A Happy New Year and a Challenge!

Greetings Dear Readers,

Image from http://robustwineblog.typepad.com
A nice site on all things wine by Master Sommelier Stanley Browne

Welcome to 2013, year of the...unapocalypse? In celebration of the world not ending, and all things anime and manga, I am challenging my fellow Squeefiniters, Mr. Empty and Shakespeare to a Mangathon. For 30 days we will each be sharing our responses to the following categories:

01. Your very first manga
02. Your favorite manga
03. Your favorite mangaka
04. A character you feel you are most like (or wish you were)
05. A manga you would recommend to everyone
06. Your favorite character
07. A manga you disliked enough to stop reading
08. The most annoying character
09. A manga you’d like to see more of
10. A manga that makes you fluffy and happy when you read it
11. Your first Manga crush
12. A manga you used to love but don’t anymore
13. The most epic scene ever
14. A manga that makes you cry.
15. The saddest scene
16. A manga you feel you should read but can’t
17. A manga that you feel embarrassed about liking
18. Favorite BL/yuri couple
19. A manga that you disliked at first but came to enjoy later on
20. A manga you started out enjoying but ended up not liking as much
21. A manga that deserves more recognition
22. A manga you wish didn’t exist
23. Best manga  villain
24. The best long manga series
25. The best manga oneshot
26. The last manga you read 

27. A manga you would never buy
28. A manga you think is so brilliant it’s like literature
29. A manga you read that was just plain weird
30. A manga that isn’t licensed but SHOULD be

Maybe we can even do a little give-a-way at the end of the 30 days to celebrate. Be sure to keep up and chime in...there will be arguments a plenty, I'm sure. 

Let the Mangathon BEGIN! 

We'll let Revy from Black Lagoon fire the opening shot
because she does like to shoot things.
Duck!

Alice the 101st (Manga)

Title: Alice the 101st 1 and 2
Author/Artist: Chigusa Kawaii
Publisher: DMP
Rating 16+ (YA)
Buy it: http://www.akadot.com/alice-the-101st-vol-0102-gn-bundle-p-31824.html (2 issues for $8.99)

Chigusa Kawaii's second series Alice the 101st  is a shoot off of much beloved (by me) La Esperança.  What does this mean?

• Well, lots of her signature wind-blown art. (Where does that wind come from? Aren't they in a room?) 
• Lots of  sweet-faced school boys dealing with strange new feelings. 
• Music. 
• Elaborate backgrounds and bustling city scenes.
• Discussions about the future. 
• Crippling self-doubt.
• Daddy issues. 
• Guest appearances by Georges Saphir. 
• One tiny, miniscule glimpse of Robert Jade. 

Aristide Lang (who would like to be called Aristo, but is instead dubbed Alice) is a new violin student at Mondonvielle Music school. Mononvielle only allows in 100 students a year, yet for some reason they bent the rules and accepted Alice as the 101st. Rumors fly around the school, because apparently school boys are vindictive gossips, and although it is first suspected that Alice got in thank to "connections" his classmates soon realize that this oddly talented, barely taught, country-rough, violinist not only has a strange skill, but that his father was an acclaimed violinist who attended Mondonvielle as (duh-duh-daaaah) a 101st student. Alice is out of his element, his roommate Theo thinks he's embarrassing because he plays by ear and can't read music, he's being pursued by an overly optimistic upperclassman named Vick, and he's being harassed by the substitute violin teacher who thinks he's a waste of time. To top it all off the second seat violinist, whom Alice calls Blondie Diamante (I forget his real name, and I like Alice's nickname for him) is a douche bag snob with an out-of control ego who has it out for Alice.

I like Alice. I think he's cute and sweet and adamant. He's playing for love and to get closer to his deceased father who was a virtuoso named Claude Savatier. How can I not like him? He's a diamond in the rough. A kid with talent and heart, who may not be the smartest cookie in the jar, but is still pretty tasty. He is attending Mondonvielle to "meet" his father. The museum in the school houses his father's violin, the "Margo." And in order to gain access to it, and actually play it, he must become one of the best in the school, a rival to oddly sweet, oblivious, and totally weird first seat violinist Maximillian.

This is a good start to a lighter story from Chigusa Kawaii, and I enjoyed the first two volumes. They don't have the same torturous emotional impact as La Esperanca, but very little does. I like that she decided not to compete with the earlier work and instead took it in a different, far more humorous direction. It was a good choice, and it will keep me reading on into later volumes. Another thing that will keep me reading on is the hopes of seeing a bit more of Georges and Robert.

