Robotech/Yotsuba Vol. 6/Hetalia - Axis Powers

What’s up anidorks? Yes, once again I’ve been sadly remiss in updating you on the latest and greatest in tsundere trivia, harem comedy reviews, and hikikomori references. Sadly, work and personal issues have conspired to eat my frickin’ brain and thus prevent me from usual my usual 60+ hours of anime and manga viewing per week. Why, a family situation even prevented me from attending the New York Anime Fest, thus depriving me of my two greatest joys: inexpensive remaindered manga and fatties doing cosplay. Har har.

Joking aside, I’ve honestly had a lot going on, and when that happens, the first casualty is inevitably this blog. Things have finally slowed down a bit, so I found time to cram in a few simple joys: Harmony Gold’s iconic Robotech, Yen Press’s Yotsuba vol.6, and the confusing yet appealing Hetalia – Axis Powers. So I’m going to do an extra long entry today to make up for my lack of updates since, oh, August.

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I’m not going to torture you with the plot outline of Robotech, as I’m sure any anime dork worth his figurines knows it already: Mysterious spaceship falls to earth, aliens attack, and your usual-reluctant-but-talented-spiky-haired-guy becomes ace fighter/mech pilot. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, Robotech was my “starter” anime series - so to purchase the DVD set and sit down to watch it was a highly nostalgic experience; it almost made me wish I could go back to being a chubby ten-year old with a mullet and no friends for the duration of the viewing in order to make even more authentic (actually, it didn’t).

I’m happy to say, in many ways, Robotech still holds up: the storyline, albeit clichéd, is still tightly paced and filler-free, the interpersonal relationships are realistic, the dialog and voice acting is decent, and the numerous action scenes do well to drive the plot…..but sweet baby Jesus, the animation itself is skin-crawlingly HORRIBLE. Faces are misshapen, uniforms and vehicles change colors from scene to scene, and overall the art is sloppy, rushed, and half-assed. If you’re used to the crisp, vibrant style of modern anime, it’s going to be a difficult transition - and the usual bonuses of hand-drawn anime (warm, deep color and expressionistic form) are hard to notice.

Still, if you can forgive its lack of visual perfection, Robotech is easily and deservingly a classic; it’s a shame that Macross (the anime from which Robotech was adapted) was never resolved. And, without sounding like a scold, it’s nice to watch a series that has such a low moe/fanservice element.

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Like most living and breathing otaku, I’ve been anxiously awaiting Yotsuba 6 from Yen Press. As you may know, ADV (publisher of volumes 1 – 5) has pretty much tanked so it was looking like this popular series was a lost cause in print until up-and-coming publisher Yen Press took it over. Yen does a fine job with translation; although I don’t like they way Yen makes Yotsuba refer to herself in the third person, it’s a minor factor (and probably more faithful to Japanese grammar). So what is everyone’s favorite green-haired 5 year old up to these days, dare you ask? Yotsuba gets a bike, drinks milk, and then gets on her bike to bring milk to Fuka at her high school. Yes, it doesn’t seem like much on paper but Azuma has the rare genius for taking mundane situations and evaluating them to high comedy. Highly recommended.

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One of the joys of anime is the fact that it’s willing to take chances, and Hetalia – Axis Powers is one hell of a screwball. A weird comedy/history mutant, it takes all the countries involved in WWII – Japan, England, Germany, the USA, etc – and personifying them in order to play out the epic conflict and other instances in world history as zany slapstick comedy: Italy begs Germany to be his friend, Italy and Germany try to befriend the standoffish Japan, England and America argue about how to help France after he gets beaten up by Germany, and so forth. It’s pretty funny and very politically incorrect (Italy is depicted as a pasta-scarfing wimp, Germany as an uptight jerk, Japan as a stuffy hermit, America as an energetic but deluded know-it-all, etc.) but man, I don’t really know how the animators are gonna spin the Holocaust, the Siege of Leningrad, the Rape of Nanking, Hiroshima, etc, as something to chuckle at.

The adventurous might want to give it a try because it does have some genuinely funny parts – the humor poking fun at the individual countries is pretty dead on – but do be warned it plays it pretty fast and loose with history.

MANGA REVIEW - How Not to Draw Manga, by Christ Reid and John Katz

As much as we love the big-eyed, small-mouthed citizens of anime/manga-land, it needs to be said that most, if not all, of what otaku like us read and watch is…well, mildly ridiculous. Deny it if you want, but you have to admit that your love for bishonen, mechs, and unlikely harem comedy (guilty as charged!) probably isn’t something you mention freely in mixed company, much less to members of the opposite sex.

This is why I’m delighted to have come across How Not to Draw Manga, an lovingly tongue-in-cheek OEL guide to the myriad cliché’s, stereotypes, and hackneyed plots that we’ve come to know and love. Chris Reid and John Katz come in with guns a’blazin’, taking on nearly every aspect of manga – the fact that there’s basically only 6 characters in manga (try matching your favorite characters to the formula – it’s truer than you know!); the inevitable fanservice, whether it be the moe characters (glasses, cat ears, etc) or just the dozens of ways to include a panty-shot into even the slowest story; and the obligatory “chibi”/adorable mutant animal sidekick. They walk you through all the clichés of character, setting, and genre, picking and choosing among them to create a frighteningly decent samurai/sorcery mini-manga at the end.

If I had a complaint about this work, it’s that it needs to be longer and in more detail – Reid and Katz do a fine job skewering manga, but they barely skim the surface of manga ridiculousness; I’d have loved to see them take on school comedy, gal games, hentai, and the otaku lifestyle itself.

Although the satire is pretty sharp, it’s clear that they absolutely love manga – “panties, robots, and brooding villains” alike - and just want to poke some much-needed fun at the art-form’s tired cliché’s. Highly recommended for aspiring mangaka, newbie otaku, and grizzled old dorks (like yours truly) too.

Anime Review: Toradora

The “psycho eyes” that high school sophomore Ryuuji inherited from his dead gangster dad have terrified his classmates into believing he’s a violent juvenile delinquent – although in actuality he’s just a kind, mild-mannered, and somewhat lonely young fellow. When he finds out that his crush Minorin, the friendly yet airheaded captain of the girl’s softball team, will be in the same class as him, Ryuuji is overjoyed; that is, until he runs afoul of Minorin’s best friend – Aisaka Taiga (aka the “Palmtop Tiger”), whose small size and delicate, doll-like appearance belie her foul temper and capacity for ultra-violence. Barely surviving the encounter, Ryuuji finds a love letter in his bookbag. It’s addressed not to him but Kitamura, Ryuuji’s studious best friend - and it’s from none other than Taiga herself, who seems to have placed it in Ryuuji’s bag by accident.

Bemused by the situation, Ryuuji returns home, only to be awoken at swordpoint by a crazed Taiga, who’s determined to kill Ryuuji for finding out her secret crush. In order to dissuade the pint-sized psychopath from her intended act of murder, Ryuuji vows to help Taiga win Kitamura’s affections; and in thanks, Taiga half-heartedly vows to help Ryuji win Minorin’s love. Their alliance now sealed, Ryuuji and Taiga are soon secretly meeting up during school to plan their “twin-love attack”, but their frequent planning sessions are misconstrued by their classmates as lover’s trysts. Naturally, this rumor makes its way to both Kitamura and Minorin, who become increasingly reluctant to return Ryuuji and Taiga’s ham-fisted flirtations. The arrival of big-city girl Ami, Kitamura’s childhood friend, adds another stumbling block: Ami’s prissy attitude embarrasses Kitamura and infuriates Taiga – but it becomes slowly apparent that Taiga’s rage may less to do with Ami’s big-city airs and more to do with her teasing flirtation with a clearly uncomfortable Ryuuji.

Before long, Taiga has become increasingly reliant on Ryuuji to look after her welfare, a situation that Ryuuji originally views with annoyance, but does little to reverse; she is a truly a “poor little rich girl”, funded by wealthy parents that don’t particularly seem to care for her. Ryuuji, on the other hand, lives in somewhat depressed circumstances – i.e., a rundown apartment shared with his deformed pet canary and boozy bar hostess of a mother who immediately takes a shine to both Taiga’s brassy attitude and increasingly frequent appearances at dinnertime.

Circumstances seem to be drawing Ryuuji and Taiga closer and closer together…but can they allow themselves fall in love with one another?

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Toradora has it’s origins as a series of light novels*, and it retains a level of literary complexity that one doesn’t often find in “high school hijinks/love comedy” manga and anime. This, of course, work greatly to its credit; yet – as fine as this series is – I have to admit that I often struggle to understand the interactions between Ryuuji and Taiga. Their mutual affection is certainly implied, but there seems to be so little proof; their behavior toward one another is either so combative or hesitant that’s unclear what their real feelings are. During the episodes, I catch myself wondering aloud “Is he really in love with her? Is she in love with him? I don’t get it.” Perhaps the very real Japanese/American cultural gulf is to blame for my confusion, or maybe it’s just my masculine lack of emotional acumen. Still, the fact that Toradora’s emotional nuances are difficult to figure out absolutely wins Toradora my favor; I wish more series would demand even a mild level of challenging interaction from their viewers/readers.

Longtime readers of otakupubliclibrary know that I enjoy/willingly suffer through many a “love comedy”, and it’s my humble opinion that Toradora is probably one of the best and most honest depiction of teen romance currently playing on otaku computer screens – it depicts the frailty of first love without being weepy or wimpy in slightest. Furthermore, this series wins my plaudits because of the fact it’s easy for readers/viewers to visualize both a happy and an unhappy ending to this series; as much as I can see Ryuuji and Taiga together in the end, part of me realizes (and at times, genuinely prefers the fact) that it’s more realistic to see Ryuuji and Taiga both ending up lonely and heartbroken at the series’ conclusion.

I’m aware that a lot of YA librarians wrestle with the problem of using manga as teen literature; Toradora would probably please the “teen issues/problems” crowd that seems to dominate the dialog over teen lit….were it actually being published in the USA. Currently, there are no plans by any North American/European company to release English-Language versions of the original novel, manga, anime, or “visual novel” that have been proved so popular in Japan…shameful, If you ask me.

That having been said, if you simply must flout international copyright law, one can find fan-subbed Toradora episodes available for downloads on several questionable websites; likewise, the clever otaku may find links to a fan-translated version of the light novels through Toradora’s Wikipedia entry. You didn’t hear it from me, kids….

*a uniquely Japanese term for teen-oriented novels with manga-style illustrations; basically, not too different from the stuff you’d see in the Young Adult section in your local Public Library, except with themes more common to anime and manga and/or to the lives of Japanese teens.

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 - 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.

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.

“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….

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.

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”!

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.

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.