Archive for the Hayashiya Shizuru Category


Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 5 (English)

December 14th, 2009

It is my greatest pleasure as a manga reader to read good stories, told well. Yesterday’s series, Octave, is one such story. The subject of today’s review, for totally different reasons and in totally different ways is, as well.

Hayate x Blade is a good story, told well and adapted into English with excellence.

These are three different things, mind you. Coming up with a good story isn’t that hard, but telling it well is incredibly difficult. And, as you know, it is my conflict-of-interest-laden pleasure to be a small part of the team that creates an English adaptation of this manga that reads so smoothly, so *naturally* that it does not feel like a “translation” that is “localized” or “adapted.” It feels like I’m reading the original. It’s that natural.

Volume 5 of Hayate x Blade brings us to the long-awaited match between Hitsugi/Shizuku and Kurea/Minori. We get to see what we’ve always guessed – Hitsugi is 50% awesome and 50% freak of nature. And, it’s wonderful. Watching Shizuku gush is so cute I became positively squealy while reading it.

Incidentally, a video of Hitsugi’s BGM also went a long way to provide context for The Mikoto 5 arc in the middle of Hana no Asuka-gumi. It all makes much more sense now. ;-)

There’s a fair bit of implied service in this volume in which Jun, now that her “keeper” is gone, as she says, pervs out pretty hard. But for all that, there is little actual service – just the threat of it. ^_^

And the next arc – which is another rip-snorting story, let me tell you – is set up with one seemingly inconsequential body check by a ducky.

Lastly I just need to say this – Sid and Nancyyyyyyy!!!!! They are the rockingest, most anarchy-est characters evar. EVAR. My one genuine complaint is that Sid was censored. She was not censored in the original and I’m sort of sad that The Powers That Be thought teens can’t see the word “fuck” without exploding or something. The scribbly bits in the text were original, meant to imply that Sid’s “fuck”s here and there were merely the beginning of her ear-burning vocabulary. I object on the grounds that the book has an Older Teen rating and I can’t *imagine* what puritan thinks Older Teens can’t (or shouldn’t) read bad language and on the grounds that it is not the readers’ fault that the wrong age rating was chosen for a series that is written for adults. Yay Sid! Boo big black bars. I will forgive this *only* because the mistake that was plaguing me has now been fixed. Please don’t censor her in future volumes. It’s just silly. Look… “fuck.” No one died.

The best part about Volume 5 is that there is no way in a million years you can guess what’s going to happen next, unless you are already familiar with the series. I will provide no spoilers and I hope none of my dear readers will, either. Let’s just laugh and nod knowingly because we know how funny it’s going to be. ^_^

On the Yuri side, you’re probably wondering how I can call the volume “Yuri” at all. Well – if Shizuku’s oration isn’t a confession of love, I don’t know what is, really.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 2

Overall – 9

It is with sincerest thanks that I nod in the direction of Okazu Superhero Eric P. Eric, you’ve been such a great contributor to this blog…. I can’t really say more than “Thanks,” but that thanks is from the very bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity for sponsoring today’s and so many other reviews.





Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 4 (English)

October 22nd, 2009

If you follow *one* series it should be this one. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Hayate x Blade, Volume 4 is a non-stop, fast-paced, slam-dunk, action-filled crazy-fest from the very first page to the very last. And it’s funny as hell. As I’ve come to say on Twitter, it’s a 4 SLOL (Snort Laugh Out Loud) book.

The book begins with the end of Ayana and Jun’s match and OMG, I cannot believe you can read this in ENGLISH. I remember reviewing it in Japanese and wishing I could share it with you all, because it’s so excellent.

Because *so* much happens in this volume, I want to talk about the translation. Yes, Jun does curse. It seems uncharacteristic in this series, but that’s only ’cause you haven’t met Sid yet. :-D (Sid! How I want you to meet Sid and Nancy! OMG, they are so awesomely hysterical. /Fangirly squeal/) And no, Hayate’s comments about her and Ayana being Jon and Ponch and Cagney and Lacey are *not* weird attempts are localization – they are actually what she says.

Once again, I want to thank, worship, akogare the team of translator and adapter on this book for making it feel so right. I feel as if every voice has been kept intact. Adrienne, Ed, you make this series a real pleasure to work on as a professional, and to read as a fan.

Also, I really, really, want to thank Tor and Seven Seas for 1) giving me the opportunity to work on this series and; 2) fixing that one mistake I kept pointing out. You know the one. Thank you. :-)

Jun fights Ayana, Yuho fights Hayate, Jun and Yuho have a tender moment, Hitsugi and Shizuku prepare for their first fight in a while, Hayate gets close to Akira despite dire warnings, and Momoka and Isuzu (Isuzu! OMG, I just love her. I hope you do too.) have a *major* crisis that introduces Michi and Otoha, who are a pair of utter freaks. ^_^ There is action, comedy, blood, guts, affection, desire and banana peels.

