and one back. I especially liked that the first half had no real resolution, and I think that’s kind of what I liked most about “Spring Passes,” too. The romantic comedy ones were cute with their nice endings, but the ones that really stood out did not take such well-trod paths.

Ultimately, I would like to own a copy of this for myself, but now that I’ve read it I will be able to hold out for the reasonable price that surely will present itself one of these days.

Filed Under: Josei, Manga, Seinen, Short Stories, Shounen Tagged With: ,

Case Closed 25 by Gosho Aoyama: B

September 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I’d never just jumped into the middle of a series before, but the nature of Case Closed made it an entirely painless process. The “case briefing” laid out the basic premise (including a helpful list of detecting equipment), and it was pretty easy to grasp the essential relationships between the characters. Coming in at the beginning of a murder mystery at a skating rink also meant that I wasn’t totally lost story-wise.

There are two complete cases in this volume, each featuring a slightly different cast of supporting characters. I found it impossible to venture a guess at the culprits, since at least one murder method was insanely convoluted, but was entertained nonetheless. The way Jimmy had of attributing the solutions to an adult detective was slightly silly, but I did enjoy it when he’d be forced to feign childish exuberance over some random thing in order to bring about the discovery of a crucial bit of evidence.

In the final two chapters, Jimmy and some friends were more concerned with escaping criminals rather than apprehending them, and in the course of events, Jimmy was seriously injured. The volume ended on a cliffhanger, but with thirty or so more volumes of this series left to go, even I know enough not to be worried.

I definitely enjoyed what I read here and am intrigued enough that I have already made plans to acquire the first volume so I can try reading this series from the beginning.

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

Filed Under: Manga, Mystery, Shounen Tagged With:

Wanted by Matsuri Hino: C+

September 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment

In the late seventeenth century, orphaned Armeria sings with a traveling musical troupe. Luce, the nephew of the wealthy governor at whose estate she is performing, is the first aristocrat to treat her kindly, and when he is subsequently captured by pirates, the young girl resolves to find and rescue him. Eight years later, Armeria has finally found the ship of the pirate responsible and, disguising herself as a boy, ventures aboard to find out what has become of her first love.

If you’re reminded of the plot of The Princess Bride, then you should be, because there are some similarities. Wanted is a far less coherent and satisfying story, however. It’s more like a series of vignettes—the one with the navy, the one with the map to a rare musical score—than anything else, and cuts off with disappointing abruptness.

It definitely has some good points: secrets that would normally be used to prolong angst are revealed early on, there are some genuinely fun moments, and the deckhands are pretty entertaining. On the negative side, Skulls is fond of nearly ravishing Armeria and tells her she’s useless far too often for my liking. The fact that she often proves him right by constantly requiring rescue just makes things worse.

As a final note, the bonus story at the end should be avoided at all costs; it manages to be confusing and dull simultaneously, which is not a winning combination.

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

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE 18 by CLAMP: B+

September 21, 2008 by 8 Comments

There be spoilers here.

From the back cover:
In the world of Infinity, Princess Sakura has become a Chess Master and the other travelers are her pieces. But the Mafia is running the game, and they don’t care if Sakura’s opponents break the rules or murder Sakura’s companions! Why is Sakura so determined to risk everything?

Review:
Although many an awesome thing transpired in the X version of Tokyo, I was ready for a change of scene and so was glad when the team finally shifted away from there. Before leaving, though, they received more information from Yuuko on the situation with Fei-Wang Reed, including what he is trying to accomplish. There was also a sliver of a hint as to how Watanuki will play into all this. So, not really answers, per se, but definite progress.

What occured in the next world was mostly setup. Having seen the devastation caused by Syaoran in his search for her feathers, Sakura decided to enter a competition with a monetary prize that could be used to help rebuild the country he ravaged. Most of the rest of the volume consisted of the guys fighting various opponents and Sakura freaking out over all the similarities between the new Syaoran and the one she grew up with. I thought it was nice that she and Fai seemed to be even closer these days, and that the similar way they have of bearing pain with a smile was pointed out (by Kurogane, of course).