Like this:

Right there under the "Vick!" is Robert. It's a small panel , but I don't care.
Georges had a recital and Robert was there.
Hooray!

It's cute instead of soul-crushing, but sometimes we all need some levity. I look forward to more of Chigusa Kawaii's work, and think this second series of hers is off to a good start.

Makoto Tateno Double Feature-- How to Capture a Martini and How to Control a Sidecar (manga)

I couldn't sleep last night, so I read some brand spanky new manga from DMP. Makoto Tateno, author of me-favorites (like fan-favorites, only more self-centered) Hero Heel and Yellow (and the less than stellar Fu Shin Ga: For Love or Money) has come out with two related manga centering around bartenders. I have a strong suspicion that Tateno really likes bar-culture and cocktails. Every single one of her manga has something to do with drinking. These two offerings center on the bartenders working at the upscale bar Maria Elena.  The first volume How to Capture a Martini is pretty standard fare for her in some ways. I always appreciate that she deals with more mature characters and themes. The main characters in Martini were former lovers in high-school who parted ways suddenly when the eldest of the two, Shinobu, graduated. Naoyuki, the one left behind without even a word, has held a torch for him ever sense. So, when the two bump into each other (while Naoyuki is with his current girlfriend) at Maria Elena, Naoyuki is shocked and pleased at first, until Shinobu refuses to give him an explanation and pushes him away harshly.



Makoto Tateno likes to write about drinking!

 Martini uses the martini (actual drink) as an overarching metaphor for the relationship between the two. The first cocktail Naoyuki ever has, made by Shinobu of course, is a martini. As Naoyuki explains, he expected it to be sweeter, but found it "much harsher and drier than I expected." The sentiment is a clear reflection of Naoyuki on Shinobu's character. He has been turned off by cocktails ever since, and yet, he forces himself into a position at Maria Elena to be near Shinobu again. It turns out that the martini Shinobu made all those years ago was intentionally extra-dry, something he knew Naoyuki would not like in order to push him away. Shinobu spends a lot of time pushing Naoyuki away, and indulging himself in a string of meaningless relationships. Ultimately, though, Naoyuki realizes that Shinobu's tactics hide his true feelings for Naoyuki. He begins to realize that the reason Shinobu ran from their relationship so many years ago was because he was scared.

Afraid of the pressure of a relationship and what Shinobu sees as inevitable heartbreak, he decides to abandon the relationship before he is destroyed. Happily the two, due to the sort of bizzare coincidences and intrigues that ONLY exist in manga, reunite and devote themselves to the love they abandoned so long ago.

Overall, it wasn't a bad manga, it was a little heavy-handed at times, but it didn't shy away from the kinds of mature issues that Tateno tends towards. The only thing I didn't like was the odd side-stories. They were weird, and incestuous, and fetishistic in a way that was fairly creepy. This should have been a sign. The sign should have read: JUST STOP HERE, DR. M!! But, I didn't stop there, did I, Dear Readers? No. I decided to read the second story.

I assumed, incorrectly, that How to Control a Sidecar would be a little bit of fun and minor angst from some of the other bartenders at Maria Elena. This time straight, super-star bartender Kousaka was in the spotlight. He was only a minor character foil to Shinobu in Martini, and seemed pretty standoffish and disinterested in that volume. It turns out that he's not so much standoffish as ridiculously oblivious to the kind of bar he works in. He fails to realize that about 90% of Maria Elena's clientele is gay. Even his co-workers find this oversight shockingly unobservant. It seems lighthearted at first; a clueless character getting hit on by all sorts of men without realizing the implications of their conversations. However, Dear Readers, it is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT that kind of manga.

This is horrifically graphic stuff, not light hearted at all. And it includes a graphic depiction of extremely non-consensual sex which although treated seriously spins into something I am entirely uncomfortable with. Kousaka is attacked, beaten and raped by a customer, and to my distaste, not only forgives his attacker, but becomes involved in his life. NOT COOL! NOT COOL! NOT COOL! Kousaka isn't just oblivious, he's an idiot. He decides to "forget" it happened. AND he eventually falls in love with the man who raped him. Everything ends happily ever after...except that he was raped and beaten. I don't even know what to say about this except...every part of me objects to this story line. Traditionally Tateno deals with some dark themes, and some complications that seem troubling, but this crosses a line for me. Dr. M disapproves.

