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 . . .