07-Ghost Review or Why I don’t read Shonen
Here’s the basic plot of 07-Ghost volume 1, or as much of it as I could figure out: There’s a kid, Teito who was once a slave but is now an elite student at a military academy. He’s got his best friend Mikage and that’s pretty much it. He overhears something he shouldn’t and ends up having to hijack an aircraft. He crashes into a mountain but is saved by four (hot) bishops who take him to the church where he’s granted sanctuary and nuns give him a bath. Then, he has flashbacks and other stuff happens and a demon tries to eat his soul by giving him his one wish? But thankfully the bishops are skilled fighters and finally a mermaid shows up. Yay, a shape- shifting mermaid! He and the mermaid fall in love but he also has confusing feelings for Mikage. I made that last part up. But that’s what I wanted to happen once I got to the mute mermaid.
I realized then that I am not this book’s reader. I should probably not be its reviewer either but here I am. The problem with 07-Ghost is not that it’s a conventional shonen manga but that I’m not a conventional shonen reader because:
1 There’s about a million characters in a shonen manga and practically all of them are male. There’s only so many hairstyles you can use to differentiate the enormous testosterone driven cast and, inevitably, a few thousand of them are going to look alike. In 07-Ghost I have lost track of who’s who and it’s only the first volume.
2. The fight scenes give me vertigo. I have to hand it to the Japanese. I had never seen fighting like this until I opened a manga. It makes Batman look downright lethargic. There’s extreme close ups, fast action lines, panels crossing each other and blood splatter everywhere, it’s amazing. Unfortunately, there’s extreme close ups, fast action lines, panels crossing each other and blood splatter everywhere. I can’t keep up and usually end up flipping to the end of the battle and hope I can tell who won by who’s left standing. If the main character is in a battle that makes it easier since he’s almost certain to win.
3. The storylines are plot driven and therefore somewhat convoluted. In 07-Ghost Teito is a slave raised by a Father in the church and is a the true son of the King of Raggs. (Yes, the kingdom is actually named Raggs.) And they are protecting the Eye of Mikhail which is now in Teito but the neighboring kingdom broke a treaty and on and on and on. I can’t even get into the demons and church politics which are actually somewhat interesting. Now, if you’re a regular shonen reader you’ll probably love it. If you’re used to all the clans in Naruto then two kingdoms with about 10 Districts seems simple, I’m sure.
I have the other two volumes – thanks Go!Comi sale – so I’m going to be a trooper and stick with it. My final assessment is that it’s a conventional shonen series. It’s lacking the heart and humor of better series like Yu-gi-oh but for regular readers there is probably a lot to enjoy. Goodreads shonen readers certainly seem to like it so I trust there’s something there that I’m missing.
Color of Earth review
There’s so much to look at in and say about Color of Earth that I’m not sure where to start. The relationship between Ehwa and her mother. Young Ehwa’s blossoming mind and body. The monk’s struggle with his emerging sexuality? All of this and more is set against a gorgeous Korean countryside. It is in nature that Ehwa defines herself, often as a flower. A fickle young girl turning into a woman, the flowers she prefers, like the way the rain falls – is constantly changing.
In some ways, the book is uncomfortable. The opening scene with two beetles mating and the young boys eagerly watching is both honest and almost too private. It’s like spying on a world that most adults would rather leave alone. Hwa handles this delicate transition through art. The boys and girls are drawn sparingly, almost like one line, the pen never leaving the paper. They are undefined though lovely. Nature, on the other hand, is exquisitely detailed. Nature is in control and humanity has no choice but to grow and follow the seasons.
Ehwa and her mother live alone. Her father has died and while it must have effected Ehwa greatly, there’s no mention of how. Her mother often hints at being lonely and uses Ehwa as her confidant, delighting in Ehwa’s growth because it gives her a reason to discuss her repressed sexuality. This relationship is all the two women have and they cherish it. Ehwa trusts her mother and believes her incapable of making any mistakes. At her mother’s encouragement, Ehwa begins to pursue innocent relationships. She and her mother string flowers outside their home and giggle at the prospect of romance. Of course, there will be a time when Ehwa’s simple longing becomes more intense but in this first, sweet volume she is a girl falling in love as quickly and as fleetingly as a butterfly chooses a flower.
I wish I had two copies of this book. One to read and one to cut out pictures to paste on boxes. It is not an easy or exciting read but there is something compelling in Ehwa and her mother.
Reading Over Shoulders
Hot enough for ya?
I keep meaning to read the Color of Earth but volumes of Monster get in the way. Warren Peace lets me know what I’m missing.
Staying on my kids kick this week – here’s Good Comics for Kids summer reading list.
Confession: I hated Backstage Prince but I really enjoyed the Shojo Beat preview of Black Bird (by the same manga-ka). However, Slightly Biased Manga suggests that maybe I should leave this series where I found it.
Here’s an awesome review/take on the latest Scott Pilgrim (link via Journalista).
Reading Over Shoulders
Hot enough for you?
Here’s a Warren Peace Godland review that, because I’ve never read it, makes no sense to me. Still, it sounds exciting.
If you’ve got kids obsessed with the Cirque Du Freak series then you might be interested in this look at the manga.
Kate Dacey, the Manga Critic, likes Canon. I don’t particularly enjoy that series or the manga-ka’s other series Yurara but I’m beginning to think maybe it’s just me.
Want to learn a new skill, try the Manga Guides!
Yen Plus review
Well, I completely forgot to bring the magazine with me so I don’t have much to reference. But I did want to talk about the latest Yen Plus issue.
I (finally) got my first issue right around the time my last issue of Shojo Beat came. So I was able to compare. While I’ll be sad that SB is gone, I actually enjoy the stories in Yen Plus a lot more. There’s more variety and I appreciate the edgier tone. Will it completely replace SB – I don’t know. It does what people have been suggesting which is combine shojo with shonen and more stuff for older teens. I’m still not convinced it works completely since, as a shojo lover, I kind of ignore the “boy” titles. I would much prefer a giant magazine of only stories *I* like to read. But who gets that?
Hands down my favorite story is Pig Bride. In this issue the gang goes to camp or something (missed the last few issues). Anyway, the pig bride is assaulted and has her mask stolen. The thief then ends up hurt and scared and our hero returns the mask. I swear they have names but without the magazine here I can’t remember them. This installment shows the dark side of all the characters. The pig bride is vengeful though it maybe a result of the curse. The hero is frustrated and lets it be his excuse to torment his stalker. All in all, it’s developing into a good character driven story.
I also enjoy Nighschool which is just good old fashioned, supernatural fun. Stock characters and the artwork has them all looking like fish with eyes on either side of the head but still, lots of fun. Plus the library comes to life and is a person made out of paper!
On the manga side, Soul Eater has won me over with its humor. I don’t get too into the fighting scenes but, like Naruto, there’s enough going on that I don’t get bored.
So in the end, despite all my irritation at getting the thing to my door, I’m super glad I did. I can’t wait for next month!
Reading Over Shoulders
Isn't linking to other blogs kind of a ripoff of, well, other blogs? Yeah but so what - I've already sued them forcing them to not sue me. Trust me, it makes sense.
David Welsh lives out his firefighting fantasies (not really, I made that up but who doesn’t have firefighting fantasies?) while reading Fire Investigator Nanase.
The Forbidden Planet blog reviews an adaptation of one of my favorites, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Here’s an interview with Never Learn Anything from History creator, Kate Beaton. I can’t wait to read this one!
Kate Dacey reviews Detroit Metal City. How she got past that terrible cover, I will never know. Seriously, it makes me want smack the book around. And never read it. But I judge covers like that.
Drifting Classroom – Review
Nobody does horror like the Japanese. Nobody. I don’t care how creepy (and incidentally, well written) Stephen King’s Duma Key was, it couldn’t hold a candle to the nightmares that went into Uzumaki. Kazuo Umezu is the best of the best. His Drifting Classroom bothered me on a level I haven’t felt in years.
Basically, an entire grade school is mysteriously teleported to a strange desolate world. If they leave the school grounds they die. The teachers are barely suppressing a riot and the children are worried about their parents. At the center of the story is Sho, a 6th grader who’s at odds with his mother. After a particularly harsh fight, he’s left thinking his last words to her were in anger.
There is plenty of horror in this first volume. One child falls from the roof, a teacher cuts his own son in a desperate attempt to evoke order. But what really chills me is that the mangaka went there. To the forbidden place in horror – he put children (not teens) in danger. Alone. They do their best but spend most of the book crying, heartbreakingly, for their parents. To know that only more horror awaits them actually makes my stomach hurt.
Which isn’t to say that the book is bad. In fact, it’s excellent. I admire the skill with which Umezu handles his characters. Sho is trying his hardest but alternates between disbelief and anger. The children are not stupid and resent being lied to by their teachers, even when they willing participate in the lie to “protect the younger students”.
This is being afraid of the dark, the boogie man and the thing under the bed then calling for your mother and getting no answer.
Reading Over Shoulders
Don't look directly at the sun, you might scare her away.
Matthew Brady gives you three manga reviews for the price of one. You know what he doesn’t give you? His take on the June issue of Shojo Beat…I look forward to it every month. I guess I have to be patient.
David Welsh gives a good, insightful review and explains what might be off in the manga Gakuen Prince. Writing a good negative review is hard but I really think he brings up a lot of good points without saying “don’t buy this it sucks”.
I absolutely adored Guy Delisle’s travelogue Pyongyang. He’s returned with another book, this one about his experience in China.
The Eternal Smile review
In The Eternal Smile, Gene Yang and Derek Kirk Kim make an excellent team, expertly combining writing and artwork to put together three short stories that say a lot. I was really taken with Kim’s talent. I had read Yang before so I knew what to expect but the diversity of Kim’s drawings really impressed me.
The first story is by far the weakest. A young hero sets out on a quest to bring the Frog King’s head back to his love, the princess. Should he succeed he wins her hand and the kingdom. Though everything is not as it seems and in the end he must make a choice. The script is entertaining if predictable.
The last two stories are where these artists really show what they can do. In the title story, a greedy frog builds a church to an eternal smile in the sky. Layered in a funny, dime-store comic style is commentary on exploitation, religion, entertainment and power. The use of color in this story is especially impressive. I won’t spoil the ending but I will say that how Kim paints the final pages make for a beautiful ending – the type that’s leaves you with a smile.
As much as I enjoyed “The Eternal Smile”, the final story is the book’s best. In this story Yang and Kim show what a great team they make. Kim perfectly illustrates Yang’s brow-beaten secretary. Kim boxes her in her panels like she’s boxed in her cubicle. She is cherubic and small but an email from a Nigerian prince asking for money makes her bigger. She answers the email and complies with the requests. Just that simple concept alone makes me love this story.
Through each story could easily turn dark, Yang and Kim don’t let that happen. After a week of indie comics and a vampire book, I was happy to see an eternal smile.
Reading Over Shoulders
omgomgomgomgomgomg VORTEX 2!!!!!
I seriously need some Stylish surgical masks by Yoriko Yoshida.
Kate Dacey at Manga Critic offers up a quick couple of reviews and notes that things come out too fast to cover it all – preach it.
Chris Mautner decides that League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1910 is better than Black Dossier – which isn’t saying much. Based on his review, I’ll probably give it a shot but not have my hopes up.
Here’s what the critics are saying about X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
I normally don’t even bother with a comic until it’s collected but I love the concept of this giant cowl battle so much that I may have to get single issues. Read About Comics reviews Battle of the Cowl: The Underground.
