Animania

When browsing my manga shelves, the primary companies represented are, of course, the two biggest: Tokyopop and Viz. In the last year or two, a few others have also appeared, such as ADV and CMX. With Blood+, Dark Horse Comics made their debut. Go! Comi one of the youngest companies has, thus far, only had one slot in my shelf with Crossroad. However, I recently discovered and picked up a second title from Go! Comi, Night of the Beasts by Chika Shiomi Like Crossroad, Night Of The Beasts is a relatively short series, with six volumes. It seems to have been a relatively obscure title in Japan, originally released from 1996 through 1999 by publisher Akita Shoten.

In Night of the Beasts we meet Aria, a tall, tough as nails girl who is the enemy of aggressive and rude males, but also an overall kind person. One day a stranger named Sakura appears, stealing her first kiss then claiming that he is possessed by a demon and that only she can save him. Now with a premise set up like that, all kinds of stereotypical scenarios come to mind, and I was worried it would be some lame key to the whole "saving" thing. However, I found the series managed to put a fresh twist on the idea. Sakura's inner demon wants to slaughter 4,000 people, hence his wanting to stop it, but Sakura isn't strong enough to keep the monster at bay for long. Aria, though willing to help, is fairly powerless to prevent several tragic events, and unwittingly becomes a pawn for Sakura's blood relatives (i.e. those 4,000 people slated to die). As the story progresses, the mystery of how Aria was able to do anything for Sakura, and why she is the one who is being called on to save all the other people becomes clearer, and the reason for the demon's unmitigating hatred of the entire family.

Shiomi's artwork is very good for the series with a slightly hard edge in the drawings in keeping with the underlying story. She forgoes background in many scenes to focus on well-designed and easily recognizable characters, but in scenes where backgrounds are included, they are well drawn with attention to scale and detail. In particularly, I think Shiomi does an awesome job of visually differentiating between Sakura when he's himself and when he's been taken over by the demon. The main characters of the series, as well as some of the major supporting ones, re all unique with distinctive appearances, personalities, and roles. The villains are skillfully portrayed in such a way that one finds it hard to hate them for what they do, and to even sympathize with them to some degree while still not condoning their actions. The ending is well done, with a few last minute twists and an almost expected, for manga, tinge of sadness.

As with Go! Comi's other series, Night of the Beasts, carries a higher price point of $10.99 a volume, with slightly better quality covers, but no color pages or anything else to really justify it. As such, while I do think this is a great short series for anyone liking drama mixed with touches of horror, romance, and comedy, I also recommend waiting to buy until you can get it on sale.

Series Grade: B+

Going back in time a little, this week I decided to finally watch .hack//SIGN, an anime series that was first released in the US back in 2003. It was produced by well known animation company Bee Train with Bandai Visual, and first aired in Japan back in April 2002. Now .hack isn't a standalone title, but part of a very large franchise that includes several other anime series, some manga series, and video games. Unlike Blood+, however, .hack's various related media are not adaptations or retellings, but sequels and prequels. So I've also hesitated in watching in due to the total confusion about where to jump in to be at the start of the story (a minor thing I tend to be anal about). I finally just decided to go with .hack//SIGN's anime, because it was the first title released here, so I rented all six volumes from Hastings.

.hack//SIGN is unusual in that it is set almost entirely within an online massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORG) virtual reality game called "The World." The World doesn't seem to have a ton of rules, though some things appear to be frowned on (like running around and killing other players for fun). Within this game, a character named Tsukasa awakens to find he doesn't remember how he got where he was. Through reluctant interactions with another character, Mimiru, we discover that Tsukasa is different from other players. He is unable to log out from the game and he is not sitting in front of a terminal so he can't escape by resetting. He has been inside the game for weeks, and can actually feel pain that others can't when hurt. Tsukasa tends to be a loner, and when he first meets Mimiru he rudely transports away without saying a word. Tsukasa was lead to a hidden area of the game by a cat character named Macha. There, a sleeping girl floats above a bed and a female voice constantly tries to keep Tsukasa from forming relationships with other players. However, Tsukasa eventually realizes that he doesn't want to be alone anymore and defies the voice, resulting in serious retribution. Mimiru aims to help Tsukasa figure out why he is locked there and how he can log out. Along the way, Tsukasa finds himself hunted by the Crimson Knights, a group of players that strives to keep people playing within the rules. During the series, they are aided, and sometimes betrayed, by several other players: Bear, an older man who regularly offers advice to the younger players, and sometimes lectures; BT, a female character who plays both sides of the fence; Sora, a "player killer" who betrays anyone friend or foe; Subaru, the female leader of the Crimson Knights; Crim, the former founder of the Crimson Knights and close friend of Subaru; and Silver Knight, the second in command of the Crimson Knights. As the story progresses, this group learns more about both Tsukasa, secrets about the game, and must confront their own inner demons.

