Game X Rush Volume 1

Pretty pictures in search of a story

In the “Author’s Notes” for “Game X Rush,” Kusanagi Mizuho (NG Life) says that while she loves drawing manga, she really hates having to come up with a story. Sadly, I have to agree with her. The artwork here is fantastic, but the plot and storytelling is an absolute mess.

This is the sort of comic that starts off with a premise rather than a story. You have two guys, Shin Yuuki and Fujieda Memori, who are Japan’s greatest assassin (Yuuki) and greatest bodyguard (Memori). The assassin Yuuki is stalking Memori, playing a game of cat-and-mouse in order to test their respective skills against each other. At least that’s how things start out.

What seems like a recipe for a tense action-oriented manga soon just falls apart into an unfocused collection of scenes. Although the author tells of their respective skills as bodyguard and assassin, the two spend more time hanging out at school together or just palling around than in any sort of tense game. A thirteen-year old girl, who is the head of “G-ING,” Japan’s top bodyguard agency (why there is such a need for bodyguards in Japan is never really explained, although every client seems to be a young, vulnerable girl who also happens to be wealthy) attempts to recruit Yuuki and Memori to work for her company, and brings them in to train her men. Lots of little bits and pieces but no true story.

Kusanagi was clearly struggling to turn her premise into a story, even though she had little interest in the premise itself. What interests her is the tension between Yuuki and Memori, at times almost bordering on yaoi but never going there. What is Yuuki’s obsession with Memori? That is where “Game X Rush” is interesting, but the assassin/bodyguard dynamic or villain/hero seems almost to have been forgotten half-way through the story. There is one scene near the end, where Yuuki is finally infused with a bit of danger, but for the most of the book “Japan’s deadliest assassin” is about as scary as a kitten.

With art as great as Kusanagi Mizuho puts out, it makes me wish she had a writer to accompany her, as with an American comic book. She knows her way around a pen, but thinking up storylines and plot is where she fails.

“Game X Rush” is only a two-volume series, continued in volume 2. It was originally serialized in the popular shojo manga, “Hana to Yume. “

Happy Cafe Volume 1

The place to be happy

I once heard an anecdote where director Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life) was accused by a critic of only making simple feel-good movies. Capra’s response was something along the lines of “What’s so bad about just making people happy?”

That’s pretty much the same answer I have for enjoying “Happy Café” (Japanese title “Shiawase Kissa San-chome” or “Happy Café in the 3rd District.” This is not a ground breaking series, or terribly original or well done, but somehow reading it…makes me happy. And what’s so bad about that?

The series starts off with the spunky gal Uru heading to the door of the Café Bonheur. Uru is sixteen years old, and recently left her home to try and live by herself due to her mother getting re-married to a twenty-nine year old man. Uru wants her mother to be happy and thinks she will be getting in the way at home. Answering a local flyer, Uru is hunting for a job at the Café Bonheur, and hopefully some happiness to go along with it. In the café, she meets the two other employees. Shindo is a cold and somewhat harsh guy, but whose skill at preparing the dainty sweets of the shop reveal another side to him. Ichiro is much more open and lively but has his own quirks as well.

In fact, “quirks” go along way in creating the atmosphere for “Happy Café.” Aside from the simple story, all of the characters are odd in their own little way. Uru is a small girl, who everyone mistakes for an elementary school kid, but she is freakishly strong. Uru has a hard time working in the café because she keeps breaking everything she touches. Ichiro only stays awake so long as he has food in his stomach, and keeping him fed is a running joke. Shindo likes to keep an aura of mystery about himself, but his small attacks of kindness show what lies between the surface.

In this first volume, some of the plots get resolved, like Uru and her step-father, as well as a new character being introduced in the form of Mitsuka, a girl so beautiful that Uru is blinded by her and keeps humming the theme to Cutie Honey whenever she comes by. A bit of romantic feelings start to blossom between Uru and Shindo, but just enough to give you a taste of things to come.

Like the story, the art in “Happy Café” is simple, but perfect to the story. Shindo and Ichiro are pretty much twins except for their hairstyles, and the backgrounds are almost non-existent. Uru is really cute, and shifts from realistic to cartoony as the situation calls for it. Everything is kept light and happy, which is suited by the art style. The only thing I can really think of to compare it to is “Yotsuba&!” although “Happy Café” is different in style.