Isuzu=Yuri, and if you are like me and most of the Japanese doujinshi artists, you see Michi and Otoha as a couple, too. Because…duh.

If you are not buying this manga, you are utterly fail. Don’t bother trying to explain yourself.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 3
Service – 2

Overall – 9

I want you to know that a contact (not my editor, but another editor) at Tor offered to send me copies, but I refused. I like it better that my Heroes get the credit. Today I thank once again, ever more fervently, Okazu Superhero Eric P. for sponsoring today’s review and giving me the chance to sings paeans of joy about the BEST MANGA EVER. IN ENGLISH!





Hayate x Blade Manga, Volume 10

September 20th, 2009

If you have been following Hayate x Blade (はやて×ブレード) from the beginning, you are vaguely aware that there is an itch in this series that is not being scratched.

But first, as Volume 10 opens,  there’s the persistent and dangerous Ensuu and Mei to deal with. With incredible effort, and the stupidest technique ever (one used in previous volumes but no less silly this time) Ayana and Hayate *finally* bring the bad girls of Tenchi to their knees. Yay Team Us! Woo hoo!

From almost the very first volume, we know that Hayate is one of a pair of twins. In fact, her older sister Nagi was the one originally accepted into Tenchi Gakuen, but wasn’t able to attend because she was in the hospital. Only a few volumes ago, we were given a glimpse of the elusive Nagi, but that wasn’t enough! Nagi needs to be in the story, and soon, I felt.

Well, so did Hayashiya, apparently, because Nagi finally arrives to take her place among the sword-bearing student body at Tenchi Gakuen. And by doing so, she confuses the heck out of the idiots that surround her sister.

The best moment is when Jun comes face to face with Nagi, and looks her over in detail. You look the same, she says, but you’re not Hayate. (Thus proving that Jun is in fact the smartest person at Tenchi, which was a given, since she’s a lesbian.) Nagi does a little moronic song and dance, asking if that makes her look more like Hayate. I laughed because, well…it did. ^_^

Nagi is instantly not really all that likable. In a series chock full of really likable characters (with the exception on Ensuu, who is so completely crazy that you can’t dislike her, and if you do, after Volume 11 you won’t anymore. Because it’s hard to dislike someone that…so *completely* off the rails,) Nagi stands out as someone that it’s quite easy to not like. Watching Hayate frantically trying to please her older sister is a little heart wrenching. When Nagi publicly proclaims that it is her intention to take Ayana as her shinyuu, and Hayate just rolls over, it’s massively heart wrenching. Not just for us, either, as Ayana makes the point that she, and no one else has the right to choose her own shinyuu, dammit, and she’s chosen Hayate. That she makes the point with a reverse suplex does not diminish the message.

But…Hayate knows that she’s not as strong as her sister, and so she slips out of the school into the woods, where she meets, Yanagi, aka Yagyuu, a crazy-eyed, Edo-period slang speaking, ex-Tenchi swordbearer. And so, we are launched into what may well be the absolutely most strange arc in this series so far.

Will Hayate be able to survive the training at the hands of her new oyabun? Will Yanagi’s reputation come back to haunt them? Will Ayana be able to convince Hayate to return to her? Will Hitsugi take matters into her own hands to bring discipline to one of the very first graduates of the sword-bearing program at Tenchi? Or will the entire school be thrown into a crazy free-for all?

Yes, all of the above, coming in Volume 11. ;-)

Ratings:
 
Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 2
Service – 1
 
Overall – 9
 

 

I didn’t even mention Hayate and Nagi’s Mom. Meeting her explains *a lot*. I never get through a volume of this series without snorting at least twice. ^_^
 




Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 3 (English)

June 2nd, 2009

I told you, didn’t I? I’ve been telling you for years now and you *finally* realize that I haven’t been lying. Hayate x Blade, Volume 3 is…awesome.

In this volume, two major things happen – we start to learn that the characters we thought were all idiots are in, fact, amazingly, stupendously cool. And we also learn that as amazingly, stupendously cool as they are…they are still all idiots. ^_^

You are not alone when you decide that Jun is the most amazingly, stupendously cool character, by the way. As you will see in the next volume. You may also be amused, but not at all surprised, to learn that Jun is voiced on the Drama CDs by Toyoguchi Megumi. Yes, she *is* the Sei of this series – it wasn’t just your imagination.

So, in Volume 3, we realize that Ayana is deeper than just being a grumpy old grump and Hayate has a lot to learn and Jun has a very important person in her life and that person, Yuho, is quite amusingly broken. We also learn that Hitsugi and Shizuku are awesome. We actually learn that *every* volume, so just get used to me saying that, if you aren’t already. ^_^

I can’t speak for anyone other than myself when I say this but, I thought the fight between Jun and Ayana was genius the first time and I love it no less this time. Just wait ’til we get to Volume 4! (Which I just finished editing a few weeks ago. So, it’s a-coming.)

