It’s another diverse selection this time around! First, Michelle looks at the fantasy manhwa The Adventures of Young Det (NETCOMICS) and Lovers and Souls (Aurora Publishing); Sam chimes in with his take on volume fourteen of NANA; Ken offers a combo review of volumes two and three of Takehiko Inoue’s Real (Viz); and Melinda ventures into the world of Yggdrasil (Go! Comi).
The Adventures of Young Det, Vol. 1
By Gyojeong Kwon
NETCOMICS, 190 pp.
Rating: 13+
The Adventures of Young Det is billed as the story of “two adventure-loving boys who set out on an epic quest to slay a fearsome dragon that threatens their world.” Presumably, at some point it will be just that, but this first volume serves as a prologue, focusing on the relationship between a powerful human sorcerer named Lazarus and the lovely Ferat, chief of a race of prophets.
Lazarus, as we first meet him, is extremely talented and he knows it. Initially unimpressed with the Ferat, his admiration for her grows when he realizes her magical abilities exceed his own. Eventually the two strike up an agreement to teach the other their styles of magic. Unbeknownst to Lazarus, the Ferat is also keeping an eye on him because of a prophetic vision that indicates he will have something to do with the summoning of the dragon some eighty years hence.
Many in-depth conversations about the universe’s magic system follow and it’s to Kwon’s credit that these scenes manage to be more about the characters than magical mechanics. Lazarus palpably changes as a result of these lessons, and his growing feelings for the Ferat evolve quite naturally. Occasionally these discussions can get a bit wordy, and there are a lot of terms to get straight as well, but on the whole they’re perfectly comprehensible and don’t drag down the narrative.
Quite a few intriguing questions are left at the end of this volume, and I get the overall sense that Kwon has plotted this tale very carefully. Will Lazarus actually be responsible for summoning the dragon? Will the Ferat and her home really disappear as some visions have indicated? Will the story continue to be as enjoyable when it actually gets to the epic questing?
With beautiful art and a well-crafted story, The Adventures of Young Det gets off to a very good start in this volume. I look forward to reading more.
Volume one of The Adventures of Young Det is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Kano Miyamoto
Aurora Publishing, 240 pp.
Rating: Mature (18+)
Lovers and Souls is comprised of the 100-page title story, two additional shorter stories relating to it, and two stories about a different couple. “Lovers and Souls” was my favorite of the bunch. It’s the story of Shinomiya, a beautiful art student with a fondness for cash and an ambivalent attitude about what happens to his body, and Matsuoka, an openly gay photographer who offers Shinomiya money in exchange for sex. Finding the experience tolerable, Shinomiya begins selling himself regularly.
I typically don’t like stories involving prostitution, so I was surprised to enjoy “Lovers and Souls” as much as I did. I thought Shinomiya’s pragmatic attitude was interesting, and liked how he began to feel comfortable with Matsuoka, relishing the quiet, affectionate moments and eventually putting an end to the monetary aspect of their relationship. A plot twist made me like this story even more, and I found the subsequent reaction to it surprisingly touching.
Miyamoto’s art isn’t especially pretty or exceptional, but I did like Matsuoka’s looks a lot: he looked Asian, but this wasn’t achieved by any exaggeration of stereotypically Asian features. It was more of a subtle facial structure kind of thing.
The author’s note at the end of the book mentions that the “Lovers and Souls” story will be continued in a book called Rules, which Aurora Publishing doesn’t seem to have licensed yet. I liked this well enough to check it out if they ever do so.
Lovers and Souls is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Ai Yazawa
Viz, 195 pp.
Rating: Mature, 18+
When NANA first hit American shores, it was no surprise that it was a hit. Now in its fourteenth volume, NANA is still moving along as strongly as when it started. Volume fourteen gives you a front seat look at some of the wild things going on in the world of Nanas Komatsu and Osaki.
