Tag: Kara no Kyoukai

Ongoing Investigations: Case #032

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Got the books 18-20 of Blade of the Immortal in a recent Dark Horse sale, which makes them mildly affordable. We are at the end of the prison arc and I couldn’t be happier. I found it to be mostly boring, but it did do one very important thing. Rin has come into her own more, she is brave and decently strong. She also is thinking on her feet. Rin has just plain matured and it is very nice. Though at moments she is still a bit deer-in-the-headlights. If we didn’t know how Rin felt about Manji before (which you would be stupid not to), we certainly do now with her daring rescue attempt. Also Manji fights dudes while being chained to a wall. You have no idea how happy I am to see that man back in action. There was not enough bad-assery with him in jail. Though Doa is proving herself to be one crazy, deadly woman. Looking forward to the conclusion of this arc in 21 and then we are on the alleged home stretch.

I immediately read Hitohira book three as soon as I got my hands on it. We see the results of Mugi’s first stage performance. It uses the old manga trope of the play that is a metaphor for the main plot. It is a well done trope and quite enjoyable. We then see the the result of a bet made in book two and the fall out for all the characters. Bittersweet triumph and heartbreaking disappointment are the watchwords for this volume but that is not all there is. All in all I like this series more and more because I really see myself in Mugi. Her low self-esteem might easily turn away some readers but it is a very realistic portrayal of it. I am eagerly awaiting the next story. I am curious to see what happens now that a good deal of the relationships between the characters have changed. The art remains average but cute without veering into saccharine. I should really sit down and see if the anime adaption is any good. You can read a preview for volume three, too.

Got the second Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro at Yen Press’s booth at NYCC 2009. Thanks! This book continues the melancholy, traveling adventures. But as an added bonus we learn a lot about Kuro’s past and her travels when she was much younger. We also learn a little more about Sen (the bat), who I am very curious about. One traveler Kuro meets looks like he has stepped out of Sherlock Hound. As I was pondering if this was a reference or a coincidence, I see the manga-ka’s little comment in the back. He makes another Sherlock Hound reference so I knew it was on purpose. This is so rare so he gets extra bonus points for doing so. As with the first book, there are many beautiful color pages to enjoy throughout. Looking forward to the next one!

Tengu-Jin by Sumomo Yumeka is the story of a Japan that has been divided into two separate antagonistic nations due to a cataclysm. It centers around two brothers named, Mozuku and Shinonome. Shinonome has become a bit of an oddity at his school because anyone who pray to him has their wish granted. It turns out that Shinonome is a very important tengu that represents Eastern Japan. When a marriage between the tengu of the East and West seems to be the only way to stop a war between their respective countries how will this effect the brothers’ relationship? The first half is mostly comedy with a bit of drama. The last half is a flash back to a previous life that switches the formula with mostly drama with a bit of comedy. The art is nice with plenty of pretty boys being the majority of the cast. Once again like the Manzai Comics I get very light BL. There is nothing more than a little cheek kissing and a few longing glances. I can’t say that I really had any strong feelings on the story. Nothing in it was particularly objectionable nor did anything compel me to continue reading. I definitely enjoyed the comedy aspects more than the drama which I think is why it came off as so fulfilling. You can read a preview here.

Read the first book of Pluto which is coming out in VIZ’s newly revamped Signature line. The printing quality is a bit better, there are some color pages, and the book even has French folds (flaps). The story seems to pull influences from everywhere but maintains it’s ability to tell its own story. The mystery has already got me hooked! Are the deaths of these robots and humans related? No human traces at the crime scene, but robots aren’t supposed to be able to kill humans! It is a detective story so of course it gets extra bonus points from me. The only thing I found strange and maybe it is explained more later on, but the name Pluto is what they are calling the killer. In the story two characters are talking the deaths. They start going through all the names for the God of death in different cultures when they reach Pluto, they for some reason think that one is better than all the others! Uh. . . okay. I also really like the international setting of the series. Can’t wait for the next one!

Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral kicks up the length of the Garden of Sinners movies by being twice as long. It was interesting that we hardly see Mikiya but in his place for most of the movie is the proto-Shiro otherwise known as Tomoe Enjo. Shiki saves Tomoe from a pack of thugs and learns that he thinks he killed his family but it appears that his family is still alive. Tomoe is clearly troubled but what truly happened in Tomoe’s bizarre apartment complex? Has it been tied into everything else that has been happening to Shiki? Once again ufotable studio creates another beautiful movie. They continue to put a good amount of artistic flair to everything from the fight scenes to the conversations. The fight scene in the apartment complex balcony is worth the price of admission alone. You have to sit down and clear your mind before starting this movie more than the other four because they tell the story in a non-linear fashion. The parallels between Soren Araya and Kirei Kotomine are obviously lampshaded by the creators by them having the same seiyuu. Writing this review has totally reminded me that I forgot to ask for a release date for the first book from Del Rey when I was at New York Comic Con.