So, by all means, read How to Capture a Martini. It didn't blow my hair back in a manga-esque wind scene, but it does have some interesting moments. Avoid the creepy side stories in it though, you'll thank me when you have avoided reading about an incestuous relationship involving cat cosplay. And be seriously cautious about How to Make a Sidecar. Neither of these manga are appropriate for readers under 17, and I don't think How to Control a Sidecar is appropriate for any audience. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Invisible Love--Manga

Title: Invisible Love
Author/Artist: Rie Honjou
Publisher: DMP (Digital Manga Publishing)

Invisible Love, like most of Rie Honjou's work both as author and animator, is kind of squeeworthy. I'm most familiar with her as an illustrator, but she has branched out into writing as well. Invisible Love is a collection of unrelated (mostly) vingnettes centering on hidden crushes.

The title story, about college students Inori and Senou, is really sweet and ridiculous...so, of course I love it. Inori is an easy-going guy who has a tendency to get dumped by girls who claim he's not serious about them. His most recent girlfriend told him that she couldn't be with him knowing that someone else held his heart. (Awwww! Seriously, awww!) Every time he's dumped he goes to best friend Senou for support and guidance, and finds himself thinking--ah, if only Senou were a woman. One night, while drinking their troubles away Senou passes out cold and "dreams" about Inori. Mostly-sober Inori succumbs to Senou's sweetness and devotion and learns how much his friend really loves him. The next day Senou believes it is all a dream, and Inori keeps his secret hoping that someday Senou will have enough courage to confess his love aloud. Hijinks ensue, and...Squee! For course there is a happy ending.

The other stories in the collection center on similar "hidden" or "invisible" feelings between characters. In one a host club manager accidentally runs into a childhood crush. In another a department store worker befriends a new employee and learns about his past indiscretions. In another a new couple reveals their hidden desires. The mandatory school-boy story has an interesting sweetness to it, despite its...um...naughtyness? And in the last story a set of young lovers discovers they share a tragic past that has left both of them shaken. The interesting part of this thematic collection is the sweetness that tempers the obvious desire (and smut-itude) between the characters. Each story reveals some invisible connection that could end in agony or ecstasy.


As far as illustration goes characters are cute without being too girly. She has a knack for capturing subtle emotions in her drawings that a lot of manga artists lack; often a small gesture will surprise me during rereadings, and I like that. Although sometimes her illustrations are quite, ahem, graphic (with the getting-it-on), they're never gross or crude. Although, I just discovered she has a collection of S&M stories...huh. Her drawings and gestures border so closely to precious that I wonder how she pulls that off?

She is one of my favorite illustrators, but she has some odd habits. For one, she loves to draw people eating or smoking...even she has pointed out this odd quirk. She thinks people look "cute" drinking a soda, eating donuts or with a chopstick in their mouth. One big glaring quirk, which annoys not only me, but the author (enough so that she bothered to mention it in a post-script) is that she often has characters from different stories who look IDENTICAL! In the collection two of the stories featured side by side have confusingly identical protagonists. So, there isn't a ton of variation in her characters as far as illustration goes, but that's the case in a lot of manga, it seems. I swear in one of my favorite manga it took me two reads before I could differentiate between the best friend and love interest. I kept getting confused, and thought I'd eventually have to label them. So, it's a problem, but not one particular to Invisible Love , but manga in general. Just remember that the stories are, for the most part, unrelated...you'll be fine.

Let's end with some squeeworthy sweetness, shall we?

SQUEE!

Most Pointless Anime -- The Winner is (once again) Super Milk Chan

I cannot express enough, how much I really don't like this show. Yet, I've seen it enough times to mention it on my blog twice already.

Ugg, Stupid Milk Chan.

(But tell me how you really feel.)

Favorite Opening Theme -- Blue Exorcist

Right now, I'm watching Blue Exorcist and loving the opening song,"Core Pride" by Japanese rock band Uverworld:



A close second and perennial favorite is Sakura Kiss from Ouran High School Host Club:



It is a pure squee trigger for me!

Favorite Harem Anime -- Saiunkoku Monogatari -- The Story of Saiunkoku

The Story of Saiunkoku is a totally squeeworthy anime.