Both Nanas have now found men to marry, but are they making the right choices? Can Nana K. combat her self-centeredness and feelings of uselessness while her friends rise to the top? Can Nana O. give up on her feelings for Yasu and settle down with Ren? Also, Nobu now deals with his new porn star girlfriend’s debt, and Misato returns as Blast’s new personal assistant alongside the hilarious Ginpei.
Though a bit overdramatic, each of the crises is thoroughly played out, with nothing left to question. Yazawa also did a good job of balancing the major plots regarding Nanas K. and O. with the minor plots concerning Ren’s drug problems, Nobu’s woman problems, the possibility of Yasu and Miu getting together, and the whole business of the record companies. Sadly the book felt like filler, ultimately building up to bigger things. (I will admit it’s got a killer ending!)
Volume fourteen of NANA is available now.
–Reviewed by Sam Kusek
By Takehiko Inoue
Published by Viz
Rating: T + (Older Teens)
The second and third volumes of Real delve into the background of Kiyohara, the wheelchair-bound basketball player that Nomiya befriended in the first volume, and introduce us to a few of the struggles Hisanobu and his family face as they come to terms with the extent of his injuries. Of course, the loveable and goofy Nomiya isn’t to be forgotten as he continues his various attempts to pull his own life together and move beyond his feelings of guilt for accidentally crippling a girl prior to the start of the series. Inoue’s set up all three characters and their individual stories to give us different glimpses into how people cope with the loss of their legs at various stages. Kiyohara’s clearly used to it by the time we first see him, but given the background we’re shown in these two volumes, it’s not difficult to imagine him having a reaction similar to Hisanobu’s. With Nomiya we get into a slightly different area: how some of those responsible for crippling others attempt to cope with their actions.
Inoue’s artwork continues to be lovely and beautifully detailed. Everyone looks different and Inoue even manages to give many of the characters their own unique body language and mannerisms. The few short sequences of the wheelchair basketball matches aren’t anything particularly special but it’s pretty clear that the focus of the story isn’t the sport itself but the characters and their respective trials and tribulations. The few color pages included are a nice touch and indicative of the high production values that Viz is giving to this series: the spot varnishing of the cover, the French flaps, the higher quality paper stock, et cetera. Basically, the quality of the presentation matches the quality of the writing and artwork; they’re all top notch.
Volume two of Real is available now, and volume three will be available on January 20th.
–Reviewed by Ken Haley
By Lay Mutsuki
Go!Comi, 200 pp.
Rating: OT (16+)
Student Koki Tachibana is a high-level player in the massively popular online roleplaying game, Yggdrasil. All the game’s most popular players are permitted to create a second “avatar” with which to play the game without being bothered by fans. Having retired his original avatar, Phantom, Koki is content pursuing low-level quests with childhood friend Haruna, until someone else hacks into Phantom’s account and turns up in the game.
In the second volume, strange programming glitches are springing up game-wide. The game company challenges players to discover the origin of the bugs, and Koki logs in as Phantom to accept the challenge. As he does, he’s approached by superstar songstress avatar, Teal, who unknowingly reveals herself as the player behind Aoi, a low-level avatar who is a regular on quests with Koki and Haruna.
Because most of the story’s menace exists in a world that is fictional even within the story, the “dangerous” world of Yggdrasil never feels quite real despite the characters’ devotion to the game. Yggdrasil is at its strongest when it focuses on the characters’ “real life” identities and relationships, and how those are affected by the avatars they play. Haruna’s growing crush on Koki, glimpses of the real-life girl behind Teal, and even the game company’s behind-the-scenes politicking are all more emotionally engaging than anything that happens regarding the game itself.
The art has a sketchy style that makes action sequences difficult to follow, but also lends an otherworldly quality to the characters’ online lives that is quite effective. The game’s fantasy element allows mangaka Lay Mutsuki to play with looks from multiple eras in a fun, attractive way, though the story’s “real life” sections could benefit from a simpler style.
Only in its second volume, Yggdrasil’s potential has just begun to be tapped. It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here.
Volume two of Yggdrasil is available now.
–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi
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