Currently Reading

Just a heads up that there should be two more reviews up here in a few days. One is of an interesting manga titled King City Vol. 1, though, 'technically' it isn't really a manga, as the term is used for comics of Japanese origins. King City however is of Manga format and thus I treat it as such.

The second will be Dragon Sister! Vol. 1 if I can ever get through it. I suppose though from that sentence alone you can pretty much infer what my opinion is going to be.

So there you have it, just a quick update to let you know that more reviews ARE in fact coming.

Cheers.

20th Century Boys Vol. 2

I have come to firmly believe that Naoki Urasawa is a story telling genius. I am simultaneously reading two of his series presently, Pluto, and of course what I am reviewing today, 20th Century Boys.

The second volume in the series continues, obviously, from where the first left off, meeting Yukiji. We learn a bit more about Kenji, and their relationship with each other and the plot thickens as old mysteries are revealed while new ones are set in motion.

I find it amazing how Urasawa is able to make me, the reader, emote, whether good or bad, for each character in the story, even the minor ones. The persona's all draw you in to the ever expanding story, nay, mystery. They engage the reader like very few manga can. And when you find yourself actually caring about what happens to the protagonist, you know you have found something special.

However I have to give special recognition to the translator, Akemi Wegmuller. Translating such a dialogue intensive book can not be an easy task, and keeping the depth and range of emotions conveyed throughout the story must be infinitely harder, yet I find that he pulls it off gracefully. To be fair, I have not (nor am able to) read the original Japanese version but I find it hard to believe that the translation varies too much.

Another aspect I am enjoying with 20th Century Boys is the art and art style. Every character is so distinct in their appearance that at times it feels like these people could have really existed. It's as if I could reach on to the page and shake the hands of Kenji and the gang. You can easily imagine what their real life counterparts would look like. No brush stroke is wasted, and it shows. This is a beautifully drawn manga to which I am the proud owner.

The cover paper quality is also above part, at least to my finger tips, though the actual page quality, while thick enough not to allow any bleed through is yellowish in tone, but I can't tell if that was intentional or not.

And lets face it, when the only bad thing I can think of saying is in regards to the yellowish hue on the paper...

Rating: 10/10

From the back of the book:

The Friend, an enigmatic cult leader who plans to destroy the world, declares, "The cosmos has begun choosing those who are true friends." Meanwhile horrifying incidents are taking place: the emergence of a mysterious virus, the revelations of a man on the run... Kenji tries to find out who this Friend is but the answer is still far ahead. The footsteps of doom slowly creep closer and a shadow falls over the city...

Yukiji remembers who came p with their group's enigmatic symbol: Otcho. She also discovers that, nine years earlier, Otcho had been working in Thailand but mysteriously vanished. Could Otcho be the mysterious Friend? Also, a legendary detective is hot on the trail of the Shikishima kidnappers, but the clues he uncovers lead him dangerously close to the Friends cult. Is his life now in danger as well?

Ral-Grad Vol. 4

I think that it is safe to say that Ral-Grad has been something of a sinful pleasure for me to read. The series has finally come to a close (for Western readers) ending as solidly as it had started. Ral-Grad took no liberties and wasted no time telling its story, which interestingly enough is, if you didn't know by now, a prelude to the, modestly reviewed, video game Blue Dragon.

But where Blue Dragon failed Ral-Grad succeeds. The writer, Tsuneo Takano, and the artist, Takeshi Obato, work together in a unionized fashion to deliver a 4 part series that not only entertains but inspires, at least, artistically speaking.

The pacing of the final volume is fairly solid for the most part, but I find myself wishing it had been extended by at least 1 extra volume, simply because it tries to tie up the loose ends and play out 3 lengthy battles all in one book. I would have loved to see the fight with Lady Opsquria take place in an issue of its own, giving sufficient breathing room for the rest of the loose ends to tie themselves up.

Fortunately though this quibble doesn't take away very much of my enjoyment from the final issue. Takeshi Obata is outstanding once again, displaying the full beadth of his prowess as an artist. The dimensionality of the characters in the Ral-Grad series has been wonderful with each character lovingly crafted containing their own history, personality and uniqueness. No one goes to waste even the villains. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that even Ganette was given his own little back story explaining the reasons why he too was chasing after Lady Opsquria.

One aspect that I both liked and disliked throughout the 4 volumes is the boob jokes. On one hand they were funny when Ral was set free from his cage of darkness and he was seeing everything for the first time. But on the other hand they got a little tiresome when scenes that were supposed to be emotionally serious felt instead light hearted and sarcastic.

