I Reads You Review: HUNTER X HUNTER, VOL. 25

Creators: Yoshihiro Togashi; Lillian Olsen (Translation and English Adaptation)
Publishing Information: VIZ Media – @VIZMedia, B&W, paperback, 208 pages, $7.99 (US), $9.50 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4215-2588-4 (ISBN-13); 1-4215-2588-7 (ISBN-10)

Rating: “T+” for “Older Teen”

Hunter × Hunter is a shonen manga (comics for teen boys) from writer/artist Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho. An adventure and fantasy comic book, Hunter × Hunter debuted in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump (March 3, 1998).

The main character in Hunter × Hunter is Gon Freecss. Gon discovers that his father, Ging Freecss, whom he thought to be dead, is actually alive and well. Gon dedicates himself to being what his father is – a great Hunter. Hunters devote themselves to tracking down priceless items and treasures, mystical places, magical beasts, and even other people. Those who pass the grueling qualification exam to become a Hunter also get access to restricted areas and amazing stores of information.

Hunter × Hunter, Vol. 25 (entitled Charge) continues the “Chimera Ant Story Arc.” As the midnight hour approaches, the Hunters are ready to make their charge against The King, brutal ruler of the Chimera Ants. The heroes have snuck into the capitol of East Gorteau. Shoot, Meleoron, and Knuckle will lead the first charge. Gon and his best pal, Killua Zoldyck, will lead the second charge, while Ikalgo will be the third charge and Morel the fourth. Chairman Netero and Zeno will sneak into the thrown room to assassinate the King. The narrative also offers revelations about Netero’s origins.

Outside the royal palace, Neferpitou, one of the elite Royal Guards, makes the first stand against the invading Hunters. Inside, the shape-shifting Youpi awaits. However, something reveals a surprising side of the King that no one could have predicted.

It has been over four years since I last read a Hunter × Hunter graphic novel. In an earlier review, I described the series as a “‘Bizarro’ Naruto,” filled with weird characters. What really makes Hunter × Hunter look unusual is the quirky style of the art, which looks like the kind of art one might find in an American indie or alternative comic book or even a small press superhero or fantasy genre series.

The page design and also the graphic design of the composition in each panel are also unique. That peculiar visual aspect draws the reader into the action, rather than freeze them out, the way a style, inappropriate for a genre, might. There is a kooky, surreal aspect that made me more interested in the story the deeper I got into it, while early into this volume, I was not at all interested.

Hunter × Hunter is rated for “older teens” (T+), but its strange character will make it appealing to shonen readers of all ages.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Natsume's Book of Friends: The Exorcist Matoba

I read Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 13

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Review: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION 3-in-1 Edition Volume 1

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
ORGINAL CONCEPT: khara GAINAX
TRANSLATION: Mari Morimoto, Lillian Olsen
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Fred Burke, Carl Gustav Horn
LETTERING: Wayne Truman, John Clark
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5079-4; paperback; Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
528pp, B&W, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese science fiction anime (or animation) television series. Twenty-six episodes of the series were originally broadcast from October 1995 to March 1996. The anime had a comic book companion, Neon Genesis Evangelion the manga, which was produced by author Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. The manga actually debuted in the manga magazine, Shonen Ace, 10 months (December 1994) before the anime as a way to introduce the series to the public.

In addition to publishing single volumes (which are up to Volume 13 as of this writing), VIZ Media recently began reprinting the series in 3-in-1 editions, which gather three volumes in one large-sized, single volume. Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 reprints Neon Genesis Evangelion, Volumes 1 to 3.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the story of humans at war with hostile beings called Angels. The human side of the conflict is led by NERV, a paramilitary organization. NERV created giant biomechanical units or mecha called Evangelions (also known as EVA and Evas) that are piloted by teenagers. The lead character is 14-year-old Shinji Ikari, EVA “Unit-01” pilot.

The first three volumes of the series introduce Shinji and reveal how he was brought into the EVA program by 29-year-old Misato Katsuragi, the NERV operations chief who plans EVA missions. Shinji is also reunited with his estranged father, 48-year-old Gendo Ikari, who is NERV Supreme Commander. Shinji meets 14-year-old Rei Ayanami, called the First Child because she was the first to pilot an EVA.

After Rei’s EVA Unit-00 is damaged, Shinji and Unit-01 have to fight the Angels. These early stories also depict Shinji’s conflicted feelings about being an EVA pilot, but two of his classmates, Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara, provide comic relief in contrast.

