Early Manga Impressions
I've recently picked up a number of volume 1's of various manga and now that I've read them, here are some of my first impressions:
Yuki Midorikawa's Natsume's Book of Friends
Zaleho brought Natsume to my attention when I was looking for some new manga to start. I don't remember how he'd come across it, but I decided to go with it because it dealt with Yokai (supernatural spirits/apparitions/beings from Japanese folklore). I've read a couple of manga that I enjoyed that dealt with similar Japanese folklore kind of things (Mushishi, Hanako and the Terror of Allegory). Plus I've seen quite a few anime over the years that did as well. Reading through the first volume, it was merely okay at first. The manga is technically shoujo and it LOOKS like a shoujo, but I figured I would get through the first volume before making any real decisions on whether or not to continue. Then I got to the final story of the first volume. That final story was one of the sweetest short stories I've read. It was beautiful. The emotions portrayed in that story were strong and even Natsume cried out of happiness at the end. It was just so touching and that was when I decided to stick with this manga. I've now read the first 3 volumes and I'm enjoying them. There is quite a bit more variety in the stories than I originally anticipated and there have been a number of strong chapters that I really liked since chapter 4. So, I'm in for the long haul with this one. Zaleho is enjoying them too and he has offered to hold onto them for me as my bookshelves are a bit packed right now...My biggest concern with this manga is that it is up to 14 volumes and is still ongoing. That makes me a little nervous as I have no idea how many names Natsume has to give up and frankly I don't think Yuki Midorikawa does either. I have a feeling that Yuki will end it when she is ready to move on to another manga as she has mostly done shorter works before this one. We'll see. I give volume 1 a 6.5/10, but I've grown to like each volume afterwards.
Kio Shimoku's Genshiken: Second Season
I was a big fan of Genshiken and I had no idea there was a sequel. When I saw it, I immediately picked it up. The "second season" take place immediately after the first one. The seniors are all graduated and this one focuses mostly from Chika Oguie's POV as she is the new president of the club. You still get to see the former members (especially since Part 1 main character Kanji is Oguie's boyfriend and they're living together...so its interesting that they switched from Kanji to Oguie for this one) and I believe all of them made an appearance in this one. You are introduced to the new members of the club and there is some concern that there are too many girls. In fact, just 1 guy is left when previously the club was virtually all guys before. The art is just like Part 1 and there are still a ton of references that I'm thankful the Kodansha staff addresses at the end of the book so I don't feel completely lost. It's a great view on Otaku culture and gives off a very real feel to it. It's very believable. I enjoyed Genshiken as a casual read before and this is going to be more of the same in a good way. It's currently up to 4 volumes and ongoing in Japan, but I'm anticipating it going for less than 10 overall just like the original series. I'm not sure what Kio Shimoku would have had to have done to prevent me from buying this entire series. I'm giving volume 1 an 8/10. You can read this without reading the first part as there are enough different characters and stuff is spelled out pretty well, but you do miss a lot of character development for the returning cast if you don't. If you liked Part 1, you'll like the Second Season.
Yoshiki Tonogai's Doubt
OMG was this dark...VERY different from Natsume and Genshiken. Good lord. Oh my. This...was very interesting and I couldn't put down the incredibly thick 400 page book until I finished and I needed volume 2...which happens to be the final volume. YAY SHORT STORY! So, starting off, the art is excellent. Each of the 6 main characters are extremely unique in their design and their personality so it is quite easy to keep track of who is who. But they also don't have anything outrageous and unbelievable about them...which makes Doubt that much better as a Horror/Thriller "who is it?" drama. In the simplest way to describe this story as possible, Doubt is about 5 people who play an online game called Rabbit Doubt (plus 1 who is just friends with one) who meet up in real life to hang out. After a night of fun, they wake up realizing that one of them has been killed and they have to find out who the "wolf" is just like in the game, Rabbit Doubt. And holy hell there are some graphic and intense pages, but like any good horror/thriller, you see the results and not the actual acts. That makes it so much scarier and tense. After reading volume 1, I still don't know who did it. Only 3 of the original 6 I can confirm are alive while 1 other is missing. Ya, this one is pretty fucked up but I am anxiously awaiting volume 2 on July 23rd. I MUST KNOW HOW THIS ENDS!!! I really enjoyed this read, so I'm giving this a 10/10. Oh yeah, and like Higurashi, don't read before bed. This book is creepy as hell. I just hope it can hold up in the conclusion.