All in all however I would recommend this series to almost all readers of manga. If not for the story then for the amazing visuals that never cease to delight.

An interesting tidbit revealed in an interview with Tsuneo Takano at the end of the book (dated September 19 2007) states that the 'Omega' sign in Ral-Grad should never be written (as 'Omega') or spoken verbally (ie. Ral Omega Grad). It is simply there for show. This makes even more sense given the ending to the series.

Or perhaps I meant to say Ral Dragonhead Grad?

Rating: 8/10

From the back of the book:

FRIEND
The final battle for the fate of humanity rests with Ral and his Shadow, Grad. But he must first get past the immortal Red Phoenix, a Shadow with no known weakness, and the fearless Black Rhinoceros before he can take on the Queen of Darkness. With her Clear Human Shadow, Opsquria can kill with just one look! But will Ral have to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to defeat her?!

Future Diary Vol. 1

My taste in manga, I think, is pretty varied, in the fact that I like everything from cutesy romances like Love Hina, to borderline hentaiesque manga like Sundome. What I really revel in however are the more unique conceptualized (to western audiences at least) manga like Deathnote, Ikigami and of course Future Diary.

Future Diary is not as obscure or out there as the likes of Ikigami, but it still holds that thread of intrigue that encapsulates my imagination.

What I dig most about Future Diary is the relationship between Yukiteru Amano, the protagonist, and Yuno Gasai (leading female character). While Yuki has lived his life as a shut in with nothing but his cell phone diary and 'imaginary' friends to keep him company Yuno is the grade A student that is popular with all the classmates. She is not without her secrets though, as you quickly find out in an event that saves Yuki's life.

As Yuki learns and tries, to cope with his current predicament of being placed in a game of survival against 11 other 'Future Diary' holders, you slowly begin to realize where the eventual outcome of Yuki and Yuno will lead to. There is a clear divide between these two characters that I don't think either of them are truly aware of, but we, the readers, know full well what it means for the pair, and I think that it makes for wonderful reading, albeit a little less surprising.

It is for this reason that enjoy their interactions with one another and find myself compelled to keep reading as I want to know how the author will handle prophetic events.

Almost makes me wish I had a Future Diary of my own, but then again I would most likely be the first to lose the game.

Rating: 7/10

From the back of the book:

Yukiteru is a lonely student whose only hobby is the daily diary he keeps on his cell phone. But Yukiteru has a secret that nobody knows about...his cellphone can tell the future! Now a vicious game of survival is about to begin amoung twelve future diary holders -with the winner crowned god of a new world!

Gantz Vol. 2

Gantz has been an interesting ride so far, yet, in a way, I almost feel cheated by the second volume. Much of it is focused on the depictions of the gruesome outcome from the first volume with little room left for any kind of useful narrative. That is not to say that you don't learn anything knew about the situation that Kei Kurono and the gang have been put in, as the end of the volume does leave you on a nice little cliffhanger, albeit an expected one. But partly it just feels like the author was trying to extend some of the gore for simple 'shock value'.

The art however continues to inspire with its clean lines and a robust realism and depth not found in many manga today. Hiroya Oku, the artist uses 3D set pieces and objects to great effect pushing the realism that much further. The first volume expands a bit on some of the creation of these pieces which I think is a nice touch. I only wish there was more of it here.

There is also a 2 page scene in the middle of the book that kind of threw me for a loop as there didn't seem to be any clear explanation for it. I guess we are supposed to assume that it is the imagination of a dying man holding on to his last seconds, but I just think it could have been handled a bit differently, as it broke my immersion for the few minutes that I sat there flipping through the pages trying to figure out what had just occurred.

I find myself in a curious position of feeling cheated on one hand, but feeling fulfilled on the other. It is hard NOT to recommend this volume/series considering it took me little over 20 minutes to read, which I attribute more to my immersion than lack of narrative.

I suppose the real flaw here is that there wasn't MORE of it.

Rating: 8/10

From the back of the book:

Having seen the junior onion alien killed, the large onion alien slaughters the yakuza and others one by one. The area becomes a sea of blood. Kei Kurono happens upon the scene too late and flees in fear, but the large onion alien follows. It looks as though there's no escape. But then Kato uses his body as a shield and ends up getting sliced. Inspired by Kato's selfless bravery, Kurono turns to face the onion alien . . .