WataMote (Anime Series)

WataMote
Written by: Takao Yoshioka

Based on the manga series by: Nico Tanigawa (Yen Press)

Directed by: Shin Onuma
Produced: Sentai Filmworks
Release Date: Began July 8, 2013--ongoing 

Welcome, Dear Readers, to a GUSHING review of a strange little, heartbreaking, anime with a long name. The title of this slice-of-life, teen-angst, anime series: Watashi ga Motenai no wa do Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! , better known by the shortened title Watamoto, translates to No Matter How I look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! and, in short (or long...considering the length of that title) that's exactly what this anime is about. 

Lead character Tomoko Kuroki is a fifteen year old girl with crippling social anxiety and self-esteem problems...a fact that makes her high-school life and her desire for popularity awkward to the point of painfulness for both viewer and character. So, why would I not only want to watch something that is painful to watch, but encourage others to watch it as well? That's a good question I don't really have an straight answer to. 

One thing I want to make clear though, is that I am in no way watching this to ridicule or make fun of this character. Although I have never had to face the depths of social awkwardness that Tomoko faces on a daily basis, I cannot help but feel a sort of horrific empathy with her as she moves throughout her day: panicking at each small social interaction; swinging wildly between utter disdain for her fellow students and her desire to be more like them; misjudging and misinterpreting social cues, actions, and reactions; feeling isolated and trapped in that isolation without any direction to turn; and trying madly to find some IN to a world of friends, popularity, and social ease that she seems to be excluded from. To call Tomoko simply anti-social or neurotic is to sell her short...she is a strangely compelling character, who invokes joy, sorrow, and pity in me

I promise you that she's not as scary as all that...most of the time.
And although she is the loner-type, she's not going to snap and go through with any violent actions towards others.
She does however sink into some fairly depraved, and self-indulgent fantasies involving sex and violence.

Fiercely independent by necessity, Tomoko TRIES (and fails) to be "normal"...something that may stick out in propriety-conscious Japan even more so than other countries. Countering that independence, though is a desperate need to fit in somewhere. Tomoko is so desperate that she negotiates every move she makes in an extensive inner-dialog that viewers are privy to...we see the misconceptions she is under, and the, at times, very sweet nature that motivates her. Of course we also see all those plans fall flat on their face, and we see a lot of her perverted and violent side as well (Tomoko is a well-rounded character). The end-goal to all her schemes is something most people take for granted...a handful of friends, a little bit of love and self-confidence, and a chance at the "normal life" those around her seem to find so easily. One issue keeping her from finding that "normal life," is that much of her understanding of what is normal and what makes a person popular is skewed as a result of her reliance on pop-culture artifacts that serve as a poor road-map; she reads countless manga and fan-magazines, plays Otome games (dating and relationship games targeted towards a mostly-female audience), and constructs elaborate fantasies. 

One of the things I find most fascinating about this anime is HOW we as an audience understand Tomoko. Tomoko's inner life is elaborate (it swings from highs to lows as she attempts to navigate the real world), and her outer life is withdrawn, awkward, and stilted (she can hardly speak to others, but when she does it involves some faux-pas, oddity, or social misstep). Somewhere in the middle is the real Tomoko...an interesting and strange girl who with a little more (or less, at points) self-confidence would be a "normal" high-school student (there are no "normal" high school students). Tomoko doesn't seem to realize that she's not completely alone...that each person is a little bag of neuroses and second-guessing just filling to burst. But, unlike many of us, Tomoko has no outlet for her very contradictory thoughts and impulses. 

She hates the popular kids, but she wants so desperately to be popular. Who is to blame? Tomoko herself? Yes, to a point, but who does she have to turn to? She's navigating this alone. Should we blame the popular kids for excluding her? Absolutely, but they're in some ways JUST like Tomoko, and perhaps fear letting her into their lives. She is, after all, an honestly odd person, who keeps others at well-beyond arm's length, and they most-likely have no idea how to approach her. 

Her attempt to escape a frantic situation in which she is stuck beneath a shelter in the rain with two cute boys. She tries to talk to them. It gets, as expected, a little weird. She tries to sneak off, and they ask "Where are you going? You'll get soaked."The sentence above was her impromptu answer.
My empathetic reaction was to scream "NOOOOO!" It took a while before I could laugh.

