#IReadsYou Book Review: NARUTO'S STORY: FAMILY DAY

NARUTO'S STORY: FAMILY DAY
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHORS: Masashi Kishimoto and Mirei Miyamoto
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
DESIGN: Shawn Carrico
COVER: Shawn Carrico with Masashi Kishimoto
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1342-4; paperback (August 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
164pp, B&W, $10.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £7.99 U.K.

Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto.  Naruto was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, from 1999 to 2014.  Naruto eventually became a media franchise, yielding anime television series and films, video games, various print and audio publications, and a wide range of merchandise.

Naruto focuses on the mischievious young shinobi (ninja), Uzumaki Naruto, from the shinobi Village of Konohagakure.  When he was a baby, Naruto's parents (father Minato and mother Kushina) imprisoned a nine-tailed fox spirit (Kurama) inside his infant body, making him something of an outcast.  Determined to gain the recognition of his peers, Naruto fought and eventually became “the Hokage,” the leader of his village.  Now, he is a husband, married to Hinata, and they have two children, a son named Boruto and a daughter named Himawari – also called “Hima.”

Naruto also yielded a series of light novels (a Japanese form of the short novel), which furthered the adventures of Naruto and also of Naruto and his family after the ending of the Naruto manga.  VIZ Media recently released the fifth Naruto novel, Naruto New Story: Family Day, which was originally published in May 2018, in a paperback, English-language edition.  VIZ's release is entitled Naruto's Story: Family Day, and it is published under the “Shonen Jump” imprint.

Written by Masashi Kishimoto and Mirei Miyamoto, Naruto's Story: Family Day opens in the office of the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto.  Advisor to the Hokage, Nara Shikamaru, has just handed Naruto a document that he must read.  The village of Konohagakure (or “Konoha” for short) has had an influx of new residents.  These new townspeople want to give an official name to one of the village's standard holidays, in which the villagers enjoy a day off from work.

Thus, “Family Day” is born.  But how is a workaholic and very busy Hokage going to celebrate Family Day?  Is Naruto even going to have the day off?  Well, Naruto, three other wayward fathers, and one teacher will learn the true meaning and spirit of Family Day.

[This book includes a two-page, illustrated list of characters.]

THE LOWDOWN:  Naruto's Story: Family Day is comprised of four short stories and four interludes, one appearing after the end of each short story.  There is also a prologue and an epilogue.

The first story is “Racing Through Konoha,” and it stars Naruto and his daughter, Hima.  The father-daughter pair race through Konoha looking for the latest hot toy, the “Kuraa-ma.”  It does not matter that it is based on “Kurama,” the nine-tailed spirit inside her father, Hima really wants this toy.  Feeling guilty because he is so often busy at the office and not at home, Naruto believes that he has to obtain this almost impossible to find toy for his child.

“Racing Through Konoha” is the most straight forward of the four tales, and its message is simple.  Fathers should make time for their children, especially for their daughters.  In fact, the father-daughter relationship is the subject of all four stories, and “Racing Through Konoha” is the most heartfelt.

The second story is “Forms of Happiness.”  It stars Naruto's wife, Hinata, and her younger sister, Hanabi, and their elderly father, Hiashi Hyuga.  Hinata reluctantly joins Hanabi and Hyuga on their father's quest to make a legend of himself as a ninja, although his ninja mission days are long over.  Hyuga's quest seems to hinge on his need to impress his grandson, Ninata and Naruto's elder child, their son, Boruto, who is a big fan of the card game, “Extreme Ninja.”  Ninja legends are the subjects of these cards, and the bigger legend a ninja is the more rare his card is within card packs.

Cards featuring Hyuga's image are not particularly rare, and he believes that he if completes a new and important mission, his card rarity will be upgraded.  “Forms of Happiness” might seem to be about grandparent and grandchild relationships, but it is really about adult children and their elderly parents.  Mortality and the fact that both parent and child are aging hang over the story.  I like the story, and I admire Kishimoto and Miyamoto's willingness to discuss themes of aging and mortality in what is really a juvenile novel.

The third story is “Table for One.”  It stars Boruto's friend, Akimichi Cho-Cho, and her father, Akimichi Choji, who is known for being a fat ninja... who is constantly eating.  Choji's wife and Cho-Cho's mother, Karui, also stars in this story.  Cho-Cho and Choji enter an eating contest held at Family Day.  The story is good, but not great, and it is a kind of comic relief version of the father-daughter themes of this novel.

The fourth story is “Cold Flames and Roiling Fire,” and its stars longtime Naruto rival, Uchiha Sasuke, and his daughter, Sarada, and, in a lesser role, his wife, Sakura.  Sasuke, who is usually away from home on secret missions for Konoha, returns for a (very) short visit and discovers that his daughter, Sarada, is estranged from him.  Because of a series of mishaps and bad advice, the estrangement increases.  So what can Sasuke do to improve his relationship with his child?  Hopefully, his wife, Sakura, who is also a bit miffed at him, has the answer.

“Cold Flames and Roiling Fire” is a surprisingly edgy story.  The tartness between Sasuke and Sarada is unexpected, but what the authors offer the readers is a story in which the father has to work hard to repair and to build his relationship with his daughter.  I think this story was the best choice as the final entry in this novel.

The “Master Shino!” interludes star Ninja Academy teacher, Aburame Shino, and each one is also surprisingly heartfelt.  Not one of the four reads as if it were filler material.  All in all, I have to admit that I enjoyed reading Naruto's Story: Family Day much more than I thought I would.  I heartily recommend it to fans of Naruto.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Naruto and Boruto manga will want to read the “Shonen Jump” novel, Naruto's Story: Family Day.

7.5 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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#IReadsYou Review: VENUS IN THE BLIND SPOT

 

VENUS IN THE BLIND SPOT
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTONIST: Junji Ito
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Jocelyn Allen; Yuji Oniki (“The Enigma of Amigara Fault”)
LETTERS: Eric Erbes
EDITOR: Masumi Washington
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1547-3; hardcover; 5 3/4 × 8 1/4 (August 2020); Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
272pp, B&W, $22.99 U.S., $46.00 CAN, £25.00 UK

Junji Ito is a Japanese writer and artist of horror manga (comics) who has created both long-form horror manga series and manga short works (short stories).  Ito's best known long-form manga include Tomie, Uzumaki, and Gyo.  Tomie was adapted into a live-action film series (beginning in 1998), and Uzumaki was adapted into a live-action film (2000).

VIZ Media has published several hardcover collections of Junji Ito's manga short stories over the last five years.  They are Fragments of Horror (June 2015), Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories (December 2017), Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection (October 2018), and Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection (April 2019).

VIZ's latest hardcover collection of Junji Ito's manga short stories is a “best of” collection, Venus in the Blind Spot.  This striking book gathers ten of the most remarkable short works of Ito's career.  With a deluxe presentation, including special color pages, each chilling tale invites readers to revel in a world of terror created by a modern master of horror manga and comics.

Venus in the Blind Spot includes three stories that Junji Ito adapted from prose fiction writers.  Ito adapts two stories, “The Human Chair” (1925) and “An Unearthly Love” (1926), by Edogawa Ranpo (1984-1965), perhaps the most influential author of Japanese mystery fiction.  Ito also adapts “How Love Came to Professor Guildea” (1900), a short story by Robert Hichens (1864-1950), a British author who, among other things, wrote ghost stories, fantasy, and mystery fiction.

Venus in the Blind Spot opens with the story, “Billions Alone.”  At the center of this story is 19-year-old Michio, who has locked himself in his room for seven years.  He emerges from seclusion as people are being found dead and sewn together in pairs, bound by fishing wire that has been run through every part of their bodies.  Michio wonders that if he attends an upcoming school reunion and coming-of-age ceremony, will he become part of one of these “group corpses?”

A woman with a wicked tongue terrorizes the country as “The Licking Woman.”  A philandering husband discovers a “Keepsake” from his recently deceased wife.  And in the title story, “Venus in a Blind Spot,” the young men of the “Nanzan UFO Research Society” discover that they can't help but love their chairperson, Mariko Shono, but they can't see her either.

THE LOWDOWN:  Junji It's short works (a.k.a. manga short stories) display his incredible imagination and also the diversity in the style and tone in which he executes these stories.  Some are tales of existential terror and threats.  Others feature terrible situations, a twist on a comic situation because, by the end of the story, the reader will laugh nervously while thanking the cosmos that such situations are not his.

Venus in the Blind Spot emphasizes two other signatures Ito types, macabre tales that recall “The Twilight Zone” and eerie stories of haunting.  In such stories, Ito does not make use of beginnings, middles, and ends, so much as he offers episodes that are both terrifying and implausible.

The opening story, “Billions Alone,” is an episode of terror.  It is not metaphorically a tale of loneliness as much as it is a tale of humans alone against an existential terror that does not make sense – an implausible and ridiculous assault on the way humans live.  It is COVID-19 without the hope of science eventually saving our asses.

I have not read any of the three prose short stories that appear here as manga adaptations by Junji Ito.  “The Human Chair” is an Ito gem, and I wonder if Edogawa Ranpo's original is as deranged as Ito's take on it.  [Ranpo's huge cultural influence in Japan can be seen in Gosho Aoyama's manga, Detective Conan, which is published as Case Closed in North America.]  The other two adaptations, “An Unearthly Love” and “How Love Came to Professor Kirida” (from Robert Hichens's “How Love Came to Professor Guildea”).  These two stories have all the hallmarks of Ito's terrible power, and the latter is a tale of a haunting.  Still, they don't quite come together.

Never fear, “The Licking Woman” and “Keepsake” lay siege to your imagination, dear reader, and these two tales, each dealing with a haunting, certainly made my skin crawl.  Damn, that's nasty – both of them.  Venus in the Blind Spot, as a collection, is a good introduction to the short manga of Junji Ito.  New readers will get a taste of what is to come, and, in a way, it is not as deranged, overall, as other collections of Ito's short works.  For Ito's fans, Venus in the Blind Spot is an example of why Junji Ito is our blind spot.  We'll buy just about any book he offers us.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Junji Ito and fans of great horror comics will want the VIZ Signature edition of Venus in the Blind Spot.

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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#IReadsYou Review: DOWNFALL

DOWNFALL
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Inio Asano
TRANSLATION: Jocelyn Allen
LETTERS: Joanne Estep
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0936-6; paperback (February 2020); Rated “M” for “Mature”
246pp, B&W, $14.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN, £9.99 U.K.

