Review: BEHIND THE SCENES!! Volume 7

BEHIND THE SCENES!!, VOL. 7
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Bisco Hatori
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: John Werry
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-9747-9768-3; paperback (August 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Urakata!! is a shojo manga (comics for teen girls) from creator Bisco Hatori (Ouran High School Host Club).  Urakata began publication in 2014 in the Japanese shojo manga magazine, LaLa.  In 2016, VIZ Media began publishing an English-language edition of Urakata!! as a series of graphic novels under the title, Behind the Scenes!!

Behind the Scenes!! focuses on 18-year-old, Ranmaru Kurisu, who blames himself for everything.  As an outcast from a village of fisherman, Ranmaru is not crazy about people and is not crazy about being around them.  He is now a first year student as Shichikoku University (“Shichi U”), and while he initially planned on trying to find a group into which he could fit, he is back to being his old isolated self.  Then, fate brings him into contact with “The Art Squad.”

As Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 7 (Chapters 34 to 38 to Last Scene) opens, the members of the Art Squad prepare for change.  It is the final year for their chief, Ryuji Goda, who has decided to embark on directing a film.  Meanwhile, Tomu Tenba worries that he has no talent.  Ruka Enjoji decides to leave the squad because of family troubles at home.  Soh Kobora goes on her first date.  Izumi worries about his amnesia, and Maase may give up her love zombies.  So is it up to Ranmaru Kurisu, the newest member of the Art Squad, to save the spirit of the squad.

[This volume includes bonus text and art and a glossary.]

The Behind the Scenes!! manga is all about making costumes, make-up, and special effects for film and theatrical productions and also for festivals and events.  Clearly, creator Bisco Hatori has done her research well.

Behind the Scenes!! Graphic Novel Volume 7 is the series' final volume.  I think that there is a lot left to say, so this volume seems like a hurry to an ending.  However, Hatori does not wrap things up in a neat bow – quite the contrary.  Readers will find that there is a world of possibilities for her characters, as their lives will go on Behind the Scenes!!  This is not the best volume of the series, but readers will like this final volume's hope for the future ending.

B+
7 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: BEHIND THE SCENES Volume 1

BEHIND THE SCENES!!, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Bisco Hatori
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: John Werry
LETTERS: Izumi Evers
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8524-6; paperback (February 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Bisco Hatori is known for such manga as Millennium Snow and Ouran High School Host Club, both of which were published in English by VIZ Media.  Her new series is the shojo manga, Behind the Scenes!!, which VIZ Media recently started publishing in English.

The series focuses on Ranmaru Kurisu, an 18-year-old who blames himself for everything.  An outcast from a village of fisherman, Ranmaru is not crazy about people and is not crazy about being around them.  He is now a first year student as Shichikoku University (“Shichi U”), and while he initially planned on trying to find a group into which he could fit, he is back to being his old isolated self.  Then, fate brings him into contact with “The Art Squad.”

As Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) opens, it is two months into Ranmaru's college career.  Now, he is sure that he does not want to be around other people.  Then, he bumps into a young woman who is seemingly being attacked by a zombie, which causes Ranmaru to faint.  As things turn out, this incident is simply part of a college movie shoot.

Shichi U has four film clubs and all of them make their own movies.  The Art Squad works behind the scenes creating costumes, building sets and backdrops, designing special effects and make-up and more for these collegiate film productions.  The Art Squad is full of loud and friendly people, and their leader, Ryuji Goda, puts Ranmaru to use helping them.  Is this the group of weirdos that Ranmaru's been looking for all his life?

As a movie buff with an interest in film-making, I am attracted to the Behind the Scenes!! manga.  As far as subject matter, Behind the Scenes!! is similar to Gimmick!, a manga series by Youzaburou Kanari and Kuroko Yabuguchi.  Gimmick! was a mystery series in which the leads used their movie special effects skills to solve cases.

Behind the Scenes!! Volume 1 makes it clear that this series will be light in tone.  What is not clear is its direction.  It is a college-set ensemble comedy with hints of romance and some family drama.  Although he is a male, Ranmaru Kurisu is like a heroine trying to find her way in a new setting.  In this first volume, Bisco Hatori offers lots of friendship building, and she makes the characters intriguing.  I am interested to see where this series goes.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Review: MILLENNIUM SNOW Volume 4

MILLENNIUM SNOW, VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Bisco Hatori
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: John Werry
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7246-8; paperback (December 2014); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Millennium Snow, the acclaimed shojo manga by Bisco Hatori, concludes with the publication of the series' fourth graphic novel.  Mixing comedy, romantic drama, and a little of the paranormal, the finale resolves the still-born romance between a human and a vampire.

Millennium Snow focuses on 17-year-old Chiyuki Matsuoka.  She was born with heart problems, and her doctors say she will not live to see the next snow.  Toya Kano is an 18-year-old vampire who hates blood.  He also refuses to make the traditional, symbiotic partnership with a human, whose life-giving blood would keep them both alive for a thousand years.  Chiyuki has already told Toya that she likes him, but he hasn't yet agreed to make her his partner.

As Millennium Snow, Vol. 4 (Chapters 14 to 16 to Last Chapter) opens, Chiyuki, Toya, and their friends enter their last year of high school.  Now, Toya faces the prospect of supporting himself for the rest of his long life.  Satsuki Ariyoshi, the werewolf boy, may have a job for Toya at his family's shop, Ariyoshi Goods.

Meanwhile, an important figure from Toya's past returns, as we learn more about Toya's family.  Then, a stranger arrives, and his story may be giving Toya second thoughts about Chiyuki.

The Millennium Snow manga was one of the first VIZ Media titles that I reviewed, and that was a little over seven years ago (!).  This series is the creation of mangaka Bisco Hatori, who also created the hit comedy manga, Ouran High School Host Club.

Apparently, Bisco Hatori put Millennium Snow on hiatus after finishing the episodes that were collected in the second volume of the graphic novel collection.  At some point, she resumed work on the series.  VIZ reprinted Volumes 1 and 2 in a 2-in-1 mini-omnibus edition around the time it also published new material as Millennium Snow Vol. 3.

Millennium Snow Volume 4 is the final volume of the series.  Having read Vol.4, after only reading the first volume seven years ago, I thought that I might be confused by the final volume, especially considering that I had not read the second and third volumes.  I was not.  Millennium Snow is basically simple.  Vampire guy does not want to bite human girl who loves him, although that will give both of them a long, long life.  The romantic dilemmas and tension are built around him playing hard to get and her chasing him.

It works because Hatori depicts conflicts and struggles and feelings and emotions in a way that are universal to shojo manga.  I enjoyed reading it because, even as a fantasy, Millennium Snow is heartfelt and feels genuine.  I might even try to read the entire series at some later date.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.