Tow Ubukata's Mardock Scramble
I'm not really sure why I picked this one out. I was looking at Kodansha's library and saw that this one is just 7 volumes total, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I wasn't disappointed. It starts off with a guy (Shell) killing the girl on the cover, Rune Ballot (or he thought he killer her). She was rescued by Dr. Easter and he revived her by turning her into a cyborg. And by cyborg I don't mean he is mostly robot. She gets this power that gives her awareness of the electronics around her and she also gains control over it. She then is given an extremely cute little mouse partner named Œufcoque who she can manipulate and turn him into just about anything. There is a TON more to it than that, but that's the basic gist of the beginning. Rune is an EXTREMELY damaged character who is very confused about her situation and Tow does an excellent job portraying it. Overall, the art is pretty good, but a little rough. It was a very good read and I think I'm going to be buying volumes 2-7 and just read it all consecutively since the series is completely released at this time. There is also a novel that is translated in English as well as a trio of 65 minute movies that might be worth checking out if I end up really liking this one. So far it is quite intriguing and I'm looking forward to finishing this one. 9/10
Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan
Ever since I started listening to Anime podcasts a couple of months ago, I've been hearing about this anime called Attack on Titan that is apparently very good based on what EVERY SINGLE PODCASTER HAS SAID. Seriously, everyone is watching it and liking it, so I figured I'd pick up the manga to find out what it is all about. Opening it up, one thing becomes quite obvious. This is one ugly manga. No offense to Hajime isayama as it is his first one, but MAN is it ugly. I quickly forgave that though because of the details he put into this story. It's actually told very well so far in my opinion and I didn't feel lost...until who I thought was the main character looked like he was eaten by a Titan. WTF??? I'm pretty sure he isn't actually dead though because I've seen him on some of the upcoming covers. BUT WHY ISN'T HE MISSING AN ARM AND A LEG??? Oops, that might be a spoiler? I have no clue. Anyway, I am going to continue this one. A LOT of people like the anime (which probably looks much better than Isayama's art) and it is very faithful to the manga apparently, too. The world Isayama has built is actually very interesting and a lot of thought has been put into everything from the Human's remaining fortress-city to the weapon system used by the soldiers. A lot of very interesting stuff. I'm giving it a 7/10. That art!
Yuuki Kodama's Blood Lad
I actually started this one months ago, but I've only read the first two volumes, so it still counts as new for me. I love this book. I really do. Blood Lad has quickly become my must-read through two volumes. It's seinen with some dark themes and characters, yet it gives off that familiar shounen feel as well. In that way it is kind of like Naruto, but the similarities end there. Except for the brother rivalry lol. Oh wait, except the older brother actually did try and kill his younger brother. And stuff. Anyway, Staz is by far and away my favorite vampire ever. Hands down. No questions asked. He da best yo. The demons are all fun as well. I love the cast and the themes and the art. Everything. I want more! How come volume 4 isn't scheduled yet! GRRRRRRRRRRR! I guess that is also what heppens when each volume is actually an omnibus of 2 volumes in Japan, so Volume 4 in the US would actually be volumes 7 & 8, which is currently what has been released in Japan. 10/10. Blood Lad is threatening to be my favorite manga. Seriously. SERIOUSLY!
Oh yeah, and I finished Black God. Expect a review of the series soon. I'm just going to say right here that a twist at the end would have been better if I never read Naruto. There is no way they copied Kishimoto based on when Black God started and where Naruto was at that point. Its not so much copying as having a similar enough of a twist to me that it didn't have quite the impact that it might have had before. Well, I'll save more of that for the review...