I love her oddity. I love the completely unaware and disastrous lapses in logic she has. I love that she tries so hard, and I feel sorrow when she fails. In some ways she's a cool kid...she has passionate interests (albeit perverted passionate interests at times); she's unique; she's imaginative--she's absolutely fascinating. She's the kind of kid we've all been at one point or the other (I hope, I'm not alone here in admitting that). She's the kind of person I'd befriend...a fellow outsider weirdo holding "normal life" at a distance while secretly desiring all of its pretty trappings. 

There's a tragedy to her failed attempts that's reminiscent (I'm about to get word-nerd here, so bear with me) of Hamlet. Now, I'm not saying this is Shakespearean exactly, but the inner struggle with identity and presenting our "self" to the world, the frustration of feeling bound by circumstance and expectation...those are HEAVY human concerns, and they are addressed in this anime. If Hamlet were minus one ghost-dad, and plus a comedy-of-errors feel, Tomoko would be hamletesque. 

I highly recommend this ongoing series. I have watched through episode six of Watamoto  so far, and am hooked. I will say that I don't recommend it for people who have a tendency to be overly-empathetic, or who get anxious when others are in awkward situations. There's a Michael Scott (from The Office) element to Tomoko...she means SO well, but she's so wrong at times, and misjudges so much in the world and about herself. It could be too much anxiety for some viewers, but if you can handle the elevated stress of watching this, it is well worth the risk. 

I'm going to leave you with a teaser....Watamoto has some of the best opening credits I've ever seen in an anime...hard heavy-metal, Japanese-style and some nice imagery reminiscent of Tomoko's inner struggles. I might actually go purchase this song, if I can find it...wow. 

All in all, I'm really loving this series...I'm loving it THROUGH the pain I sometimes feel watching it. My heart goes out to Tomoko, and I know that I'll be cheering through her victories...as soon as she manages to have one. 

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club (Anime Series)

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
Written by: Masahiro Yokotani
Directed by: Hiroko Utsumi
Produced: Kyoto Animation
Release Date: Began July 4, 2013--ongoing

The story of the Iwatobi Swim Club centers around 17 year old Haruka, an introverted young man who seems to be uncomfortable everywhere except in the water. He lives alone (his parents conveniently absent in typical anime fashion...the excuse this time is that they moved for work), skips school on a regular basis, and seems to be disinterested in what's happening around him, at least on the surface. 

In the past Haruka was part of a swim team, swimming (as he repeatedly tells us, only "freestyle") in races and relays. He and his three friends, annoyingly chipper and bubbly Nagisa, responsible and encouraging Mako, and competitive and determined Rin, won their middle-school relays, and then parted ways. Rin went on to train in Australia to be an Olympic swimmer, and Nagisa followed his family to another school. Leaving only Mako to tend to Haruka's swimming-related OCDs.  Haru, never interested in the idea of the "race," quit when Rin left, and Mako followed, one by one the team fell apart, and a few years later the swim club itself closed. The story opens with Nagisa transferring into the high-school Haru and Mako attend. In a fit of nostalgia (and brandishing packets of salt to ward away ghosts), the trio decides to break into their old swim club and take a trip down memory lane. While there they run, coincidentally, into Rin, who has returned to attend an private school with an elite swim team, still working towards his Olympic goals. 

Inspired by the past, Nagisa convinces Haru and Mako to join him in starting a swim club at their new high-school. and expected shirtless hi-jinx ensue as they gain an extra member in the form of neurotic, perfectionist (and poor swimmer) Rei. And with Rin's little sister as team manager the group tries their best to make a good showing at their first meet. 

Welcome to this week's episode of "catering to teen girls."
Clockwise from the top we have:
determined glasses dude, angry aggressive dude with a sensitive core, responsible big-brother-type,
cutey face bunny boy, and sullen haunted loner with secret feelings. 

This is a show I would continue. I am six episodes into the series, and in some ways this is a predictable male-harem type anime...there's a guy for every girl here. You like brooding dark and aggressive ..well, this anime has that covered. Stoic with a hidden tenderness...oh, yeah, we got that. Cute and flirty...sure. Awkward genius in glasses who happens to have an incredible body...yup. Responsible big brother type who wears his heart on his sleeve...not a problem. So, why watch it if it's so predictable? Well, hot-anime-shirtless-ridiculousness aside (I think the "swim club" choice was seriously influenced by the amount of skin the scenario offers), this is a very interesting character study. 

