Six Month Roundup

By: Nadia Oxford
Date: Thursday, August 23, 2007

Most of my hobbies don't really contribute to humanity's betterment, unless you count the ability to write raunchy fiction about barbarian firemen. I do, however, take a certain pride in helping steer people towards worthwhile manga titles. It's pretty daunting to walk into a comic shop and confront shelf after shelf of tankobon. I'm often asked, what's good? Like, really good?

That's a difficult question to answer, since we're all special and unique snowflakes with our own likes and dislikes. All I can do is round up the manga I've read over the past six months and list some of my favourites. Maybe you'll like them and you'll become a better person for it.

Hibiki's Magic by Jun Maeda -- This is a shojo series, so your potential enjoyment is directly proportionate to your enjoyment of offerings like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. But even if you didn't care for either, it's hard not to feel some affection towards the young wizard girl, Hibiki, as she struggles to find her place as an inept magician in a world charged with magical energy. The artwork is by Rei Idumi, who is responsible for .hack. The character designs and backgrounds are as soothing as the tea Hibiki is so fond of brewing.

Phoenix, Volume 5 (Resurrection) by Osamu Tezuka -- Phoenix is one of those rare series where every volume stuns you … or at least comes pretty darn close. Each installment is a self-contained story that links to paint a mural of mankind's progression and regression. In volume 5, a young man attains immortality through medical science … but he's left without the ability to properly distinguish organic life. His shortcoming leads him to fall in love with a robot, Chihiro. From there, the story goes through time and beyond Earth. Definitely worth a read.

The Drifting Classroom by Kazuo Umezu -- With new volumes by Viz being released on a regular basis, it's never a bad time to get into Umezu's horror series about a building full of schoolchildren who are somehow teleported to a lifeless alien world. Full of horrific imagery and disturbing themes (think Lord of the Flies, though perhaps even more violent and creepy), The Drifting Classroom is ideal for anyone who hates a peaceful sleep.

Divalicious! by T Campbell -- Most manga fans are automatically skeptical of Tokyopop's Original English Language manga, and it's hard to blame them. Some OEL titles are impotent imitations of their Japanese cousins, and subscribe to stereotypes instead of bothering to develop their own story. But Divalicious is a surprisingly enjoyable title. The characters might seem a little one-dimensional, but the script is often hilarious.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms by Fumiyo Kouno -- It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, a manga fan or non-fan, or a dog on fire; you must read Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms. The story narrates the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima through two characters who are linked by blood. One lives in the past about ten years after the bombing and the other lives in the 1980s, which still sees discrimination against descendents of the victims. Kouno's writing and art are both soft but convey strong emotions effortlessly, making for an unforgettable manga.

Lovers in the Night byFumi Yoshinaga -- Right off the bat, this is a yaoi title. If that sort of thing's not your cup of tea, you probably won't enjoy Lovers in the Night (but come on, how could you hate a title like that?!). If you are a yaoi fan, and I know there's about fifty million of you, you already know Yoshinaga does excellent work, and Lovers in the Night is no disappointment. Set in turbulent pre-Revolution France, a young aristocrat learns a few "lessons" courtesy of his exotic butler. The art is excellent, of course.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci -- This little graphic novel by DC sort of snuck in to my manga collection and made itself at home. It's the kind of story that gets easier to read every time you open it. After Jane survives a terrorist attack, her parents slip into paranoia mode and move to the culturally dead suburbs. Surly and annoyed with her surroundings, Jane makes some unusual friends and together they brighten the lives of the people around them … and frighten the wits out of every adult in town. The Plain Janes is best described as "warm;" it's a nice way to cheer up on a rainy day after the cat's scratched you.

My Heavenly Hockey Club by Ai Morinaga -- You'll be hard pressed to find another manga about hockey that has so little hockey actually in it. The star, Hana, is a girl who loves her sleep … so when she becomes indebted to the captain of the field hockey team, she's horrified to learn he wants her to join up and attend practices before the sun rises. The two find out they're actually quite alike in many ways, but neither is willing to stop eating long enough to admit it. A very funny, very offbeat manga.

King of Thorn by Yuji Iwahara -- Any fan of The Drifting Classroom or Dragon Head will want this post-apocalyptic manga in their collection. Featuring a very distinct and clearly American-inspired art style, King of Thorn takes place in a virus-ravaged world with a small handful of "lottery winners" who were chosen to be cryogenically frozen until a cure is found. However, they unexpectedly wake up when something goes wrong with the system. Now monsters inexplicably roam the abandoned, overgrown hallways … and there's certainly no cure for the virus that's slowly eating at their bodies. Good, suspenseful fun for all.

Stay tuned next week for more recommendations!