Weekly Recon, 11/14/07
Posted by: Katherine Dacey on November 11, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Scott Pilgrim pokes fun at comic book, video game, and manga clichés; everyone has something to knowingly laugh at, from the League of Evil Ex-Boyfriends to the vintage video game references. O’Malley also wrings a lot of yuks from his affectionate send-up of the indie music scene. The perpetually underemployed Scott plays in Sex Bob-omb, a band whose lyrics are so purple they’d make Billy Corgan blush. For music nerds, O’Malley has thoughtfully included the songs’ chord progressions above the panels. You can play along as you read, though you may discover—as I did—that the music is even worse than you’d imagined. (Take it from someone who’s studied counterpoint—there’s not a whole lotta functional harmony goin’ on.) But the best part of Scott Pilgrim is its central conceit: our hero must defeat all seven of his girlfriend’s exes before the couple can enjoy true relationship bliss. It’s a nice metaphor for the way most of us feel when we embark on a new relationship. We’d like to leave our baggage behind us and make a fresh start of things, but it usually takes a whole lot of effort—and maybe some Mortal Kombat—to get there. (N.B. If you’ve already read volumes one through three, check out David Welsh’s glowing, spoiler-free review of volume four at Precocious Curmudgeon.) OEL not your bag? You’ll find a new assortment of Tokyopop titles on shelves this week, including Asian Beat, an anthology of short stories by Demon Ororon creator Hakase Mizuki; Suppli, a josei title about a twenty-something woman looking for love in the workplace; and The Good Witch of the West, a novel from Dragon Sword and Wind Child creator Noriko Ogiwara. You’ll also find the latest volumes of such long-running crowd pleasers as Fruits Basket, Get Backers, King of Hell, Loveless, Samurai Deeper Kyo, and Trinity Blood. DMP also makes a strong showing this week with two exciting new titles: Garden Dreams, a one-volume tale from the prolific Fumi Yoshinaga, and Hideyuki Kukuchi’s Vampire Hunter D, a manga adaptation of the beloved novels. Last but not least, ALC Publishing releases its annual Yuri Monogatari collection featuring stories by Japanese, American, and European artists. For more information visit Okazu, the personal blog of ALC publisher and Yuricon founder Erica Friedman. It’s always entertaining and frequently educational, even if you aren’t a big fan of yuri. By the way, if you’re looking to score some free manga, John Jakala of Sporadic Sequential is running a cathartic contest. Send him an email describing your worst manga shopping experience no later than 11:59 EST on November 15th. Make it good, and you’ll receive a sweet reward: copies of Dragon Head (Vol. 8), The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Vol. 4), and Presents (Vol. 1). REVIEWED THIS WEEK:
SHIPPING THIS WEEK:
Dorothy of Oz, Vol. 1By Son Hee-Joon
If I was a little underwhelmed by the story, I was genuinely impressed by the overall quality of the presentation. Dorothy of Oz is slickly packaged, with an oversized trim, embossed covers, and several glossy, full-color plates. The translation, too, is idiomatic and edited with the same degree of meticulousness I’ve come to expect from the biggest manga publishers. Such attention to detail bodes well for UDON’s new manwha line, and may help persuade otakus that Korean comics aren’t just a pallid imitation of the “real thing.” Volume one of Dorothy of Oz is available now. Psycho Busters, Vol. 1Art by Akinari Nao, Story by Yuya Aoki
One of the hazards of any popular medium is that a hit begets dozens of clones as producers and editors try to duplicate the formula that made the original a success. In the case of Psycho Busters, that means revisiting the well-worn paths traced by manga-ka like Tite Kubo and Oh! Great. I can almost imagine the pitch that gave rise to this very generic shonen series:
Save for a throwaway joke about Nana (yes, that Nana) and a brisk, take-no-prisoners pace, Psycho Busters never rises above the level of so-so shonen titles like Shiki Tsukai. Volume one of Psycho Busters is available now. Togari, Vol. 3By Yoshinori Natsume
Yoshinori Natsume’s artwork is both a strength and a weakness of Togari. On the one hand, his spiky character designs and rough, sketch-like title pages infuse the story with fresh visual energy. On the other hand, his fight scenes are a hot mess of speed lines and awkwardly posed bodies. It’s frequently hard to tell how Tobei slays each toga, a problem compounded by the fact that the monsters look like tracings from A Field Guide to Insects, rather than organic elements of the story. Natsume does earn props for his efficient exposition, wit, and equal-opportunity fan service; male and female readers alike have plenty to engage their interest besides lengthy fight scenes and fish-out-of-water humor. Togari may not be the best-looking shonen title on the market, but it’s a solidly entertaining supernatural thriller that never takes itself too seriously. Volume three of Togari will be available on November 14th. 
