|
Secret Comics Japan   Anthology focused on indie / underground authors, or should I say auteurs... Some are new, others more known, like Shintaro Kago and Usamaru Furuya. If you recognize these names, you may know what type of material we are dealing. From normal seinen to surreal stuff, almost experimental at times, adult or extreme themes, lots of irreverence. This is the list of short stories, pasted of MU The Life of Momongo Story by Norimiza Ameya & Art by Junko Mizuno Gedatsu Man by Hironori Kikuchi Swing Shell by Yuko Tsuno Jr by Yoshitomo Yoshimoto Heartless Bitch & Painful Love by Kiriko Nananan Punctures by Shintaro Kago Mutant Hanako by Makoto Aida Editor Woman by Benkyo Tamaoki Palepoli by Usamaru Furuya I found pretty funny that they use a cover from Furuya, which is perhaps the most famous artist of the bunch, but he is the only one who didn't make a new story, but just reused a portion of his work Palepoli. In fact they even reuse the cover of Palepoli?! Well, there are nine stories, the ones I disliked were the first two, that goes way too much off-kilter (the Kago story is normal, in comparison!). The rest ranges from kind of acceptable to pretty decent. The Palepoli stuff varies a lot, his humor can be pretty hilarious but also be a total miss sometimes. Mutant Hanako has a lovely drawing and is totally wild and crazy and irreverent and gross and have a ridiculous social message but it's worth to be experienced. Punctures is classical good Kago, surreal and crazy but not too crazy, fun and it has a punchy end. And no scat this time, that's a plus. Jr and the ones by Kiriko Nananan were interesting little poignant stories. I think the next thing I will read will be something lighter, like The Dragon's Seven Adorable Children or 3 a.m. Dangerous Zone.
|
#
¿
Oct 20, 2015 22:20
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 12, 2024 14:07 |
|
|
The Dragon's Seven Adorable Children   Uh, I've seen before this cover. And I read before the first chapter! So for a moment I thought I already read this volume, but no, it was only the first chapter. Maybe I did it when the translation was starting and only the first one was out. In any case it's a good time to read this, as it's by the author of Terrarium in the Drawer (or the already more known Dungeon Meshi, so it's an up and coming author!), mentioned before. It's a short story volume that moves around heart-warming stories, mostly. Some of them with romance, other of a boy helping a siren, or the relationship between mother and son. This author has a very interesting qualities in her writing, it's kind of an amusing flair or quirky style, and all stories have an important fantasy element on them, but in truth her stories feel very... natural, a down-to-earth feel good style of writing, with a honest, straightforward style in the narration. There is a good variety of stories, in fact, from the three already mentioned to artists who can make drawing alive to a family where everyone have superpowers, to a world where being a werewolf is a known and problematic condition (that reminded me a bit to Wolf Chilren, in fact it has a similar tone). The author also shows a good handling of several art styles. He uses a more detailed one for his story of medieval fantasy, a more simple and kind one for one of a girl taking care of a fish god, and he imitates a bit the Japanase feudal style for a story set in that time.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 21, 2015 13:27
|
|
|
K. Flaps posted:Be warned, the ending to 3 am dangerous zone sucks major rear end and will leave you insanely emotionally unfulfilled. Mmm. What to do now. Any second opinions?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 21, 2015 13:55
|
|
|
muike posted:Nikaido gets her gigantic tits out all the time and lot of the time the author doesn't bother drawing a huge amount of attention to it and it's just kind of there which makes it funny. Dorohedoro is done by a female author and it shows, if a character has big breasts, well, that's just a physical feature. With lots of other (male) authors, the reason to have a character with big breasts is to have fanservice or at least to have sexy♥ character.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 25, 2015 08:47
|
|
|
Jose posted:what are some good seinen battle manga that aren't by satoshi mizukami or tetsuya saruwatari or feature humanoid cockroaches Blade of the Immortal.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 2, 2015 11:39
|
|
|
Wookie Bouquet posted:New Dorohedoro (138) makes it clear that we are not any closer to closure. I think people started saying it was finishing... two years ago. 