Reiraku is a manga created by Inio Asano, the author of such manga as Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction and Goodnight Punpun.  Reiraku was published in the Japanese manga magazine, Big Comic Superior (Shogakukan), from March 10 to July 28, 2017.  VIZ Media is publishing an English language edition of Reiraku as a single-volume graphic novel, entitled Downfall, released under the VIZ Signature imprint.

Downfall (Chapters 1 to 7 to Final Chapter) introduces Kaoru Fukuzawa, a successful manga artist.  He recently finished his breakthrough series, “Goodbye Sunset,” and the fifteenth and final tankobon (graphic novel) collection of the series has just been released.  Although Fukuzawa has ended his manga, he does not know how to start a new one.

All that matters in the manga industry, Fukuzawa believes, is selling copies.  Sales of “Goodbye Sunset” collections had been slipping towards the end, and Fukuzawa believes that such cruel realities of the industry have destroyed his “pure love” for manga.  Also, Fukuzawa's marriage to Nozomi Machida, a manga editor, seems to be failing, and she appears to be moving on from him to work with new manga artists.  If Fukuzawa can figure out the formula for creating a new hit manga, will everything be okay?  Can he fill the void inside himself?  Or maybe Fukuzawa himself is the problem.

The Downfall manga, like some of Inio Asano's other manga, is about self-absorbed young men.  They tend to be cruel to others in ways that they themselves might not recognize... if they bothered to care.  Sex is defined only by these young men's needs, as seen by the number of young women with whom Fukuzawa's “engages” and by how he ultimately treats them.

The Downfall Graphic Novel is the portrait of the manga artist as a “monster,” in the context of his relationships with those closest to him personally and professionally.  Downfall is not so much about watching a guy fall apart as it is about him fulfilling a prophecy; years prior, a “cat-eyed” woman already told him what he was and would be.  I think Kaoru Fukuzawa's “downfall” had already begun by the time readers meet him in the present day of the story.

The English translation by Jocelyn Allen captures the essences and layers of Asano's earthy and blunt dialogue with its sense of realism.  Asano's beautiful, textured art tells the story in a painfully human style, alternating between intimate and aloof.  Allen's translation gets that the dialogue is what drives the story and is what defines the conflict between characters.

The lettering by Joanne Estep is both elegant and precise, and Estep seizes upon Fukuzawa's unrelenting self-absorption.  Once again, Inio Asano has produced a powerful story of a calamitous personality, and the English edition is an engaging, absorbing read.

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 reprint and syndication rights and fees.


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#IReadsYou Review: NO LONGER HUMAN

NO LONGER HUMAN
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTONIST: Junji Ito
ORIGINAL NOVEL: Osamu Dazai's “Ningen Shikkaku” as translated into English by Donald Keene
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Jocelyn Allen
LETTERS: James Dashiell
EDITOR: Masumi Washington
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9846-8; hardcover (December 2019); Rated “M” for “Mature”
616pp, B&W, $34.99 U.S., $46.00 CAN, £25.00 UK

Junji Ito is a Japanese horror mangaka (comic book writer-artist) who has created both long-form horror manga series and manga short stories.  Ito's best known long-form manga include Tomie, Uzumaki, and Gyo.  Tomie was adapted into a live-action film series (beginning in 1998), and Uzumaki was adapted into a live-action film (2000).

VIZ Media has published several hardcover collections of Junji Ito's manga short stories over the last five years:  Fragments of Horror (June 2015), Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories (December 2017), Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection (October 2018), and Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection (April 2019).

One of Ito's recent works is a manga adaptation of Ningen Shikkaku, the 1948 Japanese novel from author, Osamu Dazai (as translated by Donald Keene).  Considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan, Dazai took his own life shortly after the last part of Ningen Shikkaku was published.  Ningen Shikkaku, one of Japan's all-time best-selling novels, was first published in serial form.

Junji Ito's Ningen Shikkaku was collected in three tankobon (graphic novel) volumes.  VIZ Media's latest Junji Ito publication is No Longer Human, a collection of Ningen Shikkaku Volumes 1-3 in one hardcover mini-omnibus (5 1/2 × 7 7/8 trim size).

No Longer Human focuses on Yozo Oba.  As a boy, he realizes that he is afraid of people.  He alleviates his fear by being a joker and class clown who dances, sings, tells jokes, and makes funny faces.  As an adult, Yozo is plagued by a maddening anxiety because there is a terrible disconnect between his own concept of happiness and what he sees as the joy of the rest of the world.

Yozo Oba plays the clown in his dissolute life, holding up a mask for those around him as he spirals ever downward.  He is a liar and becomes a womanizer.  He is a drunk and eventually becomes a drug addict.  Seemingly locked arm-in-arm with death, Yozo comes to believe that he must rid himself of the “10 misfortunes” that have always been packed inside of him, but can even doing that save him from the hell that is his life?

I have never read Osamu Dazai's Ningen Shikkaku, which apparently literally translates as “Disqualified From Being Human” and which some people consider to be an autobiographical novel.  In fact, I had heard of neither author nor novel until I did some research after I received a review copy of No Longer Human from my VIZ Media rep.

I will be honest with you, dear reader, that I have never disliked any of Junji Ito's work that I have read.  There have been some manga that I thought were just okay or good, but I have yet to come across Junji Ito manga that I consider a failure or a misfire.  I still have not found failure as of just having finished No Longer Human, which I enjoyed immensely.

Mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful, No Longer Human is poignant, tragic, and delicate, but is also grotesque, wrenching, and cruel.  It is as if Ito uses his prodigious talents to torment us with a magnificent and gorgeous graphical storytelling presentation that is actually presenting all that is weak, pathetic, selfish, narcissistic, greedy, banal, and evil in humans.

I guess that No Longer Human could be described as psychological horror.  Because Ito has listed the American author of horror and dark fantasy short stories, H.P. Lovecraft, as one of his influences, I think No Longer Human tells a story of existential horror and terror.  Much of Lovecraft's work deals with existential terror and threats both existential in nature and supernatural in origin.  No Longer Human offers images that are connected to existential horror and terror, and while there are supernatural elements in the narrative, the story is itself not supernatural.

Jocelyn Allen's translation and English adaptation of Ito's text are quite a feat.  This is not the first time that Allen has adapted Junji Ito to English, capturing the unnerving calmness and relentless march of horror that defines Ito's work.  James Dashiell's lettering is steady and tranquil, as if he is creating a matter-of-fact declaration of a man living a damned life.

I want to make note of the fact that Ito opens No Longer Human with what can be interpreted as a depiction of the double-suicide of Osamu Dazai and a female acquaintance.  Printed in color, the passage has a dreamlike, pastoral quality that haunts this manga until its final chapter.  That chapter is a total freak show of its own.

10 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 syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THAT BLUE SKY FEELING Volume 3

THAT BLUE SKY FEELING, VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Okura
ART: Coma Hashii
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
EDITOR: Joel Enos
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0797-3; paperback (October 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
248pp, B&W, $10.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

That Blue Sky Feeling is a coming-of-age manga from writer Okura and artist Coma Hashii.  It was published from 2017 to 2018 in the manga magazine, Gangan Joker and is an adaption of the webcomic, Sorairo Flutter.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of That Blue Sky Feeling as a three-volume graphic novel series.

The series follows two high school boys.  Noshiro Dai is an outgoing high school student who finds himself drawn to Hikaru “Kou” Sanada, the school outcast, who is rumored to be gay.  The rumors don't bother Noshiro; instead, they make him even more determined to get close to Sanada.  Thus, what is set in motion is a surprising tale of first love.

As That Blue Sky Feeling, Vol. 3 (Chapters 15 to 21 to Final Chapter) opens, everyone is seeking young love.  New student, Makoto Morinaga, who is gay, is determined to date Noshiro, but there is a girl with her eye on Noshiro.  Her name is Natsu Aikawa, and, with the help of her friends, is building up the nerve to ask Noshiro on a date.

Sanada is chagrined when his friends meet Hide, the 26-year-old man who was once his boyfriend.  Also, Ayumi Yamamoto wants to get closer to Sanada, although she has heard the rumors that he is gay.  Meanwhile, Noshiro and Sanada each seems to struggle to discover the true nature of their relationship.

[This volume includes a two-page character profile section and a farewell from the creators and staff.]

That Blue Sky Feeling manga may have a category, but I am not sure what it would be.  I would not call it boys' love (BL), because, although there are gay characters, That Blue Sky Feeling really does not depict romantic relationships between male characters.  Category aside, this series is filled with love, companionship, and friendship.

That Blue Sky Feeling Graphic Novel Volume 3 is the final volume of the series.  Writer Okura and art Coma Hashii wrap up this portrait of young love with gentleness and with a sense of humor.  The creators, as they relate in a closing note to readers, wanted to offer a snapshot of youth and a depiction of the trials of the heart that come along with being young.  They certainly do that, especially in this final volume, and it makes for an endearing tale, in part, thanks to Jocelyne Allen's excellent English translation.  Joanna Estep's lettering adds the fizz and shojo sparkles to this tale of teens exploring the landscapes of love.

The story ends without fully committing to a romantic relationship between the two leads, but we learn that what they have is special – because they say so.  So instead of calling That Blue Sky Feeling BL manga, we can call it what it is.  It is a delightful manga with LGBT themes that explores the first yearnings of straight and gay love.

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: SMASHED: Junji Ito Story Collection

SMASHED: JUNJI ITO STORY COLLECTION
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTONIST: Junji Ito
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Jocelyn Allen
LETTERS: Eric Erbes
EDITOR: Masumi Washington
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9846-8; hardcover (April 2019); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
416pp, B&W, $22.99 U.S., $32.00 CAN, £15.99 UK

Junji Ito is a Japanese horror mangaka (comic book writer-artist) who has created both long-form horror manga (comics) series and manga short stories.  Ito's best known long-form manga include Tomie, Uzumaki, and Gyo.  Tomie was adapted into a live-action film series (beginning in 1998), and Uzumaki was adapted into a live-action film (2000).  Gyo was adapted as the anime film, Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack (2012).

VIZ Media has been publishing hardcover books that collect many of Junji Ito's manga short stories for the last four years.  The first was Fragments of Horror (June 2015), and then, came Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories (December 2017).  Last year saw the release of Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection (October 2018), which collects six Ito stories and Ito's manga adaptation of Mary Shelley's legendary novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818).

