Manga-ka: Minoru Murao
Publisher: Digital Manga
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2008

Synopsis: “It is an age of paranoia, superstition and religious fanaticism and the kingdom of Excludo is being engulfed in flames. The people are under the thrall of witch hysteria and burnings and executions have become a common sight. But the witch trials and inquisitions are a fraud and countless innocent women, falsely accused as witches, are being burned at the stake. Just when all hope seems lost, along comes the Black Knight-Mist, and his sidekick Euphemia, a “true witch” to avenge the innocent and force their own brand of justice on the wicked!”

Knights is a throw-back to the sword and sorcery anime of the nineties such as Slayers or Record of Lodoss War. It wasn’t until I read this manga that I realized how much I missed the genre’s appearance in anime and manga. Knights has a little bit of everything: sword fights, interesting characters, and a unique magic system. Even if you’re not a fan of medieval fantasy though, it’s still worth giving volume one a try.

One thing I love about this manga is that it starts off running. Katrina is a teenage girl who’s being burned at the stake after being accused of witchcraft. Just as she’s about to get roasted, the legendary ‘black knight’ and his witch partner come to her rescue. Once they get away, they are shocked to learn that Katrina is actually a highborn lady. But that’s nothing compared to the secret that Mist, the black knight, hides under his mask.

I didn’t see the reveal about Mist’s identity coming, and even though I hate to spoil it it’s impossible to talk about the manga without giving it away. It turns out that Mist is black, hence the name ‘black knight’ despite his outfit being mostly blue. I can think of a handful of manga that have black minor characters. I can think of even less that have black major characters. But a manga with a black person as the actual lead? And a medieval fantasy at that? I never saw it coming. It’s a great twist and helps differentiate the series from other action shonen manga.

The world of Knights is set in pseudo dark ages Europe. While the cities and countries may be different from our world, the attitudes of the populace is very much in line with what would have been common during medieval times. People’s reactions to Mist’s skin colour vary, but for the most part they treat him with contempt or fear, thinking that his dark skin is a sign that he’s in league with the devil. Naturally, this gives Mist a bit of a complex. Mist is shocked when, even after seeing his face, Katriana treats him exactly the same way she did before. It’s a nice moment that builds up both characters.

Also in Mist’s corner is Euphemia, an actual witch. Euphemia wears one of the skimpiest outfits I’ve ever seen in an anime or manga, and I’ve watched Witchblade. But amazingly the skimpy outfit actually fits with her character in that she doesn’t really care what normal humans think of her. The outfit also works since every single character comments on it the first time they see it. Sometimes this also helps out during a fight, since the bad guys are momentarily stunned by how little clothing she’s wearing. If her clothing seems lacking to a modern reader, just imagine what someone with a dark ages’ mindset would think.

The basic plot is that Mist and Euphemia are going around rescuing woman who have been falsely accused of witchcraft. At first it seems like the manga is going to be episodic, but the volume gradually reveals an overarching plot. Mist is actually part of a secret order that is trying to bring down the corrupt church. Aside from fighting clergymen and their fighters, Mist and others have to fight ‘saints,’ humans who have been given special powers by the church. We only get to see a couple of saints in this volume: one a giant ogre of a priest and the other a young female knight with prehensile hair. A lot of these plot elements are only fully explained later in the volume, so hopefully future books will expand on Mist’s mission.

The fights scenes are dynamic and well-paced, especially when the manga cuts back and forth between scenes. There’s a nice clarity to the art, both in character design and layout. The art style in general is pretty cute, which can be a little weird when the book goes to some dark places. There’s nothing extremely graphic here but the manga is about witch hunts and the hunters use many of the same techniques that their real-world counterparts used. While not a lot is shown a lot is implied.

Knights volume one is a very fun read. The characters may be pretty typical – plucky hero boy, pure-hearted girl, scantily clad magic user – but at the same times they have chemistry and still manage to be interesting. This first volume ends with Katrina setting out to find Mist, her travelling companions’ former enemy and a saint who may still be one yet. Just in that plot thread alone there’s so much room for drama and conflict. Add in all the other hints and plot threads dangling at the end of this volume, and you have me eagerly awaiting the chance to read volume two.

Review written July 29, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Digital copy provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

New review over at AnimeNewsNetwork for yet another new Viz Media shoujo (is it just me or are there more than usual coming out lately?), Dengeki Daisy. Long story short – buy this book, shoujo-fans!

I’ll admit I  didn’t think much of the book on first impressions – meaning I read the synopsis and went ‘eh’. But I purchased it anyway (via Strange Adventures) because I love trying new things and I adored it. It starts off feeling a little stereotypical but really surprised me with how much I came to love the two leads in such a short period time, especially ‘Daisy’. Volume two can’t come soon enough!

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES NEW SUMMER MANGA SERIES TO DELIGHT FANS OF ALL INTERESTS

San Francisco, CA, July 29, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has provided details regarding the launch of brand new manga series set for release this summer. The series will tantalize the most discriminating manga tastes and features romantic dramas, fantasy driven action, the trials of aspiring manga creators, and a tasty slice of life story set in a romantic bistro in Rome.

Bakuman。· Rated ‘T’ for Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available August 3rd

By the creative team that brought you DEATH NOTE! Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world?

DENGEKI DAISY · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available Now

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the text messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left behind. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help. Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks?

GENTE · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $12.99 US / $16.99 CAN · Available August 17th

Buona sera! Welcome to Casetta dell’Orso, a quaint little restaurant in the heart of Rome. The food’s delicious, but the handsome staff of bespectacled gentlemen is the real draw. Follow these dashing men home and witness their romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams in this delightfully whimsical continuation of Natsume Ono’s beloved Ristorante Paradiso.

HYDE & CLOSER · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available Now

Shunpei Closer is your average… well, slightly below average kid in junior high who finds himself in the middle of a great battle of dark sorcery. With cursed dolls coming after him one after another, Shunpei’s life is in constant danger! If that weren’t enough, Hyde, the teddy bear given to him by his grandfather, suddenly comes alive to rescue him. Hyde was a gift from Shunpei’s grandfather, Alsyd Closer, who was the King of Sorcerers. After a mysterious attack, Shunpei also learns that he is the target of sorcerers all over the world. With Hyde as his main protector and teacher, Shunpei must learn how to gain confidence in himself and use the magic that he has inherited to battle the dark forces that now threaten him.