Its hard to say I like .hack//SIGN or that I didn't like it. In several major elements, it both excelled and failed. Spanning twenty-six episodes, .hack//SIGN is a very slow placed series, often too slow. Quite a few times I felt two episodes could have become one just by hacking out the long pauses that may have been intended to be dramatic pauses, but eventually just got annoying. The story premise itself is very intriguing, however a lot of questions seemed to be left unanswered at the end, pretty much requiring you to continue with the series to learn more (or go read Wikipedia LOL). There are also several parts introduced in the story that seemed to just disappear. For example, early on Macha tells Tsukasa to mark Mimiru with his colors, but that is never explained and after two episodes, never mentioned again. I did love how snippets of each characters real-life personas are reveals through both interactions with other characters and gray toned scenes that appeared to be television screens. Tsukasa gets the most of those scenes as he is the most developed character, despite him having the fewest lines. The rest only get one or two, with Crim getting none at all that I can remember. The series does a mixed job on character development as well. Tsukasa, as mentioned, gets the most and Subaru also gets decent character development, though she felt a bit shallow to me. Bear gets fairly decent development, particularly in his dealings with Tsukasa. Mimiru, BT, Sora, and Crim feel shafted, despite Mimiru being the first to meet Tsukasa and the closest to him (and potential love interest) until he meets Subaru. With the slow pacing, you'd think we'd have good development on them all.

I will say, .hack//SIGN, does feature quite a bit of nice music. The opening theme's lyrics make little sense, but the song is catchy. At times the background overwhelms the voices, but that's okay because most of it is beautiful stuff and fits the moods so so well. As a whole, it certainly wasn't a waste of my time to watch .hack//SIGN. Despite the slow pace, it has some good character moments and covers some interesting themes, particularly those involving Tsukasa and his interactions with Bear and Subaru. Just be ready to pay attention, and maybe have to do some outside reading and/or rewatching to get some of the subtleties and be ready to be missing quite a bit of the story, unless you are willing to follow through with the rest of the series. I would recommend as a rental, though for buying, I'd say only after renting first. The Anime Legends version is down to $45, and you can get that cheaper in a sale, but I probably won't be buying it as I don't see it having a lot of rewatch value. Being the RPG lover that I am, I will probably pick up the four .hack video games as they have been highly recommended to me before, so I will get to some follow through. .hack//Zero, however, is the novel that actually follows up with Tsukasa and other characters and it is currently unlicensed.

Series Grade: B

Several years ago, I watched the anime series Spiral: the Bonds of Reasoning, on fansub. Spanning twenty-five episodes, it was an interesting anime series, though also an annoying one in that it lacks an actual ending and leaves a lot up in the air. The series was licensed and released by FUNimation in 2004 and 2005, but I've yet to have a desire to rent it or rewatch it. Later I learned the anime series was actually based on a 15 volume manga series by Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno, and that the anime only covers a portion of the manga. Alas, the manga was unavailable, until last year, when new comer to the manga field, Yen Press, announced they had acquired the license for it. The first volume was released back in October, and I finally acquired a copy.

Spiral: the Bonds of Reasoning is "a mystery wrapped in an enigma," to steal a movie quote. Two years ago, Ayumu Narumi's older brother disappeared after telling him that he was going to solve the mystery of the "Blade Children." Now in the care of his sister-in-law, Madoka, Ayumu continues to wonder what his brother meant and what the Blade Children are. He suspects Madoka, a police detective, knows more than she's saying, but it isn't until Ayumu is accused of a murder at his school, that he didn't commit, that he gets his first clues. The murder also serves as something of an introduction for the readers, as through it we learn that Ayumu, though only a 10th grader, is a high-grade detective capable of solving complex mysteries and even Madoka, a well skilled detective in her own right, is no match for him. Joining Ayumu as he works through the murder, and the follow through that gets him his first clue to the Blade Children, is Hiyini Yuizaki, an 11th grader with a down-right scary information network who takes an interest in Ayumu as the president of the school newspaper.

The art work in this series is good, with distinctive and well-made character designs though Mizuno seems to have a fondness for very pointy chins. Most frames focus on the people, however where appropriate the backgrounds are detailed and well drawn. I think this first volume manages to blend introductions with some detailed and well played mysteries right from the start. The twists in the cases are plausible, yet not ones I would have thought of on my own. The second case, bringing us closer to the question of "what are the Blade Children," also has some interesting little twists brought in both at the start and when Madoka makes an incorrect guess at who the killer is. I felt like I got to know the first three primary characters of Ayumu, Hiyini, and Madoka without the common feeling of "okay, this is the introduction."

Yen Press, much like Dark Horse, has their manga priced higher than normal, at $10.99 a volume. Unlike Dark Horse, however, the Yen press release is really no different from that of other companies, making it hard to justify the price increase. While the print quality is good, and I noticed no translation mistakes, there are no color pages, its a standard sized volume, and the cover is not much different from other publishers. So while I recommend this one, I recommend getting it from Amazon or some other place where you get it for a discount. Despite the higher price, I certainly enjoyed the volume and I'm planning on picking up volume 2, which was released last month, as soon as possible.