The latest Ito short story collection is Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection, which was released last month (April 2019).  This hardcover comics collection gathers 13 chilling, nightmarish stories from one of world's masters of horror manga and comics.   Be warned.  Do not be noticed when you eat the secret nectar, otherwise you’ll get smashed!  What has caused so many people to be “earthbound?”  Why are they tied to a certain place for the rest of their short lives?  What is it about that strange haunted house that has come to town?  This is Junji Ito’s world, where there is no escape from endless nightmares.

A long time ago, I was reading a review of Annie Lenox's second solo album, Diva (an album of cover song), in which the reviewer/ music critic said that every album should have at least one great song.  [He thought Diva had two.]  I sometimes use that standard for collections of comic book short stories, except having one great story per collection is not enough for me.  I want at least two stories that so overwhelm me that I declare them to be great.

Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection contains 13 comics/manga short stories, and I think five of them are great, and a sixth is bat-shit-crazy enough to be great.  The opening story, “Bloodsucking Darkness,” begins as a tale about a young woman who, after being spurned by her boyfriend, decides to starve herself in order to get skinny so she become a model.  It wraps up as a chilling story dealing with themes of obsession and self-destructive behavior with the symbolism of vampirism and human blood as vehicles by which Ito moves the story forward.

“Roar,” an imaginative ghost story about two hikers who encounter a strange flash flood, is a mystery tale that uses an unusual and recurring haunting to explore family and local histories.  Its tragic reunion is one of the most poignant and heart-breaking moments I have ever read in a ghost story.  I think that “Roar” would have made for a wonderful episode of the original version of “The Twilight Zone” television series.

“Earthbound” and “Death Row Doorbell” both explore themes of guilt, revenge, and grief.  In different way, each considers how a sense of guilt can be so strong that it overwhelms the existence of people who have committed violent crimes.  Each story also examines the power that grief and the desire for revenge hold over both the perpetrators of crimes and the victims/survivors.  I don't want to say too much about the plot of each story because it would give away each story's fantastic resolution.  “Earthbound”  is about an epidemic of people frozen to a particular spot on earth.  “Death Row Doorbell” tells the story of a young woman, Noriko Kowa, and her brother (unnamed in this tale) who suffer a visitor whose ringing of their front doorbell causes them great pain and fear.

“I Don't Want to Be a Ghost” is an unsettling tale about a young husband who first finds a strange young woman on a lonely mountain road.  He begins an affair with her only to fall prey to her blood-chilling appetites.  The title story, “Smashed,” centers on a strange nectar that a Japanese explorer finds in an isolated jungle in South America.  The warning is that when you drink the nectar, you must not be “noticed.”  The ending of “Smashed” is of the kind that readers would only find in a comic book, and it reminds me of the ending of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Watchmen – an excellent science fiction, mystery, and conspiracy comic book miniseries with an ending that is crazy, but is not as enthralling as the story that leads up to it.  “Smashed” is the sixth “bat-shit-crazy enough to be great” tale I mentioned earlier in this review.

The other seven stories in Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection are also quiet good.  Most of them have elements that I would use the word “disquiet” to describe.  Once upon a time, elements in these seven stories might have gotten a cartoonist or comic book creator fired, maybe even made him or her unemployable, or even gotten a cartoonist jailed.  I'm thinking of the three-story suite involving a haunted house and a character named “Soichi.”

The only other comics short story collections that have impressed me as much as Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection does are those books collecting stories originally published in various EC Comics publications.  Smashed proves once again that Junji Ito is the current king of horror comics.

10 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 syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THAT BLUE SKY FEELING Volume 2

THAT BLUE SKY FEELING, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Okura
ART: Coma Hashii
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
EDITOR: Joel Enos
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0410-1; paperback (May 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
240pp, B&W, $10.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

That Blue Sky Feeling is a coming-of-age LGBTQ manga from writer Okura and artist Coma Hashii.  VIZ Media publishes the series in-print with an MSRP of $10.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.  It is available digitally via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores.

Noshiro Dai is an outgoing high school student who finds himself drawn to Kou Sanada, the school outcast, who is rumored to be gay.  The rumors don't bother Noshiro; instead, they make him even more determined to get close to Sanada.  Thus, what is set in motion is a surprising tale of first love.

As That Blue Sky Feeling, Vol. 2 (Chapters 8 to 14) opens, Noshiro and Sanada's friendship is growing, after Noshiro finally breaks down the emotional walls Sanada put up.  Now, a new complication has arrived.  Ayumi Yamamoto, a childhood friend of Sanada's who went to elementary school with him, reveals that she has always liked him.  Noshiro believes that he should try to get Sanada and Yamamoto together.  Meanwhile, Noshiro has his own romantic complications; new student, Makoto Morinaga, an underclassman, has a crush on Noshiro.

[This volume includes a bonus chapter.]

The title is practically neutral, but That Blue Sky Feeling manga is a high school set series.  One of the leads is gay, but this is not an out-and-out gay romantic manga – at least not yet.

That Blue Sky Feeling Graphic Novel Volume 2 is decidedly sweet-natured.  Characters are in “like” rather than being in “love.”  “Like,” however, can get pretty intense, and the story can quietly be intense.  Creators Okura and Coma Hashii are sly in the way they portray characters dealing with being gay in a setting that can be cruel, even mortally dangerous to gay students.

