tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-135980292024-03-14T02:09:10.907-05:00Experiments in Reading<i>an eclectic mix of reviews for books old, new, and upcoming</i>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.comBlogger596125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-89853917066001282062013-09-06T09:54:00.000-05:002013-09-06T12:06:21.940-05:00<div>As of September 2013, eight years after I started posting reviews at Experiments in Reading, I have decided that I will no longer be updating at this blog. Thank you to everyone who has read my thoughts here over the years. Although I will no longer be updating Experiments in Reading, I am still reviewing books. You can find my reviews of manga, Japanese literature, and related materials at <a href="http://experimentsinmanga.mangabookshelf.com/">Experiments in Manga</a>. And if you're just interested in the book reviews, you can also check out my <a href="http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=PhoenixTerran">reviews at LibraryThing</a>. Happy reading!<br />
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</div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-65204034504879333102013-09-02T11:18:00.002-05:002013-09-02T11:19:23.308-05:00Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination~written by Edogawa Ranpo<br />
~translated by James B. Harris<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9784805311936" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpPOQBIl7h6BHIMmvZF6dj_ar6mVzhgrQCjI7J4C8cFD1kYBh16ldhwfevHnaIMJtVQfPm3kQTjfEyiTM5opUeXzzeNRKmT3Q0qc1L7juT6r1JiILTBvuc1Mdrz9BoVJH8mny/s200/JapaneseTalesMysteryImagination.jpg" width="128" /></a>After reading and enjoying Edogawa Ranpo's novella <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/strange-tale-of-panorama-island.html"><i>Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i></a> I decided to seek out more of his work. What better way to start than with Ranpo's debut in English? <i>Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i>, translated by James B. Harris and first published in 1956, was reissued in 2012 by Tuttle Publishing with an additional and quite useful foreword by Patricia Welch putting the collection and Ranpo into historical and literary context. Despite Ranpo's prolificacy, influence, and popularity in Japan, relatively few volumes of his work are available in English although his short stories can often be found in anthologies. In addition to being Ranpo's introduction to English-reading audiences, <i>Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i> is particularly interesting in that Ranpo worked very closely with Harrison on its translation.<br />
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<i>Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i> collects nine of Ranpo's short stories selected to represent some of his best work. Eight of the nine stories were originally written in the 1920s. The collection opens with what is perhaps Ranpo's most well-known story "The Human Chair." (At least, it was the story with which I was most familiar before reading the volume.) Next is "The Psychological Test" which features Ranpo's famous detective Kogorō Akechi. "The Caterpillar" is another story I was previously aware of and for a time was even banned in Japan. The collection continues with "The Cliff." Written in 1950, it is the most recent example of Ranpo's work in the volume. Other tales of mystery include "The Twins," "The Red Chamber," and "Two Crippled Men" while other tales of imagination include "The Hell of Mirrors" and "The Traveler with the Pasted Rag Picture." Though, as Welch points out in the foreword, Ranpo frequently blurs the lines of genre and many of the stories have significant crossover.<br />
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Ranpo is an incredibly clever and imaginative writer. Even when working with similar themes and plot elements, each story in <i>Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i> exhibits Ranpo's creativity in narrative technique and structure and he throws in enough plot twists that they all feel fresh. Each story is a little peculiar and each story is vaguely disconcerting--the erotic and the grotesque and macabre are no strangers to Ranpo's work--but in the end the tales are all different from one another. The culprits of his crimes stories are often undone by their arrogance, belief in their infallibility, or on occasion their guilty consciences, but the paths to their downfalls vary. Ranpo's more fantastic tales rely on subtle and not so subtle horror, but their thrills and terrors are all distinctive.<br />
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<i>Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i> is a captivating collection of short stories and would make a fine introduction to Ranpo's work for the uninitiated. If I had to choose, I think that I personally prefer <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/strange-tale-of-panorama-island.html"><i>Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i></a> and its outrageousness slightly more, but the selections in <i>Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i> show evidence of the elements in the novella that I particularly enjoyed: the tight plotting, the light style of narration with slight touches of humor, the unexpected turns in the story, the inherent strangeness of the characters and their accounts. <i>Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i> has stood the test of time well. Nearly fifty years after it was first released, and more than a half-century since the stories were originally written, the volume remains an intriguing and engaging collection.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/759594256"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-59229810426740369422013-08-22T15:17:00.001-05:002013-08-22T15:18:55.173-05:00Forbidden Colors~written by Yukio Mishima<br />
~translated by Alfred H. Marks<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9780375705168" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWqQNbhe4L-l87b3C6ApHJbGtirDx3u-GT5YtMT4VXBOqT44Tsz4f-dsFIGx-YVo2Woxv0kr6q_QPyl0BDTUs7R-IgnXTSvV-ZLxfRuSIzKiTePjeHB-bKyg_9fZpYsjbnU-Q/s200/ForbiddenColors.jpg" width="127" /></a>In Japan, Yukio Mishima's novel <i>Forbidden Colors</i> was released in two parts. The first eighteen chapters were compiled in 1951 while the collection with the final fourteen chapters was published in 1953. The English translation of <i>Forbidden Colors</i> by Alfred H. Marks was first published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1968. Like Mishima's earlier novel <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/confessions-of-mask.html"><i>Confessions of a Mask</i></a>, <i>Forbidden Colors</i> deals with prominent homosexual themes, although the two works approach the material in vastly different ways. Also like <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/confessions-of-mask.html"><i>Confessions of a Mask</i></a>, and many of Mishima's other works, <i>Forbidden Colors</i> contains some autobiographical elements. In addition to being my introduction to Japanese literature, Mishima and his works fascinate me. I've been slowly making my way through all of his material available in English, but I was particularly interested in reading <i>Forbidden Colors</i>.<br />
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After being betrayed time and again the aging author Shunsuke Hinoki has developed an intense hatred of women. Seeking revenge, he enters into a peculiar arrangement with a beautiful young man by the name of Yuichi Minami. Yuichi has come to realize that he loves men and is tormented by what that means living in a society which doesn't accept homosexuality. Shunsuke is willing to assist Yuichi in hiding his secret by helping to arrange his marriage and to develop a reputation as a philanderer. In exchange, Yuichi promises Shunsuke to make the women he seduces miserable. They may fall in love with him, but he will never love them in return. The agreement is advantageous for both men. Yuichi will have a perfect cover allowing him the freedom to explore his sexuality--no one would suspect a married man and a womanizer to have male lovers--and Shunsuke will have the revenge he so greatly desires.<br />
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Shunsuke is an unapologetic misogynist. His anti-women rhetoric can be difficult to take, but without it the plot of <i>Forbidden Colors</i> would never go anywhere. It is necessary and important as the story's catalyst. Mishima has very deliberately created a distasteful character who at the same time is enthralling in his extremes. Yuichi, despite being loved by all, isn't a particularly pleasant person, either. However, I did find his portrayal to be much more sympathetic. He's vain and self-centered, but he also has an air of naivety and innocence about him. Both men and women fall victim to his charms but Yuichi himself is often manipulated as well. <i>Forbidden Colors</i> is an absorbing tale as Yuichi struggles to keep his two lives separate, sinking deeper into Japan's underground gay community while trying to keep up appearances in his public life. It's an outlandish battle of the sexes that is hard to look away from and no one comes out unscathed.<br />
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<i>Forbidden Colors</i> explores and deals with a number of dualities: homosexuality and heterosexuality, love and hatred, youth and old age, beauty and ugliness, truth and deceit, cruelty and kindness, morality and immorality, and so on. Mishima plays the dichotomies off one another, but also reveals how closely intertwined they can be. The complexities of the characters' relationships show that opposites are rarely just that and how at times in the end they aren't really all that different. Yuichi, for example, comes to genuinely care for his wife but in his twisted way of thinking expresses that love through cruelty. There is a certain logic to his decision and his concern is real, though someone else might not reach the same conclusion. At it's heart <i>Forbidden Colors</i> is a fairly dark story with erotic underpinnings and characters who, though often unlikeable, are captivating. I found the novel to be incredibly engrossing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/629740"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-50357930950049903582013-08-21T07:26:00.002-05:002013-08-21T07:26:45.180-05:00Blade of the Immortal, Volume 24: Massacre~by Hiroaki Samura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781595827517" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkwRggkKLdmbIlUedtk5v3eT-b7YPubSNFvaoyuQ5R2Jj_Qn2UnhT27Y9mqe0ZeaMZoav-HO8BB7nkmkUBblDb7mLIuEAyKnDcpoIKZkWaI0z8ZARi-PmzMs5BVUWXtuj2fPa/s200/BladeImmortal24.jpg" width="138" /></a><i>Massacre</i> is the twenty-fourth volume in the English-language release of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>, Hiroaki Samura's long-running manga series. Earlier on in the series' release, Dark Horse divided the volumes by storyline rather than by number of chapters. Because of this, many of the individual volumes are slightly different in the English-language edition compared to the original Japanese release of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>. <i>Massacre</i>, published by Dark Horse in 2011, collects the same chapters as the twenty-third volume of the Japanese edition of the series which was released in 2008. At this point, the manga has entered its final major story arc. The previous two volumes, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/blade-of-immortal-volume-22-footsteps.html"><i>Footsteps</i></a> and <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/07/blade-of-immortal-volume-23-scarlet.html"><i>Scarlet Swords</i></a>, provided the necessary set up which allows Samura to really let loose in <i>Massacre</i>. As can be assumed from the title, it's a rather bloody volume.<br />
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As agreed, the Ittō-ryū is leaving Edō after being banished from the city. However, the rogue sword school is still being chased by Habaki Kagimura and his Rokki-dan warriors as well as by Rin Asano and her bodyguard Manji. But what the pursuers don't yet realize is that there are key members missing from the group of Ittō-ryū said to be making its way to the port in Hitachi: the sword school's leader Anotsu Kagehisa and three of its elite fighters--Magatsu Taito, Ozuhan, and Baro Sukezane. The four highly skilled swordsmen have their own task to complete, a bold raid on Edō Castle through one of its most heavily guarded entrances. It's a brash move that, if successful, will leave quite an impression in its wake, not to mention a high body count. The Ittō-ryū has already been identified as a threat, but they are prepared to show just how dangerous they can be.<br />
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Samura's artwork in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> has always been something that has particularly appealed to me about the series, but his kinetic style works especially well in <i>Massacre</i>. A large part of the volume is devoted to the daring attack on Edō Castle; the sequence is one of the most effectively choreographed and visually executed battles in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> thus far. The Ittō-ryū is a group of swordsmen sharing the same ideals and martial philosophy more than it is a strictly enforced style. This can especially be seen in <i>Massacre</i> simply by watching how the Ittō-ryū's elite fight. They all use different weapons and techniques and each has his own aura. Anotsu's elegance, Magatsu's cruder dynamism, Ozuhan's speed and uninhibited wildness, and Baro's strength and power are all readily apparent. They fight well as individuals, but also work well together as a team.<br />