10 Responses to "Weekly Recon, 11/14/07"1 | David Welsh November 12th, 2007 at 7:17 pm “You can play along as you read, though you may discover—as I did—that the music is even worse than you’d imagined.” I knew it in my heart, but it’s so lovely to hear it confirmed by an expert. (Should I admit that I kind of suspect that I’d think the bands in Nana also sort of suck? Rats! I just did!) November 13th, 2007 at 2:15 pm Yes, I’ve harbored similar suspicions about Trapnest and Blast–the names alone betoken bad music! 3 | Sixxx November 14th, 2007 at 12:48 pm 13 cheers for v4 of TB! I hope Billy got to smash some pumpkins this past Halloween. I’m a sucker for the hilarity of purple prose & lyrics. Excellent Recon, Chun! (Can I call you that here? =/) November 14th, 2007 at 2:00 pm You can call me anything–you’re the one who keeps me in cool avatars, Sixxx! I haven’t had a chance to read the latest Trinity Blood installment, but it’s on my “to read” list, along with the second-to-last volume of Tramps Like Us. 5 | phoenixfirev November 15th, 2007 at 1:35 pm I agree with your review of Psycho Busters. I read the review of it in Protoculture Addicts, and it just seemed really lackluster and generic. It didn’t interest me at all. I thought Dorthy of Oz looked cute when I saw it in previews, but I was maxed out. I max out fast it seems… :P Only three books this week, and one of them my husband ordered! (Shocking!) 6 | Mack November 15th, 2007 at 7:35 pm I had already purchased Psycho Busters. I am not sure if I will read it now. I wasn’t to sure in the store but took a chance. Then I really looked at it and read some of the first few pages. I am not quite sure I can follow this confusing tale. I highly suggest reading Trinity Blood volume 4. You will be in for a treat. I was glad to see you back at TP with your latest Manga Recon. I am looking forward to the new reviews you had mentions. Especially the Godchild review. November 15th, 2007 at 7:40 pm Dorothy of Oz is cute, though it’s a lot more action-oriented than I was expecting–something about the cover made it look a lot cuddlier than it turned out to be. Some of the action scenes were a little disorienting, but the story improved steadily from chapter to chapter. I’m looking forward to reading volume two! As for Psycho Busters, you’re right… “lackluster” and “generic” are fair descriptions of the concept and execution. 8 | Vincent I do not agree with your descriptions of pyscho busters. This is because the story line is pretty unique(pyschics raised by farmers which look sort of like an army out of 1942 with gas masks and all, which escape and find a boy who has potential to be a pyschic but does not realize it yet) The storyline really begins development at vol.2 which came out march 11th, the character Joi awakens and the action really picks up from there. I think you should give volume 2 a chance and if you do not like that well then your missing out on one of the most unique manga’s of 2008. 10 | emily teed I have bought the Psycho Busters mangas 1 and just got #2 today. I think this series is awesome and not “lackluster” or “generic”, as said above. Give the manga a chance! :D… o.o… yeah you heard me…o.O Good day. |
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Heads up, otakus! Your LCS may be mobbed on Wednesday by legions of Scott Pilgrim fans eager to see if he 
Chimeras and clones and cyborgs, oh my! This Korean take on Frank L. Baum’s classic novel preserves the most famous elements of the original—Toto, the yellow brick road—while recasting Dorothy and her traveling companions as a scientifically enhanced posse of secret agents. Some of these updates work well: Son Hee-Joon reimagines the Scarecrow as a tow-headed clone who’s prone to malapropisms, and the Tin Man as a cyborg baffled by human emotion. Other liberties with plot and character make little dramatic sense. Volume one begins not with Dorothy’s arrival in Oz, as one might expect, but with a lengthy fight scene between Dorothy et al. and a group of zombies. Only after 100 or so pages of combat, jibberish, and intimations of a greater, pan-Oz conspiracy does the author bother to explain that Dorothy is, in fact, the codename/alter ego of Mara Shin, an ordinary Korean teenager who bumbled into Oz via the yellow brick road. Help me, Auntie Em!
Like hundreds of shonen heroes before him, Kakeru is blissfully unaware of the hidden, earth-shattering power lurking within him—that is, until a beautiful girl informs him that he’s destined to save the world. In Psycho Busters, that thankless role falls to Ayano, a psychic who’s being pursued by a secret government agency. She pleads with Kakeru to rescue her and her friends, even using her powers of astral projection to seize control of his body and lead him to an abandoned house where paramilitary forces have trapped them. Though Kakeru hasn’t a clue what he’s capable of, he reluctantly agrees to help Ayano.
Tobei is an SOB whose 300-year stay in hell has done nothing to soften him up. Lady Ema, one of hell’s wardens, offers Tobei a chance at redemption: if he can collect 108 toga, or sins, in as many days, he’ll be allowed to live out his days on earth; if not, he’ll be cast into a deeper rung of hell. She then dispatches him to the modern world armed only with Togari, a seemingly useless wooden sword. As Tobei quickly learns, however, Togari thrives on malicious energy, consuming fierce-looking toga more efficiently than a gun or metal blade. In his quest to bag 108 sins, he crosses paths with Itsuki, a spunky tomboy with a mean right hook; Ose, one of hell’s correction officers, who’s been assigned to monitor Tobei’s progress; and Detective Sawazaka, an ambitious police officer who wants to know why Tobei always hangs around crime scenes. (The answer: that’s the best place to collect toga!) 