In honor of my Blade of the Immortal mini-marathon, this is the pic of the week:

Ongoing Investigations: Case #025

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Hitohira is an really enjoyable ongoing manga series by Izumi Kirihara. I read book one and two and third comes out in February. Mugi is an ultra-shy, high school freshman who gets roped into joining the drama club which is in desperate need of new members to remain active. The drama club president sees hidden potential in Mugi and her powerful, beautiful voice despite her having no interest in acting. She is technically joining the drama research club because there is already an active rival drama club at the school. Mugi has to struggle with her self-doubt which makes her want to leave the club against verses her want to be friends with the members. There is also a blossoming romance between Mugi and Kai, the other freshman club member. The comedy, the drama, and the romance are all low-key which makes the series quite realistic. Even the wacky characters are mostly within the bounds of realistically wacky. I might have liked the series a little more simply due to the fact that I can see a good deal of myself in Mugi. I have found myself saying many of the things she says. Word for word. Either I am a flat human being or Mugi is a well-written character. This manga is proof that something good can come out of Comic High!. Luckily there are previews for the first and second books online. Oh, there is also a 12 episode anime by Xebec M2 which I have yet to see.

I finished I Shall Never Return, a short 5 book BL series. Ken is, among other things, selling his body to anyone who’ll take him at the beginning of the story which stems from his desperate longing for childhood friend Ritsuro. Ritsuro is a good student, a considerate son and brother, and a good-looking guy. Their relationship as more than friends starts off rather oddly as we find out Ken is continually stealing Ritsuro’s girlfriends just to get his attention. However, the story quickly moves to them fully exploring their feelings for each other and the many bumps in road of Ken’s bad past, Ritsuro’s insecurities, and deciding on their futures. The amount of sex is frequent, though less so in later volumes, and semi-graphic but no full-monty to be seen. The art is well done, however people will note the early 90’s style of it. It isn’t a distraction and at most gives you a chuckle from time to time about certain characters’ clothing choices. I Shall Never Return plants itself firmly in the melodramatic romance sector early on with the classic bad boy/good girl (or in this case, guy) scenario. And while we know the idea is that a good guy can change a bad boy, it isn’t left up to interpretation as Risturo boldly declares aloud he will change Ken! The first two volumes are more shallow drama to lead to sex but it becomes increasingly more engaging after that. We get to really see the hardships of growing up, letting go, and attempting to understand another person. This all does lead us to happy and hopeful for the future ending. Take a look for  yourself as Aurora publishing puts of previews of each volume (1,2,3,4,5).

I had seen the Shikabane Hime anime and had found it very plain but Ask John kept saying how much more he liked the manga it was based on. I felt that the concept had potential and so I started to read the manga to see if it was different enough for me to get into it. I read the first 5 chapters and I have to say that John was quite correct. The anime and the manga are two very different animals that are only the same in premise and starting points of the characters. Makina is sort of the stereotypical action girl but an enjoyable one so far. She is obviously the protagonist in the manga with her taking down corpses with duel machine guns frequently. Keisei, the priest, shows up fairly often. Keisei’s younger brother, Ougi, so far has been nothing more than a minor character but it has been hinted he will be more important as the series goes on. The anime seems to try to make Ougi a more main character from the beginning which diminished Makina awesomeness in what I saw of the anime.

I watched Strait Jacket which reminded me greatly of 90’s OVAs. This was just fine by me since I was basically going in wanting some violence and explosions and not much else. Though it actually didn’t have enough action as I would have thought it would. They give us a brief rundown at the beginning of how tactical sorcerers came to be and the state of the current world with demons and terrorism. Leiot is a rogue tactical sorcerer on the wrong side of the law and completely infamous for it. When a dangerous situation threatens the city Tristan asks him to intervene despite his status. She then proceeds to become a thorn in his side for the rest of the show. He also has a weird side kick and a rival tactical sorcerer who of course he has to team up with at some point. The show is nothing spectacular but certainly not anything to moan over.

They have finally gotten back to putting Kara no Kyoukai on DVD. Movie number four is Void Shrine and mostly acts as a transitory piece between the past and the present of Kara no Kyoukai. It begins just a few minutes after the end of the second movie. We see how Shiki deals with the loss of her other personality and how she comes into the employ of Toko Aozaki. The movie is as well-animated and directed as the other three so far. Being a transitory piece it feels a little lighter than the others but it was still enjoyable. It continues the slow building up to the major fight scene at the end while having little action before hand. If this were not seven movies long I was be 100% sure some one would license it in the U.S. Anime companies usually like flashy theatrical movies with a philosophical bent while still containing supernatural action. Will the Type Moon price tag keep this from getting licensed in this harsh economic time?

