NANA 6 by Ai Yazawa: A

August 3, 2008 by 1 Comment

This is the kind of stuff one just doesn’t spoil.

From the back cover:
Nana’s band Blast is taking off in a big way—from sold-out club dates to a record label waving a contract at them. But the Trapnest menace still lurks, stealing away everything she cares for. Trapnest took her boyfriend, and even though Ren is back in her life, his band still comes first. And now her trusty sidekick Hachi is being lured away by Trapnest bassist Takumi. But this time, Nana won’t give up without a fight!

Review:
There’s a lot of complicated emotional stuff going on in this volume, some of it explained and some left to the reader to interpret. The major issue at hand is how the others see Hachi and the way that Hachi sees herself.

Everyone learns that Hachi slept with Takumi, thanks to his casual admission. They all assume she must love him, because they can’t fathom her doing that otherwise. The boys defend her. Nana is initially shocked to see them together, but quickly begins rationalizing it. She even covers for him and doesn’t tell Hachi about some rude things he said about her. Still, it puts a wedge between them and she spends most of the volume staying with Ren.

Nobu, spurred by the situation with Takumi, confesses his love to Hachi. But he’s another one with an idealistic vision of her, and though she’s positive she’d be happier in the kind of relationship he could offer, she still can’t break free of Takumi. I was having trouble understanding why she’d do that, but something she thought later made it clear—it’s because Takumi is the only one who gets that she is not so pure and innocent. He knows exactly how empty she is inside.

This is all incredibly deep stuff! Even though the relationship with Takumi is trouble, I’m still fascinated to see one of the heroines go through such a dark journey. I want to see her come out of it and pursue something healthier. She admitted several volumes ago that she was kind of playing up the naïveté because she wanted Nana to like her; I’d like to see her dismiss that, too, and just be herself. That may be the only thing that’ll bring Nana home again.

I love that the plot is completely secondary to the emotional journey of the characters. I’m torn, though, ‘cos I want them to get their happy ending soon, and I highly doubt that is going to happen.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: , ,

NANA 5 by Ai Yazawa: A

August 1, 2008 by 1 Comment

From the back cover:
Nana K. is going home—for an awesome Trapnest concert! She drags Nana O. along, convinced that somehow Ren will sense his ex-flame in the audience. But life is never that easy, and Nana O. isn’t sure if she even wants Ren back. As for Nana K., is she prepared for Trapnest to come down off the stage and into her life, or will her fangirl attitude land her in a heap of trouble?

Review:
It’s rather hard to review this series without giving away all the plot developments, and they’re really too good to spoil. The volume picks up where the last left off, with the girls in the front row at the concert, Nana O. seeing Ren for the first time in years. I really like how things turn out with the two of them.

The latter half of the volume is Nana K.’s turn (I think I’m just going to start calling her Hachi, because everyone in the story does). She’s lost and making bad decisions, drawn to Nana’s glittering life because her own is such a mess. She’s mature enough to know that ultimately, her actions will lead her to feel pain, but she’s trying to live for the moment and put thoughts of tomorrow out of her head. I love how Yazawa is able to portray that she’s changed since we first met her, but do it in a subtle manner. She’s still got lots of issues and things to work out, but she’s not quite as naive as she sometimes pretends to be.

I continue to be madly in love with the technique of interposing real life images into the panels. My favorite is the use of some real office furniture at Hachi’s workplace. Simply seeing a real chair at her workstation makes it seem like there really could be a young woman like her out there someplace. I haven’t experienced anything like that with any other manga.

NANA manages to be entertaining, moving, realistic, and funny all while boasting some damned great art. This is not one to miss.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: , ,

Time Stranger Kyoko 1 by Arina Tanemura: B-

July 15, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been invited to contribute reviews to the Manga Recon section of PopCultureShock. This is my first review for them, and it was originally published here. Carlos Santos from ANN has also written a review of this title, and brings up some points left out of mine, so you may want to check his out, as well.

It’s the 30th century and all of the nations of Earth have united to form a single kingdom. The treasure of the people is their princess, Kyoko, but she’d rather attend school like a normal girl than fulfill any of her royal obligations. Her sixteenth birthday is approaching, however, and along with it the celebration at which Kyoko must finally appear before her subjects, putting an end to her incognito scholastic career.

Kyoko resigns herself to her fate, but her father offers her an alternative—if she can awaken her younger twin sister, who has been asleep since birth, and turn princess duties over to her, Kyoko can have her freedom. To do this, she must locate twelve godstones scattered around the planet and the twelve telepaths who can use them. When gathered, they can set into motion the giant clock upon which Princess Ui sleeps and use its power to awaken her.

I was pretty put off initially by the notion that Ui was to be awoken for the sole purpose of foisting princess duties upon her. Even though Kyoko intends to give her sister a choice in the matter, it’s still a thoroughly selfish aim. Quickly, though, Kyoko ends up revealing her identity anyway (to thwart a band of thieves who’re menacing her schoolmates) and her goal becomes simply meeting her sister.

Adventure ensues, with Kyoko gradually acquiring more powers and, eventually, locating the first of the telepaths. She’s often tempted to use her powers for selfish reasons, but usually ends up helping others in the end. Other hobbies include requiring rescue by her bodyguards and behaving irrationally.

There are some comedic elements to the story, though not all of them are a success. I giggled at the instructions for the issuance of a royal greeting (step 5: gesture flamboyantly!) and I like that Kyoko’s magic cane has a personality and dialogue, but I can’t stand the character of Chocola. She’s the King’s cat android pet, and I reckon I’m supposed to find her unbearably cute, but instead she just creeps me out.

As usual, Tanemura’s artwork features big eyes, lots of screentone, and a plethora of flowers. I was a little disappointed that she didn’t avail herself of the opportunity to draw the kirito—humans whose DNA has been combined with that of plants or animals—in a new and different style. Mostly, they just get things like pink hair or gold eyes. Kyoko herself has pointy ears, but no one has commented on them thus far, so I’m not sure if she’s supposed to a hybrid or not.

While I didn’t love this volume, I didn’t absolutely hate it, either. It’s true that neither the story nor the characters particularly engage me, but because the series is only three volumes long, it’s really not that much of a commitment to see it through to the end. I expect that I will do so.

As a final thought, I leave you with a topic: Arina Tanemura is the manga equivalent of Meg Cabot. Discuss.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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

I.O.N by Arina Tanemura: B-

July 10, 2008 by 5 Comments

From the back cover:
Ion Tsuburagi chants the letters of her first name as a charm to bring good luck when she needs it. Then she meets Mikado Hourai, the president of the Psychic Powers Research Society at school, and touches a mysterious substance he’s been developing. Now chanting ‘I-O-N’ gives her telekinetic powers!

Review:
I don’t normally comment on covers, but I.O.N has one of the prettiest I’ve seen. It’s all shades of green, blue, and purple, making Ion’s ginormous Ribon-issue brown eyes stand out. Her hair is blue on the cover, which prompts me to consider that I haven’t really encountered too many manga characters with oddly-colored hair (by which I mean impossible for a human and not merely improbable for a Japanese person). Maybe that’s more of an anime thing. In this case, I’m not sure whether Ion’s hair is truly supposed to be blue or if Tanemura is just having fun with the cover art. Either way, it’s purty.

Alas, it turns out the cover is really the best thing about this one-shot. Some of its problems are due to its length. Exposition gets crammed into dialogue where it doesn’t really belong, resulting in awkward sentences like, “I was wondering who that was, but what do you know, it’s Mikado Hourai, the President of the Psychic Power Research Society.” Emotional developments are also rushed, like when Ion declares that she might be falling for Hourai a mere 7 pages after meeting him.

The rest of the problems are due to the story itself, which just isn’t very cohesive. The nature of the plot is episodic, with Ion using her new-found powers to perform astonishing feats such as extinguishing fires, saving drowning kids from being struck by malicious logs, and protecting her romantic rival from a falling tree. Tanemura’s sidebars mention that her editors kept her in suspense regarding the ultimate length of the series, and it shows. She doesn’t really try to do anything substantive until the end, but even so, that mostly consists of Hourai being uncertain whether he likes Ion for herself or because she’s got psychic powers.

The artwork is typical of Tanemura’s style—lots of screentone, lots of flowers and stars—but as this is her first published manga volume, the result is a little less polished than in her later works. When seen from straight on, noses are just vertical lines and after I conceived of the notion that they looked like coin slots, I kept seeing them in the fashion. Pages do get a little overcrowded at times, but I didn’t have any problems following the story visually. I particularly like the character design for Tagosaku, who’s drawn in a different style from everyone else. The loyal henchman of the President of the Student Council, he’s essentially just a weird little dude who is used for comic relief throughout. I like him.

I.O.N is a decent read. It’s largely lacking in substance and purpose, but if one goes into it just expecting a magical girl fantasy, it’s not that bad. It might be better to procure it from a library, though, if one can.

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

Honey and Clover 2 by Chica Umino: A

July 8, 2008 by 6 Comments

From the back cover:
Love is never easy for our heroes. Takemoto is forced to confront his resentment of his stepfather and his own feelings of being cast adrift, while Mayama and Ayu flounder in their unrequited loves and Morita faces the prospect of being held back another year.

Review:
Reading Honey and Clover for me is similar to reading Sand Chronicles in that it induces a strong feeling of nostalgia. Rather than a protagonist looking back upon a series of memories, however, in this series Takemoto will often pause mid-experience and ponder how this wonderful moment with everyone together will one day be in the past, but how he knows he’ll remember it over and over. Maybe I’m just a sucker for that sort of reflective, bittersweet vibe, but I think it adds an extra layer of meaning to the story.