If you are looking for a comic that is just fun to read and makes you feel good, then “Happy Café” is going to do you good. Just don’t expect depth, angst or any other clouds on a sunny day.

Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi Volume 1

Welcome to the modern world, Yoichi

The word “harem” in the title should clue you into what you can expect from “Samurai Harem” (Japanese title “Asu no Yoichi” meaning “Tomorrow’s Yoichi.”) Yes, it is that kind of manga.

The set-up has 17-year old Yoichi Karasuma, who has spent his entire life deep in the mountains training to be a bushi warrior, being sent into the city by his father. His father feels he has nothing more to teach Yoichi, who must now test his skills and resolve in a different manner. With a letter of introduction, Yoichi arrives at the home of the Ikaruga dojo, ancient allies of the Karasuma family. Almost entirely abandoned, the dojo is now the home of the four Ikaruga sisters, only one of whom maintains the family’s martial traditions. Hijinks ensue.

The conflict and comedy of “Samurai Harem” comes from Yoichi’s naivety and old-fashioned ways conflicting with the girls and the modern world. Yoichi still dresses and lives like a old-style samurai, and has never spoken to a girl before or lived with electricity or gone to school. Even though he is a master of the blade, he is pretty much a clumsy oaf with everything else, and about twenty pages into the book he finds himself with panties on his head and his hands in places they shouldn’t be, all while trying to explain to the eldest sister Ibuki that it isn’t what it looks like.

It is a familiar situation, crossing Love Hina with Ranma 1/2although Yoichi is a much more earnest character than Ranma or Keitaro. Yoichi is conflicted between his desire to walk the true path of the bushi, and the sudden desires for something softer and sweeter that he had never had to deal with before isolated in the mountains. His supposed rival, a local tough guy named Washizu, isn’t quite sure how to deal with Yoichi. Yoichi beats Washizu soundly every time they brawl, but Yoichi seems to treat the encounters as fun rather than the beat-down Washizu wants to deliver.

The four Ikaruga sisters all have distinct personalities and their own way of reacting to Yoichi. Eldest sister Ibuki (the main target for Yoichi’s affections) is large-chested and good-natured, but prone to excessive fits of violence that leave everyone feeling the smack down. Next sister Ayame is a sarcastic modern girl addicted to her cellphone, although some of her harshness is a screen for her deep shame at being so flat-chested and always second-best when compared to Ibuki. Sister number three Chihaya is a glasses-wearing bookworm who aspires to be a manga artist. She comes off as one of the most interesting characters, as she realizes that she has found herself in the middle of a typical manga storyline and decides to manipulate circumstances to the most outrageous effects, so that she can use it for her artwork. Last up is the typical sweet and shy youngest sister, Kagome, who is a dead-ringer for Shinobu from Love Hina and also can’t seem to keep her underpants off of Yoichi’s head.

Formulaic? Totally. But you either like the formula or you don’t. I like it, and thought that “Samurai Harem” delivered a good variation on a favorite theme. Cute girls in compromising positions, some samurai action (but not too much), decent characters and a fun storyline…”Samurai Harem” isn’t going to go down as one of the greatest manga of all time, but it is definitely worth the read if you like the genre.

Kappa

5.0 out of 5 stars The distorted mirror of Kappaland

“Kappa” is told from the point of view of Patient 23, an asylum inmate who tells of his incredible journey into the heart of Kappaland, peopled by the Kappa, the magical creatures of Japanese folklore.

In the tradition of “Gulliver’s Travels,” inside Kappaland, Akutagawa, author of “Rashomon” and “In the Grove,” has created a twisted reflection of both his contemporary Japanese society and his own self-loathing. It has been a difficult tale to interpret in Japan, being hailed as either a children’s story, a social satire or simply weird. Akutagawa himself feared insanity due to his mother’s mental deterioration during his youth, and his own justified fear of the taint of madness in his blood.

