Chihayafuru volume 1 review

I was debating whether to blog again yet here I am! With that out of the way let's dig into Chihayafuru, shall we?

Much like the Chihayafuru anime, volume 1 of the Chihayafuru manga is a deeply moving experience. Chihaya is a compellingly written strong lead herself but the supporting cast is just as strong filled with colourful characters who immediately leave a strong and loving impression. Volume 1 is more of a prologue but it establishes many core elements for the series as well as the emotional core of the manga. When I finished reading I desperately wanted to read more right away. The artwork is also gorgeously expressive. It's impossible not to be swept up in Chihaya's infectious positivity. It's a small story there are no cheap narrative gimmicks just really solid writing complete with characters who feels very real yet at the same time lovable. The series also focuses very little on romance for readers who that might be an issue for going into it. This is a very moving manga about a Japanese poem game. 

Comic Corrale: Winter 2016 Anime Premieres Part 1

Comic Corrale: Winter 2016 Anime Premieres Part 1

This season I see a lot of “what should I watch this season?” As someone who watches anime premieres for funsies, I thought I’d give my two cents on the premieres I’ve seen if it helps at all.

Lupin III Part 4 Ep. 1-5: Technically not a show to premiere in Japan this season. This series has had a bit of an odd release schedule. It was actually scheduled to air in Spring 2015 in Italy but got delayed until late August. It premiered in Japan in October before FINALLY premiering to English speaking audiences a few days ago. If you haven’t  check it out yet, I highly recommend you do!

Myriad Colors Phantom World 1: This series had a colorful start only to give way to the light novel clichés which it fails to even do well. The animation is fluid but that’s really all it has going for it. It’s self aware that it’s bad and continues to be despite that. You can probably give this one a pass.

Ojisan to Marshmallow 1: It’s about an overweight man who loves marshmallows and a woman who wants to do the diddlydoo with him. That’s literally all there is to this. At 3 minutes I found it entertaining enough.

Oshiete! Galko-chan 1: If you have the humor of a 5 year old you will likely enjoy this. Needless to say, I was laughing the whole way through.

Pandora Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 1: It is trash that I have no intention of returning to. It’s somewhat watchable at least, in that way watching a train wreck unfolding would be. Really though, there are so many other things in this world you could be watching other than this.

Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R 1: I admit, once it got rolling, I was entertained if only for the references to classic anime. Before it does entertain, though, it feels the need to mock every cliché from this type of show which bored me to tears.

Haruchika 1: The surprisingly positive representation of the LGBT community at the very end of the episode caught me off guard. It’s rare to see a protagonist who’s gay/bi/pan/etc. in animation who isn’t either meant to inspire fanfiction or to be mocked. In fact, I’ll likely continue watching simply to see where it goes from there.

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 1: I’ve already seen this 48 minute premiere twice. Once alone and once with a family member and enjoyed it both times. Far and away the biggest standout, thus far, this season, I cannot wait for more.  

Erased 1: This made some good use of minimalism in some shots. That being said, the protagonist is grating with his internal monologues. Really, it’s the supporting cast that made this premiere shine. The plot is certainly compelling as well to an extent. I can kind of guess how it’ll unravel but given the more grim nature. I think waiting for it to finish and then having a marathon would be the best way to watch this show.

Tabi Machi Late Show 1: This series has by far been the least talked about on social media. It has Comix Wave’s practically trademark limited animation. The story is touching in the premiere. It manages to cover a lot of ground in its 7 minutes. This series is only going to be 4 episodes and will apparently be part of the “Comix Wave Omnibus.”

Sekko Boys 1: For lovers of guilty pleasure shows, Sekko Boys with what appears to be either very detailed or photoshopped statues is the go to show this season! It’s part of the Ultra Super Anime Time block in Japan which has produced some very entertaining comedies since it debuted last July and this certainly follows in that tradition.

Norn9 1: Complete with a name a ten year old would come up with, Norn9 has surprisingly detailed backgrounds. That’s really the only highlight of this first episode. Otherwise it is very much a copy and paste video game anime adaptation.

Prince of Stride Alternative 1: This series has some talent behind it, surprisingly, and it makes the end product look super stylish. Honestly, both writing and visually I was impressed by this premiere and am very much looking forward to more.

Bubuki Buranki 1: The character CG is laughable but the story is more than enough to carry this premiere. This is probably more a series for more mainstream anime fans and I feel it will succeed to that end. It really isn’t my cup of tea though I feel it’d be best watch with friends as it feels like a Hollywood flick.

Before I finish this I feel it’s worth mentioning there were a few shows that premiered that I couldn’t even finish: Girls in the Wastelands is probably the most painful premiere thus far this season. Phantasy Star Online 2 the Animation comes from the school of thought that it need not put in an ounce of effort and still succeed and needless to say it fails dismally for it. I will write up other premieres I watch at a later point so I guess that will be a part 2.