Volume Grade: A

Okay, okay, still not doing well here. Hopefully on an upswing, though, now that I'm dropping out of school. I'd really love to get a copy of a current version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, then I could dictate my entries. That would make it so much easier for my lifestyle. I have an older version, but it doesn't like Windows XP nor my southern accent. :P

Blood+ is one of those rarer anime series, which is not based on an existing manga series nor novels. Instead, the fifty-episode Blood+ anime was created first, then three manga and two light novel adaptations based on and around it created. I've been watching Blood+ on the Cartoon Network for a few months now and have really enjoyed it. Dark Horse Comics has licensed all of the manga and novel adaptations, so of course I must read them all. The first volume of the five volume primary Blood+ manga series, written by Asuka Katsura, hit the shelves in January.

The story focuses on Saya Otonashi, a seemingly typical high school girl, except she can't remember any of her life before waking up a year previously and she is plagued by nightmares of her surrounded by monsters, blood, and fire. Her life is turned upside down when a monster appears in her town and begins killing people. Then she discovers she is the only person who can kill the monsters, called Chiropterans. She also learns her adopted father, George, was really her assigned caretaker by Red Shield, an organization devoted to assisting her in killing the monsters. Confused, Saya is approached by a man named Hagi who forces her to drink his blood to help her remember. Doing so sends Saya into a rage, and she quickly slays the Chiropteran. Now Saya must decide if she will accept the fate she has been dealt, and try to learn more about her past.

A generous 208 pages, Dark Horse's release of the first volume includes four color pages in the front, and a five page preview of the main Blood+ light novel series. The art work is similar to that of the anime, though slightly harder and more angular, and the females seem to have been given larger chests. Story wise, it is quite a bit different from the anime series, which can be jarring at first. While it covers the basic events of the first two episodes of the anime, there are quite a few changes to characterizations and the over all events. The changes aren't necessarily bad, they just take a little getting used to. Saya and Hagi are similar, while Kai is more of a bad ass. I can't say I particularly like David, as he is much more of an ass than in the anime, but it works for the way the story is written. There is also a new character, Charles, which would seem to indicate that the the manga will continue to divert from the anime.

As a whole, this looks like it will be an interesting re-telling of the manga series, though I am concerned as to what it will do with only five volumes. Though Dark Horse prices its manga at a slightly higher price, the quality of the volumes does justify it some, with the color pages, a thicker cover paper than most manga series, and excellent print quality. For those who found the anime series too long, I'd certainly recommend giving this a try, and for fans of the anime series, I also think it would be a good read for an alternative view.

Volume Grade: A

Yes, I'm mostly back and I still live! Big project at work finally launched, so hoping to get through my back log even as new volumes are joining my collection.

Mugen Spiral is a two volume manga series from Mizuho Kusanagi that was originally serialized in Hana to Yume magazine. It was licensed by TokyoPOP, with the second volume being released in August 2007. It features Yayoi, a powerful mystic whose power is desired by countless demons wanting to eat her so they can become the Demon King. In particular, Ura, the king's son comes for her power, but she is able to bind him with a spell, turning him into a black cat. Since he's stuck under her spell, Ura stays with Yayoi, aiding her when other demons come after her. As Ura continues to try to find a way to absorb Yayoi's powers, they find themselves doing the one thing they never expected: falling in love. The basic premise is reminiscent of InuYasha, yet it manages to do more in two short volumes than InuYasha does in over fifty! Yayoi and Ura's characters are both well fleshed out. Yayoi is a strong woman who has managed to find her way in life despite several hardships and the annoyance of constantly being hunted for her powers. Ura tries to come off as cold and willing to kill her, but in reality, he is totally the opposite.

The art in both volumes is quite nice, with distinguishable characters, a nice bishōnen style hero, and a pretty heroine. Full scene backgrounds have plenty of detail. The darkest scenes are somewhat heavy handed, but that may be a printing issue from TokyoPOP. As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed both volumes. The mangaka could certainly have stretched out the story for quite awhile, finding new enemies to cause Yayoi to break more of the binding beads on Ura until he is completely freed, then resolving things between them. I'm glad she avoided that, however I also find myself wishing there were at least a few more volumes to the series. The whole story of Ura's dark possessed brother and dying father is basically left floating, and the character introduced towards the end of the series is never really explained at all. Things between Yayoi and Ura seemed to be on the right track, but the "big confession" doesn't really happen.

A lot is left to the imagination due to its open ending. It would be nice to see at least two or three more volumes to finish things up, but as it ended in Japan a few years ago so its unlikely to be continued. Still, it was certainly worth the read and a welcome addition to my library.

Overall Series Rating: B-