Seiho boys’ high school! · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available August 3rd

Remote, lonely and surrounded by the ocean… This isn’t Alcatraz we’re talking about–it’s Seiho Boys’ High School, where the student body is rife with sexually frustrated hunks! How can these young men get girlfriends when they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere? These are the stories of the students of Seiho High and the trouble they get into as they awkwardly pursue all girls who cross their paths.

For more information on Bakuman。and other Shonen Jump titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.ShonenJump.com.

For more information on DENGEKI DAISY, SEIHO BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL, and other Shojo Beat titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.ShojoBeat.com.

For more information on HYDE & CLOSER and other Shonen Sunday titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.ShonenSunday.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and website at www.VIZ.com.

Manga-ka: Natsumi Matsumoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “During the Sports Festival, Momoka brings lunch for Ryuga so they can eat together, but Akira isn’t happy that Ryuga rejected her lunch in favour of Momoka’s. Jealous, Akira calls on three impish wind demons to break the couple apart.”

A charming mixture of Chinese pop culture with the traditional styling of Ribon manga, St. Dragon Girl is a sweet, spirited piece of manga fluff. It also slips in just enough fantasy elements and strange cuteness to avoid being overly sweet, relying on an upbeat tone that will overcome many a jaded manga fan.

St.Dragon Girl’s recipe takes a lot of tried and true manga elements and presents a combination that well suits those with a shojo appetite. The Chinese cultural references work themselves in neatly as the series combines Japanese and Chinese spiritual practices, joyfully celebrating these elements much as Ranma ½ had. The series establishes this well in this volume, kicking off with a self-contained story about a supporting character and the little dragon who is a better friend then she could suspect, and eventually moves onto a story wherein an adorable Panda demon wrecks havoc that leads to an epic number of adorably drawn pandas of varying sizes populating Momoka’s school. This understanding of cuteness expands into other aspects of the series such as the strange demons that attack the cast, reflecting their mischievous nature. This compliments how they often ultimately prove to be harmless wayward spirits, reflecting the generally positive outlook of Matsumoto’s characters.

The upbeat nature of the series is further enhanced by the art. Matsumoto’s art bounces across the page, mixing in some decent knowledge of action layouts with the usual flowery fare you expect from shojo for younger readers. Whether it’s snowboarding to the extreme at a deluxe resort , or some overviews of cities as the cast soars above on a flying dragon, the artwork is primarily polished, and extremely cheerful. Some might still find it cluttered due to the amount of screen tones, but I appreciated the kinetic feel it gave the series. The series flips well between action scenes, supernatural moments and school day hijinx, providing some consistent laughs whether it’s cutesy razorblade demons or narcissistic school idols.

Another element of St. Dragon Girl that struck me as charming was the role reversal of gender and superpowers we’ve seen in old superhero comics. For many years it was common for the girl on the team to have a more passive power, like Jean Grey‘s telekinesis or the Invisible Girl‘s force field while giving the men more physical powers. This trend that started to wean off in the 70’s, when Jean started eating suns and manipulating the cosmic fabric of the universe, thankfully. Because girls, they want to have fun, y’know? And Momoka is definitely the one having fun in this title, claiming credit to all sorts of cool martial arts action scenes and excelling as one of the school’s top athletes. Meanwhile, the male characters all had magic based powers, so they don’t get to partake in kicking the butts of evil panda poachers. While this was more of a background element to the usual sparkly shojo overdrive, I still appreciated it. It was refreshing to see a take-charge shojo lead who gets to both invoke magical dragons and know kung fu.

However, while the manga itself is definitely endearing, Matsumoto’s comments sections proved to be the most intriguing element. Matsumoto’s commentary proved insightful, as she delved into topics relating to how manga is made, rather then the usual anecdotes, fan mail and “this is the video game I’m currently playing” blurbs we usually see in shojo manga. As a cartoonist, it was fun to learn things like the inner workings of Ribon editorial, and the tools she uses for her colour work, inking and bits where she discussed panel borders. This isn’t a topic that comes up often in authors notes, and it was interesting to find out how an individual magazine might approach these things.

If you’re a fan of Arina Tanemura’s work, often published in Ribon as well, you’ll find a lot to like in this series. This shares the same sense of fun mixed with moments of melodrama, though opts to focus more on silly situations with a decent sense of humour. I recommend this most to fans of manga who don’t mind their shojo sparkly and fluffy, and also to anyone who find pandas adorable, which I imagine should primarily ensure the enjoyment of all.

Review written July 27, 2010 by Andre
Book provided by Viz Media for review purposes

Apologies to any who now have a four word jingle stuck in their head and want to clean things with the aid of a brawny bald man. Here we are on Monday, meaning San Diego Comic Con is behind us for another year. Not as many announcements as people were hoping but still some fun new titles to look forward to. As I’m all behind on posting on them, we can look at it as a sort of extended SDCC 2010… right?

Tokyopop had its panel mid-weekend and offered up few new series for the masses:

Mr. Clean: Fully Equipped
Tōya Tobina

Pavane for a Dead Girl
Koge Donbo

Sakura no Ichiban
Yuna Kagesaki

The staff also went over the list of upcoming releases which you can read in its entirety over at AnimeNewsNetwork. After noticing an absence of a number of titles I was really looking forward (such as the newest volumes of Matsuri Akino’s series), I asked over Twitter and was promptly responded to by Tokyopop who assured me they were coming soon (with picture proof!). Now that’s service :)

Other tidbits of news included confirmation of the new Gakuen Heaven titles discovered on Amazon a few months ago ( Endo ~ Calling you & Shichijo ~ Sweet Sweet Darling) along with schedule updates for a few other BLU titles as well – “Baseball Heaven, due out 10/12/10, Stray Cat by Halco (11/9/10), Secretary’s Love by tohko Akiba (12/7/10), and You and Me, Etc. by Kyuugou (2/8/11)” (from ANN)

Tokyopop will also be releasing some jigsaw puzzles for their original properties (yay?), will be releasing more manga via digital means at $5.99 a book and shared some more details on a How To Draw Shoujo Manga book which will include material from Japanese company Hakusensha’s line-up including fan-favourites Ouran Host Club and Fruits Basket.