As I’ve previously noted, I knew of Neon Genesis Evangelion the anime, but had never seen it. My first direct experience with the franchise was reading Volume 12 of the manga last year. I enjoyed reading this Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 Edition more than I did reading Volumes 12 and 13. These early chapters are simple and straight forward.

Author Yoshiyuki Sadamoto uses Shinji Ikari as the vehicle through which we are introduced into the world of NERV and the Evangelion. As a lead character, I find Shinji a bit soft and unfocused. His moody, sad boy personality gets old after awhile, but he meets so many interesting characters (like his father) that he’s worth the trouble.

Of course, the giant robot battles are good, and Sadamoto composes them with imagination, so this is not just battle for the sake of battle. Sadamoto makes this interesting, mixing intrigue and melodrama with the anticipation of another attack. This is giant robot with quality soap opera, and that’s a good thing.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden - Uruki and King Temdan

I read Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 10 (Fushigi Yugi (Graphic Novels))

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Review: NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS, VOL. 12

NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS, VOL. 12
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Yuki Midorikawa
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4231-7; paperback, Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Yuki Midorikawa is a Japanese female mangaka (manga artist). Her best known work is Natsume’s Book of Friends, a fantasy manga. The series began being serialized in the shojo manga magazine, LaLa DX (from publisher Hakusensha), in 2005. As of 2008, Natsume’s Book of Friends appears in another shojo magazine, LaLa.

The series stars troubled high school student Takashi Natsume. The teenaged boy can see the spirits and demons called “yokai.” This ability, however, has been a curse that has set Takashi, who is an orphan, apart from others. He finds a stable home with the Fujiwaras, a kind couple who are distant relatives. He also has a companion in Nyanko Sensei, a guardian yokai. Takashi learns that he has inherited two things from his mysterious grandmother, Reiko Natsume: the Sight and her “Book of Friends,” a tome in which Reiko wrote the names of yokai.

As Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 12 begins, Takashi meets a kindhearted yokai who has in his possession a letter ruined by age and exposure to the elements. This yokai knows of another yokai with the ability to restore paper, but this mysterious yokai’s name is in the Book of Friends. Will this unknown yokai be willing to help the grandson of Reiko Natsume? Next, a female yokai wants to return a mirror given to her by a human woman, so will Takashi help her find the mirror’s owner?

Later, Takashi finds himself in a trap sprung by a yokai looking for a gift. Why does a yokai need a gift? The legendary yokai, Lord Omibashira, has returned, and there is a par-tay! in his honor, and Takashi is a welcome-home present. Now, the teen loner must turn to his human acquaintances for help. Can Shuichi Natori, the actor and yokai exorcist, and Kaname Tanuma, a fellow high school student who can sense when yokai are present, help Takashi?

Initially, I didn’t know what to make of the Natsume’s Book of Friends manga. It is one of the few manga that would seem to fit in at Vertigo, the DC Comics’ imprint which focuses on adult oriented fantasy and crime comics. In fact, Natsume’s Book of Friends reminds me of the classic Vertigo series, The Sandman.

Although this is a fantasy series full of mythological creatures, creator Yuki Midorikawa focuses on the characters. The story of the yokai with the weather-beaten note is a tragic story of unrequited love that Midorikawa plays in such a way that you might think the characters are human. The yokai-with-a-mirror story is about keeping promises and about sacrifice that transcends genres. I previously described this series as a celebration of life, but it also celebrates the bonds that hold people to one another.

A

Cross Game: The Return of the Infamous Coach Daimon

I read Cross Game, Vol. 7

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free comics).

Review: X 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 2

X 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA

CREATORS: CLAMP
Story and Script and Book Design: Nanase Ohkawa
Art/Cover Illustration: Mokona Apapa
Art Direction: Mick Nekoi
Art Assistance: Satsuki Igarashi
TRANSLATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4041-2; paperback, Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
584pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S. $22.99 CAN

CLAMP (or Clamp) is an all-female manga artist group and studio. The group began in the mid-1980s as a self-publishing collective of amateur artists. The group’s first professional work, RG Veda, apparently was started when the creators were still amateurs. Some of their best known titles are Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, and xxxHolic.

Originally entitled, X/1999, X is a shojo manga created by CLAMP. The series, which debuted in 1992, follows a young man who must deal with the fact that his destiny will determine the fate of humanity and the Earth. VIZ Media is currently publishing the series in their omnibus 3-in-1 editions, which collect three original Japanese volumes in one large-sized paperback volume or graphic novel.