Haru, the main character, has an icy personalty that is a little off-putting, but his genuine passion for swimming at points borders on the metaphorical and philosophical. Despite his sometimes apathetic stance, there are hints that there are deep conflicting emotions at work in this character. Except when he is swimming (and is at his most joyous) he seems devastatingly sad. Most obviously this deep sorrow emerges in his relationship to Rin. Haru's unresolved, and contradictory, feelings of friendship, devotion, guilt, and loss become a major undercurrent to the series, at least so far. There's an interesting dynamic between Haru and Rin. The one-sided competition Rin feels keeps him motivated, but causes an widening rift between two people who seem to not only admire and respect one another, but care deeply for one another (in a heterosexual way; don't get excited yaoi-fans). Each of them clings to the friendship that they formed in the past, but each wants to move past that loss, or even through it...as both characters say in separate situations "I want to move on." Their past, and their competition with one another, is not allowing them to do that. 

If you can't swim, you should not join a swim team.
I don't care how many sparkles are surrounding you...sparkles don't float.
(Or do they? I can't ever remember.)

Each of the characters seems to have some sadness or loss that they are attempting to move past, and as a team they may be able to mend one another's broken bits. I'm looking forward to future episodes. I can already hear (this series just began in Japan less than two months ago) the sound of fan-girls squeeing over this series. I would expect that there are fan-sites, fiction, art, etc. popping up every hour. This is the kind of anime a teen-girl would like, but...and we need a but here, it does have more than just cute/sweet situations, shirtless boys, and awkward affection. There's a story here about loss and redemption, about individual goals and our desire for collective support, and about how passion and freedom are strange bedfellows (one ties us down while the other liberates us). It's surprisingly deep stuff for an anime with an average of ten shirtless minutes per 22 minute episode AND one of the worst closing credit sequences I have ever experienced (you were warned). Other than those closing credits, I think this one is worth a watch. At the very least you'll be on the popularity bus before this turns into the next Ouran High School Host Club. 

Dr. M: Day Five--A manga you would recommend to everyone

I am officially adding my voice to the I Love Fumi Yoshinaga Fanclub by requesting that everyone go out and read a copy of Flower of Life.

A High-school Story 

In a lot of ways the series is "just" a high-school story, but it's a high-school story that only Fumi Yoshinaga could have written.

It centers on two unlikely best friends, Haru and Shota, as they try to navigate their way through high-school and into adulthood. Their goal is to write/draw manga...but they aren't sure how to go about getting it published.

Haru has Leukemia and a crazy sister              Shota is chubby and adorable

There is also a cast of other characters. In a lot of ways the four-volume series is an ensemble piece with entwined and resonant story lines.

It's funny. Honest to a fault. Sad. Nostalgic. A little naughty at points. Poignant. Introspective. Ridiculous. Heart-warming. Troubling. It's a LOT, in a little space, yet so perfectly balanced and expressive that it never feels indulgent, or overwritten. I think this is my favorite of her works, and  I can't really imagine a single person who couldn't find their way into this slice-of-life series. I think even those, GASP!, manga haters would find something to love about this series.

Also, Shota is adorable.

The Rule of Standing on Tiptoes (manga)

Title: The Rule of Standing on Tiptoe
Author/Illustrator: Puku Okuyama
Genre: Yaoi? I suppose incidentally it is.
Publisher: DMP
Rating: 16+ YA, but really doesn't need to be (zero sex or sexual situations)

Cover: Kosuke (Ham-chan) on Raku (Luck)'s shoulders
as Raku steals his chips. These boys are goofballs!

Okay, first of all, this is freaking adorable...adorable...like one of the most adorable things I've ever read, so I am going to keep writing adorable over and over again as I review it. ADORABLE! The Rule of Standing on Tiptoes is an adorable high-school  romantic comedy/friendship story about the tallest boy in class and the shortest boy in class. Short, hyper, hamster-like Kosuke and tall, popular Raku first meet when Raku hits Kosuke with his bike on the first day of 10th grade. Kosuke, who is immediately nick-named Ham-chan by Raku, is the first to discover Raku's secret--he's only half-Japanese. The secret isn't a big deal, but Raku stands out so much already because of his good looks and height that he'd rather keep his blue eyes (he wears black contacts) and his light brown hair (he claims he dyes it) under wraps to keep him from standing out more. His personality is vastly different from loud, boisterous, pierced, bleach blond Ham-chan, but despite their differences they form a fast friendship as they make their way through the pitfalls of high-school.  Somewhere along the way each, individually, starts to form more difficult feelings of love and devotion to the other. Did I say adorable? Because seriously, this is adorable. There's no graphic sex, no weird drama, no astonishingly unrealistic beautiful boys, no big obstacles, no secret pasts (I mean unless you count Raku's heritage), no psychic powers, no conniving rivals (one standard high-school-type rivalry is pretty tame), no aggressive lusting...there's nothing but an absolutely genuine feeling, sweetly awkward friendship that turns into an absolutely genuine feeling, sweetly awkward sort of love. Adorable.

On a side note there is something about Kosuke (Ham-chan)'s gestures and personality that reminds me of Ms. Shakespeare. Some of it may be the way he hyperactively panics before over-rationalizing and putting on a stoic face. Some of it may be because she is kind of adorable. See exhibit A and B below:



On the  left the adorable Ms. Shakespeare and surly Dr. M battling for the only copy of a manga!
On the right Ham-chan and his ex-girlfriend race to school to prove who is faster!
It really does look like us.

 So, the manga is adorable, and Ms. Shakespeare and I are adorable. Facts is facts, Dear Readers.

This really is one of the most honest seeming yaoi manga I've ever read. Okuyama has really captured that swoony-sick feeling that accompanies a timid sort of love. It is well worth a read if only to re-experience that feeling again. Oh...adorable (just wanted to type it once more).

Only Serious About You (manga)

Title: Only Serious About You 1
Writer/Illustrator: Asou Kai
Genre: Yaoi
Distributor: June
Rating: Not provided...I would put it at a PG-13 (no sex, some suggestive remarks, one sweet kiss)
Fun fact: On sale at 30% off at Akadot

Okay, this is squeeworthy. Completely squeeworthy! And it has so many of the lovely things I like: older characters, character development, complex back story...plus, it's sweet. So sweet. These are the kinds of mangas that remind me that somewhere deep inside, I am still a girl (but not very often so be warned).

The main character of this manga, Nao, is like me in that his mantra seems to be "I will work harder." This mantra is my downfall, and it is his too. Nao is a single father whose daughter, Chizu, falls ill. As a single father he must take time off of his work as a cook, bartender and waiter, to care for her, but as he is alone and strapped for cash, this becomes difficult. One of the regular customers, Yoshi, who is openly gay, a serial dater and an tremendous flirt, offers to lend his help and reluctantly Nao takes him up on it. Eventually Nao too falls ill and in typical yaoi fashion the illness brings Nao and Yoshi closer together as friends. Eventually their relationship will move from close friends into romantic territory, but not in this first volume. There are obstacles in the way that must be overcome before then.

Yoshi (in bed) finally succumbs to the flu.
It is Nao's turn to take care of him. It is at this moment that Nao
realizes that he and Yoshi are alike in their reluctance to depend on others,
and that Yoshi asking for his help is actually a big deal.
They are becoming a family.

First is the fact that Nao is not gay or doesn't realize he is--that's an issue! Nao is a divorcee with a broken heart, as such he's very guarded and unwilling to get close to or rely on anyone. Chizu is the center of his life, and he sees no point in taking time away from her for selfish romance. The second obstacle is the fact that Yoshi (who Nao says is "pretty loose with his love life") never seems to be serious about the men he dates. We discover later that the string of lovers Yoshi has is his attempt to ward off loneliness he's felt his whole life (he was raised in an orphanage)...he just wants someone to love and stay with him. Both men will  find the companionship and love they desire in subsequent volumes, but in the meantime the slow pacing and development of their relationship will keep me reading. At the end of volume one some complications arise with Nao's over-protective boss, his selfish ex-wife, and Yoshi's on-again/off-again flame.

I want volume two, which comes out late this month. This is a manga I'd read again, and a manga I'd recommend to others. I want it on my manga shelf and, Dear Readers, you should want it on yours too.

La Esperanca--Manga

La Esperanca officially has one of these jobbers ç (called a cedilla). I may or may not try to remember to put it in like so: La Esperança. I'll try. And I will try...I mean it. Why? Because La Esperança  is one of my favorite manga series ever. On the surface it's typical yaoi stuff--school boys yearning over forbidden feelings in a will they/won't they sort of situation that ends all too predictably. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but La Esperança does more than just rehash the same plot as a hundred other tension-filled, angsty, boy-love manga. It actually brings up some interesting and insightful discussions of destiny, friendship, faith, kindness, fragility and vulnerability. These are heavy, literary themes for this genre of manga and author and illustrator Chigusa Kawai (this is her first, and for a long time her ONLY work) handles them with maturity, subtlety, complexity and sincerity in this seven volume series.