Manga-ka: Seimu Yoshizaki
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: April 2010

Synopsis: “If a manga volume exists, you can find it at Kingyo Used Books. But Kingyo is more than just a typical used bookstore—it’s a place where human relationships are treated as the most valuable stories of all. Natsuki, the store’s interim manager, and Shiba, the manga maniac who loves her, help both their regular patrons and random customers in a series of linked tales built around actual manga series ranging from the popular to the esoteric.”

Kingyo Used Books is a manga about people who love manga, written by someone who loves manga, aimed at manga lovers. So, if you don’t like manga, get out of town. This book won’t convert anyone to the medium, but for people already in the choir it’s a treat.

The book juggles stories of the customers, employees, and friends at Kingyo’s Used Books. Most of the chapters are standalone stories – they usually involve someone coming to Kingyo looking for a particular manga. The first story is about a businessman who comes to Kingyo looking to sell his manga collection, but a class reunion makes him realize how much it means to him. In another story, a middle-aged woman rediscovers the shoujo romance series she loved as a teenager, helping her make a new friend. The stories don’t sound that exciting, but for the most part they work. Some are more memorable than others, but they’re all sweet in their own way.

Though most of the chapters are episodic, there are also chapters that deal with the main cast rather than one-off characters. There’s Natsuki, the thankless de facto manager; Shiba, a manga fanatic and store employee, and the store manager who just recently got out of the hospital. They are also joined by Ayu, a ‘sedori’ (someone whose job involves tracking down rare manga and reselling them). The bookstore employees are nice, though in general I found them a little flat. It’s only volume one so there’s still plenty of time for the main cast to develop, but so far everyone seems to share one defining feature which is…wait for it…they LOVE manga.

There is one character that stands out among the main cast however. Billy is Natsuki’s cousin who was raised in America. He is obsessed with an old shonen adventure manga featuring a detective named Billy Pluck. Billy (whose real name is Ichiro) is determined to live like his adventurous, globe-trotting hero. He even dresses like Billy Pluck, wearing a plaid cap and trench coat, even in summer. Billy has come to Japan in order to meet the man behind his hero, the manga-ka who created Billy Pluck.

Billy’s outlandishness is both a strength and weakness. On one hand, it gives the series a bit of oomph that it was lacking before he steps onto the page, yet at the same time the rest of the series is so down-to-earth that Billy’s oddness sticks out like a sore thumb. Even among a cast of people who have dedicated their lives to comics, Billy’s devotion is too much for them. Still, the twist in Billy’s introductory chapter is probably the most emotional moment in the book, so that alone justifies his inclusion. It’s a great moment that blends actual manga history into the plot of the book, giving it just that much more of an impact.

The manga really does shine when it’s putting a spotlight on some obscure or forgotten manga series. The characters in Kingyo Used Books read everything from drama to gag manga, even a French comic book series. Even though we don’t get to ‘see’ any of this manga aside from a few images, we appreciate them through characters’ reactions. Still, it’s a little frustrating to be told about all these interesting series, hear this amazing art described, and not see any of it. It hurts doubly so for English language readers, since only one of the series (Dr.Slump) showcased in this volume has been released in English. There are descriptions of each series at the back of the book, but once again all it does is whet the reader’s appetite.

Still, you don’t have to have read the particular series in order to empathise with the characters. Most manga fans probably have a shojo romance that got them through high school, or a gag manga they read when they’re feeling low. As long as you have something like that as a starting point, the actual titles and particulars don’t matter.

The art embodies the open, friendly nature of the series. It’s detailed and the settings are always established clearly. The characters all have broad faces and big eyes (well, for manga they’re more like medium sized). While there’s variety in the overall characters designs, a lot of characters seem to share the same face. The layouts pace the stories well, but aren’t particularly flashy. They do what they were meant to do, which is tell the story.

Viz does a nice job with this release. As mentioned before, there are extensive notes in the back about all of the manga featured in this volume (the editor of the English edition occasionally chimes in to talk about what is and isn’t available in English). There was times when the dialogue felt a little awkward to my ear, but only rarely. For example, there’s very short a conversation between a greengrocer and a customer where the word ‘deal’ is said repeatedly. It just seems stiff and unnatural.

Whether you like Kingyo Used Books really depends on whether you like manga or not. If you like manga, you’ll like this manga. At the same time, it’s hard to picture anyone really loving this series. It doesn’t really inspire the same strong feelings as the manga championed in this book, and it’s hard to see it becoming a classic in its own right one day. But it’s still a fun series, and reading it is like having a conversation with a fellow manga fanatic.

Review written July 24, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Book bought from Strange Adventures

First I was without internet for a few days and then SDCC popped up to distract me but that’s no reason to let a string of manga releases go unappreciated here on Kuriousity! Seven Seas spent some time dropping fun hints over Twitter for three new manga licenses while the eager and informed deciphered them. A press release then confirmed the titles which are all due for release in 2011:

Amnesia Labyrinth – Nagaru Tanigawa
“When high school student Souji Kushiki, an academic achiever and talented athlete from a well-to-do family, returns home from boarding school, he finds that his sisters Harumi, Youko, and Saki have changed. However, when Souji arrives at school the next day, he learns that, during the summer, one of the students in his class was pushed to his death in front of a subway train. And what’s more, two other students were stabbed by an unknown culprit. Are the victims linked, and could Souji’s sisters have anything to do with the murders?” (Vol. 01 coming February 2011)

Tora Dora – Yuyuko Takemiya/Yasu
“It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her into his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!” (Vol. 01 coming March 2011)

A Certain Scientific Railgun – Kazuma Kamach/Kiyotaka Haimura
“Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science or religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgment, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn’t!” (Vol. 01 coming June 2011).

Personally I’m pretty indifferent to the titles themselves, all being new to me aside from in passing mention (though Toradora sounds cute), but it is promising seeing Seven Seas releasing some new titles and apparently very fandom-supported titles at that. Hope the fans enjoy!