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Although the focus of <i>Massacre</i> is on the raid of Edō Castle--a quickly paced, action packed, violent, and rather impressive escapade--several other important things happen in the volume as well. For the last few volumes of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> Shira has been on the fringe of the story, but his prominence is quickly growing. He may have lost a limb or two over the course of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> but his extreme sadistic streak and penchant for sexual violence remain. Shira is as terrifying as ever. Also making his return to the series was Ayame Burando, which I was surprised but happy to see. He and Manji even end up having a heart-to-heart about atonement and the meaning of evil. These are themes that play a major role in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>, one of the reasons that I like the series so well. As always, I'm looking forward to reading the next volume, <i>Snowfall at Dawn</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/751743864"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-60193597867217556042013-08-20T08:44:00.001-05:002013-08-20T08:44:38.397-05:00Spice & Wolf, Volume 8: Town of Strife I~written by Isuna Hasekura<br />
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura<br />
~translated by Paul Starr<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9780316245463" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqHyLSEGOlSmPt3k_snQZrPj9ads_ItyW-t1bjoI73i3vTCLGZlRHkzDDs9BPbKVx-uHjxRPIzvBWiEKW614Nd7XfxHSC5gWNFHw__g5LkIbLLTk1ktOE0rLdVD6sWEOBOn5u/s200/SpiceWolf8.jpg" width="133" /></a><i>Town of Strife I</i> is the eighth volume in Isuna Hasekura's light novel series <i>Spice & Wolf</i>, illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura. The previous volume, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/spice-wolf-volume-7-side-colors.html"><i>Side Colors</i></a>, was actually a collection of three side stories; <i>Town of Strife I</i> picks up the story immediately following <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2012/08/spice-wolf-volume-6.html"><i>Spice & Wolf, Volume 6</i></a>. As indicated by its title, <i>Town of Strife I</i> is the first part of a two-volume story, a first for <i>Spice & Wolf</i>. <i>Town of Strife I</i> was originally published in Japan in 2008. Paul Starr's English translation of the novel was released by Yen Press in 2013. <i>Spice & Wolf</i> is a series that I have been enjoying much more than I thought I would. Although I wasn't particularly taken with most of <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/spice-wolf-volume-7-side-colors.html"><i>Side Colors</i></a>, I was interested in getting back to the main story again with <i>Town of Strife I</i>.<br />
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Having had quite the adventure on the Roam River, Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant, and Holo the Wisewolf, a centuries-old spirit in the form of a young woman, have finally made their way to the port town of Kerube with a new companion in in tow--Col, a young student they encountered along the river. Together the three of them are following a curious rumor: a search is on for the bones of a northern town's guardian deity. Many people think the story is some far fetched fairytale, but Lawrence, Holo, and Col know very well that there could be some truth behind the rumors. Upon their arrival at Kerube Lawrence seeks the aid of Eve, a former noblewoman and a skilled merchant in her own right. He's been burned once before in his dealings with her, but Eve's impressive network of connections may be their best chance of finding the bones.<br />
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One of the things that I have always enjoyed about <i>Spice & Wolf</i> is the relationship and developing romance between Lawrence and Holo. By this point in the series, Lawrence has lost some of his awkwardness when it comes to Holo. While I suppose this means he's grown as a character, I do miss the more easily embarrassed Lawrence. With the addition of Col to the mix, the dynamics of Holo and Lawrence's relationship has also changed. Their battles of wits and their good-natured bickering and teasing which once seemed so natural now feel forced as if the two of them are putting on some sort of performance for the boy. More often than not, Holo and Lawrence are verbally sparring for show in <i>Town of Strife I</i> and it's not nearly as entertaining. Ultimately I do like Col (<i>everyone</i> in <i>Spice & Wolf </i>likes Col), but his presence in the story is somewhat distracting.<br />
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Not much happens in <i>Town of Strife I</i>; it mostly seems to be setting up for the second volume in the story arc. Hasekura promises that Lawrence will get to be "really cool" in the next volume and <i>Town of Strife I</i> does end on a great cliffhanger, but I'm not sure that I'm actually interested in finding out what happens. Unfortunately, the series has finally lost its charm for me. The characters know one another so well and their conversations are so cryptic that the story is difficult to follow. The narrative lacks sufficient detail and explanations leaving readers to puzzle out the characters' motivations and actions. This has always been the case with <i>Spice & Wolf</i> but what makes it particularly frustrating in <i>Town of Strife I</i> is that the volume doesn't even have a satisfying ending and doesn't stand well on its own. Hasekura claims that he needed two volumes to tell this particular story, but considering how tedious much of <i>Town of Strife I</i> is, I'm not convinced.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/821694464"><i>Find in a library...</i></a> <br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-50185448402797130142013-08-19T09:12:00.000-05:002013-08-19T09:12:09.125-05:00The Strange Tale of Panorama Island~by Suehiro Maruo<br />
~original story by Edogawa Ranpo<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9780867197778" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTD8yRl-j4K3Pr4Qwj2pqgE6f_nMdwunVThUbuUTICT0fWPr2coklTGGJCvGkTxNONrwHy9pvJuKfsfAMKDcebgoocLgbq2UMAaQ5FfDsW_F_TbaHjis0wtcLo7KKYUeXndpur/s200/StrangeTalePanoramaIsland.jpg" width="146" /></a>I have been looking forward to Suehiro Maruo's <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> with great anticipation ever since the license was announced by Last Gasp in 2009. After years of delay, the manga was finally released in English in 2013 as a gorgeous, large-format hardcover. Maruo's <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> was originally released in Japan in 2008. The manga is an adaptation of the renowned author Edogawa Ranpo's novella <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/strange-tale-of-panorama-island.html"><i>Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> </a>which was initially serialized between 1926 and 1927. (Coincidentally, the novella was also released in English for the first time in 2013.) After reading Ranpo's <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/strange-tale-of-panorama-island.html"><i>Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i></a>, I couldn't think of a more perfect artist to adapt his work than Maruo. I didn't think it was possible, but I was somehow even more excited for the release of Maruo's <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> after reading the original.<br />
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As the Taishō Era draws to a close, failed novelist Hirosuke Hitomi finds himself behind in his rent and the prospect of his work being published slim. His latest novel, <i>The Tale of RA</i>, is a utopian fantasy which allows him to dream about what he would do if he had limitless riches. His editor encourages him to write about something closer to his real life instead. Months later Hitomi is confronted with an almost impossible opportunity that could be straight out of his novel. His former classmate Genzaburō Komoda, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance, has unexpectedly died, leaving behind an immense fortune. Devising an outlandish scheme to take Komoda's place and take control of his wealth, Hitomi plans on devoting all of it to the creation of a hedonistic paradise, Panorama Island. The plan proceeds surprisingly well, but there is still one person who could reveal Hitomi as a fake--Komoda's wife.<br />
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I have been an admirer of Maruo's work ever since I first discovered it. At this point, only two other volumes of Maruo's manga have been published in English: <i>Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show</i> and <i>Ultra-Gash Inferno</i>. As I have come to expect, Maruo's illustrations in <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> are exquisite. With its sensuality, eroticism, and shades of the macabre and grotesque, Maruo's artwork is ideally suited to Ranpo's story. Even in all of its beauty, <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> has an ominous and vaguely disconcerting atmosphere that is extraordinarily effective in setting the mood of the work. Hitomi's paranoia and madness is captured in ink for all to see. And then there's the island itself--Maruo's portrayal is breathtaking with stunning reveals, careful attention to detail, and beautiful design and perspective work. The art in <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> is simply marvelous.<br />
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Maruo's <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> is a superb adaptation and a spectacular work in its own right. The manga is not at all a slavishly executed interpretation. While staying true to Ranpo's original, Maruo allows himself to put his own touches and flourishes on the story. The ending is admittedly abrupt and somewhat disorienting (this was true of the novella as well), but what comes before more than makes up for this weakness. In part, Maruo's <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> is about the end of one era and the beginning of the next, the start of a new life after the old has been discarded. Hitomi begins as a penniless author only to become intoxicated with his own ideas as he slips into a life of debauchery and excess. Maruo's vision of his descent is both captivating and unsettling, alluring and abhorrent. In the end, I am absolutely thrilled that <i>The Strange Tale of Panorama Island</i> is finally available in English.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/812509693"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-24703138556024149612013-08-11T09:39:00.000-05:002013-08-11T09:39:36.625-05:00Black-Winged Love~by Tomoko Yamashita<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781600093241" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFx2XWHTZyMYigNRHkjSayrog_JHwNk-BanvlOjvdahZGDijkATTHV0llWpasTqzmTtyY543K3ubDENZOleA8GfGw5AECUlDunnity-ImWIjwykAuUqIOuKGwI3PbXfoA1wpeJg/s200/BlackWingedLove.jpg" width="138" /></a>So far, only two of Tomoko Yamashita's works have been released in print in English, both in 2009 and both by Netcomics: <i>Dining Bar Akira</i> and <i>Black-Winged Love</i>. I've read and enjoyed both volumes a great deal, but it's <i>Black-Winged Love</i> that has really stuck with me. In fact, <i>Black-Winged Love</i>, originally published in Japan in 2008, is one of my favorite boys' love collections and contains some of my absolute favorite short manga. (Though, as with all collections, some of the pieces aren't as strong as others.) When the subject of the <a href="http://www.punkednoodle.com/champloo/manga-moveable-feast/mmf-801-bl-manga/">Manga Moveable Feast for August 2013</a> was decided to be boys' love, my mind immediately turned to <i>Black-Winged Love</i>. I've actually been meaning to review the volume for quite a while now. As a lesser known work from a lesser known publisher (which tends to specialize in manhwa rather than manga), I personally feel that both Yamashita and <i>Black-Winged Love</i> are deserving of more attention and I wanted to share my love.<br />
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<i>Black-Winged Love</i> collects seven unrelated short manga by Yamashita along with some fun bonus material to close the volume. The collection opens with "Drive a Nail into Love," unusual for a boys' love story in that it is told from the perspective of a gay high school student's older sister. Next is "It's My Chocolate!" which captures being the oldest sibling in a large family exceptionally well. "A Villain's Teeth" shows the relationship between the daughter of a mafia boss and his former second-in-command and explores his devotion to the both of them. In the titular "Black-Winged Love," a man's masochistic tendencies and fetishes get in the way of his feelings. Next is "Jump Across That Fire" which follows two students as they become closer in the school library over summer break. "Fool 4 U" features a problematic relationship between two long-time friends. <i>Black-Winged Love</i> concludes with the shortest piece, "Photogenic," in which a man doesn't quite get what he was expecting from a male escort service.<br />
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None of the stories in <i>Black-Winged Love</i> are tied together by plot and they are all quite different from one another, but many share similar elements. One of the recurring themes in <i>Black-Winged Love</i> is the importance of family--"Drive a Nail into Love," "It's My Chocolate!," and "A Villain's Teeth" in particular feature atypical families and family situations. As someone who is a queer oldest sibling, I'm especially fond of "It's My Chocolate!"--never have I come across another boy' love manga that I so personally and closely identify with. I also happen to read and enjoy Japanese literature, so I appreciate the literary references in <i>Black-Winged Love</i> and how characters connect (or try to connect) through books and reading. In "Jump Across That Fire," both the title and part of the story are references to Yukio Mishima's <i>The Sound of Waves</i>. And in "Black-Winged Love," short works by Edogawa Rampo and Kenzaburō Ōe play a small role. <br />