Yuki Midorikawa's Natsume's Book of Friends
Zaleho brought Natsume to my attention when I was looking for some new manga to start. I don't remember how he'd come across it, but I decided to go with it because it dealt with Yokai (supernatural spirits/apparitions/beings from Japanese folklore). I've read a couple of manga that I enjoyed that dealt with similar Japanese folklore kind of things (Mushishi, Hanako and the Terror of Allegory). Plus I've seen quite a few anime over the years that did as well. Reading through the first volume, it was merely okay at first. The manga is technically shoujo and it LOOKS like a shoujo, but I figured I would get through the first volume before making any real decisions on whether or not to continue. Then I got to the final story of the first volume. That final story was one of the sweetest short stories I've read. It was beautiful. The emotions portrayed in that story were strong and even Natsume cried out of happiness at the end. It was just so touching and that was when I decided to stick with this manga. I've now read the first 3 volumes and I'm enjoying them. There is quite a bit more variety in the stories than I originally anticipated and there have been a number of strong chapters that I really liked since chapter 4. So, I'm in for the long haul with this one. Zaleho is enjoying them too and he has offered to hold onto them for me as my bookshelves are a bit packed right now...My biggest concern with this manga is that it is up to 14 volumes and is still ongoing. That makes me a little nervous as I have no idea how many names Natsume has to give up and frankly I don't think Yuki Midorikawa does either. I have a feeling that Yuki will end it when she is ready to move on to another manga as she has mostly done shorter works before this one. We'll see. I give volume 1 a 6.5/10, but I've grown to like each volume afterwards.
Kio Shimoku's Genshiken: Second Season
I was a big fan of Genshiken and I had no idea there was a sequel. When I saw it, I immediately picked it up. The "second season" take place immediately after the first one. The seniors are all graduated and this one focuses mostly from Chika Oguie's POV as she is the new president of the club. You still get to see the former members (especially since Part 1 main character Kanji is Oguie's boyfriend and they're living together...so its interesting that they switched from Kanji to Oguie for this one) and I believe all of them made an appearance in this one. You are introduced to the new members of the club and there is some concern that there are too many girls. In fact, just 1 guy is left when previously the club was virtually all guys before. The art is just like Part 1 and there are still a ton of references that I'm thankful the Kodansha staff addresses at the end of the book so I don't feel completely lost. It's a great view on Otaku culture and gives off a very real feel to it. It's very believable. I enjoyed Genshiken as a casual read before and this is going to be more of the same in a good way. It's currently up to 4 volumes and ongoing in Japan, but I'm anticipating it going for less than 10 overall just like the original series. I'm not sure what Kio Shimoku would have had to have done to prevent me from buying this entire series. I'm giving volume 1 an 8/10. You can read this without reading the first part as there are enough different characters and stuff is spelled out pretty well, but you do miss a lot of character development for the returning cast if you don't. If you liked Part 1, you'll like the Second Season.
Yoshiki Tonogai's Doubt
OMG was this dark...VERY different from Natsume and Genshiken. Good lord. Oh my. This...was very interesting and I couldn't put down the incredibly thick 400 page book until I finished and I needed volume 2...which happens to be the final volume. YAY SHORT STORY! So, starting off, the art is excellent. Each of the 6 main characters are extremely unique in their design and their personality so it is quite easy to keep track of who is who. But they also don't have anything outrageous and unbelievable about them...which makes Doubt that much better as a Horror/Thriller "who is it?" drama. In the simplest way to describe this story as possible, Doubt is about 5 people who play an online game called Rabbit Doubt (plus 1 who is just friends with one) who meet up in real life to hang out. After a night of fun, they wake up realizing that one of them has been killed and they have to find out who the "wolf" is just like in the game, Rabbit Doubt. And holy hell there are some graphic and intense pages, but like any good horror/thriller, you see the results and not the actual acts. That makes it so much scarier and tense. After reading volume 1, I still don't know who did it. Only 3 of the original 6 I can confirm are alive while 1 other is missing. Ya, this one is pretty fucked up but I am anxiously awaiting volume 2 on July 23rd. I MUST KNOW HOW THIS ENDS!!! I really enjoyed this read, so I'm giving this a 10/10. Oh yeah, and like Higurashi, don't read before bed. This book is creepy as hell. I just hope it can hold up in the conclusion.