San Diego Comic Con is upon us! As one of the largest (the largest?) convention of its kind, it tends to be a safe bet we’ll hear some snazzy manga news from the packed convention panel rooms over the weekend. So far the biggest list goes to Yen Press who had their panel today. The folks on Twitter and ANN were there to share the news -

New licenses:

Aron’s Absurd Armada – Misun Kim
Highschool of the Dead – Shoji Sato/Daisuke Sato
Higurashi: When They Cry Demon Exposing Arc – En Kitou
Otoyome-Gatari (The Bride’s Stories) – Kaoru Mori
Uraboku (The Betrayal Knows My Name) – Hotaru Odagiri *Missed one!

The title here that really excites me is Kaoru Mori’s The Bride’s Stories. Granted, I was rather bored by Emma and couldn’t finish but I really like her artwork and after watching some digital art-processes with some of the cover art from The Bride’s Stories, I was in love. I look forward to giving another of her series a go and Yen Press should give it fantastic treatment, which according to Deb Aoki “will be a hardcover edition w/ a larger trim size”. Extra shiny!

In other news:

After announcing back in April that Yen Plus would be moving to digital, Yen Press staff announced at their panel that today is the day. Starting today a free preview of the format and content is available up on their new Yen Plus website. All it takes is signing up for an account and you’re ready to go.

I must say, the cost of $2.99 a month is a really good price and includes access to the current and past months’ edition of Yen Plus. New content, serialized chapters and each issue is available to the purchaser for two months after its released. I also like that they chose not to make it Flash based – it loads really smoothly and can be viewed on mobile devices such as iPads. More info is available via their site’s FAQ page – though the link most will likely be curious about (“What series are in the magazine?”) is currently not working.

My only real issue with Yen Plus digital as it stands now is the difficulty much of their target audience will have paying for the subscription. It’s only available via PayPal (which works through credit cards or bank accounts) and this isn’t something the younger audience really has access to. I hope they have some sort of at-convention registration process as well in the future. Not being able to buy subscriptions in multiple month installments also seems like something people won’t like but this policy could change as the process evolves. All a learning experience!

During their panel’s Q&A, YP staff also stated they’re not currently looking into license-rescuing any of the titles previously held by the recently expunged CMX, and they don’t at this time have any new light novel announcements to make.

Authors: Dave Roman, Alison Wilgus
Artist: Nina Matsumoto
Publisher: DelRey
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: May 2010

Synopsis: “When Prince Zuko dared to question authority, his father Fire Lord Ozai, banished him from the Fire Nation. Horribly scarred and stripped of everything he held dear, Zuko has wandered the earth for almost three years in search of his only chance of redemption: the Avatar, a mystical being who once kept the four nations in balance. Everyone he encounters believes that this is an impossible task, as the Avatar disappearance a century ago. But Zuko stubbornly continues the search. He must regain his honor, so his question is all he has left.”

Scarred by his Father and scorned by his people, Prince Zuko embarks on a quest to capture the now near-mythicized Avatar to regain his honour and be once again allowed home. Little here will trend new ground for those well-versed in Nickelodeon’s original animated series but superb writing and classy artwork combine to make this book a short but sweet one-shot that any fan of the series should keep an eye out for. Zuko’s Story takes a huge leap forward from the Avatar movie-verse (from where it garnered its inception) by taking a step back to Zuko’s past and doing so with more reminiscent style.

Zuko’s Story comes from most of the creative team who put together the graphic novel adaptation of The Last Airbender, namely the writers Dame Roman and Alison Wilgus working under the thumb of M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action script. Handed a prequel here however, the duo – who’re no strangers to professional Avatar comics – really get to strut their stuff in this more free-reign assignment. And it shows.

The story focuses predominantly, as one would assume, on Zuko and his personality fits the original to a tee. Reading his lines immediately brings his voice actor to mind and it becomes a more engaging reading experience because of it. This really feels like a story about ‘the’ Zuko, and while some may find it lacks anything feeling new because of this, those dedicated to the tried and true original with love the attention to detail including subtle mannerisms and the less subtle rageful outbursts and boo-hoo me angst that marks him both as a good anti-hero and a believable teenager.

The strength of the writing is just as evident when the words flow from the mouth of Uncle Iroh. Rendered here in his movie design with stand-out dreadlocks and notable height, he still feels no less like the Uncle Iroh viewers of the original show had come to love. Wise, patient and a little cheeky, every line he delivers feels distinctly Iroh-ish. That in itself would make this a worthwhile read before going into the live-action movie to serve as a good transition piece between the two versions.

The story begins with Zuko’s banishment and ends with the sight of the Avatar’s revival. In between readers are delivered a combination of Zuko’s anger, self-loathing and refreshingly sincere move towards self-acceptance as he travels the globe. Also, while the majority of the content is a rehash of what the animated series already showed us, there’s also some overlap of elements that are bound to amuse fans and offer some satisfying cameos from characters otherwise absent in the movie-verse.

Nina Matsumoto’s artwork is also in complimentary top-form – it suits the subject matter so well that it’d be fantastic to see more Airbender work from her in the future. Best known for her anime-style Simpsons picture and Del Rey released original series, Yokaiden, here in Zuko’s Story she feels like she found a style that fits like a glove. Elements from the movie design, most notably the revamped Uncle Iroh and Zuko’s wardrobe, are meshed seamlessly with the art style of the original series itself. Nina Matsumoto’s own unique inking style, utilizing heavy strokes and sparse screen toning, really shines – hopefully she had as much fun drawing it as the finished produce suggests she embraced it. Some panels can look a little rushed with sparse details but all-in-all whether it’s the background elements to set a scene or the blazing fires of an enraged Prince, the art shows just what’s required to tell a good story, and with a solid mix of action and emotion, it does just that.

Released in a very slim, no-muss-no-fuss book format, Zuko’s Story still manages to slip in some extra content. At the end of the book there is about a chapters ‘worth of the original script for the book next to the rough pencil drawings. For those interested in the comics-making process, this offers a neat look at the connection between writer and artist and the interpretations of their material. It’s too bad they couldn’t add in the original outline the writers were given too, just to allow readers a quick peek at the process start to finish. As far as the book itself, the cover artwork used is definitely y eye-catching (in a good way) but the back of the book looks like a cheap last-minute throw-together. Not a big deal, just not a very attractive one either.

Despite having the name splattered on the front, Zuko’s Story is a book that doesn’t require any interest or knowledge of the live-action film – in fact, you could despise the live-action film and still enjoy this faithful rendition of the original series. Though some of the film’s design elements are present, they’re so fluently moulded in (and made quite loveable) with the speech and style of Avatar that it all just works. Kudos to the writers and the artist – it may not blow anyone away but that makes it no less worth having on the bookshelf of any avid Avatar fan.

