Review - Biomega Vol. 1

Review - Biomega Vol. 1
By Tsutomu Nihei
VIZ Signature

The year is 3005 and there is a virus called N5S which is turning everyone on the planet into zombies. There are some people called Accommodators who seem to be immune to the virus, but their pheromones attract the mindless hoards who are the rest of the population. One accommodator is seemingly a young teenage girl named Eon Green. She is being sought after by the government Public Health Service and also by agent of TOA Heavy Industry Zoichi Kande. Zoichi is synthetic human and is helped by an artificial intelligence named Fuyu; riding his super cool motorcycle, killing massive amounts of zombies in his mission to retrieve Eon from the Public Health Services. Oh. And did I mention Eon's guardian, a talking bear named Kozlov L. Grebnev?

There is much to like with Biomega. As I was reading this volume, I realized that I had seen his work in a Marvel series titles Wolverine: Snikt. The action is fast. Most of the story is told without much dialog. The speed of the pacing is easily visible with the exceptional artwork. Like most all manga, this is black and white. But unlike most manga, there is very little grey scale. Using very thick black lines helps make the world seem more harsh.

Though this is rated by VIZ for Mature readers, from the first volume, I would consider adding it to an older teen graphic novel area. Zoichi does cut through infected zombies like he's harvesting wheat, but I did not see it as bad as some other violent content in other comics. However, there is other manga avilable that would be far safer for libraries to purchase for their collections.

Review - Rin-ne

Rin-ne
by Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Media

I have to admit, though I watched some Inuyasha anime, I haven't read much manga from Rumiko Takahashi. But since a new series from her is coming out I decided to pick up the first volume for the library.

Rin-ne is a story of a high school girl. Sakura Mamiya. who after being spirited away as a child can now see ghosts. And one day a mysterious redheaded boy, Rinne Rokudo, shows up who seems to have ghost like abilities. As the story progresses, Sakura finds out that Rinne is a "part time shinigami". We don't find out till the end of the book what that really means.

The chapters are made up of a spirit or ghost bothering someone at the school. Rinne will help, but only if an offering of food and money is made to the Legendary Weather Hutch. Once collected, Rinne uses his tools to send the spirit on his way to the afterlife.

Full of Japanese mystical folklore, we learn about shinigamis, the Wheel of Reincarnation, spirits and ghosts as part of the story telling. Also, the characters remind me greatly of the characters in Inuyasha. Sakura is curious and strong willed like Kagome. Rinne has a stubborn streak like Inuyasha. But hopefully Takahashi will bring out other personality traits and not rely on the same type of characters she has used before.

The artwork is very good. The characters designs are cute and easily recognizable and the visual narrative is easy to follow. However, there isn't much in the way of background art, the setting is pretty clear. And this sparseness makes the characters more pronounced.

This books is rated for older teens, but so far in the story there is nothing that would be considered to risque. Adding it to a teen graphic novel or manga collection should be acceptable. But with many long running manga series there might be some future storylines that might be culturally problematic for teen audiences.

Review - Good-Bye

Review - Good-Bye

by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Drawn and Quarterly

Not all manga is about magical schoolgirls, hyperactive ninja orphans, or half human/half dog demons. An example of a work that doesn't fit the mold is a book called Good-Bye by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Originally published between 1971 and 1972, this book contains 9 stories that are set between the end of World War II and then. Though the stories are not interrelated, they are mostly about the bottom of society. Tatsumi tells small tales about prostitutes, sexually repressed loners, closeted cross dressers and other members of society many would consider fringe elements.

Tatsumi doesn't really put any moral values on his sad characters. Instead, he relates their tale without any comment, though we know that the characters often feel shame themselves. The tales end ambiguously with no clear resolution. Unlike morality tales where the bad guy has to get it in the end, the stories in Good-Bye, though often depicting reprehensible people, conclude before any clear resolution.

I guess Japan in the early seventies an interesting place. While World War II was still in peoples memory, it was far enough away in the past where young people didn't have direct memory of the war. Also, the county was about to boom economically. So these stories by Tatsumi are almost a warning not to fall into a decadent lifestyle or loose. In an interview with Tatsumi in the back of this volume, he describes his condition at the time. "As an alienated manga artist working away in a cramped room, I couldn't help but feel disconsolate."

This book is something libraries should carry, but not in the teen section. The subjects are certainly something young teens should be wary of reading. But there are many older teens and adults I've meet here in the library who are really into Japanese history and culture. These people usually have read most of the manga in the library, but haven't seen works like this before.

Review - X-Men Misfits 1

Review - X-Men Misfits 1
Written by Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman
Illustrated by Anzu
Del Rey Manga

I'm not sure how the relationship came about, but Del Rey is repackaging Marvel characters into a manga style book. They did it for Wolverine book a couple month ago. And they have done another retelling, this time of Kitty Pryde and her first year at the Xavier Academy.

