Tiger & Bunny: Boss Ouroboros

I read Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 7

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

Tiger and Bunny: Mad Bears

I read Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter.

Manga Review: TIGER AND BUNNY Volume 4

TIGER & BUNNY, VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Mizuki Sakakibara
PLANNING/STORY: Sunrise
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: Masafumi Nishida
ORIGINAL CHARACTER DESIGN: Masakazu Katsura
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Labaamen and John Werry, HC Language Solutions
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6235-3; paperback (February 2014); Rated “T” for “Teen”
180pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Produced by Sunrise, Tiger & Bunny is a science fiction and superhero anime series.  It ran for 25 episodes in 2011 and yielded a one-shot manga during its original television run in Japan.  Shortly afterwards, manga and comic book artist Mizuki Sakakibara began producing a regular manga series based on anime, also entitled Tiger & Bunny.

Tiger & Bunny takes place in a world where 45 years earlier, super-powered humans, known as NEXT, started appearing.  Some of them fight crime as superheroes in Stern Bild (a re-imagined version of New York City).  They promote their corporate sponsors while appearing on the hit television show, Hero TV (or HERO TV).  The story focuses on veteran superhero, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wild Tiger), and the newest NEXT sensation, Barnaby Brooks, Jr., the “Super Rookie,” whom Tiger calls “Bunny.”

As Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 4 (Chapters 14 to 17) opens, the heroes take on the deranged NEXT killer, Lunatic.  Lunatic’s vigilante activities against murderers and other violent criminals has unsettled the public, and that makes the NEXT less popular.  In a bid to make things better, Apollon Media launches the “Believe in Heroes Campaign.”

That begins with a lecture at the Hero Academy, which trains the NEXT to be heroes.  Kotetsu and Barnaby are the lecturers, and Origami Cyclone joins them.  This return to the academy, however, brings up a tragic incident involving Origami and a fellow student.  Also, the heroes play babysitters to a special child.

It’s a bird.  It’s a plane.  It’s the Tiger & Bunny manga, probably the best superhero comic book not being published by DC Comics or Marvel Comics.  And it is just as good as many of DC and Marvel’s best titles.

As I warned you before, dear readers, you should probably take my reviews of Tiger & Bunny with that proverbial grain of salt (or any of other seasoning), because I am a big fan of this series.  Instead of mocking superheroes, Tiger & Bunny is a comedy about superheroes with convincing “superhero-fantasy action violence.”

Tiger & Bunny Volume 4 offers more of what Tiger & Bunny mangaka, Mizuki Sakakibara, does best – adapt the anime into a comic book with heart and humor.  Readers will feel the heartrending story of Origami and his friend, but they will laugh at the inept babysitters.  Tune in tomorrow – I’m ready for more now.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

Review: TIGER AND BUNNY: The Beginning Side A

TIGER & BUNNY: THE BEGINNING SIDE A
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Tsutomu Oono
PLANNING/STORY: Sunrise
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: Masafumi Nishida
ORIGINAL CHARACTER DESIGN: Masakazu Katsura
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Labaamen and John Werry, HC Language Solutions
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6075-5; paperback (October 2013); Rated “T” for “Teen”
160pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny – The Beginning is a 2012 film based on Tiger & Bunny, the science fiction and superhero anime television series.  Produced by Japanese animation studio, Sunrise, Tiger & Bunny ran for 25 episodes in 2011.

A year after the end of the TV series, Sunrise released the film, Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny – The Beginning, or simply Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning.  Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning apparently recaps the first few episodes of the series and then begins a new story.  Artist Tsutomu Oono produced a manga adaptation of Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning, which VIZ Media is publishing in two volumes as Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning Side A and Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning Side B.

Tiger & Bunny takes place in a world where 45 years earlier, super-powered humans, known as NEXT, started appearing.  Some of them fight crime as superheroes in Stern Bild City (a re-imagined version of New York City).  They promote their corporate sponsors while appearing on the hit television show, HERO TV.  Each season, the superheroes compete to be named the “King of Heroes.”

Early in Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning Side A, the Justice Bureau approves Barnaby Brooks, Jr. as a new superhero.  Meanwhile, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, who is the veteran superhero, Wild Tiger, begins his day.  Kotetsu makes a promise to his daughter, Kaede, but will he be able to keep it when a menace attacks the city.

That attack will change Kotetsu’s life, because it leads him to a new employer.  The new employer, Apollon Media, is about to introduce Kotetsu to Barnaby Brooks, Jr. whether he wants to meet him or not.

I am a fan of the Tiger & Bunny manga, and I became one after reading only one volume.  I have yet to see the movie, Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning.  Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning Side A is simply a retelling of the original series with a new angle or two.  I also find it easier to read than the Tiger & Bunny manga, which is also an easy read.

Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning Side A is to the Tiger & Bunny manga what the comic books, X-Men: First Class and Wolverine: First Class, were to the main X-Men and Wolverine comic book series:  less complicated retellings of familiar stories.  Like the “First Class” line, Side A eschews many subplots in favor of one storyline at a time, for the most part.  Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning Side A is not inferior to the original; it is a simpler way to enjoy the excellent concept that Tiger & Bunny is.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Tiger and Bunny: Fire Is a Good Servant but a Bad Master

I read Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 3

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

Review: TIGER AND BUNNY Volume 1

TIGER & BUNNY, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Mizuki Sakakibara
PLANNING/STORY: Sunrise
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: Masafumi Nishida
ORIGINAL CHARACTER DESIGN: Masakazu Katsura
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Labaamen and John Werry, HC Language Solutions
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5561-4; paperback (April 2013); Rated “T” for “Teen”
172pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Produced by Sunrise, the Japanese animation studio and production company, Tiger & Bunny is a 2011 science fiction and superhero anime series. It ran for 25 episodes in 2011 and yielded a one-shot manga during its original television run in Japan. Shortly afterwards, manga and comic book artist Mizuki Sakakibara began producing a regular manga series based on anime, also entitled Tiger & Bunny.

Tiger & Bunny takes place in a world where 45 years earlier, super-powered humans, known as NEXT, started appearing in the world. Some of them fight crime as superheroes in Sternbild City (a re-imagined version of New York City). They promote their corporate sponsors while appearing on the hit television show, Hero TV (or HERO TV). Each season, the superheroes compete to be named the “King of Heroes.”

Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) introduces two of these superheroes, Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks, Jr. Kotetsu T. Kaburagi AKA Wild Tiger is a veteran superhero, but his ratings have been declining. Under orders from his new employer, Apollon Media, Wild Tiger teams up with the newest NEXT sensation, Barnaby Brooks, Jr., the “Super Rookie.” The two heroes don’t want to work together, but they will have to do just that if they are to stop a new NEXT from destroying the city.

I’ll be upfront about Tiger & Bunny. I really enjoyed reading this manga, even after one volume. I’ll be shocked (Shocked!) if I don’t really like the second volume. Why do I feel the love for Tiger & Bunny? I think it appeals to me so much because it is a manga that is a genuine superhero comic book.

I also think that Tiger & Bunny is the kind of quality, honestly kid-friendly, superhero comic book of which the North American market needs more. This manga is more about superhero action than it is about action violence. It is snarky and humorous, but does not parody or make fun of superheroes or the superhero genre. The story also digs deep into what it means to be a hero, to overcome adversity and scorn, to make amends for transgressions and such. Over the course of the series, it seems as if the dominant theme will be about comprise and partnership. Tiger & Bunny looks like it is going to offer a good time for a long time.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux