#IReadsYou Review: WE NEVER LEARN Volume 9

WE NEVER LEARN, VOL. 9
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Taishi Tsutsui
TRANSLATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Erika Terriquez, Snir Aharon
EDITORS: John Bae; David Brothers
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0951-1; paperback (April 2020); Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

We Never Learn is a Japanese shonen manga series written and illustrated by Taishi Tsutsui.  It began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in February 2017.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint since December 2018.

We Never Learn focuses on Nariyuki Yuiga, a high school senior who comes from an impoverished family.  He is eager to secure a full scholarship, known as “the Special VIP Recommendation,” to college before he graduates.  His principal agrees to give him the scholarship, but there is one stipulation.  Yuiga must tutor the three smartest girls in school:  Rizu Ogata, Fumino Furuhashi, and, Uruka Takemoto, so that they can get into their target colleges.  However, each girl wants to focus on a subject area in which she is practically an utter failure!

As We Never Learn, Vol. 9 (“The Flow of [ X ] Never End...”; Chapter 70 to 78) opens, Yuiga and Ogata are going to have a study session, but find that study hall is packed with students.  Ogata comes up with idea of using the empty biology lab, but it's supposedly haunted.  When evidence of an actual haunting manifests, Yuiga is determined that the easily frightened Ogata not see the haunting – even if he has to act inappropriately to keep her from doing so.

Then, the teacher, Mafuyu Kirisu, is substituting in a home economics class, but Kirisu is bad at cooking on a whole new level.  When Yuiga attempts to help her with her cooking, the kitchen becomes a place of inappropriate behavior.  Plus, Uruka gets some life-changing news that may affect her relationship with Yuiga.  Plus, what happens when Yuiga gets a hold of the wrong gift bag.

THE LOWDOWN:  The We Never Learn manga blends academics and teen romance, being a kind of high school comic romp and romance.  Like the Nisekoi: False Love manga, We Never Learn features a boy with several girls from which to choose.

We Never Learn Graphic Novel Volume 9 does not offer any story arcs, rather, it is a collection of single-chapter episodes of comic situations.  We Never Learn is a sitcom of a thousand situations, and most of them are quite funny.  Even without a multi-chapter story in Vol. 9, creator Taishi Tsutsui manages to drop a bombshell that will shape the overall narrative moving forward.  Translator Camellia Nieh once again does stellar work in bringing out the funny in this delightful series that seems to have as close to a perfect English-language translation of a manga comedy that we can get.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of shonen high school comedies will want to learn about the Shonen Jump title, We Never Learn.

A
9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.



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Review: URUSEI YATSURA Signature Edition Volume 1

URUSEI YATSURA SIGNATURE EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Rumiko Takahashi
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Erika Terriquez
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0342-5; paperback (February 2019); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
416pp, B&W, $19.99 U.S., $26.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

Urusei Yatsura is a manga series written and illustrated by legendary mangaka, Rumiko Takahashi.  A comedy, it was her first ongoing manga series and was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1978 to 1987.  Urusei Yatsura is comprised of 374 individual chapters, which were collected in 34 tankōbon (graphic novel or trade paperback) volumes.  Urusei Yatsura (which means “obnoxious people”) is the story of a Japanese high school boy and the ogre-alien princess who vexes him.

VIZ Media published Urusei Yatsura in English during the 1990s in various formats.  In 2018, VIZ announced that it had re-licensed the manga and that it would publish it in its 2-in-1 mini-omnibus editions that collect two graphic novels or tankōbon volumes in one paperback volume.  The Urusei Yatsura Signature Edition is being published under the VIZ Signature imprint with a rating of “‘T+’ for Older Teens.”  Volume 1 carries a print MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $26.99 CAN, and future volumes will present 400 pages of content in the larger “VIZ Signature” trim size, with the complete series scheduled for English publication by VIZ Media on a quarterly basis.

Urusei Yatsura (Signature Edition), Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 17) introduces Ataru Moroboshi, a lecherous, lazy, always hungry, and girl-crazy high school boy.  He is randomly chosen by an alien computer to battle for the salvation of Earth.  That is how he meets Lum, the alien slash ogre princess.  Lum starts to insists that she is Ataru's wife after he accidentally proposes to her.

Ataru considers Lum a pest and a needless complication in his life.  His real girlfriend, Shinobu, is furious at Ataru for putting himself in this position.  Now, Ataru finds himself fending off Lum, trying to appease Shinobu, and constantly in conflict with all manner of alien beings and also figures from Japanese mythology.

[This volume includes “Urusei Yatsura Data File” 01 and 02, “My Lum” by Rumiko Takahashi, and “Notes.”]

I first learned of Urusei Yatsura as an anime because I read (where, I don't remember) that it had influenced film director Chris Columbus (who directed the first two Harry Potter films) when he created the cult Saturday morning animated TV series, “Galaxy High” (1986).  Years later, I was able to buy a few episodes of the anime on VHS and also purchase a few issues of VIZ's publication of Urusei Yatsura as an American monthly comic book series.

Urusei Yatsura Signature Edition Graphic Novel Volume 1, which collects the first seventeen chapters of the original manga, is the first time that I have been able to read a substantial portion of Urusei Yatsura.  The thing that surprised me the most about this first volume is how well-developed the humor is despite the fact that this was Rumiko Takahashi's first ongoing series.  I have always admired how Takahashi can make a single chapter in a serial manga seem like a self-contained episode that is able to be a complete story by itself outside the main narrative.  Thus, each chapter is a comic work, and one of the best things about Urusei Yatsura is that each volume seems like a collection of sitcom episodes.

Another element that I enjoy is how Takahashi uses creatures and beings from Japanese folklore and mythology, often known as yokai.  Takahashi delights in the first volume with an colorful menagerie of princesses of various mythological types, including a crow goblin princess, a snow goddess, and even a kappa princess who has a jealous, giant-sized boyfriend.

After decades of expectations on my part, I find that Urusei Yatsura lives up to the hype.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I heartily recommend this debut volume, which is worth the $19.99 (U.S.) cover price.

A
8 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: WE NEVER LEARN Volume 1

WE NEVER LEARN, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Taishi Tsutsui
TRANSLATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Erika Terriquez
EDITORS: John Bae; David Brothers
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0302-9; paperback (December 2018); Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

We Never Learn is a manga from creator Taishi Tsutsui.  The series focuses on a group of high school students struggling to overcome their worst subjects on top of managing crushes and burgeoning romance.  VIZ Media is publishing an English language edition of the manga in a series of graphic novels.  The series will be published bimonthly under VIZ's “Shonen Jump” imprint.

We Never Learn, Vol. 1 (Genius and [ x ] Are Two Sides of the Same Coin; Chapter 1 to 7) introduces Nariyuki Yuiga, a high school senior from an impoverished family.  He is eager to secure a full scholarship, known as “the Special VIP Recommendation,” to college before he graduates high school. His principal agrees to give it to him, but there is one stipulation.

Nariyuki must tutor the two smartest girls in school, Rizu Ogata and Fumino Furuhashi, and make sure they get into their target colleges.  However, each girl wants to focus on a subject area in which she is not at all good!

The We Never Learn manga is a high school romantic comedy.  Because most of the lead characters are female, one might assume that this is a shojo manga – comics for teen girls, but it can appeal to both male and female readers – teen and older.

We Never Learn Graphic Novel Volume 1 will remind readers of such shonen romantic comedies as the recent Nisekoi: False Love and the classic Strawberry 100%.  Like such manga, We Never Learn has at its center, a male character, who gets caught in a relationship circle that includes two girls, at least in the beginning.  We Never Learn has, to start, an attractive love triangle.

We Never Learn, like Nisekoi, has three nice characters to start the love triangle.  Both girls are really smart, and are also pretty (of course).  At first, Taishi Tsutsui focuses on the two girls' area of expertise, but with each chapter, we start to see more of their personalities.  There is some fanservice in the form of a bikini shots and boob grabbing, but this series will thrive the more we like these characters.  Well, this is a good start, and I think we will be looking forward to each new volume of We Never Learn.

8.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: NISEKOI: False Love Volume 25

NISEKOI: FALSE LOVE, VOL. 25
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Naoshi Komi
TRANSLATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
EDITORS: John Bae; Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9515-3; paperback (January 2018), Rated “T” for “Teen”
264pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Nisekoi is a shonen manga from creator Naoshi Komi (Double Arts).  The manga was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from 2011 to 2016.  VIZ Media published an English-language adaptation of the manga as a graphic novel series, Nisekoi: False Love, beginning in January 2014.  VIZ released the twenty-fifth and final volume of the series this past January.