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So, what exactly is it about <i>Black-Winged Love</i> that works so well for me? I like that all of the stories are a little unusual and unexpected while still be very realistic in the portrayal of their characters and their relationships. <i>Black-Winged Love</i> explores hidden feelings that are often forced out into the open. The characters must first come to terms with themselves before they can attempt to come to terms with those around them. <i>Black-Winged Love</i> tends towards the more serious, introspective, and melancholy, but all of the stories and many of the characters exhibit a quirky, dark sense of humor as well. I like that the stories have funnier moments to balance out the morose. Not every one is treated to an ideal happy ending but some of them are. To me that makes <i>Black-Winged Love</i> feel more authentic. <i>Black-Winged Love</i> is a collection that I have read several times already and it continues to be one of my favorite volumes of short manga, boys' love or otherwise.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/426121238"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-19109393487674503722013-08-06T14:04:00.001-05:002013-08-06T14:04:41.158-05:00Jazz Journeys to Japan: The Heart Within~by William Minor<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9780472113453" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5zlKL_NNILfXuOjWvywcf_3wb5SEqpzghmGP2kW3AsklieGh6uT2WEB5RBwdd5jUABqAFQ32tTHcrgrBgZzCLC6WHor0OaQMow0k7MtB0771sqtCb1b92usMKxpPiELYiMnK/s200/JazzJourneysJapan.jpg" width="132" /></a><i>Jazz Journeys to Japan: The Heart Within</i>, written by William Minor and published by the University of Michigan Press in 2004 as part of its Jazz Perspectives series, is one of the very few major works in English that focuses on jazz in Japan. Although there are many articles and dissertations that address the subject, the only other book that I know of that is specifically devoted to Japanese jazz is E. Taylor Atkins' <i>Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan</i>. Because jazz is such a popular genre of music in Japan I'm a little surprised that more hasn't been written about it. I myself have a background in music and an interest in jazz. Considering that I also have an interest in Japan, it was only a matter of time before I would seek out material combining the two. I've had <i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> sitting on my shelf for a couple of years now; the release of the jazz-inundated anime series <i>Kids on the Slope</i> provided the final push I needed to get around to reading it.<br />
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Jazz is believed to have been introduced to Japan as early as 1921. It's general appeal increased until World War II when the music was banned in 1943 due to its association with Western culture. Interest in jazz saw a resurgence during the American occupation following the war. Since then, jazz has continued to be an influential genre in Japan. <i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> is the result of six years worth of research and writing. During that period, Minor traveled to Japan multiple times seeking out, interviewing, and listening to Japanese jazz musicians, their fans, and others involved in the music industry. Minor, a veteran jazz writer and journalist, wanted not only to discover but to experience just what it was that made Japan's jazz and jazz culture unique. While in Japan he attended festivals, clubs, studios, and concerts. Minor made a point to find Japanese-influenced and inspired artists outside of Japan as well. <br />
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<i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> is a mix of travel memoir, interviews, history, and music criticism. The individual chapters, some of which were previously published before being collected in the book, are short and easily digestible. Typically a chapter focuses on specific musicians, topics, or themes and doesn't rely too much on what has come before or after it. This makes <i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> fairly easy to pick up and put back down as time or interest permits. Minor does assume that the reader has at least some passing familiarity with jazz music and prominent jazz musicians--<i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> makes frequent references to songs and artists without going into much detail about jazz standards or more well-known performers of the genre. There are a lot of names and titles to keep track of while reading <i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i>.<br />
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Sadly, my overall enjoyment of <i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> was hindered by Minor's writing style which I personally found to be grating; he had a particularly annoying habit of unnecessarily inserting Japanese words and phrases into the text. I also found that I was much less interested in Minor's travelogue and personal experiences than I was in the history of jazz in Japan and the musicians themselves. The best parts of <i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> were those that focused on the music and the artists, allowing them to have their own say. It was also fascinating to read about how Japanese aesthetics in traditional art, poetry, and music have influenced Japanese jazz culture. Also extremely valuable was Minor's inclusion of a select discography. There are many musicians in <i>Jazz Journeys to Japan</i> whose music I will be happily seeking out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52412064"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-87450723047412623242013-07-25T07:56:00.000-05:002013-07-25T07:56:17.086-05:00Loveless, Omnibus 1~by Yun Kouga<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781421549903" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCta8e763QlYC7DxjrLexnGeX3ACdvuCRr60N9Ef8XlNM6rdTOGWL2x2U7nrzOnoBoFbuGb7sR3Xpfa-Ckn1ts5ybUsPLIHjAG8T90i6XIL_3_MoPQDpCUa2H2X_TcQTS_rbq0/s200/Loveless1.jpg" width="133" /></a>I initially read Yun Kouga's manga series <i>Loveless</i> after it was released in English by Tokyopop. I was surprised by how much I liked it, finding the story to be oddly compelling and engrossing if occasionally confusing. Tokyopop only released the first eight volumes of the ongoing series and so I was exceedingly happy when Viz Media rescued the license. The quality of Viz's release is much better than Tokyopop's, as well. Viz re-released the first eight volumes as two-volume omnibuses based on the special limited edition of <i>Loveless</i> published in Japan. The first omnibus, released in 2012, collects the first two volumes of <i>Loveless</i> as well as additional material previously unavailable in English. In Japan, the contents were released between 2002 and 2003. Since <a href="http://mangabookshelf.com/mmf-archive/manga-moveable-feast-yun-kouga-archive/">July 2013's Manga Moveable Feast</a> focused on Yun Kouga and her work, it was the perfect opportunity for me to revisit <i>Loveless</i>.<br />
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Ritsuka Aoyagi is a new student at Yano Jonan Elementary School. Though he can't be bothered with his classmates, the withdrawn sixth grader does his best to at least put up a good front for his teachers. At such a young age, Ritsuka has already been through a lot. His older brother Seimei, who he adored, was brutally murdered and he suffers from physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother. Even Ritsuka's past is obscured--his memories and personality from two years ago are lost, the amnesia brought on by what is assumed to be some sort of trauma. Ritsuka is alone and has nothing that he can claim as his own until he is approached by Soubi Agatsuma, a college student with a mysterious connection to Seimei. For never having met before, Soubi shows an unexpected and disconcerting level of devotion and affection towards Ritsuka, something the younger boy desperately needs but is hesitant to accept.<br />
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One of the most peculiar things about <i>Loveless</i> is apparent within the first few pages: many characters have cat ears and tails. Later it is revealed that this is a physical sign that those individuals haven't had sex. It's an admittedly strange addition to the manga but Kouga uses it quite well. The presence or absence of ears and tails impacts characters' interactions and relationships, how they think about and act towards one another. The cat ears and tails also serve another purpose in <i>Loveless</i>, allowing many of Kouga's characters to be particularly expressive. Tails bush out when they're startled; ears fold back when they're upset or perk up when they're attentive. Actually, in general I find Kouga's artwork to be beautifully expressive and emotive. It creates a mood and atmosphere that captures the story's darkness, intimacy, and barely subdued sexuality exceptionally well without being overwhelmingly oppressive.<br />
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The beginning of <i>Loveless</i> is a story of intense yearning and loneliness with characters who have been broken, damaged, and twisted. But even when they despair they still cling to hope. Ritsuka has trouble accepting himself and difficulty trusting others; the attention he receives from Soubi is both welcomed and feared. <i>Loveless</i> is also a story about the power of words. In part because of his association with Soubi, Ritsuka is pulled into a world where battles are waged with words and spells are cast that can cause considerable pain and physical damage. Whether he realizes it or not, Ritsuka is already quite familiar with the even more insidious psychological agony caused by words uttered in everyday contexts--such as when his mother continually denies that he is even her son. The first omnibus of <i>Loveless</i> raises more questions than it provides answers, but it does establish an intriguing tale and characters. Even having read it before, I still find <i>Loveless</i> to be a strangely enthralling and compelling manga.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/802294852"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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</div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-17407639909265535102013-07-23T07:38:00.003-05:002013-08-21T07:27:17.516-05:00Blade of the Immortal, Volume 23: Scarlet Swords~by Hiroaki Samura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781595826718" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ctuoe4Giqm6FTDfQeJPPUzegu7ukUnoIoYHE-uwJ4IfDRWp_z50Dp6WudfB4r3NSRBdqyqOxrnSNIUGh_oTslLubwsPtNiPXz49kwS1enO7S9OKVyULP0wRIqMIVQSHPJG25/s200/BladeImmortal23.jpg" width="138" /></a><i>Scarlet Swords</i> is the twenty-third volume in the English-language release of Hiroaki Samura's manga series <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>. Published in 2011 by Dark Horse Comics, <i>Scarlet Swords</i> collects the same material as the twenty-second volume in the original Japanese edition of the series, which was released in 2007. Following <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/blade-of-immortal-volume-22-footsteps.html"><i>Footsteps</i></a>, <i>Scarlet Swords</i> is an early volume in the fifth and final major story arc in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>. <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> was one of the first manga series that I began reading and collecting and it continues to be one of my personal favorites. The series has been well received both in Japan and abroad. In 1998 <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> earned Samura a Japan Media Arts Award. The series went on to win an Eisner Award in 2000 and has been the recipient of several other honors since then as well.<br />
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Time is quickly running out for Habaki Kagimura and the Rokki-dan. Anotsu Kagehisa and the Ittō-ryū have been banished from Edō and must leave the city within days else forfeit their lives. Should the Ittō-ryū make their escape, Kagimura and the Rokki-dan will lose their lives instead. Kagimura has been ordered to commit seppuku in atonement for the debacles surrounding his previous attempts to annihilate the Ittō-ryū and his failed investigation into immortality. The Rokki-dan are a group of death row felons who have been given a chance to redeem themselves if they can wipe out the Ittō-ryū and its leader, but they have been forbidden to leave the city; they must find and destroy the Ittō-ryū before the rogue sword school leaves Edō. One thing is certain: Anotsu and the Ittō-ryū will not make it easy for them.<br />
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<i>Scarlet Swords</i> is a volume of journeys and farewells. The Rokki-dan is desperate in its pursuit of the members of the Ittō-ryū, resorting to torture and other dubious means in the search for clues as to the group's whereabouts. The Ittō-ryū are prepared for discovery and have even planned for it; perhaps in part due to the exceptional leadership of Anotsu, the Ittō-ryū frequently shows extraordinary forethought. And the Rokki-dan isn't the only group that the Ittō-ryū needs to worry about--Rin and Manji are still in pursuit of revenge and some of the members of the disbanded Mugai-ryū, the predecessors of the Rokki-dan, are ready to support Kagimura. As the Ittō-ryū swordsmen prepare to leave Edō for the port in Hitachi, so do those who would hunt them down. Goodbyes are said and in some cases incredible sacrifices are made. The journey to Hitachi will be an eventful one for all who are involved.<br />
