Archive for the Artists Category


My Wandering Warrior Existence

March 21st, 2022

Kabi Nagata is back once again with a volume of her comic essay work. My Wandering Warrior Existence is quite possibly her best work to date.

To begin with, let me provide a Content Warning of some significance, Nagata talks about a sexual assault she experienced as a child, and the retraumatizing consequences. This was not sugarcoated in any way and was rough to read, so be warned. The experience is not presented out of context however, and it comes not as the point of the story, buy a jumping off point for a comic essay that will make you feel many things. Horror and anger, yes, but also triumph and, dare I say it, joy.

The volume begins with a search for joy in fact. That search takes Nagata-sensei into her own past and out again, as she talks about her relationship with her body, her sexuality, her gender, building a habit of self-care and self-love. There are many deeply moving moments including one key moment when a fan letter explains something that she had not been able to understand and, as a result, is for the first time to see those things she was missing in her understanding of relationships.

Of all her works, this one feels the most crafted to reach an audience. Her first books were diaries and there was a sense that a reading audience was a nice to have. There are some many things in this book that indicate that, for the first time, this book was meant to be read, by us and our reactions are accounted for. This becomes even more obvious as we approach the end of the book and are assured that Nagata-sensei is finding joy in her life these days. And much of the content is constructed to be far more relatable than previous volumes, which focused on her personal struggles.

When I read this book in Japanese, I laughed out loud at this image of the thing that brought her a lot of happiness….a giant fridge! I had also gotten a new fridge not too long before I read this and let me tell you – you cannot overestimate the power of a new fridge to bring joy. ^_^

We’re left, as a result, thinking, if small things like this can make her happy, then maybe there is hope for her…and by extension, there is hope for us. ^_^

Once again, ratings seem pointless. But, both narrative and art here are more confident and there is humor, along with the harrowing.

As always,the care an attention from the gang at Seven Seas, means we have all the right tools to work through this book. Thanks to everyone who made this such a great reading experience!

I joined the Lum and Colton of the lovely Manga Mavericks team to discuss this book on their podcast this weekend, so keep an eye out for that when it is hits their website. It’s always fun to dissect a book with them. ^_^





Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita, Volume 1 (女ともだちと結婚してみた。)

March 10th, 2022

If you are a regular reader here, you probably know how much I like Usui Shio’s recent work in Comic Yuri Hime. I’ve been really happy with Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts / Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon. That series is not the only one Usui-sensei is working on for the magazine. Running concurrently has been another story, one that is quite different.

Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita, Volume 1 (女ともだちと結婚してみた。) is comedy drama about two best friends, Kurumi and Ruriko. Ruriko is a day person. She wakes up early, cooks breakfast and heads out to her day job. Kurumi, a journalist, is a night person. She heads to bed after Ruriko leaves, waking up later to work into the night. Kurumi is working on an assignment right now, and she and Ruriko are the test subjects – Kurumi is writing a series about being married to a woman.

Friends for years, Ruriko and Kurumi agree that they *will* go back to being friends when this experiment is over, but we know that unbeknownst to Kurumi, Ruriko is in love with her.  So…will they, really? I don’t know…and I don’t think they do either.

After the initial setup of their “marriage,” something begins to happen. Kurumi is depending on Ruriko a lot. And she’s starting to think about her all the time, which is new for her. On a solo overnight, she keeps thing about Ruriko, or even talking to her, without thinking about it.  Ruriko is already in that headspace. In a terrific scene, Ruriko takes a picture of a lone daikon laying in the street and thinks, “Kurumi will love this.” Kurumi loves it.

Ruriko starts to not feel well, but she doesn’t want to bother Kurumi. When Kurumi comes home and find Ruriko not there…and gets a message that she’s in the hospital, Kurumi runs over, asking for her wife at the front desk. Once assure Ruriko is okay, Kurumifinally gets a bit angry. They are married after all, Ruriko should have said something!