Nisekoi: False Love focuses on high school students, Raku Ichijo and Chitoge Kirisaki.  Not only are the two enemies, but their fathers are also the heads of rival yakuza syndicates.  In order to keep a gang war from starting, Raku (Shuei-Gumi) and Kirisaki (Beehive) act as if they are a teen couple in love.  In fact, Raku is also searching for his childhood sweetheart, and wears a pendant lock around his neck, a memento of the promise he made to a mystery girl 10 years ago.  Chitoge is one of four young ladies who could be the mystery girl.

As Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 25 (subtitled False Love – Chapters 218 to 228 to “final story”) opens, the search for the missing Chitoge stops at Tenku Highland.  Through a series of flashbacks and recovered memories, the girl to whom Raku Ichijo pledged marriage will be revealed.

The Nisekoi: False Love manga has come to a conclusion.  Some characters had already been forced to deal with the fact that they were part of a love triangle.  Now, some will have to accept that they are not the chosen one.

Nisekoi: False Love Graphic Novel Volume 25 is a bit melancholy.  A fun manga has come to an end.  After all, this series could have run on for a long time, simply spotlighting supporting characters and both romantic and non-romantic story lines.

The fact that the hero, Raku, has finally had to choose one of two excellent heroines is testament to the wonderful characters created by series creator, Naoshi Komi.  I will not offer spoilers, but while the finale promises wedding bells, and the story has a couple ready for marriage...  So Nisekoi: False Love is worthy of being read by new manga readers for years to come.

9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: MONSTER: The Perfect Edition Volume 1

MONSTER: THE PERFECT EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Naoki Urasawa with Takashi Nagasaki
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Steve Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6906-2; paperback (July 2014); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
432pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

Monster is a seinen manga (comics for adult men) written and drawn by Naoki Urasawa.  It was originally serialized in Japan in the manga magazine, Big Comic Original (published by Shogakukan), from December 1994 to December 2001.  From February 2006 to December 2008, VIZ Media published Monster in 18 paperback graphic novel editions (known as tankōbon in Japan).  Now, VIZ Media is collecting the series in a new “Perfect Edition” format in which two graphic novels are gathered in each oversized paperback volume.

Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 16) reprints Monster Volume 1 and Volume 2.  This edition is print-only and is published under the VIZ Signature imprint and it is rated “‘T+’ for Older Teens.”  The series carries an MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) of $19.99 U.S. and $22.99 CAN.  Monster: The Perfect Edition features a new English translation of Monster, re-mastered pages, and many pages of full-color content.  After Vol. 1, future volumes of Monster: The Perfect Edition will be released four times a year in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand for a total of nine volumes covering the entire series.

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster focuses on a young and very talented doctor who discovers that no good deed goes unpunished.  Dr. Kenzo Tenma moved from Japan to Germany to find success as a brain surgeon.  As the go-to-surgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf, Tenma is the hospital’s golden boy.  However, it comes at a cost.  Tenma writes the medical papers that hospital director, Dr. Heinemann, presents as his own work.  Kenzo dates Heinemann’s daughter, Eva, but she is a spoiled daddy’s girl who cares more about appearances and material wealth than other people.  Then, Tenma makes a decision that leads to his fall from grace with Heinemann.

Tenma is determined to prove that he made the right decision.  So when two children come into the emergency room at Eisler one night, Tenma operates on Johan Liebert, the brother who has been shot in the head.  Johan’s sister, Anna, is in shock, but Tenma is determined to protect them both.  Tenma does not realize that his decision will force him to confront questions of good and evil.  Years later, he discovers a bizarre series of serial murders, and Tenma realizes that he may have saved a monster.

The Monster manga by Naoki Urasawa is one of the best comics published in the last decade of the 20th century.  Urasawa’s acclaimed manga may even be the best.

Monster can best be described as a psychological thriller, in which the central conspiracy expands ever outward.  Although the hero, Dr. Tenma, initially believes that all he has to do is find a serial killer, he gradually discovers that he must investigate history as well as track a killer.  Of course, Monster is a murder mystery, and there is plenty of political intrigue, some of it involving workplace politics. 

Whatever genres and styles upon which it touches, Monster is a riveting, absorbing read.  It is a chilling story in which the monsters are not of supernatural origins, but instead come from the dark recesses of the human mind.  Monster is such an engrossing, page-turner that it is unforgettable.  I never forgot it, and I am ready to read it again – thanks to Monster: The Perfect Edition.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

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