Anime Review: Moyashimon

As a Christmas present to my readers (all three of them), I’m reviewing and recommending my end-of-year favorite anime, Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture….





College freshman Tadayasu Sawaki has a secret: ever since he was a child, he has been able to see microbes (tiny microorganisms like bacteria, algae, protozoa, and fungi) without the use of a microscope. Furthermore, they appear to him not as weird single-cell organisms, but as cartoonish little creatures the size of a pencil eraser. When he arrives at a large agricultural university on the outskirts of Tokyo along with his buddy Kei, Sawaki’s unique abilities quickly amaze two of the university’s staff: kindly old microbiologist Dr. Istuki, a friend with Sawaki’s grandfather who’s been looking forward to meeting the exceptional young man for years, and the brash grad student Ms Hasagawa, who in her amazement forces the reluctant Sawaki to identify tray after tray of microbes for her. When Istuki and Hasagawa ask Sawaki to be their research assistant, Sawaki is soon dealing with a whole bunch of bacteria-related incidents and predicaments – from illegal sake-brewing to aphrodisiacs to (ugh) fermented seal carcasses.

It goes without saying that this is probably one of the oddest premises for a series I’ve come across in a long time; it was originally described to me as “college student can see microbes without a microscope, hijinks ensue”, and that matched my first impression of the series. But as I watched, I became impressed with Mayoshimon’s scope and its sheer cleverness; it’s less about adorable little microbes and much more about science, giving viewers both laughs and an easy-to-swallow lesson in basic biology. That’s not to say that Mayoshimon is something you’re gonna want to show in 8th Science class – there’s a few flashes of adult humor, and the genuine offbeat subject matter is hardly gonna attract Naruto or Kare Kano fans. Still, unlike other idiosyncratic series (ala Welcome to the NHK or Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), there’s little dark humor to be found; Mayoshimon instead relies on relaxed humor, realistic interactions between characters, and a convivial slice-of-life feel to temper it’s outlandishness.

For those who can get around its unlikely premise, Mayoshimon is a real pleasure; Random House publishing imprint Del Ray agrees, because they’ll be releasing the manga for North American audiences in 2009.

11 Mini Anime Reviews

What up anidorks? Unfortunately, real life continues to get in the way of me being able to post on a regular basis. I was able to post more often when I had downtime at work, but lately my job has been crazy (more work, less staff) so I don’t really have time write 500+ words about butler anime. Likewise, when I’m at home I’m usually interacting with real, non-animated people that don’t speak Japanese (i.e. my girlfriend).

That having been said, I still find time to watch a fair amount of comedy anime – particularly now that I’ve figured out how to burn my downloaded episodes onto DVD (thanks to Laura S. and her recommendation of Roxio). And what’s on ‘em, dare you ask?

• Shuffle (Took a long time to download….and not as good as I remembered. Rout faux-sensitive harem comedy even a devoted harem comedy dork can miss.)
  
• School Days (Keen love triangle/comedy/slice-of-life/horror series ruined by its preposterous amount of panty shots; sweet baby Jesus, enough with the upskirts! From what I gather, the sensitive treatment of first love and heartbreak soon turns to slasher horror, so I’m interested to see this series progress.)
  
• They Are My Noble Masters (Slightly raunchy butler comedy. It was originally an eroge game, so you can guess how it goes. Once you can get past its inherent hentai elements it turns out to be an amusing series.)


• Hayate the Combat Butler (Wholesome butler comedy. I didn’t really care for it, but it’s clear that the series is geared to a younger crowd; because of that, I may try to show this in my Anime Club.)
  
• Zebu Sayonara Zebutsuo Sensei (Alternate version of Sayonara Zebutsuo Sensei…it’s, well, ok. Not perceivably different than the regular series, but maybe I need to watch more.)
  
• Rosario Vampire (Average horror comedy: normal guy gets stuck at a high school for monsters – some fearsome, some sexy. I had considered reviewing this series at one point, but it proved to be rather formulaic after a few viewings)
  
• Master Magician Negi (Another Ken Akumatsu harem comedy. I may do a review of this in the future, if only to review all of his series. This one ups the harem quotient by having one guy and 30 women, so the obvious outlandishness of the formula has got me intrigued.)


• Mahoraba Heartfelt Days (pleasantly innocent “wacky apartment building”-style comedy series along the lines of Maison Ikkokou. Nothing amazing, but it’s sweet, low-stress vibe is appealing. Like Negi, I may review this in the future when I’ve completed the series.)
  
• Tonagara (zany and ecchi comedy…teenage girl finds out her childhood crush is now a gross oversexed dork, i.e. your typical teenage boy. The “will they or won’t they?” tone is funny at first but the humor doesn’t hold up.)


• Moyashimon (Bizarre microbe science comedy, and remarkably good. I plan to review this one soon.)
  
• Toradora (My current favorite, this newer series – still being shown in Japan – is based on a series of light novels I’ve started reading as well. 2 high school classmates discover they have crushes on each other’s best friends, but their vow to help each other out has unintended consequences. Like Moyashimon, this one is going to be reviewed before long)

One of the joys I’ve found with watching a variety of individual episodes of different series at once is that I can avoid the burnout that I get watching the same series from beginning to end. Likewise, many series are better in small, occasional doses as opposed to heaping helpings. The one downside is that instead of having 1 or 2 awful J-Pop themes songs stuck in your heard, you have 4 or 5. Lord.



Anyway, I just put in an order for Persona 4, a new PS2 JRPG with an anime/dating-sim twist. I’ve been hoping to include reviews of anime-themed games here at Otaku Public Library, so perhaps this will be the first one. We’ll see. A few weeks back, I tried playing Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked but the gameplay was poor and the plot was incomprehensible….so no review of that. I’m actually debating the purchase of either an Xbox 360 or a PS3, a decision which is hinging on the number of anime-themed games available for the specific systems: the Xbox 360 has Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, whereas the PS3 has the appealing Valkyria Chronicles, and both have Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. Still, with so few games available for either system, it’s looking like I’m just going to wait for them to either come down in price or release more anime-themed games; in the meantime, I think I’m just gonna grab a $150 Nintendo DS so I can play Bleach: Blade of Fate…

Random Anime/Manga Term #239: Hikikomori

Hey y'all. I'm overdue for an update, so I'm posting the text and picture from a handout I've created for my Anime/Manga club describing the ever-popular hikikomori. It's pretty basic and probably familiar territory for some readers, so for that I apologize....

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Random Anime/Manga Term #239: Hikikomori

Meaning “to pull away” or “to be confined”, a hikikomori is someone that has decided to isolate themselves away from others and refuse all social interaction. The cause of the condition is unknown, but it seems that the intense social pressures of Japanese society - a very rigorous but boring school system, rigid rules of public behavior, and the typical challenges young people face when they’re transitioning into adulthood – can often prove so overwhelming to some that isolation is preferable.

Most hikikomori are in their teens and early twenties, and almost all seem to be men. A stereotypical hikikomori never leaves their apartment (or if they live with their parents, their bedroom), aside from going on late-night runs to the convenience store for food. They spend their time sleeping, watching TV, reading, or on the computer (Hey, that doesn’t sound half-bad! D) and survive on handouts from their family.

One of the most notable hikikomori in anima/manga is the title character of The Wallflower, Sunako. Those of you who dig the Peach-Pit body of work may be familiar with Rozen Maiden and Jun, it’s hikikomori protagonist; Welcome to the NHK also has a hikikomori protagonist, Sato.

You probably won’t see a hikikomori nearly as much as you’ll see a tsundere character (remember her?) in the manga you read and the anime you watch, but keep an eye open for him….they’re controversial folks in Japan, so manga artists and anime creators have definitely included them in their work.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori

NY Anime Fest – Friday Sept 26th

Once again, I was fortunate to attend the New York Anime Fest for free as a “professional”….sweet. Unfortunately, I was stuck with work and personal obligations so I was only able to attend on Friday, the opening day, and only for 4 hours at that. Still, I had a blast taking in screenings (Lucky Star), attending panels (“How to Make in Anime Journalism”…hey, a guy can dream right?), and of course, shopping for Bleach crap while gawking at the cosplay crowd.

I had trouble getting into Lucky Star the first time I saw it, so I figured I’d give it a second try at the 2:45 screening (it was either that or the Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow movie…which appeared to be completely unattended, hahaha). Like the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, I’d heard the hype about Lucky Star but it just didn’t match up to my expectations; it struck me as being a less whimsical, more self-aware and chatty version of Azumanga Diaoh populated by 4 Ayumi “Osaka” Kasugas – a loosely-plotted, character-driven comedy “show about nothing”, ala Seinfeld.