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As Anotsu points out to Rin early on in <i>Scarlet Swords</i>, only two active members of the Ittō-ryū remain from when her parents were brutally killed two years ago--Anotsu himself and his current second-in-command Magatsu Taito. Rin's relationship with Anotsu has several complicating factors and she has even made friends with some of the newer Ittō-ryū members, but she still hasn't forgiven the deaths of her parents nor does she approve of the Ittō-ryū's methods. In the beginning of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>, the Ittō-ryū was clearly set up as villainous, but as the manga progresses the morality is muddled. The sword school may be extreme, but its members maintain their own sense of honor as they fight against society's injustices. I appreciate the development of the Ittō-ryū in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> and look forward to seeing how the group continues to change and evolve in the next volume, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/blade-of-immortal-volume-24-massacre.html"><i>Massacre</i></a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/720496147"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-46830105987037398272013-07-16T14:30:00.000-05:002013-07-16T14:30:13.029-05:00Off*Beat, Volume 1~by Jen Lee Quick<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9780991946600" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhgFjyfWa8-_ix5SV4esn1h6U0xGGx_d3-RCbtaVcg9XKALwBKztqRFLyjIgRZguf5T50JWvMl7Qqyx_C9n3XbuG1P-oT4h6lC7yIzWvNUqAFWO3EgOVSvIXS8siZFBF89yaz/s200/OffBeat1.jpg" width="133" /></a><i>Off*Beat</i> had its start as a script written by Jen Lee Quick in 2002. She would later begin developing the story into a three-volume graphic novel series for Tokyopop in 2004 as part of its line of original English-language manga. Unfortunately, only the first two volumes of the series were ever released (the first in 2005 and the second in 2006) and <i>Off*Beat</i> subsequently went out of print. I loved <i>Off*Beat</i> and was disappointed that I and other fans would never get the chance to read the series' ending. But then along comes Chromatic Press in 2013, re-releasing the first two volumes of <i>Off*Beat</i> with additional bonus content and with plans to publish the long-awaited third volume. I was absolutely thrilled at the news. Along with <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/tokyo-demons-book-1-youre-never-alone.html"><i>Tokyo Demons</i></a>, one of my more recent literary obsessions, <i>Off*Beat</i> is one of Chromatic Press' flagship titles. I couldn't be happier that it is now back in print.<br />
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Saturday, September 25, 2004. In the middle of the night, Colin Stephens moves into the duplex across the street from Tory Blake. Nearly a year later, Tory has somehow convinced his mother to allow him to enroll in St. Peter's High School under the guise of needing more intellectual stimulation than his public school is able to provide. Which is true, but more importantly St. Peter's is the same school that Colin attends. Tory is so curious and bored that his interest in his mysterious new neighbor has become an obsession. Up until now, he has only been able to observe Colin from a distance; attending St. Peter's will allow him to get to know Colin better in person. At least that was the plan. It turns out Colin isn't very easy to make friends with and he doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with anyone. Tory, however, is determined to satisfy his curiosity and isn't about to give up.<br />
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It's more by chance than anything else that Tory hasn't yet managed to get into any serious trouble by spying on his neighbors. He doesn't mean any harm, but his actions certainly aren't something to be condoned. But even considering his dubious hobby, I do like Tory quite a bit. He's clever and delightfully flippant. (Actually, in general the dialogue in <i>Off*Beat</i> is great; Quick has a marvelous sense of humor that comes through in the work.) Granted, Tory may be a little too smart for his own good, and prone to letting his imagination run away with him, and his common sense trails far behind his book learning, but I happen to find those characteristics to be particularly endearing in him. I can also empathize with Tory because of them, having been similarly awkward and socially inept in high school myself. <br />
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The first volume of <i>Off*Beat</i> proceeds at a leisurely pace. The mystery surrounding Colin slowly builds as Tory conducts his investigation. At first it seems that everything is in Tory's head, but then he actually does come across evidence that Colin is involved in some sort of secret project. At this point in <i>Off*Beat</i> very little is known about Colin--readers' knowledge is limited to whatever Tory has so far been able to discover. Tory's intense curiosity is also contagious; it's easy to be drawn to Colin and want to learn more about him. In the beginning Colin is very prickly and withdrawn, but by the end of <i>Off*Beat, Volume 1</i> he has started to open up a little to Tory. It's an intriguing and slightly awkward relationship and one of my favorite things about <i>Off*Beat</i>. I'm incredibly glad that the comic is back in print; I'm looking forward to reading its conclusion.<br />
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<i>May not be available in a library...</i> <br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-88751726920083812082013-07-15T08:39:00.002-05:002013-07-15T08:39:57.462-05:00The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 3: The Vast Spread of the Seas~written by Fuyumi Ono<br />
~translated by Alexander O. Smith and Elye J. Alexander<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781427802590" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6cwBAcw_Vbz8HEzUeWMh4_arqhU0AtJxpg2owQk3f8xX4Nsa6GR_hmoHUAs1LCcXCTPFeGcVOUAlEOXdww6WlEtQ891M-cQUiqyRtfGwUVApzPCdDPdwDVBjC1e2RT_fuiUK/s200/TwelveKingdoms3.jpg" width="142" /></a><i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i> is the third book in Fuyumi Ono's series of fantasy light novels <i>The Twelve Kingdoms</i>. In Japan the first two novels of the series were each released in two parts, technically making <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i>, published in 1994, the fifth volume of <i>The Twelve Kingdoms</i>. However, in the English-language edition of the series <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i> is the third volume. Tokyopop first released Alexander O. Smith and Elye J. Alexander's English translation of the novel early on in 2009 as a hardcover. Later that year it was released again in a paperback edition. Tokyopop's release of <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i> retains the illustrations by Akihiro Yamada. I quite enjoyed the first two books in <i>The Twelve Kingdoms</i>, so I was looking forward to reading <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i>.<br />
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The kingdom of En has fallen upon difficult times. The previous king drove the country to ruin and many of its people either died or fled during his vicious reign. Much of En became a wasteland and demons prowled the wilds. At first Shoryu, En's new king divinely appointed by the kingdom's kirin Rokuta, gives En's people hope for a better life. But much to the dismay of his ministers, it soon becomes clear that Shoryu would rather galavant about the country than focus on the kingdom's administration. Many of those in the provincial governments are also frustrated by Shoryu's seeming lack of motivation and the slow restoration of En. Atsuyu, the acting regent of the province of Gen, plans to take matters into his own hands if the king continues to refuse to address En's problems. With civil war brewing, Shoryu will be forced to abandon his inscrutable style of rule if he is to put an end to the rebellion and maintain the peace. But even then his decisions continue to confound those that serve him.<br />
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Although <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i> is the third novel in <i>The Twelve Kingdoms</i>, chronologically it takes place before the first two and isn't directly related plot-wise. However, the volume does focus on Shoryu and Rokuta who have played small but incredibly important roles in both <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/twelve-kingdoms-volume-1-sea-of-shadow.html"><i>Sea of Shadow</i></a> and <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-twelve-kingdoms-volume-2-sea-of-wind.html"><i>Sea of Wind</i></a>. Reading the first two books does provide a little more insight into Shoryu and Rokuta's characters and what people think of them, but for the most part <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i> stands on its own. It explores their pasts, both before and after their association with En, as well as a critical period early in Shoryu's reign as the king. Because I have read the previous volumes in <i>The Twelve Kingdoms</i> I knew how some of the events in <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i> would ultimately end, but it was still very interesting to see how they played out and how Shoryu dealt with them.<br />
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A large part of <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i> delves into court politics and intrigue. Atsuyu's viewpoints are considered to be heretical and even dangerous, but his challenging of a system of authority that has failed its people is understandable and he raises some very legitimate concerns. Unfortunately, his criticisms are never fully addressed in <i>The Vast Spread of the Seas</i>. What is established is that Shoryu is a much keener ruler than he lets on and that he cares about his people immensely. Actions that seem to make no sense actually have significant purpose. He doesn't allow himself to be limited or constrained by what is expected of him as a king; Shoryu is incredibly creative and shrewed in his administration of the kingdom and very few people actually realize it. It's no wonder that he later becomes so admired and respected as a ruler despite his quirks and unorthodoxy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/316230079"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-73028899153941185952013-07-07T08:58:00.000-05:002013-07-07T09:05:30.576-05:00Sankarea: Undying Love, Volume 1~by Mitsuru Hattori<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781612623511" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdef188YYXgvP6R654R66za1wFq0G7cNygsT-Odu6Bzc58GfEHetrP7Xz5gP3BccLV1IqxU2yCDVNYnyYzcSSuR4BVHtVQUEJisfKarA7ZxiqtdCUuTjwlCGm6obJzK6xjl1IM/s200/Sankarea1.jpg" width="133" /></a>Mitsuru Hattori's <i>Sankarea: Undying Love, Volume 1</i> was originally published in Japan in 2000. The manga was licensed in English by Kodansha Comics and released in 2013. The English release caused a small amount of controversy among some fans of the series as Kodansha used a significantly different cover than was used for the original Japanese edition. Personally, I like the English cover which emphasizes the series' horror and zombie elements, downplaying the romantic comedy aspects. Granted, this does mean that unsuspecting readers unfamiliar with <i>Sankarea</i> may be surprised by the series' less serious nature and fanservice. To be honest, I wasn't planning on reading <i>Sankarea</i>; lately, I've become a little burned out on zombie fiction, even if the manga promised to be an atypical take on the subgenre. But when a review copy of the first volume unexpectedly showed up on my doorstep, I figured I may as well give <i>Sankarea</i> a try. <br />
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Furuya Chihiro is obsessed with zombies. In fact, he loves them. When his beloved pet cat Bub is hit by a car, he decides to try to reanimate the corpse by following the instructions in an obscure tome he found. Unfortunately, the book is falling apart and difficult to read; Chihiro's attempts at bringing Bub back to life have all ended in failure. He's about to give up when he meets Sanka Rea, the daughter of a prominent local family who insists on helping him. She also makes him promise to bring her back as a zombie should she ever die. It's an odd request, but Rea feels trapped in a life where she is expected to be the perfect daughter. Chihiro and Rea develop an odd sort of friendship as they try to revive Bub, but it becomes even stranger when it looks like Chihiro might actually need to make good on his promise to her. He might not have much interest in the living, but the undead are another matter entirely.<br />
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<i>Sankarea</i> leans more towards dark romantic comedy than it does towards horror. The creepiest part of the manga actually isn't dead cats or Chihiro's zombie fetish, it's Rea's over-controlling and abusive father. Fortunately, their relationship doesn't seem to be played for laughs. It does, however, serve as the catalyst for Rea's despair and her desired and ultimate transformation. Wanting to become a zombie is an absurd way to escape her circumstances, which is where some of the humor in <i>Sankarea</i> comes from even if Rea's situation isnt' all that funny in and of itself. Chihiro, too, is rather absurd and a bit of a space case. Although he admits what he's doing is shady at best, it becomes very clear that he hasn't thoroughly considered all of the implications of bringing someone or something back from the dead. Since he's such a zombie aficionado, I would think he would be a bit more concerned, but it doesn't seem that he has put much thought into what would happen should he actually succeed. But this, too, is a source of amusement. <br />