|
|
#
¿
Nov 20, 2015 17:00
|
|
|
Bad Seafood posted:Kuro finally ended. It wasn't a bad manga. Decent SoL with a mix of more serious elements and an original setting. Ending could have been better, yeah, it was a bit weak.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 25, 2016 17:24
|
|
|
Harukaze no Snegurochka / Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze What it seems possibly at first revenge story a la Tarantino with a paralytic young woman as protagonist, which would be very typical from the author Hiroaki Samura it turns out to be... something else. But good. A story about family and bonds, about choosing a little thing and giving your life for it, all in the setting of the Russian revolution, which btw seemed pretty well researched, it had an authentic vibe. Also about this (light spoilers) http://i.imgur.com/7mOuWyo.png (lol) I love the drawing style of Samura, I prefer it over for example masters like Inoue. Somehow for me his pencils transmits very well the feelings of the story, and in the end that's so important.In that regard, Samura makes a great job in this single volume story.   The only flaw it has it's that it's only one volume, and imo maybe should have been a 2-vols story. At places the story feels a bit too compressed. There is one or two points where the passage of time isn't well expressed, where the relationships between characers seems to have changed but you have very few clues of that, some secondary characters seems very interesting but they appear just in a dozen of pages, or for example there could be a bit more of explanations in some historic terms and factions (for people who don't know the early twentieth century Russian history from memory!). Of course being this a Hiroaki Samura's manga, there is a strong scene or two in there. The strongest point is the ambivalence of the characters, and the twist of what's the real relationship between all of them and what's the origin of the story is well done. I could never guess at the beginning that despite what his father did, she started by still hoping for his approval, that's why she was searching the proof of the relationship of her mother and Rasputin, though in the end she seems to growth as person and not use the name she was pursuing all that time. And much less I could guess the change of the relationship between her and Mikahil, though it's true despise the sexual abuse, he actually gave her the option of leaving before and not alerting anyone until the next day.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2016 22:33
|
|
|
Glaucos A 4 volume story about competitive free diving by the artist (but not writer) of Shamo. It's... forgettable. It's all fairly stereotyped, too, with a youth full of promise, the old past world champion that wants to train him as to have a new goal in life, the female doctor who is rational and cold, the opponent to beat, etc. It doesn't do anything particular with the plot, there is no important drama beats, or romance, or comedy bits. It tries to put some mysticism about the ocean, the depths of the sea, freedom and origin of life, but it feels slapped on it. The end part is disappointing with a twist that doesn't make a lot of sense, and the attempt of (end spoilers) bittersweet dramatic end feels flat, of course he dies diving, but his legacy continues as he got pregnant the only woman in the story the night before. Convenient! The good part, the drawing 
|
|
#
¿
Jul 2, 2016 13:57
|
|
|
I've read Ranman, by Katou Shinkichi, an artist who has an atypical art style. He has done previously National Quiz, Obrigado! or Baka to Gogh. Alas, I would way this is his weakest work I've read so far. A good 2/3 of this single volume is composed of micro-stories. Micro because they are literally 4 pages each. You could say it's an exercise of minimalism and surrealism... but I would say the exercise failed, after reading them I only had indifference (except maybe 2 or 3, and it isn't like they were very good). The reality is that this is the type of work done in the interest of the artist, as he gets to draw lots of different cool things, instead of the interest of the reader. A small sample of his art    http://i.imgur.com/moRQWJy.png At least at the end there is a bit better, longer story, about a boy being rebel and growing up.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 10, 2016 12:51
|
|
|
I'm going to talk about a manga, Ballroom e Yokoso, and also a bit about manga in general. Japanese comic has a certain degree of fame of having a great, almost ridicule variety of stories and setups, in comparison with European or American comic. From cop drama, to political thriller, to superheroes, horror, science fiction, passing to every kind of romance you can imagine of, to comics about climbing, diving, cooking, strolling, horse riding, collectors, racing, every kind of sport be popular or minority, betting (an entire subgenre almost!), people overclocking computers, well... you get the idea. And also competitive ballroom dancing, the idea behind Ballroom e Yokoso. Manga also have a reputation of being able to take any kind of boring hobby or sport and give you the super intense, vibrant version where everything is amazing. From the 'slightly enhanced' version of the real thing to the over the topness. Something slow like Golf, chess? You can bet some mangaka can do it incredible thrilling, even for people who has no prior knowledge of that activity. quote:Beautiful drawing style So Tomo Takeuchi, a female author which no known previous works (!) comes with Ball e Yokoso, also know as simply Welcome to he Ballroom, and gives an incredible version of the sport of competitive Ballroom dancing. And she gives in spades, with a incredibly intense and just magical version of ballroom dancing, using the typical shonen setup of a young man who starts the sport from zero, and gradually gaining ability through hard work and talent. And god, so much hot bloodness, hype, passion, fury and excitement, in the most unexpected of places, a comic about ballroom dancing. As a master of her work, her drawing conjures human emotions with the easiness of snapping fingers. In fact, even if this isn't the precisely the only 'passionate manga about sport/hobby/art', it's one of the best ones I've read, it has something special that places it above most. quote:A specialty of the author, faces full of emotion Don't be confused, this comic doesn't reach unrealistic, over-the-top craziness with named 'ultimate skills', or ridiculous abilities, or crazy plot twists, while the setup is classical shonen, it's more in the middle territory of shonen and seinen, though inside of the 'realistic' style it's almost bursting out with larger than life emotion and passion. Here, everyone is INTENSE AS HELL. And, it works, instead of resulting too hammy, you get sucked into the story. quote:Dramatic coaches / Manly tears and manly support / Manly sacrifices / Intense hand holding And all thanks to the drawing. Not that the writing is bad or anything, it's clearly above average, but this comic clearly points out that yeah, this is a visual medium, and even more, manga in general usually has a more pure visual narration [than European or American comic], full of style and dynamism, and again this work presents itself as squarely 'manga' in that regard. in special Takeuchi has two strong points, the dynamic in her poses and panelling and a great domain of faces, showing whatever emotion, So this post is going to contain lots of images for us to enjoy! Sorry for people with mobile connections. The story is very straight-forward, simple or 'classic' we could say, the approach used isn't really unique or particularly complex, but with a very good characterization that serves as hook to support the weight of the story beyond the pretty pages. There is a good range in the characters with ambition, jealousy, insecurity, love, companionship, fears, trust, and more playing a role in the story, but I just don't want to spoil it. And you know, despite my remarks of the the intense the drawing, said characterization can be subtle too. quote:Hot guys: While not a 'fanservice' series, it's one of those, of the sexy ones, she can't help but draw sensuality in it, and very appropriately with the theme of dancing, as they also practice some latino dances full of sexiness. Everyone here is hot and fabulous. quote:Hot girls: Do I recommend the series? Well... the author is doing a Togashi on us, the series is right now in a longish hiatus. Ouch. But you know what. I don't regret starting it, in the last weeks I was feeling a bit off, I wasn't getting fun in games nor I was finding any really good tv series, and this comic showed me that doh, of course there are good things out there! edit: oh, it got a nomination in the Manga Taisho Awards. quote:Some jokes Turin Turambar fucked around with this message at 23:23 on Aug 4, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Aug 4, 2016 23:21