On the other side of that, they present in Noshiro, a character working hard to make sure that being gay does not hamper the fun of high school for his friend.  For Sanada, his stoicism masks his dishonesty about his feelings.  This is an excellent setup for conflict or, at the very least, comic situations.  That Blue Sky Feeling is proving to be an interesting take on gay comics and on high school romance manga.

A-
7.5 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 syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Yaoi Review: BLUE MORNING Volume 6

BLUE MORNING, VOL. 6
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga (Chara Comics)

CARTOONIST: Shoko Hidaka
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: NRP Studios
COVER: Shoko Hidaka with Shawn Carrico
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8806-3; paperback (September 2016) Rated “M” for “Mature”
250pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Blue Morning is a series of yaoi manga graphic novels from creator Shoko Hidaka.  Yaoi manga features love stories in which the romantic leads are males.  A subset of boys’ love (BL) manga, yaoi can also feature explicit depictions of sex.  Blue Morning focuses on Akihito, the heir to a viscount-ship, and Katsuragi, his very capable butler, to whom Akihito is attracted.

After the death of his father, Akinao Kuze, 10-year-old Akihito Kuze moves into the Kuze mansion, as he prepares to inherit his late father’s viscount-ship.  There, he meets the Kuze family butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, who is tasked with raising Akihito.  By the time he is 17-years-old, Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, but also frustrated by the distance between them.

As Blue Morning, Vol. 6 (Chapters 28 to 33) opens, Akihito and Katsuragi make love, but then move apart.  Katsuragi begins to run the household and business affairs of Soemon Ishizaki, the father of Akihito's best friend, Soichiro.  Then, it is announced that Akihito will leave to obtain treatment for a long ailment (which he is feigning).  However, Akihito does plan on leaving to study abroad, so will this planned departure be the thing that forces Akihito and Katsuragi back together?

The Blue Morning manga is a romantic period drama, but is also something of a domestic drama.  I have compared it to being something like a comic book version of one of those Merchant-Ivory films from the 1980s and 1990s.

Much of Blue Morning Volume 6 is about character drama; people talk, but talk around those with whom they are familiar or have a romantic relationship.  While this series begins and ends with intimacy, creator Shoko Hidaka uses everything else to play with the big “if,” which is the question of whether the romantic leads will ever truly unite.  I like this series; it is a good one, but the story is ready to be resolved.  I don't see it remaining a quality manga past a seventh volume.

A-

www.SuBLimeManga.com

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


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

-------------------

Requiem of the Rose King: Henry Hearts Richard

I read Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Requiem of the Rose King: Death of Richard: 3rd Duke of York

I read Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: FRAGMENTS OF HORROR

FRAGMENTS OF HORROR
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTONIST: Junji Ito
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Jocelyn Allen
LETTERS: Eric Erbes
EDITORS: Masumi Washington, Nick Mamatas
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8079-1; hardcover with dust jacket (June 2015); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
224pp, B&W, $17.99 U.S., $21.00 CAN, £10.99 UK

After an eight-year absence from the genre that made his famous, mangaka Junji Ito returned with Fragments of Horror, a collection of macabre manga short stories.  Ito is the creator of such stellar horror manga as Uzumaki and Gyo, as well as numerous short manga.

Fragments of Horror contains eight short stories and an “Afterword” written by Ito in 2014.  VIZ Media recently published an English edition of Fragments of Horror under its VIZ Signature imprint.  The release is a deluxe, hardcover print edition carrying a MSRP of $17.99 U.S. and $21.00 CAN, and it is rated “T+” for “Older Teens.”

Fragments of Horror opens with the story, “Futon.”  The story focuses on a young couple who eloped and are currently living together.  However, Madoka discovers that her boyfriend, Tomio, has basically sealed himself inside a futon.  He blames “dark nature spirits” as the reason for his current predicament.  Madoka is getting tired of this nonsense, but what if Tomio is telling the truth?  Madoka and Tomio return in another story, the neck-traumatizing “Tomio · Red Turtleneck.”

In “Wooden Spirit,” a beautiful and historic wooden house turns crazy-creepy after a new tenant moves in with the current owners.  Feeding and eating turn gruesome and bizarre in the tale, “Blackbird.”

In previous reviews of Junji Ito's manga, I have basically revealed myself to be an acolyte of this modern master of horror.  There have been many adaptations of the work of famed horror and dark fantasy author, H.P. Lovecraft.  There have also been countless comics inspired by Lovecraft.  Junji Ito has named Lovecraft as an influence on his work.  I will take that one step further and say that Ito is the true comics descendant of Lovecraft, and the stories in the Fragments of Horror manga convinces me that I am right.

I will say that not all of the eight stories contained in this volume are exceptional or great.  The stories, “Futon” and “Magami Nanakuse,” are good ideas that fall somewhat flat in execution.  “Whispering Woman” is a classic Gothic tale of troubled and haunted unions, but the ending snatches defeat from the jaws of literary, short story victory.

“Dissection-chan” is creepy and ultimately chilling.  In this volume, the macabre “Blackbird” follows it, and together, the two stories make a blood-curdling one-two punch that might have made even Lovecraft gasp.  Like a Sam Rami movie, “Tomio · Red Turtleneck” is gleefully gruesome.  “Gentle Goodbye” is a masterpiece; it is one of the best short comics that I have ever read.  Every short story collection needs one truly great story that alone can make that collection memorable.  The beautifully haunting “Gentle Goodbye,” with its creepy poignancy, is that story.  Fans of Junji Ito and of horror/dark fantasy comics must have Fragments of Horror on their shelves.

