Archive for the Artists Category


Yuri Manga: Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san (犬神さんと猫山さん)

March 20th, 2013

Kuzushiro’s  Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san (犬神さんと猫山さん) is a very silly premise, charted out in a series of very silly 4-koma strips.

Inugami-san is very dog-like, but likes cats and Nekoyama-san is very cat-like, but likes dogs.  They are made for each other and they might be perfect together but this is a comedy, not a drama. There is no destination to this journey. Dagwood will never quit his job, Nekoyama-san and Inugami-san will never be a “couple”. Like most comic strip characters, they are gags on the hoof. (Pun intended.)

Speaking of hooves, the menagarie is not complete until we mention mouse-like Nezu Mikine and cow-like Ushiwaka-san, who add to the Yuri yucks, the moe quotient and the ensuing wackiness.  This zoo even has a keeper – Aki-san who, by being Inugami-san’s  childhood friend, can’t escape the role.

If you’re familiar with Kuzushiro’s work from Kimi no Tamenara Shineru, nothing here will surprise you. The humor is mostly puns based around the character’s personalities and proclivities. Yuri in the series is madcap hijinks, some thinly veiled real lust and service. Which doesn’t mean that Ushiwaka and Nezu don’t belong together or Inugami and Nekoyama wouldn’t be perfect for one another. It’s just that that is completely beside the point. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7 Some strange inconsistencies and their heights – which are put under repeated scrutiny – seem to fluctate as the scene requires
Story – 6 There isn’t one, but that’s okay
Character – 6
FanService – 6 Mostly lustful fantasies
Yuri – 6 Mostly lustful fantasies

Overall – 6

As gag manga goes, this wasn’t too bad. I chuckled here and there, might have even laughed out loud once or twice.





Yuri Manga: GIRL FRIENDS, The Complete Collection Volume 2 (English)

March 10th, 2013

Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS, The Complete Collection, Volume 2, begins with an ending which segues into a new beginning for both Mari and Akiko.

As I noted in my review of the original volumes, after we’ve fully tasted the situation from Mari’s side – which is to say, plumbed the confusion, mortification, attraction and tension from the perspective of an introvert – we turn to Akiko the extrovert, who is no less confused, ecstatic, hurt, and out of her mind.

After plot complications that are realistic and some that are not so, the two find a moment to air out their mutual issues and, for a moment, are as one.

In re-reading this book I am once again reminded that, for all the manga tropes and plot complications, this is a fairly realistic story. Happily-ever-after does not begin with the moment of mutual confession. Life can never be that simple – and indeed it is not, even at the end of the series. But we can know, with every fiber of our being that Akiko and Mari have an excellent shot at building a life together because, as Mari says, “Regardless of what may lie ahead, I will never give up on you.”

Seven Seas’ volume was once again very decent. (There was one repeated typographical error -the music notes in reverse color – that should be fixed for any second printings, as it is actively distracting.) I notice that Macmillian is distributing the books, so I guess they managed to shift their contract from Tor into the larger group – for which I’m glad, that was never a great fit, and it allows them the distribution that direct sales and Amazon cannot provide. It also explains why GIRL FRIENDS is able to make the NY Times best-seller list. I’m pleased for Seven Seas and Morinaga-sensei all around.

Ratings:

Art – 9 (The art definitely improved over the course of this series)
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 10
Service – 6

Overall – 9

For those readers who worried that the first volume ended in a bad place – have patience and read the whole story. ^_^

CONTEST RESULTS:

I would like to thank everyone who entered in the Complete Collection Give-a-Way. We have a winner!

Kathryn (who writes the Contemporary Japanese Literature blog, which is absolutely worth your time) your message inspired me and, I hope, many others! You are the winner of this contest. Please email me at yuricon at gmail dot com with your address and a complete set of Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS will be on its way to you!

I want to thank all of you who entered with your messages of love and acceptance. And I especially want to thank Ana Moreno, translator of GIRL FRIENDS, the Complete Collection, for her generous provision of books for this contest!  Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

AND I want to thank Okazu Superhero Amanda M. for her sponsorship of today’s review! I could not do it without you!

We’ve got a pile of new contests coming up here, so keep your antenna tuned to Okazu in days ahead. (So many things to give away…) ^_^





Penguindrum Anime Collection 1, Disk 3 (English)

March 3rd, 2013

The first volume of Penguindrum comes to a close in Disk 3, by introducing two major plot complications, several new visual symbols and a twist of fate. Or should I say…destiny?

We learn in a most roundabout way possible why Natsume Masako is after the diary. We see that Himari has a separate history of her own, a story about which she carries guilt, regret and unhappiness in great measure. And at last, we learn what really binds all the characters together…but not why. Not yet.

Visually, we’re noticing some new symbols, most especially Tokyo Tower, which now appears in many scenes. The storytelling to come is so powerful that merely seeing the Tower made me shiver (with what emotions, I can’t tell you – that would be spoiling it.)  The appearance of repeated, unexplained visual symbols laden with inexpressible meaning is the very essence of a Ikuhara Kunihiko production.

I’m watching the DVD of the series, as opposed to the Blu-ray, (and I’ve previously pointed out, I’ve got an ancient TV and that I’m not a great judge of video quality) but I still think the video is crisp.  I can imagine that on Blu-Ray, especially on a good screen, the video’s saturation of color and play of light and dark would be quite amazing.

I haven’t addressed the issue of translation. Sentai is generally adequate. They lack a translator with nuance, but for the bulk of the story, nuance is left out of the dialogue. The words Sanetoshi speaks are not where the nuance is, it’s they way he’s saying them and where he is and what he’s doing when he does. Luckily for us, since Sentai is generally adequate.