But first, an important confession: I read this manga as it was being released by DMP, and eagerly anticipated each new volume. I can remember counting down release dates, driving on my lunch hour to (of all places) the local Game Stop, and bringing the volumes home with twitchy fingers. La Esperança made me nervous. It still does. I often delayed reading my new volume until I had re-read all the previous ones. I was certainly anxious to know what turn the story of wealthy private school students Georges Saphir and Robert Jade might take, but I'd need to ease myself back into it. To be frank, I was nervous for the characters. I both wanted and did not want to see them break. I was nervous for me as well, La Esperança is a series I had to physically step away from on several occasions (putting the book down mid-chapter with a sigh or sharp intake of breath) to ward off the emotional heartbreak that seemed inevitable.

In short, this series is pretty powerful stuff at times, especially in terms of image, emotion, and characterization. It also has a lot of wind blown angst. Lots of wind. So much wind that Ms. Shakespeare once went on a lengthy diatribe about the amount of wind in this manga series, claiming that in order for this to be realistic each character would have to be sporting around their own wind machine at all times. Wind aside, because I don't really care either way, this is a must read. Chigusa Kawai's first work is intense, impressive and (dare I say it? ) literary. I have been looking forward to some new work from this writer/illustrator since the end of La Esperança, and Kawai has finally produced something new--a series entitled Alice the 101st, which is on my to read and to review list as we speak. I only hope the new series lives up to my expectations based on this one. I'll certainly be letting you know, Dear Readers.

WARNING ONE: Blogger may have just screwed me out of a crazy-good, long-ass essay on this manga. In fact, I know it did. I have never had this experience on blogger, and am half-furious at both it and myself at the moment. I will have to rewrite it, and I am ensaddened. I hope it is even better this time around, although I expect it will not be. Hey, blogger, what happened to the auto-save? Did you forget to do that? Because it would have been really nice in this case. SO ANGRY!

WARNING TWO: Dr. M (seriously, I have an actual PhD...don't question my ability to get all schooley) is about to wax all academic up in this mug, please bear with her, humor her and acknowledge that from time to time this sort of thing has a place.



Robert and Georges first meeting.
Georges literally falls into his arms.
Only to be dumped out unceremoniously with a
"Tsk, I thought you were a girl."



At its heart, La Esperança is a buildungsroman about the development of the inner self. The teenage boys populating St. Grollo Boy's School are coming to an awareness of the singular self at odds with the surrounding world. This awareness brings with it an acknowledgement of limitations and complications. Each character is asked to face their fears about the past and future in order to become a whole person moving in and through the world.

Thematically it deals with some very important, and sometimes heavy, topics, asking us, as readers, to consider, what we do to protect ourselves from the world as human beings.  It is very human to put up our guard against the world around us, because vulnerability leaves us exposed, but closing ourselves off keeps us from living fully in the world through connections with others. Georges, the protagonist of the novel, begins as nothing more than a pretty object--a self-effacing angel popular with all students, but close to none. Henri, the best friend, is held at arms length and longs to breach the unseen barriers Georges throws up to guard his inner self from the outside world. Robert, the antagonist and eventual love interest, hides his true self  behind the perceptions others have of him; he lets his classmates and others believe him to be cold and callous because it is easier (and safer) than having to explain or relieve past sorrows. 

Georges' Story is about acceptance:

In all of the essential ways, this is the story of Georges Saphir, orphan, half-saint, pianist, and angelic do-gooder with a tragic past he is unaware of. So, we must start with Georges.Georges has things wrong, but not on purpose. An altruist at heart Georges strives to be pure, to be kind and helpful to everyone, to live for others. But in living for others he abandons himself in many ways, and becomes less of a person as a result. The sweet-smiling barriers he constructs keep people from seeing what Georges believes is impure, or undeserving, below the surface. Robert is the first person to ever breach the barriers Georges puts up, and he does so rather cruelly in a way, telling Georges that there is a contradiction in George's actions, that Georges, who is friendly to all, but close to none, is actually cruel. He berates him, telling Georges that he spreads benevolence around, but feels none of it, that he pushes his kindness on people, and that although he seems altruistic he is in fact selfish with himself. Robert points out the "lie" in Georges' treatment of his classmates that he claims to like them, but never lets anyone know the real him. Georges, he claims, will be the one suffering in the end if he does not learn to love himself. Roberts lessons are cruelly given at first, but they belie the interest he has in Georges. Georges, over the course of the story, learns to let people in bit by bit. He also learns that to become an adult, to have real relationships, one must give of ones' self.

