How on earth did it get to be February already? Sam starts us off this week with a glowing review of the second volume of Children of the Sea (VIZ); Jennifer’s up next with a look at Croquis (BLU Manga), which has some editorial problems, and also reviews volume two of Selfish Mr. Mermaid, which has issues of its own (DMP); Michelle checks in with La Satanica (DMP) and volume four of Sunshine Sketch (Yen Press); and Connie wraps things up with her take on the seventh volume of V. B. Rose (TOKYOPOP).
By Daisuke Igarashi
VIZ, 320 pp.
Rating: Older Teen 16+
Daisuke Igarashi’s tremendous American debut, Children of the Sea, really comes together with its second volume. United by their significant distance from the world around them, Ruka and her aquatic allies, Umi and Sora, continue to search for answers on exactly what the boys are and the role Ruka ultimately plays in their lives. The story really expands from what we originally saw in book one. Igarashi touches on an abundance of source material to give the reader a number of possible explanations for what may really be happening. He introduces us to old Indonesian tales of meteors, fisherman’s tales of mermaids, and scientific facts about aquatic navigation tools, among other things. Each piece of fact or fiction opens another ambiguous door for the reader, urging us to go back and re-examine. In all honesty, this book has amazing reread value and will keep you questioning where the story can go from here. Four volumes have been released in Japan and there is no definite end yet, so it will be really interesting to see where this story goes.
As always, Igarashi’s art is fantastic in this book and I would say that it outclasses the first book, not only in painstaking detail and exposure to aquatic life but in creating a sense of mysticism. Igarashi really makes an effort to pair his ambiguous explanations with otherworldly illustrations. The subject matter also really gives Igarashi a chance to explore, exposing the reader not only to classical Indonesian art, but beautiful natural landscapes and intense thunderstorms. It’s these landscapes and environments in which the characters live and interact that drive the plot. The exhaustive amount of detail that Igarashi puts into these elements really helps to project the complexity of the characters, shrouding them in even more mystery.
Volume two of Children of the Sea is available now.
–Reviewed by Sam Kusek
By Hinako Takanaga
Blu Manga, 192 pp.
Rating: Mature
It’s stories like Croquis that leave me wondering about the Japanese perception of transsexuality. I’d dismiss it as just a BL trope, the whole gay-men-becoming-women thing, but I’ve seen it in Japanese media outside of BL as well.
Nagi, the protagonist, is a young man who has known that he is gay since he was ten years old. As a young adult, he works onstage in a drag club, but isn’t allowed major parts because he has yet to have breast augmentation. He also keeps a second job, as an artist’s model, and it’s there that he meets a student named Kaji. Their courtship is sweet, with Kaji convincing Nagi that reassignment surgery isn’t necessary just because he’s gay.
As with other manga I’ve read by Takanaga-sensei, I like both the art and the chemistry between the leads. She has a way of creating relationships that seem genuinely affectionate, and I really appreciate that. Again, I find myself made uncomfortable by the whole blurring of the lines between homosexuality and transsexuality—they’re not the same thing—but all in all, I like the story being told.
The translation done by Blu, however, makes me wince. I don’t know what happened to their editor, but he or she fell down on the job on this one. Throughout the volume, past the main story of Croquis and into the side stories at the end, there are German words present at the end of word bubbles. This happens twelve times throughout the volume. A cursory glance at Google Translate seems to indicate that each word is part of a German translation of the word bubble and not a stylistic choice. One instance is especially notable as there’s also a blank rectangular character at the beginning of the German word that signifies that the font being used doesn’t have a character to fit that keystroke. I cannot believe that they let this out to be published, and yet here it is in my hand.
Croquis will be available on February 2, 2010.
–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar
By Momoko Tenzen
Digital Manga Publishing, 200 pp.
Rating: Mature (18+)
When Shoji Mashita spots his classmate Motoki Matsushima lovingly caressing his (Mashita’s) desk, he abruptly realizes that Matsuhima has feelings for him. He narrates that he’s okay with this, since he respects Matsushima as a friend, but he can’t resist tormenting him since his reactions are so violent. Eventually, Mashita realizes that he has feelings for Matsushima, too, and they share a pretty intense encounter in the boys’ bathroom until Matsushima suggests they adjourn to his home and Mashita suddenly gets cold feet.
Matsushima tries to figure out what he’s done wrong, and Mashita finally confesses that he’s afraid of the next step. From this point on, the boys become fairly obsessed with doing it. I prefer stories more about love than lust, myself, but the depiction of their awkwardness is well done and one really must appreciate that they take a whole chapter to really, really make sure that it’s what both of them want. “Are you only doing this for my sake? Are you positive about this?” “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.” That alone earns La Satanica major points in my book.