The thing I wanted very much to bring to your attention today is this – the song being blasted by the speakers that deafen Kanba is a Welsh folksong called Ar Hyd y Nos, also known by the English title, All Through The Night.  It’s a pretty famous hymn and lullaby and I wanted you to hear and enjoy it in a non-distorted version. Here is Aled Jones singing it in Welsh and English:

Which makes me wonder, why Ar Hyd y Nos? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that Ikuhara and his team would choose a Welsh folksong to blast at Kanba? But then, Ikuhara likes odd conjunctions of mismatched emotions. So, yeah. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Once again, thanks so much to Okazu Superhero Eric P. for his generous sponsorship of today’s review!

And welcome to the new Okazu. Hope you like it! ^_^

 





Hayate x Blade Manga, Volume 17 (はやてｘブレード)

February 28th, 2013

In Volume 17 of Hayate x Blade (はやてｘブレード), three things of major importance happen. All at once. Then a fourth important thing happens afterwards which isn’t important, but I want to remember to tell you about it. ^_^

Important Thing the First: Ayana and Hayate are now A-rank and their next battle will have to be against the single Special A-ranked team at Tenchi, Kamijou Maki and Soumeya Yukari. Yes, at last, Ayana will have to face her former friend and shinyuu and, as a result, her own past.

This is made slightly difficult by the…

Important Thing the Second: The ranks of the students at Tenchi have been swelled by the “Black Group,” an allied group of talented fighters who (we are told in the final pages of the volume) want to “steal the fighting students of Tenchi” from Hitsugi. What this means, really, or why, we don’t yet know. We do know that Hitsugi knows of the existence of the “Black Group” and appears to be supremely uninterested. In fact, she’s out haunting the B, C and D Hoshitori areas in a costume, masked, on a white horse.

The Black Group attempt to stop Ayana and Hayate from reaching the A area and commencing their battle, which lead us to…

Important Thing The Third: As Hayate and Ayana are surrounded by the Black Group, they find that their friends have come to rescue them…again. This leads to a pun on page 106 that is so excruciating, so egregious, that 1) I think Hayashiya-sensei has written 17 volumes of this manga solely for the purpose of creating the pun and; 2) I hope she laughed until she made herself sick. I really do.

(You know the famous Japanese folk tale of Momotarou? If not, go read it first or this will mean nothing to you. Also Momo=Peach, Inu=Dog, Saru=Monkey, Kiji=Pheasant.)

So The Black Group surrounds Hayate and Ayana, and in steps, Momoka, Isuzu, Kiji, Michi, Mizuki and Sou to let them go running off. As Hayate runs, she screams, “Thanks, Momo, Inu, Saru, Kiji!” and I groaned for an hour.

I believe that all 17 volumes of the series were created to lead up to that one joke.

Akira and Sae face down Hajime and Shingetsu (who appear to be the leaders of the Black Group, but are not) and learn their somewhat allegorical intention.

And the volume ends with the Hoshitori in full swing.

Which brings us to the final Important Thing: The cover, inside pages and slip cover all contain very cool cut-out-and-entertain-yourself things. As the Black Group points out in the omake, “Do It Yourself” is the theme for this volume. In other words, this is all so complicated, you do it. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9 I always know exactly who I am looking at and why. With this many characters, that’s genius
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 0
Service – 0

Overall –  10

Momo, Inu, Saru, Kiji. Really?





Angelic Layer Manga, Volume 1 (English)

February 25th, 2013

Are you a CLAMP fan? Were you watching anime around 2001? Are you a reader of Shounen Ace magazine? If you answered “no” to any or all of these, you may never have seen or read CLAMP’s Angelic Layer when it first made its appearance in anime or manga.

Don’t despair, because Dark Horse is re-releasing this turn-of-the-century manga title in omnibus form. In Volume 1 of Angelic Layer, we are introduced to Misaki, a recent transfer to the big city to live with her aunt Shoko. Misaki discovers a popular virtual reality fighting game, ‘Angelic Layer’ and immediately displays an unusual talent for the thing.

Misaki’s talent, it is implied, is not accidental at all. Just where she gets her aptitude from is, by the end of Volume 1 unstated. Unstated, but if you’re older than 12, you should have no trouble seeing the giant foreshadowing bat as it is slammed down upon your head repeatedly as you read. ^_^

Anyone familiar with CLAMP’s better-known epic, Card Captor Sakura, might be forgiven for making a comparison between these two series, but they are less similar than they might appear. Angelic Layer is more of a boy’s battle game series than a magical girl series. Sadly, technology was not yet up to the vision of ‘Angelic Layer’ when it was first published. There’s no doubt in my mind that, had there been the ability to create a virtual fighting game like Angelic Layer, CLAMP would already be living on their castle on the Moon with the wealth they would have made from it. Because, as manga, go, the main attraction of Angelic Layer is not the characters, who are all pretty stock, even for CLAMP, but the game itself.  It’s a cool game idea and one I am still waiting for someone to manifest properly. ^_^

Okay, so, why am I reviewing this manga here on Okazu?

Misaki’s new best friend Tamayo (! – Okay, I take it back, go ahead, compare it to CCS) makes declarations of love and proposals to Misaki, but this is played for yucks and isn’t meant seriously. However, at the very end of the volume, Misaki will face the uber-cool, butchy Sai, after defeating the graceful but strong Kaede, Sai’s teammate. It is noted that “Sai-sama’s” fans are mostly girls. But even that isn’t why I’m reviewing Volume 1. I’m reviewing Volume 1, so you will read it and be ready for what happens in Volume 2. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – CLAMP in CCS mode – 8
Story – Not terribly innovative and there’s some tiresome stuff, so let’s say – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 1
Service – Emotional more than physical – 3

Overall – 7