Robert's Story is one of rredemption:

Can I just tell you how much I love this character? Too bad, Dear Readers, I'm doing it anyway. I love Robert Jade. His cockiness covers his hidden sensitivities and insecurities, therefore he's my second favorite kind of tragic hero. My first favorite kind, incidentally is Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. He is a "pain demon," seemingly sadistic, but really masochistic. Oh, Heathcliff! Robert is the second kind, the torn prince, the knight errant crippled by his own inner workings and personal tragedies, the bad boy with a secret child's heart plagued by sorrows and desires ( on a related note, I love you, Dean Winchester!). His small gestures undo me. Scenes when we get a glimpse into Robert's past, scenes when he and Georges struggle to contain emotion, and scenes where Robert breaks, showing his kindness or his haunted soul, or his fragility, leave me breathless. Georges is a pretty blank page, but Robert....Robert is a supernova: a dying star in the throws of immolation. Robert is haunted by his own tragic past, one in which he feels responsible for the death of a loved one (whom Georges greatly resembles in looks and in personality). Neglected as a child, Robert is awkward with emotion and relationships, but it is clear that he has vast up-wellings of love that need an outlet. In the climax of the book, Robert not only redeems himself, but finds closure and forgiveness. 

Side stories are about coming into one's own self, creating the individual, navigating the distance between expectations and reality, desires and needs. Each of the characters faces their own personal quests to establish a future, to comes to terms with obstacles and to make secure connections that will last a lifetime. These boys are at a crossroads in which the must choose the directions their lives will take: each struggles with very human fears, fallabilities, and even a few neuroses.



Georges kisses Robert out of the blue,
finally taking something for himself.



The story ends, not on a saccharine sweet happily ever after, but on a sort of trembling hopefulness.  Robert and Georges actually part, but with promises. They will each other to fight, to survive whatever life may throw at them and (in the immortal words of Tim Gunn) "make it work" despite obstacles.  We see a glimpse of their possible future in their determination to take initiative, address, change, and compromise WITHOUT sacrificing one's ideals, and self.

In this way the "Ending" feels more akin to a beginning. Half of me wishes for a continuation---half of me thinks that this hopeful, "non-conclusion" is the best of all possible endings for a series concerned with accepting and facing future obstacles.

I keep coming back to this manga again and again, not because it is sweet or inspiring (although it is at times) , but because it touches on what it means to be human in all of its incarnations--positive and negative. There are certainly moments where my heart is bursting  for these characters, but there are equal number of  moments when I feel afraid for them, or question their actions and reactions. Human beings are not perfect.  There are no happy endings. In fact, there are no endings at all.

Flower of Life--Manga

Some days Ms. Shakespeare and I both feel that we could easily change the title and purpose of Squeefinity into the We Love Fumi Yoshinaga blog. We do love Fumi Yoshinaga. This artist and writer of us-favorites (like fan-favorites only more specific) Antique Bakery, All My Darling Daughters, and Not Love, But Delicious Food makes me Happy has written a ton...yes, a TON of other titles, and nothing Ms. Yoshinaga has written has failed to be mature, complex and honest about the struggles, insecurities, small triumphs and heart-sinking failings all human beings face, regardless of gender, sexuality, social status, finances or goals. She shies away from very little, fully acknowledging the complexities of her characters in her manga.

This series Flower of Life, centers on the complex lives of a group of high-schoolers. Traditionally her characters have been older, some even facing mid-life crises, but this time she has developed a true, and honest feeling, coming of age story. The characters Harutaru, Shota and Majima, are all high-school students facing different obstacles. The story begins with Harutaru's arrival at school. Haru arrives mid-year because he had been hospitalized and treated for Leukemia, his boisterous personality, blunt honesty and positive attitude, and bleached hair are his trademarks. He instantly befriends Shota, a pudgy little fanboy who is too cute for words (everybody thinks so), and creates a quick enemy of Majima, a pale (creepily beautiful) otaku with serious personality issues.