Comic Corral #3

Comic Corral #3: Jolly Jojo New Year!

By Geordi Demorest

Happy New Year to all! Here’s another spree of meandering writings about what I was reading and watching over the holidays.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure seasons 1-3: After my Black Butler marathon I thought I would follow it up with another homoerotic shonen series and sunk my teeth into Jojo. With Diamond is Unbreakable start in a few months which was certainly being a motivator. With Jojo being the series it is of course they kill my beloved Iggy the dog. At least they give him and the other characters that kicked the bucket in this part a Lion King send off. Stardust Crusaders is my least favorite of the Jojo parts to date, with how long it is and its less than stellar finale, though it too is a really good series in its own way. There are lots of creative ideas and cheesy moments in the third part so it certainly has its positives. Part two Jojo is rather frustrating as a character but again that’s probably more of a personal taste for protagonists.

Cuticle Detcetive Inaba vol. 1 & 2: I was surprised by how much I liked this series. I admit to not being the biggest fan of the anime with how it rushes through scenes but the source material never feels rushed despite the episodic nature of the first volume or so. I think the clincher was when they finally introduced the true antagonist who gives the series more of an overarching and somewhat compelling plot.

Nanbaka vol. 1: It takes the volume forever and a day to truly introduce the cast much of the book meanders from gag to gag only at the end revealing the protagonist’s motivation. There isn’t a whole lot else to bring up about this series apart from the bright, vivid colors which compelled me to continue. 

Comic Corral #2

Comic Corral #2: Black Butler’s Big Day(s)

by Geordi Demorest

Black Butler Chapters 1-111: I’ve never been one for long running series comic or otherwise so Black Butler took years to catch-up on inevitably ending in a marathon that was both fascinating and depressing. Once I truly sunk my teeth into the manga there was no stopping. I think the biggest hurdle for those who have seen the anime in part or entirely will be separating it from the source material which has an entirely different take on the world and characters after the booking arc. The manga tries its hand at everything from mysteries to sports manga.

Sweetness and Lightning chapters 1-29: I haven’t talked about Sweetness and Lightning much, if at all, but it truly is an adorable manga. There isn’t a whole lot to it beyond its premise. The characters have layers and goals though which I think is what establishes it apart from many other slice-of-life manga well that and its incredible artwork.

Today’s Cerberus chapters 1-28: This is not a comic with an ounce a class yet I adore it all the same. It takes Nisekoi’s tropes and characters and does them many, many times better. It isn’t afraid to continue its story and doesn’t go off on tangents. It’s still shameless fan service (which is perfectly fine) it just has more too it.

Dark Horse Presents volume 3 issues 1-16: Currently I’m working my way through the seventeenth issue of this comic anthology magazine. Not all the series are winners but the ones that are really hit it out of the park. It’s a breath of fresh air for one such as I who spends much of my time with Japanese comics.

Relife volume 1: This manga caught me particularly by surprise from the outset I thought it would be fan service pandering to the lowest common denominator. However it’s a surprisingly thoughtful and addictive series.  I cannot wait for more of it to be up on Crunchyroll!

Comic Corral #1

Comic Corral #1

by Geordi Demorest

So I’m trying something a little different again. This is column is more of a roundup of some of the books and shows I’ve been watching and a more blog style reaction to them instead of reviews with structure to them. So basically what I’ve been doing.

Island issues 1-4: This one caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected to enjoy this as much as I do. Not all of the stories were winners one of the stories in particular in which people have devices that do everything for them seemed to clash with the more surrealist at times almost dada.

Lettera volume 1: This one can be found on the sparkler monthly site where it is currently being serialized. It does this weird thing where it goes into super deformed mode at odd times, as in, most of the time. I really like series with strong female protagonists and this is a prime example of that. The heroine, who doesn’t have much depth so far honestly, can hold her own in a fight and has a compelling personality.

Orange Junk Chapters 1-14: This comic is kind of a guilty pleasure with not too much substance to it. It’s a fun read and also can be found on the sparkler monthly website. The modeling arc is by far my favorite as it actually has some stakes and greatly expands the cast.

Natsume’s Book of Friends volume 10: I have always been a fan of Natsume, though admittedly I still have the fourth/final season sitting unfinished on my CR queue. It’s a quiet series though my favorite moments are the more suspenseful ones. This volume pretty much continued to stick to the series’ status quo for better and for not so well.

Big Punch Magazine issue 1: I’d been vaguely aware of this magazine for some time but never had gotten around to reading it mostly because I wasn’t sure it would stay afloat for long. The end of the year though and it’s still around. The stories are compelling and too my liking in art style Though don’t really care for the first story in the issue.