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It's probably not too surprising, but Chihiro and Rea are easily the most interesting characters in <i>Sankarea</i>, mostly because they are a bit odd and just a little off from what would be considered normal. (The undead little Bub is pretty great, too, though.) Chihiro's older cousin Ranko does at least share a passing interest in zombies with him, but after only one volume it seems that she's included in the series to provide a little extra fanservice more than anything else. Yasutaka and Mogi, two of Chihiro's friends and classmates, haven't gotten to do much yet either except be astounded at how their weirdo buddy somehow manages to make friends with all these cute girls and amazed that it hasn't occurred to him to care. <i>Sankarea: Undying Love, Volume 1</i> is an unusual take on zombies with a few nods to some of the classics. It has yet to be seen just how much trouble Chihiro's abnormal but earnest proclivities will get him in. I'll admit, I actually am a little curious to find out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/815383500"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-52140816744334446392013-07-06T17:07:00.000-05:002013-08-06T13:16:43.984-05:00Wandering Son, Volume 4~by Takako Shimura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781606996058" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7EMgJLTQtAJ6VTu6tbQmguHyrmokcbq_WHQsprv5xWKLjiTUqxnosGtTWHKDnOttdELxA0oiYGDgk-WUYnjPwSkha5y3xcdG5ZLXen1aPIB7liUDAKRBiH_xiRQlrXBcTiwa/s200/WanderingSon4.jpg" width="141" /></a><i>Wandering Son, Volume 4</i> by Takako Shimura was originally released in Japan in 2005. After several delays, the English-language edition of the volume from Fantagraphics was published in 2013. It was a long wait between the third and fourth volumes and, unfortunately, a scattering of editing errors still made their way into the manga. However, I am extremely happy to finally have it in my hands. Fantagraphics began releasing <i>Wandering Son</i> in 2011 in a beautiful oversized hardcover edition. I have been reading <i>Wandering Son</i> since the beginning. It's an incredibly important series to me personally; I would not be exaggerating to call it life-changing. I am thrilled and terrified by each volume that Fantagraphics releases because the manga hits so close to home for me. <i>Wandering Son</i> is a wonderful series exploring many aspects of personal identity, including gender and sexuality, with great sincerity and sensitivity.<br />
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After Shuichi and Maho were accepted as a pair for a modeling project, the two siblings have grown closer; both were subject to direct and indirect bullying and pressure from the other models and they had to look out for each other. But now that Maho is starting to get along with the other girls, she and Shuichi have started to drift apart. Feeling abandoned and uncomfortable with Maho's new friends, Shuichi even goes as far as to stop modeling. At school things are a little better--at least for a time. After a brief falling out Shuichi and Takatsuki have made up and have started their exchange diary again with a renewed fervor. Shuichi has also become very close with Makoto, another classmate. But while some friendships flourish, others start to wither. Add to all that burgeoning feelings of love and romantic interest and suddenly sixth grade becomes even more complicated.<br />
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Makoto probably states it best when he declares "feelings are such difficult things." That is a major theme in <i>Wandering Son, Volume 4</i>. Shuichi, Takatsuki, and their friends and classmates are beginning to grapple not only with who they are as individuals but who they are in relation to other people. Shimura captures the constantly shifting dynamics of their relationships in a very convincing and realistic way. Friendships are tested and strained as the characters begin to try to figure out just who means what to whom. It's heartbreaking to see those friendships, which are so incredibly important to them, falling apart as jealousy and sheer awkwardness put them in jeopardy. At the same time, there are some characters who are able to forge even stronger bonds with one another due to all the turmoil.<br />
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Takatsuki and Shuichi are still clearly the protagonists of <i>Wandering Son</i> but Shimura doesn't forget any of the young people in the fourth volume. Even the classroom bullies are shown to have their own problems and issues to work through. All of the characters have their strengths and weaknesses. This includes Shuichi, with whom everyone seems to fall in love, who exhibits a willingness to wallow in self-pity. As nostalgic as <i>Wandering Son</i> can be, the middle school years haven't been idealized in the series. With all of the romantic entanglements introduced in <i>Wandering Son, Volume 4</i> the manga is building up to the next volume in which the characters enter seventh grade and puberty. Middle school is challenging and difficult enough, but junior high promises to be even more so. <i>Wandering Son</i> is more about characters than a linear plot, but the fourth volume is an important setup for what comes next in the series.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/800776884"><i>Find in a library...</i></a> <br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-84277497876678406022013-07-06T16:59:00.002-05:002013-07-06T16:59:42.550-05:00Deva Zan: The Chosen Path~by Yoshitaka Amano<br />
~translated by John Thomas<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781616550301" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmxWGx98kaLZ7jkb3fGGw_D7xrZsQwLc-dt8F9nlpgNfkFOd3fsix4COlkDF3iEL-2AJTzsYsW6fYa3M9hkSQYgRIlRjhgpntqD34dAVK7feNQdB7-w1sP_yz9NsmxOjGonsq/s200/DevaZan.jpg" width="150" /></a><i>Deva Zan: The Chosen Path</i> is Yoshitaka Amano's debut novel. Amano is known across the globe for his illustrative work and character designs, and in the West particularly for his involvement with <i>Final Fantasy</i>, <i>Vampire Hunter D</i>, and Neil Gaiman's <i>The Sandman: The Dream Hunters</i>. At one time or another, Amano has lent his skills to novels, comics and manga, video games, and animation. <i>Deva Zan</i> is a project that he has been working on for more than a decade. The novel, which includes more than two hundred previously unpublished illustrations and paintings, is the first incarnation of the story to be released. <i>Deva Zan</i> was first and originally published in English by Dark Horse with a translation by John Thomas in 2013. <i>Deva Zan</i> is the first time that Amano has been completely responsible for both a work's story and art.<br />
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At the end of the Edo period lived a hero, a young samurai by the name of Yoshitsugu Kamishiro. While engaged in battle he slips into another world where he discovers his true identity. Though he has no memory of it he is Zan, one of the Twelve Divine Generals and servant to Lady Mariu, the guardian deity of light. The Army of Light fights for creation against the forces of darkness--the Dark Corp--lead by the demon Moma. While Zan was warring in Japan, the battle between darkness and light, order and chaos continued without him. But now that Zan is aware of who he is, he embarks upon a journey of self-discovery through space and time, searching for the other lost generals in an attempt to remember his past. As the Army of Light gathers again, so does the Dark Corps--two sides of an endless conflict which will determine the fate of the world and universe.<br />
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<i>Deva Zan</i> isn't so much an illustrated novel as it is an artbook with accompanying text. The narrative and writing style is impressionistic, consisting of dream-like sequences. Amano seems to have focused on creating an atmosphere rather than establishing a detailed or overly coherent plot. While the story of <i>Deva Zan</i> is interesting, incorporating Hindu and Buddhist elements with philosophical and cosmological implications, on its own it doesn't leave much of a lasting impression. However, alongside Amano's illustrations, it does create a nice effect overall. But even so, the story always feels secondary to the artwork. And in fact that was how Amano approached the <i>Deva Zan</i> novel--developing the textual narrative to fit the themes of the artwork rather than the other way around.<br />
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For me, <i>Deva Zan</i> works much better as an artbook than as a novel. I'll admit, I have always enjoyed Amano's illustrations. <i>Deva Zan</i> is a great and varied collection presented nicely as an oversized, hardcover volume. The individual pieces exhibit a range of styles and techniques. Some are complete, finished works while others, though no less arresting, seem to be concept sketches and designs. Amano is just as skilled working in vibrant, almost garish color palettes as he is in more muted and monochromatic schemes. His illustrations are striking and ethereal, whether he is portraying a stylized fantasy world or dealing in the abstract. Although reading <i>Deva Zan</i> was intriguing and I appreciate Amano's involvement in all aspects of the work, I find that I'm just as happy flipping through the volume to linger on the artwork alone.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/827339234"><i>Find in a library...</i></a> <br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-72285114205848847782013-07-06T16:53:00.002-05:002013-07-06T16:53:29.432-05:00Manly~written by Dale Lazarov<br />
~illustrated by Amy Colburn and Dominic Cordoba<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9783861878872" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTESbIJGZVWPpPkQvWYBQ9DB7941TVv4s8r2Jj0H7Dls4z430JKXXS_YvAipPbliyQ_0ROj3YXC_K3bVwIK4UQufolhuxoXuK3bJjZNJvr5PobiR_0Y0eupwx6ldP6EI23EaWp/s200/Manly.jpg" width="147" /></a>Out of all of Dale Lazarov's gay erotic comics collections to have so far been released in print--<i>Sticky</i>, <i>Manly</i>, <i>Nightlife</i>, and <i>Good Sports</i>--my personal favorite is <i>Manly</i>. Released in 2008 by Germany-based publishing house Bruno Gmünder (which specializes in gay fiction, nonfiction, comics, art, and photography), <i>Manly</i> was Lazarov's second collaboration to be released by the publisher. In the case of <i>Manly</i>, comics writer Lazarov worked closely with Amy Colburn, a homoerotic illustrator from Virginia. <i>Manly</i> was Colburn's publishing debut as a comics artist. Dominic Cordoba also contributed to the volume by providing the color work. Lazarov self-describes his work as "smart, wholesome gay comics smut" which I feel is an entirely apt description. I would also agree that <i>Manly</i>, which was my introduction to Lazarov's comics, fits that mold perfectly.<br />
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<i>Manly</i> collects three short, unrelated erotic gay comics: "Busted," "Clinch," and "Hot Librarian." I say unrelated because the stories do not share any plot or characters with each other, but they do all feature a pair of masculine men who take great pleasure in each other's company. The collection opens with "Busted" in which a civilian aids in the arrest of a criminal, gaining the attention of the lead ATF agent working on the case in the process. In "Clinch," a retired championship boxer and a successful, up-and-coming younger fighter discover their mutual admiration and attraction. <i>Manly</i> closes with "Hot Librarian" which follows a man new to the gay club scene who, after an awkward start, ends up finding love in the stacks instead. As a librarian myself, I couldn't hep but have a particular fondness for "Hot Librarian," but I enjoyed all three comics a great deal; "Clinch" appealed to my interest in fighting arts and the leads in "Busted" were incredibly endearing.<br />
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As is true of all of Lazarov's comics, there is no dialogue or narration in <i>Manly</i> meaning that there are very few textual clues to move the narrative along. Instead, there is an even greater reliance on the artwork to carry the story. Fortunately, Colburn is up to the task and handles it very well. Because <i>Manly</i> is largely wordless it allows the comics to be enjoyed by a wider audience without having to worry about language barriers. Since there are no words to slow readers down there is a temptation to rush through the volume as a result, but to do so would mean missing some of the more subtle aspects of the stories--facial expressions, body language, and so on. At the same time, because there is so little text, readers must engage with the comics on an almost participatory level in the creation and interpretation of the stories. And there actually are stories in <i>Manly</i>. I liked that there was a bit of plot to go along with all the sex (and there's plenty of sex, too.) For me, the balance of those two elements in <i>Manly</i> worked nicely.<br />
