Nearly seven years after it began, the English edition of Hikaru no Go has finally reached the final volume. I was originally both curious and skeptical about the final arc of the series, in which Hikaru and long-time rival Akira Toya represent Japan in the first Hokuto Cup (against China and Korea), but this was mostly because I’d liked where the anime chose to bring the … [Read more...] about Hikaru no Go 21-23 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
Takeshi Obata
Tidbits: Shonen Jumpin’ Jehosaphat
Sometimes I just crave some shounen manga! Here, then, are a few short reviews of some shounen I have lately read: the third volume of Bakuman。, the 31st through 34th of Bleach, the second of Genkaku Picasso, and the thirteenth through fifteenth of Slam Dunk. All are fairly recent releases and all published under VIZ's Shonen Jump imprint; Bakuman。 and Genkaku Picasso also have … [Read more...] about Tidbits: Shonen Jumpin’ Jehosaphat
Bakuman。 2 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata: B+
From the back cover: Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world? After Moritaka and Akito collaborate on a manga together, they venture to publishing house … [Read more...] about Bakuman。 2 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata: B+
Bakuman。1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata: B+
Moritaka Mashiro is bored. For his fourteen years of life he’s merely gone along with the flow, a path which is destined to end with him becoming a normal white-collar worker. He doesn’t want this, but sees no alternative until Akito Takagi, the top student in class, notices Moritaka’s artistic skills and proposes that the two team up to create a manga. Moritaka is resistant at … [Read more...] about Bakuman。1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata: B+
Let’s Get Visual: Warm-Up Exercises
MICHELLE: Welcome to a brand-new Feature here at Soliloquy in Blue: Let's Get Visual! Each month, Manga Bookshelf's MJ and I will select a page or sequence of pages from our recent manga reads that we find intriguing and attempt to develop our visual-critiquing muscles by sharing our thoughts about it. Neither of us is particularly adept at this, but it's our hope that by a … [Read more...] about Let’s Get Visual: Warm-Up Exercises