A


Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux; support me on Patreon.


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: REQUIEM OF THE ROSE KING Volume 1

REQUIEM OF THE ROSE KING, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Aya Kanno
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6778-5; paperback (March 2015); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Requiem of the Rose King is a dark fantasy manga and is also the most recent work from mangaka Aya Kanno, the creator of such manga as Otomen and Soul Rescue.  Published in the Japanese shojo manga magazine, Princess, Requiem of the Rose King is loosely based on the work of William Shakespeare, particularly Henry IV (1591) and Richard III (1592).  VIZ Media has just started publishing the series in English.

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) opens in medieval England.  Henry is king; he belongs to the House of Lancaster, represented by a red rose.  Richard of the House of York (represented by a white rose) covets the throne, so he leads his forces into battle.  Thus, begins the “War of the Roses.”

Into Richard of York's house is born a third son, a sickly child that he names Richard after himself.  Richard feels a special connection with young Richard, but his wife, Cecily, who is also young Richard's mother, hates the child.  She proclaims to anyone who will listen that young Richard is a demon child who will lead to the death of her husband.  As the battle between Lancaster and York rages, Richard dreams of his family ascending to the throne, a throne that will one day be his.

The Requiem of the Rose King manga reminds me, believe it or not, of Rei Toma's manga, Dawn of the Arcana, in terms of story and of graphic narrative.  The difference is that in Requiem of the Rose King, Aya Kanno focuses on a lead character around whom swirls omens, portents, and dark motivations.

I find myself repulsed by young Richard, but not in the way a great villain makes being repulsed such a good thing.  Actually, I like Richard when he is contrasted with King Henry, who exudes light and the urge to be a genuine Christian.  Their time together is lyrical and poetic, and I wish the series were built around their relationship.  Requiem of the Rose King has much potential.  I want to see where this goes.  Fans of Aya Kanno will want to try Requiem of the Rose King.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Yaoi Manga Review: BLUE MORNING Volume 4

BLUE MORNING, VOL. 4
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Shoko Hidaka
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: NRP Studios
COVER: Shoko Hidaka with Shawn Carrico
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5555-3; paperback (February 2014) Rated “M” for “Mature”
218pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

The fourth volume of Blue Morning, the yaoi manga graphic novel series from creator Shoko Hidaka, was recently released.  In yaoi manga, the love story features romantic leads that are both male.  This subset of boys’ love (BL) manga can also feature explicit depictions of sex.  Blue Morning focuses on Akihito Kuze, the heir to a viscount-ship, and Tomoyuki Katsuragi, his very capable butler, to whom Akihito is attracted.

After the death of his father, Akinao Kuze, 10-year-old Akihito moves into the Kuze mansion, as he prepares to inherit his late father’s viscount-ship.  There, he meets the Kuze family butler, Katsuragi, who is tasked with raising Akihito.  By the time he is 17-years-old, Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, but also frustrated by the distance between them.

As Blue Morning, Vol. 4 (Chapters 16 to 20) opens, the truth of Katsuragi’s lineage has already been revealed.  With this truth revealed, Katsuragi leaves the Kuze household, and enters the employment of Soemon Ishizaki, the father of Akihito’s friend, Soichiro.

Akihito is determined, however, to have his way.  He attempts to live a life different from the one meant for him, and he breaks off his engagement.  He makes such a bold move regarding the standing of the Kuze family that Katsuragi is forced to counter them with strategy of his own.

The Blue Morning manga is a romantic period drama.  It is like a comic book version of one of those Merchant-Ivory films from 1980s and 1990s.  The series does sometime earn its “yaoi” label with a sex scene.  Blue Morning Volume 4 offers a torrid love scene that leaves the characters in need of a bath.  Everything that Akihito and Katsuragi can’t or won’t say to one another is translated into urgent lovemaking, complete with pants, moans, and groans.

Beyond the sex, there are more reveals.  Through the dialogue, Shoko Hidaka opens the characters, their lives and secrets, in ways that cement Blue Morning’s status as an exceptional character drama and period romance.


A

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Yaoi Review: BLUE MORNING Volume 3

BLUE MORNING, VOL. 3
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Shoko Hidaka
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: NRP Studios
COVER: Shoko Hidaka with Shawn Carrico
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5554-6; paperback (November 2013) Rated “M” for “Mature”
226pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Blue Morning, the yaoi manga graphic novel series from creator Shoko Hidaka, continues with the publication of a third volume.  Blue Morning is the story of Akihito Kuze, the heir to a viscount-ship, and the man he loves, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, the very capable butler who has taken care of him for the better part of a decade.

After the death of his father, Akinao Kuze, 10-year-old Akihito moves into the Kuze mansion, as he prepares to inherit his late father’s viscount-ship.  There, he meets the Kuze family butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, who is tasked with raising Akihito.  By the time he is 17-years-old, Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, but frustrated by the distance between them.

Blue Morning, Vol. 3 (Chapters 11 to 15) opens with surprising news for Katsuragi.  The servants inform him that Akihito has now decided to handle Kuze family’s business interests himself.  It is a big leap for the young man, but his other changes to the household constitution may prove to be too much for household members to accept.