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<i>Manly</i> is sexy and sweet with a touch of humor and a lot of joy. It celebrates the physical intimacy between its men. The comics are explicit with nothing to hide but I wouldn't exactly call them graphic, either. It was great to see an emphasis on safer sex and condom use. In fact, in one story the lack of condoms means that the men have to get a little more creative in their play. <i>Manly</i> is sex-positive and the delight the men find with each other is wonderful. I was consistently left with a smile and even an occasional chuckle. I liked that the men in <i>Manly</i> actually established relationships with each other. To them the sex was more meaningful than just a casual encounter. Although the men in <i>Manly</i> are all unquestionably masculine, I appreciated the range of ethnicities, ages, and body-types exhibited by the characters. <i>Manly</i> is a great if all too brief collection of gay erotic comics. While the volume remains my favorite, it convinced me to seek out more of Lazarov's work. So far, I haven't been disappointed.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/335332379"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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</div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-5175694598491575792013-06-23T16:20:00.003-05:002013-06-30T19:37:39.391-05:00Skip Beat, Omnibus 1~by Yoshiki Nakamura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781421542263" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIglBr43kK5dIEoJu7o0diQf01f_y1VBNfsSFH1YWy22UoHzkr557q6k6V0bzqPontKgE5vw1LUt4adMQIG-niYWSxsvgLW9xbwbQztwr9Bsqq58BG5FRQFllYOQzWs-TC70mc/s200/SkipBeat1.jpg" width="133" /></a>The first omnibus volume of Yoshiki Nakamura's manga series <i>Skip Beat!</i>, published in 2012 by Viz Media, collects the first three volumes of the original English-language release--all three of which were published under the Shojo Beat imprint in 2006. In Japan, the first three volumes of <i>Skip Beat!</i> were released between 2002 and 2003. Currently, <i>Skip Beat!</i> is the only manga by Nakamura available in English and it is the series for which she is best known. In addition to the original manga, <i>Skip Beat!</i> has also been adapted as a drama CD, a twenty-five episode anime, a live-action television series, and even a video game. <i>Skip Beat!</i> was selected as the topic of the <a href="http://www.heartofmanga.com/skip-beat-mmf/">June 2013 Manga Moveable Feast</a>. I had previously read several volumes of the series and vaguely remembered enjoying them, but I was glad for an excuse to give the series a closer look.<br />
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Kyoko Mogami left home after graduating from junior high, following her childhood friend and love Sho as he pursues his career as an idol. Now living in Tokyo and working two jobs just to afford their apartment, Kyoko is happy as long as she can support and be with Sho. But then she finds out that he's been taking advantage of her the whole time--he harbors no feelings of love for Kyoko and instead views her as a convenient if sometimes annoying maid. Betrayed, Kyoko is determined to wreak havoc on Sho's life and take her revenge in the only way that he'll deign to recognize: she has decided to enter show business. Kyoko has her sights set on joining LME, one of the biggest talent agencies in Japan and coincidentally home to Ren Tsuruga, and incredibly talented and successful actor who Sho hates. Kyoko doesn't have a particular interest in show business, nor does she have any training, but what she does have is guts.<br />
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At the beginning of <i>Skip Beat!</i>, Kyoko's life is consumed by Sho and her love for him. After his betrayal, her life continues to be consumed by Sho, but love has been replaced by hatred and vengeance. Sho's a total jerk, so I can't really blame Kyoko for her change of heart. At first Ren comes across as a jerk, too, but its really more that he can't be bothered by people who don't take show business seriously. This is why early on he and Kyoko don't get along--he appreciates her guts and willpower, but dislikes her motivation to succeed. Kyoko is focused on making it big just to show up Sho. But as can already be seen in the first <i>Skip Beat!</i> omnibus, over time she starts to change. Initially she wanted to be a celebrity solely for the sake of revenge, but she is slowly gaining pride in herself and in her work for its own sake. Granted, getting back at Sho, and to a somewhat smaller extent Ren, is never far from her mind.<br />
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Kyoko is one hell of a character. She's brash, stubborn, and determined. And she's not the only one--<i>Skip Beat!</i> has many strong-willed and incredibly eccentric characters. I like Kyoko a lot. I appreciate a heroine who is willing to take control of her own life and work through her mistakes. <i>Skip Beat!</i> itself is a highly entertaining manga. With so many strong personalities involved there's bound to be conflict and the results are <i>very </i>funny. The characters frequently end up in outrageous situations and their over-the-top reactions are priceless. Nakamura's visual gags in <i>Skip Beat!</i> are great, too. Kyoko's inner demons often make an appearance to spur her on and occasionally are even strong enough to affect those around her directly. All told, <i>Skip Beat!</i> is a tremendous amount of fun; I enjoyed the beginning of the series even more than I remembered.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/744290314"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-34267937315360190632013-06-21T09:38:00.000-05:002013-06-21T09:38:21.033-05:00Japan Sinks~written by Sakyo Komatsu<br />
~translated by Michael Gallagher<br />
<i>1974 Mystery Writers of Japan Award Winner<br />
1974 Seiun Award Winner</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9784770020390" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-M2IVLr4K2lvcK3Bmj5bMEV-rNz4QTkPp_P0xETymxLOtS3mG8ttEtdow0-TjFgVYFHI6k8LcoeyvTqZ_CaDfrc5kArm2o1XQuINKe7XU_-xKthTYcVtLvn3u_nZMmHZAodk/s200/JapanSinks.jpg" width="123" /></a>Sakyo Komatsu is considered to be one of Japan's masters of science fiction and is highly regarded as an author. Probably his most well-known and influential work was <i>Japan Sinks</i>, an earthquake disaster novel that he wrote between 1964 and1973. Published in Japan in 1973, <i>Japan Sinks</i> earned Komatsu both a Mystery Writers of Japan Award and a Seiun Award. The novel has since inspired a sequel (which Komatsu coauthored with Kōshū Tani), two live-action films, a television series, and even a manga adaptation by Takao Saito. Michael Gallagher's abridged English translation of the novel was first published by Harper & Row in 1976 and became the basis for translations in eleven more languages. Kodansha International brought the novel back into print in 1995 with an additional author's note from Komatsu. Unfortunately, that edition has gone out of print as well and <i>Japan Sinks</i> is now somewhat difficult to find--a shame for such a notable work.<br />
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Earthquake and tsunamis are not unusual occurrences in Japan. They are something that the country has faced for centuries and has made preparations to deal with. But an increase in seismic and volcanic activity has many scientists concerned, especially when an entire island off the southern coast of Japan disappears over night. An investigation is subsequently launched into the incredible event. As hard as it is to believe, the island has sunk. What is even more terrifying is the discovery of unprecedented tectonic plate movements that will result in increasingly violent and destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It is theorized that within a few years the entire Japanese archipelago will be lost. The real question is what can be done about Japan's impending doom. The geological event cannot be stopped, but no one wants to believe that it will actually happen, either.<br />
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The narrative in <i>Japan Sinks</i> is a bit disjointed, particularly early on in the novel. I assume this is at least in part due to the abridgement, but I'm not entirely sure how much or even what was cut from the original Japanese edition of <i>Japan Sinks</i>. The beginning of the novel seems like a sequence of scenes that aren't directly related, but most are eventually revealed to be needed for the story as a whole. It's as if the connecting material is missing, though. However, as the novel progresses, the disparate story elements are tied together. By the end of <i>Japan Sinks</i> the only things that seemed tacked on and largely unnecessary were the romantic subplots; I can only imagine that these were more thoroughly developed in the original, but once again I'm not certain. For the most part, the unconnected nature of the storytelling was only a minor annoyance.<br />
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Although the narrative is somewhat fragmented, there is one thing that Komatsu excels at in <i>Japan Sinks</i>--he takes into consideration all aspects of the impending crisis in a very realistic way. The story is solidly based in real science, which makes it all the more terrifying. Komatsu explores the political maneuverings, both national and international, that are involved in dealing with the disaster as well as its economic implications. The scope of <i>Japan Sinks</i> is both global and personal, but I found the novel to be most engaging when it focused on the experiences of individuals. Granted, these sections were so effective because they took place within a greater context. Widespread death and destruction takes on more significance when it is known what it means for a single person as well as for a country as a whole. <i>Japan Sinks</i> addresses all of these issues and as a result the novel is a chilling account.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/33045249"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-4400156317915816702013-06-18T09:24:00.000-05:002013-07-23T07:39:37.427-05:00Blade of the Immortal, Volume 22: Footsteps~by Hiroaki Samura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781595824431" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3zUVOiZqqMstR_7RYTrN6eLB5RU_KmQbsn_qeJaKC0qD4lQ69vx52G_S0uVR2EKpyIHTt3TJYubk5Q2cwCe75FYIq95y_h6lRSViXlGTlk1slK5vtauC8GlZF7TgeNZ4Movb/s200/BladeImmortal22.jpg" width="138" /></a><i>Footsteps</i> is the twenty-second volume in the English-language release of Hiroaki Samura's manga series <i>Blade of the of Immortal</i>. The volume was published by Dark Horse in 2010. Because of the difference in how the various chapters of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> have been collected for the English-language edition, <i>Footsteps</i> is actually equivalent to the twenty-first volume of the original Japanese release published in 2007. <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> is a long-running series, having first begun serialization in 1993. Over the course of its publication it has won several awards, including a Japan Media Arts Award and an Eisner Award. It also happens to be a series of which I am particularly fond. <i>Footsteps</i> marks the beginning of the fifth and final major story arc in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>.<br />
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After staging a successful prison break, setting free hundreds of captives from the hidden dungeons underneath Edō Castle and rescuing them from the fate of becoming the human test subjects of cruel immortality experiments, Rin has finally been reunited with Manji. The two have been separated for quite some time. Manji, despite his near-immortality, is a little worse for wear from his time spent in the dungeons and is currently missing his left arm. Isaku and Dōa, two members of the Ittō-ryū who were also involved in the raid on Edō Castle, were able to escape as well. However, their involvement has brought the Ittō-ryū back under the intense scrutiny of the shogunate. Nearly wiped out when the bakufu betrayed them, the few remaining Ittō-ryū members have been working in the shadows readying their revenge. They may have been forced out into the open sooner than planned, but the Ittō-ryū is still prepared to face the authorities head on.<br />
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Although I did enjoy the previous storyline, I am glad that the series is moving on from the dungeons and experiments and beginning to cover some new ground. <i>Footsteps</i> is an excellent volume in general, but particularly as the opening to the final story arc. The volume establishes where nearly all of the major players in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> are after the fallout from the prison break. The focus turns from Rin and Manji (although they do have some absolutely wonderful scenes together) to the Ittō-ryū, which was largely though not entirely ignored during the previous arc. Anotsu, the highly capable leader of the Ittō-ryū, is gathering his forces and the Ittō-ryū is gaining new members and strength. For better and worse the Ittō-ryū has left a strong impression on other sword schools. Anotsu faces Habaki Kagimura, who has proven to be a worthy opponent, and the newly formed Rokki-dan--a group of death row felons hand-selected for their battle prowess.<br />
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I was actually a little surprised by the introduction of the Rokki-dan in <i>Footsteps</i>. Samura already included one group of death row assassins in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>--the Mugai-ryū. However, the Mugai-ryū has been disbanded. The Rokki-dan is a similar group with a similar goal--to annihilate the Ittō-ryū. At this point, the only difference between the two is that the elite of the Rokki-dan are implied to be even more badass than the members of the Mugai-ryū. This would certainly be impressive if true. Skill-wise, its top fighters may even be able to hold their own against some of the Ittō-ryū's. The lower ranking members of the Rokki-dan are nothing more than faceless cannon fodder, though. In many ways the Rokki-dan's introduction does seem to be more of the same, but there should at least be some fantastic confrontations and battles in the next volume, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/07/blade-of-immortal-volume-23-scarlet.html"><i>Scarlet Swords</i></a>, as a result.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/440122572"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-75640700735485288092013-06-14T08:09:00.002-05:002013-06-14T08:09:57.506-05:00Twinkle Twinkle~written by Kaori Ekuni<br />