The series centers on Kamui Shiro, a powerful young esper. Hinoto, a young blind woman, is Japan’s greatest seer, and she has foretold the end of the world. Kamui is at the center of this prophecy. There are two competing forces battling over Earth. The Dragons of Earth (The Seven Angels) believe that the conflict between man and nature cannot be resolved peaceful, so man, as destroyers, must be destroyed. The Dragons of Heaven (The Seven Seals) believe that the conflict between man and nature can be resolved peacefully. Hinoto hopes to win Kamui, who possesses tremendous arcane powers, to the side of the Dragons of Heaven. Kamui just wants to protect the two people most important to him, brother and sister, Fuma and Kotori Monou.

As X: 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 2 (which reprints Japanese Vols. 4-6) begins, Sorata Arisugawa and Yuzuriha Nekoi, two of the Seven Seals, accompany Kamui to see Hinoto in her lair beneath the Diet Building in Tokyo. Hinoto has a lot to tell Kamui, but is she telling him the entire truth about his destiny? Seishiro Sakurazuka, one of the Seven Angels who previously attacked Kamui, confronts him again. The Dragons of Earth plot to protect their stolen prize, one of the Sacred Swords. Kamui is reunited with Kotori and her brother Fuma, and Fuma has something important to tell Kamui.

Once again, I am brief in my summary of this second volume of X: 3-in-1 Edition. Of course, there is so much more to the contents of this volume – subplots, flashbacks, big reveals, and new characters galore.

X is clearly an early work by CLAMP. It is not as polished as their later works, but the creators’ passion for this project is glaring and makes for a live-wire reading experience. There are times when the images, graphics, and visual storytelling just pounded my imagination. CLAMP packs pages with explosions of energy, debris, flowers, tones-upon-tones, and various effects. This is emotional and psychological in nature more than it is straight linear storytelling, but it is fun to read.

B+

Cross Game : Ko and Akane on a Date

I read Cross Game, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has free comics).

Cross Game: Volver

I read Cross Game, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which as comics).

Review: X 3-IN-1 EDITION Volume 1

X 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA

CREATORS: CLAMP
Story and Script and Book Design: Nanase Ohkawa
Art/Cover Illustration: Mokona Apapa
Art Direction: Mick Nekoi
Art Assistance: Satsuki Igarashi
TRANSLATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4041-2; paperback, Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
584pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S. $22.99 CAN

CLAMP (or Clamp) is an all-female manga artist group and studio. The group began in the mid-1980s as a self-publishing collective of amateur artists. The group’s first professional work, RG Veda, apparently was started when the creators were still amateurs. Some of their best known titles are Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, and xxxHolic.

One of CLAMP’s most famous/infamous series is X, which is also known as X/1999. The series debuted in 1992 in the manga magazine, Monthly Asuka. X follows a young man who must deal with the fact that his destiny will determine the fate of humanity. VIZ Media is currently publishing the series as “X” in their omnibus 3-in-1 editions, which collect three volumes in one large size paperback volume.

X 3-in-1 Edition: Vol. 1 introduces the major players. After the recent death of his mother, Kamui Shiro moves back to Tokyo following a six-year absence. His dear friends, Kotori Monou and her older brother, Fuma Monou, find that Kamui is not like they remember him. Now, sullen and withdrawn, Kamui seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he actually does.

According to the blind seer, Hinoto, the fate of humanity rests on Kamui’s narrow shoulders. Meanwhile, the Seven Seals, who are Kamui’s allies, and the Seven Angels, who are to be his adversaries, gather. The year 1999 will be the year of the great battle in which Kamui will decide the outcome. Or will he? Could there be another?

I was brief in my summary of the first volume of X 3-in-1 Edition, but so much more happens and practically all of it is fun to read. X is not as polished as Clamp’s later work, and its unrefined nature shows on every page. However, there is something very alluring about this rawness. Lacking the ability or, more likely, desire to be subtle, Clamp filled X with high-strung characters whose emotions are not hidden or quiet. The conniving are really conniving. The sullen are particularly sullen. And when a young woman is in love, as Kotori is, she’s ready to stand by her man and make him soup if he won’t eat what she has already cooked.

The art emphasizes big panels which usually contain battle scenes. Those battle scenes depict energy and magic unleashed in a fast and furious display. What the art lacks in draftsmanship, composition, and figure drawing, it makes up for in sheer bravado. The characters are likeable and though the subplots are a mess, X is that kind of large scale fantasy that attracts readers – like me.

B+