Summer Round-Up Part Two

A variety of titles have been published recently that push the boundaries of manga and fiction, but Tokyo Zombie really, REALLY has bite. It is not just hip in the fugly-style of it's artwork (called "heta-uma" in Japanese), but in the equal parts funny, gory and ironic message author Yusaku Hanakuma delivers. Two blue-collar factory workers find themselves on Dark Fuji, a mountain of garbage with as many disposed corpses as dead televisions. As the title suggests, those deceased rise up in some of the most disgusting potrayals presented in very simple pen-and-ink drawings. Yes, this is manga, but very different from the "manga style" we so often hear about, and Tokyo Zombie is not only a good reminder that "manga" is a medium, not a genre, but is an impossible-to-put-down mature tale of humans vs. zombies in Tokyo where more often-then-not the reader will be cheering for the undead.

Robert Johnson was a blues-man from the 1930s who left behind only a couple dozen actual recordings and two known photographs. Despite that, his legend has flourished over the decades, and his original songs are still covered by the masters. Me and the Devil Blues is subtitled The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson, and this giant first volume (over 500 pages) is an ambitious exploration of the legend of RJ's meeting with the Devil at Crossroads where he sold his soul (and more) for skills as a blues musician. Considering this story of a black musician from the South was originally published in Japan, I feared it may not be culturally sensitive to modern American ears, but the well-researched efforts by author Akira Hiramoto and the sensitive translation by David Ury make this a tale that can be enjoyed no matter which side of the Pacific you reside. Does one need to be into the music to enjoy Me and the Devil Blues? No, but it's depiction of the blues guitar performances are engaging, even for someone not immediately attracted to material. As ambitious and well done a title as this is, manga readers and early 20th century southern blues fans tend to be cut from different rugs, so I hope this title finds the audience it deserves. So far it has gotten great reviews, so I hope that means people will try and check it out.

Ghost-whispering is almost becoming it's own sub-genre among manga available in America. From Mail to Mushishi we have a variety of (usually male) kids or detectives (or kid detectives) hunting spirits and redirecting lost souls. But we have never seen (or seen as much of) an exorcist like Misaki Saiki in Ghost Talker’s Daydream. In so many of our manga we are used to the heroines being high school students, but Misaki is far from it. When not discovering lonely ghosts, she spends her day as a dominatrix at one of "those" kinds of clubs. She is does not relish in her paranormal skill, but cleaning up haunted properties for her real estate buddy really helps pay the bills. Good seinen comics are sexy, scary, action-packed and a little taboo. Ghost Talker’s Daydream combines all these traits in a satisfying and mature package.

In general romance novels are designed to carry the reader into another world where hunky guys sweep beautiful maidens off their feet (at least according to the covers I see at the supermarket). But what happens when a romance novel plays it real instead of fantasy? You get something like Translucent Tree. Our lead man, Go runs a successful Tokyo production company, and finds himself drawn to the subject of a small town documentary piece he made decades earlier. There he is reacquainted with the then high-school daughter of his subject, now a divorced mother of one. What unfolds is a sometimes very strange and often very real new and middle-aged romance. Like actual budding long-distance romances, reading the other person's feelings is a challenge, and in the indirect culture of Japanese communication, nearly impossible. It may sound painful, but Translucent Tree is surprisingly gratifying. Our characters are far from pure, and some surprising turns keep the story fresh all the way to the end.

We have looked at a lot of more mature titles the last couple months, so here are a few all ages titles you might enjoy.

Do you have even a fleeting interest in the Akihabara otaku-culture? Do you know what "cosplay" means? (Are these stupid questions?) Then Main Machinegun is a new novel you will want to check out. Aaliyah is a maid cafe rookie and Maid Machinegun reads like a journal of Aaliyah's tumultuous life as she guides the readers through her training as being a hostess at cafe that caters to customers as if they were their masters. Don't worry, only coffee and tea is served at this cafe. As the popularity of maid cafes increases in Akiba, Aaliyah takes it upon herself to find a new way to land customers. As this title suggests, this book can be enjoyed by both boys and girls, and it reads like a blog with many otaku-related terms kept intact (with a convenient glossary in the back to satisfy both noobies and Eagle Scout-level otaku). The twists and turns build up in the second half starting with a bizarre journal entry by one of her co-workers. Maid Machinegun is very hip and now and is about as deep as a tea saucer, but fluff this fun goes down smooth.

Sometimes people ask how an American can become a manga-ka, and author Surt Lim found the perfect way: write a story set in Japan, and have a Tokyo-based manga artist do the drawing. The result is Kasumi a very nicely drawn story of a magic-loving transfer student at a very exclusive private school. (Is every school in manga an exclusive and private?) Kasumi's magic tricks go over like a lead bento box, but she soon discovers the magic really going on isn't simple prestidigitation. Some surprising twists bring the nicely done Kasumi a chin above this overly-done genre.

Kujiki Unbalance is the manga within the manga from the popular Genshiken series, now a manga of its own. Confused? If so, this may be best read after checking out Genshiken. Intended as a stand alone series Kujiki Unbalance (or Kuji-Un) is (surprise!) a manga set in a very exclusive private school. However, at this school every decision is decided by lottery. The supposedly totally unlucky Chihiro wins not only entry to the school, but the student body president-elect position, and has a cabinet of cute girls. (How unlucky!) But Chihiro soon finds he and his harem of student council members expect their lives to be completely dedicated to their positions, or else face immediate expulsion. Kuji-Un is fun in parts, but got confusing after a while, and I can't help but think that Genshiken fans would get more out of this one.

Stay-tuned for next-weeks final Summer Round-Up!

But the good news is fall is coming. Fall means Halloween...and Halloween means...