I definitely liked the looseness and goofiness of Lucky Star, but the jokes never really seem to connect; it just devolves into a lot of shaggy-dog stories about food and homework. Still, I do have to give it credit for its deadpan humor and self-deprecating jabs at otaku culture; maybe more episodes would change my mind.

The panel on anime journalism was enlightening, but the basic advice of humility, hard work, and professionalism wasn’t a whole lot different than the advice most aspiring writers are given. The basic message I got? To (badly) paraphrase AC/DC, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to be paid money write about Japanese cartoons”.

In terms of cosplay, the many, many characters of Naruto made a strong showing, but number of folks dressed as Bleach shinigami was pretty impressive too. Loligoths, maids, and Haruhis were in abundance (as to be expected), and I noticed that several folks were done up in Gurren Lagann gear; in fact, FUNamation promoted the series with some cosplay cheesecake. However, the highlight for me was one creative guy dressed as the title character from my personal fav-rave, Sayonara Zebutseuo Sensei! Nice work, dude. I tried taking a few photos with my cell phone of various cosplayers but the results were blurry and pitiful….

In any event, I was going to include pictures and descriptions of all my purchases, but I think that’s better off in a separate post; for those of you dying to see the Rukia figurines and Full Metal Panic DVDs I purchased, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until next week….

Manga Review: Kekkaishi v. 1 (w/ bonus mini-Manga Review: Othello, v. 1 + 2)

Today I’m taking a look at two works from different ends of the spectrum: the “uber shonen”-style Kekkaishi and the winsome shojo Othello. First, Kekkaishi...

Although Yoshimori has inherited the power and abilities of his family’s demon-hunting art, he’s reluctant to truly commit himself to his duty of carrying on the family business of protecting the community…until his neighbor (and crush/childhood friend), rival demon-hunter Tokine is seriously injured by his inattention and half-heartedness. 5 years later on, Yoshimori is far more committed - but his stubbornness, uncontrollable sweet-tooth, and unabated crush on Tokine are still causing problems. As their local high school/junior high is the magnet for all sorts of ghouls, ghosts, and goblins, Yoshimori and Tokine (along with their spectral canine sidekicks, Madarao and Hakubi) have to learn to stop butting heads and instead team up to fight the endless array of evil spirits threatening their school.

Kekkaishi is prime example of the current shonen style of manga: an excitable, impetuous young hero who’s enormously talented (but stubborn and sort of lazy) has to hunt down rouge spirits and angry demons with the help of a loyal but wise-cracking sidekick; some readers out there will probably recognize this as being the exact plot as Bleach. The “excitable but lazy young guy” has long been a stock manga hero, but “demon-hunting” heroes seem to be especially popular these days; in fact, I’d say it’s replaced the Dragonball Z-style “ultimate fighter”/brawl as the shonen formula de jour (The “supernatural” has long had long been a popular topic in Japanese culture, and an astute anime/manga buff can observe it has provided the base of a wide range of current manga and anime – see XXXholic, Princess Resurrection, Hell Girl, Vampire Rosario, etc).

Still, formulaic as Kekkaishi is, there are some redeeming qualities. The occasional use of traditional Japanese ukiyo-e “ghost pictures” is a nice contrast to the sturdy, simple artwork that makes up most of the manga. The clan rivalry between Yoshimori’s and Tokine’s families harks back to old samurai traditions, but it’s cleverly played for humor: the “rival clans” act more like argumentative neighbors fighting over lawn clippings rather than inheritors of a proud warrior culture.

Although it’s not breaking any new ground, Kekkaishi at least succeeds in being a straight-forward and accessible take on the current shonen formula; older readers will have probably seen it all before, but younger ones will eat it up.
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I also wanted to mention Othello…yes, the Shakespeare classic. Haha. Naw, by Othello I mean Satomi Ikezawa’s shojo manga, named for the board game Othello. Longtime readers know I usually steer clear of the shojo stuff (those huge, glistening eyes just creep me out, honestly), but a chance reading of vols 1 and 2 reveled Othello to be an entertaining take on the old Jekyll and Hyde formula: Yaya is a quiet, shy, bullied high school girl who occasionally transforms into Nana, a flamboyant, bad-ass rocker chick that’s prone to acting on Yaya’s repressed yearnings…specifically, enacting revenge on Yaya’s cruel classmates and boldly flirting with Moriyama, the handsome musician Yaya’s been quietly crushing on.

With a tight, plot-driven structure, Othello lacks the complex social/romantic structure of many shojo manga, and focuses more on purely Japanese growing pains – bullying, Loligoth cosplay, J-Rock, and a still-traditional relation between the sexes. The artwork also tends toward realism, i.e. no over the top bishonen/bishojo, chibi sidekicks, or overly cutesy characters. Both of these factors will make Othello attractive to older or occasional manga readers – guys too.

Excuses, Excuses....

Yes, it’s been over a month since my last update, and I might as well apologize now for not having posted a review for such a long time. My excuse? Well, I moved in with my girlfriend a few weeks ago, so that has been sucking up a huge part of my free time and prevented me from being able to read or watch much in the way of “modern Japanese visual culture”; in fact, I’ve got Mushi-shi and Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad DVDs gathering dust on top of the TV and Excel Saga, Kekaishi, Dororo and The Wallflower at the bottom of my bookbag accruing overdue fines.

So Gomennasai (ごめんなさい｡) everyone….I will return to my normal schedule (i.e. still irregular but more frequent) of posting before long - I’ll be taking a look at a couple of the afore-mentioned series and coming back with news from the New York AnimeFest in a few weeks to boot.

Until then, enjoy this creepy cosplay picture. Yikes…..

ANIME REVIEW - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Like most teens, high school freshman Kyon is trying to make peace with what he believes is a profoundly dull existence. When his attractive but eccentric classmate Haruhi announces to their class that she “only wants to meet espers (psychics), aliens, and future men”, Kyon’s teasing convinces the strong-willed and haughty Haruhi to form her own club devoted to finding the afore-mentioned psychics, aliens, and time travelers – and Kyon is to be her first member, willing or not! Haruhi’s forcefulness soon finds the pair an unused club room, and Haruhi soon recruits/strong-arms 3 other classmates into joining the “SOS Brigade”: the quiet, bookish Yuki, handsome and easy going Koizumi, and the sweet but timid Mikuru. Despite Haruhi’s demanding personality, all seems fine…until the 3 new members privately reveal to Kyon that they are, in fact, either an alien (Yuki), a psychic (Koizumi), or a time traveler (Mikaru). Furthermore, they have all been sent to monitor Haruhi – who they believe has the unconscious ability to alter reality and the fabric of time and space itself! The only way to prevent serious damage to the universe is to keep Haruhi entertained and to go along with her whims…but can the cynical Kyon keep up the façade?

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Judging from the both the number of Haruhi Suzumiya cosplayers and MoHS-related merchandise I’ve seen, I was well aware of the MoHS phenomena going in; and when Koizumi, Yuki, and Mikaru each revealed the nature of Haruhi’s powers, I began to look forward to the idea that the series was going to a weird philosophical turn. Unfortunately, this plot element is never really resolved; it’s left as a red herring, and is only occasionally referenced later. And what does happen in the series is, well, a little lame: Haruhi cons a computer off the school computer club! Haruhi solves a (fake) murder! Haruhi makes the club join a baseball tournament! Haruhi dresses in a bunny-girl costume and plays rock n’ roll at the school fair! Golly!

This is all entertaining and charming, but its rote - nothing that hasn’t been done in any number of high-school comedy anime series. MoHS definitely has flash, great art, and likeable characters, but there’s just not a lot of substance – at least, not enough to deserve all the hype it’s gotten. The interesting ideas and plot twists you encounter early on don’t amount to anything; it’s as if the original scriptwriters quit in the middle of the series and were replaced by “high school high-jinks” hacks.

Still, this series has one highly redeeming quality: Haruhi. The fact that she’s actually a strong, attractive, assertive, and smart female lead character that isn’t stuck doing panty-shots the whole series is a refreshing change; I can understand why so many female anime fans are fond of her. I wouldn’t call this a feminist anime (Haruhi’s “forced cosplay” with Mikaru borders on molestation), but the sex jokes are practically non-existent, the female characters are multi-dimensional and not treated like objects, and the male characters (well, Kyon and Koizumi) are thoughtful, sensitive, and obliging; even the cheesecake shots of Yuki, Mikaru, and Haruhi are tastefully done.

To sum it up, MoHS is a big letdown in terms of plot, but enjoyable if you just focus on the characters. I still think there are far better series out there under the radar (cough cough Welcome to the NHK cough Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei cough cough) but MoHS has a charm all it’s own.