The new Syaoran had angst of his own, seeming to have fallen in love with Sakura while seeing her through the clone’s eyes. There was one particularly great sequence where she stumbled and he caught her, followed by each of them retracting their hands from the other, she quickly and he more regretfully. Describing it like this, I suppose it sounds like some lame harem gimmick, but really, it was quite sad and awkward.

Finally, I liked how, though everyone was trying to proceed as they did before all of the heavy revelations, it was clear that none of them really was the same person they were when they started out. I’d be happy if the series continued on with this new mix of adventure and darkness.

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

Bleach 24 by Tite Kubo: B-

September 21, 2008 by 5 Comments

From the back cover:
Ichigo and the Soul Reapers wage a furious battle against the Arrancars who are attacking Karakura Town. But this enemy is unlike anything they have ever fought before, and these aren’t even the strongest of the Arrancars! If Ichigo and his friends can barely face them, how can they hope to fight off the elite Arrancar warriors, the dreaded Espada?

Review:
Despite leaving me confused in several places, this volume was an improvement over the previous one.

When last we left off, several of the Soul Reapers were fighting Arrancars, and most of this volume dealt with the conclusions of those battles. The fight scenes were not as clear as usual, and there were several times that I couldn’t quite understand what was going on, aside from someone getting wounded somehow. There were also seemingly too many Rukias running around. I assume that would make sense if I remembered more of what happened in the previous volume.

Things only became somewhat cool to me when more of the Arrancar hierarchy was revealed. Yes, it’s silly that the top ten of them are numbered in terms of descending power rank (and have the numbers on their bodies), but at least it provides some idea of structure for the foes to vanquish. I’m still pretty unclear on all the Arrancar and Vizard stuff, but guys with numbers on them I can understand. Speaking of Vizards, another potentially cool thing is that Ichigo seemed to be on the verge of asking them for help in controlling his inner Hollow.

Random note: I am amused when combatants are miraculously able to hold in all the blood from their unseen wounds until their opponent has fallen, at which point they suddenly go “SPLAKK!” and spurt from dozens of places.

I was prepared to drop this series if I disliked this volume as much as the last, but it was decent enough to buy a little more time.

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

Short Program by Mitsuru Adachi: A-

September 21, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
The comic-book short story is one of the most difficult areas of storytelling, but Adachi handles the challenge with deceptive ease. His low-key approach belies the power of the emotions his characters portray. The resolution of Adachi’s stories are logical, dramatic, true-to-life, and completely unpredictable.

Span the range of human relationships in eight acts!
* Who’s the little guy who’s always getting into scraps?
* Is there a reason the track star is setting the bar higher?
* Is the nice guy across the way as nice as he seems?
* Will the detective track down his dream girl?
* She passes him every day on the street. Can he meet her?
* It’s the school reunion—are the old flames dead?
* How does the repairman compare to the heartthrob?
* Is the solution to gang rivalries worse than the problem?

Review:
This was my first time reading any Mitsuru Adachi, and I enjoyed the experience. I liked every story in the collection, though some more than others. Most had to do with romance in some fashion, some in a straightforward way where a couple got together at the end, and others in ways that subverted the reader’s expectations. I tended to prefer the latter variety.

My favorite story was one that seemed like it was involving romance—a boy and girl were out on a date at an amusement park and were having a conversation while on various rides. Their apartments faced each other across the street, and she thanked him for a few occasions where he was able to help her due to looking out of his window at just the right time. It totally did not end how I expected it to, and was quite awesome.

Another favorite was a story about a track star who kept setting her high jump goal higher to correspond with the height of the guy she liked. Instead of the story being told from her perspective, it featured said guy and his friend sitting in an apartment watching her in a televised event and figuring out how she felt about him.

About the only thing I didn’t like was the tendency of the stories to break the fourth wall. Adachi appeared in a couple of stories to make random comments, his name was mentioned by a character once, and a couple of other characters referenced the fact that they were in a manga. I really don’t find that kind of thing cute or funny.

Through the majesty of interlibrary loans, I have managed to acquire a copy of the elusive Short Program 2, which I’ll be reviewing in the next couple of days. Though a third compilation was released in Japan, it has, alas, never been licensed for North American distribution.

Filed Under: Manga, Seinen, Short Stories, Shoujo, Shounen Tagged With: ,
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