As with the last few volumes, I did in fact copy edit this one, and for the first time I’m actually credited. I have to say that I think Adrienne and Ed are a top-notch team at the translation and adaptation and it’s a genuine pleasure to work on this book – not just because I love the series, but because they do a fabulous job. I feel like the characters all retain their specific voices, no matter what accent or speech patterns they have in the original, without it ever sounding forced. As a person for whom “voice” is critical in writing, this may be the best ever example that a good translator and a good adaptor can really make a tremendous difference.

So, seriously, if you haven’t been sure if you want to get Hayate x Blade, do. Not because I love it, or because I worked on it, but because Volume 3 is pure awesome.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 2

Overall – 9

Tor still does not send me copies of books I work on (can you believe it? When I ask, I’m told they have no extras to send…seriously.) So my heartfelt, sincere gratitude to a new Okazu hero, Jason H for stepping in and sponsoring today’s review! Jason, thank you for being my hero! Drop me an email at anilesbocon at hotmail dot com and I’ll send you a copy of your Okazu Hero badge to proudly display on website or blog!





V-Hunter Manga

March 25th, 2009

I’m pleased as punch and mad as a porridge knife to offer you a Guest Review today by Okazu Hero Katherine! Katherine thank you so, so much for this review because it means I didn’t have to write anything for today! Yay! :-) I would like to take this opportunity to flog an old horse. This review is about a scanlation. You may have noticed that I do not do reviews of scanlations. I either buy the book in English or Japanese, or one of the Okazu heroes buys it for me. I know that some scanlation groups simply desire to share obscure and out-of-print things with fans. However, I strongly object to fans who read scanlations and watch fansubs but do not support the genre in any meaningful way. I know that my readers are huge purchasers of Yuri, and for that I am immensely proud and thankful, so I am not accusing you, dear reader. Just making a point for people who should stumble upon this review randomly, or who have never considered the issue before. Thank you for your patience, the dead horse flogging is done, the review will now commence.

When I found Shizuru Hayashiya’s debut work, a modest one-shot titled V-Hunter, my heart went aflutter and my eyes lit up with childlike glee at the thought of seeing the starting point for Hayashiya-sensei’s professional manga career, which would later include the excellent action-comedy Hayate x Blade and the delightfully goofy rom-com Strawberry Shake Sweet. After reading V-Hunter, all that I could think was, “Hayashiya’s come a long way since then….”

Don’t get me wrong. The story features Hayashiya’s trademark energy, screwball humor, and of course, Yuri. (Yay!) But like any incipient mangaka, her story is marked with the telltale signals of inexperience. First, the artwork. The character designs are very 90s shoujo. Hayashiya was clearly still defining her own unique style when she drew this. While full of dynamic facial expressions and expressive body gestures (a signature of her later manga), the art lacks the confident, solid line work and more appealing, refined character designs that she would hone in her later works. (Although her take on Rhett Butler is hilarious.)

The story itself is fairly unique. A high school-aged girl (come to think of it, she never gets a name…) rents an old VHS copy of Gone with the Wind (E here…OLD? That’s all we *had* in the 90s! Sheesh.) from a local video store. But since she’s playing the video for the 666th time (*insert evil laughter*), out pops a demonic version of Rhett Butler who, being a demon, needs the blood of a virgin after arriving to earth. That does mean what you think it means, but before Rhett can sully our virtuous heroine, a mysterious woman conveniently shows up (the V-hunter or “video stream manipulator,” who does get a name) and, upon the girl’s request, banishes Rhett back into the video (I’m laughing as I type this) using another video demon from a well-known horror flick. After the V-hunter’s task is complete, the girl asks her how she can repay her. But since she can’t pay the monetary fee (3,000,000 yen), she agrees to “pay” the V-Hunter using her body. (Which again, does mean what you think it means, but Hayashiya doesn’t show anything more than strictly necessary. Sorry. :) ) The V-Hunter then leaves, and the omniscient narrator sagely reveals that the V-Hunter only saves pretty girls. How noble. :)

So, despite the threat of non-con, this comes through as a fluffy, fun one-shot (more fun than it really should be @_@;;) that will satisfy those looking for some goofy humor and a weird story, if not the storytelling chops and broadly appealing characterization that appears in Hayashiya’s later works. (But hey, it’s a one-shot.) Anybody who’s a fan of Shizuru Hayashiya’s manga should check it out, if only for the fun of seeing how far she’s progressed and which elements have been present in her work since the beginning of her career.

Ratings:

Art: 6 (Fun, but kinda sketchy.)
Story: 7
Characters: 6 (Nobody I would want to meet, but still entertaining.)
Yuri: 7
FanBoy: 3
FanGirl: 4
Hayashiya Fan: 8

Overall: 7

Thanks again Katherine and Lililicious, for bringing us a look at another screwball Yuri comedy from the screwball mind of Hayashiya-sensei. I’ll be back tomorrow, but no clue if I’ll care about you all enough to post. See you soon!