Akutagawa’s mental state when writing “Kappa” is important background, and the paperback edition comes with an extensive mini-biography of the famous author that is almost the size of the story itself. Akutagawa never wrote novels, and it is strange to see a single story packaged in one book. The introduction/biography is well written as well, and helps to reveal the story.

The writing in “Kappa” is sharp and quick-witted. The satire is equal parts clever and odd. Religion, marriage, arts and entertainment, all are in part skewered and skewed. The book is an incredibly fast read, and one that you will want to pass to your friends to read as well, so that you can see what someone else makes of it.

Ju-on: Shiroi Roujo

2.0 of 5 Stars:  Beware the basketball wielding grandmother!

Ah “Ju-On”…perhaps it is long time past to say goodbye.  Although the first film remains one of the classics of the J-Horror genre, with each subsequent release there remains less and less to scrape off the bottom of the barrel.

This film “Ju-On: Shiroi Roujo” (English translation “Ju-On: The White Old Lady”) is part of a two-part release with “Ju-On: Kuroi Shojo” “Ju-On: Black Young Girl”).  They were produced in honor of the tenth anniversary of the original “Ju-On” V-Cinema release often known in English as “Ju-On: The Curse.”  Although since that film was released in 2000, the tenth anniversary is a little bit early.

Really, this film has only the barest of connection with the original series.  The “Ju-On” house is present, and Toshio pops up with his cat grown just to let us know what series we are in, but that is about it.   

The story follows the son of a business man who fails to pass his critical bar exam and then murders his entire family, leaving behind a cassette tape after he hangs himself.  On the tape is the mysterious female voice of a young girl saying “Go…go now…” Into this story comes Akane (played by nineteen-year old J-Idol Minami Akina) a highschool girl with supernatural senses who keeps catching glimpses of her old schoolgirl chum Mirai, who was molested and murdered when then were young. (Any guesses as to whose voice is the mystery girl on the tape?). 

The plot for “Ju-On: Shiroi Roujo” is really disjointed, although it follows some of the standard rules of “whoever enters this house dies.”   A small side scene has a poor guy delivering Christmas Cakes show up at the house, only to return home and murder his girlfriend (played by adult video actress Mihiro in a tiny bit part.  For the record, Mihiro takes off none of her clothes and has sex with absolutely nobody, which seems a waste of her talents in a film like this.  I think I will stick to the other Mihiro films in my collection.)  The main haunting ghost, and titular character, is the grandmother who was murdered by her grandson in the big family slaying, who likes to freak people out by tossing a basketball around before showing up in a bad white fright-mask and killing them.

Directed by Miyake Ryuta, who was apparently hand-picked by “Ju-On” czar Shimizu Takeshi, “Ju-On: Shiroi Roujo” is barely passable as something to watch.  Miyake imported his “basketball wielding grandmother ghost” from a previous effort of his, a short segment on “Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro” (“Tales of Terror from Tokyo and All Over Japan”) in an attempt to put something of his own stamp on the series.  The special effects work here is just terrible, and the ghost grandma comes off looking like someone wearing the “Ghost Face” mask from the “Scream” series, eliciting laughs rather than frights whenever she shows up.

Not that it was a complete waste.  At about an hour long, “Ju-On: Shiroi Roujo” isn’t too much of an investment to watch and there are a few nice scenes.  The dismembered head in a bag in the back of a taxi was a nice touch.   Minami Akina is nice to look at, and there are worst ways to spend an hour.  If your expectations are low, you might have some fun with this film.

I have heard that the second film, “Ju-On: Kuroi Shojo” is the better of the pair, but I haven’t had the chance to see that yet.

Bloody Kiss Volume 1

Angst-free Vampire Romance

I can’t imagine a more light and fluffy vampire romance than “Bloody Kiss.” There are no love triangles to be had, no repression of blood lust…in fact, the this manga vampires only drink blood from one human their whole life, who they take as a “bride” and cherish and love forever.

Furumiya Kazuko started “Bloody Kiss” as a short story, but was encouraged to stretch it out into a longer series. The finished work only spans two volumes, but it is clear even Furumiya didn’t know where the story was going. She just wanted to create some fluffy feel-good romance with a strong-willed girl and her beautiful vampire lover. Somehow the plot had to be stretched into that.