Harutaru and Shota
How cute is Shota? Supercute! Haru talks about wanting to eat him up.

Flower of Life makes me happy. It isn't super dramatic. It isn't a love story (although there is a fairly scandalous love affair later on between the androgynous school teacher and Majima). It's a story about kids struggling with life and decisions that will affect their future. Haru's older sister suffers from some rather intense agoraphobia. Shota struggles with self-esteem. Haru struggles with his future, and the possibility that his leukemia will relapse. Majima struggles with actually having feelings. Other classmates have their own stories and we see glimpses into their lives and their individual obstacles, some of which can be overcome, some of which will remain long-standing. It's a slice of life: sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, sometimes confusing, but always completely and utterly straightforward.

My favorite part of this series comes in the last volume. In it, Shota (writer) and Haru (illustrator) decide to take their little manga club, and their doujinshi (an amateur or fan created manga--some are original stories, and some are fan fictions) to the next level. The two make a good team, although they struggle with their egos like any duo working on a creative endeavor. The story of the two boys struggling to find success in manga writing and illustration may be a way for Yoshinaga to share her experiences as a manga-ka. Shota, even says at one point, "I'm expressing in manga what I can't explain in words." This statement may speak to Yoshinaga's approach to manga writing. Certainly her work has a subtlety and maturity that many writers shy away from. I suppose critics of her work could suggest that she is a little obscure and slow-moving in regards to plot, but I like to think that like all good writers, plot is a product of character development.   Yoshinaga is not just a good artist, she is a good storyteller. I recommend all of her work. I haven't seen anything by this manga-ka that hasn't been interesting and insightful. She speaks, even in her few yaoi titles, about the human experience: love, pain, insecurity, desire, fear...all the things that make us human.

DMP/Akadot Retail --Site/Store

http://www.akadot.com/


In honor of their 801 line of Yaoi manga, Digital Manga Publishing and Akadot are celebrating Yaoi Week with some fairly good sales. All this week 8/01 to 8/08 discount bundles of random yaoi will be available. Plus if you buy $30 dollars worth of books they'll throw in some mystery gifts. (I like a mystery gift!)

Your mystery gift will not be a fruit tart, I can almost guarantee that!
But it could be some yummy food-centered manga!

Although they are pushing Yaoi this week, remember that DMP doesn't JUST produce yaoi manga.  They do have a wide range of other titles for those of you who aren't as into the boy/boy as perhaps...um, me?

I usually wouldn't be pushing you, Dear Readers, to part with your well-earned money, but after the sad/slightly-expected demise of TokyoPop in the spring, it seems important for us anime-junkies and manga-philes to support the industry. While it is true (I remember seeing a t-shirt that said this, so it MUST be true) that crack is a cheaper addiction than anime/manga, please consider giving back to the those publishers/distributers/manga-ka who form the supply line for your addiction...and lay off the crack. DMP isn't a huge company, but they are prolific, and they do produce (mostly) decent translations (there have been a few glaring exceptions) of Japanese-language manga into English. They also carry quite a few of the titles Ms. Shakespeare and I have reviewed, including some of my favorites Yellow, Little Butterfly and Love Song for the Miserable and Ms. Shakespeare's favorites from Fumi Yoshinaga (Antique Bakery). If you've been tempted to purchase some of the titles we review, think about doing it now while there are deep discounts to be had--I saw a copy of Antique Bakery listed for $4.00...that is cheap!

So, go support these distributors who so kindly feed the addiction for your hostesses here on Squeefinity.

More reviews to come!

Squeefinity Stir!

Hey, people are starting to notice our little blog. Sure, half of them are here searching for pictures of Ciel Phantomhive, but some of them might stay to read our rambling reviews about crappy (and fantastic) anime and manga.

Here are some places we've been listed/shared/linked to recently:
http://www.gameycrazy.com/
Mangawriter.com
http://childrenofsaintclare.wordpress.com/
japaneseclass.jp

People have been reposting/linking us from other countries and have even been tweeting/retweeting links to our posts. Cool!

We started this blog a few years ago as a way to share our love of good and bad anime and manga, and we were (maybe) a little lax for a while, but we've picked up the pace and would like to keep going.  We've got plenty of posts, reviews and even a few theoretical discussions slated for the coming months. If any of you dear readers would like to make a suggestion for a review or discussion, or reading/viewing recommendations please comment and let us know. I think I can speak for Ms. Shakespeare when I say we are both excited that people are interested in anime and manga, and that we love that people are coming by to read our comments on new and existant titles in the genres.