Manga Review – Pumpkin Scissors Vo1 1 and 2 by Iwanaga Ryotaro

Although the terrible war between the Empire and the Republic of Frost has ended, the war’s horrors remain – destruction, disease, hunger, crime, and corruption. In an attempt to try and remedy some of the situation, the Imperial Army has created State Section III (aka “Pumpkin Scissors” for its ability to “snip” through the thick “pumpkin shell” of corruption and desperation) to combat banditry and aid in the relief and reconstruction of the Empire. But with little respect and even less funding, Pumpkin Scissors - and it’s proud but strident field commander 2nd Lt Alice L. Malvin – have their hands full combating the crime and deprivation that plagues the Imperial countryside. When the platoon receives assistance from a kindly but mysterious ex-solider named Randel Orland, they’re shocked to find out that the “gentle giant” they befriended is actually a former member of a secret tank-killing brigade - and a deadly and unstoppable killing machine in his own right. With Randel at their side, Pumpkin Scissors must confront angry civilians, bent politicians, and thuggish ex-soldiers, and a secret and bloodthirsty military organization known only as the “Invisible 9” - who may hold the key to Randel’s mysterious past….

Similar to the classic Patlabor series in it’s “bad division” formula (i.e. a misunderstood and unpopular brigade of talented eccentrics use their skill and bravery to slowly win the respect and admiration of friend and foe alike), PS wins points for it’s setting and characterizations; Iwanaga creatively choose to set the series in a fictional version of 1930’s Europe (albeit with slight Japanese social overtones), with the resulting technology of the day – without wireless radios, jets, or submachine guns, the action is a gritty mix of tanks, rifles, and sheer guts. Iwanaga also uses humor to good degree; with the exception of Randel, the personal of Pumpkin Scissors are obviously pencil-pushers unsuited to the stress of actual combat. The art is a little rough at first but soon improves to a style that’s both cartoonish and sharp, and the action scenes are exciting and well-rendered.

All in all, Pumpkin Scissors is a well-done and straightforward action series with elements of humor and political intrigue; I look forward to subsequent volumes.

Manga Review - A.I. Love You – Vol 1 by Ken Akumatsu

Ken Akumatsu is known primarily through his seminal harem comedy Love Hina (hey, another Love Hina ref on this blog! What does that make, #476?) and his newer magical action/fan-service extravaganza Negima! Master Negi Magi…but before he truly began to master the art of panty-shots, he wrote this series. And wow, what a difference 5 years makes in terms of a mangaka’s abilities.

Computer nerd Hitoshi gets absolutely zero female attention – with the exception of No. 30, the kind and caring life-like Artificial Intelligence program he’s created on his computer. When a freak electrical storm turns No. 30 into a real girl, Hitoshi must juggle their nascent relationship with her weird powers and origin….

Yeah yeah yeah, we’ve heard all it before!

Now, I dig rote manga storytelling as much as the next dork, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t a dull retread of Ah! My Goddess (mixed with a little of Weird Science). Shall we count the similarities?

1. Hero is physically unimpressive, has few talents (aside from some technical skills), and is unpopular with the ladies.
2. Despite being somewhat naïve, the Heroine is caring, giving, beautiful, and utterly devoted to the Hero.
3. Heroine can communicate with and control electrical/mechanical devices.
4. Heroine has two female “siblings” that appear later in the series – a sexy older one and a precocious younger one.
5. Artwork goes from awful to awesome over the course of the series.
6. Characters all attend Nekomi Institute of Technology (joke).

From what I’ve seen of A.I. Love You (which I grant is only Vol. 1), its best left to Akumatsu nuts or people who love the Ah! My Goddess “magical girlfriend” formula so much that they’re willing to read a sub-standard copy.

Still, we all have to start somewhere, and a talented mangaka like Akumatsu can be forgiven for crude artwork and a derivative storylines in their early work – part of the joy of manga (and graphic novels in general) is seeing the creators grow and mature over time.

anime/manga review: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

My School Comedy jones continues unabated, so today I’ll be taking a look at a new favorite – Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (or in English, “Goodbye, Prof. Despair”), which attempts to answer the immortal question: what happens when the world’s most negative man meets the world’s most positive girl?

Moody and melancholy high school teacher Nozuma has decided to end it all by hanging himself in a grove of cherry trees….only to find out that his suicide attempt has been by Kafuka, an insanely optimistic school girl who can’t believe he’s attempting suicide on such a wonderful spring day - and in front of her favorite cherry trees to boot!

Rather than be subjected to her positivistic prattle, the wane young man bolts, and Kafuka continues on to school….where her new homeroom teacher is none other than, yes, Nozuma. To make matters worse, Nozomu realizes that the uber-optimistic Kafuka is the least of his problems - every student in class appears to be total head cases, rivaling their new teacher in neurosis. It’s up to Nozomu to help his student resolve their issues….and serve up a heaping dose of negativity to boot.

SZS is one of those cases where “the whole is more than the sum of its parts” – the theme of “eccentric teacher helping his eccentric students work through their problems” is a withered old chestnut that’s been used by everyone from Great Teacher Onizuka to Welcome Back, Kotter. But creator Koji Kumeta takes this standard school comedy formula and twists it into something utterly unique, mixing blacker-than-black comedy along with offbeat wordplay and pop-culture in-jokes, all done in a refreshingly gothic/minimalist art style – imagine a manga Edward Gorey and you’re almost there.

Visually, this is one of the most striking and original series I’ve watched/read lately, with simple, almost Osamu Tezuka-influenced character designs, eerie gothic flourishes, and a black/white contrast that rivals even Jamie Hernandez (Love and Rockets). Kumeta ups the weirdness quotient by adding vaguely out-of-date clothing, TVs, and buildings, despite the clear inference that the series is set in the present day.

Although most of SZS’s offbeat and dark humor can be easily understood by most readers, I fear that some folks many be put off by how Japan-specific some of the jokes are – like Yakitate Japan, the puns and wordplay comes fast and thick, and the references to Japanese culture (both high and pop) make leave some readers scratching their heads. However, ambitious readers will be rewarded with a bleakly hilarious take on “modern Japanese visual culture”.

It also bears mention that this is the first series that I’ve read/watched that was entirely online – no DVDs or print manga have appeared in the USA as of yet (Del Ray is planning to release the English-language version of the manga sometime in 2009); in the meantime, you can check out fan-subbed versions here:

http://www.sidereel.com/Sayonara_Zetsubo_Sensei
http://www.onemanga.com/Sayonara_Zetsubou_Sensei/

ANIME REVIEWS – Kujibiki Unbalance and Doki Doki School Hours

In the course of this blog, I’ve touched on a few different genres in anime/manga – Best in Japan (see Yakitate Japan), magical girlfriend (Oh My Goddess!, DearS), harem comedy (Love Hina), space opera/big robots (Gundam ad infinitum), etc. – and today I’ll like to talk about Kujibiki Unbalance and Doki Doki School Hours, two example of School Comedy, a genre that I’ve been increasingly interested in. Like Great Teacher Onizuka, Negima, Azumanga Diaoh, Full Metal Panic! FFUMOFU and School Rumble, Kujibiki Unbalance and Doki Doki School Hours are set in a place where many of us had to spend way more time than we wanted: high school.

Kujibiki Unbalance has a typical set up - hard luck guy Chihiro and perky tomboy Tokino are childhood friends who’ve just entered the prestigious Rikkyouin Academy. On the first day of school, all students are required to draw lottery tickets (kujibiki) – and Chihiro and Tokino find that they’ve won the job of President and Vice-President of next year’s student council! Along with Secretary and Treasurer-to-be (the crabby, undersized mad scientist Renko, and shy grade-schooler Kyoyi, respectively) next year’s student council must fulfill increasingly outlandish tasks by the order of the current student council (under the command of the mysterious and icily beautiful half-German/half-Japanese Ritsuko Kubel Kitterand)….and if Chihiro, Tokino, Rendo, and Kyoki fail at even one, they may find themselves expelled!

Although appealing in its own way, with occasional flashes of screwball humor, KU remains a very average series; ironically so, because it was meant to be a parody of/homage to contemporary anime trends. KU is actually a spin-off of Genshikan (a “slice of life” manga/anime about a college anime club) and KU was the “series within a series” that the members of the club watched obsessively - so it’s “averageness” seems like a clever design element. That’s not to say that there aren’t uniquely…disturbing elements to the series; despite the fact it’s played for laughs, even for a seasoned fan like myself found the incestuous attachment Chihiro’s older sister has for him to be more than little unsettling.

Visually, it’s definitely moe, resembling Ken Akamatsu’s Negima to a great degree (presumably intentional) and its theme – romantic situations resulting from childhood promises, madcap humor and bizarre plot turns – are typical of Akamatsu’s work as well.

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Just as KU is heavily influenced by Negima and Love Hina, Doki Doki School Hours draws a perceivable influence from Azumanga Diaoh – even sharing origins as a 4-panal manga. Like AD, it centers around the daily interactions of an eccentric high school teacher (the baby-faced and somewhat immature Mika Suzuki, aka “Mika-sensei) and her equally eccentric students – the sarcastic Tominaga, ditzy Kobeyashi, goody-two shoes Iinchou (the girls); and dumb jock Suetake, prettyboy narcissist Seki, nerdy otaku Watabe, and stoic Nakamura (the boys).

Pretty standard stuff, but what I found extremely unique about this series was the inclusion of two clearly homosexual characters into the class: the lesbian Kitagawa and male homosexual Kudo. Neither character is treated as being anything other than normal, and aside from their occasional inappropriate methods of expressing their desires (Kudo’s romantic fantasies of dumb jock Suetake result in constant nosebleeds, and Kitagawa can’t keep her hands off Mika-sensei), neither character is treated as anything outside of the norm. Even at this point it’s still relatively uncommon to see an openly gay character on conservative American TV, so seeing openly gay teens in an anime is surprising - and refreshing.

Another interesting element of DDSH is the fact that Mika-sensei is a “parasite single”, an unmarried adult living at home with her parents even though she’s in her late 20s – an increasingly common situation in modern Japan. Despite the protests of her snarky mother, Mika-sensei’s soft-hearted dad continues to spoil her by feeding, clothing, and even driving the pathetic Mika-sensei to work in his car. Although with the homosexual characters, this plot element helps to ground the series in day-to-day reality; in fact, I wish more anime and manga were willing to incorporate elements of the “everyday” rather than rely so heavily on their trademarked escapism.

King City, Vol. 1 - Brandon Graham

The OEL trend continues with this work by American mangaka/cartoonist Brandon Graham.

Recently returned to sprawling and surrealistic King City from secret spy training in the mountains, sullen loner and “angry young man” Joe is taking on any spy or theft-related job he can find. Armed with a mutant cat that can transform into a living weapon or tool with a simple injection, Joe bumbles onto a conspiracy when he finds the mysterious buyer of a key that he’s stolen dead on the street. When the dead man’s femme fatal of a girlfriend hires him to spy on a weird cannibal cult, Joe realizes that the stolen key leads to something weirder and more horrific than he can imagine….

Although King City shows a definite manga influence, it’s clear that the druggy and dreamlike work of American and European cartoonists (Moebius in particular) pervades King City. Likewise, the plot has little in common with traditional manga-style storytelling, instead drawing heavily on the uniquely American hard-boiled style of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett (both of whom happen to be favorites of mine) along with a healthy dose of science fiction. Although a few of the jokes fall flat and the dialog is a little gimmicky at times, Graham brings a uniquely hip-hop and pop-culture influenced worldview to his work that is quite unlike any American or Japanese work currently out there – I look forward to seeing Volume 2.

Ah! My Goddess!/Oh My Goddess! by Kosuke Fujishima

When a misplaced phone call connects him to the Realm of the Gods, good-hearted but unlucky college student Keiichi inadvertently finds himself the recipient of a wish…and a beautiful goddess named Belldandy is to be the one to fulfill it. When Keiichi’s wish – “to stay with you forever” – is granted, he now has to deal with a goddess (and her two outlandish sisters) living with him!

One of the most popular series outside of Japan, there have been 4 versions of the A! MG! anime (not counting full-length movies and spin-off series). I first saw the original A!MG! anime series back in 1997 as a fan-sub, and it was even old then; it’s been published in manga form since 1989 and shows no sigh of stopping. A! MG! holds a particular place in my heart, as this was the series that introduced me to “real” (i.e. subtitled) anime back in the mid-90s; not only was it the first “fansubbed” series I saw, but it was also one of the first subtitled animation I’d been exposed to as well. I know a lot of you younger folks got your exposure to Naruto, Bleech, etc, via cable, but fan-sub anime was a rare find back in those pre-BitTorrent days.

In terms of storyline, the length of A! MG! precludes a detailed plot overview. There was a certain slap-sticky element to the early stories, as Keiichi was forced to cover up the fact that his new girlfriend was actually a powerful and magical being, while trying to maintain a normal life; once Urd and Skuld entered the series, their mischief and ham-fisted attempts at living like mortals began to drove the plot, along with introduction of more “mystical” elements and action. Due to the fact that both Keiichi and Belldandy are excellent motorcycle riders and mechanics, there has been a large emphasis on racing action during the course of the series as well (which Fujishima excels in depicting).

So, does it hold up after all these years? Well, yes and no. Along with Ureisei Yatsura, this series really popularized the “magical girlfriend” genre that’s been used countless times…so in a sense, the blame for the glut of bland/borderline sexist “magical girlfriend” can be laid at A!MG!’s feet. I’m sure I’m not alone in my perception of series heroine Belldandy as being a little too “perfect”– more often than not, she seems to have little personality and little motivation beyond being nice to Keiichi. However, you’re always stuck dealing with the fact that there’s a certain amount of fan-boy wish fulfillment in any shonen manga series (hell, most manga or comics are basically wish-fulfillment anyway) – and A!MG! is very mild compared to some of the more modern series.

With excellent art* and amazingly detailed mechanical rendering of the many motorbikes and machines that appear in the series, A! MG! remains a charming, good-natured work, (even after 19 years) probably due to the fact that it has a uniquely easy-going feel that’s easy to like and welcoming to non-manga readers. Along with Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and any Rumiko Takahashi series, this is one of those anime/manga works that every self-respecting otaku has been exposed to at least once.

*- (presently, at least - the early art is amazingly dated and “80’s” looking. Fans of 1980’s Masamune Shirow series ala New Dominion Tank Police and Appleseed will know what I mean…)

Mini-Manga Review: Kagetora, by Akira Segami

After years of training, teenage ninja Kagetora gets the job he’s been waiting for – tutoring and protecting the young heir of a renowned martial arts family in the skills of the warrior. Unfortunately, sweet schoolgirl Yuki is a bit of a klutz and has trouble learning the basic moves – and even worse, Kagetora has begun to develop feelings for her. Can he teach his student the skills she needs without compromising his duty as a ninja?

Although it makes a decent attempt to be a funny and heartfelt work, Kagetora ends up as a rather average manga. The plot is simplistic and episodic, mostly centering on Kagetora or Yuki misinterpreting the other’s words or actions; the blandly-rendered characters communicate mainly through surprised or sappy expressions, with several needless instances of fanservice to boot.

This series might have been at least saved by savvy characterizations, but both the main and supporting characters are one-dimensional and are defined more by what character “type” they are supposed represent than by what they actually say or do. Despite being the heroine of the work, Yuki doesn’t have much motivation or personality beyond getting frustrated with her training or quietly crushing on Kagetora; likewise, Kagetora spends much of the work over-reacting to Yuki’s gentle flirtations and endlessly debating about his duty as a ninja.

It seems Kagetora’s intended audience is younger readers, who might be a good “gateway” series to kids that enjoy the “ninja style” and humor of Naruto, but are ready for something with a little more emotional depth; in fact, Kagetora could make for a snappy, once-in-a-while read for older (i.e. adult) readers as well.

I don’t think it’s going to make anyone’s Top Ten list…but Kagetora does succeed in at least being a likeable, if average, series.

Manga Review - The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol 2. Futaro Yamada, story/Masaki Segawa, art

When the men of the Hori clan rebel against the villainous Lord Akinairi, he orders them to be mercilessly slaughtered by a group of blood-thirsty ninjas known as “The Aizu Seven Spears”. Enraged by the callous murder of their brothers, fathers, and husbands, the 7 surviving women of the clan turn to a vagabond swordsman named Yagyu Jubei for training in the ways of war and leadership in their quest for revenge. Jubei is no starry-eyed optimist, and warns the women that most of them can expect either torture or death at the hands of Akinari and the Seven Spears if they choose to fight back. Undaunted, all 7 women agree to train and fight the Seven Spears – or die trying!

This manga’s basic plot – a cocky, wandering swordsman fighting off 7 weird opponents – is essentially the same plot as the classic Ninja Scroll movie and the Samurai Showdown video game. Interestingly, all three of these works are drawn from the writings of Futaro Yamada, who effectively laid the groundwork for the modern depiction of the ninja in his 1960’s series of Ninpocho novels. Main protagonist Yagyu Jubei is a popular Japanese folk hero, and like fellow wandering swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, his legendary exploits have been depicted in dozens of books, manga, and films

There are slightly fantastic elements to this series, but very little of the outlandish video-game like costumes or characters you often see in “ninja” series (or even in Masaki’s previous ninja-centric Basilisk); this is a much more “realistic”* depiction of the art of ninjitsu than the average Naruto reader may be used to. The watercolor-influenced shading and tinting gives a luminous feeling to what is basically a very dark and foreboding art style. Masaki succeeds in making the Seven Spears look truly villainous, and Jubei and the Hori woman aren’t spared either. As handsome as he is, Jubei spends most of the volume looking like smirking lecher, a quality that his constant 5 o’clock shadow and missing eye do nothing to help. The Hori women are both eerily beautiful yet terrifying when angry; when their doe eyes narrow in fury, they truly resemble the female demon masks that they wear to hide their identities.

With the exception of the characters of Sakura and Ofue, most of the seven Hori women are somewhat similar in their appearance and personality - but I hope that the following volumes will draw out the character of each one of them. I also enjoyed the depiction of the Hori woman as brave and willing participants in their fate, rather than anonymous objects; even in the course of this one volume, one can see them gain in strength and ability.

In this volume, a devil-masked Jubei confronts the sickle-and-chain wielding Tessi of the Seven Spears, and barely escapes with his life. Tessi reports back to the Seven Spears, and they debate the origin of their new and unknown opponent; meanwhile, the Hori women begin their training with Jubei. Rough and painful as the training is, the women remain committed. When it comes to light that fiendish Tessi is attempting to sell 6 young women into sex slavery, the Hori women must use their new-found skills – and Jubei’s tactics of subterfuge – to kill Tessi. Are they ready?

This series has a well-deserved Mature Rating – so much like Welcome to the NHK, don’t come crying to me if your mom gets pissed when she finds this in your bookbag, kids.

* Even then, this is a far cry from the real-life exploits of the historical ninja

“Harem Comedy Strikes Back”: Manga Review – Love Hina, v1 – v5

Well, by doing a review of this seminal shonen comedy I’m reneging on my vow to cease and desist from Harem Comedy, but I was killing time in a bookstore, and decided to take a look at the manga version of one of my favorite anime series…and of course, I got hooked. HC haters, avert your eyes…..

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Clumsy and dorky Keitaro has had one dream his whole life – to fulfill a promise to his one childhood sweetheart and get into the prestigious Tokyo University. In order to get the peace and quiet he needs for studying, he moves in with his onsen-owning grandmother – only to find out that the once-quiet Hinata House is now an all-girls dormitory that he owns the deed to!

The 5 young women living at the dormitory – crafty boozehound Kitsune, samurai girl Mokoto, wild Su, shy Shinobu, and temperamental brainiac Naru – are hardly found of having a man live at their dorm, much less as their landlord. Even though his clumsiness gets him into constant trouble with the young women, eternal optimist Keitaro vows to stay on and get in to Tokyo U no matter what torment the girls might put him through.

As this is a whopping 14 volume series (how many beatings can one guy take?), so even the first 5 volumes is just skimming the surface. A little white lie by Keitaro leads the women believe that he’s actually a Tokyo U student (and not just a penniless ronin), but his lie is soon revealed, much to their disgust. Fortunately, Naru tells Keitaro that she too is studying to get into Tokyo U, and is at the top of her class to boot. Despite her disgust with Keitaro, she begrudgingly begins to tutor him. When Keitaro mentions his motivation to get into Tokyo U, Naru explains she made a similar promise when she was younger – which gets Keitaro to wondering if Naru is actually his unnamed childhood crush. Unfortunately, Keitaro’s clumsiness continuity embarrasses the hot-tempered Naru, who doesn’t go easy in her beat-downs of luckless Keitaro.

After he flunks the entrance tests to Tokyo U, Keitaro leaves town to clear his head in Kyoto – only to find out that Naru has flunked herself and has also gone on an impromptu vacation to Kyoto as well. They continue to butt heads in Kyoto until they meet fellow Tokyo U reject Mutsumi, a frail young woman who’s almost as klutzy and unlucky as Keitaro. Obviously attracted to Keitaro, Mutsumi joins on as their traveling companion, much to increasingly jealous Naru’s disgust. Meanwhile, Naru and Keitaro’s sudden departures alarm the other women at the house, who set off in search of the two: Su and Shinobu get their directions completely wrong, and end up in frigid Hokkaido, while Kitsune soon drinks away all of her and Mokoto’s money, forcing them to perform sword-tricks on the streets of Kyoto.

Once all the characters are reunited, Mutsumi send Keitaro off with a passionate kiss that infuriates Naru. But when Keitaro is forced to find a part-time job with Seta - an eccentric but handsome Tokyo U professor - he soon finds out that Seta is none other than Naru’s old tutor…and her childhood crush. Seta’s sudden appearance throws Naru into confusion about her feelings towards Keitaro, who has his hands full babysitting Seta’s mischievous daughter Sarah. Meanwhile, shy and awkward Shinobu starts to get a crush on Keitaro, so in order to teach Shinobu correct kissing techniques, child genius Su creates a special “Kissing Robot” – which soon goes out of control. Sly Kitsune continues to come up with plans to get Naru and Keitaro together…and when they don’t work, she drunkenly attempts to seduce a clearly uncomfortable and unwilling Keitaro. And just when Naru and Keitaro have worked up the courage to confess their attraction to one other, Keitaro-loving Mutsumi shows up and announces that she’s now their next-door neighbor!

Whew! That’s the first 5 volumes (and ok, part of the vol 6) in a nutshell.

As much as I enjoy Love Hina, I do have to say that it’s is not going to appeal to some people; although there’s no graphic sex or straight-up raunchy humor, there is a hell of a lot of panty-flashes, cleavage shots, and butts galore. Likewise, Keitaro’s clumsiness results in most of the Hinata House women – Naru in particular – getting exposed, accidentally felt up, or laying in suggestive positions. I’m aware that all of this is played for comedy and that Keitaro inevitable gets a beat-down when these incidents occur, but it does get awfully needless at times – and that has to be my biggest complaint about the series.

Still, aside from the fanservice, I always get a huge kick of Love Hina. Ken Akamatsu’s artwork is clean, crisp, and contemporary (you can tell that Wataru Wantanabe from Densha Otoko: The Story of the Train Man Who Fell in Love With A Girl was clearly influenced by Akamatsu’s style), and he obviously has a knack for depicting the female form (see above), as well as a gift for depicting physical humor; you can tell he had a good time drawing the art.

Although a typical “harem comedy” in many respects, Love Hina is unique in both the quality of its humor and Akamatsu’s genuine love for his characters. The women of Hinata House obviously hold the upper hand in the household and in their relationship with Keitaro, forcing the hapless Keitaro to labor hard in order to win even their grudging respect, although they come to like (and even love) him over time. This is not the usual plot of most harem comedies, in which the female characters are attracted to the male protagonist straight off the bat (see DearS, Girls Bravo, Shuffle!, etc), and it’s this singular quality of Love Hina that makes it such a special and likeable series. Notwithstanding the fact that their personalities are a little one-dimensional at times, the supporting cast of Su, Kitsune, Shinobu, Mokoto, and Mutsumi all get their “time in the sun” and become progressively multi-faceted and realistic. Likewise, Naru is hardly the stereotypical harem comedy “crush-object”, and is a strong and smart character who’s more that a match for her male suitors*.

I could get a little far-out and say that Love Hina is less about the comedy and the relationships, and more in the vein of a classic coming of age-story - and that Keitaro is a classic example of the Japanese hero whose “stick-to-it-tiveness” saves the day….but I won’t. When all is said and done, Love Hina is just a sweet and funny series filled with likeable characters that deals with the most basic of stories – boy meets girl.

* Does all of this counter the liberal fanservice? That’s up to you, the reader….

Anime/Manga Term #457: Tsundere

This is a basic definition of the ever-popular tsundere character type that I created as a handout for my Anime and Manga Clubs. Hardcore readers are probably more than familiar with tsunderes and very well might have their own (Naru from Love Hina and Eri from School Rumble are my two current faves, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Lisa Hayes from the classic Robotech/Macross series...), but for those of you not familiar with this classic (or just hackneyed) character type, I hope you can benefit from my definition:

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A combination of the Japanese words tsuntsun (aloof/standoffish) and deredere (in love/lovestruck), tsundere refers to a character that is initially unfriendly to the main character, but becomes romantically attracted to them over time. It also can mean a character that is outwardly mean to the main character while harboring a secret crush on them. So, tsundere can be both a process (from disliking someone to being in love with them) and a personality type (being mean to - yet still liking - someone). Tsunderes are almost always female, although there are male tsunderes that appear in shojo (manga/anime for girls).

One of the most classic tsunderes is Naru Narusegawa* from Love Hina. Naru can’t help but lose her temper at main character Keitaro’s klutziness and stupidity, but as Keitaro gets more responsible and mature, she begins to fall in love with him - even though she has a hard time admitting it to herself. Sakura from Naruto is also sort of a tsundere; she thinks Naruto is a total loser, but as Naruto gets more skillful, she starts to respect him. Two more tsunderes you may have seen are Nagi from Hayate the Combat Butler (she crushes hard on Hayate, yet puts him through rigourous tasks when he makes her angry), and Miss Chidore from Full Metal Panic (who clearly likes the clueless tough guy Sousuke, but can’t help getting angry at his tendency to solve simple problems through firepower).

The tsundere is a popular character type in Japan, so keep an eye open for her in the shows you watch, mangas you read, and video games you play!


* In Japanese, Naru means “to become” and Narusegawa means “raging river”, so her name is a joke about her bad temper…..

OEL Review: Megatokyo by Fred Gallagher

Today I’d like to step away from strictly Japanese material and take at look at Megatokyo, an OEL (Original English Language, i.e. written by a westerner in English) Manga and webcomic by Fred Gallagher.

Nebbishy Piro (an anime and manga fanatic) and wisecracking Largo (an obsessive video gamer) are two Americans stranded in Tokyo without resources to get home. Being fluent in Japanese, Piro is able to convince his Japanese friend Tsubasa into letting the two of them stay at his place; unfortunately, Tsubasa’s patience soon wears thin, and he abandons the two Americans in order to find his long-lost first love. Piro is able to use his language skills and knowledge to find employment at an anime and manga store, and Largo is somehow able to bluster his way into a job as an English teacher at a local high school. An interaction at a train station puts Piro into contact with Kimiko, an aspiring voice actress - and roommate of Erika, Piro’s cynical coworker. Piro struggles to establish a romantic relationship with Kimiko, while Largo’s decidedly non-English language instruction at the high school (he spends most of his time giving video game tips and teaching his students to construct computers) puts him in the path of ninjas, zombies, the Tokyo Police Department, and a teenage girl who just might be the Queen of the Undead.

Gallagher has been able to take what was originally a one-joke strip and parlay it into a rich and complex - both emotionally and plot-wise – story, with a richly constructed world involving dozens of characters and a highly elaborate plot; in particular, he succeeds in making Kimiko and Erika into very real and complex characters that act as foils for Piro and Largo, rather than simple “girl next door” and tsundere (respectively) stereotypes one finds too often in anime and manga.

Likewise, this strip is a goldmine of anime, manga, and video game references for a western otaku – witness Largo’s self-applied title of “Great Teacher Largo” (a reference to the 90’s anime/manga Great Teacher Onizuka), the numerous instances of Mechs, several giant-lizard attacks, elements of harem comedy, and the inclusion of a loligoth (the enigmatic Miyo), robot girl (Ping, a human-like PS2 accessory) and magical girl (the awkward Yuki, one of Largo’s students). Gallagher is able to take these Japanese-specific references and mix them with American elements (ala zombies, video game slang, gunplay, and self-deprecation) to create a unique East-West blend of culture and humor; his depiction of Tokyo is a clever combination of real Tokyo and Tokyo as imagined by an American fanboy, a dense and sprawling Blade Runner-like metropolis full of huge billboard advertisements, robots, schoolgirls, otaku, and Power-Ranger-like superheroes keeping the peace.

Although I was originally exposed to Megatokyo through one of its print compilations, this webcomic can actually be viewed for free at megatokyo.com. Because it’s high quality and amazing ease of access (do be aware that the print version has a number of extra strips and sketches that the web version does not), I definitely recommend clicking on the link above to start reading. As I mentioned, the plot is pretty complex – so newbies probably want to start at the first strip; the FAQ and Story links are presently down.

Series Review: School Rumble - Jin Kobeyashi

Is it possible to have a crush on a manga series? An intense, manic-depressive (and probably short-lived) obsession that keeps you up at night?

If you can, than I’m definitely crushing - and crushing hard - on School Rumble, a multiple-season anime and on-going manga series (almost 6 years and still going strong). In a way, it’s ironic that I’m so infatuated with School Rumble, as the whole series is a comedy of crushes and the crazy situations and emotions they engender. Tsukamoto Tenma, a plain-jane but scatterbrained high school junior, has fallen head over-heals in love with a boy in her class – the unemotional and eccentric Kurasama Oji. Likewise, class delinquent (and wannabe manga artist) Harima Kenji is secretly in love with Tenma – and he has the same difficulty confessing to her as she does to Kurasuma. This weird love triangle is the heart of the plot, as Tenma and Harima get caught in increasingly odd schemes and entanglements in the desire to confess their love to their respective crushes. This situation is complicated by fact that Tenma’s friend Eri and Tenma’s younger sister Yakumo both find themselves increasingly attracted to Harima, while Kurasama’s and Tenma’s romantic connection grows stronger.

Despite the melodramatic set-up, the series plays the romantic attractions, entanglements and misunderstandings as straight farce and not as a soap opera – laughs are plenty and tears are so rare as to be non-existent (except in Harima’s slapstick bawling over Tenma). The over-the-top personalities of the characters and their comedic misunderstandings are a funny and tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the overwrought emotions typical of the teenage years. One-way love interests abound and there are times that readers may need a graph to help clear up the relationships between the characters – fortunately, the manga provides helpful charts; although the anime doesn’t go into as much detail as the series, viewers will be able to figure it all out without much help. The anime is surprisingly close to manga, although it omits some minor storylines and some of the jokes are lost without the help of the manga translators. Fortunately, the episodic and “sit-com-esque” nature of the both the anime and manga allow readers/viewers to pick up in the middle of the series without much difficulty.

If I have a complaint with the series, it’s the length – in order to extend the series, the creator has added a number of extra characters and sub-plots that draw the reader’s attention away from the main Tenma/Harima plot; at times, it resembles a western superhero comic (i.e. a sprawling cast of characters and no attempt to resolve the plot in sight).

Kobeyashi’s great sense of humor is definitely on display, but the hidden genius of the series is the way he’s been able to twist a standard comedy plot into something new with the eccentric personalities of Tenma and Harima. Tenma is depicted as being somewhat immature and less emotionally aware than the other characters, yet her general good nature gets her through many instances of complete obliviousness. Despite his “tough guy” exterior, Harima is an overly-sensitive and indecisive klutz, and his frequent mishaps put him at odds with a number of the female characters. The supporting cast is full of engaging and offbeat characters as well - the prissy rich-girl Eri, breast-obsessed horndog Imadori, and soft-spoken psychic Yakumo in particular.

The first season of the anime series (26 episodes) can be purchased from FUNamation. Del Ray publishes the English-language adaption of the manga, and currently has the first 8 volume of the series for sale – Vol. 9 will be released in April 2008.

Wannbefansubs.com has a vast and well-written wiki about the School Rumble series which can be accessed here.

Another reason to never leave my apartment

www.onemanga.com

I just happened upon this website and am totally floored. A website that has 1000's of scanned mangas? Even esoteric and hard to find titles like Bowling King, Eyeshield 21, and Addicted to Curry?

I don't know how strictly legal this all is...but I know what I'm doing for the next few weeks straight!

Changes Coming; Burnt out on Harem Comedy; Gary Gygax RIP

Otaku Public Library has been up and running (for lack of a better word) about 4 months now. I started it on a lark but now I’m feeling that it could use some improvement – basically, the writing is amateurish at times and the layout is pretty dull, and I feel I’m overdue to try and make some enhancements.

So, over the next couple of weeks I’m hoping to:

1) Make the layout and design of the site a little more interesting – what I have right now is a basic out-of-the box Blogger layout. Maybe add some actual color? Who knows...

2) Edit, rewrite, or delete some reviews. I have to admit there’s a lot of half-assed writing on this blog and I really ought to tighten up some grammar and rewrite awkward phrasing; in fact, one or two the reviews are real stinkers and perhaps ought to be deleted. Lastly, some reviews have misleading tags or no tags at all, so by improving those, the reviews will be easier to browse (I hope).

3) I’ve been pretty blasé about grabbing images from the internet to catch the reader’s eye, and I’m sure that most, if not all, of those images are copyright protected. I don’t see that as being that big a deal right now, because I highly doubt that the creators are on this website on a regular basis (or anybody, really….hahaha). Still, I may be changing some images here and there, and probably changing the out-and-out references to P2P downloading to something a little less blatant. Just covering my ass, y’all.

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In any event, I’m “burnt out on Harem Comedy”, as the title of this post suggests. In a short period of time I watched (or read) Shuffle!, DearS, Love Hina, Suzuka, and part of Girl Bravo; and at this point I can’t stand to watch another crowd of pretty girls throw themselves at a lovable loser (unless that lovable loser is me, haha). I must admit that I have been digging on the very awesome School Rumble, but that’s more of a slap-stick high-school comedy with romantic elements. I’m working through the OVA as we speak, so expect a (very positive) review sometime soon.

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Lastly, Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons and Dragons died earlier this week. So much geek culture – anime and manga as much as any other element – has been influenced by his seminal fantasy Role Playing Game that I felt I would be remiss in not mentioning his passing; Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and countless other Japanese RPGs bear his imprint.

MANGA REVIEW: Yakitate!! Japan, v1 – Takashi Hashiguchi

Although I’ve been pretty addicted to Harem comedy as of late, I’m glad to come across Yakitate! Ja-Pan, a stellar example of the “Best____ in Japan”/”Quest for the best” genre. You may call it something different, but we’ve all seen this type of work before – a young guy gets it into his mind to become the greatest/best “______” in all of Japan. He’s forced to face many challengers and struggles before he can realize his dream, and his passion attracts the admiration of friends and rivals alike – and usually a young woman, too. The “____” can be any number of things: Go player (Hikaru no Go), drift racer (Initial D), Chinese cook (Iron Wok Jan), so on and so forth. I’ve even heard there was a manga from the 60’s/70’s about a guy who wanted to be the greatest pachinko (Japanese pinball) player in Japan! Japanese culture buffs will have noticed this “quest for the best” story has a long history in that country – witness the ever-popular and oft-repeated story of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

Ok, enough literary theory for today……

As a young boy, rice-loving Kuzuma Azuma was forced by his sister into eating a local baker’s delicious bread – and was instantly converted into a bread-loving wannabe baker. The mysterious baker passed on his techniques to young Azuma, as well as the dream of creating a uniquely Japanese bread that would rival the great breads of Europe – in essence, a true “Ja-Pan” (“pan” is the Japanese word for bread). Ten years have come and gone, and 16 year old Kuzuma has become an amazingly talented baker with dreams of continuing his studies at Pantasia, the greatest bakery chain in Japan. When he arrives in Tokyo from the country, he finds out that he must fight his way into an apprenticeship by engaging in a baking competition! Despite being outclassed by more experienced bakers, Azuma has an ace up his sleeve – 55 different and unique bread recipes he has created himself. His creation – bread in the shape of Mt Fuji – impresses the judges, but will his skills impress his weird afro-wearing new boss, Ken Matsushiro?

I’m gonna be pretty blunt here and say that I think YJ is pretty dang awesome. The detailed art is top-notch, with appealingly illustrated characters and well-rendered backgrounds; the characters themselves are lively and hilarious – particularly the eternally cheerful Azuma and the stoic yet eccentric store manager Ken; and the author’s knowledge of the science and art of bread is amazing. It’s a rare creator that can get so many laughs and so much action out of characters baking bread – particularly bread-loving characters in Japan, a country that regards rice as “the staff of life”.

I’ve heard that there’s an anime version of this series, so you know I’ll be hunting that down soon. In the meantime, this series is definitely a “must-read”!

Odds and Ends and Updates again

So, I finally finished downloading the entire Welcome to the NHK! anime series via BitTorrent this weekend…and, after many weeks of anticipation, have finally begun watching the series in its entirety. I gave this series a pretty good review and I’ve been dying to see more. I’m under the impression the anime has a different ending than the manga, so I’m interested to see how they compare.

In other news, I’ve decided to continue posting on a once-a-week schedule – as time allows, naturally. I have to sneak in posts between my “real” duties at work, so don’t be surprised if I miss a week now and then.

Aside from W2TNHK!, Samurai Champloo (almost finished!), and the odds and ends that I’ve watched at the library Anime Clubs, I’ve been in a real harem comedy mood for the last couple of weeks. Hell, I’ve already made multiple entries for DearS, and I’ve also started in on Girls Bravo and Shuffle!. I know part of being an otaku/geek is embracing your eccentric interests, but I have to admit I’m sort of embarrassed to like these series…. I guess they appeal to the introverted 14 year old boy inside of me; and honestly, doesn’t most anime and manga – and by that thinking, video games, comic books/graphic novels, and sci-fi/fantasy in general – appeal to that mindset?

In any event, I’ll be putting on 2 Anime Clubs next week:
1) New Lots Library: Wednesday, Feb 27th @ 4:30pm
2) Arlington Library: Friday, Feb 29thth @ 4:30pm

By popular request, I will probably be showing Fullmetal Alchemist. I’ve heard a lot about this series from a number of patrons and would like to give it the old “once-over” myself.

Recanting on DearS (somewhat)

So I ended up watching the whole DearS series (all 13 episodes), and actually started to like it….. some of it, at least. A new DearS, the uptight and intellectual Miu, enters the series and provides a nice contrast to Ren’s spacey submissiveness, along with Nia, a weird and klutzy DearS catgirl that provides a fair share of comic relief. It’s reveled that Neneko has been harboring a long-standing crush on Takeya, and Takeya’s antipathy to Ren gets more and more exaggerated, providing an increasingly painful conflict - a lot of the sympathy that Takeya’s situation initially inspired began to ebb away as he gets increasingly hotheaded and dismissive toward Ren, even as he simultaneously develops feelings toward her.

Still, there’s way, way more fanservice than I’m comfortable with, and Ms Mitsuka (the characters’ high school teacher) is little more than a one-dimensional nymphomaniac gag that gets old fast. The plot’s pacing is a little off at time, and the series’ climax is dependent on twists that happen in the last few episodes and characters that are barely referenced through most of the series; as usual, this may been better hashed out in the manga that the series is based on.

In any event, I even began to feel a little sad when the end credits flickered on my TV…so I guess the series affected me more than I thought it would (I’m a pretty big softy, though). I still think there are better Anime comedies, but DearS definitely outdid my initial expectations.

Arlington Anime Club this Friday, Feb 15th - 4:30pm

I'll be having another Anime Club meeting at the Arlington Branch this Friday, Febuary 15th at 4pm. No booktalks planned, just a showing of the first episode of Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid. I've taken a look at the episode and it looks pretty action-packed...I'm looking forward to showing it. And I hope y'all look forward to seeing it!

Anime Review: DearS

Mysterious but beautiful aliens called DearS (“Dear friends”) arrive on Earth after their malfunctioning spacecraft forces them to make an emergency landing. They decide to embrace the situation, and attempt to live with their Earthling hosts by learning Earthling ways and entering Earthling society. However, an errant and “unprogrammed” Dear called Ren somehow ends up wandering the streets of Tokyo, and falls into care of average high school guy Takeya after he offers her Melon Bread. Next thing he knows, Ren’s followed him home and is addressing him as “master”. It’s up to Takeya and his unflappable gal-pal Neneko to feed, dress, and integrate Ren into normal Japanese life. But is there more to Ren and the DearS than what meets the eye?

When I first took a look at this series, it struck me as being reminiscent of the classic Uresei Yatsura – i.e., an over-amorous female alien latching onto reluctant teen boy. That series’ female protagonist Lum was far more crazy and bad-ass than Aturu, the human guy she followed around; Ren, on the other hand, seems pretty submissive and devoted toward Takeya, and that put a bad taste in my mouth. It could be argued that it’s a Japanese cultural “thing”, but still, I don’t feel comfortable with depictions of women of some sort of willing slaves. However, it appears that Ren’s submissiveness may be some sort of cover, and I'm told that the series apparently takes a turn away from the comedy of the early episodes toward a darker theme…so, seeing how it's a somewhat short series (12 episodes on 4 dvds), I'm willing to give the series another chance.

DearS isn’t bad, but if simply must watch a series involving a female alien chasing a human guy, I think you might be better off with the afore-mentioned UY.

Last Friday's A/M Club at Arlington, New Manga at the BPL, and yet another Train Man manga....

I didn’t quite get the attendance that I was looking for at Arlington’s Anime/Manga Club last Friday, but I was fortunate to get a few hardcore otaku dropping buy to take a look at Law of Ueki and review some of the new Manga titles that the BPL has recently bought – Kekaishi, Case Closed, Skip*Beat, and my two new favorites, Love Roma and Yakitate Japan!.Some folks have suggested that we try having Arlington’s Anime/Manga Club at a later time (4:30pm, for example), multiple times a month, or on a Saturday – all good ideas worth considering.

What else is new? Aside from furiously reading Yakitate Japan! and Love Roma, I just took a look at Michiko Ocha’s Train Man: A Shojo Manga. The title is fitting, because this is a very “shojo” version of the Train Man story we’ve all come to know and love. Far less slapsticky than Wantanabe’s/Nakano’s version but not as realistic as Hoti’s version (see 12/13/07’s review of these 2 titles), it focuses more on the romantic interaction between “Train Man” and “Hermes-san". It’s a good bet for shojo fan or folks that just can’t get enough of the “Train Man” story.

I’ve been busy so time to sit down and write reviews is in short supply, but I’m hoping to get reviews of Yakitate Japan!, Love Roma, and the anime series Dears out before too long.

Arlington Anime/Manga Club this Friday! 1/25 @ 4pm

Hi everyone. Sorry for the last minute notice but.....Arlington is having it’s monthly Anime/Manga Club Meeting this Friday, January 25th, at 4pm. I’ll be talking about two new manga (action-packed Hoshin Engi and horror manga Zombie Loan) as well as showing the very cool new anime, Law of Ueki. Hope to see y’all there!

Dave

Manga Review: Gundam: The Origin, Vol 10 by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

Ah, Mobile Suit Gundam…after Robotech/Macross, this is one of my favorite “classic” Anime/Manga series - so coming across this book on the shelves of the Cypress Hills branch was a special treat. I’m a little rusty on my “Universal Century” history, but this appears to be close to the original’s plot – Earth Federation’s White Base starship battles rebellious space colony “Principality of Zeon” (with my main man Char!) across Earth and space to protect it’s cargo: the secret super-weapon, the Mobile Suit Gundam. Will White Base be forced to use the experimental weapon to protect itself from Zeon’s marauding Mobile Suits? (Hint: hell to the yes!)

The ink-heavy, thick-lined art is very “old school”, very “rounded-off” in that classic 70’s style, made all the more surprising due to the fact it came out in 2003; due to the art style and the subject, I had originally though that I was dealing with a modern reprint of a 70’s/80’s comic! There’s heavy use of screentones, and the colored introductions are painted with water color (to good effect, I might add – I wish more artists used watercolors in comics). At times, the art resembles “western comics”, with characters that have less stylized features than many mangas, as well as fight sequences that have little of the ever-popular “action lines”.

So what do we got going on in this volume, eh? As the White Base heads over South America, Amuro and the rest of the crew are confronted by a Zeon detachment. Despite his best efforts, Amuro is soundly defeated by the nefarious and skillful Lt. Ranba Ral, and only the intervention of a fellow crewmember can save him. Racked with shame and angry at the rumors he’s to be replaced as lead Gundam pilot, Amuro flees with the Gundam into the countryside. After hiding the giant Mech, he enters a nearly deserted town in search of food and water only to be confronted by Lt. Ral himself!

Anime Review: Martian Successor Nadesico

A wayward starship, a mysterious and reluctant hero, gruesome aliens, and mechs galore…so what does Martian Successor Nadesico have that other space operas like Robotech or Gundam don’t have? Namely, a sense of humor about itself, an offbeat cast of characters, and whole lotta cheesecake (i.e. pretty girls).

Former mech pilot (and current fry cook) Akito Tenkawa joins the crew of the Nadesico, a privately owned starship created to defeat the “Jovian Lizards”, a cruel race of aliens from Jupiter that are determined to invade Earth. Young Akito is equally as determined to remain a fry cook, watch his favorite anime Gekiganger III, and avoid the danger of piloting a mech…but when another pilot injures himself, Akito himself pressed into service. And to make matters worse, the ditzy captain of the Nadesico is none other than his childhood girlfriend Yurika Misamune….who’s still madly in love with Akito and can’t stop throwing herself at him!

Like Full Metal Panic! FUMOFFU, Martian Successor Nadesico is a blend of killer action and hilarious romantic comedy; the interaction between Akito and Yurika is very funny (and embarrassing), and the members of the supporting cast all have unique personalities that make them memorable as well. The “anime with an anime” Gekiganger III is a great backhanded tribute to Mazinger Z, Voltron, and all those other 1970s “giant robot” series that I (and all the other children of the 70’s, hahaha) grew up watching.

This series is over 11 years old, so the animation can seem a little dated at times; aside from that, this is a great series that can appeal to both younger viewers (who’ll love the action and comedy) and older viewers (who’ll dig all the in-jokes) too.

New Lots Club Meeting!

I'm excited to announce that there will be the first New Lots Anime/Manga Club meeting on Wednesday, Jan 30th at 4pm. I don't have any booktalks written or shows planned for the New Lots (or Arlington) club meeting, but I think that either Martian Sucessor Nadesico or Law of Ueki will be showing up in the anime part of the program.

In other news, School Library Journal has given me the opprotunity to write a couple of Manga reviews for them on a trial basis. Their requirements are pretty rigorous and I'm not really sure how well I'll do, frankly.....

No reviews today...just an update

1) I've been trying to download the "Welcome to the NHK!" anime series via BitTorrent - with no luck. It's been downloading continuously for about the last 4 days but I've only been about to get about 12% of the whole file. Thus, it looks like my dream of comparing the manga to the anime will sadly remain "a dream deferred". wahhhhhh.........

2) In happier news, I've been lucky enough to see 16 out of the 26 episodes of Shinchiro Wantanabe's awesome hip-hop influenced Samurai Champloo series; Wantanabe was also the director of Cowboy Bebop, another great series that mixed Japanese anime with American musical styles - in CB's case, bebop jazz. I had been planning to write a review of Samurai Champloo after watching the first episode, but I've been so drawn into the series that I'm going to hold off until I've completed it. In fact, I'm digging the series so much I'm considering buying Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked PS2 game, despite it's blah reviews. Who knows, perhaps there could be a anime/manga-influenced video game element to OPL?

FYI Geneon, the American distributor for the series, is going out of business so you might want to watch or buy Samurai Champloo while you can.

3) I'm determined to get a Anime/Manga Club going at the New Lots branch! The intial meeting will be on January 30th at 4pm.....keep your fingers crossed.

Azumanga Daioh! Vol 1. by Kiyohiko Azuma

Instead of having the detailed story-line that you typically find in most manga, Azumanga Daioh relies on a simple comic-strip style to caputure the day-to-day life of 5 high-school girls (Chiyo, Tomo, Sakaki, Yomi, and “Osaka”) and their eccentric homeroom teacher Ms. Tanazaki. There’s no complex plot or superpowers, just the usual high-school situations: laboring over homework, falling asleep in class, hanging out after school, and making fun of your teachers behind their back.

For those of you more on the Deathnote or Bizenghast tip, do be aware the art and humor is mighty “kawaii” - so if cutesy characters aren’t your thing, you might want to sidestep this title...

Still, Azumanga Daioh is so funny that you just can’t put it down - The fact it’s a comic strip makes it both unique and fun to read.

So I "accidentally" read the Welcome to the NHK! manga

I had sort of a "happy accident" this morning.....basically, in an attempt to download the entire Welcome to the NHK! anime series via BitTorrent, I mistakenly downloaded the entire W2TNHK! manga series instead. Duh.

Still, I have to say that I'm pretty pleased, because the manga is even funnier and far-out than the anime (although it's sorta weird to "read" a manga on the computer....). And I'm pleased to know I can now download anime AND manga via BitTorrent!

Anybody have any BitTorrent experiences they wanna share?

Anime Review - "Welcome to the NHK!"

Takahashi Sato is a “hikikomori” – the Japanese word for a recluse or shut-it, usually a young man that isolates himself from society rather than deal with the pressures and stress of school or work. A recent college dropout himself, Sato spends almost all his time alone in his tiny apartment, watching TV and eating noodles. Not surprisingly, he’s become a little nuts and has convinced himself that there is a huge conspiracy determined to him alone and isolated.

However, on a rare trip outside, he finds himself confronted by a mysterious young woman called Misaka. Depite the fact that they've never met, she seems to know a lot about him - particularly the fact he's "hikikomori". She then announces that she wants him to sign a legally-binding contract that would permit her to “un-hikikomori” him! Will she succeed or does she have an ulterior motive? Is she part of the “conspiracy” too? And will all of this convince Sato to follow his dream - designing the greatest dating-simulation video game ever?

Welcome to the NHK is little more emotionally complex than some anime, as it’s able to be both funny and disturbing at the same time - almost like a good “indie movie”. Sato is a pretty pathetic guy, but I found him likeable and couldn’t stop rooting for him; Misaka seemed sweet, yet it became slowly apparent that there was something very weird and unbalanced about her. I won’t deny that there’s a little to no “action” (i.e. no kung-fu fights, mech battles, or magic schoolgirls), so if you need something a little more exciting you might need to look elsewhere. Still, it’s a funny series and I would definitely recommend it to folks looking for something “mature” but also offbeat.

One last thing: Although I wouldn’t call this series explicit, it does get mildly suggestive at time, and the opening animation has plenty of (clothed) female body parts on display…so if you’re under 16 and you get yelled at by your folks for watching this, don’t come crying to me (hahaha).

The first 8 episodes are available from ADV Visions. You can watch a trailer here.