The scene to which Takemoto is chiefly referring is one of the best in the volume, where everyone ends up joining Hagu in an ultimately fruitless search for a four-leaf clover to give her beloved guardian (their favorite professor) who is going away on a trip. I also really enjoy the chapter where the characters are in a frenzy trying to get their graduation projects done on time, since it means we get to see them actually doing what they’re going to school for. And who doesn’t have some kind of parallel experience from their own college days?

The volume contains a couple of love confessions, too, as Mayama and Yamada each make their feelings known to the object of their affections. Yamada’s confession is especially moving, since Mayama bears it so calmly and just lets her get it all out. I think I’m a sucker for awesome unrequited love, too.

I also want to compliment a neat trick Umino used in the course of providing some back story for Mayama’s plight. Mayama’s in love with an older woman, Rika, who was a classmate of Hanamoto-sensei. As Hanamoto recounts the tale of how he became roommates with Rika’s now-deceased husband, we see three successive panels of said husband hailing Hanamoto first by his last name, then as Shûji, then as Shû. It’s a nifty little shorthand to chart the progress of their growing friendship.

In addition to the emotional moments, there are a lot of amusing ones as well. Umino’s art style in general is a big draw for me as I do enjoy Teh Cute. I know some object to how young Hagu looks but, really, there aren’t any pervy connotations regarding her at all. My one complaint is that I still don’t quite have a handle on her personality, but maybe that’s supposed to be the point. Hagu had a very isolated upbringing, so perhaps we’ll get to know her better as she continues to flourish in her new environment. I hope so.

Filed Under: Josei, Manga Tagged With: ,

Skip Beat! 13 by Yoshiki Nakamura: B+

July 4, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Ren’s acting test is about to begin, with his entire future hanging in the balance, and he’s managed to make his leading lady Itsumi mad at him. Rather than confront him directly, Itsumi decides to hit him where it hurts. Will she sabotage his test, or will Ren be able to get it together and use his legendary acting ability to lead her through the scene?

Review:
I like Ren and I like that his performance in this test makes Kyoko realize that he possibly doesn’t hate her after all, but the whole thing is quite silly. The reactions of the spectators crack me up, with multi-panel shots of everyone blushing or gasping simultaneously. I think the director even falls to his knees with squee at one point. It’s a little much.

Kyoko also doesn’t feel like her usual self this volume, since mostly she’s just watching from the sidelines. The most Kyoko-like thing she does is experience envy when Ren compliments his co-star, not because of random petty jealousy but because she wants to be good enough to receive such praise from him herself. It does seem that she may be starting to develop feelings for Ren, chiefly because she devotes a fair amount of effort to convincing herself she isn’t.

This isn’t my favorite volume of Skip Beat!, but it’s still a good read. Even when the situation they’re in is a bit goofy, I still like the characters enough to keep my snickering to a minimum.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Sand Chronicles 2 by Hinako Ashihara: A

June 28, 2008 by 3 Comments

From the back cover:
Just when Ann has adjusted to life in the countryside—and even has a boyfriend!—her father invites her to live with him in Tokyo. Now she must choose between a father she hardly knows and a young man she is just beginning to know. But she soon discovers that they aren’t the only ones vying for her affections!

Review:
In a recent post on his blog, David Welsh said, “It’s entirely possible that Hinako Ashihara’s Sand Chronicles is less a great graphic novel for teens than a great graphic novel for former teens who remember the pointed moments of awkwardness and uncertainty of that time of life.” I kept remembering that comment as I read this volume, and I think it’s very true.

There’s a definite sense of “this was once terribly important to me and I wanted it to last forever, but now it’s all just a memory” about it all. This is bolstered by the way the story is structured—like a series of recollections and snapshots in time, with the shortest interval between chapters so far being six months. It induces strong nostalgia in me for those days—the me I was, the things I did, the people I used to see every day—and I think a distance of some years from one’s adolescence is required for that kind of wistful retrospection to flourish.

As regards the story itself, I really love both chapters included in this volume. In the first, Ann must decide whether to remain in Shimane with Daigo and her friends or to return to Tokyo to live with her father. The depiction of her divided loyalties and struggle to decide is very well done and I was impressed by how much of an emotional response the conclusion to the chapter provoked in me. In the second, the love triangle that’s been developing since the first volume gets explored. I really like that neither of the boys involved is an easy shoujo stereotype. One is more reserved than the other, but there are no fiery hotheads involved.

