Mangaka Feature: Mizushiro Setona
First things first:
OMFG THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION PATCH FOR ZERO: TSUKIHAMI NO KAMEN HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!!!
ｷﾀﾜァ*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜(n‘∀‘)ηﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･* !!!!!
Just hearing the news made me cave and buy the original game from Play-Asia... OTL
Next I thought I should write up a review for Mizushiro Setona. I can not claim to be a devoted fan since I did not read all of her manga or liked all that I read, for that matter, but I do think that everyone should give her works a try since they are really great. She has to ability to take a genre swarmed by cliches, like shojo, josei and yaoi and turn them into thought-provoking material. Her stories do not touch you with sweet scenes or cute antics. Her characters are usually flawed, sometimes even antagonistic, but when they come to terms with their behaviour, you feel for them.
In short, reading Mizushiro Setona is an exploration into the human psyche. Like fellow mangaka Yuki Kaori, all her works have a darker underlying theme and sometimes, twists, to them. The issues dealt with in her manga are controversial, yet they are all something that we can relate to. However, unlike her stories, her art style pales in comparision to mangaka like CLAMP or Tanemura Arina so new readers may be put off by her earlier works although I think her recent works are a vast improvement.
These are some of her HIGHLY RECOMMENDED works:
★ Kanojo tachi no X Day (2003)
★ Diamond Head (2004)
★ Kyūso wa Chiizu no Yume wo Miru / The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (2006)
This ia yaoi, so don't read if you dislike the genre. For yaoi fans, this is a serious manga about self-discovery, and what it means to actually love someone. There is also a sequel, titled The Carp on the Chopping Board Jumps Twice.
★ Hōka-go Hokenshitsu / After School Nightmare (2008)
This is easily one of the BEST manga I have ever read. It is also named as one of the best 10 graphic novels for teens by the Young Adult Library Services Association so you know it IS something. The plot is definitely one-of-a-kind, and the art, while clean and pretty in black and white, it's simply BREATHTAKING in colour.
★ Kurobara Alice / Black Rose Alice
Despite the bad reviews of this on Baka-Updates Manga, I really LOVE LOVE LOVE this manga. It is certainly not for everyone, since it is pretty dark and there are gory bits, but after every bittersweet chapter I always feel like crying. Everyone is either fucked up or had their lives fucked up that you can not but feel sorry for them and wish fervently that they would have a happy ending. Some say that it is pretty rushed but I think it is brillantly paced, and almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, so you can not help but want more. It's currently being scanlated by Aerandria, so hop on over there and download!
OMFG THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION PATCH FOR ZERO: TSUKIHAMI NO KAMEN HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!!!
ｷﾀﾜァ*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜(n‘∀‘)ηﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･* !!!!!
Just hearing the news made me cave and buy the original game from Play-Asia... OTL
Next I thought I should write up a review for Mizushiro Setona. I can not claim to be a devoted fan since I did not read all of her manga or liked all that I read, for that matter, but I do think that everyone should give her works a try since they are really great. She has to ability to take a genre swarmed by cliches, like shojo, josei and yaoi and turn them into thought-provoking material. Her stories do not touch you with sweet scenes or cute antics. Her characters are usually flawed, sometimes even antagonistic, but when they come to terms with their behaviour, you feel for them.
In short, reading Mizushiro Setona is an exploration into the human psyche. Like fellow mangaka Yuki Kaori, all her works have a darker underlying theme and sometimes, twists, to them. The issues dealt with in her manga are controversial, yet they are all something that we can relate to. However, unlike her stories, her art style pales in comparision to mangaka like CLAMP or Tanemura Arina so new readers may be put off by her earlier works although I think her recent works are a vast improvement.
These are some of her HIGHLY RECOMMENDED works:
★ Kanojo tachi no X Day (2003)
★ Diamond Head (2004)
★ Kyūso wa Chiizu no Yume wo Miru / The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (2006)
This ia yaoi, so don't read if you dislike the genre. For yaoi fans, this is a serious manga about self-discovery, and what it means to actually love someone. There is also a sequel, titled The Carp on the Chopping Board Jumps Twice.
★ Hōka-go Hokenshitsu / After School Nightmare (2008)
This is easily one of the BEST manga I have ever read. It is also named as one of the best 10 graphic novels for teens by the Young Adult Library Services Association so you know it IS something. The plot is definitely one-of-a-kind, and the art, while clean and pretty in black and white, it's simply BREATHTAKING in colour.
★ Kurobara Alice / Black Rose Alice
Despite the bad reviews of this on Baka-Updates Manga, I really LOVE LOVE LOVE this manga. It is certainly not for everyone, since it is pretty dark and there are gory bits, but after every bittersweet chapter I always feel like crying. Everyone is either fucked up or had their lives fucked up that you can not but feel sorry for them and wish fervently that they would have a happy ending. Some say that it is pretty rushed but I think it is brillantly paced, and almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, so you can not help but want more. It's currently being scanlated by Aerandria, so hop on over there and download!