~translated by Emi Shimokawa<br />
<i>1992 Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize Winner</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781932234015" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZMh2N1s3TmxNbFWR3TQgAfRTtGivvZQAOUNWA8JYzX4w5KAffXrwm-6JUmJz6zDj50V_GubdgDVorcKrAP5c5VZbGfogiDR5d8lNfG_PS5uZ5cJyYx3N_3kWaT3zeTC0kMWg/s200/TwinkleTwinkle.jpg" width="141" /></a>Kaori Ekuni's novel <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> was the first of her works to be translated into English. Ekuni is both a bestseller and a literary award winner in Japan. Initially she wrote poetry and children's stories before beginning to write for a more general audience. <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i>, originally published in Japan in 1991, was her debut novel and earned Ekuni the Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize in 1992. Also in 1992, <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> was adapted into a film directed by Joji Matsuoka. The novel was translated into English by Emi Shimokawa and published by Vertical in 2003. (<i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> was actually the first book ever to be released by Vertical.) Despite being a well-known and admired author in Japan, before reading <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> I was unfamiliar with Ekuni and her work. After reading <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> I sincerely hope that more of her writing is translated. Currently the only other novel by Ekuni available in English is <i>God's Boat</i>.<br />
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Shoko and Mutsuki married four months after they first met, much to the delight of their respective parents who feared that their progeny would never find someone to spend the rest of their lives (and hopefully have children) with. Although Shoko and Mutsuki are pleased with their arrangement, each is hiding a secret from their new in-laws. Shoko is an alcoholic and emotionally unstable while Mutsuki is gay and continues to see his long-term boyfriend Kon. Shoko and Mutsuki care for each other, but their marriage is one of convenience more than anything else. They are each free to live their lives how they choose while at the same time are able to keep up appearances for their families. It seems like a perfect marriage as long as they can prevent their parents from discovering the farce. But during their first year together things begin to unravel. Neither Shoko or Mutsuki quite realize what all of the consequences of their marriage might actually be.<br />
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Each chapter of <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> alternates between Shoko and Mutsuki's individual perspectives. It's a great technique that lets readers see both sides of their relationship and how they view each other. It also allows a glimpse into the newlyweds' internal states of being. Throughout the novel it is clear that both Shoko and Mutsuki deeply care about the other. They're not exactly romantically involved and they may not be having sex together, but they both want the other to be happy and work to make that happen. It's not always easy, though. Both of them have habits that either baffle or annoy the other and they're not always sure what to do about it. As <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> and the first year of their marriage progresses Shoko becomes increasingly unstable--anxious that she isn't able to adequately fulfill her role. As for Mutsuki, as wonderful as he can be, he's unable to ease Shoko's fears; his kindness often makes matters worse.<br />
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<i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> is a very peculiar love story between two incredibly imperfect people. But it's Shoko and Mutsuki's faults and flaws that make the novel as effective as it is. No marriage is perfect and even a fake one takes a tremendous amount of effort to maintain. To make matters even more complicated there's Kon, who at times is on better terms with Shoko than he is with Mutsuki. Kon is extremely important to both of them as well as to the story itself. Together Kon, Shoko, and Mutsuki form an intense triangle with relationship dynamics crucial to their development as people and to the development of the novel. <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i> is fairly light in its tone and is immensely readable, but Ekuni still manages to pack several hard-hitting punches into the narrative. Personally, I loved <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i>. It's one of the best novels that I've read recently and I can easily see myself reading it again.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52277530"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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</div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-31920220882663150392013-06-11T08:50:00.002-05:002013-06-11T08:50:54.938-05:00No. 6, Volume 1~by Hinoki Kino<br />
~original story by Atsuko Asano<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781612623559" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVfxpZb_EP6F_qX3GUhoIbau27iUoPgA1ztk8uYn2s1j2NQZzLEWpHu_AZ5qVjQe3DawHiqGhSRzy_lf8eeDyHlIGHMHWp2cyiWjOhQqvtiQegMK1-0XGdqeer5mvuvH4Z6WK/s200/No6-1.jpg" width="133" /></a>Hinoki Kino's manga adaptation of <i>No. 6</i> is the second adaptation of Atsuko Asano's nine-volume series of science fiction novels to be released in English. The first, and my introduction to <i>No. 6</i>, was the 2011 anime adaptation directed by Kenji Nagasaki. While I largely enjoyed the anime, the rushed and fumbled ending left me disappointed. The first volume of the <i>No. 6</i> manga was originally published in Japan in 2011, a few months before the anime began airing. Kodansha's English-language edition of <i>No. 6, Volume 1</i> was released in 2013. It's highly unlikely that Asano's original novels (which are really what I would like to read) will ever be licensed in English, and so I was intrigued when Kodansha announced that Kino's manga adaptation would be published. Since the series is still currently being serialized in Japan, I'm hoping that the story will have a properly executed ending this time around.<br />
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On the surface, the city of No. 6 appears to be an ideal, utopic society. The crime rate is negligible. Medical and technological advancements offer its citizens unprecedented comfort and care. Shion is among the elite of the elite. Identified at a young age as a prodigy with a particular affinity for medicine and ecology, he and his mother have their every need provided for by the city. But when Shion saves the life of a young fugitive named Rat, helping him to escape, Shion is stripped of his status and special privileges. He has seen a brief glimpse of the darker side of No. 6. Four years later he'll see even more when he stumbles upon a pair of bizarre deaths and he becomes the perfect scapegoat for the supposed murders. With his own life now in danger, Shion has a decision to make: flee No. 6 and the only life he knows or remain in a city that no longer considers him human.<br />
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The first volume of <i>No. 6</i> does a nice job of establishing the series' two main protagonists: Shion and Rat. Although the two young men share an important connection with each other, they come from very different backgrounds and have very different personalities. Shion is intelligent but sheltered and there's a certain innocence about him. He comes across as a bit naive and socially awkward, but he is intensely curious and searches for the significance behind things. Even though most of Rat's past hasnt' been revealed, it is quite clear by the end of the first volume of <i>No. 6</i> that he has had a much rougher time of it. He is quick-witted but world-weary and cynical. The underlying meaning of a situation isnt' nearly as important to him as is the immediate reality. It's simply a matter of survival. In part because they are so different, Rat and Shion find themselves drawn to each other.<br />
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After only one volume, <i>No. 6</i> has yet to really distinguish itself from other dystopian fiction. It's a fairly standard set up with a seemingly perfect society that's not quite everything it appears to be. The manga itself often feels very rushed in places and lacking in details in others. There were a few scenes that had I not previously seen the anime would have left me momentarily confused. In the afterword Kino admits to having had to cut much more from the manga than was ideal in order not to surpass page limits. Even so, <i>No. 6, Volume 1</i> provides the needed introduction to the story and outlines the world in which it takes place. I hope that now that the stage has been set that the manga will have room to breath and slow down a little. It is a different version of the story than was seen in the anime; I'm looking forward to seeing where Kino takes it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/825558905"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-26628432799258312342013-06-04T18:04:00.001-05:002013-06-04T18:04:38.882-05:00Yokohama Yankee: My Family's Five Generations as Outsiders in Japan~by Leslie Helm<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9780984457663" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PsIvWM-iduMWcw26KGAsGTpe2x3nsdmi2nMu__ZJr3LHA8FUMmow37JdThjlqgZB_bhGWIQMwTLwSb2v48lK_3E2FGJBnqzb-rnXP3xqoRxJ-vBIZX9ZdYqrvtHxAwnpk-_b/s200/YokohamaYankee.jpg" width="142" /></a>When <i>Yokohama Yankee: My Family's Five Generations as Outsiders in Japan</i> by Leslie Helm was released in 2013 by Chin Music Press, it immediately caught my attention. I tend to keep my eye on Chin Music Press--the books it publishes are always interesting in addition to being beautifully designed. <i>Yokohama Yankee</i> is no exception. I was delighted when Chin Music Press offered me a copy of <i>Yokohama Yankee</i> for review. Helm was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan and served as foreign correspondent for <i>Business Week</i> and <i>The Los Angeles Times </i>in Tokyo for eight years. Currently, Helm is the executive editor of <i>Seattle Business</i>. Although he holds masters degrees in both journalism and Asian studies and has a background in political science, giving Helm significant expertise from which to draw, <i>Yokohama Yankee</i> is a much more personal work exploring his family's history in Japan and his and his wife's adoption of two Japanese children.<br />
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Coming from a multicultural family of German, American, and Japanese ancestry, Leslie Helm's personal relationship with Japan is a complicated one. When he and his wife Marie decided to adopt Japanese children, Helm decided to reconnect with his family's Japanese roots. The Helms' connection to Japan began in 1869 when Helm's great-grandfather Julius Helm, a German immigrant, arrived in Yokohama by way of America. After pursuing a number of different enterprises, including assisting in the modernization and training of Wakayama's military, Julius would marry a Japanese woman and found a shipping company, establishing the Helms as a prominent merchant family in Yokohama. From there, Helm traces his family's relationship with Japan through the decades, interspersing his own personal experiences with the country among the historical discoveries that he makes. Despite the close ties that he and his family held with Yokohama and Japan, they were generally considered foreigners.<br />
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<i>Yokohama Yankee</i> is an incredibly engaging, fascinating, and revealing family memoir. Helm ties his present to his past, uncovering connections he wasn't previously aware of and confirming stories he had been told by other family members. The Helms' history in <i>Yokohama Yankee</i> is closely intertwined with the history of Yokohama and Japan--its foreign community, its economic ups and downs, its natural disasters, its wars. All five generations of the Helm family faced varying degrees of discrimination due to their mixed heritage. In Japan they were seen as gaijin and outsiders; in the West they were seen as inferior because of their Asian blood. Deciding to adopt and raise Japanese children also presented its own set of problems and challenges. The culture, purpose, and reasons behind in adoption in Japan tend to be quite different than those in America.<br />