I started following the show when it was first airing in Japan at a time when you had to wait for fansubs to come out. It takes place in a fictional medieval kingdom. Centered around Shurei Kou, the poor descendant of a noble family, who wants to be a government official despite the fact that she is a woman, the anime has enough twists and turns to keep it enjoyable despite its length. There are something like two seasons of almost forty episodes, so it's a nice, long epic adventure.


Since there were large gaps between episodes, my interest in the show waned after a time. What I can say is, it's a great show with nice art and a great male harem anime that includes just about every bishounen type know to fangirldom. Also, there is a strong and interesting female lead with a depth of character I really enjoyed.

I'm not aware of an official licensed streaming version of this right now. Its not available on Netflix, and frankly, the boxset is stupid expensive. I'd like to watch / finish this show one day, though.

Best Animation? Technically NOT anime... Samurai Jack

So, it's technically not anime. So what? I like what I like. I like the animation for Samurai Jack. Stylistically it fits my aesthetic perfectly. And since I'm the progenitor of this blog, I get to write about what I like.

So there.

Day 24 - Favorite Anime Hero or Heroine: Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani of Now and Then, Here and There

What makes a hero? Selflessness? Humility? Grace? Determination?

Shu is amazing.

He’s not tough in a traditional way, he’s not a warrior-type, he isn’t a knight in battle, he’s human, but he’s also the epitome of heroism…really. He fights and sacrifices himself again and again to protect others, and to right the wrongs of a world that has lost its humanity in many ways. Although he is thrust into a dystopian future, beaten, and nearly destroyed, he still maintains a positive view of humanity. He believes people are, despite all evidence to the contrary, essentially good and always worthy of redemption.

Now and Then, Here and There is only a 13 episode series, but 13 episodes are plenty. This series deals with some heavy themes: war, rape, violence, greed, misery, abuse…heavy stuff. But through it all Shu’s heroism changes things. The world becomes a better place through the patient and caring devotion of one person to the people around him and the goodness he sees in those people, no matter how far they have fallen into despair or corruption. Shu redeems the world. He shows the world a better way. He’s just a young man, but he’s willing to suffer endlessly for the benefit of others.

Although I really love and admire this series for its message and its artistry (so much symbolism…beautiful stuff!), I would have to say I wouldn’t recommend it for most viewers. Although many of the characters are young, many of them children…this is NOT a kid’s show. It has a good message to share, but it is at times stomach-turning in its depictions of brutality. If you can handle the painful scenes (and they are painful, I’m not exaggerating), then this is well worth the watch, but sensitive people should be wary. For instance, Ms. Shakespeare, this might be a bit out of your comfort zone. But for those of you who can handle graphic violence and heartbreak, this is an amazing piece of anime, and Shu is hands-down the most heroic figure I can think of.

Day 22 -- Best Character Team-Up -- Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian

That Hansel. He's so hot right now!

Right now, Ciel Phantomhive and his demon butler are at the top of the team-up queue.

Best Yandere Character? Gunter -- Kyo Kara Moah

Your Majesty, I love you!

So a Yandere character is generally considered a little more violent than I would categorize Gunter to be. The long haired bishounen is definitely a little crazy about Yuri, the Demon King, but I don't think he would hurt anyone in pursuit of his obsession.

I just kind of like how his reality is so different than every other person's because it is so colored by his idealized vision of Yuri.

Mandatory Victory Pose? Ryuichi Sakuma -- Gravitation

I am a rock star with a great voice. I am also crazy.

Ryuichi Sakuma, always victorious!

Black Butler -- Kuroshitsuji -- Day 18 -- Best Plot

I wanna be your dog!

I first heard about Yano Toboso's Black Butler while I was enrolled in Japanese classes in San Francisco. One of my very junior little otaku classmates told me she thought I would love it, and she wasn't wrong.

Set in an alternative Victorian London, Black Butler features a 13-year-old protagonist, Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive, a mature for his years, orphan who heads the family business, who keeps deep ties to the underworld and an allegiance to the queen. Ciel lives in a manor with a number of attendants, most notably a butler of amazing talent: Sebastian.

It's not long before we learn that Sebastian is actually a demon who has a pact with Ceil. Ceil needs his help to avenge his parents' deaths and his own humiliation at the hands of an evil group of a**holes and in payment, he will give his soul to Sebastian.