Will they make a real marriage out of this sham? I think they will…but I’m glad to give them as much time as they need. ^_^

This series is drawn with Usui-sensei’s gentle art style. Both Kurumi and Ruriko are likable, separately and together. While Kurumi occasionally comes off as thoughtless, that is because we’re likely to be on Ruriko’s side, gently hoping that she gets to express her true feelings. (Something that they are edging closer to in future volumes.)  This series is more goofy and light-hearted than Doughnuts, but at its heart has a similar core value – love takes many forms, but can not be returned if it’s not expressed clearly.

I’m hoping that if…when…Ruriko and Kurumi express their feelings clearly, it’ll be a good thing for them both.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8 then shifting to 9 by the end
Characters – same
Service – 0
Yuri – 6

Overall – 8, with loads of potential

My fingers crossed that we see this licensed soon, for the “She’s my wife!” moment at the very least. ^_^

 





Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, Volume 8 (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ)

March 3rd, 2022

Yippee! A whole volume of this manga in which I never once wanted to shake the daylights out of the creator!

Ahem.

But seriously, Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, Volume 8 (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ) was… nice. No obnoxious jokes about Maina and Eripyo not being able to communicate in an excruciating way.

The volume begins with a nice juxtaposition of the Cham-Jam members delving into Youtube videos and dreaming about more opportunities (as well as Aya eating her weight in doughnuts.) This smoothly dovetails into several collaborations between Cham Jam and singers from other groups (notably, Reo’s old group Maple Doll.) Once again, the personal lives and relationships of the other girls in Cham Jam is the best part of the story.

And then the volume winds down and I steeled myself for the dumb joke du jour. And it came, as I expected it would.

There is a running gag in the series that Okayama, where Cham Jam performs, is best known for being the setting of the story of Momotarou. Cham Jam always brings kibi dango with them as a gift, because that’s the local souvenir. More specifically, because they can never think of another notable thing about Okayama. So, Cham Jam is invited on another group’s show and they are struggling to come up with something unique about Okayama, beyond kibi dango.  Maina is wearing a cute shirt and is asked if it’s a local exclusive brand. Embarrassed, she admits it’s a 480 yen shirt – at which point her adorableness is discovered by the world at large. Suddenly, Maina becomes “480-chan.” Obsessed with 480-chan, Eripyo buys things for 480 yen, talks about 480 yen, to the point of mania. (So, no change for her, really.)  At their next appearance, “480-chan” has a line of fans waiting to get a handshake! Eripyo is blown away that she’s actually got to stand on line to speak to Maina  – she is in heaven! Ecstatic that Maina has been discovered at last, Eripyo cannot wait to see her favorite.

When she finally sees Maina for the first time in a while, Eripyo starts to call her “480-chan…” but stops. Maina, for once(!) figures out what’s going on in time and asks Eripyo to call her to please call her “Maina.” Eripyo turns to the line behind her and calls out “Her name isn’t 480-chan, it’s Icchii Maina!”…then she turns back to Maina. I actually cheered, as she said, “Right, Maina-chan?” And Maina smiles and says “Right!”

I practically cried with relief. Thank goodness. A whole volume without once wanting to commit an act of violence.  I ought to give it a 10 just for that…..

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9 I didn’t hate a single page. It’s a Cham Jam miracle!
Character – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – They had a conversation and it wasn’t incoherent. 10

Overall – 10 There.  Good job, Hirao-sensei. See? You can do it.

You can find this manga on Amazon JP, Bookwalker JP (where I read it) or CD Japan, if you’d like one <bleep>ing volume of this series that isn’t utterly enraging. ^_^





I’m in Love with the Villainess, Volume 2

February 11th, 2022

I’m in Love with the Villainess, Volume 2 is a super fun volume of this story. In many ways, it’s the first turn away from goofy comedy to serious story. This volume contains the first of many conversations about sexuality and gender that this series will provide. I know I reviewed this back in February, in digital, but I wanted to take a look at the print volume as well. ^_^

For the first time, we really meet the three princes, the love interests of the game “Revolution, “and get to know their personalities. This is followed by the student ranking, where we finally understand that Rae, as protagonist of that game, is overpowered and formidable. And how obsessed she really wad with the game…and Claire.