I’ve been impressed by Tenzen’s powers of characterization in her short stories, so it’s no surprise that they’re on even better display in this full-length story. Both characters are very endearing, to the point where it’s almost embarrassing to see them in bed together, and Tenzen’s expressive art makes the heartfelt confessions of their feelings and insecurities that much more sympathetic. The result is a BL manga that manages to be sweet and sexy simultaneously, which is no small feat.
La Satanica is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Nabako Kamo
Digital Manga Publishing, 200 pp.
Rating: 18+
I’ll give volume two of Selfish Mr. Mermaid this: it’s more interesting than the first volume. This is because the majority of the action within takes place in Kaioh’s undersea home rather than Kanan’s mundane existence above the waves. Having said that, it’s still not all that great.
A secondary couple is introduced with Haru and his buddy the Giant Clam, now a waifish boy that Haru calls Pito. In the beginning, Pito has no voice and cannot tell Haru who he is. It’s sad—firstly because I preferred him as a giant clam, and secondly because Haru really misses his bivalve buddy. We’re spared a lot of moping, however, when the designated baddie shows up and lures Pito away.
Even with this adventure, nothing about Selfish Mr. Mermaid strikes me as interesting. The characters are stock and boring, the art is mediocre and uneven, and the artist seems to forget that the action is taking place underwater. For instance, hair behaves the same way both above the water and below, though there should be some truly beautiful billowing happening under the sea with all of these long-haired bishonen around. I’m also left wondering how the denizens of the oceans reproduce, since there are only two women introduced in the entire series, one of whom is the boyish Suoh. Unless you’re a BL completist and need every title released in English, it’s safe to give this one a miss.
Volume two of Selfish Mr. Mermaid is available now.
–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar
By Ume Aoki
Yen Press, 112 pp.
Rating: Teen
I’m not a particular fan of moe, but Sunshine Sketch, a 4-koma series about a group of girls living in an apartment building across from the art high school they all attend, is actually better than I thought it would be.
It wasn’t a good sign when the character introduction page summed up each girl in three sentences, including facts like “She is always on a budget and hungry,” but the strips within seldom rely on these traits for punchlines, so it turned out not to be so bad. Instead, most of the chapters are about everyday things like failing an exam, greeting some new first years, or looking forward to trying a new dish at the cafeteria only to find it sold out. Nothing objectionable occurs and there aren’t any obviously pervy elements (aside from an exhibitionist teacher, the one character I actively disliked) to remind one that this series runs in a seinen magazine.
The main problem is that Sunshine Sketch is boring. Here’s the plot of one chapter for an example: Yuno fails her grammar exam and must take a make-up test. She studies. She passes. The end.
The best chapter in the volume is one in which the gang takes a trip to a home improvement store because one of the new first years wants some curtains. Mangaka Ume Aoki perfectly captures the feeling of vague creative inspiration that such places can induce. If only the whole volume had been the girls checking out doorknobs and dish towels, I probably would’ve liked it more.
Volume four of Sunshine Sketch is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Banri Hidaka
Tokyopop, 191 pp.
Rating: T (13+)
The great game of love continues as Ageha and Yukari again fail to communicate their feelings to one another and grow increasingly awkward together. A revelation about new-to-Ageha V. B. Rose staff member Kana complicates the love affair on her end, while Ageha’s aspiring beau Nat-chan complicates things for Yukari.
This is still by far one of the girliest manga I’m reading, being a shojo romance about employees at a wedding dress boutique, and I am still enjoying it immensely. Yukari and Ageha have developed to the point where I no longer notice the age and maturity difference between the two, and throughout the volume, I was sincerely rooting for what seemed like an imminent confession from one or the other. Looking back at some of my thoughts for volume five, however, I realized that not much has changed since then. The plot still revolves almost entirely around the shy, unacknowledged romance between Ageha and Yukari, and while it seems like the situation has reached critical mass and a confession is forthcoming any time… the fact remains one more volume has passed without it.
Having said that, it’s probably not fair to criticize this series for being a simple, upbeat, and easy-to-enjoy romance between likable characters. I like it for what it is, and I’ll probably continue to enjoy it even if the confession doesn’t happen for another five volumes. Aside from Yukari and Ageha, there’s also a lot to like about the quirky cast of side characters and their unusual occupation as wedding dress designers, makers, and accessorizers. It’s just girly for the sake of being girly, and there’s something inherently pleasant about it.
Volume seven of V. B. Rose is available now.
–Reviewed by Connie C.
Review copies provided by the publishers.
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