Review written July 22, 2010 by Lissa Pattillo
Book purchased from Strange Adventures

RightStuf’s weekly sale has gone live and this week it’s on all Viz Media books -that my friends is a large library of savings indeed. Just going through the first couple of listings pages shows you these are sales well worth taking advantage of too – almost 50% off or more on some titles! The sale ends on August 2nd.

Because they fall a little higher on the price scale, and because they’re generally fantastic, I recommend spelunking through the Viz Sig imprint. Along with the wonders that is 20th Century Boys and Pluto by Naoki Urasawa, the Viz Signature line also includes Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku and the fan-tabulous line-up of titles currently up to read chapters for free of over at SigIkki.com. Definitely doesn’t hurt to get caught up on your favourite running shonen series either, be it Bleach, Eyeshield 21, One Piece or Naruto (to name some). Not to mention the shoujo… and artbooks… and back issues… and omnibus…and DVDs… Oh boy, this could take a while.

As a bonus, RightStuf is also offering free Viz Media convention tote bags to those who purchase three or more Viz Media items.

My usual Wednesday shopping had to be postponed until Thursday as I did an emergency replacement of my computer (warning to the masses: backing up your computer files is the best thing you can do for your technological-sanity) but a fan can never be kept from the bookstore for long!

Today specifically I first picked up Viz Media’s newest shoujo series, Dengeki Daisy. The plot doesn’t exactly wow me, and I haven’t read the artist’s previous work, Beast Master, but I’ve already hard lots of good things about this new story so I’m giving it a go! Thanks to a snazzy buy-one-get-one deal at Strange Adventures I was also able to snap up a copy of the third volume of Gankutsuou. While I haven’t read it through yet, just flipping through shows me this is going to be an entirely different, and considerably more disturbing, angle than the anime – yikes! And of course, I had to pick up a copy of the final volume of Scott Pilgrim.

While I never got a chance to visit the vendors for shopping purposes at last week’s Animinitime, I did stop by at the local Chapters to spend a convenient gift card I’d acquired. While there I also checked out the selection of French language manga. Such pretty design work! All with slipcovers and nice mini trim sizes. Also the selection was snazzy – over fifty volumes of Case Closed?! Very cool.

Chapters purchases included Calling, a boys’ love one-shot from BLU which sports an uke with very fluttering eyelashes; Cirque du Freak (Vol. 05) because my roommate adores the manga version (hasn’t read the books though) and I must admit it’s pretty darn fun to read; Flower in a Storm (Vol. 02) because despite thinking the first was sort of lame was interested when learning volume two was the end; Mad Love Chase (Vol. 04) because it’s Kazusa Takashima; and lastly, the fourth volume of my super guilty pleasure Zone-00 because it’s ‘awesome’. Ahhhhh the eye-candy in Zone 00!

As before, I encourage sharing of shiny manga purchases! What books made your swag bag this week?

Didn’t I promise a little more Avatar the Last Airbender content on here? I think I did. While an unfortunate computer-frying has slowed down the posting of my review to the recent graphic novel release of Zuko’s Story, I’m happy to post about this exciting news in the meantime.

After months of job postings, speculation and title dropping, Nickelodeon today sent out an official press release about their new Avatar animated series. Titled Avatar: The Legend of Korra, this sequel series will take place seventy years in the future and follows the title character, Korra, the next Avatar. Born to the water tribes, Korra leaves her home to seek mastery of the four elements and finds herself combatting crime in a steam-powered city of warring classes and those protesting the use of bending. In her travels she’ll also meet the son of Aang, the original series’ main character, whose name is Tenzin.

Created by the same dream team responsible for Avatar: The Last Airbender, there’s tons to be excited about for this series. No word yet how much, if at all, past characters will make appearances (being in their 80s after all) but there still sounds like more than enough reason to tune in. Set for release in 2011, let the countdown begin!

New review posted at AnimeNewsNetwork over this past convention-busy weekend for the first volume of Maoh: Juvenile Remix. You can read this series online over at ShonenSunday.com

I’m really interested to read the second volume of Maoh because I’m pretty stumped on where I think the plot is going to go. The apparent antagonist is interesting too. He reminded me a lot of Griffith from Berserk, as I mentioned in my review. I’ll admit I did chuckle a bit at how dramatically the story emphasized the lead’s ability to make others say his own thoughts out loud though. Yes it’s a pretty crazy power to have but compared to so many other shonen-leads before him, it seemed a little initially silly. Could mean lots for future events though, I’m eager to see how he continues to use them.

LOS ANGELES, July 20, 2010 – From Sunday, July 18th to Tuesday, July 20th, Seven Seas released a series of cryptic anagrams and hints via Twitter (twitter.com/gomanga) that, when deciphered, reveal the titles of Seven Seas’ newest manga licenses. Twitter elite and anime fans were quick to decode the clues, and word quickly spread about the leaked titles.

Seven Seas is now pleased to confirm that it has licensed the following manga:

Amnesia Labyrinth (volume 1 coming February 2011)
Tora Dora (volume 1 coming March 2011)
A Certain Scientific Railgun (volume 1 coming June 2011).

Subsequent volumes in each series will follow every 3-4 months.

So why the decision to announce these titles via Twitter and in the form of anagrams, no less? “If I had to write another boring press release, I would’ve stabbed myself with a fork,” said Senior Editor Adam Arnold. “But seriously, we wanted to have a little fun and figured this would be a unique way to announce these new manga series.”

Amnesia Labyrinth

From Nagaru Tanigawa, the author of the acclaimed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series, comes a new offbeat tale of murder and demented love!

When high school student Souji Kushiki, an academic achiever and talented athlete from a well-to-do family, returns home from boarding school, he finds that his sisters Harumi, Youko, and Saki have changed. Their strangely clingy behavior borders on the inappropriate and bizarre, yet Souji just brushes off their odd behavior at first.

However, when Souji arrives at school the next day, he learns that, during the summer, one of the students in his class was pushed to his death in front of a subway train. And what’s more, two other students were stabbed by an unknown culprit. Are the victims linked, and could Souji’s sisters have anything to do with the murders?