Finished The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I liked it. It was good.

Tis the season so that is why this is the pic of the week:

Faust Anthology #1, Doraemon, witches, and hikikomori, OH MY!

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Light Novels might not be as popular as manga in the U.S. but the manga companies keep trying to license them which is fine by me. The latest attempt is one of the more intriguing affairs. Del Rey has decided to try localizing Kodansha’s literary magazine Faust. This is a collection of short stories by famous young authors including light novel authors and visual novel authors. There is also short manga by famous manga-ka and some equally short essays. The American release of Faust takes selected stories from the Japanese version and adds some new articles for an American audience. It’s an unexpected but welcome choice from Del Rey.

xxxHOLiC: AnotherHOLiC

This is just a chapter from the novel. It is a stand alone story about Watanuki’s attempt to help a woman who seems to be sabotaging her own life and free her from the supernatural entity that is haunting her. It was an interesting variation on the standard xxxHOLiC formula while sticking true to the general themes and style of the original. I can easily see why they adapted it into a story for the anime. This was very clearly from the author of Zaregoto but I did not feel the need to punch everyone in the story squarely in the face which is a plus. I assume that CLAMP otaku already have the hardcover on pre-order but it proved itself entertaining enough that non-CLAMP fans can enjoy it.

This story was a relief after my reading Zaregoto. I don’t think NISIOISIN shines as much here as he does in Death Note: Another Note, but it is still a good read for the most part. He still has these odds times of awkward dialogue mixed with repetition that really don’t feel purposeful but that seems to tapper off as the story starts moving. I found the woman they are trying to help very fascinating. She was so extreme but her initially thinking is very relatable. The story takes some twists and turns which lead to a conclusion about humans in general. I am not familiar with HOLiC but I still enjoyed this story. Though it does seem to hinge a bit on knowing the prior relationship between Watanuki and Yuko.

Outlandos d’Amour

Outlandos d’Amour had me intrigued if for nothing else it is named after a Police album. That already gives it points. The story follows a man who works for a shadowy organization where he researches situations for them using his strange powers. At the same time he is trying to deal with his marriage to an equally unusual woman. The story seemed like a pilot for a longer series. It does not end on a cliff hanger but the author merely touches upon many aspects of the world he creates. The story made me very interested in Setsuko Amamiya despite the fact that she hardly appears in the story. If this were a longer series I am sure we would see more of her. With my general love of the Boogiepop series and my enjoyment of this story I am looking forward to Del Rey’s release of The Case of the Dragon Slayer.

This story has an off kilter feeling that kept me interested in what was happening all around. The way it weaves in our own world and the world that these characters live in is done with matter-of-factness. Kunio’s strange ability is certainly not common but at the same time the way he comes to terms with it makes it seem like any other affliction. I also found it interesting that there wasn’t a struggle between good and evil within him. He was really struggling with being idle or not. It certainly seems like it could spread out and become a longer story, but at the same time it had a emotional conclusion.

Drill a Hole in My Brain

From the moment this story started I felt like it was trying really hard to shock me. This kind of approach does nothing except annoy me greatly. The sexual imagery was so overwhelming that if there was an underlying meaning to it all it was completely obliterated. Some of the more interesting aspects, like the love story (which it the back of the book boasts as the main plot line) and the tower that looks surprisingly like the missing piece of Hide’s head are not fully explored.

Many of the reviews I read of the Faust anthology seem really impressed with Drill a Hole in My Brain which could not be further from my opinion of the story. I wasn’t disturbed by the imagery but the in-your-face prose did not make me want to think about the story. I am not so much of a prude that I can’t take a little dirty talk in my literature but I don’t like adult material for the sake of just being adult. I know some people consider something like taking a cross and submerging it in urine as high art. I support people trying art like that but it does not mean I personally enjoy it.

F-Sensei’s Pocket

I was completely captivated by the beginning description of Kozue Matsuda’s porch that gathered all kind of things because wind was so strong on the hill. The friendship that grows as this story goes along is quiet well done. With the added fun of all these wild inventions just falling into you lap, it was certainly the most light-hearted story of the bunch. I didn’t find the Doraemon references distracting or hindering to the story. In fact, considering how popular Doraemon is the need to explain who she is talking about at the on set of the story was rather odd.

