Category: Supernatural

Baccano! Novel 1: The Rolling Bootlegs—Immortal Gangsta’s Paradise

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hisui_icon_4040_round I was recently at the Kinokuniya Bookstore since it is on the way to the Mid-Manhattan Library. After looking at the new English-language manga I sent out two tweets. The first was the cover of  Queen Emeraldas manga and the second was the cover of the Baccano! novel. I asked if anyone had read either book and what they thought of it. Interestingly enough the Queen Emeraldas manga got quite a few responses but I did not see any conversation around Baccano! That was not the expected reaction at all.

I say that because I always thought that American fandom (or at least the anitwitter portion) loved Baccano! Whenever Durarara!! comes up it seems like someone always has to bring up that “they are fine with more Durarara!! but what they are really waiting for is more of the far superior Baccano!” It even has all the classic hallmarks for mainstream popularity: It has a Western setting, it has lots of violence, it can be sexy but it does not have excessive fan service. Not every series that has that combination is popular, they still have to be good, but any show that has all three is far more likely to be very popular.

It seemed like a formula for instant success. Now it might have been that I posted my tweet at a time that all the Leiji Matsumoto fans were out in full force but the Baccano fans were AFK but it made me extremely eager to read the first book. Was the silence just bad timing, a sign that Baccano! fandom has sadly died off since there has been no new anime since 2007 or is the book itself the weak link in the chain.

narutaki_icon_4040_round Baccano! like its (more?) well-known cousin Durarara!! is based on a very long running series of novels by Ryohgo Narita. But unlike DRRR!!, Baccano’s anime only finished up a couple of story arcs before ending. Though many of us still hold out hope that more anime is in-store, we’re lucky enough to now have access to the original novels in case those hopes are never met.

The first Baccano! novel covers some familiar ground and characters of the anime but in a more linear fashion.

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The Birth of Kitaro: The God of All Yokai

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narutaki_icon_4040_round Having just recently finished Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa: A History of Japan, it seemed like a golden opportunity to sample his most enduring work Gegege no Kitaro. So when D+Q offered us a review copy of The Birth of Kitaro we jumped at the chance.

hisui_icon_4040_round If you have ever enjoyed Mushishi, Natsume Yuujinchou, Mononoke, xxxHolic, Kekkaishi, or Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan then you owe a great deal of thanks to Shigeru Mizuki. Much like Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, or Rumiko Takahashi he is an artist that has influenced countless titles in an unmistakable manner. Every manga and anime that has spirits, demons, ghouls, ghosts, gods, devils, or monsters has a touch of Gegege no Kitaro in it. In fact most of them are either borrowing heavily for the structure of Gegege no Kitaro or dipping into the cavalcade of mythical Japanese creatures that Shigeru Mizuki popularized. In fact most of them do both.

Yokai existed before Shigeru Mizuki started writing about them and would have been the topic of anime and manga even if he had never been born. They are an integral part of the Volksgeist of Japan. What Shigeru Mizuki did was put his own very particular take on the concept that has become just and much part of Japanese storytelling as the Yokai themselves.

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Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu – Kate’s Kryptonite

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hisui_icon_4040 It is easy to assume Kate and I have near identical tastes when it comes to anime. If you look at our My Anime List profiles you would see that Kate and I have remarkably similar lists. While there is clearly a bit more Type-Moon stuff on my list and a bit more shoujo romance on Kate’s list I don’t have anything close to the same compatibility with anyone else on my friend’s list. The fact that we don’t really bicker about shows in reviews like Siskel and Ebert only reinforces that idea. But if you have been coming here long enough you will notice that we each have our own distinct taste that can really show how differently we view things. A title like Kizumonogatari demonstrates that brilliantly. I can’t think of an anime movie that I would casually watch that Kate would dislike more.

In many ways Kizumonogatari is probably a near perfect checklist of things that Kate hates in one package. A series about vampires and controlling women directed by Akiyuki Shinbou based on a book by Nisio Isin that has nothing but bad puns. The fact that the series has incest and lolicon themes in its harem antics only seals the deal. It would take dog murder and blatant misogyny for her to hate this series more. She might rage over something like The Rising of the Shield Hero or No Game No Life more for how deeply they commits to the elements that Kate hates but there is absolutely no element of Kizumonogatari to bring Kate anything close to feeling of enjoyment. It seems more like a phony title you would make up centering around the worst thing for Kate to watch.

I on the other hand am hardly the biggest fan of the Monogatari series but considering I have watched 77 episodes of this series I guess I am in it to win it at this point. (I have not watched any Koyomimonogatari at this point it time. I assume it will eventually get licensed so I can watch it streaming somewhere.) So if you’re wondering why Kate is not reviewing this now you have your answer.

All that is left is for me to give my impression of the movie. 

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