Akihito is so firmly focused on his future that he considers marriage and begins to court 15-year-old Chikako, the daughter of Duke Sajo.  Akihito asks the father of his friend, Soichiro Ishizaki, to act as a go-between in the marriage talks.  The father, a merchant, is willing, but what he wants in return may be too much for Akihito to give.

The Blue Morning manga does occasionally earn its “yaoi” label by depicting sex between its male leads, but depicting sex seems to be the least of creator Shoko Hidaka’s concerns.  This series is a character drama which seems to focus on three things:  a star-crossed romance, family history, and intrigue among the nobility and upper crust of society.

As such, it is an excellent read, and Blue Morning Volume 3 may be the best volume yet.  Hidaka always draws me in, slowly, with an easy pace, even in the scenes involving a shocking reveal.  Before I know it, I have bought into the plot, conflicts, motivations, and characters.  Maybe, Blue Morning is “Masterpiece Theatre” for the boys’ love set.

A

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Yaoi Review: BLUE MORNING Volume 2

BLUE MORNING, VOL. 2
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Shoko Hidaka
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: NRP Studios
COVER: Shoko Hidaka with Shawn Carrico
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5553-2; paperback (August 2013) Rated “M” for “Mature”
202pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Blue Morning is a yaoi manga graphic novel series from creator Shoko Hidaka.  Credited as “Shouko Hidaka,” she authored Restart, a manga set in the world of male models.  Yaoi manga is a subset of boys’ love manga (BL) and features explicit depictions of sex between male characters.

Akihito Kuze is the heir to the viscount-ship of his late father, Akinao Kuze.  After the death of his father, Akihito, at the age of 10, moves into the Kuze mansion.  There he meets the Kuze family’s very capable butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, who is tasked with raising Akihito.  By the time he is 17-year-old, Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, but frustrated by the distance between them.

Blue Morning, Vol. 2 opens with a flashback.  Akinao Kuze, who is still living at the time, assigns a large number of books for reading and study to Katsuragi, his prodigy of sorts.  Whatever plans that Kuze has for his young protégé are put on hold with the announcement that a male Kuze child has been born.

Back in the present, Akihito has physically consummated his relationship with Katsuragi (i.e. had sex with the dude).  Now, he wants to grow closer to and more intimate with the butler, but Katsuragi’s attitude towards his young charge remains emotionally cold.  Now, Akihito is about to make a deal with Katsuragi, one that he hopes will keep the butler in the fold and maybe in his bed.  However, a party at the Marquise Moriyama complicates the matter with surprise appearances and shocking revelations.

The Blue Morning manga earns its “yaoi” label by depicting sex between its male leads.  Blue Morning Volume 2 offers some intense lovemaking, but this manga isn’t necessarily about sex.  Obviously, Akihito wants to have passionate physical contact with Katsuragi, but this story is strongly romantic and is about a committed relationship that could be the equivalent of marriage.  The conflict is that neither of these young men wants exactly the same thing, and the differences are just enough to create believable tension.  This relationship/romance could turn out bad for a number of people.

The high-society intrigue and class conflict (especially regarding the peerage system) make this manga seem like a comic book adaptation of something from “Masterpiece Theatre.”  Of course, Downton Abbey does not “get down” like Blue Morning gets down.

B+

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Yaoi Review: BLUE MORNING Volume 1

BLUE MORNING, VOL. 1
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga (Chara Comics)

CARTOONIST: Shoko Hidaka
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: NRP Studios
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5552-2; Rated “M” for “Mature”
202pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Also credited as “Shouko Hidaka,” mangaka Shoko Hidaka is known for her boys’ love manga, such as Restart, which is set in the world of male models. Her new work is Blue Morning, a yaoi manga graphic novel series. Yaoi manga is a subset of boys’ love manga (BL) and features explicit depictions of sex between male characters.

Blue Morning, Vol. 1 introduces Akihito Kuze, the 10-year-old heir to the viscount-ship of his late father, Akinao Kuze. After the death of his father, Akihito moves into his father’s mansion, where he meets the Kuze family’s very capable butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi. Katsuragi is tasked with raising Akihito.

Seven years later, the 17-year-old Akihito is relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, but is frustrated by the distance between them. The handsome and intelligent Katsuragi is well-respected and popular, even among the aristocracy, so he is highly sought after for his advice. Driven to learn more about his butler, Akihito investigates Katsuragi’s past, both with the Kuze family and in Katsuragi’s own family.

First, there isn’t much in the way of “explicit sex” in Blue Morning Volume 1, except for a night in which the rough play between manservant and charge is emphasized. Blue Morning is a period piece and romantic drama in which romance must compete with intrigue concerning high society and class structure.

Schools for the elite, parties for the nobility, and assorted gatherings of the rich, powerful, and influential are a staple of the first volume of Blue Morning. I think that what makes this story interesting is how much Akihito Kuze hates it all, yet this life is his destiny. Not only is he supposed to be the viscount, but he is also expected to increase the family’s rank. The narrative can be a bit dry at times, and it seems like a boys’ love version of Downton Abbey, except without the popular British drama’s self-assuredness in its storytelling and characters. I’m interested to see where this series goes… especially if the romance gets even rougher.

B

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux