Manga Review - Oh My Goddess! Colors by Kosuke Fujishima

What up anidorks? Long time no post from the old D-man here. Unfortunately, budget shortfalls at work have forced me to focus less on otaku-dom and more on the public library aspect of the job. Thus, I haven’t really had all that much to read/watch anything new or of enough interest to post about.

That having been said....I did recently come across a copy of Oh My Goddess! Colors, a large-sized retrospective of Kosuke Fujishima’s evergreen “magical girlfriend” manga/anime. Starting off with a lighted-hearted/mildly sarcastic intro (“devoid of any actual developments, it’s a sort of romance that sort of wanders aimlessly through 30 plus volumes, like a derelict.”…I couldn’t have put it better myself), OMG! Colors presents a detailed rundown on nearly every element of the series. Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and Peorth all get individual character summaries, and each are the focus of a representative chapter that has been re-mastered in gorgeous watercolors. Throw in an exhaustive lexicon of OMG! terminology, ruminations on the origins of the goddesses and the physics of their world, exhaustive chapter summaries, in-jokes and translation notes, and a gallery and tech specs of the numerous vehicles owned by the characters and you’ve got a must-have for any OMG! obsessive.

Personally, I’ve been finding OMG! a little repetitive and dated as of late, but reading this reminded me of it’s huge influence on American Otaku, myself included; in fact, Fred Gallagher, creator of the awesome Megatokyo OEL manga, chimes in the series’ influence on him in a short afterword. OMG! detractors may continue to scratch their heads over this series’ unabated popularity, but OMG! Colors expertly captures all that’s good about it – its alluring character design, lush artwork, silly humor, and its ever-unrequited PG-rated romance.

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.

MANGA REVIEW – Oishinbo A la Carte: Japanese Cuisine and Oishinbo A la Carte: Sake, Story by Kariya Testu/Art by Hanasaki Akira

What up anidorks? Today I’m taking a look at a series that I’ve long desired to read, but haven’t been able due to dearth of Haute Cuisine-oriented manga scanlations on onemanga.com – Oishinbo (aka “The Gourmet” in Japanese).

Although lazy and ill-tempered, journalist Yamaoka Shiro of the Tozai News nonetheless possesses one of the most refined palates in Japan – a trait he inherited from his cold, overbearing father, the noted gourmand and artist Kaiban Yuzan. When Yamaoka’s head editor decides to celebrate the paper’s 100th anniversary by publishing the “Ulitmate Menu” – a selection of the finest dishes Japan has to offer – lackadaisical Yamaoka is reluctantly pressed into creating the menu. When he finds out that his father has teamed up with a rival paper to create their own “Supreme Menu”, Yamaoka and his gal-pal/writing partner Kurita Yuko must go head to head (and taste-bud to taste-bud) with Kaiban to find the finest foods in all of Japan!

Rather than publish the whole run (26 years and still going!), Viz has taken the approach of collecting specific chapters from the series dealing with a particular element of Japanese food (i.e. Sake, etc), and creating an “a la Carte” collection of chapters in single volumes. For readers not entirely familiar with the nuances of all-rice sake and the correct way to filet seabream, this offers an easy introduction to Japan’s rich and fascinating food traditions. Casual/lazy reviewers will inevitably compared Oishinbo to Tampopo or Iron Chef, simply because it looks at the unique food culture of Japan in relaxed, easy-to-approach manner. That’s a shame really, because Oishinbo is a work that deserves recognition for its own unique perspective; although there is the occasional plot twist, character development, and cliffhanger endings, it’s less of a narrative-oriented manga and far more of an overview of Japanese cuisine in graphic novel form. Art buffs might find the character design a little rough and dated at times, but it’s obvious that artist Hanasaki is instead focusing on the main element of the series – the food, loving depicted and almost leaping off the page.

It should be said that Oishinbo is probably best for adult readers, but not because of any thematic elements: aside from heated arguments over the best way to serve champagne or the time it takes to learn the techniques of sashimi, the violence and sex is absolutely non-extant. There’s a good chance the series will probably go over the head of most teen manga readers (and to be fair, the numerous adults that think fine dining means Applebee’s), but if you have interest in culinary history or want a unique look at Japanese culture, I can’t recommend Oishinbo enough.

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?

***

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 Feature Revies: Dagger of Kamui

Generally I don’t review older anime in this blog, although not from any particular dislike of the older art form; it’s just that most of the older material (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Yu Yu Hakusho, what have you) has had so much written about it by western writers (fans and otherwise) that I don’t feel my voice can really add much to the conversation. That having been said, I’m going to deviate a little today and take a look at Dagger of Kamui, a full-length feature from 1985.

Wrongly accused of the heinous murders of his adoptive sister and mother, Jiro flees from angry villagers with only an ornate dagger in his possession. As he makes his escape, he crosses paths with Tenkai, a Buddhist priest (and secret agent of the Shogun) who convinces Jiro to enact revenge on his family’s killer. Trapped by Tenkai’s confederates, the sword-wielding man is quickly slain by Jiro, who is then taken under Tenkai’s wing and trained in the ways of ninjitsu. Once his training is complete, Tenkai sends the boy on a mission to recover a lost treasure…but after encountering his biological mother deep in the northern province of Ezo (modern day Hokkaido), Jiro finds out that he’s nothing but a pawn in Tenkai’s master plan to take over Japan – and that the man he had slain in revenge was none other than his own father. When he realizes that his bejeweled dagger is the key to the treasure’s location, Jiro sets off to recover the prize before Tenkai and his henchmen can.

I have to admit that nostalgia plays a part in it’s selection…like Ah My Goddess, Dagger of Kamui is somewhat of a favorite from my early, college years explorations in anime and manga. For someone just getting into the art form, the film’s complex and foreboding storyline, stylized fight sequences, and occasional flashes of hallucinogenic art gave me a taste of what anime (and animation in general) was able to achieve when it strayed from clichés.

So how does it still hold up after all these years? Like most older anime, yes and no. Although there are some creatively rendered villains, the character designs are fairly typical for the mid-80s (i.e. prominent eyebrows and sideburns) and admittedly date the film somewhat. Also, the picture quality is pretty murky – the animation would do well to be cleaned up, but a lesser-known work like this will probably never get it. That having been said, the druggy interludes and stylish fight scenes I remember are still hold up (in terms of visual impact) even after all this time; in this age of rapid-fire, fraction-of-a-second shots, the somber and languorous animation is a pleasant surprise.

Much like the animation, the plot is pretty hit-and-miss itself; the first half of the film (set in the wilderness of Northern Japan) succeeds in being superbly dark and intriguing, but
the action’s shift to 1860s “Old West” America came across as somewhat half-baked. Although I have to give the filmmakers credit for their attempt to blend Japanese and American history, the depiction of the American West is dull and clichéd. The action picks up again in the last half hour (when Jiro returns to Japan), but the momentum of the film is irrevocably lost, and the story’s complexity just becomes convoluted.

Still, there is much to recommend in Dagger of Kamui; the plot’s references to Ainu lore, ninja legends, western colonialism, and the collapse of the Japanese feudal system are intriguing and not the usual stuff of anime (ninja legends excluded, of course). Despite it’s occasional murkyness, the animation itself is a fine example of what pre-digital anime was capable of – many current anime features would do well to have as much imagination.

Flawed as it is at times, Dagger of Kamai deserves a larger audience.

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…

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….

REVIEW: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed – Vols 2 and 3

With a wayward starship, a reluctant young hero, and hardcore Mech-on-Mech action up the wazoo, MSGS seems built on the sturdy Robotech-style (or Macross for you purists) Space Opera foundation. Actually, MSGS has more political intrigue, as it continues the “classic” Gundam story of the earth-dwelling humans (Earth Alliance) against vaguely fascist space station dwelling humans (The Zaft), with neutral nations being drawn into the escalating conflict, and less romance (or at least, overt romance), so that’s refreshing at least.

What’s not refreshing is the character design – the Protagonist (Kira Yamoto, the afore-mentioned Reluctant Young Hero fighting for the Earth Alliance) and the Antagonist (Athrun, his childhood best friend now conveniently the top ace for the Zaft) look bloody identical – I had to rely on looking for the part in Athrun’s hair for me to tell who’s who! And to make it worse, their Mechs are nearly identical as well, making battle scene increasing hard to follow. Still, the artwork is excellent, and the sharp, crisp lines, excellent depiction of action, and detailed Mechs make up for the goofy character design.

Anyhoo….in these 2 volumes, the Earth Alliance’s Archangel starship picks up a valuable political hostage while scavenging for supplies. On orders to return to Earth, they find themselves struggling with the Zaft in the N. African desert, and only a rag-tag group of desert-dwelling rebels can help them win. Surviving with heavy damage, they find themselves at the mercy of the neutral nation of Aube – who demand the technical data for the Archangel and all it’s Mechs!