In the story, schoolgirl Katsuragi Kiyo inherits and old crumbling mansion from her late grandmother. Remote and hidden away, Kiyo plans to sell the place to finance her law school, but upon arrival she finds she has also inherited two vampires, the dashing Lord Kuroboshi and his attendant Alshu. Both vampires lived merrily along with Kiyo’s grandmother, and when Lord Kuroboshi sets eyes on Kiyo it is love at first site.

Aside from Kuroboshi and Kiyo’s romance, the humor of “Bloody Kiss” comes from the domestic strife of Kiyo trying to find a job to pay for food and upkeep, since the vampires consider themselves too aristocratic to work. Kiyo is also a horrible cook, although she tries her very best as she finds herself falling for Kuroboshi.

The art in “Bloody Kiss” is uneven, and artist Furumiya seems to not have a solid grasp of her characters and their appearance. Manga artists often humble themselves in the writer’s notes included in their volumes, but this is the first time I have found myself agreeing. The art does improve in Bloody Kiss Volume 2 however, so it is nice to see the improvement.

This volume of “Bloody Kiss” also has a short back-up story, “Angel Love Song,” which surprisingly features no vampires whatsoever, “Angel Love Song” is a teenage love story of a girl who gets dumped by her boyfriend, but then miraculously meets the boy of her dreams just in time for the band concert. Fluffy bunnies all around.

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Just tastes better

I always used to hate mayonnaise, and couldn’t imagine using it as a regular condiment. Turns out I just hated American mayonnaise.

Japanese mayonnaise is made with rice vinegar and a spice called ajinomoto, which gives it a hint of the flavor called umami. Umami is a special flavor, found mainly in Asian cooking, that can be detected by the human tounge outside the four basic tastes of sweetness, sourness, bitterness and saltiness. Japanese mayonnaise is much better for cooking, especially for making salad dressings. That hint of umami makes all the difference.

Kewpie brand is the most popular brand of Japanese mayonnaise, and so it is a bit of a comfort food like Heinz ketchup is to Americans. Aside from tasting great, it is just nice to see the familiar bottle sitting in the fridge, knowing you can pull it out at any time and make your tacoyaki taste just that much better.

Legends of the Poisonous Seductress #1: Female Demon Ohyaku

5.0 out of 5 stars Buckets of awesome

The first thing that surprised me about this flick is that it is in black and white. Obviously, I could have read that from the product description, but I just sort of passed over it and seeing that vivid color cover I was expecting something different. Not that this is anyway a bad thing. There is something unexpected about a sexual and violent black and white film that makes them all the more stunning, just because I am not used to seeing such extremes in the classic format.

“Female Demon Ohyaku” (“Yôen dokufuden hannya no ohyaku”) is just a fantastic flick. The first Pinky Violence film, and the one that would inspire many other rape/revenge flicks like Lady Snowblood and Kill Bill it has all the classic elements. Ohyaku Dayu (Miyazono Junko) is a beautiful acrobat/prostitute who is sold to the highest bidder following each show. Capturing the eye of a handsome thief, he rescues her from a bureaucratic rapist and claims her for his own. She is just the bad girl a guy like him needs as partner and wife. Ah, but a happy life was not meant for Ohyaku, and she soon finds her self without a lover, disgraced and exiled on a prison island. There is only one thing for a desperate gal in that situation….revenge.

Now, being an older flick “Female Demon Ohyaku” is not as extreme as some of the later Pinky Violence offerings. There is no real nudity to speak of, and the gore is limited. But they make do with what they have, as Ohyaku seduces and kills her way through a number of hapless men, and even one woman (very sexy scene!), working her way towards her target. Lead actress Miyazono Junko is quite the beauty, although believable tough and deadly as well. She doesn’t let anyone take the easy way out in her revenge, but gets creative with her cruelty. Wakayama Tomisaburo, of Lone Wolf and Cub fame, plays a supporting role but never really gets into the action.