I'm super geeked about the whole thing. How geeked?

Ryo is surprised and slightly embarassed. Awww...Ryo!

That's a pretty good illustration of it.
Ryo is sooooo cute!

Little Butterfly--Manga

The three volume Little Butterfly series by Hinako Takanaga is the kind of manga I read over and over again because of the complex emotional bonds that develop between the two main characters and the general beauty of the artwork and sentiment. Be warned, this is not for everyone: it is yaoi (boy/boy), it is about high-school seniors (kind of icky), and it does have a few scenes that border on graphic towards the end of the book. I would agree with the publisher's rating of 18+ for audiences, but want to stress that this is not (like many less mature or sophisticated yaoi manga) a story about trying to get someone into bed. There may be a sexual aspect to this book, but it takes a back seat to the (sometimes literally) painful sweetness of what I think is Takanaga's best work.

The story begins with a school trip during which the adorably airheaded Kojima takes it upon himself to befriend class outcast Nakahara. Kojima, after much effort, is able to crack through Nakahara's rather heavy defenses and the two begin a tenative friendship. As their friendship develops Kojima learns more about Nakahara's past and personality. Nakahara is both neglected and abused by his constantly fighting parents and has retreated inwardly because of his feelings of resentment and inadequecy. He has blocked off his heart, and it is not until he begins his friendship with Kojima that he allows himself to risk bonding with anyone at all.

Nakahara breaks my heart. He is a tragic and thoughtful character who finds in Kojima the kindness, sympathy and love that the world has denied him for so long. Kojima is a sweet ding-bat who sees the world and Nakahara as full of possibility. It is the belief that Kojima has in Nakahara that pulls him from darkness and gives him hope for some future. The relationship that develops between the two is one sided at first, with Nakahara revealing his feelings for Kojima during an intensely vulnerable moment (as he seeks comfort after an even more intense family fight). Kojima is slower to respond, taking time to consider his feelings and response before coming to the realization that he does, in fact, love Nakahara.

The tensions and emotional openness of the characters seem perhaps a bit more perfect than natural, but that does not detract from the genuine feeling these characters exude. A few stilted soliloquies and apt metaphors reveal interesting psychological and sociological views on love and friendship, self-respect and self-denial, and emotional risks.

This character-driven, semi-tragic manga is among my favorites of all time. And since I find myself re-reading it a few times a year it has been worth the purchase price for me. Honestly, moments like the one below have made it worth the purchase price for me. Now, the omnibus edition (all three volumes in one) is available for a ridiculously low price. It makes me want to buy it for other people.

Aw, Nakahara...you're killing me. Seriously. How painful is this panel? He's bruised and vulnerable and still so intensely honest that he can't keep from telling startled Kojima the truth. I just want to squee-ze them both. Good luck kids!

Here we go again: Pain, Depression, Anime & Manga

I feel just like Ash.

Actually, it's not as bad as it sounds. My back has not been cooperating with my desire to live life to its fullest, and I've pretty much been crippled with pain the last few days (again). I'm optimistic it will heal spontaneously, and I will be back to being a secret samurai in no time flat. Failing that, I hear your spine changes in your sixties and back pain is no longer an issue. C'mon old age!

But, all this pain and pining away for  more active and fun filled days got me thinking, there is a lot of pain in anime and manga -- pained looks, battle scars, near death experiences, horrible experiments, tentacles going places they probably shouldn't, etc. -- but, I can't, offhand, think of an actual  prominent and permanently disabled character in popular works. I can think of characters with scars, painful pasts, eye patches, and empathic ability, which seems like a disability.

Not to say that these mediums have to be all inclusive, and also to say, I'm probably not as well read as I could or should be. But nothing comes to mind.

In some ways it's odd because there is the reoccurring theme of illness in anime and manga, from colds to car accidents, the creators and consumers of anime and manga love to explore how the tough get taken down and the caring show their true colors. Seriously, it's really not true love until the main character gets a fever and the aloof, unreadable love interest breaks out a cool cloth and some home made soba. I'm just saying is all.

I wouldn't mind reading a manga or watching a show with a disabled protagonist or main character. I'd love suggestions if you have them.

In the meanwhile, I'll just lay her flat on my back hoping things get better or that I transform into Kisuke Urahara and become the owner of a cane that is also a sword.

Gimme