[Manga Monday] Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meakashi-hen

You’d think I’d get tired of Higurashi after a while… But somehow, the fresh twists on the series’ recurring premise keep me entertained time and time again. This time, Mion’s family history comes fully into play, with her twin Shion returning to town to mix things up. Plus Satoko’s older brother Satoshi is still around – because the arc actually begins a full year before the events of the other arcs. What does this mean for the murders that are destined to occur in Showa 58?

Well, it’s hard to say at this point, because the scanlation efforts of Meakashi-hen don’t seem to be complete yet. The seven currently-released chapters, though, are quite an interesting read. Yes, ‘interesting’ does include the usual gore and distorted expressions, but there’s also an element of honest humanity here that’s different from Higurashi‘s normal state. Even though it’s not as well-executed as some other arcs, Shion’s story is worth reading if you’re already a fan of the series – but it’ll be pretty darn confusing for newcomers to the franchise.

[Manga Monday] The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

… Hey, I’m kind of on a roll with the movie/OVA-to-manga adaptations…

Anyway, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo was probably the most hotly anticipated North American release of 2008 (although I personally didn’t care about it,) and Bandai licensing its manga adaptation made a lot of sense. There’s a minor problem with Bandai being the ones to release it, however: they’re idiots who can’t proofread things worth crap. The finest example is “Makoto” being spelled “Makot” at one spot on the back cover.

Kindergarten-level proofreading skills aside, though, I’m glad someone brought the TokiKake manga stateside, because some of us prefer the sensation of holdign a book in your hands to watching a DVD. Don’t get me wrong, I bet the movie’s great and everything, but I’m perfectly content with the manga. Despite the typos and confusing beginning and end, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an enjoyable read, if you’re not in it for character development or major philosophical ponderings of any kind.

[Manga Monday] The Voices of a Distant Star

Makoto Shinkai’s first true OVA got the attention of sci-fi and romance fans on both sides of the Pacific with its beauty and tear-jerker moments. I was initially somewhat wary of its rarely-mentioned manga adaptation, partly because anime-to-manga adaptations normally suck.

But… This one was different. It totally took Shinkai’s idea and ran it in a dramatically different, slightly more political direction with a very different ending, and it somehow works. Mizu Sahara’s adaptation is just as tear-jerking as the original, but has a less ambiguous ending, which should please the softer-hearted readers. Its original characters could have been extremely annoying, but instead they flesh out Mikako and Noboru’s world quite well. Though the art is fairly weak, especially in battle sequences, there’s a couple of really nicely done color pages at the beginning of the book. It’s a must-read for fans of the OVA and shoujo fans in general.

[Manga Monday] Afterschool Charisma (with bonus rant about SigIkki)

I finally dove more thoroughly into VIZ’s Ikki online manga “magazine” this past week after sort of ignoring it for a few months. The first series on my reading list was Kumiko Suekane’s Afterschool Charisma, which I had heard a lot about in various places on the net. After plowing through all 7 chapters posted, I found myself craving more, because it is an extremely interesting series so far. It has its unbelievable moments (“Almighty Dolly?!” Please tell me that’s just a poor translation!) but its unique setting and fascinating plot are keeping me hooked.

The only problems? The lack of professionalism by the site’s staff. In addition to not posting a mature content warning regarding the naked boobs in AC chapter 2, the site’s serialization efforts went on an unannounced hiatus for the “holiday season”… and still has not returned from break. According to my poking around, the manga were last updated on December 24th (for some of the series; a few were earlier than that) and don’t seem to have been touched since. It’s February 15th. The “holiday season” ended over a month ago, guys. Additionally, the blog post acknowledging the hiatus is dated January 16th. (Insert snarky commentary here.)

[Manga Monday] +C (Plus Si) Sword and Cornett

I have relatively little experience with the realm of jousei manga, but I was somewhat under the impression that it was mostly romance and crap. Yugyoji Tama’s +C Sword and Cornett has made me majorly reconsider that. The monthly series takes the conventions of fantasy series and promptly chops them into pieces, choosing to focus instead on the political aspects of its world. It has all the potential to be pretentious crap, but instead, it ends up being a pleasantly entertaining read. Adventure, drama and even yaoi teases are executed well, compared to other fantasy and jousei series I’ve read. Its only potential problem is the lack of overall plot direction; while it’s not obviously aimless, its main conflict of “taking back the kingdom” doesn’t seem to be developing well.

[Manga Monday] 7th Period is a Secret

You guys know I pretty much hate shoujo. The genre’s various mechanisms and archetypes never really captured my attention as much as, say, a well-drawn fight scene in a shounen manga. (I’m a tomboy like that.) But several romance-laden shoujo titles have won my heart over the years, and fortunately, there’s now another one to add to that list. The adorable but realistic 7th Period is a Secret is a hidden gem of the shoujo world, and while it’s no masterpiece, it’s darn good for a three-chapter miniseries. Its art is better than most series of its genre as well, making it a real treat for aesthetic-minded readers.

[Manga Monday] The Crap Pile

No, “The Crap Pile” is not a name of a manga (to my knowledge. Care to prove me wrong?) This week, I’m piling together all the crappy manga that didn’t even deserve to have 400 words written about each of them. Most of these I dropped after a few volumes or chapters, but one I stuck out to the end (and it was only three volumes) so… Yeah. Read on if you dare; some of these mini-reviews may be incoherent due to my intense hatred for all things fail-y.

[Manga Monday] Darker than Black – Shikkoku no Hana

The Darker than Black franchise has pretty much earned the right to have such a pretentious title. Even with the shoujofest that was the first manga series, DtB maintains a fairly high standard of awesomeness even in its spinoffs and sequels, and the Shikkoku no Hana manga is no different. Even with the introduction of multiple new characters, the manga doesn’t waste time launching into an exciting arc that takes place between the two anime series. The few flaws in the plot are barely noticeable thanks to the characters’ realism and complexity. There’s a few squicky bits, so this arc might not be for the 14-and-under crowd, but there’s no doubt that it’s a sooner-or-later must-read for any fan of the anime series.

(Warning: It’s a slightly more spoilery Manga Monday than usual. Still pretty mild, but I’d recommend skipping this one if you haven’t finished season 1 of the anime.)

[12 Days of Christmas] Day 1 – Soul Eater

Because the manga is tastier than the anime. I mean, that ending. That. Ending. Failed. So let’s move on to a topic that actually matters.

[Manga Monday] Rizelmine

The title of this post probably has some people running away in terror right now. (“Some people” probably meaning veteran fans or people who picked up Rizelmine expecting another D.N. Angel.) But chances are, if you’re a mildly crazy female who likes cute things, you shouldn’t be fleeing – Rizelmine is probably right up your alley. And even if you lean toward the more “normal” section of the cynicism spectrum, the epic side characters should make up for the annoying antics of the loli protagonist. The series’ sense of humor is definitely considered creepy by some readers, though, so consider yourself warned. This isn’t something any self-respecting guy would want to be caught reading at work.