With the help of his cheery and spunky new girlfriend Yukako Sasai, straight-laced Souji is about to venture into a twisted world that might just be the end of everything he believes to be true.

Tora Dora

Ryuji Takasu has learned the hard way that appearances can be deceiving. For despite his inwardly sweet personality, his unintentionally sharp gaze and aggressive features give him the air of a delinquent thug, putting his chances at making new friends, let alone a girlfriend, next to zero.

It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her into his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!

The Tora Dora franchise began as a long-running light novel series that won “best romantic comedy” in the 2007 Kadowawa Shoten’s Light Novel Award contest and spawned a popular manga, as well as a visual novel for the PSP. Its much-loved, off-the-wall characters have made cameo appearances in Japanese video games. A 25-episode Tora Dora anime series ran on Japanese TV in 2009 and has been released to much acclaim in a deluxe DVD boxset in North America by anime newcomer NIS America.

A Certain Scientific Railgun

Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science or religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. The majority of students are enrolled in the city’s “Power Curriculum Program,” where they must learn to master their latent psychic powers. Out of several million students, only seven are deemed powerful enough to have Level 5 status.

Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgment, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn’t!

The “Certain” franchise began with the long-running light novel series A Certain Magical Index, which was adapted into both a manga and an anime series. Its spin off, A Certain Scientific Railgun, became a breakout hit. A new anime series following the further adventures of both series’ protagonists is set to air in Japan starting October 2010. The franchise has also spawned an RPG for the Nintendo DS and a fighting game for the Sony PSP.

About Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC

Established in 2004, Seven Seas Entertainment is devoted to producing original manga, comics, graphic novels, and youth literature, and bringing the best in Japanese licenses to North American audiences. Among the company’s current line-up are such original manga properties as Amazing Agent Luna, Aoi House, Destiny’s Hand, Hollow Fields, and It Takes A Wizard; the stunning Vampire manga from Japan, Dance in the Vampire Bund, which is now a hit anime series; and Rachel Roberts’ best-selling YA novel series Avalon: Web of Magic. Seven Seas’ web site, www.gomanga.com, is a daily stop for thousands of visitors eager to read manga online and contribute to an ever-growing forum community. Seven Seas Entertainment is currently partnered with Tor/Macmillan and have collaborated on several series such as Afro Samurai, Hayate X Blade, Inukami!, and the Wicked City novel series by Hideyuki Kikuchi.

Manga-ka: Est Em
Publisher: Netcomics
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: October 2009

Synopsis: “Forbidden love has a way of intertwining itself with destiny. Nick and Billy share a dream to become rock stars, but the dream comes crashing down the night Nick steals Billy’s guitar and life savings to pay off a debt. The crime breaks down the barrier of friendship between the two boys, revealing a far deeper level of connection than either was willing to admit. However, other members of the band grow tired of Nick’s free-thinking and careless ways. They want the “hippie” out of the band, leaving Billy faced with a heart-wrenching decision. He can either sacrifice his music, a career into which he’s invested countless hours of sweat and blood. Or he can sacrifice the boy who stole his heart long ago…”

Age Called Blue doesn’t feel like a yaoi manga. Instead it feels like a comic that happens to have gay leads. While the focus is on the main characters’ relationship, it’s more complicated than them just being boyfriends. For Nick, Billy is all he has in the world, while for Billy, Nick is the only thing holding him back. The way the characters act is sadly realistic, making this a believable and interesting drama.

This manga really hits the right notes not only with the art but with the words. Most manga hook you with an initial image or sequence, but Age Called Blue uses text to draw you into the world: “On Wednesday Pete Brian died. On that same day, my roommate Nick ran away with my guitar and cash. I felt like dying.” Needless to say, Billy’s having a bad week. As the story unfolds, we find out that Pete Brian was the lead singer of Billy’s favourite rock band, The Rebels. We also meet Billy’s renegade roommate Nick and figure out that this isn’t the first time he’s pulled a stunt like this. I like how quickly the story starts. Instead of showing how Billy and Nick meet (though we see that later) it starts out at a point where their histories are already tangled up together.

While Nick may be a pain, he is also undeniably talented. As he and Billy start to get more involved with each other, their band also starts to take off. They catch the eye of Joe Coxon, former guitarist for The Rebels, and he offers them a contract. Billy is ecstatic. While he might not have Nick’s flair for the dramatic, he’s been practicing and working for this dream for a long time. But with Nick’s behaviour growing more and more wild there’s a very real risk that the dream might slip away. Billy loves both Nick and music, but he seems to be the only one. His fellow band mates want Nick out, and even Joe warns Billy that he’ll to decide what matters more to him, music or ‘the boy.’

I always like it in yaoi when the relationships are more complicated than uke/seme. Nick and Billy definitely don’t fit the yaoi stereotypes. They are musicians, punks, rock stars. In short, they are a lot more than just the roles they play in bed.

One thing I did have a problem with was the flow of the story. The manga does a couple of chapters of linear storytelling, then flashes back to the day Pete Brian died and fills in some of the blanks. After that is a chapter showing Billy and Nick meeting as teenagers. I didn’t really find the last part necessary. Sure it’s nice to see Billy and Nick when they still had some baby fat, but the main storyline was so compelling that I didn’t really care how these two first started going out. The chapters that flash back to the day Pete died are interesting though. In one chapter we see Nick approach a depressed Pete and offer his body in exchange for money. In the other chapter Billy happens to run into Joe, his very own personal guitar hero, and brings him back to the apartment (though unlike Nick and Pete, they don’t have sex). At first I rolled my eyes at the coincidence: what are the chances of these two both running into an ex-member of The Rebels, and on the same day? But once I got past how contrived it seemed, it actually works really well in the story as we get to compare Nick and Billy’s relationship to Joe and Pete’s.

Age Called Blue is a nice addition to the subgenre of band manga (i.e. Nana, Dragon Voice). Age Called Blue is a bit different from some of the better-known titles in the genre in that it focuses more on rock and punk than pop. It’s a little less slick, which suits it. It’s not about pretty pop stars singing in massive stadiums, but about up-and-comers happy to get a gig in a dive bar or shady club. There’s a joyful desperation in not just the characters but the art. It’s slightly sketchy but always clear. Everything (people included) seems to have just the right amount of grime. The manga looks dirty, and that’s a good thing.