The DVD has some great features as well, including an essay on the Sword and Girl genre, and a nice commentary. The cover is reversible so you can have the original Japanese artwork instead of the shown cover, which is really cool. This is followed by two other loosely-connected color films in the series Legends of the Poisonous Seductress #2: Quick Draw Okatsu. and Legends of the Poisonous Seductress #3: Okatsu the Fugitive. They don’t continue the story, but feature the same lead actress and themes. I am anxious to pick them up, and see if they are as magnificent as this gem.

Chibi Vampire Volume 14

Happy Endings all around

As of Volume 13, Karin the nose-bleeding vampire was a captive of the Brownlick clan who planned to feed off of her excessive blood in order to keep their clan strong. The Psyche, as the Brownlick calls Karin’s unique breed of vampire, has been the property of the clan for centuries and they mean to continue the tradition. Of course, the clan has a little surprise in for Karin. She needs to give birth to a successor Psyche before the clan can finish her off, assuring a next generation of strong blood for the Brownlicks. Utsui, however, has something to say about that plan!

Volume 14 concludes the long running and popular “Chibi Vampire” series (known in Japanese simply as “Karin,” the title which was also used for the anime). A vampire romantic-comedy, the series has had quite a few twists and turns, playing with the genre and injecting some new ideas into the typical “vampire romance” situation.

Because this is a romantic-comedy, ending on a high note with love all around is pretty much expected, but series author Kagesaki Yuna doesn’t take the easy way out. Even Karin’s lady-killer brother Ren ends up in a completely unexpected situation that is a bit of poetic justice for the character. “Bittersweet” is the word most associated with this kind of ending, because for every gain there is a loss, and for everyone who gets to walk hand in hand in the sunshine there are those who must shrink back into the shadows never to be seen again.

I thought the series ended well overall. It reminds me a bit of the ending to the Harry Potter series, where there isn’t a final page and dramatic conclusion but a short sequence following the main characters through the years and seeing what becomes of them. There are some surprises, some “Awww…” moments and of course a giant splash-page kissing scene to make romantic hearts go all a flutter.

For being the last volume in the series, it was a bit short and Tokyo Pop filled up the remainder of the book with some funny single-strip cartoons featuring author Kagesaki Yuna’s frustrations with being assigned to write a romantic-comedy, how she dealt with that and how the series took on a life of its own. There is also a nineteen page preview for a new series called “Deadman Wonderland” that looks really interesting.

KimiKiss Volume 2

5.0 out of 5 stars Soccer Girl in Love   The second volume in the “KimiKiss” series (Japanese title: “KimiKiss: Various Heroines”). Based on a dating sim for the PS2, “KimiKiss” is an anthology format manga with each volume telling the story of a different boy/girl combination, and their blossoming romance. In this volume we get the story of Asuka Sakino, a sporty girl into soccer but who is anything but a tomboy. Long-haired and athletic, she dreams of being able to compete on the same level as the boy’s team, and is secretly practicing every day after school to build her skills. She accidentally bumps into Kouichi Aihara (not the same Kouichi from Volume 1, so don’t worry. That Kouichi is still faithful to his true love Mao). Kouichi is a somewhat shy boy who has some soccer skills of his own, and Asuka asks Kouichi if he will be her secret soccer coach and help her practice after school in preparation for a big game she hopes to participate in. Because this is the “KimiKiss” series, we know Asuka and Kouichi aren’t going to stop at soccer, and soon Asuka asks Kouichi to be her “love coach” as well, pretending to be a couple so that they can practice what it is like to be boyfriend and girlfriend, should the real chance come along. Kouichi isn’t sure just how into the role Asuka wants to get, but well…the series isn’t titled “KimiKiss” for nothing! Because this is an anthology series, with no continuing characters, it is hard to get too involved in the “KimiKiss” world. Basically this series plays on a typical Japanese male fantasy of shy boy meets beautiful, exuberant girl who then falls in love with him and takes the lead in romance. It is fun, harmless fluff with a sweet romantic twinge. Volume 2 focuses more on the romance than the fan-service than Volume 1 did, although there are enough scenes of Asuka in her bathing suit to satisfy. I liked the characters, and this Kouichi isn’t quite the wimp that you find in other series of this genre, which was good. The art and story are solid, and the artist pulls off the one-volume story really well. If you like the first volume, chances are you are going to like this one too!