The story and personalities of the characters are completely different than the actual Marvel Universe. The book tells the story of Kitty Pride being recruited by Magneto, who is a professor at the academy. Once she shows up in Westchester, where the school is located, she is informed that she is the only female student. (Storm and Jean Grey are professors) So Kitty then becomes the center of attention by all the shonen-ai style male students and is very quickly compelled to join the Hellfire Club. This club is the on campus A list, popular students. Kitty also strikes up a romance with Hellfire Club member John (Pyro), but she finds herself being intrigued by the cold and aloof Bobby (Iceman).

There are side stories and characterizations that make this fun for X-Men readers. Fred (The Blob) is a nice, gentle guy who hangs out with Scott (Cyclops) who is an angry vegan. Warren (Angel) is the head of the Hellfire Club along with members Forge, Quicksilver, Longshot and Havoc. And while eating lunch in their special dining room, their servant Sabertooth is bringing them their food. This book is filled with little inside winks and nods that fans would find fun to chuckle at.

The artwork is very good for its recreation of the manga style. Characters go chibi at the appropriate times. The typical visual queues are present and anyone who has read any shojo books would know exactly whats happening. One fun think is where Kitty, when she goes chibi, has cat ears and a tale. I'm currently working my way through Fruits Basket and this X-Men book uses the same style where a simple icon at times represents the character.

This book will reside in the teen area with the other manga books. It has been rated for ages 13+, but there is nothing too objectionable in here. There is the romance story and some mutant destructive hijinks, but nothing I don't think even the most sensitive parent would object to. I just hope that I remember to pick up the next volumes when the come out.

Review - Satsuma Gishiden 1-3

Satsuma Gishiden Vols 1-3

Created by Hiroshi Hirata

Dark Horse Comics

I wish I had time to read more manga. Usually there is 30 or 40 volumes to the story lines and it's hard enough to keep up with everything else. I don't know how some of the kids can read a manga book in about 15 minutes. But there is some manga I pick up because it looks interesting or I really liked the anime. And when there was a Dark Horse manga sale on, I picked up the 3 volumes of a period samurai saga called Satsuma Gishiden.

These amazing books tell the tale of a samurai clan who during peace time has to lower themselves and do common labor. Eventually, the clan called upon by the shogun to work on a huge undertaking of making levies on three rivers to protect the surrounding villages. However, the clan feels this is an indirect attack on them which will keep the warriors away for years and bankrupt their savings. But due to the samurai code, the must obey the shogun and go on the journey.

Instead of following a single character, Satsuma Gishiden tells stories which focus on the ethics and principles of samurai, usually with someone committing hara-kiri at the end. The tension in the books arises when samurai who live by a strict code of honor with the reality of lowering themselves to do the shoguns bidding. The main theme of the stories relate to how a highly rigid society has to deal with a forced change.

The art is for the most part is astonishing in these books. The black ink work looks like a storyboard for a good black and white samurai movie. The action is very strong and the blood and guts are all over. One interesting thing that I haven't seen before is that some of the dialog is written in a more artistic calligraphy, and the editors did not remove this. Instead they put the translations next to the balloon with the original calligraphy.

I'm not sure if this set is necessary for libraries to own. Though the themes of honor and change are certainly not a problem, the level of violence might be a concern for some readers. Dark Horse has rated these books for ages 18+, which I think that's a little too excessive. But having these manga volumes in the adult area shouldn't raise any issues.

Review - Yōkaiden Vol. 1

This is an older review I wrote May 13th, 2009.

Yōkaiden
by Nina Matsumoto
Del Rey Manga

I pretty sure I'm the one who ordered this book for the library. Back when we were flush with funds for our book budget, I tried to pick up a volume or two a month of a manga title. And then, more importantly continue to get them. So Yokaiden must of come across my Baker & Taylor list.

When it came in, I told the catalogers to put it in the Young Adult area. And indeed, that is where this book is best.

Yokaiden is a story set in ancient Japan, where all the mythological creatures called Yokai appear regularly to humans. And one boy, Hamachi is trying to write a book about them cataloging all the different kinds of Yokai in the world. However, most people consider Yokai pests and often try to kill them (like our Casta Del Sol bunnies). Living alone with his grandmother, Hamachi is considered a strange kid and gets picked on. But when he rescues a Kappa from a trap, which was set by his grandmother, Hamachi starts on a path which will take him to the Yokai realm and meet all the creepy spirits.

When I first saw the book, I was surprised to see that it read like a normal book from left to right. Most manga reads in the Japanese style from right to left. But then, after I finished reading it and doing an internet search, I saw that she was a Canadian manga-ka who seems to have an immense knowledge of Japanese folklore. Her artwork is very good and has many of the normal Japanese styles of super-deformed chibi and little parenthetical statements thrown about. It is like a normal manga, but all the sound effects are in English.

Definitely worth a read if you like anime shows like xxxHolic, Ayakashi - Samurai Horror Tales, or Mushishi. Japanese folklore and spirits are always interesting to read about, and this book is full of them. It looks like the next volume will be out in November, so unfortunately, if there is only one volume a year, I hope I'll remember to order it for the library.