This was my favorite story in the anthology. Two girls who are both outsiders in their class inadvertently bond over being ignored by their classmates. One day fantastic objects from the Doraemon manga start appearing on Matsuda’s porch. The rest of the story is how these two misfits use their newly gained powers. It’s a cute story of two girls and how they react to dreams coming true. I’m sure thousands of children (and not too few adults) have always dreamed what they would do if they had access to the fantastic toys of Doraemon. It then takes that dream and speculates on how it would “realistically” turn out. But besides the wish fulfillment aspect of the story I like the girls and I found their relationship oddly realistic and slightly complex for such a seemingly simple story. It was a story that filled me with a warm happy feeling.

The Garden of Sinners: A View From Above

I am going to state upfront that I am going to be a prejudiced reviewer here. I really love Type-Moon’s work so anything they do will probably get a higher score than normal just because they are the people who created Saber. Also seeing the Garden of Sinners movie helped a good deal in filling in holes for me. This story involves Mikiya Kokuto investigating a series of bizarre suicides where seemingly unrelated girls have been jumping to their deaths. I enjoyed the story but it was short and quick to jump from plot point to plot point. Shiki’s abilities are not as fleshed out or as interestingly presented as in the movie. In the interview in the back Nasu begs people not to read the original short version and read the longer version in the later edition. I wonder if we got the original shorter version. Well I am surely going to buy novel when it comes out so I will compare them when I get it.

This story was a little lack luster. It went much too fast with plot and ideas just blowing by. There were a lot of supernatural and mysterious elements that I wanted to get deeper into and have more of a overall explanation; instead they seemed ready to give me the ending. I was also really looking forward to Takeuchi’s illustrations but all we got was the small shot shown above. Hardly anything to cheer about especially along side the other stories that had atleast one full page of art.

Essays

I always like little insights of what do Japanese people think about Japanese social phenomenons and what do Japanese otaku think about otaku matters. The theme of these essays seems to be hikikomori. I feel that it’s a fascinating topic that’s a hot topic in the otaku community. I am curious if later volumes will continue to have essays with a shared theme or will we get a greater variety from one volume to the next. I was super happy to see the interview with Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi. It was like the tailor picked the interview to appeal to me which I know is surely not the case but I appreciate it none the less. I hope they will interview other authors in later editions.

For the most part the essay’s really didn’t resonate with me. I felt there were some distinctly Japanese issues being addressed that I am not fully understanding of. I know about hikikomoris but truly seeing why they have become prevalent in Japanese society is a littler harder to explain and probably too large of an issue for me to grasp in such a short format. The interview with Nasu and Takeuchi was contrastly better than the actual story seen here. I did find the bonus essay about importing comics made elsewhere in world into Japan interesting because of all the problems in the past.

Manga

The manga section was quite a highlight. It is wonderful to witness the blurring lines of illustration and sequential art with fine art. Each piece had a little bit of magic and wonder in it. I equally loved take’s sweet “one day only” love story and the whimsy of VOFAN’s dance with light. Though take’s style in this piece threw me a bit since it doesn’t echo his Zaregoto art nor the cover of Faust which is his, too. However, I was glad of it. While I wouldn’t say buy this book for the illustrations they are certainly a wonderful bonus.

These manga are to normal manga what short stories are to full novels. They are quick little shorts that would mostly not be fit for full stories. But they are strikingly visual and tell a interesting story in the amount of time they have. It’s a great little section for manga artists to be experimental so I look forward to see who contributes in future volumes. It’s a good chance to see a different side of established manga-ka as well as a good place to take a chance on less known artists. I myself wonder if the manga written by NISIOISIN is somehow related to the Zaregoto series. I feel like it could be prequel or it might just have similar themes.

Okay, what is up with these footnotes? Most of the time they did not do their job. If I don’t know a reference in an essay, the footnote should help me understand its meaning in the context. Instead, many went like this: a famous person is mentioned in the essay, the footnote says famous Japanese musician. I think it would have made things a lot clearer to say more to why this is significant to the point at hand. Tell me what music the musician was famous for or why they are so famous for it. Other than that I felt the anthology had an overall even feel with a seemingly common theme of doing things that are taboo or being out of the ordinary. As with anything like this, one will always find something to like and dislike, but I found more to enjoy than to complain about. Certainly a brighter spot on the Del Rey light novel line.

Top 5 Anime Witches
5. Sheryl Nome (Macross Frontier) Sorry. My bad. Anime WITCHES.
5. Nanaka Nakatomi (Magic User’s Club)
4. Nodoka Miyazaki (Negima!: Magister Negi Magi)
3. Rin Tosaka (Fate/Stay Night)
2. Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun (Slayers)
1. Yuko Ichihara (xxxHolic)

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