The character designs are really nice, reminding me slightly of Becky Cloonan’s art. Once again there’s a sketchy look to everyone, but after a second glance you can see the detail around the eyes and the noses (I love Est Em’s noses. She’s one of the few manga-ka I’ve seen who can actually somehow make this an expressive feature). A complaint I have with her character designs is that they’re not varied enough. There are a couple of short stories at the end of the volume, and in one of them the main character looked so much like Billy I thought he was actually the main character for awhile.

The extra stories at the end are good, though not as good as the main story. In one an art student falls for his professor only to find that they are linked in more ways than he thought. In another, an old man reminisces about his days in the Soviet space program and his friend who managed to reach the stars. Both of these are very well done and interesting stories, but just weren’t as memorable for me.

Net Comics does a good job with the adaptation, though in one part they seem to veer into Dick Van Dyke territory with the extreme British accents. The fonts used for the texts are ugly, but in way fit the mood of the manga: they look like the kind of fonts a cheap zine might use.

This is a yaoi that I can see appealing not just to manga fans, but to open-minded comic book readers as well. The characters seem like they could exist in real life, but that’s only half of it. Not only are their actions realistic but how the world reacts to their actions rings true as well. In this manga there is cause and effect, and things don’t always work out the way the characters want them too. Age Called Blue is still not as much of a downer as it sounds though, as the characters show that they are capable of getting back on their feet if they really want too. It’s an ending that manages to be open-ended but still hopeful.

Review written July 15, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Book bought from RightStuf

Manga-ka: Takashi Hashiguchi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2010

Synopsis: “Young Yamatoya, a spoiled brat with a thing for bread, is back – and this time he’s trying to buy a job as a bread judge. But when master taster Kuro-san decides to teach him a lesson about hard work, Yamatoya realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Later, Azuma’s team Pantasia is in a bind when their next opponent in the “Yakitate!! Japan” baking competition turns out to be an old rival who’s caught in the grip of a powerful mind-controlling substance: miso bread!”

Yakitate Japan offers some signature Shonen Sunday-brand humour, adding a dash of whimsical absurdity to the realm of cooking manga, with its strange yet involving tale of youths struggling to be the best bread-makers in all of Japan. This volume is well into the series, yet is quite accessible to new readers, piquing my curiosity to check out more of this offbeat bakery comic.

While I’m a fan of the cooking manga genre, it was Yakitate Japan’s odd sense of humour that drew me in. The comic offers some strange non-sequitors, from the Afro-wearing manager to the use of a friendly veterinarian to treat one of the casts injuries – it just rolls along with the oddity of its characters interactions. A particularly striking visual was one of the evil Kirasaki’s minions, who is apparently trapped in the form of a blow-up doll. It might sound offensive, but it is far more innocuous than it sounds, lending to some odd moments of comedy to some otherwise dramatic dialogue.

These moments are like a dash of Bobobobo Bobobo, breaking the fourth wall and keeping the series upbeat and entertaining when many current shonen manga prefer to up the angst levels. The opening chapter in particular is strange, as two of the characters apparently share a dream sequence of a world where no one tries or aspires to be anything. This bleak opposite of any shonen manga gently mocks the themes it tries to promote, while reassuring the readers that they too can achieve anything, using the bizarre career choice of a tasting judge. The use of Yamatoya in this story felt a little preachy as the rich child genius learns his lesson in patience after bribing his way into a contest win, but was evened out by the strangeness of his transportation to a homeless parallel world through fried chicken.

Even with its these surreal moments, the manga also pays attention to details, going into an in-depth explanation of how kneading affects the release and distribution of air and gases in bread, adding a touch of realism. Amazingly, this all occurs while some of the cast are being controlled by mind-altering, brain-shaped bread as they compete in a nationally celebrated bread baking competition, but one accepts the situation and appreciates the brief educational situation. Surely young Kazuma Azuma will find a way out of this bind and do so by baking some scrumptious bread, leading many a reader to ponder if its snack time.

The artwork is the sort you’ll see on any long-running Shonen Sunday manga, polished and professional, the result years of work on the title. With slick line work and a straightforward layout, it makes for well-paced storytelling. Hashiguchi is also skilled at drawing food, though the comedy moments overshadow that aspect of the art in this volume. While the visuals are often silly, the artwork itself isn‘t overly stylized, relying on its versatility to get us through both dramatic and humorous with the same flair.

VIZ’s presentation is their usual standard, with an appealing graphic design approach that reminds me a little of food packaging, and folds in some extra information on Japanese food with an entry on Miso. Sound effects are translated, and like several already long-running VIZ series, it has been re-branded with the new Shonen Sunday imprint. Those looking for a sample of the manga will be pleased to know VIZ has placed a sample chapter on their Sunday website, which also offers character profiles, helping to add to the series accessibility.

While not as insane as Iron-Wok Jan, this is nevertheless a great addition to your cooking manga collection, a pleasant, mindlessly light read to squeeze in-between your overdramatic shojo and formulaic shonen battle manga. Once you know that there is a) a character calling himself “Meister” and b) said character wears a cape and a feather covered mask, you accept these things and enjoy this quirk-ridden, pan-obsessed manga.

Review written July 15, 2010 by Andre
Book provided by Viz Media for review purposes

Two days without a post – we’re not dead, we swear! Though it means a lot people have actually asked. It makes us happy to know readers have come to look forward to Kuriousity’s daily posts and they shall be returning shortly!

Due to an upcoming convention that 5/6 of the Kuriousity are staffing at (just realized that – neat!), the site will be on a short hiatus for a couple more days. Manga news, reviews and that odd stuff in between will return after this weekend and the conclusion of our second Animinitime event.

Until then happy manga reading!

New review posted over at AnimeNewsNetwork – the first volume of Vertical’s new series, Chi’s Sweet Home (Vol. 01).

I already noted in my short Swag Bag post how I’m not a big cat fan and it’s no surprise that’s nothing really changed after reading this book. It was cute, it was colourful, it is a pretty charming book – but it’s not really for me. I just don’t find the cat cute – a little dumb and silly but not over the top adorable has some had insisted I would. Sorry Chi, you tried! Vertical did a great job on the book visually though and I love the paper it’s printed on. The baby talk of the kitten though? Ehhhh… a swing and a miss.

