Latest manga: Saiyuki Reload, Bleach, Absolute Boyfriend
In honor of International Saiyuki Week, I will begin this brief round-up of my most recent manga reading with...
Saiyuki Reload # 3. This concludes the rather slight "Against the Stream" arc and begins the wonderful "Burial." Other people have commented intelligently on "Against the Stream," and yes, there are some interesting elements in terms of character development, but overall, I don't find it terribly gripping or emotionally compelling-- elements which "Burial" has in spades.
The prologue, featuring the origin of Ukoku, is a beautifully controlled piece of precise imagery and spookiness: the moon, the night (and the sun to come); sake, ravens, dried leaves, and blood; Koumyou's face always bright, Ukoku/Kenyuu's frequently shadowed, the disciples mostly anonymously faceless or eyeless, and the chilling final line. I don't know what it really means that the chakra never appeared on his forehead, but it can't be anything good, and creeped the hell out of me. I read this before, in scans, but you need to see the art on paper to really appreciate the exquisite lines and toning, and the splash page where Kenyuu kills his teacher in an explosion of black feathers, and his outstretched arms mimic wings.
The next story, concerning Sanzo's early days, continues a lot of the same imagery: moon/sun/night; blood and sake; and adds in cigarettes and flames. Yeti-Eyebrow Priest has a bit of Koumyou's sweet attitude and unexpected wisdom, and like Koumyou, is associated with the moon. Sanzo is the sun that is sought after but burns to the bone. This story goes a long way toward explaining Sanzo's bad attitude, and the emotional and physical violence is intense. The art is beautiful, and contains a bonus shot of full-backal naked Sanzo dumping a bucket of water over his head.
The last piece of "Burial" in this volume is an expanded version of "how Sanzo met Goku." It's really sweet. Just as Koumyou stands between Sanzo and the mob of sutra-stealing youkai, ten minutes after meeting him Sanzo's standing between Goku and another mob. Here Sanzo becomes the sun that gives life and warmth-- the human needs that Goku was separated from in his long stasis.
The volume concludes with a charming little vignette of the ikkou celebrating a year on the road. Hakkai is particularly adorable in this one.
Bleach # 11 and 12, by Tite Kubo
...And we're inside the home of the Soul Society, and introduced to about five hundred new characters, all with names, ranks, company positions, and named magic weapons. I give up on any pretense of keeping them all straight; I presume it will become apparent in time who is important.
As coffeeandink mentioned, it's frustrating how sidelined Rukia has become. I keep wanting her to take an active role in her own rescue, but so far she has just been sitting there. However, I am utterly charmed by Ichigo and his gang and their snappy dialogue.
I will just mention a few of my favorite moments from this arc so far: Chad saying that complicated things are fragile and he thinks Uryuu Ishida is the most complicated of them all; Uryuu Ishida getting his cape caught in a barrier (shades of The Incredibles) and triumphantly pulling out a spare; Ichigo saving a defeated enemy's life with styptic gunk from the enemy's own first aid kit, then admitting that his rescue team consists of five people and a cat; the look on Ichigo's face when he has to honestly say that he's the strongest of his party; Chad stomping around with his magic right arm; the lovely poems and demented chapter titles; and the Soul Society machinations are pretty cool, even if I don't know who the hell they all are.
This is addictive stuff, and I've downloaded the next few volumes because I could not deal with waiting three months after the cliffhanger that concludes # 12.
Absolute Boyfriend # 1, by Yuu Watase
Girl semi-accidentally orders a "perfect boyfriend" off the internet, and hijinks occur. I am charmed and laughing hysterically; I can't help it. The dialogue is really funny, the character designs are pretty (even though the men tend to default to Tamahome-variants), and Yuu Watase is great at subtle emotional shifts in facial expressions.
There's a lovely moment when Riiko's neighbor/childhood friend/cute guy with glasses, Soshi, teases her too hard, because he seems to have not grown out of the idea that the best way to express your love for a girl is to call her names and drop a frog down her dress, then give her the best thing you find in your lunchbox. She gets genuinely angry with him, and there's a beautiful drawing of his reaction, saying better than a thousand words, "But I was only kidding... did I really hurt you? But I didn't mean to... But I have no clue how to apologize."