It's an interesting relationship. It's not master and servant, though it can seem that way. Ciel orders Sebastian around. Sebastian follows orders. Sebastian is loyal to Ciel, and he protects the crap out of him, but it's not love or fidelity that binds them. It's the promise of a tasty soul, which Sebastian is willing to wait for. After all, he's immortal. And, he knows that Ciel's soul is going to taste really good, so full of hate and thoughts of cruel revenge for someone so young. Sebastian may seem tender, but he doesn't have feelings, not in the way humans might experience them.

The main plot, of course, is that with Sebastian's help, Ciel will seek his revenge, but there are plenty of subplots to keep the viewer's interest. Whether they are hunting down Jack the Ripper or engaged in a Queen's favorite curry cooking contest, the characters and plot are engaging.

The art is great. I have to say, Ciel looks adorable in a dress:

This show has been the inspiration for many a cosplayer, I'm sure. Truth be told, with such fun fashion, I might be convinced to to dress up as a character from this show!

So, will Ciel get his revenge? Will Sebastian get his tasty treat? Watch and find out!

Favorite Anime Ending Song: Yami no Matsuei -- Love Me

Kind of folky, kind of punky.

Let me tell you guys something. Don't throw bricks. I mostly don't like JPop at all.

But, I do like anime...

She is the One Called Sailor Moon -- Day 16

Um, magical girl anime? Oh boy, there are whole subgenres that just don't tickle my fancy. This is one of them. Well, that's unless you count Sailor Moon, which I have watched, duly noted, and thoroughly enjoyed.

It has been many moons, pardon the pun, since I watched this anime. In fact, I used to watch this anime before I really even liked anime. Basically, it was on early in the morning, and I watched it to keep me awake when I was doing the overnight shift in my early twenties. Wow. That was a LONG time ago.

There is a show I really enjoyed that is not quite magical girl anime, but sort of. It's called Sumomomo Momomo, World's Strongest Bride, which I watched more recently and also totally enjoyed.

Basically, it is about a girl who is a really kick ass fighter who is seeking another kick ass fighter to have children with.

Anyway, it's super cute and sometimes inappropriate.

I Wish the Publishing Company I Worked for was ANYTHING like this

Sorry, I'm so behind, but when you're stuck at home with a bum back and a bad mood, sometimes challenges are just, well...too challenging.

Sometime overnight I my spine spun out of alignment, and I woke up feeling like Gregor Samsa, a disgusting, paralyzed monster bug. I figured out how to get dressed: very carefully. Then I wandered out into the rain and made my way to work, where I realized I might not actually be able to soldier it through the pain. So, I came home.

It's rainy. I'm depressed. I hurt. This kind of thing makes me feel old. Oh, sh*t, it's my birthday next week. I AM old.

So, I'm laying flat on my back on the cold wood floor with my cat (the perpetual reminder of my old lady singleton-ness) staring at me like he can't wait for me to give up the ghost and become kitty vittle. Did I mention, it's raining, and I feel sorry for myself? Poor me!

I give up. I'm just going to become a shut-in and watch anime until those few gray hairs turn into all gray hair. I'll be a Hikikomori, and I'll start with: Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi - World's Greatest First Love

It's one of my favorite kind of anime.

1) It's Yaoi. It's about the gays, but gay in the most kind of androgynous kind of gay way, you know the way ladies write gay stuff for ladies. I'm just going to write the word gay one more time for good measure.

2) It's an office type drama. Have I mentioned I LOVE those. There is something interesting to me about the blurred lines between work and life in anime. Everything is SO important, and everyone vows to try SO hard and do their best and so forth. The work becomes a character in and of itself.

3) It's a publishing company, specifically a Shoujo manga publishing company. The anime ends up being a little meta taking the viewer through the ins and outs of a part of its own industry. I wish I could be a manga editor, especially at a place like that!

4) It's not stuck on one set of characters. Yes, there is one main couple, but there are intervening episodes that introduce the discrete story lines of other folks in the company.

5) Totally escapist. Can I get a witness! What! What! Truly, I feel like a poopsickle. My back hurts. I'm going to die lonely decrepit and arthritic with only a cat to usher me over to the other side. My novel is progressing about as fast as a glacier (I don't even know what that metaphor means). I think if I don't suddenly become Jonathan Franzen or Steig Larsson or write the New The Secret, I might as well resolve myself to eating Ramen for every meal for every day for the rest of my life and burying my head in the sands of shame for not actually doing anything with my (society tells me) selfishly acquired MFA. BUT AT LEAST I HAVE ANIME.

And a good day to you, dear readers.