This is followed by a magical battle against a giant water slime, that forces Claire to save Rae, but also keeps Rae on the lonely path she had set for herself. We know this because this is the volume where Misha asks Rae if she is homosexual. I want to stop and say that the art in that section is devastating, as we see Rae with her usual smile, talking about the old her, about how she’s used to her love not being returned – and –  how she’s convinced herself that Claire’s happiness is enough. Devastating…and irrelevant as we know. Phew.

And then(!) the volume wraps up with the lead-in to the Academy Knights arc…and more magic battles, lest we forget that this is a magic isekai. ^_^

Following the manga is a bonus story about Claire and Relaire bonding, which of course is ridiculously cute, and character descriptions.

Many thanks to Joshua Hardy on translation, Courtney Williams handling the lettering, Nicky Lim for the cover design and the rest of the team at Seven Seas for an enjoyable reading experience.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Characters – 9
Story – 9
Service – 1 Very little for this series
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9





Hello, Melancholic!, Volume 1

February 7th, 2022

It is my incredible pleasure today to introduce you to one of my favorite series of 2020, Yayoi Ohsawa’s  Hello Melancholic!, Volume 1.

Minato’s goal in life, is to slip through without being noticed. This goal is difficult, as she is unusually tall, a little shabby and her voice is rough with disuse. She’s extremely nervous and afraid of offending anyone. So when she notices someone playing music in her school that, notably, has no concert bad, she’s intrigued despite herself. And…she has been noticed. The upperclassman she saw finds her, and Minato’s life is completely turned around.

Hibiki is a 18-wheeler truck of a personality and she’ll wheedle, cajole and beg if it gets her what she wants. A fair objection at this point is that she’s really not listening to what Minato wants and that may make some readers uncomfortable. If you’re able to let that go in hopes that Hibiki’s plan is pure of heart, I can assure you that it is. All she wants is to have fun and play music! 

As I said in my review of Volume 1 in Japanese, “Hello, Melancholic! is a story of a life redeemed from the darkness. It’s a joy to experience sneaking out and jammimg with Minato and a delight to see her lifted by Hibiki and given space and imprimatur to spread her wings and fly.”

But you don’t have to rely on me to convince you. Instead, let me once again share this magnificent 23 minute voiced manga promotional video from Ichijinsha. This is the promo video Ohsawa-sensei refers to in the author’s note. If this doesn’t convince you, feel free to walk away and not look back. But for me, this was a clincher. It even has an original piece of music, but for me, it was the color that nailed the point.

 

 

Minato has been traumatized, but Hibiki is a perfect psychopomp to help move past her trauma. By giving Minato a welcoming space – even if Minato can’t quite stop waiting for the other shoe to fall- she’s able to start healing. We’ll see so much more of that in the upcoming two volumes.

I want to thank Margaret Ngo and Marykate Jasper for their translation and adaptation and Mo Harrison for the evocative lettering. There’s no actual music in this manga, but the sounds of music making are very visible. It’s important for the lettering to capture that. Thanks to the whole team at Seven Seas.

Lastly, I’m absolutely delighted that we finally have something from Ohsawa Yayoi! She had a bunch of one-shots that became her Black Yagi/Strange Babies series, which I adored and I still hope to see 2DK, G Pen, Mezamashitokei. in English one day. In the meantime, we have this three-volume story that is,something I wish we got more of – people being empower in small, but important ways, to grow.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 2 A bit, but Hibiki’s doing it on purpose
Yuri – 1

Overall – 8 because it’ll get better and needs room to go up. ^_^

Finding yourself and friendship in band. There’s nothing more I could ask of a high school manga.