There was a lot more that I read recently, and continue to read, and I might get around to writing up about those series at some point too. Anywho, have a good day!

Top 5 Best and Worst Comics of 2015

Top 5 Best and Worst Comics of 2015

by Geordi Demorest

2015 was a huge year for comics. Highly requested series have been licensed in droves, French comics made a splash onto the North American market, new services sprung up like Spottoon, Yen Press simulpubs, Silent Manga Audition, webtoons (a new format for comics designed for the digital age) seem to be taking off globally, and so on and so forth. With the year drawing to a close I thought I’d make a best and worst list for comics that came out in 2015. To clarify the worst list was really subjective while the best list is made up, what I feel to be, the best comics of 2015.

Let’s get the worst out of the way:

5) Idol Dreams: I couldn’t get past the first chapter of this one. Tanemura really isn’t that great at writing adults who feel and act like adults. There was also a suicide joke thrown in and well let’s say it isn’t one of her better works.

4) Takahashi-san is Listening: This series relies completely around a really awkward joke: the protagonist is a stalker. There really isn’t much to say about it beyond that. It never really goes beyond the joke nor does the heroine face any consequences for her actions.

3) Samon the Summoner: This one was particularly insufferable. The biggest problem lies in the fact that the heroine is actually a great person, and yet Samon tries to convince the audience that secretly she is evil at heart and that she should, thus, be miserable. It never gave a reason in the pilot chapter and it was another one I couldn’t read much of beyond it admittedly. Like most of the Jump Starts this year this one was cancelled quickly.  

2) Yuuki and Nao: This one goes higher because, when I started reading it, I was cautiously optimistic, that it might be decent, but it turned out to be yet another of Renta’s many hard-core smut series.

1) Marie of the Dragons: It now occurs to me that this list is comprised mostly of smut and tasteless humor series. Marie of the Dragons falls into the former category. It took me many months to finish the one issue I have bought. While I enjoy some bande desinee this is not one of them. The art is hideous and it prefers to concentrate on the smut far too much for my tastes.

Now for the “best of” list:

5) Bloody Mary: Admittedly this one is more of a personal favorite but the way it goes about its subject matter is well written and refreshing. It’s far more intelligent than I thought it would have been from the outset and it was a genuinely pleasant surprise for me.

4) Scarlet Empire: Another personal favorite. The artwork is distinct and eye-catching, the story flows fluidly, and the characters have layers to their personalities. It’s probably the lowest profile series on this best list but I think it deserves a spot.

3) So Cute It Hurts: This series was even more of a pleasant surprise. Despite how plain it looks it has a lot of personality. Gender benders are difficult to do well and I think So Cute it Hurts is certainly up to the task.

2) Princess Jellyfish: I really struggled with the top two.  Princess Jellyfish is only in second because I was well aware from the outset how great it would be. It’s charming and has many, many likeable, colorful characters. The common is perfectly tuned and it just does very well at what it sets out to be: a romantic comedy.

1) Tokyo Ghoul: I really could not NOT put this one at number 1. Tokyo Ghoul is by far the most compelling comic of 2015. It spends lots of time and effort establishing the decay of its protagonist’s morality and sanity and its multi-layered world. The artwork is no slouch either the series comic consistently looks good too. Tokyo Ghoul is nigh impossible to put down and it truly deserves its place.

xxxHolic Rei volume 1 review

xxxHolic Rei volume 1 Review

by Geordi Demorest

Review:                                Yuko has never really been one of my favorite leads in a manga and this volume spotlights one of her biggest flaws as a protagonist: she takes this whatever will be will be attitude which makes her difficult to root for. Instead she chooses to spend her time talking in circles and indulging in alcohol and smoking to pass the time while her clients fall metaphorically apart. That said, xxxHolic rei’s first volume has an almost hypnotic grasp over its readers and is the perfect book to read before going to sleep.

This new series returns Yuko to being the owner of the wish granting shop while Watanuki resumes being her flunky. While it’s clear something is amiss throughout the entire volume no one cares to explain it to the audience. Plot has never been one of xxxHolic strong suits. The aspect that ultimately compels the reader to continue is the strange relationship between Watanuki and Domeki. Watanuki spends the entire book asking for answers while Yuko would rather be vague and give non-answers that confuse both Watanuki and the reader.

I preferred when Watanuki was the shopkeeper because he was a lot more clear on what his goal was and was much more proactive in helping his clients that Yuko continues to be. In conclusion, I would say, that this would be a good jumping on point for new readers to the series. For those of us who have continued the series until now, well, there’s really no escaping for us at this point.

Grade: B-

xxxHolic Rei is available in print and digitally from Kodansha Comics.