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While writing <i>Yokohama Yankee</i>, Helm conducted over one hundred interviews with friends, family members, Japanese scholars, and former employees of the Helm Brothers company. His research encompasses not only his family's history, but also the historical background of Japan. In addition to being an engrossing read with a unique perspective of Japan, <i>Yokohama Yankee</i> is a beautifully presented book. Found in its pages are reproductions of hundreds of historic and family photographs, maps, postcards, stamps, and other ephemera. They were a lovely addition to the book. I enjoyed <i>Yokohama Yankee</i> a great deal. It's a family history, but it's also a history of a country--an insightful story of one multicultural family's five generations and their relationship with Japan.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/828868561"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-550334010772796492013-05-28T19:09:00.002-05:002013-05-28T19:09:49.216-05:00Chicago, Volume 2: The Book of Justice~by Yumi Tamura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781569318294" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVSMo6rKm5galg5yPbEnxWvrQN20LAN71eRBTdpvGhRqIuziygcLErPWBgylz6sVAdS4hsL0vdo-Kem_gtxQMgCXKIQdLMLFUHObN3o1KHv8n5DarAzZta1WOX85KAd3hvB9G/s200/Chicago2.jpg" width="137" /></a>As part of the <a href="http://tokyojupiter.com/2013/05/20/welcome-to-the-yumi-tamura-moveable-manga-feast/">Yumi Tamura Manga Moveable Feast</a>, I decided to take a look at the first of her works to be released in English--a short, two-volume series called <i>Chicago</i>. The second volume of <i>Chicago</i>, <i>The Book of Justice</i>, was initially serialized by Viz Media between 2002 and 2003 in its monthly shoujo manga magazine <i>Animerica Extra</i> and was subsequently released as a trade collection later in 2003. The volume was first published in Japan in 2001. Tamura is probably best known for her series <i>Basara</i>; I have seen almost nothing written about <i>Chicago</i> despite the work being her first official introduction to English-reading audiences. The two volumes of the series are now also out of print in English. I read the first volume of <i>Chicago</i>, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/05/chicago-volume-1-book-of-self.html"><i>The Book of Self</i></a> and was intrigued enough by it to track down the second volume as well.<br />
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Operating out of a bar called Chicago in south Shinjuku is a privately organized team of agents who take on rescue missions that the police won't or are afraid to touch. Originally Rei and Uozumi were a part of the Self-Defense Force's Rescue Squad Four, a rescue team that was wiped out after the Great Tokyo Earthquake. The only survivors of the squad, Rei and Uozumi have been recruited by Chicago, joining the reserved but talented gunman Shin and Zion, a pilot who seems happier making gyoza than he does flying. The members of Chicago's rescue squad might need to work a bit on their teamwork, but there is no denying that they are all very good at what they do. As the team takes on more rescue missions a troubling pattern emerges: they all appear to somehow be connected to the demise of Squad Four and Rei and Uozumi's pasts. Rei and Uozumi are determined to uncover the truth, but digging any deeper may very well end up costing more than just their lives.<br />
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Much like the <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/05/chicago-volume-1-book-of-self.html">first volume of <i>Chicago</i></a>, <i>The Book of Justice</i> is filled with outrageous <i></i>but entertaining and engaging action sequences as the team members carry out their rescue missions. It's great fun even when it's not particularly believable. What is more believable are the characters themselves and their complicated and frequently antagonistic relationships with one another. I enjoyed watching them interact (and get on each other's nerves) a great deal. Sadly, since not much is revealed about Shin other than a few ominous comments and implications, he largely remains a mysterious, handsome stranger. However, <i>The Book of Justice</i> does reveal more of Rei and Uozumi's history, including how they met and came to work together and why they're so close. Even Mika, Uozumi's boyfriend, is given a chance to briefly take center stage in <i>The Book of Justice</i>.<br />
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Because <i>Chicago</i> has so much going for it--an intriguing mystery, great action scenes, interesting character dynamics--it's particularly disappointing and frustrating that Tamura ended the series just as things were pulling together so nicely. The second volume of <i>Chicago</i> is much more even and focused than <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/05/chicago-volume-1-book-of-self.html">the first</a>; Tamura seemed to be hitting her groove with the story and characters. Unlike in the <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/05/chicago-volume-1-book-of-self.html">first volume</a>, all of the character and plot elements serve a distinct purpose and the more awkward attempts at humor are missing. Tamura ties up most of the major plot points in <i>The Book of Justice</i>, but the series is still brought to an abrupt and rushed close. She assures readers that <i>Chicago</i> wasn't cancelled--she just felt that it was time to move on, which I find almost worse. It's a shame Tamura decided to end the series after only two volumes. <i>Chicago</i> had great potential and I would have liked to have seen more.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52398557"><i>Find in a library...</i></a> </div>
Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-88422828897561131832013-05-22T07:45:00.003-05:002013-05-29T05:58:48.693-05:00Chicago, Volume 1: The Book of Self~by Yumi Tamura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781591160410" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVX50qsLby3B6NUK0QSVEhXeXvvdVg8cnOJ7UVdFfguYxPXxdimGVIZYAzq39J2ImXHYddg89xhvCJFyDjHC76xrHkrMBCSMlgvbCwYlTxTOzZrdDCczF0XA-zM5O5I7WX-zxL/s200/Chicago1.jpg" width="134" /></a>Although Yumi Tamura is probably best known for her post-apocalyptic epic <i>Basara</i>, her later two-volume manga series <i>Chicago</i> was her first work to be officially released in English. <i>Chicago, Volume 1: The Book of Self</i> was released in 2002 by Viz Media after serializing the manga in the monthly shoujo magazine <i>Animerica Extra</i> between 2001 and 2002. The collected volume was originally published in Japan in 2001. <i>Chicago</i> is now out of print in English but still fairly easy to find at reasonable prices. Because <a href="http://tokyojupiter.com/2013/05/20/welcome-to-the-yumi-tamura-moveable-manga-feast/">May 2013's Manga Moveable Feast</a> focused on Tamura and her work, I decide to track down the short series. I've actually been meaning to read <i>Basara</i> for what seems like ages now, but I thought it would be interesting if my introduction to Tamura's manga would be through her introduction to English-reading audiences. <br />
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Rei and Uozumi are the only remaining survivors of the Japanese Self-Defense Force's Rescue Squad Four. The rest of their team members died in Bay District D while on a rescue mission after the Great Tokyo Earthquake. The official press release described the deaths as an accident, claiming that the squad was caught in a fire after the quake. Rei and Uozumi know differently and because of that their lives are still in danger. Down on their luck and barely scraping by, the two partners are approached by a mysterious man looking to recruit them for a rescue mission of a different kind. A young, aspiring photojournalist has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. At first it appears to be a case of mistaken identity but it may in fact have ties to the annihilation of Squad Four in Bay District D. Looking for answers, Rei and Uozumi agree to take on the job despite their misgivings.<br />
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Rei is a pretty kick-ass heroine. She's a competent fighter with top-notch knife skills that are more than a match for those who would try to do her harm. She doesn't take crap from anyone except maybe for some good-natured ribbing from Uozumi. Rei also seems to have some vague supernatural powers, such as the ability to sense danger and an odd intuition that leads her to be in the right place at the right time, allowing her to prevent several tragedies in <i>The Book of Self</i> before they can happen. She and Uozumi also share a very strong bond with each other that borders on ESP. Rei is actually in love with Uozumi and he obviously cares for her as well. However, he already has a lover and as is revealed towards the end of <i>The Book of Self</i>, there are other reasons why Rei has no chance with him. That doesn't make the pain and frustration of her heartbreak any less, though.<br />
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So far, <i>Chicago</i> is a rather odd series even if it does have some great action scenes and a quirky charm to it. Much of the story relies on convenient coincidences, but these incidents may be attributed to Rei's intuition or some other sort of fate. Tamura does include some seemingly strange character details in <i>The Book of Self</i>. Some, like fellow rescue agent Shin's apparent abhorrence of celery, add a weird bit of humor to the story. Others, like Rei's work as a model, seem an unnecessary distraction. Still others appear to be innocuous at first only to play an important role later on--Uozumi's extensive knowledge of classical music actually ends up saving his life. <i>Chicago</i> can be a little over-the-top, ridiculous, and unbelievable, but ultimately I found the first volume to be a fun read. I have no idea what's in store for the second volume, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/05/chicago-volume-2-book-of-justice.html"><i>The Book of Justice</i></a>, but I look forward to finding out.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51524371"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13598029.post-65751557468211695372013-05-17T07:14:00.002-05:002013-06-18T09:25:35.857-05:00Blade of the Immortal, Volume 21: Demon Lair II~by Hiroaki Samura<br />
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<a href="http://www.librarything.com/isbn/9781595823236" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZlF_2BexP43oAoHzCCjQRywr4y0NuX8BXNmUyPBKI6D0CjQaShBBRXDQ0LcVWqcfB-ngFMCP2PzBggOiyuJeF9VBk-z-DT4-LdcaCbMvjEUpCSVPXQc_H1QKnJCy9aynxDfI/s200/BladeImmortal21.jpg" width="138" /></a><i>Demon Lair II</i> is the twenty-first volume in the English-language release of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>, Hiroaki Samura's long-running, award-winning manga series. Along with the previous volume, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/blade-of-immortal-volume-20-demon-lair.html"><i>Demon Lair</i></a>, it forms the conclusion to the series' fourth and penultimate major story arc. <i>Demon Lair II</i> was published by Dark Horse in 2009. The chapters collected in <i>Demon Lair II</i> are the same as those found in the twentieth volume of the Japanese release of <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>, published in 2006. In addition, <i>Demon Lair II</i> also includes a glossary (useful since many terms in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> are left untranslated, or simply don't have an exact equivalent in English) and a translation of a parody article about Samura originally found in the September 2003 issue of <i>Afternoon</i>, the magazine in which <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> was serialized.<br />
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Somehow, Rin and Dōa have successfully fought their way into the secret underground dungeons of Edō Castle. There they have found what, or rather who, they have been looking for: Manji and Isaku, who have both been subjected to cruel experiments meant to find a way to transfer Manji's near-immortality and regenerative abilities to another person. Now the real trick will be getting everyone back out alive and ideally in one piece. As challenging as it was for Rin and Dōa to infiltrate the castle grounds, escaping will be even more problematic. The tunnels underneath the complex are flooding and are ready to collapse; standing between them and their way out are armed guards as well as crazed inmates. The situation above ground, assuming that they can make it that far, is chaos with countless escaped prisoners inside the castle complex and their families outside of its walls on the verge of rioting.<br />
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Much like its companion volume <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/blade-of-immortal-volume-20-demon-lair.html"><i>Demon Lair</i></a>, <i>Demon Lair II</i> is largely one long action sequence. There are some important plot revelations and character moments, but for the most part <i>Demon Lair II</i> is made up of one fight after another. What sets <i>Demon Lair II</i> apart form previous volumes, and one of the things that I like the most about the volume, is Samura's use of water. The flooding of the dungeons is a violent event in and of itself. The water is extraordinarily destructive and its effect upon those unlucky enough to be caught up in it is extremely detrimental. Generally speaking, Samura has always made good use of the environment and surroundings as part of his battles in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i>. <i>Demon Lair II</i> is no different and he has given special consideration to the sorts of problems and opportunities fighting in high, cold water would present.<br />
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Many of the recent volumes in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> have focused on the human costs and failures surrounding the immortality experiments. <i>Demon Lair II</i> reveals that some of the successes that Burando, the doctor in charge of the investigation, has had are just as horrifying--he has literally created monsters. To some extent, that particular development wasn't foreshadowed as well as it could have been, but it does go to show just how far Burando has strayed from his ideals. The conclusion of <i>Demon Liar II</i> also brings together a few of the stray plot lines and characters in <i>Blade of the Immortal</i> in preparation for the next and final story arc. Samura introduces a surprise or two along the way, too. I am very curious to see how things begin to play out in the next volume, <a href="http://phoenixterranbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/blade-of-immortal-volume-22-footsteps.html"><i>Footsteps</i></a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/317749878"><i>Find in a library...</i></a><br />
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Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955521631250276796noreply@blogger.com0