Tow Ubukata's Mardock Scramble
I'm not really sure why I picked this one out. I was looking at Kodansha's library and saw that this one is just 7 volumes total, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I wasn't disappointed. It starts off with a guy (Shell) killing the girl on the cover, Rune Ballot (or he thought he killer her). She was rescued by Dr. Easter and he revived her by turning her into a cyborg. And by cyborg I don't mean he is mostly robot. She gets this power that gives her awareness of the electronics around her and she also gains control over it. She then is given an extremely cute little mouse partner named Œufcoque who she can manipulate and turn him into just about anything. There is a TON more to it than that, but that's the basic gist of the beginning. Rune is an EXTREMELY damaged character who is very confused about her situation and Tow does an excellent job portraying it. Overall, the art is pretty good, but a little rough. It was a very good read and I think I'm going to be buying volumes 2-7 and just read it all consecutively since the series is completely released at this time. There is also a novel that is translated in English as well as a trio of 65 minute movies that might be worth checking out if I end up really liking this one. So far it is quite intriguing and I'm looking forward to finishing this one. 9/10
Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan
Ever since I started listening to Anime podcasts a couple of months ago, I've been hearing about this anime called Attack on Titan that is apparently very good based on what EVERY SINGLE PODCASTER HAS SAID. Seriously, everyone is watching it and liking it, so I figured I'd pick up the manga to find out what it is all about. Opening it up, one thing becomes quite obvious. This is one ugly manga. No offense to Hajime isayama as it is his first one, but MAN is it ugly. I quickly forgave that though because of the details he put into this story. It's actually told very well so far in my opinion and I didn't feel lost...until who I thought was the main character looked like he was eaten by a Titan. WTF??? I'm pretty sure he isn't actually dead though because I've seen him on some of the upcoming covers. BUT WHY ISN'T HE MISSING AN ARM AND A LEG??? Oops, that might be a spoiler? I have no clue. Anyway, I am going to continue this one. A LOT of people like the anime (which probably looks much better than Isayama's art) and it is very faithful to the manga apparently, too. The world Isayama has built is actually very interesting and a lot of thought has been put into everything from the Human's remaining fortress-city to the weapon system used by the soldiers. A lot of very interesting stuff. I'm giving it a 7/10. That art!
Yuuki Kodama's Blood Lad
I actually started this one months ago, but I've only read the first two volumes, so it still counts as new for me. I love this book. I really do. Blood Lad has quickly become my must-read through two volumes. It's seinen with some dark themes and characters, yet it gives off that familiar shounen feel as well. In that way it is kind of like Naruto, but the similarities end there. Except for the brother rivalry lol. Oh wait, except the older brother actually did try and kill his younger brother. And stuff. Anyway, Staz is by far and away my favorite vampire ever. Hands down. No questions asked. He da best yo. The demons are all fun as well. I love the cast and the themes and the art. Everything. I want more! How come volume 4 isn't scheduled yet! GRRRRRRRRRRR! I guess that is also what heppens when each volume is actually an omnibus of 2 volumes in Japan, so Volume 4 in the US would actually be volumes 7 & 8, which is currently what has been released in Japan. 10/10. Blood Lad is threatening to be my favorite manga. Seriously. SERIOUSLY!
Oh yeah, and I finished Black God. Expect a review of the series soon. I'm just going to say right here that a twist at the end would have been better if I never read Naruto. There is no way they copied Kishimoto based on when Black God started and where Naruto was at that point. Its not so much copying as having a similar enough of a twist to me that it didn't have quite the impact that it might have had before. Well, I'll save more of that for the review...