Yuuyake Shimbun Column - November 2010

I have been bad about sharing the column I write every month for The Yuuyake Shimbun lately, and I want to turn that around. Here is my column from the November issue, and if you are in the Pacific NW please pick it up at Uwajimaya, Kinokuniya, Marinepolis, or many other Japanese restaurants and shops in Oregon, Seattle and Boise areas.

Mecha Mecha Media November 2010

Fall is Falling Edition

Having lived and worked in Japan, and thanks to the Internet, I am often entertained, but rarely shocked by Japanese TV commercials. However, a brand new Toyota commercial completely took me by surprise. The 15-second ad is for the Toyota Passo's new Yururi model, and it stars actress Riisa Naka and female comedy trio Morisanchu. In the ad Riisa Naka and Morisanchi member Miyuki Ooshima are unpacking some French bread from a car as they discuss making fondue in what sounds like French. The conversation is subtitled in Japanese, and the two other members of Morisanchu look on from what looks like a sidewalk café, saying "Are they speaking French?" I asked a couple Japanese native speakers to watch the ad, and they came away with it with what I did. It sounds like Naka is speaking French, and Ooshima is speaking Japanese with a French accent, which wouldn't be unexpected from a Japanese comedian. So what's the big deal? Sounds like a typically odd Japanese car commercial, right? Wrong. Like being played by a master magician the audience is tricked by the subtitles and France-like setting. Naka and Ooshima are actually speaking western Aomori prefecture's Tsugaru dialect. This dialect is known for being one of the most difficult for native Japanese speakers not familiar with it to understand. It is also known, for those not familiar, to sound a bit like French, and I have to admit that I was fooled. Go here to see the commercial for yourselves, and see if your native speaker friends can figure out the clever deception.

After one of the oddest NW summers in memory, fall is definitely here. Rain means lots of indoor activities, and one of my favorites is putting a fire in the fireplace and sitting down with a pile of manga and comics and reading until I can't keep my eyes open any longer. We'll get to the manga in a minute, but as I am reading my wife has gotten a real kick out of making the mini stuffed animals found in Aranzi Aronzo's The Cuter Book. We have looked at the ubiquitous but mysterious duo's books in the past, but The Cuter Book makes making their cute felt mascots and easy and fun activity. With the readily available materials like felt and cotton, my wife and her friends can sit around the living room table and chat while making the tiny characters which will end up as Christmas ornaments and stocking stuffers. Handmade gifts are almost unheard of these days, but maybe titles like The Cuter Book can start to bring them back.

I very much like the trend of omnibus manga releases, and now several publishers are putting out series in big books that combines three or four normal tankobon into phonebook-thick volumes. They are home reads, for sure, but the price point is always better than buying the volumes individually. These also make for great holiday gifts if you are looking for something in the $20 to $25 range.

We haven't looked at much straight-up shoujo in a while, but the sticky sweet and never mild Wild @ Heart fits that bill. What is nice is all three volumes of the story are bound into one big book. This appropriately 10+ rated release doesn't stray too far out of expected shoujo young romance territory. Young teen Chino is looking for love, but never expected she'd find it in the jungle-raised Hyo, a boy her explorer father brings home from his travels. With no social skills, you can imagine the trouble Chino has with the handsome Hyo, especially when he is sent to school with her. Wild @ Heart retails for $21.99.

We talked about the first omnibus volume of the very popular Chobits series in recent months and now the second and final volume is on shelves. At about 700 pages each volume, these are very big books. However it is worth noting they are carefully done and the spine holds both the body and the high quality color pages that book end each volume well. The 12+ rating for this series by popular manga creator group CLAMP is appropriate for this odd love story in a slightly futuristic world where instead of computers people use "persocoms," cute and real-looking robots. Thoughtful and funny, Chobits has appeal to both male and female readers.

Another CLAMP title getting the omnibus treatment of late is Cardcaptor Sakura. The first thing I noticed opening this series (after the full color pages) was the high quality of the paper and printing inside. Despite the kawaii cover, I am a little embarrassed to say this older gentleman found Cardcaptor Sakura a real page turner. Fourth-grader Sakura couldn't be more typical. She has a hard time waking up in the morning and has a bit of a crush on her older brother's best friend. But Sakura rises to the occasion when faced with the challenge of finding the Clow Cards missing from an ancient rune discovered on her father's bookshelf. Cute sidekick in tow, Sakura battles the elements as she learns of her powers as a Cardcaptor. That plot summary may not sound so original, but where Cardcaptor Sakura shines is in its crisp art and accessible and intriguing delivery. Boys, don't let the pink cover turn you away. There's a lot for everyone here, and it is a series Manga: The Complete Guide called "...one of the very best manga available in English, period..."

The last book we will look at this month might have limited appeal, but is a must-have for fans of Vampire Hunter D. Vampire Hunter D: Reader's Guide is subtitled The Essential Companion to the World of Vampire Hunter D. The bulk of this single volume is essentially an encyclopedia of the multi-faceted and mysterious world of the half human/half vampire hunter known only as D. What I especially enjoyed were the handful of short stories by Hideyuki Kikuchi that supplement the D universe, as well as the fantastic and original artwork by Yoshitaka Amano. Several of the short stories appeared in Amano's more expensive art books, so at $13.99, Reader's Guide gives great access to what might be previously hidden gems for D fans.

Finally don't forget to pick up some Pocky on Pocky Day, 11/11. Next year should be quite a Pocky celebration!