Seriously, y’all. Read this manga.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: , ,

Love*Com 6 by Aya Nakahara: B+

June 8, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Ôtani acquires tickets to the Umibouzu concert and asks Risa to go with him. Could this be the answer to her dreams—their first date?! But as fate would have it, Ôtani gets sick the day before the concert. Concerned (about her friend and the date) Risa visits his sick bed and gets her first kiss! Or does she! Was it an accident? Does Ôtani even remember it?

Review:
This volume started and ended well, but the middle was annoying as heck. In the first chapter, Ôtani was sick and ended up smooching Risa in a fever daze. There was more to it than that, of course, like further discussion of his reaction to her confession. And at the very end, Ôtani was stirred into jealousy over Risa and led her away from another dude.

Said other dude, however, was incredibly annoying. New faculty member Maitake, who looked just like a dreamy guy from one of Risa’s dating sim video games, was creepy and cheesy. I honestly couldn’t tell whether he was nice and was purposefully attempting to help Risa and Ôtani out or whether he’s truly creepy and interested in one of his students. I reckon it’s the former, but I still didn’t like him much. Worse was how Risa became an utter moron in singing his praises.

While it’s true that Ôtani can be dense at times, I felt sorry for him again in this volume. Everyone portrayed him as the villain when he’s just this kind of clueless guy who keeps getting broadsided by the unexpected twists in Risa’s female brain. An example: Risa’s sad and Ôtani, told by everyone that it’s his fault, went to apologize because he wanted her to cheer up. Risa throws him for a loop by asking, “What’re you saying sorry for? For not remembering that you kissed me? Or did you mean you’re sorry, but you’re never ever going to be attracted to me in a million years, no matter what I do?” Poor guy! Of course he had no ready answer for that one.

Anyway, I ultimately liked how the volume ended and I hope that stupid Maitake either goes away soon or ceases to be someone that Risa focuses on to distract herself from Ôtani.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Love*Com 5 by Aya Nakahara: A-

June 8, 2008 by 1 Comment

From the back cover:
Heartbroken by Ôtani’s rejection, Risa decides to give up on ever getting together with him. But a chance encounter with her musical hero Umibouzu helps Risa get back in the fighting spirit. With a new surge of self-confidence, Risa is ready to go after Ôtani. He’ll never know what hit him.

Review:
I was pretty wary of the “chance encounter with her musical hero” because it conjured up awful images of some country singer or something playing himself on The Young and the Restless and dispensing life and love advice to, like, Nikki Newman in a bar. I bet that has happened at least once.

Anyway, it turned out to be better than I’d expected, which was a relief. This volume dealt with the aftermath of Risa’s love confession and all of her varied reactions to it: despondency, hope, discouragement, determination. It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, and I had to sympathize with Ôtani some, because she did spring some completely random things on him.

I did like that he realized that he had more fun with Risa than he did with his ex, a girl whom he’d formerly considered to personify his type. And, of course, the parts where he was being nice to Risa were my favorites; I understand the yelling bits are supposed to be part of their “comedy duo” routine, but I still am not fond of them.

Lastly, I appreciated the support provided by the friends of the parties involved, and that we got to see Ôtani and Risa talking things over separately with their respective best friends. 99% of the happenings occur in Risa’s head, so I enjoyed any chance to see what Ôtani was thinking in a given situation.

Love*Com may have its over the top moments, but more than any shoujo manga I’ve read where love confessions figure into the story, this is the one that really brings back feelings of what those days where like.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Skip Beat! 12 by Yoshiki Nakamura: A-

June 1, 2008 by 3 Comments

From the back cover:
Kyoko’s determination to help Ren continues as she lends a friendly ear—in her chicken suit. Ren opens up and confides in Chicken Bo, but is Kyoko really ready to deal with his lovelorn confession? To make matters worse, Ren’s been given an ultimatum by the LME president, and if he can’t act right by the end of the week, he’s out on his ear!

Review:
I think my brain was kind of fizzing out from Skip Beat! overload by the time I got to this volume, because while some of it was definitely great, I had to keep rereading other bits to make sure I understood what was happening.

This volume centers squarely on Ren and Kyoko, which I definitely appreciate. See, Ren is supposed to play someone who’s trying to suppress his feelings for a girl. And he is someone who’s trying to do the same. So, he invites Kyoko over to “rehearse,” with her playing the part of the girl, so that he can see what his own reactions would be in the situation and thus gain insight on his role. Except it all goes wonky and Ren kind of loses control at one point—which is awesome—and it probably is a very confusing experience for Kyoko overall. In fact, the next day, she’s basking in the sunlight, talking about starting fresh.

While all that is pretty fascinating, what I’m actually most curious about now is exactly why Ren is preventing himself from loving anyone. He’s made a few cryptic hints to why he can’t afford to have anyone precious “here” or “no matter where [he is].” So, like, is he dying or something? That would kind of be melodramatic, and I’d hope to see Nakamura think of something different, but it’s about my only guess at this point. Of course, see above re: fizzing.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,
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