|
|
|
I am a Hero Some random thoughts. I am a Hero is a apocalyptic zombie action/drama story set in Japan. Perhaps the main feature here is the awkward protagonist. He is a mediocre mangaka (all very self-referential) who suffers from night terrors, delusions, light paranoia, he is socially inept, and have a tendency to talk alone. The series uses smartly some scary elements beyond normal zombies using the protagonists frights and delusions, and the delusions the zombified people seem to have. For example this was more creepy than the zombies  The story starts slow, it needs several chapters to even really start for real, but I think it's worthwhile setup of the normal world at the beginning, somehow the zombie apocalypse feels more real thanks to that. And by the way, this is a spectacular when poo poo hits the fan. Very good action scenes. They are well framed and well planned, seeing people running away from a horde of zombies and fighting for their life is great. The series uses realistic backgrounds and very detailed zombies, and contributes a lot to the realism and spectacularity. And he uses a lot double page spreads full of detail in the key scenes. That said, it isn't fully an action manga, action is used sparsely (for example, the shotgun isn't used by the MC until volume 8). The drawing can also be pretty inventive, using for example first person perspective to have a claustrophobic view with masks the character use.  Another element the series uses are some slight touches of humor, sometimes based on pathetic pahtos of characters (and the author is known for it), which are funnier as they are in the middle of zombie apocalypse. It's interesting how the main character is subtly drawn in a more ugly manner when he behaves pathetically in girls presence, and is slightly more handsome in the heroic scenes. I am a Hero has a pace which is fairly quick after the start, though that doesn't mean every chapter reads quickly. He uses a very cinematic approach and a single 'scene' can be 60 pages, so the volumes aren't dense in stuff happening. It really uses the visual and cinematic aspect of manga well, depicting visually a well mdade zombie apocalypse. And with the overcrowded cities, the indifference of the public, the viral rumors going rampart on internet, the comic feels very contemporary. The author also presents interesting power dynamics in survivor groups, changing when just someone with a bigger weapon appears, or using a woman's body as currency, or people conspiring in a coup d'etat, or maybe all crumbles to nothing when someone makes a small mistake. As a con, all the neet angle the author uses, with the neet revenge on society is tiring, and just reminds you the writer is surely another otaku. So around a point well advanced in the story, the more scienc-y fiction part starts. The explanation given is that aliens are behind the zombie apocalypse. Maybe to help humanity to reach a 'higher' state, and not to invade the planet. In one hand I am thankful for an explanation of how zombies could move with their hearts stopped and stuff like that. If you say 'aliens and their advanced technology!' I can accept it a bit more easily. But on the other hand... uh. Aliens. Does this story really needed an explanation of the true nature of the zombies or why all started? In fact, even when the giant zomb-monsters start appearing, they are totally unrelated to the plights and successes of the main characters, they could well exist in another world, the plot threads are only joined in the last volume, and it's done a bit hapzarhdly. Finally, in the end it's just another HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY PROJECT, goddamnit! So unoriginal. Evangelion shadow is long, I suppose. Drama-wise, I thought it was all very correct, I liked Oda-san tragic arc, the incipient romantic triangle complicating things, all the conflicting feelings complicating things. Of course it ends in tragedy, with Oda-San dead, Hiromi joining the zombie-mind ridden with guiltiness, and Hiro alone and again talking with himself (normal in his condition) but... can we be really surprised this ended in tragedy?? Did anyone expected a happy ending where the zombies are defeated and they all lived happy and together? I don't think so. We had seen humanity was already almost extinct. Hell I was surprised a few guys survived thanks to the helicopter. But it's true I'm not totally happy with the end, it lacks some poignant theme or something. But it was a very good manga for 90% of the story! I think the science fiction plot went nowhere, it would have been ok if the author would have done something intriguing, original with that in the main plot, but he didn't. And the final drama didn't feel personal enough, it lacks impact.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 29, 2017 18:12
|
|
|
Pierson posted:You, the person reading this post, should definitely be reading Houseki no Kuni I read the first volume and liked it enough. I planned to read it later. But it seems I will be watching the anime.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 31, 2017 08:20
|
|
|
Pluto > Monster > 20 CB I still have to read Billy Bat. Seems a crazy series with Urasawa being a parody of himself.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2017 12:57
|
|
|
Willsun posted:Does anyone else in here read All-Rounder Meguru? I'm no superfan of MMA that knows exactly what moves they're talking about all the time, but I am really really interested in this sports manga that isn't magical flame punches. I read it. As you, I'm waiting on scanlations. It's a 'very straight' sport series. Very focused on the matches, although it started in a way that it seemed the author wanted to put some drama but it got mysteriously dropped, lol. The matches, even if they are purely realistic and without 'secret techniques' BS, I like them because he draws them in a way you can perfectly see the joint locks, the holds the transitions between each, all that stuff that is harder to show in a drawing because it's very close combat, with a a player on top of other, unlike simple punches or kicks. Even if I don't have interest in real life MMA, heh. That said, it's a bit underwhelming as a series coming from Hiroki Endo, because he showed in his previous works (Hiroki Endo's short stories, Eden) a very good hand for drama.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 4, 2017 11:41
|
|
|
After finishing with I am a Hero, I've been reading again more manga. I think I've read: -China Girl, a very bland romance about a guy who happens to fall in love with a restaurant worker -Junk, which is a hilarious edgy antighero/vigilante comic -Yaotsukumo, what I usually call 'seinen in quotes', it's one of those shonen with people with katanas and magical powers but with more blood. -Billionaire Girl, another dull romance, it as the gimmick of the girl being millionaire but gimmick don't save it from being so forgettable -Midnight Secretary, a smutty shojo with vampires in office, which is exactly as predictable one would imagine -A Zoo in the Winter, SoL on a comic artist learning to live a different kind of life -Ichigeki Sachu, about chibi robots killing lots of roached?? -Hanaotoko, SoL/sports of a very different father and son reconnecting their lives. And from that list the only one worth something were, unsurprisingly, A zoo in the Winter and Hanaotoko; as they are exactly from the two recognized authors, Jiro Taniguchi (The Walking Man, A distant Neighborhood) and Taiyo Matsumto (Ping Pong, No. 5) respectively . A Zoo in Winter is actually one of the minor works of Taniguchi, but as usual he is well above most author so what for him is a minor work, it's actually realistic story of a designer discovering a new life between manga artist and night life in the city, with a touch of nostalgia that with the usual craftsmanship of the author it engages you more than you would think at first. It only fails a bit (by being too typical) with the trite love story, that feels forced at the end of the manga to finish it. Funnily, the zoo of the title barely appears in the story!  Hanaotoko left me cold for the first pair of chapters, but Matsumoto's charm opens through, it takes place in the real world but it has that slightly surreal or almost magical realism touch in the vibe of the city and the pace that first feels weird and later it's an endearing point, and helps in pushing the 'feel-good' message of this comic, it's a world without cynicism, and as the main character grow closer and close, you can't avoid have a smile on your face. Oh yeah and baseball. Matsumoto likes the sports. 
|
|
#
¿
Aug 6, 2017 21:51
|
|
|
Willsun posted:How does his art hold up for older series? All-Rounder Meguru is his most recent one so I just wanna know if his older stuff is noticeably different in art style. They also list two other series (Meltdown, Hantei Shiai Jōtō!) as not having ended but I don't know if that's maybe just outdated information. The art is exactly the same, I would say.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 8, 2017 08:07
|
|
|
51 Ways to save my girlfriend This can be divided in two halves. The first half is a decent disaster romp after a big Earthquake hits Tokyo. The protagonists help people, see horrible stuff, they escape from problems, live dangerous situations, etc. It feels more or less realistic. The pace is good, it never dwells too long in a place or plot point. The second half is when things turn ugly. First, the rape angle starts. The first encounter of that nature was ok, I understand the author wanted to show how dangerous people can exploit the chaos of the situation and the lack of law enforcers. But then there is a second attempt. And the climax of the comic is a third attempt, with a very big group of rapists. WTF, it's both creepy and not very realistic that the general populace fall so much in that behavior. It was an earthquake and only a few days have passed, it wasn't freaking WW3 with the nuclear apocalypse coming. Second, there is a very stupid 'religious sect' plotline that stretches belief. The protagonist is brainwashed in just 48 hours, and the reasons of how it happens feel contrived. Again, it was just a big earthquake, not the Rapture, in a few days I can't believe the sect gained power. It was facepalming and made me want to drop it but I continued because I was near the end. And third, the ending was very predictable (I so guessed right that the newborn baby would solve the incident). Characters were also predictable, nothing particularly interesting happened with them. Overall I can't recommend it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2017 11:19
|
|
|
I'm reading Alien 9 right now. WTF T F
|
|
#
¿
Aug 13, 2017 22:52
|
|
|
Alien 9 I think this works the best if you don't know anything about it, so consider everything below kind of spoilers. This story basically works as an example of a cool genre and tone shift. It starts with wacky scifi SoL with girls in rolling skaters catching little aliens, in fact it knows to wait a bit for the readers to get used to that style, for four or five chapters, and then it starts introducing mystery elements (the teacher is also an alien? she is the one who is really requesting the 'alien attacks'?!! etc and later the real tone shift starts, when the girls start losing her humanity. Well, I say tone shift, but in truth there is a slight surreal tone to the story that is maintained from the beginning to the end. It has a very interesting use of in media res, where it isn't explained at the start the origin of the setting, it basically starts with the protagonist complaining of how icky are the aliens and how much it sucks to be in the alien party, and it goes from there. Alas, the mystery elements tease you, but in the end they only give the briefest and incomplete of explanations, about alien clans invading Earth since time ago and how humanity at this point just can try to choose which alien symbiont should fuse with, never really going deep of how the world turned that way, which is a pity because it seems original. Characterization-wise, It does a bit of subversion, as you expect at first for the protagonist to get a grip and start improving after some chapters, maybe when she has a real encounter where her life is in danger... but no, she never improves or matures. In fact as things grow larger in danger and scale, the mind break part starts. And they are in a situation where they only can 'move forward' so their solutions just make it worse. In that point the art style used and the fact they are small girls contribute in the jarring contrast to what's really happening in the story. However the character growth stops at some point, when the supporting characters fates is sealed as their decision to protect Yuri and her humanity. At that point there is still a final arc with a new alien, a big conflict and a dramatic rescue but it's all a bit ehh, in true it's all very perfunctory, nothing changes and their happy end is saving the princess and maintaining the status quo. There is an interview with the author where he says  And well... while it's true he captures the 'alien' feel well and in that sense it feels science fiction, all the usage of the school setting, the little girls, the weird stuff, it's all very Japanese. Sorry Mr. Author! As proof of how Japanese it is, have some sexual innuendo with lolis!    Or the following scene to the last page where the weird alien tries to merge with Yuri by stalking her by night and trying to drop his spit/sperm? into her mouth. Totally innocent! But in a a way, this sexual creepiness is just another factor that contributes to the uneasiness you should feel while reading this manga. It's supposed to be weird and a lil' hosed up. So feature, not a bug, I suppose. Finally, I don't like the art. It isn't very detailed, I don't personally like the style, and even with the small group of characters I had problems sometimes to identify them.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 15, 2017 14:24
|
|
|
HenryEx posted:Uh Uh I didn't say it wasn't a 'legitimate science fiction story' but it seems he wanted to create something in the style of those Western authors. I'm saying, sorry, but it doesn't seem particularly similar to Heinlein or Niven.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 15, 2017 20:22
|
|
|
Mindblast posted:On top of all that the way this author lays out the scenes just feels wrong. Like it doesn't flow nicely somehow. Oh yes, the flow isn't good. It was something I forgot to comment. I read yesterday the sequel, Alien 9 Emulators and eww, I don't recommend it, not even to the people who liked it Alien 9. It's underdeveloped, rushed, a bit nonsensical and underwhelming. Onto new things. Now I'm reading Abandon the Old in Tokyo, which it's more in the indie/alternative category. It had this impressive text blurb:  But seems overrated to me.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 16, 2017 08:50
|
|
|
Agreed, Genshinken 1 is very good (in fact, it surprised me, I didn't expect to like it so much), with a great mix of comedy with the right amounts of romance and drama, and coming of age story easy to empathize with, of people finishing college, looking up for jobs, the group of friends breaking up over time, etc. Genshinken 2 was much worse, in comparison. Abandon the Old in Tokyo Old works with certain renown usually fall in two camps: classics where age doesn't matter as the quality makes them timeless, and others that are important pieces historically (maybe they were pioneer in a style or a subgenre) but they didn't age too well. This is part of the second group. The author is one of the pioneers of alternative comics movement/gekiga, dramatic adult stories with themes reflecting modern society of the time, in the seventies. But it hasn't aged well. This volume 's a collection of short stories with clear themes criticizing the modern society, but I don't think they are very good. First is the drawing. The problem isn't that the style is obviously old, I read several comics from Tezuka for example, but he doesn't seem very good with faces. 90% of the time the protagonist are as inexpressive as dead fishes, even when it doesn't make sense. Also he tends to draw the same type of protagonist in each short story, he doesn't have variety.    Three different character from three different stories in different situations. Second, most of the short stories are actually too short. Some of them you can feel they are onto something but they end before the consequences for the actions appear, or they are too devoid of characterizations, or they are too dry. What they have most of them is a metaphor for a critic of modern society (at the time). But they feel a bit too transparent and unsophisticated for our current standards, and even the themes themselves are too old (sexual revolution is bad, cities alienate people, women are evil manipulators, we are like animals surviving from the dregs of society, etc) or they are just the low-hanging fruit for what it's bad and have a shock factor in human society.  Yes, thanks nameless character, I totally wouldn't have noticed how people in modern cities aren't that different from overcrowded cattle trains.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 16, 2017 21:47
|
|
|
Shigurui, manga or anime?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 17, 2017 12:05
|
|
|
Thermae Romae Hey, this was better than expected. I expected something silly just using an out-of-this-world premise, but feww times you find a work that it's so successful in hitting the goals it sets for itself. Here the author wanted to do a silly comedic manga of a ancient Roman bath engineer that time travels to Japan to learn new bathing techniques... and she does a drat good job with this silly of a premise! The comic is some times amusing, some times hilarious, and also pleasing in that strange SoL way that some comics have. As the hot baths they use so much here, it has a relaxing rhythm in the chapters, in how predictable (because they are always mostly the same) but entertaining they are. But that isn't everything, it happens to be very well researched, the basis for the Roman part of the manga isn't based on just a few Hollywood movies the mangaka watched. They are glimpses of their customs, their utensils, stuff like the rebellion in Jerusalem, the conflict between the Senate and the Emperor, the inheritance method, etc. It's not only funny and original, but educative too. At the end of every chapter there are a pair of text pages from the author, which also are interesting in her insights in both the comic itself and in her life experiences, and she is well traveled and has lived in the four continents. The structure is mostly episodic, but that changes in the last volume where to tie things off, she does a whole narrative arc. It's very predictable of course, in fact it loses a bit in the comic side of the equation, but it's a good end, you want a happy, definitive end to close this story.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 19, 2017 17:00
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 12, 2024 14:07 |
|
|
Brought To You By posted:Good news. Ballroom e yokokosu comes back tomorrow. I was going to post it! My favorite page 
|
|
#
¿
Jul 4, 2019 21:10
|
|