Still, you like cats and comics then you should definitely check out Chi’s Sweet Home.

A new review of mine’s been posted over on AnimeNewsNetwork – this time for one of Viz Media’s new shoujo series, Flower In A Storm.

Overall I was really underwhelmed by this manga, falls on the dull side of things. It definitely lacks the hook-factor that many other shoujos have, though I suppose it helps to have one less addictive series growing on my shelf, right? It’s too bad though, a girl with superheroes versus a crazy guy with a gun sounded like it had a lot of promise. Upside though, the flower/gun design on the back of the book is beautiful – very nice work there.

Manga-ka: Eiichiro Oda
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2010

Synopsis: “The Straw Hats are in a desperate battle against time and Gecko Moria to get their shadows back before dawn. Gecko Moria unleashes his devasting power of a thousand shadows, but Luffy counters back with his “Gear” powers. To save his crew, will Luffy have to make the ultimate sacrifice?”

Part of One Piece’s charm is its madcap, anything-goes mix of adventure and comedy. The plot sounds like something an eight-year-old might come up with between swigs of Red Bull: our cast of heroic pirates run into one of the seven warlords of the sea, Gecko Moria, a bad guy who steals the crews’ shadows in order to become more powerful. If they don’t get their shadows back before the sun comes up, they’ll die. With the sun starting to peek over the horizon, Luffy engages Moria in a no-holds brawl in order to save his friends – and that’s just the first couple of chapters! The rest of the book packs in a fight between swordsman Zolo and warlord Kuma, the tragic back-story of a musical skeleton named Brook, and the introduction of a new storyline involving a mermaid and an undersea island. All that and the crazy comedy and action One Piece is known for.

Whenever I pick up the latest issue of Shonen Jump, One Piece is the title I enjoy the most. But following the series through Shonen Jump has its drawbacks. Viz made the decision a few months ago to jump ahead several story arcs, skipping over thirty volumes of material in order to get the graphic novels out faster. That means if you’ve been following along in Shonen Jump (like me) you’ve missed out on three major story arcs and a ton of new characters. The other downside to reading One Piece in magazine format is that a few chapters a month just isn’t satisfying. But with Viz releasing five One Piece volumes in the month of June alone, it’s easy for One Piece fans to get their fix and catch up.

Volume fifty of One Piece starts with the climactic battle of a previous story arc. Having very little idea what was going on, the summary at the beginning of the book helped a lot. A second reading helped me understand what exactly was going on, but even before that I at least enjoyed the crazy fights and character moments.

One Piece’s random nature is both a strength and a weakness. Sometimes, even when you know what’s going on, it’s still hard to keep track of it all. There are so many characters, some who reappear after being out of the story for dozens of volumes. The characters have such bizarre abilities and fighting skills that the action scenes sometimes require a second go-over just to figure them out (an example of weird powers is Kuma’s hands, which have paw pads on the palms. They allow him to deflect anything, even air, turning his hands into a kind of air pressure cannon).

Thankfully Oda is skilled at creating distinctive character designs, making it easy to tell who’s who. I do feel sorry for him concerning the growing main cast though; it must be hard to cram all of them into the reaction shots.

Speaking of the growing cast, I was at little worried when I saw that Straw Hat pirate crew had grown to nine. While I love pretty much every character in the series, I was worried that a larger main cast would make it hard for everyone to get their time in the spotlight. Oda does a pretty good job at giving everyone their moment to shine, though I do hope my favourite character, the ship’s doctor and resident reindeer Chopper, gets more page-time in future volumes.

I also underestimated Oda’s gift for creating memorable new characters. In this volume Brook, a living skeleton who loves music, agrees to join Luffy’s crew. At first I wrote Brook off as being too crazy and out there (even for a series that has a talking reindeer doctor) but in a flashback Oda shows Brook heartbreaking back-story and I was won over completely. It’s sad without being angsty and sweet without being too sentimental (it also has an adorable baby whale in it, so there’s that as well). The way Brook takes his sad circumstances in a stride and with good cheer is not only touching, it encapsulates the heart of the series.

I love the fact that for a shonen action series One Piece has really strong female characters too. Aside from Nami and Nico in Luffy’s crew, in this volume there’s also Captain Lola, the captain of a crew of pirates who have also had their shadows stolen. Lola is a strong captain, having kept her crew safe over the years by keeping them out of the sun during the day. When she makes a stand against Moria, it’s one of the more badass moments in a volume full of badass moments. Later in the volume we meet Camie, a cute mermaid. It’s hard to say at this point if she’ll also be a strong character, but from the little bit of her shown so far in the series at the very least she’s very funny.

While One Piece is for the most part light-hearted fun, it’s also pretty dense in terms of story telling. There are often a lot of panels on each page, and each of those panels is filled with detail. The art itself uses a lot of thick lines, meaning that often there seems to be too much stuffed onto a page. Oda uses wide gutters between the panels, which give a bit of white space to act as a relief, but it also makes the panels smaller and more cramped (though if the panels were bigger, Oda would probably just fill up the extra space anyway). It’s a distinct style, but sometimes it’s a little much. Oda does put his many panels to use though: the story moves along quickly and it’s amazing how much plot he can fit into a single volume.

It’s unfortunate then that Viz’s redone sound effects clutter up the already busy pages. I can see why redone sound effects might be a good choice for a manga aimed at a younger audience (the teen rating is there mostly because of tobacco use), but I still prefer to see the original sound effects with a translation drawn in at the side.

I think Viz made the right choice releasing a ton of volumes on mass, but I think this would have been a great chance to use the omnibus system to get the volumes out. Instead of releasing five volumes in a month, why not a couple of big editions containing all of them? The main reason I’ve followed One Piece through Shonen Jump instead of buying the books is that I don’t have enough cash to follow a fifty-plus volume series. But if the books came in the bigger, cheaper omnibus edition, I’d be ready to commit.

I said before that the plot in One Piece sounds like a child came up with it, and I meant it as a compliment. The series is light-hearted, imaginative, and fun. It manages to blend absurd visual gags with crazy action and an interesting plot. For the characters who inhabit the crazy world of One Piece adventure isn’t just a way of life, it’s a state of mind. It’s an outlook that anyone, pirate or not, can benefit from.

Review written July 6, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Book provided by Viz Media for review purposes