Saiyuki Reload # 3. This concludes the rather slight "Against the Stream" arc and begins the wonderful "Burial." Other people have commented intelligently on "Against the Stream," and yes, there are some interesting elements in terms of character development, but overall, I don't find it terribly gripping or emotionally compelling-- elements which "Burial" has in spades.
The prologue, featuring the origin of Ukoku, is a beautifully controlled piece of precise imagery and spookiness: the moon, the night (and the sun to come); sake, ravens, dried leaves, and blood; Koumyou's face always bright, Ukoku/Kenyuu's frequently shadowed, the disciples mostly anonymously faceless or eyeless, and the chilling final line. I don't know what it really means that the chakra never appeared on his forehead, but it can't be anything good, and creeped the hell out of me. I read this before, in scans, but you need to see the art on paper to really appreciate the exquisite lines and toning, and the splash page where Kenyuu kills his teacher in an explosion of black feathers, and his outstretched arms mimic wings.
The next story, concerning Sanzo's early days, continues a lot of the same imagery: moon/sun/night; blood and sake; and adds in cigarettes and flames. Yeti-Eyebrow Priest has a bit of Koumyou's sweet attitude and unexpected wisdom, and like Koumyou, is associated with the moon. Sanzo is the sun that is sought after but burns to the bone. This story goes a long way toward explaining Sanzo's bad attitude, and the emotional and physical violence is intense. The art is beautiful, and contains a bonus shot of full-backal naked Sanzo dumping a bucket of water over his head.
The last piece of "Burial" in this volume is an expanded version of "how Sanzo met Goku." It's really sweet. Just as Koumyou stands between Sanzo and the mob of sutra-stealing youkai, ten minutes after meeting him Sanzo's standing between Goku and another mob. Here Sanzo becomes the sun that gives life and warmth-- the human needs that Goku was separated from in his long stasis.
The volume concludes with a charming little vignette of the ikkou celebrating a year on the road. Hakkai is particularly adorable in this one.
Bleach # 11 and 12, by Tite Kubo
...And we're inside the home of the Soul Society, and introduced to about five hundred new characters, all with names, ranks, company positions, and named magic weapons. I give up on any pretense of keeping them all straight; I presume it will become apparent in time who is important.
As coffeeandink mentioned, it's frustrating how sidelined Rukia has become. I keep wanting her to take an active role in her own rescue, but so far she has just been sitting there. However, I am utterly charmed by Ichigo and his gang and their snappy dialogue.
I will just mention a few of my favorite moments from this arc so far: Chad saying that complicated things are fragile and he thinks Uryuu Ishida is the most complicated of them all; Uryuu Ishida getting his cape caught in a barrier (shades of The Incredibles) and triumphantly pulling out a spare; Ichigo saving a defeated enemy's life with styptic gunk from the enemy's own first aid kit, then admitting that his rescue team consists of five people and a cat; the look on Ichigo's face when he has to honestly say that he's the strongest of his party; Chad stomping around with his magic right arm; the lovely poems and demented chapter titles; and the Soul Society machinations are pretty cool, even if I don't know who the hell they all are.
This is addictive stuff, and I've downloaded the next few volumes because I could not deal with waiting three months after the cliffhanger that concludes # 12.
Absolute Boyfriend # 1, by Yuu Watase
Girl semi-accidentally orders a "perfect boyfriend" off the internet, and hijinks occur. I am charmed and laughing hysterically; I can't help it. The dialogue is really funny, the character designs are pretty (even though the men tend to default to Tamahome-variants), and Yuu Watase is great at subtle emotional shifts in facial expressions.
There's a lovely moment when Riiko's neighbor/childhood friend/cute guy with glasses, Soshi, teases her too hard, because he seems to have not grown out of the idea that the best way to express your love for a girl is to call her names and drop a frog down her dress, then give her the best thing you find in your lunchbox. She gets genuinely angry with him, and there's a beautiful drawing of his reaction, saying better than a thousand words, "But I was only kidding... did I really hurt you? But I didn't mean to... But I have no clue how to apologize."